It was as if a pair of hands gently loosened her hair bun, allowing her thick locks to glide through the teeth of a comb. Every tangle was carefully smoothed out, strand by strand, as her long hair was slowly and meticulously braided or coiled into an intricate updo.
The hands were clumsy, and despite their utmost care, they occasionally tugged at a hair or two, sending sharp twinges of pain through her scalp. Amidst these faint stings, Li Fei opened her eyes in a daze.
The dim glow of the Dragon Imprisoning Lock flickered in the gloom. Through the grand, ornately carved window, the pale blue dawn seeped in, tinted by the crimson gauze into a hazy, warm hue that lulled the senses. Her body felt utterly drained, her spiritual energy sealed within, leaving her throat parched as if scorched by fire. Her thoughts were muddled, her mind adrift, unable to recall the events that had led her here.
Someone stood behind her, the scent of rare incense wafting from their sleeves. Their fingers combed through her hair, occasionally pulling a strand taut against her scalp—sharp, sudden pains.
Finally, it seemed the updo was complete. The figure rose and fetched a bronze mirror, placing it on the table. A flicker of flame ignited the candles in the room all at once, and Li Fei found herself staring at her own reflection—dressed up, adorned, and restrained.
A white dress, crimson flowers, and dark hair—her usual attire. The illusion spell had long been dispelled. Layer upon layer of chains bound her tightly, even a collar of the Dragon Imprisoning Lock coiled around her neck. The slightest movement made the chains writhe like living things, tightening their grip, rendering her immobile.
A cup of warm, fragrant tea was pressed to her lips. Li Fei silently regarded the man crouched before her. Ji Tongzhou held the teacup with elegant poise, the candlelight casting shadows across his face, his thick lashes veiling the depths of his eyes—as if the man-eating demon beast within him had been buried deep, out of sight.
"Drink," he said.
Li Fei offered no futile resistance. She parted her lips and drank most of the tea, the liquid soothing her parched throat, her mind gradually settling.
"Did you hand me over in exchange for Yue Country's safety?" she murmured.
Xuanshan Zi had been secretly assassinated by Long Mingzuo's faction—all to pave the way for Wugou to annex Yue Country. Yet now, Yue Country remained unharmed, while she had been cast out, even implicating Master Chongyi and Su Wan. The connections were clear to her now.
The Ji Tongzhou before her was still the same Ji Tongzhou—unyieldingly self-centered, acting without reason or rationality, forever driven by his whims and instincts, doing as he pleased.
Ji Tongzhou dabbed the moisture from her lips with a soft handkerchief, his voice indifferent. "Indeed. What now? Will you put on that righteous face of yours again, forgiving my sins, hoping I’ll turn over a new leaf?"
Li Fei let out a cold laugh. "You’ve never been evil, nor have you ever been good. You’ve always been like this. And I’ve never forgiven you."
"So you’ve always treated me with such cruelty?" His gaze burned into her.
Li Fei remained composed. "I was cruel to you? I never gave you anything. Deep down, you know how vile this behavior is—that’s why you keep nitpicking at me. 'I don’t like you. I’m condescending. I’m hypocritical.' So betraying me, wanting me dead—it’s justified, even satisfying, isn’t it? Does that make you feel better?"Ji Tongzhou suddenly grabbed her collar. Seeing her wary expression, he sneered and leaned in, his voice hoarse as he whispered in her ear, "What do you think I'm going to do? You're already tainted. I have no interest in sharing a woman with Lei Xiuyuan."
The crude and deeply insulting words turned Li Fei's face pale. She pressed her lips tightly together, staring fixedly at the crimson window curtains without saying a word.
Ji Tongzhou adjusted the pink hibiscus in her hair, then slowly took out a worn wooden comb with several broken teeth from his sleeve, gently smoothing the stray strands by her ear. The moment Li Fei saw the comb, her gaze lingered on it for a long while. Then she heard him say, "Perhaps you were right."
His life had been pieced together from desires of varying sizes, each burning like flames. Every step he took was in pursuit of his own obsessions—friends, loved ones, power... He endlessly craved, and endlessly lost.
"This is disgusting, so I've been picking at you all this time."
Ji Tongzhou's expression was strangely calm, even gentle, as he toyed with the wooden comb in his palm. Each stroke of his fingers was tender and practiced, as if he had caressed it countless times before.
"You owe me nothing. You've been living your life well." He smiled at her, warm yet profound. "I'll live mine well too. This is where we part, Jiang Li Fei."
The comb in his palm was consumed by Black Fire, turning inch by inch into black ash that scattered to the ground. Ji Tongzhou flicked his sleeves, pushing open the doors and windows. The morning sunlight flooded the opulent chamber as he turned, lifted Li Fei into his arms, and carried her step by step out of the room.
The Spiritual Qi Net above the prince's residence had already been repaired. In the empty courtyard, ten elder Celestials from the No Moon Court hovered midair, their robes billowing. The moment they spotted Li Fei, they descended swiftly, ten pairs of piercing eyes fixed upon her.
"This little girl?" One of them, seeing her ordinary aptitude, couldn't help but sound skeptical.
Cuixuan Xianren chuckled. "She has deep ties to Azure City. That thing we could never find—it's with her."
He took out the black ledger from his sleeve and flipped through it. The pages were blank, devoid of any ink no matter what method was used. After a moment, he closed the book, his previously drowsy eyes now sharp and luminous as he stared straight at Li Fei. "Azure City was wild and unrestrained, utterly unlike the humble and disciplined ways of us Central Land Immortals. His friendship with the Nine-tailed Fox wasn’t entirely unknown. Who would’ve thought a mindless monstrous creature could show such loyalty? After Azure City’s death, it protected you all this time. Zhen Yunzi spent years searching for you, all for that Nine-tailed Fox, didn’t he? Hah, all these years, right under our noses, and we knew nothing! Azure City’s move was both daring and vicious!"
He lightly tapped the black ledger and suddenly asked, "Where’s that boy Hu Jiaping? Where is he?"
Li Fei’s heart lurched in shock—they even knew about Hu Jiaping’s identity? She turned her face away coldly, gritting her teeth and refusing to utter a word.
Cuixuan Xianren said indifferently, "He’s the 'senior brother' you spoke of, isn’t he? After leaving No Moon Court, you sought him out at the Academy. I issued a disciple recall order, yet he never returned. Is he hiding in the shadows, waiting to strike? Planning to deal another blow to us Central Land Immortals like five hundred years ago?"Li Fei remained silent, but another elderly Celestial nearby asked curiously, "Hu Jiaping? Guangwei's disciple? Wasn't there talk of him being a prodigy years ago? How is he connected to Azure City? And speaking of which, wasn’t Guangwei supposed to be sent here? Why is there no sign of him?"
Cuixuan Xianren smiled. "Guiyuan Zhangmen sent me a message this morning, mentioning they had severely wounded a Yaksa. What a coincidence—Lei Xiuyuan turned out to be a Yaksa. With both of Guangwei’s most beloved disciples having unclear origins, he likely has no mind to deal with matters here."
Noticing Li Fei’s cold silence, he paid it no heed and continued, "Lei Xiuyuan and Hu Jiaping—these two must be the Yaksa who fell victim to Azure City’s Netherworld Great Magic back then. Azure City, coveting the unknown powers beyond the seas, colluded with the Yaksa to bring this girl back. All their schemes were for selfish gain. Fortunately, we discovered it early and thwarted their delusions."
His words insulted Qing Cheng Xian Ren, finally provoking a reaction from Li Fei. She turned her head sharply and said icily, "Narrow-minded people will never comprehend what true vastness is. Your world is black and white—forever consumed by hatred, forever guarded and wary. How pitiful!"
Cuixuan Xianren merely chuckled, and several other elderly Celestials joined in, even praising, "Oh? An Otherkin from beyond the seas understands such principles? Impressive. The bamboo scroll mentioned a peerless beauty who absorbs the Spiritual Qi of mountains and rivers. This child is fair and graceful, exudes an unusual fragrance, and even drained Zhen Yunzi’s Spiritual Qi before killing him. She must be of the same kind, no? Cuixuan, if we take her back to the sect, won’t it invite disaster like last time? Should we take her to White Edge Cliff instead?"
Cuixuan Xianren shook his head coldly. "Since she is an Otherkin, she should be eliminated immediately. However, with two Yaksa still at large, they remain a great threat. For now, let’s imprison her and spread word of it. Once those weakened Yaksa are lured into the trap, we’ll deal with them all together."
The other Celestials immediately protested, "How can we kill her? This is a rare chance to uncover the secrets beyond the seas! We’ve waited years for this opportunity!"
Cuixuan Xianren grew furious. "Have you forgotten the massacre at White Edge Cliff?! They shared your very mindset, and that’s why they were wiped out overnight! The Outlander Tomb was meaningless from the start. If not for the mercy of the four Zhangmen, it should have been burned to ashes long ago!"
Within No Moon Court, aside from the four Zhangmen, Cuixuan Xianren held the highest seniority. Moreover, his ability to wield the Netherworld Great Magic elevated his status further. The other Celestials had no choice but to cease their arguments and fall into reluctant silence.
Li Fei sat on the ground, bound by far more Dragon Imprisoning Locks than usual—clearly, they recognized her as special. Her hands and feet had long gone numb from the restraints. She glanced around, meeting the gazes of the Celestials—some curious, some probing, others regretful or resigned. Only one pair of eyes burned with hatred and wariness: Cuixuan Xianren’s.
He stepped before her, looking down imperiously, and whispered, "Tell me, what is written in this book? If you answer, I promise you a swift death. Otherwise, don’t blame me for being merciless."
She smirked and turned her gaze to him, enunciating each word slowly, "This book holds all my secrets. Do you truly wish to know? Telling you would be tedious. Why not let you see for yourself?"A soft white light suddenly burst forth from her body, faint at first but growing increasingly brighter. An unprecedented, even terrifying surge of spiritual energy fluctuation reverberated through the prince's residence. Yet soon, that fluctuation transformed into a massive vortex, slowly but relentlessly absorbing the surrounding spiritual energy—including that within their own bodies.
The faces of the Celestials instantly paled. They couldn’t even stop their spiritual energy from leaving their bodies! In an instant, countless glows of Immortal Techniques flickered to life. But what was even more horrifying was that those techniques dissolved into torrents of spiritual energy just three feet before her, all of which she absorbed completely.
Black Fire engulfed the entire courtyard, and the Celestials felt an irresistible scorching heat searing their bodies—so intense that even they couldn’t endure it. Immediately, they all soared into the air.
Li Fei’s Spirit Absorption couldn’t convert the Black Fire into spiritual energy. Suffocating flames covered her, and the excruciating pain made her scream. Her frantic, feverish gaze darted around wildly until it landed on Ji Tongzhou not far away. Wreathed in Black Fire, his face was hidden behind the flames, yet she could see him with startling clarity—his deep, indifferent eyes, so calm yet so chillingly cold.
Thinking of childhood friends now would be laughable. The Profound Splendor Fire burned her body, and in the midst of unbearable agony, she felt another body struggling to emerge from within her. This time, she didn’t suppress it. Her chest seemed to split open, and in an instant, her consciousness focused entirely on that new form.
She was trapped by something heavy—she needed to break free!
The others saw the white light around her suddenly blaze to its peak. A humanoid figure slowly rose from the body consumed by Black Fire. The light was blinding at first, impossible to look at directly, but it quickly dimmed. Jiang Li Fei, who had been bound by the Dragon Imprisoning Lock, now stood naked amidst the Black Fire, the chains scattered at her feet along with layers of snow-white, skin-like fragments.
Those petal-like white fragments suddenly flew up and adhered to her body, transforming in an instant into a white dress. Before her hovered a small, lustrous horn, spinning ceaselessly—faster and faster—drawing in spiritual energy at an ever-increasing speed.
The black Profound Splendor Fire rapidly dimmed, and the airborne Celestials plummeted to the ground, writhing in terror. So this was what it felt like to lose spiritual energy! In that moment, they understood Zhen Yunzi’s despair and helplessness before death. Powerless to do anything, they could only stare blankly at the girl standing at the center of the courtyard.
Suddenly, she reached out and grasped the spinning Horn of the Rhinoceros in her hand.
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