Fellow Daoist! That scoundrel has written a new book again.

The Fiery Bird attacked Li Cheng's sacrificial killing formation like a madman.

Demonic beasts are more valuable than mortals, so the disciples of the Juque Sect do not frequently patrol and eliminate demonic beasts. Instead, they allow the demonic beasts to advance in rank, and only kill them to obtain their core and skin when their cultivation level is high enough.

This led to rampant monsters roaming the territory under the jurisdiction of the Juque Sect.

Senior Sister Wang was both shocked and furious, and shouted, "Repair the formation! Kill these Blazing Birds here!"

"Hurry up!"

She realized it was the beast's nest she had encountered on the road and the beast egg she had taken. This monster was extremely vengeful, and anyone who harmed its cubs or eggs would suffer its furious revenge.

Damn...

If I had known it was a Blazing Bird, and if I had known it would attract a beast tide, I would have left that beast egg behind last night!

The giant bird circled in the air, its eyes burning with fierce flames. With a deafening cry, the formation trembled and was eventually destroyed. They could see the spiritual energy fluctuations of all the cultivators.

The finches soar through the air, their sharp beaks, claws, and wings exceptionally powerful, before swooping down.

They launched a frenzied revenge.

Ge Mingsheng, who was afflicted by the Gu poison and unable to circulate his spiritual power, stared blankly at all of this.

She saw the Juque Sect cultivators, who had just been swaggering and arrogant, retreating in defeat; she saw the spiritual energy and magical artifacts shimmering with broken light; she saw the formation that had slaughtered the entire city become incomplete, opening the Gate of Life.

The common people fled the city in terror.

Some people mustered their courage and picked up the magical artifacts dropped by the cultivators, their eyes filled with hatred.

She saw that Senior Sister Wang was caught in the air by a Yuan Chi Bird, and she heard the terrified cries of the Ju Que Sect cultivators.

“Bang—”

Something fell in front of Ge Mingsheng.

Her breath caught in her throat for a moment, as if she were in a dream. She slowly bent down, her fingertips trembling slightly as she gripped the object in front of her.

This is... a Gu gu that controls the flow of her spiritual power.

In the chaotic city of Li, some people escaped from a dead end, as if witnessing a miracle.

For every bright spot, there is a dark spot.

In the Xuan Shi Academy in Changxiao Town, a torrential downpour soon followed. Mingzhu's hair was disheveled and stuck to her face, making her look miserable. She received no response from the immortals, nor did she witness any miracles.

Dark clouds loomed overhead, and the sky grew gloomy.

Mingzhu's voice began to grow hoarse, tears mingling with the rain. Amidst the thunder and lightning, she thought—her voice would not be heard by anyone.

Then she became choked up and filled with despair.

She braced herself against the mud with her fingers and slowly and laboriously climbed up.

On the distant cliff, the immovable cauldron began to tremble, and lightning continuously gathered and struck down.

Zhu Wuyao, who was protected inside the cauldron, spat out a mouthful of blood. She wiped it away with her sleeve, her breathing somewhat disordered.

"Your final causal connection is too abrupt; it's practically fabricated!"

"It's one thing that the caravan's horses were startled and attracted the fiery birds, but they managed to escape unharmed. However, you—"

"It's alright. I don't know why, but I'm always a little uneasy and inevitably a bit impatient."

"Fortunately, I made it in time."

"The Crimson Bird captured that guy surnamed Wang, and the Gu Gu just happened to fall in front of Ge Mingsheng... No wonder you were struck by lightning."

"Thank you for your help. If you hadn't severed the causal link in time, who knows what kind of backlash it would have caused."

Zhu Wuyao waved his hand to retrieve the Pinghe Cauldron and dispel the formation.

She saw that Shen Anzhi was standing not far away.

"Junior Sister Zhu, is this heavenly lightning meant to strike you, or—" He raised his hand and pointed to the bright candle in the Xuan Shi Academy, continuing, "It's meant to strike her."

Zhu Wuyao's heart almost skipped a beat.

"How is this going?!"

Shen Anzhi did not answer, but asked in return, "Her Mr. Cui died in an accident, and there is a weapon in Xuan Shi Academy. Do you think she will take it?"

“Miss Cui and I taught her very well, so… I lost.”

Zhu Wuyao's expression suddenly turned serious.

This was the third time she had said those words.

The first time was in the examination hall, when Shen Anzhi asked her if Mingzhu could steal poems.

Zhu Wuyao said no, because she and Miss Cui had taught her very well, and with Mingzhu's knowledge, there was no need to steal poems.

The second time was after Mingzhu became a disciple, when Shen Anzhi asked her if Mingzhu would take the "Qi Refining Manual" from the courtyard without asking.

Zhu Wuyao said no, because she and Miss Cui had taught her very well, and Mingzhu's intelligence was enough to detect that something was wrong.

In the pouring rain, Mingzhu knelt in a corner of Xuanshi Academy, his fingers sinking deep into the mud as he frantically dug out what was buried there. His whole body was soaked in rainwater and covered in mud.

Amidst the flashing lightning, he resembled a vengeful ghost, his eyes filled with resentment towards those cultivators. His gaze was resolute, seemingly determined to walk towards death without hesitation, yet also screaming with unwillingness to accept defeat.

For some reason, when Mingzhu actually "stole" something, Shen Anzhi stopped using that word.

Zhu Wuyao wanted to say something, but then raised his hand to press his temples and shook his head, trying to calm his chaotic and disordered consciousness.

"You're overloaded."

The magic pen diagnosed her symptoms.

Mingzhu raised her hand and brushed her rain-soaked hair back to clear her vision, then took out the item Li Yan had asked her to give to Sister Wu from the mud puddle.

She opened the package and took out the spirit sword inside.

Mingzhu was not a cultivator and could not use spiritual power, nor did he know how to use formations to deal with those cultivators.

But at least, at least she now has a sturdy sword.

She drew her spirit sword from its sheath, and raindrops pelted the blade. She wiped the raindrops off the sword with her sleeve, leaving it covered in mud and water, just as disheveled as she was.

The light reflected from the sword blade quickly calmed her down; Mingzhu knew what she had to do—

He took this sword and killed those cultivators.

She propped herself up, pushed open the door, and plunged into the torrential rain, sword in hand.

Upon realizing that the item in the package was a spirit sword, Zhu Wuyao's breathing quickened slightly, but she quickly returned to normal. She said to Shen Anzhi:

"I lost the bet, but you have no chance of taking her life."

"Shen Anzhi, why don't you move over and fight me?"

Shen Anzhi was looking at Mingzhu, seemingly lost in thought. Hearing Zhu Wuyao's words, he unconsciously repeated, "Take her life..."

Then I suddenly came to my senses.

He turned to look at Zhu Wuyao, bowed as if he were a scholar when they first met, and said with a hint of apology:

"That's right. According to the bet, if you lose, I will take her life."

"If Junior Sister Zhu insists on stopping me, please move aside and fight. After I take your life, I will take hers."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Raindrops fell on the leaves, condensing into larger droplets that pounded down heavily.

Mixed with blood and grime, it was a scene of utter chaos.

"Alright, don't kill her. Our boss still needs to see her."

"Quickly put the people in the buckets. The rain is getting heavier. Let's find a house to take shelter from the rain."

Under the torrential rain, the cultivator grew impatient. He kicked Cui Heng, who was barely breathing, and was about to lift him up when he suddenly looked up at the woods—

"who?!"

Someone came with a sword, and Cui Heng suddenly began to struggle and shake her head.

Mingzhu emerged from the woods and stood before them, his voice laced with suppressed anger, saying:

"Those who came to kill you...!"