Li Fei went off to play with the Purple Jade Cricket by herself. Right now, she didn’t want to stay too close to Lei Xiuyuan—perhaps she needed to cool off a bit and stop letting him lead her around by the nose.
Lei Xiuyuan glanced at her but didn’t follow. Instead, he crouched down to handle the seashells. Noticing Ji Tongzhou watching the shells with eager eyes nearby, he suddenly smirked. "Your lackeys are running around causing trouble. You might want to leash them tighter when you get back."
Ji Tongzhou sneered but didn’t respond.
Lackeys? He had actually encountered one earlier. Just before Shen Xiansheng pushed him into the Barrier, he had run into one of his former underlings. This person was now cultivating at Long Mingzuo, and upon seeing him, neither bowed nor greeted him—utterly disrespectful. Ji Tongzhou couldn’t help but stare at him for a moment, only for the man to casually nod at him with an arrogant air. "Ah, it’s the prince. Five years is a long time."
Ji Tongzhou’s brows immediately furrowed. The man gave a faint, mocking smile before turning and walking away. A surge of fury rose in Ji Tongzhou’s chest, but chasing after him to reprimand him would be beneath his dignity. He stood there for a moment, stunned, before forcing himself to swallow his anger.
Long Mingzuo had once eyed Yue Kingdom with covetous intentions, and he had always remained wary of them. After Xuanshan Zi’s injuries healed, they had lain low for a long time. But though Xuanshan Zi had recovered, his strength had not yet returned to its peak. Among Celestials, covert struggles were commonplace—no matter how carefully he concealed his weakened state, those with ill intentions would eventually notice. Naturally, Long Mingzuo, which had been lying dormant, would begin to stir again.
Fortunately, Xuanshan Zi still held the position of Profound Gate Elder. No matter how brazen Long Mingzuo acted, they wouldn’t dare make any overt moves. The provocation from that lackey was nothing. These people had originally been fellow cultivators handpicked by his elder brother to serve as his companions—some weren’t even from Yue Kingdom. Now that his talents had been recognized and he had the backing of an immortal sect, they naturally wouldn’t grovel before him as they once had.
The cruel rules of this world were something he had understood since childhood—it was just that only now could he calmly reflect on them.
Frustrated, Ji Tongzhou plopped down heavily onto the sand, gazing at the distant horizon where the deep blue of the sea met the pale blue of the sky.
Behind him, Lei Xiuyuan had already finished preparing the shells, skewering them over the fire. The briny, savory aroma drifted on the wind, drawing Baili Gelin and Ye Ye over. Gelin noticed Lu Li standing alone by the shore, staring blankly at the sea, and immediately waved at him. "Senior Lu! Come eat!"
She called out several times, but he didn’t seem to hear her. Instead, he began walking step by step into the water—slowly at first, as if hesitating, but soon moving faster and faster. In the blink of an eye, the waves had risen to his waist.
"Senior Lu?"
Baili Gelin was puzzled. Was he planning to dive in and gather some shells or fish? And he hadn’t even cast the Water Aversion Spell—was he just going straight into the sea like that?
Lei Xiuyuan suddenly stood up, narrowing his eyes as he studied the scene. "Something’s off," he murmured. "Look at the surface of the water—is that mist forming?"
The others peered closely. The afternoon was clear, with blue skies, sparkling waves, white sand, and drifting clouds—yet a faint haze had indeed begun to gather over the sea, barely noticeable unless one looked carefully.
Baili Gelin had already rushed over to grab Lu Li, but he struggled against her grip, his expression vacant, his eyes fixed unwaveringly on the distance as he stubbornly tried to push deeper into the sea.Baili Gelin was gradually losing control over him and cried out in desperation, "Quick, help! It seems like he's been hit by some Nightmare Art!"
Everyone rushed over. Lei Xiuyuan suddenly noticed Li Fei not far away, staring blankly at the sea, about to step into the water. He grabbed her and lifted her up, immediately soaring into the clouds: "This place is strange—let's go!"
No sooner had he spoken than an ethereal, enchanting woman's song drifted across the sea. The mist over the water thickened abruptly, rapidly spreading toward the island. None dared to look back. Though they sensed no Demon Qi, that very absence made it all the more terrifying—monstrous creatures or ferocious beasts capable of concealing their demonic aura were exceptionally troublesome.
The sea roared with deafening waves. Standing atop the Centipede demon's back, Baili Gelin couldn't resist a frantic glance backward. The once calm, azure waters had turned dark gray, churning with white foam as dense fog swirled violently. A lush, green island slowly rose from the depths.
They didn't dare linger any longer. After flying frantically for about half a quarter-hour, the sounds of the turbulent sea gradually faded, and they finally relaxed. Li Fei, still in Lei Xiuyuan's arms, stopped struggling, her vacant eyes suddenly regaining focus as she looked around in confusion. "Where are those beautiful women? The ones singing?"
Lu Li, too, regained his senses, equally bewildered.
Ye Ye, still shaken, turned to check behind them. Only after confirming no anomalies did he speak: "A demon? Without even a trace of Demon Qi!"
Just as Lei Xiuyuan was about to respond, his expression shifted again. Beneath them, the sea had inexplicably revealed another verdant island. The group was horrified and immediately resumed their frantic escape. Yet the island seemed to shadow them like a specter—no matter how far they flew, it always reappeared beneath them, an eerie and terrifying phenomenon.
After what felt like an eternity, a massive island appeared ahead. Unknowingly, they had flown into the inner sea.
"Head for the island's center," Lei Xiuyuan instructed tersely.
Another burst of speed brought them to the island's central forest, where disciples from both the Mountain Sect and Ocean Sect were engaged in magical combat. The flashes of Five Elements Immortal Method lit up the surroundings. The sudden arrival of the group drew startled glances.
Seeing their hostility, Ye Ye quickly explained, "We're just passing through. We'll leave immediately."
As he spoke, a faint fragrance brushed past him, followed by a nearly naked woman with half-draped robes gliding by. Ye Ye flushed in embarrassment, but his discomfort soon turned to dread. All around them, countless alluring, half-clad women had materialized, swaying gracefully past the stunned cultivators, dancing with mesmerizing, seductive movements.
The distant yet intimate sound of women's singing filled the air. Lei Xiuyuan abruptly looked up—shadows loomed overhead. The island now hovered midair. Escape was impossible. Thick fog swiftly engulfed the entire central island, swallowing all the cultivators within.Ji Tongzhou felt his vision go white, unable to see anything. He hastily erected a defensive barrier, remembering that Ye Ye had been standing to his left. Instinctively, he took several steps in that direction, but to his surprise, he didn’t bump into anyone. Startled, he called out, “Ye Ye?”
No one answered him—only the haunting melody of the song lingered in the air.
A wave of terror washed over Ji Tongzhou. Raising his voice, he shouted, “Ye Ye? Jiang Li Fei?! Lei Xiuyuan?!”
Still, no response came. Yet from the opposite direction, he heard the faint rustling of grass, as though someone was approaching with light footsteps. Ji Tongzhou quickly retreated several paces, summoning a fiery lotus in his palm as he warily watched the direction from which the footsteps emerged through the thick mist.
Suddenly, a delicate hand parted the fog, and Lan Ya Junzhu appeared before him, dressed in resplendent court attire. The girl he hadn’t seen in so long now stood tall and graceful, her beauty almost blinding. With a tender, affectionate smile, she called out softly, “Your Highness.”
Ji Tongzhou was stunned. How could Lan Ya be here? And those clothes… No, he distinctly remembered that outside the barrier, a female disciple from the Fire Lotus Pavilion had mentioned Lan Ya had a message for him. Since she hadn’t yet broken through her second bottleneck, she couldn’t have come for this trial. So who was this before him? An illusion?
Like a swallow returning to its nest, Lan Ya Junzhu threw herself into his arms. In an instant, he was enveloped in her warmth and fragrance. She gazed up at him with pitiful longing, her voice sweet and alluring. “Your Highness, have you missed Lan Ya?”
A sudden haze clouded Ji Tongzhou’s mind, as though Lan Ya truly had come after all. The body in his arms was soft and light, and he couldn’t help but tighten his embrace.
He was no longer a child—how could he not understand Lan Ya’s feelings for him?
But no. It wasn’t her.
At some point, an indistinct measuring stick had appeared in his heart. He found himself using it to evaluate every woman around him. Lan Ya wasn’t the one he truly desired deep down. He didn’t even know who he liked or who he truly wanted—but it wasn’t her.
The woman in his arms lifted her head again, but her face had changed. Now it was a famously beautiful female disciple from Star Rectitude Hall, gazing at him with the same seductive longing, her eyes warm as spring water.
No, not her either.
The woman’s face kept shifting, cycling through all the stunning beauties he had ever encountered in his life. Yet still, none of them were right. None of them were the one.
Ji Tongzhou closed his eyes. His heart wavered between clarity and confusion as he struggled against these bizarre illusions. Suddenly, the body in his arms became bonelessly soft, and an intoxicating fragrance filled his nostrils. His entire body trembled, and against his will, his eyes flew open—only to see Jiang Li Fei nestled gently against him, her eyes brimming with tender longing, as though begging him to hold her, to kiss her.
In her hands, she cradled an exquisitely lifelike Purple Jade Cricket, smiling sweetly up at him.
Instinctively, Ji Tongzhou pushed her away. Out of all the women in the world, why did it have to be her?
“Ji Tongzhou, do you like me?” the girl before him asked softly.
“I don’t—” He barely got two words out before tears welled up in her eyes, her expression crumbling as she stared at him, heartbroken.
That look shattered his resolve. All clarity and resistance within him vanished in an instant. His throat burned as if scorched by fire, his mind muddled and lost.
“Do you like me?” she asked again, her voice trembling.He... didn't know. He had measured countless women with that ruler, yet had never measured her. Why? Deep in his heart, faint and indistinct—even unknown to himself—there was a slender figure. When had it begun? He hadn't noticed at all.
A voice seemed to whisper in his mind: Is it her?
No one answered the question for him. The soft, boneless body nestled into his arms again, and Ji Tongzhou was utterly entranced. This absurd illusion—he didn’t even want to resist it. The fire lotus in his palm silently extinguished, his wrists trembling slightly as he slowly embraced her.
Yes, yes, it was her.
He drew in a sharp breath, his vision blurring. The thick white mist had long vanished, replaced by his princely mansion in Duantuo. Ah, right—he had ascended to immortality, conquered the world, invincible, and no one dared to challenge Yue anymore. The extraordinarily soft woman in his arms wore the resplendent robes of Yue’s imperial court, her long hair coiled into an elaborate Gazing Immortal Hairdo, her bangs swept up to reveal a forehead as fair as jade. Her face was flushed with shyness, her starry eyes bright, thick lashes lowered as she timidly called out, "Your Highness."
Her fragrant breath was right before him, intoxicating enough to bewitch the soul.
Ji Tongzhou felt a softness against his lips—her arms, weak as silk, looped around his neck, her crimson lips yielding to his. His blood burned as if boiling, and with near savagery, he seized and lifted her.
The next moment, an overwhelming expanse of black and white enveloped the world. Her skin, against the ink-dark bedding, gleamed like moonlight.
The candle by the bed burned fiercely. He was already lost, adrift, unaware of time or place.
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