I risked my life, using the butterfly effect to shatter the immortal realm.

The second floor of the teahouse was deathly silent.

Ling Qingxuan gently twirled the celadon teacup between his fingertips.

Without any warning.

The exquisite porcelain crumbled under her fingertips.

There were no fragments, no sound.

It vanished.

Fine porcelain powder dripped through his fingers, accumulating on the mahogany table to form a miniature tomb.

The captain behind him suddenly felt his pupils shrink and his heart skip a beat.

The adult has never lost his composure like this.

That wasn't anger; it was the trembling that followed the collapse of one's understanding.

Ling Qingxuan didn't turn around; his gaze pierced through the rain and fixed on the chaotic Wang family backyard.

"What is that?"

The sound was extremely soft, yet chilled to the bone.

No matter how ingenious a mortal's schemes may be, they are nothing more than placing pieces on a chessboard.

That wasn't what happened just now.

Someone overturned the chessboard and splashed boiling tea on the player's face.

This is the ultimate mockery of the term "cultivating immortality".

……

The Wang Family Mansion.

Cries, screams, shattered tiles—it was utter chaos.

Chaos is the best cover.

Yu Liang grabbed Su Xiu, who was still in a daze.

Taking advantage of the moment when Master Wang was kneeling and kowtowing and no one was paying attention, his intact right hand swept across the rickety offering table with lightning speed.

The thick stack of silver notes vanished into thin air, slipping smoothly into his sleeve.

Su Xiu, with her sharp eyes, widened her eyes in that instant, instinctively gasping for breath, and muttered, "You dare to steal money when you're about to die?! That's a thousand taels..."

"That's for travel expenses," Yu Liang interrupted her, his voice hoarse and filled with a desperate, reckless determination. "Run!"

He squeezed out a single word into Su Xiu's ear, his throat filled with the taste of blood.

The two pushed through the crowd and rushed into the rain.

The moment I stepped out the door.

The price has been paid.

The excruciating pain of having your soul scraped raw by the world is a thousand times more terrifying than being cut into a thousand pieces.

Yu Liang's legs went weak, and he fell into the mud like a puddle of mud.

At this moment, he was no longer the master strategist who had calculated everything perfectly, but merely a blot of ink about to be wiped away.

The body began to flicker.

The bones were stark white, and the flesh was translucent.

You can even see the dirty bluestone slabs beneath his chest cavity.

"Yu Liang!"

Su Xiu cried out in surprise and instinctively reached out to grab his collar.

My fingertips slipped through that translucent arm and grasped nothing.

The sensation was like grasping a wisp of cold mist.

Fear exploded.

The nightmare in the mountain god temple was repeated, but even more thoroughly.

He is disappearing.

It's not death, it's being erased.

Su Xiu has gone mad.

She rushed forward without hesitation, pressing her entire body against the ethereal outline as if trying to solidify the mist.

Hot tears mingled with the rain and splashed into the mud.

"You're not allowed to die! You bastard!"

Su Xiu stared intently at the face that was almost invisible, her voice shrill, filled with sobs and anger.

"That's a thousand taels! A thousand taels of silver is still in your arms! Do you dare to die? If you die, this money will turn to ashes!"

"You're a liar! You're a scoundrel! You still owe me your life! Don't even think about getting away with it!"

She screamed wildly in her mind, desperately trying to recall the most annoying aspects of this man.

She thought of his smug smile, his shamelessness in stealing the coins that rightfully belonged to her, and his hand covered in frostbite in the icy river.

Remember him!

Su Xiu! Remember this scourge!

Only evil deeds last a thousand years; he shouldn't have disappeared so cleanly!

The will of mortals is sometimes more unreasonable than the magic of immortals.

Especially a miser's obsession with debtors.

Under that almost obsessive "observation," the humanoid silhouette that was about to collapse actually managed to stop its decline.

Like a painting that was about to fade, it was repainted with ink by a trembling but stubbornly persistent hand.

Yu Liang took a deep breath.

My vision was blurred, but I could see the girl's tear-streaked face, still fierce, right up close.

This is his only anchor in this world.

It is also the last weakness.

"fool……"

His lips moved slightly, his voice barely audible, yet carrying a hint of his usual mockery.

"Stop howling... The money is still there... The creditors are coming."

The voice just fell.

Two terrifying auras, one in front and one behind, locked down the narrow alley.

The rain lingered in mid-air.

The entrance to the alley.

Ling Qingxuan arrived in the rain.

His ice-blue official robes were spotless, and though his longsword remained unsheathed, his sword intent had already sealed off all escape routes.

Her gaze swept over them.

Su Xiu trembled with fright and instinctively hid Yu Liang behind her, even though Yu Liang looked like a ghost.

Ling Qingxuan stared at the empty void that, though devoid of anything, pierced her senses.

That mortal was right there.

It exists in a way that she cannot see.

Where is he?

Ling Qingxuan spoke.

It's not an interrogation, it's a confirmation.

Su Xiu's teeth chattered as she tightly hugged the "air" in her arms, keeping her mouth shut and not uttering a sound.

Before she could figure out how to lie...

A thunderous roar echoed down from the end of the alley.

"You fiend, prepare to die!"

Huanglong Zhenren's beard and hair danced wildly, his feet treading on the void, his whole body surrounded by golden light, like an angry Vajra.

His eyes flashed with golden light as he stared intently at the ethereal mass in Su Xiu's arms.

That is the source of the distortion of cause and effect!

"Get out of my way, you maid from the Suspended Mirror Bureau!"

Master Huanglong didn't take Ling Qingxuan seriously at all.

In his view, the girl on the ground was merely an illusionary puppet created by that "demon".

The real prey is exhausted!

With a flick of his whisk, countless golden threads transformed into a cage, descending upon him.

This is meant to crush the person, soul and all, in one swipe!

Looking at the golden light filling the sky, Su Xiu had only two words in her mind: It's over.

But the girl's stubbornness kicked in, and instead of letting go, she buried her head and tightly protected Yu Liang's chest—where the silver notes were tucked.

Ling Qingxuan's expression changed drastically.

"choke!"

The longsword was drawn.

A cold, clear sword light, like moonlight suddenly spilling out, struck first despite being delayed, precisely hitting the key point of the golden silk cage.

The surge of spiritual energy overturned the debris on both sides of the alley.

"stop!"

Ling Qingxuan stood with his sword drawn, blocking Su Xiu's path.

"The Suspended Mirror Bureau investigates cases; everyone alive here is evidence! You cannot touch this woman!"

Huanglong Zhenren never expected that these mortal lackeys would dare to attack him.

Furious.

"Evidence? I think you're trying to monopolize this incredible opportunity!"

"I am Huanglong Zhenren, an elder of the Qingxuan Sect! I am acting on the orders of the King of Qingzhou to capture this rebellious demon!"

"You dare to stop me?"

Ling Qingxuan sneered, his eyes sharper than the glint of a sword.

"Evil spirits?"

"All I see is a desperate mortal and a girl terrified by your stupidity."

"Huanglong, is your 'path' simply to prey on ordinary people, women, and children?"

"presumptuous!"

Huanglong Zhenren was so angry that he was practically fuming.

Since this woman is so ungrateful, let's deal with her too!

Spiritual pressure erupts.

The bluestone slabs along the entire alley are cracked inch by inch.

Immortals fight, mortals suffer.

The only blind spot where these two masters confronted each other, their energies mutually restraining each other.

A glint of light flashed in Yu Liang's eyes.

That was the gambler seeing a corner of the dice cup that had been lifted.

With his last bit of strength, he pinched Su Xiu's arm hard with his fingers.

A feeling of pain came over me.

Su Xiu shuddered and almost cried out.

That familiar yet weak voice reached my ears.

"Left side...dog hole...crawl through!"

This moment.

Su Xiu glanced at the dog hole, which was full of filth and stench, and her brows furrowed instantly.

Dirty.

So dirty.

But the thought only flashed through my mind for a moment.

The next second, she didn't hesitate for a second, or even think.

Driven by instinct, she picked up the man who was as light as paper and, tumbling and crawling like a wildcat guarding its food, plunged headfirst into the hole filled with garbage at the base of the left wall.

That's the passageway used by stray dogs.

It is also the only way for mortals to survive.

"Trying to run away?!"

Huanglong Zhenren caught a glimpse of this scene out of the corner of his eye and laughed in anger.

Do you still want to resort to such despicable means?

With a change of hand seals, he was about to draw upon the earth's energy to crush the dog hole and the wall into powder.

But he was too slow.

It's not Yu Liangkuai.

It was Ling Qingxuan's sword that was fast.

A stunningly beautiful sword light pierced straight towards Huanglong's face!

The enemy must defend against our attack!

"I said, I want this person alive!"

Ling Qingxuan's goal was extremely clear.

She had to figure out the nature of that power.

If this mad Taoist priest kills the person, the trail will be lost!

"Crazy woman!"

Huanglong Zhenren was forced to retreat and his magic spell was interrupted.

They could only watch helplessly as the two ants disappeared into the filthy hole.

Inside the alley.

Sword energy crisscrossed, and golden light burst forth.

Two top experts fought fiercely for the same goal.

Outside the alley.

Su Xiu, carrying the man who was about to disappear, limped into the deeper darkness.

Rainwater washed away the mud and stench covering her body. She ran while gagging and cursing.

"Yu Liang, you heartless bastard... If I don't survive to spend that money this time, I'll strangle you even as a ghost..."

She dared not stop, dared not look back.

The man in her arms sometimes seemed like a liar, sometimes like a hero, but at this moment he was so fragile that he seemed like he could break at the slightest touch.

She is the anchor.

If he stops, he will die.

If forgotten, he will disappear completely.

Ahead lies the unknown darkness, behind lies the thunder of immortals.

Su Xiu gritted her teeth, carrying her "creditors" and "huge sums of money," and plunged headlong into this cannibalistic world.