Zhaomin carefully observed Ji Tongzhou's expression. After so many years, he was no longer the naive youth who wore his emotions on his sleeve. Even if a mountain collapsed before him, his face wouldn't change.
She could only focus on his eyes. His dark pupils suddenly dilated, and that fleeting, inscrutable flicker of emotion was something she managed to catch.
Zhaomin didn’t know what to feel. Centuries ago, when everything was still orderly, Li Fei was still around and often spoke to her about her friends—Baili Gelin, who was far away at the East Sea Myriad Immortals Assembly, Ye Ye and Baili Changyue from the Earth Treasury Gate, and Ji Tongzhou from the Star Rectitude Hall.
Li Fei had never mentioned what kind of entanglement she had with Ji Tongzhou. Perhaps she would never hear it from her lips now. All these secrets were merely inferences made by Cuixuan Xianren. Who would have thought he had guessed correctly?
By then, the Sea Fall had long passed. No matter how unwilling anyone was about Jiang Li Fei and Lei Xiuyuan’s disappearance, life had to go on. With the greatest threat now vanished, the remaining concerns took precedence.
The first was the joint sanctions imposed by the Central Land’s Immortals against Long Mingzuo. During the Sea Fall, he had ambushed and fatally wounded an elder from another sect. While such an act was serious in principle, to the battle-hardened Celestials, it wasn’t considered a grave offense. However, the deceased was an elder from the Profound School of the Star Rectitude Hall. Given the influence of such a prestigious sect, the Immortals had no choice but to make a show of discipline. After half a month of deliberation, they decided on a punishment: the involved elders of Long Mingzuo’s faction were forbidden from leaving their sect for three years.
Upon hearing this, Cuixuan Xianren had sighed. When he learned that the Earth Treasury Gate had also interfered, secretly aiding the effort to undermine that prodigious disciple of the Star Rectitude Hall, he shook his head and said, “That child will either soar to greatness or become a formidable power in his own right. Prodigies emerge every five or ten years, but one like him is rare. Why must the Earth Treasury Gate, for the sake of two ordinary disciples, provoke such a genius? They’ll likely regret it in the future.”
Zhaomin recalled that Cuixuan Xianren had once intervened in the affairs of Yue Kingdom, having made some promise to Ji Tongzhou—to protect Yue for ten years. The older generation of Celestials valued their word above all else. Even though he hadn’t captured Li Fei, he still fulfilled his promise to Ji Tongzhou. Throughout those ten years, Ji Tongzhou remained within the Star Rectitude Hall without stepping out once. Cuixuan Xianren had even scoffed, “Though geniuses are rare, to think one could achieve an Immortal Body in under twenty years of cultivation is pure delusion.”
Even Qing Cheng Xian Ren, back in the day, had taken nearly a century from the moment he first stepped onto the path of cultivation to attain his Immortal Body—and that was considered exceptionally fast.
But in the tenth year, a purple star, large as a bushel, suddenly fell over the Star Rectitude Hall—a sign that someone was ascending to immortality. The event shocked the entire cultivation world. When Cuixuan Xianren heard of it, he sat in silent meditation for three days and nights, his expression grave, lost in thought.
After achieving his Immortal Body, Ji Tongzhou’s face remained as youthful as ever, but his once-black hair had turned completely white. It was clear that the effort he had expended over those ten years was far beyond what anyone could have imagined.At that time, he had not yet received a Dao Title. Zongquan, an elder of Five Zhang Mountain from Long Mingzuo, likely sought to take advantage of his recent ascension to Celestialhood while he was still inexperienced, aiming for a swift resolution. In the tenth year after Cuixuan Xianren withdrew his protection, Zongquan ordered Wugou to launch a massive assault on Yue Country. Hundreds of thousands of troops at the border were utterly annihilated by a sky-falling Black Fire, and dozens of Long Mingzuo disciples who accompanied them also perished on the spot.
This incident further elevated Ji Tongzhou's fame, as he wielded the overwhelming and unstoppable Profound Splendor Fire. Thus, his Dao Title became "Xuanhua" (Profound Splendor).
Within a hundred years of his ascension, several Long Mingzuo elders who had feuds with him met their ends under his Black Fire. Up to this point, it could still be considered his vengeance. But afterward, everything spiraled out of control. The Celestials of Long Mingzuo were nearly wiped out by him within a century, followed by Elder Han and several other elders from Earth Treasury Gate who had once openly reprimanded him.
Elders like Qingle Dongyang from No Moon Court also crossed paths with him. Elder Dongyang, in particular, suffered severe burns from the Profound Splendor Fire, leaving him greatly weakened.
Cuixuan Xianren's first reaction upon hearing this was to exclaim in alarm. Ji Tongzhou was a beast freshly unleashed—perhaps far more terrifying than any beast. He sought to erase everyone who might know his past.
The Profound Splendor Fire was exceedingly difficult to counter. Within No Moon Court, Chongyi was the one who could detect the subtlest spiritual energy fluctuations, while Guangwei possessed immensely powerful Immortal Techniques. If the two joined forces, they might seize the initiative and secure victory. However, after the Sea Fall, Chongyi became obsessed with collecting overseas legends and remained by the Eastern Sea, fixated on the Spirit Stele, utterly neglecting his cultivation. Guangwei, burdened by unresolved grievances involving Lei Xiuyuan and Hu Jiaping, had long left the sect and vanished without a trace, much like Azure City in the past. As for Cuixuan and the other senior Celestials, they couldn’t possibly gather to confront a newly ascended Celestial, nor could the four sect leaders.
Looking back now, Cuixuan Xianren was perhaps the most troubled among No Moon Court. Before the Sea Fall, he worried about its arrival; after it passed, he feared Ji Tongzhou, whose fangs had fully grown, might soon bare his bloodthirsty maw at No Moon Court.
He agonized over strategies, but no one could directly oppose the Profound Splendor Fire. This legendary Inner Demon Fire grew stronger the more its wielder suffered and twisted in agony. Initially, Cuixuan thought Ji Tongzhou's pain stemmed from his inability to protect Yue Country. But now, it seemed the turmoil in his heart was far more complex than imagined.
Two hundred years after Ji Tongzhou's ascension, the once unstoppable and triumphant Celestial faced his first—and last—near-fatal ambush. The assailants were his former friends: Baili Gelin, a Sea Sect Disciple, and her cultivation partner Lu Li, along with the newly ascended No Moon Court Celestials Su Wan and Deng Xiguang, who accompanied them that day.
After that day, Su Wan and Deng Xiguang never returned, much like the vanished Baili Changyue and Ye Ye from years past.
On the third day, Zhaomin met Baili Gelin. She looked terrible—like a startled bird, her chin so gaunt it seemed skeletal. She would pause for long stretches after each sentence. Though she had also become a Celestial, she was a far cry from the cheerful, vibrant girl Li Fei had once described.Cuixuan Xianren seemed adept at exploiting lost and vengeful hearts. Years ago, he had used this very tactic to ensnare Ji Tongzhou, who took the bait willingly. Yet, the one who bit turned out far more formidable than anticipated. Now, the same ploy was employed on Baili Gelin, but to no avail.
After hearing Cuixuan Xianren's words, the despondent woman merely uttered, "I'll avenge my own grievances. I don't need others' help."
From then on, no matter how much Cuixuan Xianren tried to persuade her, she remained silent.
The next day, she quietly left No Moon Court. Zhaomin never saw her again, nor heard any news of her—until now.
As the older generation of Celestials like Cuixuan Xianren aged day by day, the long span of four hundred years saw countless sect leaders and renowned senior Celestials pass away, replaced by fresh blood. No one remembered Xuanhua Xianren's youthful past anymore. In everyone's eyes, there was only the unstoppable, formidable Celestial wielding the Profound Splendor Fire, who rose to fame young, annexed countless nations, and became an indomitable hegemon.
Four hundred years later, Cuixuan Xianren, the last of the old guard, finally reached the end of his lifespan. Chongyi, Guangwei, and other elder Celestials from back then had long vanished without a trace. Su Wan and Deng Xiguang were most likely dead by Ji Tongzhou's hand. In the vast No Moon Court, the only one left who knew the past was Zhaomin, now the elder of Jade Fall Peak.
On the night of Cuixuan Xianren's passing, Zhaomin was summoned to his side. He was so weak he could barely sit up, half-collapsed in his chair, gazing at her as he spoke word by word: "What lies hidden in that boy's heart is likely nothing more than ambition or sentiment. Since his ambition has been pursued and satisfied, only matters of the heart can still unsettle him. We cannot let him continue unchecked. All us old ones are dead—which of you younger generation can stand against him? If he is not removed, today's Long Mingzuo will be tomorrow's No Moon Court! Over the years, I've carefully pondered his every word and action from back then. It seems he must have had some entanglement with Jiang Li Fei. Dig up Jiang Li Fei's long-sealed belongings and examine them thoroughly. See if there's anything suspicious—go quickly! Bring whatever you find to me."
Afterward, Zhaomin unearthed this worn-out dressing case. The Purple Jade Cricket and Lacquer Wood Comb were far too luxurious for Li Fei's usual frugal habits. Lei Xiuyuan was also a disciple of modest means. Gifts from old friends like Su Wan or Baili Gelin wouldn’t have been so extravagant, nor would they have been tucked away at the very bottom of the case as if hidden.
Thinking back, after the East Sea Trial, Li Fei never mentioned Ji Tongzhou again. It was highly possible that the knot in Xuanhua Xianren's heart had been tied back then.
When Cuixuan Xianren saw the two items, his eyes lit up. With his last, faltering breath, he instructed, "You... find a chance... return these to him... unsettle his mind... Profound Splendor Fire, Heart Devil Fire... I want him to burn... burn even fiercer... until he consumes himself..."
Before he could finish, the Celestial who had fretted for most of his life passed away quietly. With that, the last of No Moon Court's elder Celestials was gone.At this moment, gazing into Ji Tongzhou's shocked eyes, Zhaomin felt a surge of countless emotions in her heart. Deliberately holding the dressing case closer, she calmly shattered his last shred of defense with a lie: "After Li Fei returned from the Eastern Sea back then, she would play with these two objects every day. I once saw her secretly shed tears over them. Heh, youth is wasted on the undaring. Since Li Fei is no longer a member of our No Moon Court, these items should be returned to their rightful owner—Master Xuanhua. They are quite nostalgic keepsakes, after all."
She watched as Ji Tongzhou froze on the spot, saw his eyes quickly turn icy again, observed him raising his hand to gently pick up the Purple Jade Cricket and Lacquer Wood Comb, examining them closely in his palm before casually tucking them into his sleeve.
"In that case, my thanks," he said expressionlessly, then turned to leave, sharply calling out, "Jing Wu! Follow me at once!"
The flustered young boy stumbled as he flew on his sword behind him, vanishing from sight in the blink of an eye. Zhaomin silently stared at the gray sky, recalling those four-hundred-year-old events that felt both ancient and fresh, and remained wordless for a long while.
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