Yuanhai Kingdom, Capital City Lijing.
It was midnight, yet the Qingyuan Pavilion remained ablaze with lights, bright as day. For many, the night was when their spirits were most alive.
While the front courtyard bustled with noise and debauchery, a secluded, standalone two-story building sat quietly in the back. Several stalks of green bamboo grew in the courtyard, their shadows dancing on the ground like mottled ink under the moonlight.
A beautiful woman stood amidst the bamboo. She wore a pale blue gauze dress, with a sheer white shawl draped lightly over her shoulders. As the night breeze brushed past, her robes fluttered, giving her an ethereal appearance, as if she were a fairy ready to ascend on the wind.
Under the moonlight, her long, jet-black hair cascaded down her back without any adornment, a stark contrast against her snow-white skin. Beneath shapely dark brows, her deep eyes gazed obsessively at the bright moon hanging in the sky.
Her enchanting phoenix eyes, thick lashes, delicate nose, and rosy lips combined to create a face of breathtaking, soft beauty. She wore no makeup, yet she outshone any painted beauty in the city.
However, her beauty was guarded by a wall of ice. She exuded a cold, unapproachable aura, like a goddess rejecting the mortal world from a thousand miles away.
As she gazed at the moon, lost in thought, one had to wonder: was this peerless beauty, like the loneliness of Chang'e in the Moon Palace, missing someone?
"Yuge, it's late. Why aren't you asleep? What are you thinking about?" A gentle male voice broke the silence from behind.
Yuge turned, offering a smile to the handsome, martial-looking man. "Brother, shouldn't you be keeping Sister Yurou company? What are you doing here?"
Her smile was like a hundred flowers blooming at once, dazzling enough to make one dizzy. Yet, deep within her eyes, the waters remained calm and undisturbed.
Zhang Tianzhi sighed inwardly. Since practicing that cultivation technique, Yuge's temperament had grown colder by the day. Ironically, it also made her more beautiful. Even he, her own brother, found it hard to remain unaffected by her presence, let alone others.
"Yurou is already asleep. It's you I'm worried about. Still awake at this hour... what is on your mind?" Zhang Tianzhi asked, stepping closer.
"We control most of the underground forces in the Yuanhai Kingdom now," Yuge said, her voice cool and analytical. "But Lijing is firmly in the grip of Crown Prince Dai Yun. Prince Qi, whom we support, is too weak. I fear he will struggle to achieve anything great."
You just dislike Dai Yun pestering you and staring at you like a piece of meat, Zhang Tianzhi thought with a bitter internal smile. But among the dwarfs, Prince Qi is the tallest one we have.
Over the past two years, the siblings had quietly developed their own faction. Using the resources and techniques left by the mysterious benefactor, they had established the Reincarnation Sect.
Operating under the guise of a religious order, they recruited mortals, screened them for spiritual roots, and taught them cultivation. Using the secret control arts provided by the mysterious man, they ensured absolute loyalty from their disciples. The sect had grown to a considerable size.
Even the famous Qingyuan Pavilion had fallen into their hands, serving as their intelligence hub and secret base.
Their strategy was to start from the Yuanhai Kingdom. The Heavenly Dragon Kingdom was currently an iron fortress controlled by the Demon Queen. If they tried to return there now, they would be hunted down before they could even plant a flag.
Currently, they were backing Prince Qi—a half-brother of Crown Prince Dai Yun who held significant popularity and military power—hoping to create a rival faction capable of seizing the throne.
However, Crown Prince Dai Yun effectively controlled the nation. Supported by the Chanmian Pavilion standing behind the demonic Consort Lin, he had even placed the senile old Emperor under house arrest.
Dai Yun ruled as King in all but name, holding both military and administrative power. But what gave Zhang Tianzhi the biggest headache was the cultivation sect backing Consort Lin.
The Chanmian Pavilion.
Although the Reincarnation Sect had trained many cultivators, they were all at the Qi Refining stage. If the enemy sent a single Golden Core expert, their entire organization would be wiped out overnight.
"Whether he is capable or not, Prince Qi is our only choice," Zhang Tianzhi advised softly. "He is the only one with the courage to challenge Dai Yun. I know it is difficult, Yuge, but you will have to continue dealing with him."
"We can only hope that the mysterious person will return to help us," Yuge sighed, looking back at the moon. "But there has been no news for two years. We still don't have the follow-up cultivation techniques."
Zhang Tianzhi paused, then shook his head. "To be honest, I hope he doesn't appear. Your condition... is much better without him."
The siblings chatted for a while longer before Zhang Tianzhi went back to rest, urging Yuge to sleep early.
After he left, Yuge remained in the courtyard. Her gaze drifted back to the moon, her thoughts inevitably wandering to the man who had saved her from hell.
How is he doing now?
Is he looking at this same moon? Or is he traveling the world with that celestial Senior Sister of his?
Thinking of this, she let out a long, envious sigh.
"I wonder why Princess Yuge is sighing?"
A hoarse, deep voice suddenly spoke from the shadows behind her.
Yuge’s body trembled. She spun around in shock.
Standing not far away was a man dressed in black robes. He wore an ice mask that covered the upper half of his face, revealing only a pair of piercing blue eyes and a mouth curved in a faint smile.
Yuge hadn't expected him to appear the moment she thought of him. It was him—the mysterious man who had given her the Ice Heart Art.
"I see the Princess's complexion is quite good," the man noted, his blue eyes sweeping over her. "It seems you have considerable talent for the Ice Heart Art. An unexpected delight. Soon, the Innate Cold Ice Meridian will no longer threaten your life."
Yuge's cultivation had reached the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining. Such speed in just two years was astonishing, a testament to her high talent and the perfect synergy between the technique and her unique physique.
Xiao Yifeng stared at her. Due to the Ice Heart Art, her aura was becoming increasingly similar to Liu Hanyan’s. For a moment, he felt a sense of trance-like déjà vu.
"Your Excellency jests," Yuge replied, a faint trace of mockery on her face. "How could my meager strength catch your eye? What should I call you now? Master? Or something else?"
"Princess Yuge doesn't seem surprised to see me," Xiao Yifeng said, ignoring the barb. "As for a name, it is just a title. You may call me Wuying (Shadowless). But tell me, why was the Princess sighing?"
He asked knowingly.
In truth, he had arrived a while ago. The person standing here was not a sword spirit clone, but his true body. Both he and Su Miaoqing were currently in the city.
After leaving the Immortal Abode, they had flown straight to the Tianyue Kingdom to find the siblings, only to find the courtyard empty. Naturally, Xiao Yifeng used the tracking devices he had left on them to locate their new base in Yuanhai.
He had dragged Su Miaoqing here under the pretext of returning to Yuanhai to fulfill a promise for "Yue'er"—specifically, to pick a Sea Spirit Flower.
Although Su Miaoqing had been extremely unwilling, she had eventually relented and followed him.