Ji Xuanyuan’s single sentence instantly crushed the Fox Venerable’s Dao Heart into fine powder.
The Fox Venerable looked down at her blood-stained hands.
These hands had once held that infant in his swaddling clothes.
They had once reached out when that child fell, only to flinch back.
They had once watched as that child struggled through every kind of misery, yet she had kept them clenched tightly inside her sleeves.
Over the years, what had she actually given that child?
She had given him hunger, loneliness, and despair.
She had given him a path covered in thorns, and then stood in the shadows, watching him walk over them barefoot.
She had constantly convinced herself that this was love.
But was this truly love?
If it were, why did her heart ache so agonizingly now?
If this was love, why did she want to turn back time, return to that swaddled infant’s side, and hold him tightly in her arms instead of leaving him in someone else’s home?
The pain of her shattered Dao Heart tore at the Fox Venerable’s delicate body every second.
Her jade legs weakened, and she nearly collapsed to the ground.
But the Fox Venerable forced herself to endure, refusing to fall.
She stood there trembling, using every bit of her strength to keep herself upright, thinking, ‘No! I am not wrong!’
Even with her Dao Heart shattered, her arrogant pride prevented her from admitting her fault.
Lifting her hand, the Fox Venerable wiped the blood from her lips, her voice hoarse yet firm.
“The ones who are wrong aren’t me! It’s all of you beasts!!!”
Muttering to herself, she turned and stumbled toward the exit.
Every step was like treading on the edge of a blade, leaving a bloody footprint behind.
But she did not look back, only whispering under her breath, “Yuan’er. From now on, I will take back everything the world owes you, bit by bit.”
Ji Xuanyuan stood still, watching that distant, fading phantom in silence.
Once the Path of Emotion was broken, even a powerhouse of the Dao Harmonization Realm would inevitably suffer a massive blow to their vitality.
After that day, Ji Xuanyuan did not see the Fox Venerable again for 100 years.
The next time she saw her, the Demon Path Alliance had risen again —
This time, they were no longer rats scurrying in the dark or hidden outposts.
The Taixu Sacred Domain had officially declared itself a kingdom, changing its name to “Shang” and declaring war on the Immortal Dynasty.
The battlefield spanned Three Provinces and Fourteen Cities.
Blood flowed like rivers, and corpses littered the fields.
After a bitter struggle, Ji Xuanyuan led her army to the capital of the Shang Dynasty, which was once the main city of the Taixu Sacred Domain.
Deep within the palace, beside a high-hanging throne, a phantom with nine tails swayed.
Ji Xuanyuan questioned her sternly, “Surrender now, Alliance Leader of the Demon Path, Su Xuanxuan! No, perhaps I should call you… Su Daji!”
Hearing the voice, the phantom did not answer. She simply lay contentedly across the lap of the person sitting on the throne.
Ji Xuanyuan looked closely. The figure sitting upright on the throne wore a black dragon robe and a twelve-tasseled imperial crown.
And the face beneath that crown… was so familiar to her.
Ji Xuanyuan’s pupils constricted suddenly. “Su Daji, you… you actually dared… How dare you take my Junior Brother’s remains and…”
The Fox Venerable slowly opened her eyes, her gaze filled with a mixture of satisfaction and madness. “King Zhou, look who has come to visit?”
She reached out, gently stroking the back of the corpse’s hand.
That hand was cold and stiff, devoid of any warmth, yet she treated it like a priceless treasure.
Ji Xuanyuan’s hand trembled as she gripped her sword. “Are you insane? How dare you commit such a sacrilege against the dead?”
Su Daji turned her head, a charming smile gracing her face. “Insane? How could that be!”
She rubbed her beautiful face against the leg of the person on the throne. “This is Yuan’er. He is my King Zhou! While he was alive, I failed to love him properly. Now that he is dead, I must make up for it!”
Ji Xuanyuan felt a surge of nausea. “My Junior Brother has been dead for 100 years! Even if you stitch him back together, is he still himself?!”
Su Daji tilted her head to look at her, her gaze like one watching a naive child. “You don’t understand. What does it matter if he is dead? What does it matter if he is alive? As long as his body is here, his soul will return sooner or later.”
She turned around and looked up at the figure on the throne, her eyes burning with fanatical light.
“I will use 1,000 years of cultivation, the entire foundation of the Sacred Domain, and all of you who caused his death… as sacrificial offerings to bring King Zhou back!”
Looking at the “Junior Brother” who had been stitched together beyond recognition, a catastrophic rage erupted in Ji Xuanyuan’s heart.
Ji Xuanyuan gripped her longsword, a cold light flickering along the blade. “Su! Da! Ji! Today, I will cut you down here.”
Unfortunately, with her Dao Heart long since shattered, she no longer possessed her former sharpness. She could only have the group of Immortal Venerables and powerhouses behind her handle the task.
At the Empress’s command, the experts attacked the Fox Venerable.
Since ancient times, good has always triumphed over evil.
The Fox Venerable eventually lost.
The experts, nursing various injuries, were exhausted yet excited. “…With the death of the last Elder, the Demon Path Alliance will be completely eradicated from this world!”
Upon hearing this, the dying Fox Venerable laughed miserably, as if she had heard a ridiculous joke. “Completely eradicated? Hahaha! You bunch of idiots. No matter how many years pass, the Demon Path Alliance will always rise from the ashes. This is a calamity! I believe that in 100 years — “
“There will be another unlucky member of the Demon Race used as a target. I am like this, and that Black Dragon from 100 years ago was like this, and it will continue to be so in the future. It is endless, a cycle that never stops.”
Ji Xuanyuan was confused by her words. “Su Daji, what do you mean by that?”
The Fox Venerable shook her head with a bitter smile, finally using the last of her strength to collapse into the arms of her beloved on the throne.
At the brink of death, she summoned a glowing orb into her hand and whispered, “All conditions have been met. The rest is up to you! My treasure!”
Hearing her say this, the experts thought she had one last trump card and became wary.
However, after spitting her final mouthful of essence blood onto the orb, the Fox Venerable passed away.
Only later did Ji Xuanyuan learn that it was the Time-Peering Orb, which could see into the future, but it had already cracked.
She was inspired by this and eventually found the matching Time-Tracing Light, allowing her to be reborn.
***
In the present.
Inside the auction hall.
Ji Xuanyuan recalled the Fox Venerable’s final words once more —
‘No matter how many years pass, the Demon Path Alliance will always rise from the ashes…’
‘There will always be some unlucky demon who is used as a target…’
These words aligned perfectly with what Chu Yuan was saying now.
Ji Xuanyuan pondered quietly: ‘Who is the true leader of the Demon Path Alliance? No, what I should focus on now is…’
Listening to Ji Xuanyuan’s murmurs, Chu Yuan knew she was starting to believe him, so he pressed his advantage.
“Since Your Highness has discovered my identity, why don’t we cooperate?”
Cooperate?
Ji Xuanyuan felt a surge of joy.
To her, the question of “Who is the leader of the Demon Path Alliance?” was important, but also not.
Because the goal of her rebirth was never the Demon Path Alliance; it was the person standing beside her.
Now that her Junior Brother had proactively suggested cooperation, it was the perfect opportunity to reconcile, especially since she couldn’t easily reveal her true identity.
Stifling her smile, Ji Xuanyuan maintained a guarded expression.
“Elder Shenbao, this is all just your side of the story.”
“Whether the Second Princess will take over the administration is still unknown.”
“You don’t think I would blindly trust you after just a few words, do you?”
“If the Elder truly wants to cooperate, why not provide more concrete evidence?”
Seeing that the Crown Prince wanted to squeeze more information out of him, Chu Yuan’s brow furrowed deeper.
“Your Highness, the things I’ve mentioned require time to verify.”
“If you don’t believe me, then nothing else I say will matter.”
“Furthermore, you don’t truly believe that even if you’ve laid out an inescapable net, I wouldn’t be able to do anything to you, do you?”
“Putting everything else aside, there shouldn’t be any experts of the Domain Transformation Realm here in this auction hall, right?”