The Unchanging Promise

Ten years later, Xiao Yuting was twenty-five years old and had broken through to become a Dou Emperor. Such an achievement was not particularly outstanding, but neither was it bad. Though part of it had been forced through with medicinal pills, it could not have happened without her own efforts. In her heart, the longing to reunite with her sister had already surpassed her hatred for the Lineage.

Xiao Yuting's final battle was naturally one of revenge, but those who had bullied her had either already broken through to become Dou Emperors, or were utter trash whom even piles of medicinal pills could not force into the Dou Emperor Realm.

If a child was not taught, the father was at fault. In the end, Xiao Yuting could only give the entire branch descended from those who had bullied her a thorough lesson. Nearly half of the Xiao Clan had been destroyed by her. Fortunately, though the seed of hatred had been planted in her heart, it had never taken root and sprouted.

After that rampage, the Xiao Clan naturally could no longer tolerate her, and she could not remain there. Thus, for the next year, she wandered the continent. What she loved most was watching the sunset from atop high mountains. Yet without her sister, the sunset had lost its former beauty. Occasionally, she would also spend some time making herself seem a little more lively and adorable.

A year later, one hundred and sixty years had already passed on the World-Creation Continent. Relying on her talent and solid foundation, Xiao Wanqing smoothly entered the Emperor Sovereign Realm, becoming the dazzling goddess of the Xiao Clan. Moreover, as a descendant of the missing Clan Chief, she became one of the Xiao Clan's core members. Some even predicted that Xiao Wanqing would become the first person in Xiao Clan history to cross the Heavenly Tribulation, as perilous as the gates of hell, and become a Battle Immortal.

Yet Xiao Wanqing cared least about all of this. What made her happiest was seeing Xiao Yuting's name in the clan genealogy.

This person who was both her disciple and her younger sister—she had once said that she would protect her on the World-Creation Continent. Now that she possessed the strength, at least no one in the Xiao Clan dared bully her. Sixteen years had passed. She wondered how much that little girl had grown, and whether she was still as silent as before.

That was why she, the favored daughter of heaven, had gone to receive those arriving from the Lower Plane. She liked that work as well.

Finally, more than a year ago, Xiao Wanqing had waited for Xiao Yuting. Naturally, the two sisters had been overjoyed to meet again.

"After seeing my sister again, I forced myself to maintain a lively, adorable appearance. I didn't want Sister to see that silent and lonely Xiao Yuting again. But I never expected that one willful request from me would bring Sister such tremendous harm." Xiao Yuting's tears surged forth. Those scenes had filled her with self-reproach for a whole year. Although Xiao Wanqing always comforted her, saying that everything could be resolved as long as they found Heavenly Fire, how could a second-rate power like the Xiao Clan possibly possess Heavenly Fire? If they did, other factions would have wiped them out long ago.

"That day, at my request, Sister took me to watch a sunset on the World-Creation Continent. The setting sun, set off by the evening clouds, was incomparably beautiful. Though I didn't know whether it was the same red sun as the one on the Heavenly Spirit Continent, that beauty was no different. A sunset was supposed to mean the old day had passed and a new day had arrived. But after that sunset came an assassination. An assassination from the Xue Clan and the Qin Clan."

"Sister's excellence stirred the Qin Clan's and Xue Clan's killing intent. Not a single Battle Immortal existed in Spirit Prefecture, the Xiao Clan's main headquarters. The emergence of a Battle Immortal would mean the balance among the three great clans had been broken, so they could only strangle a potential Battle Immortal in the cradle." As Xiao Yuting spoke, her eyes brimmed with fury—regret for her own willfulness, and hatred for the Qin and Xue Clans.

The Unchanging Promise

"This assassination had clearly been planned long in advance. To ensure its success, the two clans dispatched two Peak Emperor Sovereigns and two Upper-Grade Emperor Sovereigns."

"Sister had only just broken through to the Emperor Sovereign Realm. Against such a lineup, she basically had no power to fight back. Perhaps they did not wish to completely offend the Xiao Clan either. After all, behind the Xiao Clan stood a Peak Supreme Emperor Clan Chief and a super faction. They knocked Sister and me unconscious, but only administered a poison to Sister. When we awoke, Sister's strength had fallen from the Emperor Sovereign Realm to the Lower-Grade Emperor Spirit Realm, no different from someone who had just arrived on the World-Creation Continent."

"Later, the Xiao Clan mobilized the strength of the entire clan to find a way to cure the poison, but they failed. Half a year later, someone from the faction the Xiao Clan relied upon came to the Xiao Clan and proposed a method: only Heavenly Fire, Heavenly Water, or other flames could detoxify her. But with the Xiao Clan's strength, Heavenly Fire and Heavenly Water were basically impossible to find. Thus, other Rare Flames became the Xiao Clan's last hope. The Xiao Clan had quite a few alchemists, and some even possessed flames of strange arts, yet there was still no way to solve it. From that day onward, I began studying poison arts. Where there is poison, there must be an antidote, but no matter how hard I tried, it was useless. In the end, I could only place my hopes on those who came from the Lower Plane. That was why you saw me in Guidance City that day."

"After losing her Dou Qi, Sister did not become dispirited. She devoted her energy to the Xiao Clan's development. She was still herself. No matter what difficulties she encountered, she would overcome them herself, just as she had on the Heavenly Spirit Continent—strong and brave. She was the Xiao Clan's undefeated goddess. Even without her formidable strength, her status in the hearts of the Xiao Clan's people would absolutely never change. And when Sister went to Guidance City, Huang Feng, the third commander of the Dragon-Phoenix Army, accompanied her. His strength was at the Upper-Grade Emperor Sovereign Realm," Xiao Yuting said.

Xiao Yan recalled the person he had encountered back then. He had never expected that man to be an Emperor Sovereign expert.

The Dragon-Phoenix Army, named after the Dragon Spirit Continent and Phoenix Spirit Continent, was the Xiao Clan's most core fighting force. Every Xiao Clan soldier regarded joining the Dragon-Phoenix Army as an honor.

"For a year, my liveliness and sweetness were like the fleeting bloom of an epiphyllum. I returned to being the silent Xiao Yuting I once was. Because of my poison arts, I nearly became a public enemy of the Xiao Clan. But under Sister's protection, I received no punishment at all. Still, my heart hurt so much, so much. Sister had lost her strength. What I wanted most was to see Sister regain her former splendor, take me to see another beautiful sunset, end this painful time, and begin a new journey."

"So, Xiao Yan, I hope you can help me fulfill this wish. I can agree to any request you have." Xiao Yuting looked at Xiao Yan, her eyes filled with pleading.

Xiao Wanqing had protected Xiao Yuting through her actions. This was an elder sister's unchanging promise to her younger sister.

Xiao Yuting would stop at nothing to help Xiao Wanqing regain her former splendor. This was a younger sister's unchanging promise to her elder sister.

It would have been a lie for Xiao Yan to say he was not moved, but he truly could not help.

Under Xiao Yuting's earnest gaze, he still shook his head. "I'm sorry, Yuting. I want to help you too, but there's nothing I can do."