On the Demon-Human Battlefield, an incomparably beautiful woman lay in the arms of a sword cultivator, her body stained with blood.
With trembling, slender hands, she cupped the sword cultivator’s face.
Blood smeared his cheeks, like plum blossoms dotting snow.
“Ah Shuang, if I could do it all over again, I’d still want to save more people…”
With those words, the woman slowly closed her eyes, never to breathe again.
The sword cultivator shouted in a frenzy, “No! Don’t! Xiaoyi, open your eyes!”
But it was futile—the life of the person in his arms had already faded.
All around them, the massive army of the Demon Clan had arrived, their war cries shaking the heavens.
The sword cultivator still did not move, yet in a flash, a boundless Sword Intent burst forth, instantly engulfing the entire battlefield.
In that moment, the horde of demons was annihilated—none survived.
Yet the sword cultivator did not spare them even a glance.
She held the one in her arms, her eyes becoming empty and dull.
“No… Don’t… Xiaoyi… Please don’t die…”
A single clear tear fell from the eyes of this heartless sword cultivator.
Tianyi Sword Sect, the foremost sword sect in the land, the very sect where the world’s number one Jian Zun resides.
At this moment, atop Lingtian Cliff in the back mountain, within the cultivation cave where the Jian Zun secluded herself, Bai Luo Shuang sat in meditation, murmuring with tightly knitted brows.
“No, don’t! Xiaoyi! Please don’t die!”
Zing!
Zing!
Zing!
Sword Qi erupted violently around Bai Luo Shuang, leaving deep scars along the cave walls.
She awoke as if from a nightmare, springing up and gasping for air.
Her elegant sword-like brows were deeply furrowed.
Beads of sweat slid down her delicate face, dripping onto the floor.
“This place…”
Catching her breath, Bai Luo Shuang looked around and realized that she was, in fact, in her secluded cave at Tianyi Sword Sect.
“How did I return here? Wasn’t I just on the battlefield…”
“Xiaoyi!”
Realizing what was happening, Bai Luo Shuang hurriedly tried to use Sword Intent to track Shen Qingyi, only to find the mark she had left on Shen Qingyi had already been erased.
“How could this be? Could it be that Xiaoyi is truly dead…?”
Bai Luo Shuang could only assume that the Sword Intent had been erased because Shen Qingyi had died.
Her face turned deathly pale as she sank to her knees.
In the end, this heartless Jian Zun broke down like a little girl, burying her head and crying.
“I’m sorry, Xiaoyi… I failed to protect you, it was my negligence…”
She cried for a long time.
Just then, a transmission arrived in her cave.
“Jian Zun, you have been in seclusion for a long while. When will you emerge? Recently, Tianyi Sword Sect is holding the Recruitment Conference. Would you be able to make an appearance? Of course, it is entirely up to your wishes; there is no compulsion.”
Bai Luo Shuang recognized the voice—it was the current sect master of Tianyi Sword Sect.
But that wasn’t important.
What mattered was the information in the message.
“Recruitment Conference… Hasn’t that been over for a long time…?”
In Bai Luo Shuang’s memory, the last time the sect master had sent her a message about the Recruitment Conference was many years ago.
Recalling that just now she had been on the Demon-Human Battlefield, and now was suddenly back at Tianyi Sword Sect, Bai Luo Shuang’s mind produced a bold guess.
She quickly replied, “Jun Ziyi! What year is it now?!”
In the grand hall, Jun Ziyi was surprised that Bai Luo Shuang actually replied, and with such a strange question.
Could it be that the Jian Zun had been in seclusion so long she’d forgotten the passage of time?
But she didn’t dare ask that, only answering honestly, “Replying to Jian Zun, it is now the third year of the New Emperor’s reign.”
With these words, she immediately sensed a transcendent Sword Intent erupting from Lingtian Cliff.
All of Tianyi Sword Sect was shaken by the surge of this Sword Intent.
Disciples who recovered from their shock shouted, “The Jian Zun has emerged! The Jian Zun has emerged!”
As soon as the words were spoken, the entire sect broke into cheers.
The world’s number one Jian Zun had finally come out of seclusion.
All the disciples guessed she had emerged because of the Recruitment Conference, and a sense of pride rose in their hearts.
Yes!
As expected of them—to be noticed by the Jian Zun!
But Bai Luo Shuang was not happy about the Recruitment Conference, nor did she care about them.
Her body was trembling now, her cool and aloof face unable to conceal her shock.
“I… have returned to the very beginning…?”
That’s right.
With Jun Ziyi’s confirmation, she finally realized—she had returned to the year she first met Shen Qingyi.
A surge of tremendous joy filled her heart.
So that’s it!
So that’s it!
She had yet to meet Shen Qingyi, so the Sword Intent left on her soul did not exist—no wonder she couldn’t sense it.
After the intense joy, she gradually calmed down.
Now, she understood her situation.
She knew that Shen Qingyi was still alive.
Recalling the scene of Xiaoyi dying before her eyes, Bai Luo Shuang resolved to eliminate everything that threatened Xiaoyi’s life.
Since Xiaoyi died in the Demon-Human war, she would have to prevent that war from happening, or at least grow stronger before it broke out, or else…
She would overturn heaven and earth first!
A dense killing intent radiated from her as her gaze locked on the direction of the Demon Territory.
“Anything that threatens Xiaoyi’s life, I will cut down with my sword!
***
Meanwhile, in Hao Ren Town, inside Shen Immortal Doctor’s small cottage, Su Qiulian was helping the just-awakened Shen Qingyi drink the porridge she had freshly prepared.
Earlier, she had already used her demon power to erase the Sword Intent that Bai Luo Shuang had left on Shen Qingyi—after all, little Shen was hers.
How could she let someone else’s mark remain?
But because of this, before she could enjoy the moment, Shen Qingyi woke up.
Blowing gently on the porridge, Su Qiulian brought the spoon to Shen Qingyi’s lips.
“Ah~ Hurry and eat, little Shen.”
Shen Qingyi took a sniff; it smelled pretty good, so she temporarily abandoned her plan to beat this villain with her little bamboo stick.
She took a taste—it was actually quite delicious.
“It’s pretty tasty. By the way, you didn’t do anything to me while I was asleep, did you?”
Shen Qingyi smacked her lips and asked.
Her clothes were still a bit messy.
When she said that, the scene was rather comical.
Su Qiulian tried to suppress her laughter.
“O-of course not! How could I be that kind of person? And besides, little Shen, why did you fall asleep while I was checking your bones? Was it that comfortable?”
Comfortable?
Shen Qingyi pouted.
How could it possibly be comfortable to have someone touching her all over?
“It wasn’t comfortable at all!”
“Really? Then how did you fall asleep?”
Su Qiulian teased.
“I…”
Shen Qingyi was stumped by her question.
The real reason wasn’t comfort—it was because she’d been so scared Su Qiulian was about to do something bad that she fainted.
But looking at Su Qiulian now, it really seemed she had just properly examined her bones and nothing else.
All the more reason she couldn’t admit it.
Her little brain spun, and Shen Qingyi came up with a perfect answer:
“I just happened to be sleepy! Yes! I always take a little nap around this time every day. It’s just my biological clock, totally normal!”
That’s right!
Totally normal!
She was truly clever, coming up with such a flawless response!
Su Qiulian, meanwhile, just smiled silently at her side.
Little Shen really was adorable!
She scooped up another spoonful and blew on it.
“Ah~ Open up.”
“Oh, ah~”
Delicious😋