At this moment, Murong Xi’s breath hitched slightly.
This feeling…
This sensation of meeting someone who could ignite her fighting spirit and make her sword-heart tremble was something she had only felt once before in her life.
It was before the Sect Master of the Tianmo Sect, Lu Ning.
Six months ago, in the Funeral Immortal Mountain Range.
That battle, which could be described as world-shaking, was still branded into her mind.
At the time, Xuantian Holy Land had received intelligence that the Tianmo Sect Master, Lu Ning, had gone out alone to seek opportunities, and her whereabouts were exposed.
To thoroughly eliminate this great threat, the Xuantian Holy Lord allied with Wanjian Mountain Manor, Miaoyin Pavilion, and over a dozen other top righteous sects.
They set up an inescapable dragnet, laying a death trap within the Funeral Immortal Mountain Range.
That battle shook the heavens and the earth.
The weakest of the righteous experts present were at the Integration Stage.
There were even dozens of old monsters at the Great Ascension Stage.
Among them, the three strongest individuals—the Xuantian Holy Lord, the Master of Wanjian Mountain Manor, and the Mistress of Miaoyin Pavilion—had reached the terrifying realm of Great Ascension Perfection.
Yet, even so, they still paid a heavy price when facing that person.
Dozens of Great Ascension experts besieged a single individual, yet the end result was countless casualties.
Murong Xi could never forget that scene.
That person, with a single blade, had created a river of blood and left the ground carpeted with corpses.
The figure had been like a true demon god; with every gesture, the sky could be torn asunder and all things annihilated.
She had been standing not far away, witnessing that tragic battle with her own eyes.
She saw her master, the Xuantian Holy Lord, unite with the Master of Wanjian Mountain Manor and the Mistress of Miaoyin Pavilion.
The three supreme experts of Great Ascension Perfection launched a simultaneous sneak attack while Lu Ning was busy dealing with the siege from other experts.
Although they successfully dealt a heavy blow to that person, they were also injured by that person’s domineering and peerless demonic qi, nearly falling on the spot.
In that battle, the righteous path suffered heavy losses.
And that person, while severely wounded and exhausted, had walked out of the mountain of corpses and sea of blood step by step.
The figure had passed right by her.
At that time, Murong Xi held her sword.
If she had swung it, perhaps she could have become the hero who ended the demon’s life.
But she didn’t even have the courage to swing her sword.
It was simply because the pressure radiating from that person was too strong—so strong that she felt she would be instantly torn to pieces if she even moved.
She could only watch helplessly as the other party walked past her.
And from beginning to end, that person never gave her a single glance.
The figure only left behind a nonchalant sentence while passing by.
“Excuse me.”
Those two words became the nightmare that Murong Xi could never shake from her heart.
It was a humiliation of being completely ignored.
It was a sense of powerlessness, like an ant looking up at a god.
From that moment on, defeating Lu Ning became the only goal of her life.
She wanted to let that person know that she was not an ant that could be ignored at will. But now…
Murong Xi looked at the sallow, thin “ugly girl” before her eyes, who had her head lowered and looked timid and cowardly.
Her heart was filled with absurdity.
How could she feel an aura similar to that person from such a girl?
Was it an illusion?
Or was it that she had been so obsessed with defeating Lu Ning that she had been affected by an inner demon?
In the next moment, Murong Xi’s eyes became incredibly sharp.
She did not believe there was such a coincidence in this world.
“You, look up.”
Hearing this, Lu Ning’s body trembled slightly.
She knew she had been targeted.
She slowly raised her head.
On that face, which appeared somewhat sallow due to her disguise, she squeezed out a forced smile.
“Fairy… Fairy, are you… are you calling me?”
Lu Ning’s voice carried just the right amount of trembling and horror.
However, the moment Murong Xi saw those eyes, her body jolted violently.
Those eyes!
Although the girl’s appearance was unremarkable, those eyes were as clear as a cold pond.
Deep within them lay an indifference that felt incredibly familiar to her.
It was that person!
Although the appearance and temperament had undergone earth-shattering changes, Murong Xi would absolutely not mistake those eyes!
“It’s you!”
Murong Xi’s voice carried a hint of trembling and excitement.
The Wentian immortal sword in her hand let out a clear chime, as if it had also sensed the existence of its arch-enemy.
A sharp, peerless sword intent soared into the sky, instantly locking onto Lu Ning.
Locked by this sword intent, Lu Ning felt as though she were being stared down by a ferocious beast.
‘It’s over! I’ve been recognized!’
Lu Ning never expected that her seamless disguise would be seen through at a glance.
Beside her, Su Yuexi saw Murong Xi’s sudden reaction, and a hint of surprise flashed in her gentle eyes hidden beneath her veil.
But she reacted quickly.
She wordlessly took a step forward, shielding Lu Ning behind her.
Though the terrifying pressure belonging to Great Ascension Perfection was not fully released, it invisibly dissolved Murong Xi’s sharp sword intent.
“Saintess Murong, what is the meaning of this?”
“She is just an ignorant little girl by my side. I do not know how she has offended you, but I ask the Saintess to be merciful.”
As she spoke, she also secretly gave Lu Ning a look, signaling her not to speak.
Murong Xi looked at Su Yuexi blocking her path, and her frown deepened.
She knew that this woman calling herself “Su Yue” was not simple.
The method she just used to dissolve the sword intent was definitely not something a Golden Core Stage cultivator could achieve.
But she couldn’t care about that now.
“Move.”
Murong Xi’s voice was icy, and the Wentian sword in her hand was already beginning to unsheathe slightly.
“Saintess Murong, please think twice about everything.”
Su Yuexi’s tone also became firm.
“I will say it one more time. Move!”
Murong Xi’s patience seemed to have run out.
The Wentian sword in her hand let out a clear chime, and a terrifying sword qi capable of tearing the sky soared upward.
A great battle was on the verge of breaking out.
However, in this tense moment…
A slender hand gently reached out from behind Su Yuexi and pressed against her shoulder.
“Miss, let me handle it.”
Lu Ning slowly walked out from behind Su Yuexi.
She knew she couldn’t escape today.
Looking at the favored daughter of heaven who had lost her composure because of her, she sighed silently in her heart.
‘What a twisted fate!’
She met Murong Xi’s gaze, which was filled with complex emotions, and spoke slowly.
“Saintess Murong, long time no see.”
Hearing this, Su Yuexi was slightly confused.
She hadn’t expected Lu Ning to actively step forward and admit her identity.
A playful curve appeared at the corner of Su Yuexi’s mouth.
She wanted to see exactly what Lu Ning intended to do.
As for Murong Xi, upon hearing that familiar voice and the words “long time no see,” her entire body shook.
It really was that person!
She hadn’t been mistaken!
Although the appearance had become ugly and the temperament had become weak and easy to bully, the eyes could not lie.
“Lu Ning!”
The Wentian sword in Murong Xi’s hand let out an even higher-pitched chime.
“You great demon, you really didn’t die!”
“Correct, I didn’t die.”
A smile appeared on Lu Ning’s face.
“I have disappointed the Saintess.”
“Disappointed?”
Murong Xi gave a cold laugh, the sound filled with killing intent.
“No, I am not disappointed at all.”
“I have waited for this day for far too long.”
She walked toward Lu Ning step by step.
With every step she took, the sword intent on her body grew stronger.
The entire forest trembled violently under this terrifying sword intent.
Lu Ning looked at her state of being about to explode and felt a headache coming on.
She was now just a “minor cultivator” at the middle stage of the Nascent Soul Realm.
How was she supposed to fight a peerless sword cultivator at the middle stage of the Integration Realm?
‘Do I really have to use that unreliable blind box card? Or should I let Su Yuexi handle it? Even though she’ll probably ask for an exorbitant price afterward…’
Lu Ning calculated silently in her mind.
However, before she could make a decision…
Murong Xi’s figure appeared right in front of her.
The distance between the two was less than three feet.
Lu Ning could even clearly feel the sword intent radiating from her.
“Lu Ning.”
Murong Xi’s voice was hoarse, and her bright eyes were bloodshot.
“Six months ago, in the Funeral Immortal Mountain Range… why didn’t you kill me?”