System: After the fortune telling, my cultivation level skyrocketed.

"die!"

Zheng——

A sharp, piercing sound tore through the sky as the demon suddenly appeared atop the dragon's head. The crescent scythe swelled three times in size, and the tri-colored demonic mist swirling around the blade intertwined with the holy light of the dragon-patterned armor, unleashing a blade of light interwoven with black, white, and gold.

The Heavenly Water Divine Dragon hurriedly raised its claws to block, but the dragon claws, formed from the condensed spiritual energy, melted away like ice and snow meeting fire the moment they touched the blade's edge. The scythe swept across the dragon's head without any resistance, severing the dragon's head, which contained Xia Jiuyou's natal spirit, cleanly!

"Boom—" The dragon's head crashed into the void, turning into a sky full of blue light and dissipating. The dragon's body, which had lost its support, collapsed with a bang. Eighteen clones of Xia Jiuyou, dressed in white feather robes, flew out like kites with broken strings, and then turned into streams of light and gathered around the main body.

"Nine Nether Cloud Array, activate!" Xia Jiuyou's voice was hoarse as she rapidly formed hand seals. In an instant, eighteen clones formed a cloud-shrouded array, with pale gray array patterns intertwining to form a shield that protected her in the center—this was her trump card defensive array, but at this moment it could only barely hold on.

"Xia Jiuyou, if you don't admit defeat, the next time my blade falls, I will surely take your life!" Qiu Zixian's voice came from the demon's mouth, hoarse as if metal were grinding against stone, making people's hair stand on end and their backs feel cold.

The void cracked open once more, and the demon's enormous shadow slowly emerged. Its body, covered in dragon-patterned armor, gleamed with a cold, hard luster in the sunlight, and the armor plates still bore traces of lingering blue spiritual energy.

The crowd in the Immortal Mountain Square held their breath, staring wide-eyed at the demon's "true form"—the shadow was like clouds and mist, ethereal and uncertain, only the imperial dragon-patterned armor on its body was dazzling, holy light and demonic energy intertwined on the armor, forming an eerie harmony.

Xia Jiuyou stared at the armor. Her white fairy feather robe was already soaked with sweat and clung to her pale cheeks. Her once lively eyes were now only bloodshot and filled with resentment. She had been attacking frantically and repairing the divine dragon several times. The magic power in her Purple Mansion was already depleted, and she barely had the strength to lift her hand.

"Despicable! No wonder she's his woman, utterly despicable!" Xia Jiuyou's voice trembled with extreme anger, her pale face contorted in agony, her eyes blazing with madness as if she wanted to devour Qiu Zixian alive.

"Hahaha—despicable?" The demon threw his head back and laughed wildly, his demonic voice shaking the surrounding clouds and mist to dissipate. "You cultivate your so-called righteous path, forcing me to bear the burden of cultivating the three demonic paths alone. You chose all of this yourself, didn't you?" His laughter was full of sarcasm, hiding resentment that had been suppressed for thousands of years.

"Enough with the nonsense!" Qiu Zixian lost her patience, her scythe pointing directly at Xia Jiuyou's defensive formation. "If you don't want to die, surrender and admit defeat immediately!"

"I...haven't lost yet!" Xia Jiuyou suddenly looked up, blood spilling from the corner of her mouth, staining the white feather robe red. Even though she was exhausted, a stubborn flame still burned in her eyes.

"Since that's the case, I'll grant your wish!" Qiu Zixian had no pity for Xia Jiuyou like Chen Xuan. The demon's figure transformed into a black shadow and sped away. His scythe drew a semicircle in the void, and the blade light, like a crescent moon, slashed towards Xia Jiuyou in the center of the magic array. Even the air was cleaved and made to groan.

Zi Chen, the Divine King, frowned slightly, his fingertips about to form a magic seal—war was about to break out on the border of the Imperial Pass, and Xia Jiuyou's talent in array formations far exceeded expectations, so it was truly a pity that he died like this.

Just as his divine power was about to intervene in the battlefield, a clear and melodious sound, like jade striking jade, slowly came from the Immortal Mountain Square.

"Zixian."

Chen Xuan's voice was not loud, but it carried a strange rhythm, penetrating the roar of the fierce battle and clearly reaching Qiu Zixian's ears.

Even in her demonic form, filled with malevolence, she abruptly stopped upon hearing this call—it was the voice she had longed for for a thousand years, the source of her obsession to break free from the shadows.

The scythe aimed at Xia Jiuyou's head stopped abruptly three inches from the magic array, the air currents generated by the blade's aura causing Xia Jiuyou's white feather robe to flutter wildly.

"Husband..." The demon slowly turned his head, his scarlet demonic eyes looking at the figure on the Immortal Mountain Square. The ferocity in his voice gradually dissipated, leaving only a hint of aggrieved hoarseness.

“That’s enough. Come back.” Chen Xuan looked at her, his eyes gentle yet firm. “From now on, she will no longer be your shadow.”

These words were like a gentle spring breeze, instantly extinguishing the malevolent aura surrounding the demon.

The towering demonic figure trembled violently, and the tricolored demonic mist surged and vanished into nothingness, revealing Qiu Zixian's true form—her black and white gauze dress was stained with specks of spiritual energy, and although her face was pale, her eyes were clearer than ever before.

She glanced deeply in Xia Jiuyou's direction, and two crystal tears rolled down from her scarlet demonic eyes. The tears touched the holy light of the Emperor's Dragon Pattern Armor and instantly evaporated into wisps of white vapor.

"Xia Jiuyou, the karmic ties between us are severed today."

As soon as she finished speaking, Qiu Zixian put away her crescent scythe and dragon-patterned armor, and her figure transformed into a streak of light, rushing towards the Immortal Mountain Square.

Although Xia Jiuyou did not admit defeat in public, the Heavenly Dao had already detected her depleted magical power and the sense of powerlessness in her heart. At the moment the outcome was decided, an invisible wave of the Heavenly Dao swept over and gently wrapped around her, announcing the end of the battle.

Chen Xuan looked at Qiu Zixian who had returned, and then at Xia Jiuyou, whose face was extremely pale in the distance. He said calmly, "The outcome is decided, the grudges are settled. Come back, let's continue our discussion."

Xia Jiuyou gazed at Chen Xuan from afar, her eyes slightly reddening, mist gathering and dissipating in her gaze.

She took a deep breath, dispersed her eighteen clones, forcibly suppressed her surging blood and qi, and dragged her unsteady body back to the square. She sat back in her original position, picked up the wine pot, and poured herself a drink. However, her once lively eyes had lost all their luster and she no longer paid attention to the commotion on the Dao Discussion Platform.

Han Jiuling sat not far away, watching Xia Jiuyou's crushing defeat, his heart filled with mixed feelings.

For a fleeting moment, he had a sliver of hope that she would die by Qiu Zixian's blade, but when he saw her pale face, he felt a pang of pity.

This conflicting emotion caused his hand holding the wine glass to tremble slightly.

"Xia Jiuyou, aren't you arrogant? Don't you look down on me and Chen Xuan even more? Today's victory will be known to everyone in the Yanlong Domain. Let's see how you establish your authority in the sect and how you ascend to a high position and rule the domain in the future."