Deep in the forest of Constellation Island, tongues of flame shot out in all directions, wildly destroying everything nearby like a rampaging beast.
Ao Hang landed on a treetop, frowning slightly as he looked down at Mo Xuanli below, but didn’t intervene.
Then suddenly, a bolt of lightning burst from the ring, striking the fire-wreathed Mo Xuanli until his whole body went limp, forcing him to one knee.
Mo Xuanli lifted his head sharply, his eyes blood-red not just from pain, but from demonic corruption.
The ring continued to discharge lightning, but it no longer affected him.
Under the demonic array, Mo Xuanli’s descent into demonhood found its perfect stage.
He choked, feeling the lightning still assaulting him, and slowly raised his hand to look at the silver ring on his finger. His expression twisted even darker, and a laugh, harsher than crying, squeezed from his throat.
“So it was never a token of affection… just a restraint.”
In an instant, rage surged up in his chest. Even if the whole thing could be explained as a misunderstanding, Mo Xuanli still felt as if his feelings had been deceived, mocked, betrayed. The pain he couldn’t face turned into countless sharp blades stabbing into his heart.
If this was how it was going to end, then why had Gu Baiqing been so good to him in the first place? It would have been better if he had always stayed that lofty, distant master, cold, even cruel, better than being gentle, better than giving warmth only to take it back.
To give and then take it all away, it was too cruel. Too cruel!
Mo Xuanli’s emotions swelled uncontrollably. He suddenly tore off the ring and hurled it away with all his strength. Without the interference of lightning, demonic energy rushed toward him unchecked.
His eyes darkened to a deep, crimson red. A single, mad, obsessive thought began to take shape in his mind.
It didn’t matter whether Gu Baiqing liked him or not. What was his would always be his.
Mo Xuanli leapt up but at that moment, a surge of dragon’s breath descended from above, pressing him down to the ground with invisible force.
Ao Hang coiled in the air above, his voice cold. “Mo Xuanli, think carefully. Do you want to become a demon?”
To Ao Hang, which path Mo Xuanli chose didn’t matter much. He only thought that Mo Xuanli was being swayed by the aura and emotions here, that he might not be in his right mind.
Under the dragon’s breath, Mo Xuanli’s frenzy seemed to be trapped, restrained for a moment.
His crimson pupils trembled violently.
To fall, to become a demon… meant he could escape from everything, that he could do whatever he wanted, without restraint.
“Master, if I… were corrupted and turned into a demon, what would you do?”
“What else? I’d sever our bond as master and disciple, I’d stop caring about you.”
Those words struck his mind like thunder from the heavens. Mo Xuanli woke instantly, as if snatched back from the brink of death. Terror and dread filled his chest; the demonic energy surging through his flesh was torn away, like a shadow being ripped from his body.
The flames vanished. The red faded from his eyes. All that remained was a disheveled man with tear-streaked cheeks.
Mo Xuanli collapsed to his knees, pounding the ground in helpless frustration. He couldn’t think of any other way to vent the pain. Not even a scream would come out, it all lodged in his throat, suffocating him.
He pounded until his fists were raw and bleeding. Then, the red cord of God Nine Transformations twined around his hands, stopping his self-destructive actions.
Mo Xuanli stared blankly at the cord, then suddenly remembered the ring that should have been on his finger. Like a madman, he bolted toward the trees, frantically searching for it.
Ao Hang landed back on the tree, shaking his head. “What a foolhardy kid.”
At the same time, Gu Baiqing naturally sensed the change in the readings. He was about to go look for Mo Xuanli but ran into other sect disciples who had entered. He didn’t dare let them discover Mo Xuanli, who might be showing signs of demonic transformation at that moment, so he could only lead them in the opposite direction, silently praying that Ao Hang could help. Fortunately, the readings soon stabilized, and Gu Baiqing finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Only then did he hear from them that they had just arrived, they had only sensed a strong demonic aura but hadn’t seen any demons, and they asked Gu Baiqing if he had encountered any.
They all assumed Gu Baiqing had arrived earlier, and Gu Baiqing, of course, couldn’t admit he had just gotten there himself, so he could only say that he hadn’t run into anything.
Thus, the group headed together toward the center of the formation.
Gu Baiqing forced himself to calm down, the main task came first.
On the other side, Li Xiuran and Jingzhan had also hurried over and happened to meet up, not entirely by coincidence, but because the younger generation had all been assigned to enter from the east side of Constellation Island, where the barrier had already been removed. Since the route passed by the spiritual spring, the two simply took the path they were familiar with.
When they met, they decided to travel together.
“Why haven’t we run into a single demon yet?” Jingzhan said in confusion.
“I keep feeling something’s off. Why would the demons choose to enter through Constellation Island?” Li Xiuran said.
“What’s even stranger is that there’s a teleportation array here. Weren’t all the traitors already caught?” Jingzhan said.
Li Xiuran’s tone grew low. “Even the Hidden Gods Clan’s arrays can’t guarantee that every infiltrator’s been found.”
Jingzhan’s face suddenly changed in alarm. “You mean if these arrays need inside and outside coordination, don’t tell me one of the seven of us is the traitor?”
Li Xiuran’s expression shifted slightly, as if realizing something. “Impossible!”
Jingzhan was startled by his reaction. “Why not? We don’t even know the Zong siblings that well, who can say for sure? And Constellation Island has always been under Taixu Hall’s jurisdiction. Who knows if any of their people have entered?”
As he spoke, both of them suddenly felt a powerful surge of demonic energy.
They exchanged a look and immediately rushed toward it.
But before they could reach it, the demonic energy vanished, replaced by the distinct presence of dragon breath.
“It must be Mo Xuanli and his group! Maybe they’ve already wiped the demons out. Let’s go check!” Jingzhan said excitedly.
Li Xiuran frowned slightly, but since Jingzhan had already rushed ahead, he could only follow.
When they arrived, they saw Ao Hang leaning lazily against a tree trunk. When he noticed them approaching, he merely lifted his eyelids to glance at them.
Not far away, there was movement in the bushes, clearly, Mo Xuanli was bent over, searching for something intently.
They went closer and called out to him, but were startled by his appearance.
There were tear tracks still drying on his cheeks, his eyes slightly red and swollen from crying, his expression vacant, his face pale, his whole state utterly wrong.
“Xuanli, you…” Jingzhan stepped forward and patted his shoulder.
“Don’t come over, you’ll step on it… can’t step on it…” Mo Xuanli muttered distractedly as he kept searching the ground, his words incoherent.
He seemed utterly lost, frantically searching the dirt, disheveled and desperate.
How could he have become like this after only a short time apart?
Li Xiuran looked up at Ao Hang on the tree.
Ao Hang said coolly, “He lost the ring his master gave him.”
The two of them gasped, exchanging glances, this didn’t look good.
Jingzhan tugged at Li Xiuran’s sleeve and whispered, “Hey, do you think he and his master fought because of the Yinyuan Stone thing? They left together, but now he’s alone searching for the ring. Looks like a total fallout to me.” He gestured with his hand as if indicating a break-up.
Li Xiuran looked troubled. Faced with this situation, he didn’t know what to say. “Don’t waste time talking. Let’s help him find it. Look at his hands, they’re already raw.”
Just as they were about to take to the air to help search, a woman’s voice called out: “Stop looking. It’s over here.”
The three of them looked up. Not far away stood Si Chun, cold and aloof, pointing with her umbrella toward a tree branch. A silver-white ring hung precariously from it, swaying in the wind.
She had just arrived and, after overhearing their conversation, noticed the silver glint at a glance.
Mo Xuanli’s figure flickered, he leapt forward and caught the falling ring just before it hit the ground, staring dazedly at it in his palm.
In the next moment, he tried to put it back on, but as the ring neared his index finger, his movement froze.
The silver-white ring, the pale blue gem, his master’s spellwork.
The keepsake he had treasured, the token of affection he had sworn never to remove had been nothing but his own delusion from beginning to end. How utterly ridiculous.
He could no longer bear to wear it, he quietly put it away instead.
Everyone nearby naturally saw this.
Standing across from him, Si Chun watched him silently. It was her first time seeing Mo Xuanli so hollow and lost; her brows knit slightly.
Jingzhan, unable to stand it, patted Mo Xuanli on the shoulder. “There are plenty of flowers in the world….”
Before he could finish, Li Xiuran elbowed him.
“Ahem, Xuanli, the Yinyuan Stone isn’t necessarily accurate. Don’t take it to heart. Just explain things to your master, he’ll understand.”
Jingzhan silently stared at Li Xiuran who, incidentally, had also been matched by the Yinyuan Stone wondering if he didn’t feel even a little guilty saying that.
Li Xiuran, determined to comfort his friend, pushed on.
“Our path as cultivators is one of defying heaven itself. What’s a Yinyuan Stone compared to that?” He truly meant it.
Jingzhan could only nod. “Exactly. And honestly, your master’s such an enlightened person, how could he be bound by something like a Yinyuan Stone? You should talk to him, tell him your heart hasn’t changed. Worst case, just never see Zong Xuezhen again. Keep her far away from your world.”
“It’s not… the Yinyuan Stone,” Mo Xuanli said at last, surrounded by his friends. “It was never because of the Yinyuan Stone.”
“What?” Jingzhan asked in confusion.
Suddenly, Mo Xuanli’s tears fell, startling the three of them. His wet lashes trembled slightly, and the fragile look in his eyes made their hearts ache.
“I was wrong,” Mo Xuanli said hoarsely. “It was all my mistake. He never liked me. He never… promised me anything. I misunderstood everything. He’s only my master, and I’m just his disciple. It was me… who overthought, who overstepped.”
As he spoke, he didn’t feel embarrassed, he couldn’t even think far enough to feel shame over this one-man farce he had put on. All he felt was pain… such deep pain.
The smile that had once been so radiant now felt like a cruel mockery, and his tearful grief weighed heavily on everyone’s hearts. His three friends panicked, unsure how to comfort him. None of them had expected this, it turned out it hadn’t been a simple quarrel or jealousy. So all that sweetness from the past few days had been an illusion? What a colossal misunderstanding. They didn’t even know where to begin asking.
But soon, Mo Xuanli wiped his tears away hard with his sleeve. He wasn’t the type to cry in front of others, that brief moment of breakdown had only happened because being surrounded by his friends had made him drop his guard.
To him, now that this love was gone, he and Gu Baiqing were merely master and disciple, a relationship that could be near or distant, replaceable, shareable. Such a bond was far from enough for him. But his master… didn’t like him. Perhaps he couldn’t even stand to touch him. After all, even though dual cultivation could restore spiritual power, his master had refused, had even shown clear aversion…
Mo Xuanli gave two hollow laughs, forcing a stiff smile. “I’m fine now. Sorry for scaring you all.”
“What nonsense!” Jingzhan slapped him on the shoulder. “When a good brother hits a rough patch like this, he should vent! If it weren’t for the setting, I’d drink with you for three days and nights straight!”
Li Xiuran clapped him on the other shoulder. “Heartbreak is a man’s rite of passage. If you still like him, go after him. If you want to give up, then let go completely. It’s no big deal.”
Si Chun said nothing. She just took out some elixirs, grabbed Mo Xuanli’s hand, and began healing his wounds.
Perhaps to distract himself, Mo Xuanli suddenly asked about their current situation. He only vaguely remembered what had happened before, something about demons and Constellation Island.
The others sighed helplessly and quickly explained the situation.
Mo Xuanli frowned slightly and looked up at the teleportation array. “Up to now, still no demons?”
“I was about to ask you the same thing. Just now…” Jingzhan started, then recounted what he’d seen.
Mo Xuanli’s gaze flickered, good thing he’d stopped in time, or he might’ve made a grave mistake.
“No,” he said quietly. “There’s demonic energy, but no actual demons. Something’s not right.”
“Then we’d better head over there,” Li Xiuran said.
Everyone nodded.
Instinctively, Mo Xuanli sensed his master’s position, it was a habit he couldn’t suppress. Before he even realized it, he’d already located him: his master was beneath the center of the formation.
Mo Xuanli’s face changed. The only thought in his mind, how could Master go somewhere so dangerous alone? Does he even have any spiritual power left? He…
He tried to activate the Void Spirit space, but having used it twice already and depleted much of his energy, it wouldn’t respond. He cursed under his breath.
Before the others could even take off, Mo Xuanli was already flying ahead on his sword.
Ao Hang followed close behind, but Mo Xuanli said, “If we find him later, don’t follow me, stay with him.”
“Really? You sure you won’t need me?” Ao Hang raised an eyebrow, his tone teasingly suggestive.
“I won’t,” Mo Xuanli said in a low voice.
Ao Hang asked, “Judging from your tone, are you trying to keep your distance from him now? That’s why you want me to follow instead?”
“I’m… just a disciple,” Mo Xuanli said, his eyes dim.
The last two sentences were overheard by the three who had caught up behind them. They exchanged looks and sighed. It seemed the two really were over or rather, they had never truly begun.
Soon, they saw many cultivators flying ahead toward the center of the formation.
The massive array was still spewing out demonic energy, black mist surging like a flood.
Yet, not a single demon appeared, only dense ranks of cultivators in the distance.
Suddenly, someone launched an attack toward the array.
Judging by the technique, Mo Xuanli recognized it as Chu Fei.
But Chu Fei’s strikes couldn’t destroy the array, and soon, the array’s defense mechanism retaliated against him. The sect leaders and elders all rushed up to assist.
Just then, the teleportation array suddenly shifted, turning into a killing formation, launching indiscriminate attacks. The cultivators below immediately scrambled to defend themselves.
From afar, Mo Xuanli’s heart tightened. Just as he was about to accelerate forward, a dark figure shot up from the crowd, straight into the sky.
A thunderous bolt crashed down on the array, the killing force weakened by half, as if startled into submission.
Standing atop Three Bean, Gu Baiqing surveyed the formation. Suddenly, a wave of attacks surged straight for him, as though the array were focusing all its fury on him.
Already in a foul mood, Gu Baiqing let out a cold laugh. With Morning Snow in his hand, pale blue lightning wrapped around his arm, his black hair whipping in the wind as he met the assault head-on.
A blinding light burst out with the impact of the spell, shaking the air.
Just after fending off one wave, Gu Baiqing sensed another attack coming from a different direction. He was about to turn and counter when—
A white figure descended before him, an umbrella unfurling overhead, shielding him from all attacks.
Gu Baiqing froze for a moment. Seeing Mo Xuanli’s back again, his heartbeat grew uneven.
Mo Xuanli didn’t turn around. He only shouted loudly, “Everyone stop! Something’s wrong! This kind of array won’t retaliate unless attacked, it’s a decoy! We’ve fallen for a diversion! Split the group, send people back immediately!”
If he hadn’t seen the formation’s strange shifts, Mo Xuanli might not have realized it, there were no demons, only demonic energy, like a target deliberately placed to lure them in.
Almost everyone who came here was a master cultivator of the cultivation world.
However, the immortal sects that had remained on the floating islands were the ones with weaker combat power.
Just then, a cultivator with strong spiritual perception suddenly shouted, “Not good! Our sect is under demonic attack! What Disciple Mo said was right, it’s a diversion tactic! Quick, back to base!”
Li Xiuran, Jingzhan, and the others finally realized something was wrong. No wonder they hadn’t seen a single demon along the way.
Everyone immediately turned back in a rush.
Gu Baiqing drew in a sharp breath. They had been misled by their experience in the Void Spirit Secret Realm, assuming that this formation was also meant to summon demons. They hadn’t expected they’d been fooled. Though Zixiao Sect still had Fu Zhiyi guarding it, both his and the remaining disciples’ combat abilities were limited.
Gu Baiqing quickly said, “Xuanli, can the Void Spirit Space still—”
Standing at the front, Mo Xuanli’s body trembled, but he didn’t look back. His voice was low and steady: “Not enough to take you with me.”
Before Gu Baiqing could react, Mo Xuanli had already forced himself to cross through the Void Spirit Space alone.
Gu Baiqing’s chest tightened. He knew Mo Xuanli wasn’t throwing a tantrum, but the rejection still stung. When he turned around, he was shocked to find that Ao Hang hadn’t followed either.
“Don’t look at me,” Ao Hang said quickly. “He told me to stay with you.” He watched Three Bean happily wound itself around him in his beast form.
Gu Baiqing felt his heart twist. He sighed silently. In the end, he was just a pure, good-natured child. That only made Gu Baiqing feel guiltier, he’d not only misled him but also made him suffer heartbreak. He really was acting like a scoundrel.
