"Do you really think this bag of marbles is that explosive?" Yao Yao asked, glancing down as she and Tian Xi flew side by side over the snow-covered ridges.
"Just do what he said," Tian Xi replied calmly, tossing another marble into the thick snowbank below. "I don't think he sent us out here to throw children's toys. Remember how those monsters circle around him like he's their sun?"
Yao Yao hesitated, rolling a marble between her fingers before letting it drop.
"…You trust him a lot."
Tian Xi didn't answer immediately.
"I don't know if it's trust," she finally said. "But when I heard his plans, my first instinct was to argue. To protest. Yet… I don't think I could win against someone who has both strength and intelligence."
She exhaled.
"We came to seek Fairy Chu Yueli and Lady Xue Ling's help. That was all. But even while the Zhu Family is attacking the Jin Family, he still came with us—planned everything, accounted for everything. I don't think I could ever stand against a man like that."
Yao Yao hummed thoughtfully.
"And look at the people around him," she added quietly. "A Monarch like Lady Mio. Unohana Retsu. Princess Cang Yue. The Chu sisters. Xia Qingyue. Lady Xue Ling…" She swallowed. "None of them are normal. Yeah… I don't think I could ever doubt him either."
Tian Xi glanced down one last time and tossed the final marble.
"That's the last one."
"Yeah…"
They hovered for a moment.
"…You didn't keep one, right?" Tian Xi asked slowly.
Yao Yao looked away.
"…No?"
"Yao'er."
"…Fine." Yao Yao sighed dramatically and tossed the marble she'd been clutching into the snow. "Happy now?"
"You idiot," Tian Xi snapped. "Do you want to die or something?"
"Hey! I just didn't believe it at first!"
Tian Xi pinched the bridge of her nose.
"One of these days, your curiosity is going to kill you."
Yao Yao grinned shamelessly.
"Eh~ you wouldn't leave your best friend behind, right?"
"I'm your only friend, you dense rock."
"Hehehe~"
"Are you ladies finished?" Cang Yue's voice called out as she flew toward them, wings glowing softly against the night sky.
Behind her, Qingyue followed—her newly gifted wings flaring with icy brilliance. She wobbled once, corrected herself, then stabilized completely.
Cang Yue slowed midair, watching with open amazement.
Qingyue had stumbled at first—but only briefly. In moments, she adjusted, adapted, and mastered the balance. What had taken Cang Yue time to grow accustomed to… Qingyue learned almost instinctively.
"…She's incredible," Cang Yue murmured, half in admiration, half in disbelief seeing Qingyue adapting her new wings.
Qingyue remained expressionless as ever—but her aura wiggled faintly, betraying her quiet satisfaction as she flew steadily beside them.
"Ah, yes… we're done with our part," Tian Xi reported, giving a small nod. "Although… Yao Yao wanted to keep one for herself."
"Xi'er! You didn't have to tell them that!" Yao Yao squealed, flustered.
"You'd better believe her," Cang Yue said calmly. "I've seen those marbles in action. You do not want to be anywhere near one when it goes off."
"I already threw it!" Yao Yao blurted out defensively.
Tian Xi immediately reached over and pinched her cheek.
"You were going to keep it."
"Ow—! Xi'er!" Yao Yao protested, swatting her hand away.
Cang Yue watched the two bicker, a soft smile forming behind her veil. In the middle of looming war and imminent destruction, their simple bond felt strangely comforting.
For a fleeting moment, the icy wind didn't feel so cold.
As they flew back, Cang Yue used her Observation Haki to guide them unerringly toward the VTOL, its invisible outline faintly perceptible only to her senses.
Qingyue followed in silence, her thoughts drifting.
Those marbles…
She glanced at the now-empty bag in her hand, her mind spiraling outward. Yun Che had created so many things that defied common sense—houses assembled without nails, ceiling fans and air conditioners that ran on profound energy, modern toilets that recycled waste with frightening efficiency. Power sources that fed on profound energy and refuse alike. A machine capable of duplicating objects by converting his own mysterious energy.
And then there was the wings behind her back and the VTOL.
Nemu might have built it—but the design, the concepts, the vision… all of it came from him. And what unsettled her most was the thought that he could make far more.
He simply chose not to.
"He can make more things, Qingyue," Cang Yue said softly, as if hearing her thoughts. "Sometimes… I wonder how much more we could have learned from him."
Qingyue hesitated before voicing the doubt that had been weighing on her heart.
"Sister Yue… am I even worthy of staying by his side?" she asked quietly. "I've learned so much… but compared to him…"
Cang Yue slowed midair and reached out, resting a gentle hand on Qingyue's head.
"Qingyue… we're all novices before him," she said with quiet certainty. "Even Retsu. Even Mio. But that's never mattered."
She smiled beneath her veil.
"He and Nemu are geniuses, yes. But he has never once belittled any of us. He knows cooking, cultivation, battle arts, strategy, technology… yet he never looks down on those who know less. He's happy to teach us if we ask. Plus, Nemu might be a genius but, she's a novice in cooking. Retsu and Mio are the ones who can cook among us. In other words, he only taught us the things we are only good at."
Her voice softened.
"So, If he loves you, he keeps you by his side. If he doesn't… he pushes you away completely."
Qingyue's gaze dimmed slightly.
"So… back then," she murmured, "he really didn't love me at all."
The memory still stung—the night he had coldly pushed her away, leaving no room for misunderstanding.
Cang Yue gently patted her head again.
"I heard about that. Well, he was kind of a jerk pushing his own wife away but, it was arranged between the two of you and he did say he wasn't willing to be married to someone he didn't love at that time." she said. "But look at what happened afterward. He came around, didn't he? He taught you Haki. Shared his modern knowledge. Trusted you with things no outsider would ever see."
She tilted her head slightly.
"He didn't cast you aside anymore. He even gave you a nickname."
"…Little Missy," Qingyue said quietly. "I thought he was teasing me."
Cang Yue glanced back at Qingyue, a knowing smile in her eyes.
"You two are husband and wife. This might be your chance to get to know him. Give yourself the chance to discover the bond between the two of you."
Qingyue hesitated, then spoke with rare openness.
"Thank you, Sister Yue…" She hesitated before she ask. "I was hoping that maybe… we could be friends?"
Cang Yue laughed lightly and held Qingyue's hands.
"Well, we're about to become flock members and sisters. Besides, aren't we already friends?"
"…We are?"
"Of course," Cang Yue replied without hesitation. "All of us saw you as both a friend and a rival from the very first day. None of us ever tried to push you away. Everyone accepted you."
Qingyue lowered her gaze slightly.
"I thought everyone was just… tolerating me."
"That's not how we work," Cang Yue said gently. "We either like someone, or we don't. You may be quiet, but you're a silly one—just like Nemu."
Qingyue blinked.
"Nemu… silly?"
Cang Yue nodded with a grin.
"She's even sillier because of that blank expression. It makes everything worse."
"I… didn't realize Nemu was such a unique person."
"Everyone is," Cang Yue continued warmly. "Retsu may look frightening, but she's actually quite clumsy and childish. Mio gives off that despairing aura when she's angry, but she loves headpats and cuddles. Those two are children at heart."
She paused, then added with amusement,
"And Yun Che? He's a prankster. Mostly harmless ones—teasing, really."
"I didn't know…" Qingyue murmured.
Cang Yue laughed softly.
"Trust me, Qingyue. Once you truly get to know us, you'll be fine. You're one of us now."
Her voice softened, firm with reassurance.
"And we'll protect you."
Qingyue's wings fluttered slightly in response, her aura rippling almost imperceptibly—quiet relief, settling at last into her heart.
And for the first time since they left the VTOL—
the doubt in her heart eased just a little. Now, she didn't gain a new friend, she gained another sister in arms.
=======================
"Why am I stuck with a pervert like you!?" Lin Yueru spat. Yun Che asked for Kon's help in the defense against the Zhu Family before she exploded.
"Korra!" Kon puffed out his plushy chest and pointed an accusing paw at her. "You should tremble just to receive assistance from Kon-sama!"
"Help?" Lin Yueru scoffed. "From someone who tried to peek on me!?"
"I said I was sorry!" Kon yelped.
"I'll forgive you," she said sweetly—then her eyes sharpened—"if you leave those button eyes of yours behind!"
She drew and fired.
Arrows whistled through the air.
"KYAA—!" Kon shrieked, spinning as he fled, his plush body wobbling wildly. "That's attempted murder! Toy abuse!"
"Come back here, you shameless doll!"
Kon bolted across the clearing with Lin Yueru in hot pursuit, arrows flying and quietly questioned every life choice that led to this moment.
Mulan let out a slow breath as she stood at the balcony, her new spear resting against her shoulder, helmet tucked beneath her arm. One of Nemu's drones hovered nearby—silent, watchful—its presence a reminder that the warning had already been delivered.
Tonight was no longer a bluff. She now has everything she needs to take on the final battle against the Zhu Family.
Dressed in crimson armor, she gazed into the distance where the Zhu Family's territory lay. For far too long, she had endured their harassment—the erosion of her family's alliances, the theft of loyalty from tens of thousands down to mere hundreds. The forced marriage proposal. The humiliation.
She had waited.
Now, at last, she had the chance to reclaim everything they took.
To bring her family back.
"Lan'er…" Jin Yuelian's voice came softly behind her. She was already armored as well, a new katana at her side—the simple meitō Yun Che had given her. Plain in appearance, but humming faintly with restrained power. "Are you sure you'll be fine?"
Mulan turned, smiling gently.
"Yes, Mother. Please watch over the main hall."
She lifted her helmet and settled it into place.
"Retsu and the others are here. I'll be fine." Her tone sharpened slightly. "Besides, Che'er did say that the Shu Family will likely use this chaos to strike again. You need to be ready."
Jin Yuelian nodded, grip tightening on her blade.
"Then leave the Shu Family to me. I have a score to settle with them. I might assume they might try the same crap they did a few years ago"
Mulan met her eyes, steady and trusting.
"Please do, mother."
"Princess!"
Li Bing stepped forward, fully armored, her expression firm. When the Shu Family attacked the Jin Family before, she had been powerless—forced to watch from the sidelines and taken hostage that caused her mistress to get hurt. Since then, she had trained relentlessly, refusing to remain a burden ever again.
She would not be rescued.
Not tonight.
Mulan's gaze flicked to the faint scar at Li Bing's neck. She remembered her mother told her about the moment Shu Jianting had driven his blade into that very spot, deliberately lowering Jin Yuelian's guard before striking her and escaping the watchkeep.
The memory stirred unease—she feared a similar incident might unfold again.
Her smile softened, but beneath it, her voice carried a quiet, unyielding resolve.
"Bing… be careful. I'm not losing you tonight. Don't get hurt again."
Li Bing nodded without hesitation.
"I won't. I'll stay with the Mistress this time."
Mulan gave a final nod.
Steel, loyalty, and long-suppressed fury aligned under the night sky.
The reckoning was about to begin.
"Good…"Mulan gently patted her loyal attendant's head, unwilling to let the same scar haunt her a second time.
"I wish I could follow Lord Mu…"
"It's Yun," Mulan corrected softly.
"Princess… it's not Lord Mu anymore?"
"No. We must accept him as Yun Che from now on. He is a better version of Mu Che." She paused, then added quietly, "You have to survive this—so you can meet Li Xuan again."
"Xuan'er is waiting for me," Li Bing said, her voice steady despite the emotion beneath it. "I have to live for her. For us to meet again."
"Did Yun Che tell you anything about her?" Mulan asked.
"Only that she serves as Xuanyuan Yufeng's attendant," Li Bing replied. "He said Xuan'er is in safe hands—safer than anywhere else in this world. I want to become as strong as possible before I meet her again."
Mulan was about to respond when her senses flared.
She had finally grasped the rudiments of Observation Haki. Multiple hostile intentions surfaced at the edge of her awareness, converging rapidly on the watchkeep. She had already threatened Zhu Lin directly, and Nemu's drones had destroyed their catapults—ensuring they could no longer rely on underhanded tactics. The Yang Family had offered assistance, but Jin Zhuo insisted that Mulan herself should be the one to bring down the Zhu Family.
Mulan's gaze hardened.
"They're here."
Mulan lowered her helmet and tightened her grip around the spear, feeling its familiar weight settle into her hands.
She still marveled at it.
The weapon Yun Che had forged for her was, by all rights, an Emperor Profound Realm armament—but its quality far exceeded its stated rank. It could clash evenly with a Monarch-level weapon without shattering, its internal structure reinforced with vibration-absorbing layers that dispersed impact instead of rebounding it into the wielder.
Yun Che never forged ordinary weapons.
He had given Lin Yueru the Jeweled Longbow, and Xue Ling the Yubashiri Katana, both crafted from Vibramantium—each tailored to their bearers.
And for Mulan…
He had given her this.
A lance—
the shadow of a moon drowned in blood, given steel and purpose.
Its shaft was long and slender, forged from dark metal polished to a muted sheen, as though it had swallowed countless nights without ever reflecting them back. Veins of deep crimson ran along its length, faintly luminous, pulsing like a restrained heartbeat beneath the surface.
At its head, the blade curved with deliberate elegance—not brutish, but ceremonial. The edge gleamed red, as if perpetually wet with moonlight stained by slaughter. Archaic etchings coiled along the metal, ritualistic and silent, evoking oaths sworn without witnesses and debts paid in lives rather than words.
When still, the spear felt dormant.
When lifted, it felt awake.
Mulan raised it slightly, recalling the name Yun Che had given it:
Crimson Moon's Semblance.
According to him, the weapon was currently in its base form. To awaken its Ascension Form, she would need to master Advanced Busōshoku no Haki and continuously channel it into the lance. Only then would the weapon respond.
And when it did…
Its Ascension Form would rival a Sovereign Profound Realm weapon.
The revelation had shaken her to the core.
Lin Yueru's Jeweled Longbow was already powerful—but it lacked an Ascension Form. Yun Che had promised her one only after she reached the Emperor Profound Realm herself.
Yubashiri, on the other hand, possessed no fixed Ascension Form at all. Yun Che had explained that it could develop one of its own—but doing so required an immense quantity of Busōshoku no Haki. Even Cang Yue, despite mastering Advanced Busōshoku, had yet to awaken the Ascension Forms of Shusui, Shisui, or Wadō Ichimonji.
Ascension Weapons were not passive tools.
They consumed Haki simply to exist in that state.
And only those who truly mastered their power could afford to wield them.
Mulan exhaled slowly, crimson veins along the spear faintly responding to her presence.
One day—
She would awaken it.
But tonight, even its base form was more than enough.
The Zhu Family would learn that much.
Above the watchkeep, Retsu, Mio, and Little Fairy stood quietly on the rooftop, overlooking the area. Even Yoru had joined them, lounging nearby. A small tea set had been prepared between them—steam curling lazily into the night air.
As promised, they would only intervene if absolutely necessary.
Which, unfortunately, made things rather boring.
They possessed overwhelming strength, enough to crush the entire battlefield in moments—yet they chose restraint. This was Mulan's matter. Her family's reckoning. They had already done more than enough by erecting a massive barrier around the watchkeep.
It was that barrier that had neutralized the barrage of fireballs launched by the surrounding catapults.
"I wish we could fight," Mio sighed, resting her chin in her hands.
Yoru nodded in agreement.
Retsu took a calm sip of tea. "There's no need to bully them. We can watch from here." Her eyes shifted slightly. "Besides, Yuu-kun isn't fighting either. He's focused on healing Xue Yin."
Little Fairy tilted her head. "Still… to think he might end up dismantling the entire Qiang State hierarchy tonight."
A brief silence followed.
Then—
The sound of hooves thundered through the night.
Cavalry units surged through the main gate, armor clashing, banners snapping in the wind.
Down below, in the courtyard, Mulan stood waiting for them—spear planted firmly at her side.
The real confrontation had begun.
======================
Xue Yin stood silently in the snowy plains, the wind tugging at her veil as frost drifted across the vast mountain basin. Beside her was Zhong Chuke, the two of them positioned at the heart of the only road connecting the Qiang State to the Jin Province—the narrow artery through which invasion had always come.
This road was her burden.
For years, the Qiang State had coveted the Jin Province, and for years they had failed—every invasion repelled by Xue Yin's presence alone. She was the guardian of this path. The wall no army could cross.
Tonight, she intended to destroy it.
If she fell here, the Jin Province would be left defenseless. She understood that better than anyone. And so she had chosen this place—not to retreat, not to delay—but to end everything at once.
"You should have stayed with the sect," Xue Yin said quietly, her voice steady despite the pain gnawing at her core.
"And leave you here?" Zhong Chuke replied, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "No, Sister."
"Even if I ordered you to?"
"Never been good at following orders."
Xue Yin let out a soft breath—half sigh, half laughter.
"Junior Brother… it's been an honor."
Zhong Chuke's expression darkened.
"Are you really doing this?" he asked. "What about your sister?"
Her fingers curled beneath her sleeves.
"It's better if she doesn't know."
Silence stretched between them, filled only by the howl of the mountain wind.
"Senior Sister…" Zhong Chuke hesitated, then spoke gently. "This might be a strange question… but do you have a dream? If we're away from all this fighting?"
She was quiet for a long moment.
"Dream…" Xue Yin murmured. "Yes. I do."
Her voice softened, shedding its usual coldness.
"I want to live with Ling'er again. To finally find her. Maybe… even find a man to take as a husband." She let out a self-deprecating smile beneath the veil. "After so many years alone… perhaps an old woman like me deserves happiness."
She turned her face slightly toward the endless snow.
"A man who loves me for who I am. Not for this cursed art. Not for this scent." Her voice trembled faintly. "I'm tired of being an enchantress. I just want to be a woman—standing beside her sister, marrying a good man, and living as a proper wife."
Zhong Chuke chuckled softly.
"…That's a beautiful dream."
She glanced at him.
"It's similar to yours," she said gently. "Finding a good woman to marry."
"If I survive," he replied quietly.
Xue Yin's gaze hardened again.
"You do realize," she said calmly, "that I'm planning to die here. To take that bastard with me."
Zhong Chuke met her eyes without flinching.
"And do you think I'm not prepared to die?" he answered. "I came here with resolve."
The snow swirled harder now.
"I just hope," he added softly, "that in another life… I'll meet the woman of my dreams."
The two stood together in silence, snow gathering at their feet—two cultivators facing the end, not with fear, but with unfulfilled wishes held close to their hearts.
Far in the distance, the thunder of marching cavalry began to echo through the mountains.
Xue Yin heard it.
She felt it.
Nearly five thousand presences, moving as one—heavy, deliberate, relentless. Each step pressed into the land itself, their collective aura rolling forward like a tide. Two lone cultivators stood in their path.
It was not a battle.
It was a slaughter waiting to happen.
And worse—Xue Yin no longer possessed her full strength.
Under the pale moonlight, the army finally emerged from the darkness. As far as the eye could see, soldiers marched in dense formation, weapons glinting faintly beneath the cold sky. Five thousand men advanced through the basin, their breath misting in the frozen air.
Xue Yin stiffened beneath her veil.
Not from fear—but from recognition.
King Alugang.
One of her former opponents.
A dark-skinned king who ruled the Qiang State, a desert-born nation bordering the Dragon Empire. His independence was earned through power alone—an Emperor Profound Realm cultivator, feared and respected by neighboring lands.
He stepped forward from the ranks.
Tall.
Broad-shouldered.
Muscles coiled beneath ancient, battle-worn armor etched with foreign symbols. His hair was tied behind his head, his presence oppressive even before his aura fully flared.
The army halted at his silent command.
In this frozen land, horses were useless—the snow could not bear their weight. So the men walked.
Including their king.
Each step he took sank into the snow with heavy finality, as though the land itself yielded before him.
Xue Yin watched without blinking.
She saw no king.
No ruler.
Only a despicable man who coveted land that was not his, who sought to trample the Jin Province beneath his ambition. A man who believed that numbers and brute force could crush the guardian who had stopped him time and time again.
The wind howled across the basin, carrying the scent of steel, blood, and inevitability.
Two figures stood alone against an army.
And yet—
Xue Yin did not retreat.
She remained where she was—between the Qiang State and the Jin Province—her veil fluttering softly, her resolve colder than the snow beneath her feet.
This road had never been crossed.
And tonight…
it would either be buried—
or painted red.
Zhong Chuke slowly drew his sword, the blade whispering through the frozen air.
So this was how it would end—standing against the mad king himself.
King Alugang.
The legendary ruler of the Qiang State.
The reason an entire nation trembled.
"Divine Xue Yin," Alugang spoke at last, his deep voice carrying effortlessly across the basin. "To think you would grace me with your presence once more."
"I have no desire for pleasantries," Xue Yin replied coldly beneath her veil. "Speak. What do you want?"
Alugang chuckled.
"Harsh as ever."
His gaze sharpened.
"Simple. I demand justice for my third son. His death will not go unanswered. The Jin Family will atone for killing him."
Xue Yin's voice did not waver.
"Do you have proof?"
"Proof?" Alugang scoffed. "The assassin confessed. Jin Zhuo sent him."
"You bring five thousand men for 'justice'?" Xue Yin said flatly. "You came to invade."
Alugang spread his arms casually.
"What's wrong with killing two birds with one stone?" His eyes gleamed. "This king will simply demand the Jin Province as compensation."
Xue Yin's gaze hardened.
"Or perhaps you killed your own son and pinned the blame on the Jin Province."
A flicker of amusement crossed Alugang's face.
"Words are just words, Divine Xue Yin. So, my business is to claim you and the Jin Province"
He took a step forward, snow crunching beneath his boots.
"So here is my offer. Surrender. Spare us the bloodshed. I will take the Jin Province… and you will become my destined wife."
Silence.
Then—
"What makes you think I would agree," Xue Yin asked calmly, "just because you asked?"
Alugang smiled—a predator's smile.
"You are bound to me by the heavens, Xue Yin. We fought once. You spared me."
His eyes burned.
"That was your mistake. You should have killed me when you had the chance."
Xue Yin raised her hand slightly.
"Then perhaps," she said coolly, "I should turn your men against you."
Her profound energy stirred.
An invisible wave spread outward—her pheromone poison, the very power that had broken armies and bent kings.
For a heartbeat—
Nothing happened.
Xue Yin's eyes widened beneath her veil.
The Qiang soldiers did not stir.
Their breathing did not hitch.
Their gazes did not glaze over.
Alugang laughed.
"My men are trained to sever their sense of smell," he declared proudly. "Your poison no longer affects them."
The truth struck like ice.
For the first time that night, Xue Yin felt the weight of true danger settle upon her shoulders.
And King Alugang stepped forward—
ready to claim what he believed was finally his.
Xue Yin slowly removed her hat.
Moonlight spilled across her unveiled face, revealing a beauty so breathtaking it seemed unreal—pure, cold, and otherworldly. For a fleeting moment, even the howling wind seemed to still.
She intended to use it.
But the men around her did not so much as blink.
King Alugang had prepared them well. His soldiers stood rigid, eyes clear, hearts unmoved—trained, conditioned, stripped of desire. Her beauty, once a weapon feared across borders, meant nothing to them now.
Alugang laughed deeply.
"Ah… to think I would live to witness the true beauty of Fairy Xue Yin herself."
Xue Yin did not reply and released her aura.
The air shattered.
A vast, glacial pressure surged outward, freezing the very wind as the Grand Perfection Emperor Profound Realm revealed itself in full. Snow at her feet crystallized into sharp frost patterns, and the mountain basin groaned as if protesting her presence.
Zhong Chuke stepped forward, sword raised, his own aura flaring in perfect synchrony with hers. He did not hesitate—not for a breath. If this was the end, he would face it standing beside her.
King Alugang's expression finally changed.
Not fear—but caution.
So this was it.
The power of the Peerless Fairy of the Northern Mountain.
The unseen wall that had kept the Jin Province safe for decades.
The hidden expert even the Four Great Sects had failed to account for.
Alugang narrowed his eyes as the pressure bore down on him. His soldiers stiffened, some instinctively lowering their weapons despite their training. Even without her poison, this was power that demanded respect.
"So this is your true strength," Alugang muttered. "No wonder the northern mountains remained untouchable."
Xue Yin said nothing. Her aura alone was her answer.
For a moment—just a moment—the balance of the battlefield tilted back in her favor.
Then—
Alugang smirked.
It was slow. Confident. Certain.
He reached into his armor and withdrew a small, dark object wrapped in profound seals—its surface etched with twisted runes that pulsed faintly under the moonlight.
"The Wu Clan," he said casually, "anticipated this."
A ripple spread through the air as he crushed the seal.
The object dissolved into black mist, which surged toward him and sank into his body. Instantly, a strange suppression field bloomed outward—cold, heavy, and wrong. Xue Yin felt it at once.
Her aura… wavered.
Not extinguished—but constrained.
Zhong Chuke's pupils shrank.
"A suppressive artifact…!"
Alugang laughed, his own aura erupting in response—violent, domineering, reinforced by the Wu Clan's preparation.
"You are powerful, Xue Yin," he said, stepping forward without hesitation. "But power alone is no longer enough."
The snow beneath his feet cracked as his presence surged to match hers.
"Tonight," Alugang declared, "the guardian of the Northern Mountain falls."
Xue Yin steadied her breathing, pain lancing through her dantian as the poison responded to the suppression. Yet her spine remained straight. Her gaze did not falter.
Even constrained.
Even poisoned.
Even alone.
She was still Xue Yin.
And she would not yield.
She moved.
Her sword flashed as she leapt forward, profound energy surging as she aimed a single, perfect stroke at Alugang's neck—clean, decisive, final.
But mid-air—
Her body seized.
The world lurched.
Xue Yin crashed into the snow, her knees buckling as her strength vanished in an instant.
"What… what is this?!" she gasped.
Alugang's smile widened.
"Did you truly think I would come unprepared?" he said calmly. "A courtesy from the Wu Clan."
He spread his arms.
"A Profound Suppression Formation. It forces a Peak Emperor Profound Realm expert… down to the Peak Sky Profound Realm."
Xue Yin's eyes burned with fury.
"You fiend…!"
"Do you think I could face you at full strength?" Alugang replied coldly. "I admit it—I cannot. But suppress you to equal ground?" His gaze flicked to Zhong Chuke. "Against the two of you… that, I can manage."
He lifted his massive hammer.
"Take this."
The weapon descended like a falling mountain.
Xue Yin barely managed to react, her instincts screaming as she threw her hands forward, forming an energy shield at the very last instant.
BOOM—!
The shield shattered on contact.
The force slammed into her body and sent her hurtling through the snow, carving a long trench across the frozen ground before she finally skidded to a halt.
"Guhhh—!"
Blood spilled from the corner of her lips as her breath was violently knocked from her lungs.
"Sister!" Zhong Chuke shouted.
He rushed forward—only to be struck by the shockwave and flung aside just as violently. His cultivation, suppressed by the formation, had plummeted from Second-Level Emperor Profound Realm to Second-Level Sky Profound Realm in an instant.
The disparity was absolute.
Xue Yin collapsed onto her stomach, snow clinging to her robes. A throne-level existence—once feared by nations—was now being tossed around like a ragdoll.
Humiliation burned hotter than pain.
She pushed herself up weakly, trembling, her vision swimming.
King Alugang strode forward, hammer resting casually on his shoulder.
"Surrender, Divine Xue Yin," he said coldly. "You are no match for me anymore."
The wind howled across the basin, carrying his words like a verdict.
And for the first time in countless years—
The guardian of the Northern Mountain stood on the brink of defeat.
"Never…"
Xue Yin forced herself upright, blood trickling past her lips as she stood against the crushing pressure. Her veil fluttered violently as her aura surged once more—unstable, fractured, but still terrifying.
"I'll drag you bastards to hell with me!"
King Alugang's eyes hardened. "Capture her!"
"Yes!!!"The command echoed as thousands of soldiers surged forward, weapons raised, their killing intent rolling across the basin like a black tide.
Zhong Chuke stepped in front of her without hesitation, sword trembling in his grip—not from fear, but from the weight of what was coming.
"Sister…" he said quietly, voice steady despite the chaos. "If you're going to do it… now would be the time."
He smiled faintly.
"I hope it will be painless."
Xue Yin's breath hitched.
"…It's been an honor," she whispered.
She felt it then—the fractured core of her dantian, the poison gnawing at it relentlessly, the suppressive artifact constricting her flow of profound energy. Everything aligned into a single, irreversible conclusion.
She knew this path.
Her last and final rebellion.
Dantian detonation.
The self-destruction that she had been saving that would erase everything in a vast radius—enemy and self alike. All the energy that her body is suppressing. The abdominal pain she endured. She would use to destroy this place. Five thousand men… a king… a road… all gone by releasing all that accumulated corrupted energy.
Her fingers trembled as she gathered what remained of her power inward.
In that final heartbeat—
She thought of her Ling'er.
I'm sorry…
I should have searched harder.
I should have come for you.
Please… forgive me.
Her aura began to collapse inward, space warping around her as the first signs of catastrophic instability appeared. Snow lifted from the ground, swirling violently as if the mountain itself sensed her decision.
Zhong Chuke closed his eyes and took one final step closer.
No fear.
No regret.
Only resolve.
And just as Xue Yin prepared to release everything—
As the world teetered on the edge of annihilation—
Something else stirred in the heavens above the mountain basin.
A presence.
Fast.
Then—
BRRTTTT—!!!!
Xue Yin's and Zhong Chuke's senses screamed in unison.
"Down—!" Zhong Chuke roared as he threw himself over her, forcing her to the ground. Both of them clamped their hands over their ears as a deafening, tearing sound ripped through the basin—nothing like blades, nothing like profound techniques.
It was mechanical. Relentless. Inhuman.
Countless light trails tore through the night.
They came from behind Xue Yin.
Not arcs.
Not techniques.
Not arrows.
Streams of incandescent death rained across the advancing Qiang soldiers. Wherever the light touched, bodies burst apart—armor shredded, flesh vaporized, snow erupting into red mist. Dozens fell in the first heartbeat. Then scores. Then nearly a hundred.
Zhong Chuke barely had time to activate his treasured barrier as shockwaves slammed outward, the ground trembling violently beneath them. The noise was unbearable—sharp, continuous, ripping—so loud it ruptured eardrums, soldiers screaming as they dropped their weapons and clawed at their heads.
Men died without even understanding how.
King Alugang himself was thrown violently from his mount as an explosion detonated nearby. He crashed into the snow, rolling heavily as his ears rang, his vision swimming.
"What—what the hell is happening?!" he bellowed, clutching his head as blood trickled from one ear.
His elite soldiers—trained, disciplined, fearless—were in complete disarray. Some tried to advance. Others froze. Some turned and ran, only to be cut down mid-step by streaks of light that arrived faster than thought.
Then—
The firing stopped.
Abruptly.
The silence that followed was worse.
Snow drifted down slowly, settling over a battlefield of torn bodies and smoking craters. The road was no longer white—it was crimson and black.
Xue Yin trembled as Zhong Chuke slowly lifted his barrier.
They both turned around.
And even King Alugang—the tyrant of the Qiang State, the Emperor Profound ruler who feared nothing—went rigid.
Behind them stood machines.
Not beasts.
Not cultivators.
Not artifacts.
A modernized profound ark materialized out of nothing.
Not summoned.
Not warped.
Not flown in.
It simply appeared—as if it had been there all along and reality had only just acknowledged it.
Its design was so alien that even Xue Yin's thoughts stalled. Sleek, angular, forged from materials she had never seen, its surface swallowed moonlight rather than reflecting it. The ark hovered soundlessly above the basin before slowly pivoting in midair.
A hidden compartment slid open beneath its hull.
And then—
The source of the devastation revealed itself.
Beneath its wings unfolded a six-barreled contraption, rotating from front to back. The barrels spun faster and faster, blurring into a ring of death.
Then—
BOOOOM—BRRRRTTTT!!!
The world screamed.
A torrent of light trails erupted once more, scything across the battlefield. Soldiers were shredded where they stood—armor torn apart, bodies bursting into mist. Lines of Qiang troops collapsed in waves, entire formations erased in seconds.
Xue Yin could not move.
She could not speak.
Her stiff, pale expression—already frozen by poison—became utterly petrified by disbelief.
This was not profound arts.
This was not formation arrays.
This was annihilation.
The six barrels finally slowed… then stopped.
Silence fell again.
From the ark's hidden door, figures began to descend.
First came a young man.
Raven-black hair styled neatly, eyes calm and unfathomable, wearing a long, modern white coat unlike any cultivation robe she had ever seen. He stepped out as though descending from a carriage rather than a god-slaying weapon.
Behind him followed veiled beauties.
One landed to his left—tall, composed, carrying three swords at her side. Her presence alone caused the air to tighten.
Two more followed, dressed in snow-white robes, kasa hats veiling their faces, movements synchronized and silent. One took position to his right.
Another veiled woman descended next, standing beside the swordswoman—her aura suppressed, yet deeply unsettling.
Then—
An older man stepped out.
Xue Yin's breath caught.
Zhong Chuke stiffened.
They recognized him instantly.
Jin Zhuo, Patriarch of the Jin Family.
Before either of them could speak, two familiar voices rang out—breathless, emotional, relieved.
"Master! We did it! We brought help—from the experts!"
Zhong Chuke spun around.
"Tian Xi… Yao Yao?!"
The two young women landed clumsily as they rushed forward.
"What are you two doing here?!" Zhong Chuke barked, shock and fury mixing in his voice.
Yao Yao puffed out her cheeks.
"We couldn't just watch you die!"
Tian Xi nodded firmly.
"So we asked for help—whether you liked it or not."
Xue Yin stared at them.
At the ark.
At the strangers.
At the man standing calmly at the center of it all.
Her heart, moments from shattering itself into oblivion… was suddenly held in suspension.
And for the first time that night—
She realized.
This was not salvation born of desperation.
This was intervention.
And it had arrived riding thunder, fire, and impossible steel.
Xue Yin slowly turned her head toward the group that had descended from the ark.
For a fleeting instant, her gaze swept over them with only shock and disbelief. Over the years, she had encountered many women who bore the name Xue Ling. Some resembled her faintly. Some carried similar auras. Some even claimed distant ties.
None of them mattered.
She would know.
She would always know.
Then—the last woman stepped forward.
Xue Yin's eyes widened violently.
So did Zhong Chuke's.
The woman did not veil her face.
And in that single heartbeat, the world seemed to fracture.
It was like staring into a mirror—
not of the present, but of a past she had lost.
The same facial structure.
The same eyes.
The same unmistakable bloodline resonance.
But younger. Healthier. Untainted.
Where Xue Yin's beauty had been hardened by poison and sacrifice, this woman's was clear and unburdened. Where Xue Yin carried the weight of cursed arts and solitude, this woman stood free—alive in a way Xue Yin had long since abandoned.
And then it struck her.
Not through sight.
Not through aura.
Through the blood.
Her heart seized as something deep within her stirred—something no impostor, no coincidence, no illusion had ever managed to touch. A resonance so profound it eclipsed reason.
This was it.
This was the missing half of her soul.
Zhong Chuke's gaze flicked back and forth between the two women, his breath catching. It truly was like looking at the same person divided by time and fate.
Xue Yin's stiff expression finally cracked.
Her eyes filled.
Tears welled up and spilled freely, unstoppable, tracing pale paths down her frozen cheeks. Her lips trembled, though her face barely moved.
"…Ling'er…"
Her voice broke.
"It's you… it's really you…"
Her heart screamed the truth again and again.
This was her sister.
Not bound by the enchanting curse.
Not consumed by duty.
Not rotting from poison and loneliness.
This was the Ling'er who lived.
Who grew.
Who survived.
A woman who had walked a different road—one Xue Yin had once dreamed of but never reached.
And yet—
It didn't matter.
Not the years apart.
Not the suffering.
Not the silence.
They had found each other.
Across decades.
Across mountains.
Across blood and war.
At last.
Two halves of the same soul, standing face to face under falling snow—
no longer lost.
Despite the reunion…
this was not how either of them had imagined it.
Xue Ling stood frozen, her gaze locked on the fallen woman before her. Petrified—not by fear, but by truth.
For twenty years, she had lived between hope and resignation. Some days, she prayed her sister was alive. Other days, she convinced herself she was gone, buried with their parents, sealed away by fate. She had prepared herself for both outcomes.
Yet now that the answer stood before her—
Her body reacted before her mind could.
A pull.
A resonance.
A desperate, aching connection that surged through her blood.
No tests were needed.
No proof required.
The moment Xue Ling laid eyes on her, her heart, her mind, her very marrow screamed the same truth:
This woman…
was her sister.
"…This is…" Zhong Chuke murmured softly behind her. "She really does look like you…"
Xue Yin's trembling voice followed, fragile and disbelieving.
"Ling'er… are you really my Ling'er?"
Her words cracked under their own weight.
"Or is this some cruel illusion… some twisted joke played by fate?"
Xue Ling did not answer.
Part of her wanted to cry—to rush forward, to kneel, to embrace the sister she had mourned for two decades. To finally collapse into arms she thought she would never feel again.
But a larger part of her burned with something far heavier.
Anger.
Anger at twenty years of absence.
Anger at burying their parents alone.
Anger at enduring the Heavenly Sword Villa's cold exploitation and cruelty.
Anger at a destiny shoved upon her without consent.
If not for the Third Queen—Lan Ying—Xue Ling knew exactly what she might have become. A woman ruled by fury. One who lashed out at the world without restraint.
But Lan Ying had tempered her.
Taught her patience.
Taught her restraint.
Taught her kindness.
She no longer acted on rage.
She no longer exploded at pain.
Even more so now—especially after Cang Yue once told her that her master preferred women who were kind, soft-spoken, and nurturing.
A woman who could endure.
And so Xue Ling stood there, silent. Controlled. Her expression unreadable.
Anger management was no longer a struggle.
It was a scar she had already healed.
Yun Che watched the two women quietly.
They truly were alike.
Not just similar—but unmistakably the same. As though fate had split one soul into two paths. Twins separated not by birth… but by time.
Yet something didn't sit right.
Xue Yin looked too young.
She should have been a mature beauty—closer to Little Fairy's age and presence. Instead, she appeared decades younger than she should have been. Preserved. Suspended.
Yun Che's eyes narrowed slightly.
How did she keep her youth?
He turned inward.
"System," he asked silently.
"Any explanation for this?"
Because whatever had kept Xue Yin frozen in time—
had cost her far more than years.
=====================
[Ding… System analysis complete. No physical diseases or internal injuries detected. Subject is physically healthy—within normal human parameters.]
=====================
Yun Che frowned slightly.
"Then what's wrong with her?"
=====================
[Ding… Further analysis reveals severe spiritual damage. Subject's dantian is critically compromised.]
=====================
The system paused—then continued.
=====================
[Subject's dantian contains excessive accumulated energy. Current levels are unstable and approaching detonation threshold. Cause identified: parasitic corruption.]
=====================
"Parasitic?" Yun Che's eyes sharpened. "What kind?"
=====================
[Designation: Demonic Soul-Devouring Parasite.]
=====================
Yun Che's breath stilled.
=====================
[The parasite originates from a microscopic poison that infiltrated the host at a cellular level. It feeds continuously on the host's dantian, expanding over time. As it grows, it forcibly compresses and stores profound energy inside the dantian—causing extreme spiritual bloating.]
=====================
Images formed in Yun Che's mind as the system explained.
=====================
[Physically, the host experiences no abdominal pain. However, spiritually, the dantian is severely distended—similar to an overinflated core. The excess energy causes internal backlash, resulting in throat burns and periodic blood expulsion.]
=====================
"So that's why she vomits blood…"
=====================
[Correct.]
=====================
The system continued, tone clinical and merciless.
=====================
[Secondary effect: abnormal aging suppression. Due to constant energy saturation, the host's biological aging has been halted.]
=====================
Yun Che's eyes flickered.
"So that's why she looks so young…"
=====================
[Once the parasite is removed, the host will resume normal aging. However, upon reaching Sovereign Profound Realm, her physical age will stabilize permanently at approximately thirty-three years. Sovereign-level cultivators retain youth for at least three thousand years.]
=====================
Yun Che barely registered that. Something else stood out.
"And her… charm?"
=====================
[Confirmed. The excess energy amplifies the host's innate charm-based poison.]
=====================
"…Explain."
=====================
[Mental effect: male targets exposed to the host's presence experience irreversible imprinting. They are unable to forget her appearance, resulting in permanent destruction of desire toward other women and eventual infertility.]
=====================
Yun Che's expression darkened.
=====================
[Secondary emission: a sweet, alluring scent—undetectable as poison—that induces heightened lust, aggression, and animalistic impulses. Prolonged exposure results in organ failure and death.]
=====================
"…That's not charm," Yun Che muttered. "That's a massacre."
=====================
[Assessment: Correct.]
=====================
"And it's uncontrolled?"
=====================
[Yes. The parasite has destabilized regulation. Even in isolation, poison output increases. It is advised that the host avoid populated areas to prevent mass casualties.]
=====================
Yun Che exhaled slowly.
"A bloodline ability?"
=====================
[Deep scan in progress…]
=====================
A brief pause.
=====================
[Preliminary result: Charm ability is innate but normally mild. The parasite has magnified it beyond intended limits. Without the parasite, male proximity would still be impossible, but fatality rates would be negligible.]
=====================
Yun Che clenched his jaw.
"So no man can stand beside her. Parasite or not."
=====================
[Correct.]
=====================
"Then tell me," Yun Che said quietly, "can I remove it?"
The system hesitated longer this time.
=====================
[Warning. Procedure classified as extremely high risk.]
=====================
His heart sank.
=====================
[Current energy saturation equals approximately ten full cultivation levels. Energy density equivalent to a tactical nuclear strike.]
=====================
Yun Che's pupils contracted.
=====================
[If dantian detonation occurs, accumulated poison-energy will disperse across the region. Estimated outcome: complete contamination of the mountain basin. Long-term lethality comparable to radiation fallout.]
=====================
"…Ground zero," Yun Che murmured.
=====================
[Conclusion: You must suppress the excess energy before parasite extraction. Failure will result in catastrophic environmental annihilation.]
=====================
Silence.
Yun Che drew a deep breath, steadying himself.
This wasn't something he could brute-force.
He couldn't simply erase the parasite.
He couldn't risk detonation.
Saving Xue Yin was possible—
But it would be one of the most dangerous operations he had ever attempted.
And if he failed…
This mountain would become a poisoned graveyard.
Even Cang Yue could not hide her astonishment when she finally saw Xue Yin's true face.
Yao Yao had not exaggerated.
Xue Yin looked exactly like Xue Ling—so alike it was unsettling. The same features, the same bone structure, the same eyes. The only differences were the pallor of her skin and the unnatural stiffness caused by years of suffering. And yet, despite that… her beauty was overwhelming. A kind of beauty that could ensnare the mind before one even realized it.
A beauty that ruined men.
The soldiers King Alugang brought were trained to suppress desire, to dull instinct, to sever sensation. Even so, many had still faltered before the storm began. As for Jin Zhuo, he alone among the ordinary men stood calmly—protected by a special anti-poison pill Yun Che had given him earlier. The pill suppressed the enchantress poison entirely.
Because of that, Jin Zhuo could finally see Xue Yin clearly.
Not as a divine temptress.
Not as an irresistible curse.
But as what she truly was—
A woman.
Just like Xue Ling.
Without the poison's distortion, without the haze of charm, Xue Yin appeared no different from her sister. The same quiet dignity. The same lonely strength. A woman who had endured far more than anyone should.
Chu Yueli found her gaze shifting repeatedly between Xue Ling and Xue Yin, unable to reconcile the resemblance. Rival. Friend. Mirror. The same conflicted reactions stirred within Nemu and Qingyue as well.
Qingyue had not known Xue Ling for long.
But she knew her reputation.
Xue Ling was the new pillar of the Blue Wind Imperial Family—the reason the Imperial Palace now stood on equal footing with the Four Great Sects. Yet beyond the reputation, Qingyue had discovered something unexpected. Xue Ling was… kind. Far gentler than she had imagined.
Qingyue wanted to understand the people around Yun Che.
Because one day, they would be her bridge.
Her hope.
Her means to save her mother.
And now—another twist revealed itself.
Xue Ling had a sister.
Not just any sister, but the Fairy of the Northern Mountain—a peerless hidden expert whose strength surpassed even what the Frozen Cloud Asgard could offer. A woman who alone had guarded an entire province.
At that realization, Qingyue felt a quiet tremor in her heart.
Right now, Yun Che's group was no longer merely powerful.
They were terrifying.
And she—
She was part of it.
Part of his path.
Part of his unfolding legend.
For the first time, Qingyue allowed herself to truly consider the thought that she might not merely walk quietly at his side.
Perhaps she would witness great storms. Perhaps she would stand at the turning points of history—simply by being part of his life.
Until now, her world had been narrow and disciplined. In the Frozen Cloud Asgard, her days had followed the same unchanging rhythm: cultivation, closed training, missions assigned and completed with mechanical precision. Progress was steady, but life itself was… muted.
Predictable.
When she heard of Yun Che's path—his travels, his creations, the things he dared to confront and reshape—it felt like listening to stories from another world. One filled with movement, risk, discovery, and consequence.
Compared to that, her own life had been dull.
Even her senior master, Chu Yuechan—aloof and legendary—had chosen to step beyond the Asgard's walls and accompany this journey. And now, standing here amid machines that defied common sense, battles that reshaped mountains, and fates colliding before her eyes…
Qingyue had to admit it.
This was exhilarating.
Watching events spiral beyond expectation. Seeing plans unfold, enemies crumble, and legends emerge in real time—it stirred something within her that cultivation alone never had.
For the first time, she felt that she was not merely advancing in strength.
She was living.
And perhaps—just perhaps—this was the beginning of a path where she would no longer observe history from a distance…
…but stand within it.
Standing amid the snow, surrounded by monsters, legends, and fate itself—
Qingyue realized something quietly, with a faint flutter of her aura.
This was no longer just survival.
This was an adventure.
And she had stepped into it willingly.
=================
Tian Xi and Yao Yao hurried to Xue Yin's side, supporting her as she stood. Even now, their minds were still reeling.
They had seen profound arts.
They had seen sect formations.
They had even seen Emperor Profound Realm experts clash.
But what Nemu had unleashed was something else entirely.
Whatever that spinning contraption was, it hadn't merely killed—it had erased. One moment the Qiang soldiers were charging forward; the next, dozens—nearly hundreds—were torn apart in seconds. Bodies shredded. Armor pulverized. Shrapnel exploding outward with merciless efficiency.
The remaining soldiers no longer dared advance.
They stared in terror at the rotating weapons beneath the ark's wings—the alien barrels still faintly warm, humming with restrained lethality. Anyone with a shred of instinct knew one thing:
Approach again… and die.
This weapon alone had turned the tide of the battlefield.
Qingyue's gaze lingered on the spinning mechanisms. Her brows knit together, curiosity overcoming shock. Through their shared link, her voice sounded in Yun Che's mind.
"What… are those things?"
Yun Che followed her gaze calmly.
"That," he replied, "if I put it in terms you can understand, is an M61 Vulcan Minigun. English name, by the way. It spins at extremely high speed and fires explosive projectiles."
There was a brief pause.
Then Qingyue tried—very seriously.
"M… six… one… Vul… can… Mi… ni… gun?"
Her pronunciation wandered hopelessly off course since English words have syllables.
Yun Che sighed.
"Sorry, Qingyue. Without proper English training, you won't get it right."
"…Then," she replied immediately, stubborn as ever, "once we're done with Haki… please teach me English."
He blinked.
"That's not easy," he said honestly. "Learning a new language is a lot of work."
"I can handle it," she answered without hesitation.
Then, more quietly:
"Please keep teaching me things. It's the only way for me… to get to know you."
Yun Che looked at her for a long moment, then exhaled slowly.
That was one thing about Xia Qingyue—once she decided on something, she would not let go. Ever.
Before he could respond, their attention shifted back to the battlefield.
Xue Ling still stood frozen, unmoving—her gaze locked on Xue Yin. The reunion had shaken her far more than any enemy ever could.
A low, amused laugh echoed across the snow.
King Alugang, battered but unbroken, pushed himself upright. Even after losing so many soldiers, his eyes gleamed—not with fear, but with greed.
"Another divine fairy?" he said, grinning darkly. "Why do you two look so alike…?"
Then realization struck him.
"…Wait. The Divine Fairy has a sister?"
His grin widened.
"So that's it. Two Xue sisters." He laughed. "I lose some soldiers and gain two divine fairies instead. What fortune."
Xue Yin spun around instantly, stepping in front of Xue Ling without hesitation. Her weakened body trembled—but her killing intent did not.
"Fiend!" she shouted. "You will not lay a finger on her!"
Alugang's eyes burned with obsession as he stared past her.
"Two divine fairies for the taking," he said slowly.
"This truly is my lucky day. One weakened… and foolish enough to bring her sister along."
The snowfield fell silent.
Behind Xue Yin, Xue Ling's fingers clenched until her nails bit into her palm.
Xue Yin forced herself upright, every movement sending a spike of pain through her body. She planted her sword into the snow and leaned on it for support, refusing to fall. Tian Xi and Yao Yao stepped forward instinctively, glaring at King Alugang with open hostility.
"King Alugang," Jin Zhuo said, walking forward at an unhurried pace. Though surrounded by thousands of enemy soldiers, his back was straight, his gaze steady. "Can we discuss this like civilized men?"
Alugang's lips curled into a sneer.
"Civilized?" he scoffed. "Then explain this, Jin Zhuo. Why did you send an assassin to murder my third son?"
"We did not carry out the attack," Jin Zhuo replied firmly. "It was—"
"Lies," Alugang cut in sharply. "To think you would negotiate with deception."
"It is the truth!" Jin Zhuo raised his voice, unflinching.
At that moment, Xue Yin turned toward her sister.
She had imagined many versions of this reunion—tears, relief, even anger—but not this. Xue Ling met her gaze without warmth. No joy. No relief. Only cold restraint… and something dangerously close to contempt.
Xue Yin froze.
She wanted to step forward. To reach out. To hold her sister and never let go again. But she knew—if she did, she would not be met with forgiveness. Only rejection. Disappointment.
So she stopped herself.
Her hand trembled… and fell back to her side.
Xue Ling, meanwhile, felt her chest tighten. Her sister stood right there—alive, real, wounded—and yet all she could feel was a storm of unresolved fury. Twenty years of absence. Twenty years of unanswered questions. She had learned patience, had learned restraint—but even patience had limits.
Alugang's voice snapped her back to the present.
"And you expect me to believe you?" he said coldly. "What evidence do you have to prove you did not kill my son?"
Jin Zhuo's eyes hardened.
"Then what evidence do you have to accuse us?"
"The assassin wore Jin Family insignia," Alugang growled. "He carried letters—orders from you—to kill my son!"
"Clothes can be stolen. Insignia copied. Letters forged," Jin Zhuo shot back. "All of it can be fabricated. I have no quarrel with the Qiang State. What reason would I have to kill your third son?"
He took another step forward, his voice rising with controlled fury.
"To provoke you? To invite war? I am not a fool. I know the cost of such an act. Someone else incited this conflict—someone who benefits from pitting us against one another."
"And do not forget," Jin Zhuo continued, "it was the Qiang State that pressured our borders first. You have tried to invade the Jin Province before. Do you think I would simply forget that?"
Alugang's eyes narrowed.
"If I truly wished to strike," Jin Zhuo said coldly, "I could have eradicated your entire family. Why kill only one son? You claim vengeance—but this is nothing more than an excuse."
His gaze sharpened like a blade.
"You wanted our land. But open invasion would invite the Emperor's wrath. So perhaps you killed your own son… and pinned the crime on us."
The air went still.
Snow drifted softly between two armies poised on the edge of war—while between two sisters, an even deeper chasm silently widened.
"You—!!! That's it!" King Alugang roared, his killing intent erupting unchecked. "I am attacking the Jin Province. Consider this a declaration of war!"
Behind the lines, Yun Che exhaled slowly, rubbing his temple.
Option one—failed.
Negotiation was finished. Alugang had never intended to withdraw. The assassination had merely been his excuse—his long-awaited key to force his way into the Jin Province.
A single step echoed across the snow.
"Careful, King Alugang."
The veiled woman with three swords stepped forward, her voice calm yet absolute.
"Are you truly prepared to offend us as well?" she continued. "The Jin Province is territory of the Blue Wind Empire."
Alugang sneered.
"And who are you, little girl?"
She did not remove her veil.
"On behalf of the Blue Wind Empire," she said evenly, "I order you to stand down. Withdraw your forces immediately—or the Empire will take direct action against the Qiang State."
Her words struck like steel.
"Just because you possess Sixth-Level Emperor Profound Realm strength does not grant you the right to trample imperial territory," she continued. "The Qiang State is independent—but it is fragile. Losing its ruler would be a catastrophic blow."
Alugang's pupils contracted.
"You—"
"I know you well, King Alugang," she interrupted.
"My father once offered the Qiang State the chance to join the Empire. You refused—because at the time, the Empire lacked the power to compel you."
She took another step forward.
"But now?" Her tone hardened. "Your strength is meaningless before us."
The battlefield fell deathly quiet.
"Return to your state," she said. "We will not pursue you. The Empire never forced your submission—and we still will not."
A pause.
"However," she added coldly, "you brought your elite forces. And you led them here personally. If you fall, the Qiang State will be left utterly defenseless."
Alugang stared at her, disbelief creeping into his expression.
"Father…?" he muttered. "You—"
The pressure hit.
Cang Yue released her aura.
Advanced Observation Haki flared outward—not violent, not explosive—but overwhelmingly real. Her presence manifested like a sovereign's decree, unmistakable and undeniable.
She did not need to lift her veil.
King Alugang staggered back a step.
"You're—!"
"Princess Cang Yue?!"
Shock rippled through the Qiang ranks.
"The Imperial Princess…?"
"She's here?"
"This is the Three Swords Princess…"
Whispers spread like wildfire, fear replacing confidence.
Cang Yue stood tall, calm, and immovable—three swords at her side, imperial authority in every breath.
"King Alugang," she said coolly, "this is your final warning."
The snowstorm held its breath.
War had been declared.
Now, it was time to decide
who would survive it.
"Do not forget," Cang Yue said coldly, her voice carrying across the snowfield, "the Wu Clan wants you dead as well—along with Jin Zhuo. Two rulers falling in one night would leave the Qiang State ripe for takeover. Once you die here, no army will remain to defend it."
Alugang laughed harshly.
"The Wu Clan gave me more than enough!" he roared. "They gave me power! With this cultivation, I have more leverage than your Emperor ever did!"
Cang Yue's gaze hardened.
"And do you think my father stood idle? That we stood idle?" she asked. "Do not overestimate yourself, King Alugang. If we wished, you would already be dead."
She raised one hand slightly.
"I will give you one last chance. Withdraw. Return to the Qiang State. That is my negotiation."
Her aura pressed down like a decree from heaven.
"Declare war on the Jin Province," she continued, "and you declare war on the Blue Wind Empire."
Alugang threw his head back and laughed.
"Hahaha! You may be a princess—but do you truly have the guts to face me yourself?"
Cang Yue did not flinch.
"I do not need to," she replied calmly. "But did you truly believe you could defeat Xue Ling?"
Alugang's laughter cut off abruptly.
"Xue Ling…?" His eyes widened slightly. "The sister of Divine Xue Yin is that Xue Ling? The Imperial protector?"
Before anyone could stop her, Xue Ling stepped forward.
She walked past Xue Yin—past her own sister—without so much as a glance.
"Ling'er… don't… please…" Xue Yin pleaded, her voice trembling.
Xue Ling did not slow.
Did not turn.
Did not acknowledge her existence.
Xue Yin's heart shattered quietly.
This was not the reunion she had dreamed of. Not forgiveness. Not warmth. Only distance—cold and final.
She turned her gaze to Cang Yue… then back to Xue Ling.
So this was her sister now.
The prime protector of the Imperial Family.
A pillar of the Empire.
A woman standing higher than she ever had.
For the first time, Xue Yin understood.
There was no place left for her at Xue Ling's side.
Alugang sneered, regaining his confidence.
"Xue Ling," he said mockingly, "my cultivation surpasses yours. A mere fourth Level Emperor Profound Realm? You may stop me—but do you think you can stop my entire army?"
The snow fell softly between them.
Xue Ling came to a halt.
And for the first time since stepping forward, her killing intent began to rise—silent, controlled, and utterly merciless.
Clap…
Clap…
Clap…
"Well," Yun Che said lightly, applauding as if he were watching a failed performance. "Looks like negotiations are officially over. Plan A and Plan B—both busted."
King Alugang's eyes snapped toward him.
"Who are you, brat?!" He pointed accusingly—then froze. "Wait… I know you."
"Oh?" Yun Che raised an eyebrow. "You do?"
"You're still alive…" Alugang snarled. "Mu Che."
Xue Yin widened her eyes as she heard the name.
"For King Alugang to remember me," Yun Che replied with mock politeness, "I'm honored. Did I leave that deep an impression, or did I do something memorable?"
Jin Zhuo suddenly interjected, realization dawning.
"Ah—now I remember," he said. "You may not, Alugang, but I once sent him to the Qiang State during a viral outbreak. Smallpox. He volunteered to go."
Alugang's expression flickered.
"You cured the outbreak," Jin Zhuo continued. "You cured him. You cured his third son—and his eldest daughter. You even gave the formula to prevent the disease from spreading throughout the Qiang State."
The silence that followed was heavy.
Yun Che tilted his head slightly.
"So," he said calmly, "you plan to turn on the hand that fed you, King Alugang?"
Alugang scoffed.
"It was a trivial matter. Do you think saving me means I owe you my life?"
Yun Che laughed—short, incredulous.
"Wow. Truly shameless," he said. "I saved your state. Saved you. Saved your family. Saved your people." His eyes narrowed. "And this is how you repay me?"
"It's just business, Mu Che," Alugang replied coldly. "Don't take it personally."
"None taken," Yun Che said mildly. "Though it is ironic."
He glanced at the mangled corpses scattered across the snow.
"Some of those soldiers might've been people I saved with that formula. Shame they ended up shredded." He sighed theatrically. "Almost regret not letting the virus run wild back then. Could've plunged the Qiang State into chaos and saved myself the trouble."
Alugang's lips curled upward.
"A shame indeed," he said mockingly. "But the joke's on you. You didn't kill me when you had the chance."
Yun Che smiled.
A slow, dangerous smile.
"True," he said. "That was my mistake."
"Maybe," Yun Che said calmly, "I can still correct that mistake."
From thin air, he produced a detonator.
It was identical to the one he had once used in the mountain region—
the device that had erased the Yin Devourer Sect from existence.
His thumb pressed down.
Phase One: Armed.
At once, the mountains answered.
Across the surrounding range, points of crimson light bloomed—then pulsed in unison. One by one, the slopes, ridges, and peaks lit up, until the entire basin was framed by glowing red stars beneath the silver moon.
The marbles.
The ones Cang Yue, Qingyue, Tian Xi, and Yao Yao had scattered earlier.
From afar, it was breathtaking—
a star-filled sky mirrored upon the mountains.
From up close, it was terror made visible.
Even Yun Che's own party paused, momentarily struck by the beauty of it. They knew what those lights meant. They knew what slept beneath that snow.
Something so beautiful…
was never meant to be safe.
The Qiang soldiers grew restless. Some stepped back instinctively, eyes darting toward the glowing peaks above them.
"What trickery is this?!" King Alugang roared, his voice cracking through the silence.
Yun Che glanced at the mountains, then back at him.
"Did you really think I came here unprepared?" he asked mildly. "You used a suppressive artifact to restrain Xue Yin. We responded in kind."
He lifted the detonator slightly.
"This basin," he continued, "is perfect. Narrow. Surrounded by steep ranges. Snow accumulates daily because of constant storms. It took your cavalry nearly an hour to march in here."
His eyes sharpened.
"Now imagine all that snow… coming down at once."
Alugang's expression darkened.
"What are you talking about, brat?!"
"The red lights," Yun Che said evenly, "are C5 explosive marbles. Each one has a blast radius of roughly one mile."
A ripple of dread spread through the enemy ranks.
"I've only activated Phase One," he went on. "If I press this again, it enters Phase Two—full arming. The final button…"
He tapped it lightly.
"…detonates everything."
Silence.
Even the wind seemed to hold its breath.
Xue Yin stared at Yun Che, stunned. Zhong Chuke's grip tightened around his sword. An auraless man—no, a man whose aura meant nothing—had prepared a battlefield capable of annihilating an army and reshaping the terrain itself.
Yun Che met Alugang's gaze.
"You know what happens next," he said. "The explosions trigger a massive avalanche. Your entire force will be buried."
A pause.
"You included."
Alugang snarled, forcing bravado into his voice.
"You won't dare!"
Yun Che smiled faintly.
The kind of smile that meant
the decision had already been made.
"Oh, we dare," Yun Che replied calmly. "We already have an escape ark."
His gaze flicked to Alugang.
"What about you?"
Alugang's expression twisted.
"You're bluffing! There's no such explosive!"
Yun Che didn't argue.
"Nemu," he said lightly. "Care for a demonstration?"
Nemu nodded once.
She stepped forward and, to everyone's disbelief, casually retrieved a single marble from her inventory. No ceremony. No hesitation. She walked to an open stretch of snow far from the group and tossed it ahead.
Because her cultivation had risen, so had her strength—the marble flew farther than expected.
She pulled out a detonator identical to Yun Che's.
First arm.
The marble began pulsing red.
Second arm.
The pulse shifted to green, faster now, sharper.
Then—
Without the slightest pause—
She pressed the final button.
BOOM—!!!
The explosion tore through the basin.
A violent shockwave slammed outward, snow erupting skyward as the ground caved in. A massive crater formed instantly, its edges scorched and fractured, the surrounding snow vaporized into mist.
The sound alone was enough to make eardrums ring.
The Qiang cavalry reeled back in horror. Horses screamed. Soldiers stumbled, some dropping to their knees, others frozen in place as the scale of destruction registered too late.
Xue Yin stared, completely stunned.
Zhong Chuke's breath caught.
Tian Xi and Yao Yao went pale.
Even Chu Yueli, Xue Ling, Jin Zhuo, and Qingyue stood in stunned silence.
Cang Yue's pupils shrank.
The marbles were not merely powerful—
They were obscene.
Qingyue's mind reeled. She glanced instinctively at her hands—hands that had casually tossed several of those marbles earlier. Cang Yue, Tian Xi, and Yao Yao shared the same realization.
They had thrown death itself across the mountains.
Casually.
Almost playfully.
Yao Yao swallowed hard.
"I… I almost kept one…"
Tian Xi felt her knees weaken.
"A whole bag…"
A single marble could end their lives.
A dozen could erase an army.
And Yun Che had scattered them across the entire mountain range.
The snow slowly settled back into silence.
Nemu turned around calmly and returned to Yun Che's side, as if she had merely tested a firework.
Yun Che looked at King Alugang.
"Now," he said evenly, "do you still think I'm bluffing?"
Suddenly—
A hysterical scream cut through the frozen night.
"R–RUN!!"
One soldier dropped his weapon and turned, sprinting blindly toward the rear. Another followed. Then another.
In the span of a few breaths, panic spread like wildfire.
Not one.
Not ten.
Nearly a quarter of the Qiang army broke formation and fled.
Xue Yin and Zhong Chuke stared in stunned silence.
They could feel it—the shift. Yun Che had not merely killed soldiers. He had shattered morale. The invisible weight pressing on the battlefield was no longer Xue Yin's aura alone, but fear itself.
Jin Zhuo let out a heavy sigh.
"If these were Jin soldiers… they wouldn't falter like this."
King Alugang's men had been trained for years to resist Xue Yin's charm, her poison, her presence. Yet now—after witnessing annihilation that defied comprehension—discipline cracked. Even hardened veterans chose survival over loyalty.
Cang Yue shook her head slightly.
"They fear the avalanche more than the Empire."
Yun Che watched the chaos with mild interest.
"Funny," he mused. "They're not afraid of the miniguns… but they are afraid of the avalanche."
Because guns killed fast.
Avalanches buried hope.
"COWARDS!!!" King Alugang roared, his voice cracking with fury.
Yun Che smiled faintly.
"Oh?" he called out calmly. "Deserting the battlefield is a grave sin before the heavens, isn't it?" His gaze swept over the panicking soldiers. "I guess your men weren't trained as well as you believed."
Alugang's face twisted.
"Kill them!" he bellowed. "Kill the deserters!!"
And just like that—
Steel turned inward.
Soldiers who moments ago marched under the same banner now raised blades against their own comrades. Shouts of fear turned into screams of betrayal. Blood stained the snow not from enemy strikes—but from panic-fueled execution.
Yun Che and his companions watched silently as the Qiang army began to destroy itself.
No formations.
No strategy.
No honor.
Only fear.
And in that moment, it became painfully clear—
The battle was already over.
The avalanche had not yet fallen.
But King Alugang's army already had.
"Well…" Yun Che said calmly, surveying the battlefield as soldiers turned on one another, fear consuming discipline. "It seems the problem is solving itself. I don't think our presence even matters anymore."
No one replied.
Because something else was breaking—quietly, painfully—far more fragile than an army.
Xue Yin's gaze drifted back to Xue Ling.
And Xue Ling still refused to acknowledge her.
The realization struck harder than any blade.
Tears welled in Xue Yin's eyes, slipping free despite the stiffness of her face. This—this cold silence—was not what she had hoped for. Not what she had endured twenty years for. If her sister truly hated her… then perhaps she had already lost everything worth living for.
Her steps slowed. Then stopped.
Tian Xi and Yao Yao noticed first. Then Zhong Chuke. One by one, everyone turned toward her.
"…Everyone," Xue Yin said quietly, her voice thin but resolute. "Please leave."
"Senior Sister!" Zhong Chuke exclaimed.
"Enough!" Xue Yin snapped—not in anger, but in finality. "I came here to defeat Alugang. And that is what I intend to do."
Her words carried the weight of someone who had already chosen death.
"That's her!" King Alugang laughed loudly, seizing the moment. "The Divine Fairy of the Northern Mountain would never retreat from a battlefield!"
"But your sister—" Zhong Chuke began desperately. "You can't just—"
Xue Yin turned her head one last time.
Her eyes met Xue Ling's.
For the first time, her sister looked back.
That single glance—so brief, so restrained—was enough.
Xue Yin said nothing.
She turned away.
If her sister would not walk toward her… then she would walk away instead. If she could not be reunited as a sister, then she would at least die as a guardian.
She gently removed Tian Xi's and Yao Yao's hands from her sleeves.
Then, alone, she began walking back toward King Alugang and what remained of his army.
Each step was slow. Deliberate.
A march toward death.
Behind her—
Xue Ling watched.
And something inside her finally boiled over.
Anger—long buried beneath patience, discipline, and restraint—rose violently to the surface.
Even now… even at the end of your life…
You still think only of yourself.
Her fingers clenched.
Her breath shook.
And for the first time since seeing her sister—
Xue Ling was no longer frozen.
She was furious.