Not far from Three Immortal Island.
Above the clouds, a graceful figure rode the clouds toward the island.
Yunxiao looked at the Xuanlinghua in her hand, her expression somewhat complicated.
It was the first time she had ever received such a gift.
In truth, she had never felt any particular affection for Lu Changsheng as a Dao Companion.
She had agreed to become his Dao Companion by sheer coincidence.
That was why, when her cultivation had run into a bottleneck, her first thought had been to seek out Lu Changsheng and try to end their relationship.
Now, the problem that had hindered her cultivation was solved.
But the way it had happened was something she had never imagined.
This Xuanlinghua had given her a little fondness for Lu Changsheng.
And after this encounter, she had come to understand him better.
His cultivation was not high, but he worked exceptionally hard at it.
Not everyone had the courage and resolve to endure Lightning Body Tempering.
At the thought, the image of Lu Changsheng completing the tempering appeared in Yunxiao's mind.
His handsome face, determined gaze, and strong physique...
Yunxiao's cheeks suddenly grew several degrees warmer.
She shook her head.
What was she thinking?
The most important thing now was to improve her cultivation as quickly as possible and break through to Daluo Golden Immortal, bolstering the Interception Sect's prestige!
With that in mind, she had already returned to Three Immortal Island.
But the moment she arrived, Qiongxiao came out of the cave to meet her.
"Eldest Sister, you're finally back!"
"What is it? Has something happened?"
Yunxiao looked puzzled. Qiongxiao seemed to have been waiting for her.
"It's all because of our little sister."
Qiongxiao pointed into the cave as she briefly explained what had happened.
With the formation's aid, Bixiao's cultivation efficiency had improved considerably.
Her cultivation had advanced, bringing her closer to Taiyi Golden Immortal.
But breaking through to Taiyi Golden Immortal wasn't as simple as accumulating cultivation. She also had to pass the Three Calamities and condense the Five Qis.
Bixiao lacked experience in these matters, so she had wanted to ask Yunxiao for guidance.
But when she went looking for Yunxiao, she discovered that Yunxiao wasn't on Three Immortal Island.
So Bixiao had made a fuss, insisting that she wanted to go out too.
If Qiongxiao hadn't stopped her, Bixiao would have been long gone.
After learning what had happened, Yunxiao furrowed her brows.
Just as she was about to enter the cave, Bixiao's voice came from within.
"Is Eldest Sister back?!"
The next moment, Bixiao rushed out of the cave.
The instant she saw Yunxiao, a hint of displeasure appeared on her little face.
"Eldest Sister, you're being so unfair."
"You said you were going into seclusion to cultivate, but you secretly went out to have fun!"
Yunxiao's expression turned stern.
"First, what I said earlier was that you had to cultivate in seclusion and couldn't leave Three Immortal Island before breaking through to Taiyi Golden Immortal. When did I ever say that I couldn't leave?"
"Second, I went out for an important matter."
As she spoke, Yunxiao raised the Xuanlinghua in her hand.
Only then did Qiongxiao and Bixiao notice the flower.
"E-even if you went out to find Xuanlinghua, you should've brought me along!"
Bixiao still refused to let it go.
"I told you already. Once you break through to Taiyi Golden Immortal, I'll take you off Three Immortal Island."
"Since you're trying to break through to Taiyi Golden Immortal, I'll give you some pointers on how to do it."
As she spoke, Yunxiao "dragged" Bixiao back into the cave.
Qiongxiao watched Yunxiao go, a thoughtful look crossing her face.
Wasn't Xuanlinghua used to clear distractions and focus the mind?
What could have happened that left Eldest Sister unable to concentrate on her cultivation, forcing her to go out and find Xuanlinghua to help?
Qiongxiao was full of questions.
She wanted to ask Yunxiao, but in the end, she held back.
Since Yunxiao hadn't said anything, asking would be pointless.
For now, she should help Bixiao break through to Taiyi Golden Immortal.
Setting her questions aside, she headed into the cave.
Time meant little in Honghuang. Decades passed in the blink of an eye.
On this day, the sky above Lingganhu suddenly darkened.
A Giant Python emerged from the clouds.
The creature was familiar to both Lu Changsheng and Huanglong Zhenren. It was another Xuan Sha Mang.
But unlike the previous Xuan Sha Mang, this one was enormous—at least twice the size of the one that had died.
Its scales were no longer simply black. Flecks of golden light shimmered across them.
Violence churned in its enormous eyes.
This was a Xuan Sha Mang whose cultivation had reached the Taiyi Golden Immortal level.
But when its gaze fell upon Lingganhu, it suddenly noticed something.
The violence in its eyes faded somewhat, replaced by a hint of panic.
A flash of black light followed.
The Giant Python disappeared, and a figure appeared above Lingganhu.
He was a burly man clad in black armor.
His pale golden eyes swept back and forth across the lake.
As time passed, his expression grew increasingly anxious.
"Chilian, where are you?!"
His urgent voice echoed over Lingganhu, but no reply came.
His name was Xuan Jun, one of the Demon Race Heavenly Court's mighty generals.
The Xuan Sha Mang who had guarded the Xuanling Fruit at Lingganhu and died at Huanglong's hands—the very one Xuan Jun called Chilian—was his wife.
Xuan Jun had discovered the Xuanling Fruit here by chance.
He had sent Chilian to guard it at Lingganhu with their newly born child.
Once the fruit ripened, their child could eat it and rapidly increase its cultivation.
As for Xuan Jun, he had returned to cultivate in seclusion and attempt a breakthrough to Taiyi Golden Immortal.
But after emerging from seclusion and successfully breaking through, he waited in vain for his wife to return.
And according to his calculations, the Xuanling Fruit should have ripened long ago.
So Xuan Jun had come to Lingganhu himself to find his wife and child.
But there was no sign of them anywhere around the lake.
Xuan Jun immediately grew uneasy.
His Spiritual Sense surged, covering every corner around Lingganhu.
Nothing. Nothing. Still nothing!
Could Chilian have met with disaster?
But the Xuanling Fruit was of little use to a Taiyi Golden Immortal.
So whoever came to take it would, at most, be a Golden Immortal.
Among Golden Immortals, the Xuan Sha Mang, as members of the Demon Race, were formidable.
Besides, even if Chilian really couldn't win, she should have been able to escape.
That was indeed the case.
But after their child had been cruelly killed by Huanglong, Chilian had lost all hope and no longer wished to flee. She had only wanted revenge for their child.
Normally, her final self-destruction would certainly have taken a Golden Immortal with her.
Unfortunately, Huanglong Zhenren was no ordinary Golden Immortal. As a Saint Disciple, he naturally had a couple of life-saving tricks up his sleeve.
Of course, Xuan Jun had no way of knowing any of this.
All he knew was that his wife and child had disappeared.
They were neither at Lingganhu nor had they returned to him.
"Where are you?!"
In his desperation, Xuan Jun roared. The demonic power of a Taiyi Golden Immortal burst forth, sending towering waves surging across Lingganhu and cracking the ground all around it.
How could such an enormous Xuan Sha Mang simply vanish into thin air?
Suddenly, Xuan Jun seemed to notice something.
He reached out and grabbed at the ground in the distance.
A small clod of earth landed in his hand.
Xuan Jun clenched his fist. The dirt crumbled away, revealing a broken black scale stained with a trace of dried blood.
This was...
Xuan Jun's pupils contracted.
Chilian's scale!
He couldn't mistake it!
That meant his wife and child had met with disaster.
"Who did this? Who?!"
Xuan Jun let out a grief-stricken wail, two streams of blood tears running down his face.
His wife and child had been brutally killed, and he didn't even know who had done it.
What use was his Taiyi Golden Immortal cultivation now?
Veins bulged and writhed across his forehead like pythons.
His emotions were on the verge of boiling over.
Wait.
He might not know who had attacked Chilian and their child.
But he wasn't alone.
Behind him stood the Demon Race Heavenly Court, with the Two Great Demon Emperors!
The Demon Emperors' methods were beyond what ordinary people could imagine.
If East Emperor was willing to intervene, he could surely discover who was responsible!
Xuan Jun shot toward the Demon Race Heavenly Court!
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