Hammer in her left hand, sword in her right, the eldest sister is connected to both worlds.

The frontline battlefield at Luoxia Mountain.

Thousands of gleaming longswords shredded a demon general in the early Golden Core stage before them, then merged into one, carrying the demon core from his body to the white-robed youth beside him.

Xu Qizhou took the magic core from the Frostless Sword, wiped it on his clothes, and put it into his storage bag.

"Slay all the phoenixes!"

A sharp shout came from behind. Xu Qizhou turned around and saw Zhu He carrying a large sword, cutting through everything from east to west like chopping melons and vegetables, leaving behind only the shattered corpses of demonic beasts in his wake.

Xu Qizhou raised his sleeve to block the demonic blood splashing from the Zhu River.

"If you keep going like this, the soldiers of Shengyu Army will eventually think you're a demon," the young man complained. He then searched the battlefield for Min Chang's figure.

Zhu He burst into laughter upon seeing his actions: "Senior Sister Min went to find the commander of the Shengyu Army with Xiao Wu today, and Jinjin is in seclusion preparing to break through to the Nascent Soul stage. Nobody can bother me today... Hahahaha..."

The boy's wild laughter stopped abruptly, as if someone had grabbed his neck.

Xu Qizhou followed his gaze and saw a golden sword light annihilate all the demonic beasts on the horizon not far away. Xu Qizhou's expression changed.

"It's Watari!"

The two quickly headed to the edge of the barrier. Yue Zhong, who had been on the city wall, watched them leave and then flew down to take their place.

Xu Qizhou and Zhu He arrived at the edge of the barrier in no time. Xue Lan was standing up from the ground, clutching her chest.

"Master Uncle's teleportation technique."

If Shen Suanzhen's teleportation location had been a little further off, Xue Lan would have been sent directly to the desolate region to be made into snacks for the demons.

Xue Tong said irritably, "Shut up, you troublesome junior."

Xue Lan disliked Xue Tong because the child's words were too sharp, like a knife stabbing someone accurately.

A magical beast in front of her was cut in two by a celestial sword with a chilling edge. Xue Lan looked up at Xu Qizhou, who had come to her aid in time, and said, "You really have reached the Great Perfection of the Golden Core stage."

Xu Qizhou killed all the demonic beasts in front of the two of them, then looked down at Xue Lan and said, "You've reached the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm. Not bad either."

Xue Lan dodged Zhu He's indiscriminate greatsword and said, "Although you are praising me, I feel a little uncomfortable."

Long Siyin grabbed her by the collar and pulled her behind her.

"Shut up! Qizhou, where's Shishi?"

"What's happening inside Luoxia City?"

Xue Lan raised her hand to interrupt Long Siyin, but Long Siyin slapped her hand away.

"She offended the Gu Master of Chonggu Village and was cursed with a Gu."

Xue Lan rubbed her sore hand, feeling aggrieved, and looked up to see the reproachful looks from the others.

Xu Qizhou looked at her for a long while before speaking: "Master needs to prepare for this Ascension Ceremony before the Demon Tide arrives. Xue Lan, you're not trying to avoid preparing for the ceremony..."

Xue Lan quickly denied it: "I didn't, I don't know."

Long Siyin sighed and smiled bitterly, knowing that Xu Qizhou was clearly unaware of how critical Xue Lan's situation was.

I thought Xue Lan had offended someone before.

"I'll take her to see Shishi first."

In Luoxia City, Yin Shishi had just finished distributing the Breaking Yuan Pills, which were meant to save lives on the battlefield, to the soldiers of the Shengyu Army.

"Miss Shishi, I heard from Commander Qian the other day that Miss Cui is discussing with the General about letting us go home." A soldier with a blood-stained turban on his head saw that Yin Shishi was about to leave and finally mustered up the courage to call out to the girl.

Yin Shishi treated these soldiers far more gently than she treated Xue Lan. The girl's clothes were slightly dirty, but this only made her seem like a lotus flower rising from the mud, pure and elegant.

The girl nodded slightly: "Xiao Wu went with Fellow Daoist Min to discuss this matter with General Xu this morning. Once the next airship carrying grain arrives, you can all return."

The soldiers around them were all beaming with joy, chatting with their comrades about their families. They talked about their parents, whom they hadn't seen for many years, and about the children who were still infants when they left. They spoke of the warmth of their wives that they hadn't felt for many years.

After all these years, I'm finally going back.

Long Siyin led Xue Lan to a small alley not far from Yin Shishi. The two hid behind a wall, watching this harmonious scene.

At this moment, Yin Shishi was no longer a high and mighty disciple of the immortal sect. She was surrounded by dark-skinned, scarred soldiers, who chattered amongst themselves as if she were a little sister next door.

He slowly shared with Yin Shishi the solace they found in their short lives.

They fought for these solaces, and even after being away from home for many years, they could not forget them.

“Go find her yourself!” Long Siyin said, grabbing Xue Lan’s shoulder.

"Why aren't you with me?" Xue Lan grabbed Long Siyin's sleeve.

"I……"

"Are you afraid of those soldiers?" Xue Lan looked into Long Siyin's eyes, her expression icy.

Long Siyin closed her eyes, and among the soldiers, she saw the man from that day.

She remembered the woman named Xiaoqing, the woman who died tragically and was ultimately reduced to dust by her sword.

Long Siyin wanted to say something, but was pulled hard by the girl in front of her.

The previously bustling crowd fell silent in an instant. Long Siyin opened her eyes and saw that everyone was looking in her direction.

This includes Xiaoqing's husband.

The girl stood rooted to the spot, her arm held by Xue Lan, too afraid to move. Her eyes appeared calm, but she was actually terrified inside.

Yin Shishi broke the silence first: "Siyin?"

It was as if an endless night had been torn open, and greetings rose and fell among the crowd.

"Miss Long is back!"

"Is Miss Long alright?"

"Miss Long..."

Those long-lost, simple greetings struck Long Siyin's heart like a heavy hammer, and the girl's palms became sweaty. Nervously, she reached out to tug at Xue Lan's sleeve.

However, Xue Lan is now in a precarious situation.

Yin Shishi's eyes were truly amazing; after greeting Long Siyin, she looked at Xue Lan.

The girl noticed something was wrong with Xue Lan at a glance and quickly walked over and grabbed Xue Lan's earlobe.

"Don't pull that... Good junior sister... Shishi!" Xue Lan screamed suddenly, sounding as if her ear had been cut off. Yin Shishi summoned a fan and lashed it across Xue Lan's neck.

"Keep howling!"

Xue Lan suddenly became as quiet as a chicken. She stood obediently in place like a wooden figure.

Yin Shishi's shout not only shocked Xue Lan, but also stunned the surrounding soldiers and Long Siyin. The soldiers looked at Yin Shishi and whispered among themselves.

"I've never seen Shishi throw such a tantrum."

"She must be a junior sister from a cultivation sect, right? She's definitely disobedient."

Xue Tong was practically dying of laughter: "The eyes of the masses are discerning."

Xue Lan: ……

Yin Shishi pursed her lips and rolled up Xue Lan's sleeve. Her pupils contracted sharply when she saw the bruises on Xue Lan's wrist. Her neatly manicured nails left crescent-shaped marks on the girl's wrist.

Long Siyin was indeed afraid to face these soldiers, but she was more worried about Xue Lan. So she mustered her courage and pushed her way through the soldiers in front of her.

"Shishi, how is she?"

In front of Long Siyin, Yin Shishi slapped Xue Lan's palm hard with her fan.

Yin Shishi's fan was a magical artifact, and Xue Lan was in excruciating pain from the blow, but he dared not and could not pull his hand back.

After Yin Shishi finished drawing the fan, the talisman that Shen Suan Zhenren had previously affixed to Xue Lan's arm slowly appeared and eventually fell off.

A two-headed snake appeared on the girl's fair wrist.

"you really……"

Yin Shishi looked into Xue Lan's beautiful almond-shaped eyes and slowly spoke.

"Serves you right for dying out there!"

Xue Tong: [I think you won't survive!]

Xue Lan: Me too.