By the bamboo grove in front of the mountain, under the brilliant sun.
Lin Zhao and Wei Huarou sat side by side on the stone steps outside the secret chamber. Both were covered in injuries, having survived a great ordeal. They sat outside, smiling foolishly at the world, as if rediscovering it for the first time.
"Lin Zhao, thank you..."
Wei Huarou said softly, "If it weren't for you, I would have been killed."
Lin Zhao scratched his head. "It's nothing..."
Just then, a spring breeze swept over the mountaintop. Instantly, the memories sealed by the time reversal began to awaken. In the next moment, their bodies began to transform into scattered specks of light, rising into the air, about to leave this reversed timeline!
"Lin Zhao, be careful!"
Wei Huarou gently pushed Lin Zhao dozens of feet away.
At the same time, their minds returned to their bodies. Outside, time remained frozen at the moment the Nine-Tailed Fox bound them with the Runic Bone. In an instant, Lin Zhao was sent dozens of feet away by Wei Huarou's gentle palm, sliding across the lake. The Nine-Tailed Fox's natal Runic Bone exploded in front of Wei Huarou. The moment it exploded, Wei Huarou's magnificent aura surged, and a field of the Shangqing Great Cave True Scripture's cultivation method opened around her. A sword fell from the sky in a straight line, striking the Nine-Tailed Fox's body with great force.
"Boom—"
With a deafening roar, the karmic retribution for the Nine-Tailed Fox leaking heavenly secrets descended. She dared not think, directly raising a tail to block the karmic retribution and Wei Huarou's majestic sword. In the next moment, a tail was shattered in mid-air. The entire world rumbled. The moment the Runic Bone exploded and the tail was severed, the Nine-Tailed Fox's cultivation plummeted from the fourteenth realm directly to the thirteenth.
"Go quickly!"
The Nine-Tailed Fox snarled, ferociously sweeping her severed tail towards Wei Huarou, Lin Zhao, Xu Zhi, Huang Tingyu, and the others. She said in a deep voice, "This matter is over. We cannot force it. Preserve your strength!"
For a moment, Fu Sheng pushed back Huang Tingyu's long sword with a palm strike and retreated rapidly. Xu Changyou repelled Xu Zhi's ten demon soul swords with a powerful punch, also stepping back across the water. His eyes were fixed on the sword immortal woman on the lake, and he frowned, "Xu Zhi, I'll remember you. Be careful, one day I will personally twist your head off!"
Xu Zhi looked indifferent, her expression quite disdainful.
...
The lake returned to its calm. Everyone examined their injuries.
Wei Huarou stood on the lake, dressed in a cyan Daoist skirt and a white jade crown befitting a Daoist woman, exuding an unparalleled, peerless grace. Her beautiful eyes were like water as she quietly looked at everyone.
Xu Zhi understood the situation and stepped forward respectfully, saying, "Xu Zhi pays respects to the Sect Leader Wei of the Daoist Ancestral Court, the True Monarch Zixu!"
Huang Tingyu also cupped his fists. "Huang Tingyu of Mountain Peak Villa pays respects to Sect Leader Wei!"
Lin Zhao frowned, feeling a bit uneasy. After leaving the mountain of time reversal, he was still Lin Zhao, but the other party was now the Sect Leader Wei of the Daoist Ancestral Court, the exalted fourteenth-realm Daoist saint. After a moment's thought, he still stepped forward, cupped his fists lightly, and said, "Lin Zhao of Snow Domain Heavenly Pool pays respects to Sect Leader Wei."
"Ah?"
Wei Huarou raised her delicate eyebrows and smiled. "Lin Zhao, thank you... Thank you for staying with me during my most difficult time. Thank you for mending my state of mind when I was at my lowest. So, you don't need to call me Sect Leader Wei anymore. Our relationship is different from others. Just continue calling me Cun'er as before."
"..."
Lin Zhao was extremely anxious. "But the Cun'er in the dream was still young... You now are such a grand Sect Leader, and a fourteenth-realm being. If I call you that, wouldn't it be a bit presumptuous?"
"No."
Wei Huarou's gaze softened, and she smiled. "No matter how high the realm, she is still Cun'er."
"Mm."
Lin Zhao nodded. "Actually, I met Mister Qin in the dream..."
"Yes."
Wei Huarou smiled faintly. "If it weren't for Mister Qin's help, we might not have returned safely."
In fact, Wei Huarou's memory was somewhat vague. The method of time reversal was truly powerful, to the point that she could barely recall it. When she was ten years old, she had indeed carried a bamboo basket and traveled far from home. She had climbed a mountain, encountered wolves, and even met a fifth-realm spirit named Liu Sheng, but the memory of how she survived was very hazy. The affairs of the world were so wondrous. Could it be that Lin Zhao had truly appeared that year? Otherwise, she might not have lived to see today.
Therefore, when Wei Huarou looked at Lin Zhao again, her gaze softened even more. In Wei Huarou's heart, he was no longer just Lin Baiyi of Snow Domain Heavenly Pool, but a friend who had journeyed with her, the very best of friends.
...
In the mountains.
Late at night, a figure flew low through the forest, clad in a long gown, dressed as a scholar. It was Liu Xingshu. He was gradually forgetting his sorrow, emerging from the gloom of Xiao Cong's sacrifice. As he flew, he looked up at the positions of the constellations in the sky. Liu Xingshu had followed his master since childhood to cultivate the art of star gazing and divination, and he had surpassed his master. This was also why his senior martial uncle, Master Zi Huai, had asked Liu Xingshu to make this trip to Western Shu.
"Not right..."
Liu Xingshu frowned, landed on the branch of an old tree, and looked up at the celestial phenomena. Today's star map was extremely unusual, as if it were revealing to the human world the imminent arrival of some heavenly secret.
He lowered his head again and calculated for a long time, then suddenly understood, his heart becoming even more certain. He even couldn't help but let out a light laugh and said, "So that's how it is, so that's how it is. It's a situation where heaven and earth work in unison... No wonder my uncle asked me to come. It's like this, if I, Liu Xingshu, don't come, who else in this world is qualified to come?"
Saying that, he flickered away again, his face filled with confidence and determination, heading straight towards Lingxiao Mountain, a hundred miles west of Lingque Lake.
...
In the depths of the East Sea.
Pillars of sword light rumbled and rotated in the deep sea. Sword energy filled the water. No one knew how long the battle had lasted. When a beautiful figure in a red skirt and white shirt emerged from the sea and gracefully landed on a cresting wave, streaks of blood rose from the seawater. Following that, the corpses of Flood Dragons surfaced.
Su Qingjiu, one person, one sword, fighting alone against the demons of the East Sea.
"Hmph!"
From a distance, Long Zheng held her long sword, blood flowing unceasingly from her left arm. Her pretty face was contorted with ferocity. She laughed, "Well said, Sword Heart Connected to the Divine. Everyone says you, Su Qingjiu, are the strongest twelfth-realm sword cultivator in the world, and it's not untrue. Unfortunately, your edge is too sharp. You shouldn't have chased into the East Sea. Wouldn't it have been better to stay by your Brother Lin Zhao's side? You had to come to the East Sea to court death."
"Court death?"
Su Qingjiu chuckled lightly, unhooked the green gourd gifted by Brother Lin Zhao from her waist, and took a hearty gulp of the fragrant wine. In an instant, the demeanor of the female sword immortal tilting her head back to drink was simply peerless. She looked up at Long Zheng and smiled, "The rebellion of the East Sea demons is already a foregone conclusion. If I, Su Qingjiu, don't come, should I let others come?"
"Good!"
From a distance, an old man's voice could be heard. Amidst the surging waves of the deep sea, a small boat slowly approached. The old man, dressed in a cyan long gown, was boating in the deep sea, holding a cyan bamboo pole. His face was quite peculiar, with a very noticeable indentation on his forehead. He wore a smile. "As expected of Lin Baiyi's sworn sister. Although not a scholar, you possess the scholar's spirit of 'not yielding to others.' This is you, Su Qingjiu, seeking death. It concerns no one else. Even if I kill you, the karmic consequences of heaven and earth will not touch me in the slightest!"
He seemed in no hurry, rowing his boat slowly.
Su Qingjiu frowned. The old man's aura was extremely profound. If her guess was correct, he should be a fourteenth-realm ancient demon. The pressure he exerted facing Sword Heart Connected to the Divine was definitely not something a thirteenth-realm demon could possess. After all, even great demons like Fu Sheng and Yu Zhi would never be so confident and calm when facing Su Qingjiu's sword.
"Senior?"
Su Qingjiu tied the green gourd back to her waist and smiled, "Who are you? You must be a great villain, right?"
"Great villain?"
The old man in cyan couldn't help but laugh heartily. "Interesting, very interesting. I have guarded the East Sea for thousands of years, and this is the first time I've heard myself called that. However, it doesn't matter. After all, in your human eyes, my demon race has never been considered benevolent."
Saying that, he laid the bamboo pole across the boat, cupped his fists, and smiled. "I am Jiao Chen, the old ancestor of the East Sea Flood Dragon clan, fourteenth realm!"
"Oh?"
Su Qingjiu's expression instantly relaxed, and she narrowed her beautiful eyes, smiling. "I was wondering who it was. So it's the oldest ancient demon in the depths of the East Sea. No wonder your demonic aura is so strong."
Saying that, Su Qingjiu looked at Long Zheng and then at Jiao Chen. "Finally, have the Flood Dragons of the East Sea decided to side with the demon race?"
"It is truly unavoidable."
Jiao Chen smiled faintly. "It is the general trend. If we don't seize the passing fortune, our East Sea Flood Dragon clan will truly be at the end of its rope."
"Not necessarily. If you dare to bite, you might also be at the end of your rope."
"Oh?"
Jiao Chen narrowed his eyes and smiled. "Little girl, your abilities are not great, but your tone is quite large."
"Hmph!"
Su Qingjiu sneered dismissively, pointed to the same spot on her forehead, and then pointed to the indentation on Jiao Chen's forehead. "When I was young, I once heard my master tell stories from a long, long time ago. It was said that in ancient times, Flood Dragons wreaked havoc in the East Sea. The thirteenth-realm Flood Dragon ancestor, Jiao Chen, relying on his high cultivation, devoured human flesh and blood to replenish himself, incurring the wrath of heaven and humanity. Finally, the fourteenth-realm Military Sage Ding Muchen and the fourteenth-realm Confucian Sage Qin Suihan jointly came to his door. They originally intended to reason with him, but Ding Muchen, disagreeing with him in a single word, directly used his sword hilt to smash his forehead, causing it to dent. Since then, Jiao Chen promised that he would never lead the East Sea Flood Dragon clan to join the demon race in this lifetime, and if he broke this vow, heaven and earth would destroy him."
Saying that, Su Qingjiu smiled. "This scar hasn't even fully healed, and you've already forgotten your original vow? The East Sea Flood Dragon clan truly isn't afraid of facing destruction by heaven and earth!"
"Su Qingjiu!"
Jiao Chen coldly sneered. "This is not the same as then. Qin Suihan has long since died for the sake of so-called 'not yielding to others,' and Ding Muchen is also struggling to fend off enemies in the upper realm. Do you think I will truly lead the Flood Dragon clan to wait for death?!"
Saying that, Jiao Chen grunted, "Formation rise!"
Immediately, boundless stellar power emerged from the deep sea, and stars shot up into the sky, instantly sealing off the entire East Sea. Su Qingjiu, trapped within the formation, could no longer move an inch.
In fact, after Jiao Chen appeared, Little Jiu'er knew she could not escape.