No one else might know Shen Fengyan’s background, but Zhao Lixuan knew it all too well.
Senior Brother Shen could never be a demon or devil.
Because his true identity was actually the oldest and purest descendant of the God Blood lineage among Human Immortals.
These days, most immortals in the Unstained Immortal Realm had ascended through postnatal cultivation. The God Blood lineage, however, descended from the deities of the ancient war between gods and demons. After thousands or tens of thousands of years, they looked no different from ordinary immortals—indistinguishable, and many God Blood immortals didn’t even know their own heritage.
Yet the Immortal Emperor’s inheritance had always been selected from God Blood descendants across generations.
Dozens of years ago, the previous Oracle had clearly decreed that this generation’s Child of Destiny was among a pair of orphans raised in the Divine Temple—Shen Fengyan and his younger brother, Shen Fengyu.
This rare prophecy of twin Destined Inheritors instantly unleashed a storm of blood and carnage in the Immortal Court.
After all, one Immortal Emperor was enough.
The brothers, who had relied on each other for survival, were torn apart and reduced to pawns in the power struggles of the Immortal Court’s factions. Each side claimed the inheritor in their hands was the legitimate one, doing everything to eliminate the “false puppets” controlled by their rivals.
Shen Fengyan had been just seven at the time, passed around like a toy between different groups, watching those around him fall into pools of blood day after day.
During one chaotic melee among multiple factions, he escaped amid the turmoil.
From then on, he wandered homeless, trudging alone through a stormy blizzard night until exhaustion claimed him. He curled up on the vast snowy plains outside Fu Xi Palace.
In his fading consciousness, a figure appeared faintly.
That day, Zhao Lanze had gone out for a stroll to enjoy the snow and simply picked up Shen Fengyan, bringing him back to Fu Xi Palace to raise.
For the next dozen years or so, Shen Fengyan lived incognito, cultivating diligently. Upon reaching adulthood, with Zhao Lanze’s full support, he gathered the Heavenly Seals from all four directions and rescued his brother Shen Fengyu after countless hardships. The brothers were finally reunited.
Someone who had weathered a thousand trials to finally find peace would naturally cherish that hard-won tranquility.
Senior Brother Shen’s good days had barely begun—how could he have any motive to become a traitor?
…
The scene before him felt both real and illusory, yet it continued.
He swung the Army Breaker heavy sword in his hand, cleaving back the Bone-Eroding Demon Golem with mountain-shattering force.
Warm, foul demonic blood splashed across Zhao Lixuan’s face.
Even knowing it was an illusion, he could still vividly feel the heaviness of this body, its labored breaths, and the dull pain from wounds old and new.
The demonic beasts before him were endless.
Shen Fengyan’s skin split open, flesh torn, his clothes soaked in blood.
Senior Brother…
Zhao Lixuan forced himself to focus, anchoring his mind closely to these scenes—whether memories or phantoms.
He wanted to see clearly.
He wanted to glean even the slightest clue from them! Where had Senior Brother Shen gone after vanishing without a word? What had he endured? Was he safe now?
But the vista blurred once more, his head buzzing as if shrouded in thick fog.
【Li Xuan.】
A call came as if through a watery veil, churning his divine sense.
【Li Xuan, wake up!!】
The voice sharpened suddenly… It sounded like Senior Sister Lu. The next moment, he heard Senior Brother Xia’s voice too.
The two were calling him anxiously through the Fate-Linking Stone, over and over.
But the Fate-Linking Stone…
Hadn’t it vanished just moments ago?
No, no—a flash of clarity struck his mind like lightning piercing the fog. Zhao Lixuan jerked his head up!
His ears cleared, his vision sharpened. Where were Senior Brother Shen battling amid bloodshed or the endless demonic tide?
Only a grotesque, evil orb hung in the sky—
The Myriad Phenomena Demon Pupil loomed enormous, rotating slowly, emanating blinding malevolent light like a deformed sun, its presence making souls tremble in dread.
Everything before had been a demonic affliction.
An illusion crafted by this monster, striking straight at the heart’s weaknesses!
Once fully awake, the surrounding illusions receded like the tide. Zhao Lixuan realized he stood within a circular formation outlined in pitch-black karmic fire. The formation’s steady glow isolated the external demonic mists—
It was Jiang Chen’s protective array!
He looked up again to see Jiang Chen at the array’s forefront, drenched in blood with disheveled hair, unyielding fire blazing in his eyes. He unleashed fierce sword strikes one after another, trying to force his way toward the Myriad Phenomena Demon Pupil, which had absorbed countless resentments and exuded soul-shaking pressure.
Sword gangs tore through the demonic qi time and again, yet never reached the core.
It was because this Myriad Phenomena Demon Pupil was a high-tier illusory magic beast formed from bewitching spells and grudges—it shouldn’t have appeared at the fringes of the Misty Crevice Abyss during the first Moon Hunt!
But there was no time for Zhao Lixuan to dwell.
The priority now was breaking the demonic miasma. Fortunately, he had read a ton of miscellaneous books over the years and knew the Demon Pupil’s core hid behind layers of foul energies!
Jiang Chen’s sword intent was mighty as a thousand jun, but raw power against illusions was like a blade slicing water—ineffective at carving a precise path to the kernel.
But his purifying clear qi could do it!
No more words needed.
Zhao Lixuan’s eyes sharpened, his finger seals shifted, and the Nine Heavens Immortal Sash unfurled at his call.
A beam of utterly pure clear light pierced the night like dawn breaking, slicing decisively through the twisted, chaotic force field and illusory barriers around the Demon Pupil. It forcibly carved a straight, fleeting path through the haze of real and unreal to that eerie eyeball core.
“Awake?”
Jiang Chen’s voice came from beside him, laced with the faint gasps of battle. This time, it didn’t sound as mocking as usual.
“Awake,” Zhao Lixuan had no time for more, replying curtly. “Path’s open—don’t miss it, go!”
Jiang Chen didn’t hesitate. He leaped along the clear light beam, his dark robes flapping wildly, soaring straight to the Myriad Phenomena Demon Pupil’s array nexus at its core.
Victory or defeat hung on this moment!
Behind him, Zhao Lixuan gritted his teeth, pouring everything into sustaining the precarious channel.
Ahead, Mortal Life Ashes let out a resounding cry. Jiang Chen gathered surging karmic fire into the dark sword blade, forming a black sword gang that rent the heavens, slashing straight at the illusion’s root.
…
The Myriad Phenomena Demon Pupil issued a reluctant wail as it slowly shattered.
Far away in Fu Xi Palace’s Profound Earth Sacrificial Tower, Xia Yunjie and Lu Ziyuan—who had been glued to the Vast Heaven Mechanism Mirror—finally exhaled in unison, their suspended hearts easing.
After the Demon Pupil fell, the mirror’s image, fragmented by thick demonic qi, gradually cleared.
As the demon-banishing ripples spread rapidly across the Misty Crevice Abyss fringes, the other Immortal Lords—trapped in heart demons and illusions, struggling bitterly—snapped awake one by one from their garish nightmares.
“Scared me half to death—I dreamed I lost everything gambling in the Three Realms casino, even nearly pawned my natal treasure. Good thing it was just an illusion…”
“Huh, what? You say all those soul-devouring beasts I slayed so hard were illusions? No wonder they kept multiplying!”
Everyone felt dazed, fearful, hearts lingering with terror.
After all, no one could fathom why such a high-tier Myriad Phenomena Demon Pupil had inexplicably appeared here.
Fortunately, Immortal Lord Li Xuan and the Sword-Wielding Immortal Lord had handled it perfectly, shattering the illusion and averting disaster!
Demon-slaying afterward went smoothly.
Eager to redeem themselves, the crowd hunted demons fiercely. Only a few Immortal Lords suffered minor wounds from stray low-tier beasts during the illusion; the rest returned unharmed.
…
Back at Fu Xi Palace, Xia Yunjie ran a concise, efficient debrief.
Intelligence first confirmed no other high-tier demonic anomalies at the Rift Abyss fringes. The sudden Myriad Phenomena Demon Pupil was likely flung to the edge by some internal demonic qi fluctuation.
The Artifact Refining Workshop followed: “Rest assured, Palace Lord and fellow disciples! Immortal Lord Li Xuan brought back the Demon Pupil remnants. We’ll craft ‘Clear Heart Leather Rings’ from them before the next Moon Hunt—effective against such demonic illusions for all Immortal Lords to wear!”
Of course, this ordeal deepened everyone’s understanding of demonic treachery and the Moon Hunt’s perils. No more complacency.
Fu Xi Palace’s cultivation vibe intensified.
Immortal Lords trained harder, sparring and honing skills—their cultivation and combat prowess advancing by leaps and bounds.
Besides private practice, they studied and learned from others.
How Immortal Lord Li Xuan had torn the illusion with the Nine Heavens Immortal Sash’s clear light to open a path; how Jiang Immortal Venerable had synced perfectly, piercing the core with Mortal Life Ashes’ surging karmic fire—it was all captured crystal-clear by the Vast Heaven Mechanism Mirror!
Such priceless combat footage—how could eager Immortal Lords ignore it?
These days, Fu Xi Palace buzzed with groups of Immortal Lords huddled around sub-mirror projections, replaying and analyzing.
“Look—right as Jiang Immortal Venerable’s sword qi peaked, Immortal Lord Li Xuan’s sash light blazed hottest, forcing the channel open! Timing perfect to the instant.”
“Not just that—check Jiang Immortal Venerable’s footwork. Every step’s position and moment seems calculated for Li Xuan Immortal Lord to clear obstacles exactly then. Seamless, like flowing water!”
“No words exchanged, yet total rapport. Takes absolute trust and understanding.”
“They’re just born to fight side-by-side—no other pair like it in heaven or earth!”
“…”
Zhao Lixuan stood at the council hall door, overhearing everything, feeling like pins and needles.
Better turn around and bail?
…Ever since returning from the abyss, it had been like this nonstop.
Not just gossip behind his back—people mobbed him enthusiastically with questions.
He didn’t mind earnest discussions or heightened enthusiasm among sectmates.
But why did they always grill him about Jiang Immortal Lord stuff?
From sword habits to tastes, cultivation insights to daily routines… What was that about?
Under everyone’s eyes, he couldn’t exactly say, We’re not close anymore.
Unbeknownst to him, they hounded Jiang Chen about him too.
Like now, inside the hall: Bitao Fairy darted forward, grabbing the sleeve of the silently seated Jiang Chen with starry-eyed admiration.
Usually, the Sword-Wielding Immortal Lord was aloof and icy, keeping all at bay.
But he’d saved everyone this time, so gratitude overrode his frosty aura.
“Jiang Immortal Lord! Jiang Immortal Lord!” Bitao Fairy’s eyes sparkled. “Where’s Immortal Lord Li Xuan? Hasn’t he arrived? Oh, rumor has it you two were inseparable classmates at Xiao Xue Tower in the Mortal Realm. Like Jiao and Meng—true?”
Zhao Lixuan: “…”
Where’d she hear that nonsense? And she just asks—boldly, right to Jiang Immortal Lord’s face. Zhao Lixuan had to admire Bitao Fairy’s guts.
Really not afraid of his cold shoulder?
That guy showed no mercy to beauties; bad mood meant no face given.
Sure enough, even facing her eager gaze, Jiang Chen’s peerlessly handsome face stayed its usual deadpan.
Zhao Lixuan figured he’d brush her off coldly. But under the bright sun, in the open council hall amid expectant stares, Jiang Chen lowered his eyes, lips pursed, and softly uttered, “Mm.”
The hall erupted.
Expressions varied. Some scoffed in disbelief, baffled; others lit up with weird excitement.
Zhao Lixuan: “…?”
Wait—what? Did Jiang Chen even hear what Bitao asked?
That random “mm” was trouble. Bitao Fairy’s eyes shone brighter, pressing on: “So it’s true! And I heard… close friends in the Mortal Realm often share the same bed, feet entwined in sleep! True too?”
Getting wilder!
Sure, Mortal Realm tales loved that—emperors and generals sharing beds, robes, quilts.
Zhao Lixuan had read plenty in his idle days, but how many real “close friends” did that?
None among Xiao Xue Tower classmates; no one at Fu Xi Palace bunked with buddies either.
Not even a playboy like him.
Even though he’d secretly thought Senior Brother Rumu looked soft and cuddly like a bunny—perfect pillow material.
He’d still resisted sharing a bed with him!
But facing this utterly absurd question, Jiang Chen paused silently… then met her eyes: “Mm.”
The hall didn’t just erupt.
It exploded.
In the chaos, someone muttered through gritted teeth, “Damn it, what’s so great about that big block of ice anyway?” Another retorted, “Don’t buy it—he’s just harboring designs and spouting nonsense.” Yet another beamed with delight. “See? I told you, they’re made for each other!”
Those voices came from farther away, and Zhao Lixuan didn’t catch them clearly.
What he did hear were the whispers of several higher-ranking demon immortals from Liao Yuan Court, standing near the entrance with their backs to him, heads bent close together.
“No way? I thought Bitao Fairy trailed after Chu Immortal Lord all day, eyes everywhere, knowing everything.”
“Yeah, how does she not even know this? And she had the nerve to ask Jiang Immortal Lord to his face?”
“Isn’t it common knowledge in Liao Yuan Court that Jiang Immortal Lord has an old flame from the upper realms who dumped him?”
“Right? Doesn’t he always stare at that flute and jade pendant keepsake whenever he gets drunk? Surely it’s not just us who know.”
“Ten years ago during the Moon Hunt, didn’t he show up at Misty Crevice Abyss a full half-month early just to wait for that person?”
Zhao Lixuan: “…”
Zhao Lixuan: “…………”
No, stay calm.
This absolutely can’t be about me, right?
Yeah, Jiang Chen must’ve gotten together with some other upper-realms human immortal later on. That one probably gave him the flute and jade pendant or whatever. After all, there were a full twenty years in between—plenty of time for Jiang Chen to date a few.
“I heard that immortal lord was heading to the Moon Hunt last time too.”
“But before he even reached Rift Abyss, the moment he heard Jiang Immortal Lord was going, he turned tail and fled without looking back.”
Zhao Lixuan: “………………….”
“Hah, but Immortal Lord Li Xuan has such an ethereal and dignified bearing—doesn’t seem like the type to run off over something so trivial, does he?”
“You’re right.”
“Doesn’t seem like the seduce-and-abandon type either.”
“Exactly.”
“So maybe Immortal Lord Li Xuan really is just Jiang Immortal Lord’s old friend. The ex must be someone else?”
“Who could it be? Have we met them?”
Zhao Lixuan’s breath came in faint wisps.
