Li Xun finally broke. He started sobbing, quietly at first, then harder. But this time, the tears were real.
Maybe it was because of the overwhelming stench, but the Demon Phoenix gave a flick of her sleeve, sending him flying to the side like garbage. Her attention returned fully to Lin Ge.
Li Xun cried for a while, then finally found the courage to sneak a glance at them. From where he was lying, he had a perfect view.
He saw the demon phoenix's face soft with affection.
And Lin Ge… looked calm. Completely at peace.
Then, all of a sudden, Lin Ge broke into a smile. And that smile—there was emotion in it. Something deep and unspoken.
But his next words didn't match the tenderness in that smile at all.
"Fenghuang'er, let me guess—what kind of death have you prepared for me?"
The Demon Phoenix's eyes sparkled with shifting light, her expression growing softer. She smiled and replied lightly, "Guess."
If you only looked and didn't listen, you might've thought they were flirting. The scene was so twisted and surreal, Li Xun couldn't help but question if either of them was still in their right mind.
The Demon Phoenix, fine—she was a millennia-old demon, not bound by human logic. But Lin Ge? What was his excuse?
Lin Ge spoke calmly, "It's not that hard to guess. The torture techniques you're so fond of—Hundred Tribulations Flame, Purgatory Flame, Great Bright Flame, and of course, the Passion Fire...
"I figure you wouldn't let me die so easily. And though you've got dozens, maybe hundreds of ways to make me suffer, in the end, all of them are just for you to vent the grudge you've carried all these years. You don't just hate me, you hate my sect—so naturally, you want to humiliate me and drag my sect into it too. That's why you've kept my disciple alive."
He paused, smiling faintly. "By that logic, the Passion Fire—which messes with the heart and gnaws away at six desire—is the perfect tool for the job…" He shook his head with a wry smile, and said no more
Watching the Demon Phoenix's changing expression, it was clear—Lin Ge had nailed it.
Surprise flickered across her beautiful face. "If my dear Lin figured all this out just by guessing," she said, "then this woman would remain unconvinced!"
Lin Ge let out a silent chuckle. "You're not wrong. There is indeed a clue… My junior niece, Qi Bi—she's trapped in the cliff wall, can't escape. I'm guessing that's your handiwork as well?"
Li Xun's heart lurched—but before he could react, the Demon Phoenix chuckled softly. With some unknown technique, a figure slowly rose from the ravine below. It was Qi Bi.
She looked worse for wear—her robes disheveled and scorched in several places by the earlier tribulation flame, revealing patches of pale skin.
Though her body was completely restrained, her mind was clear. Tear streaks were still fresh on her face. Of course, Li Xun knew those tears weren't shed for him. After the way he'd humiliated himself earlier, she had probably heard every second of it…
That thought made his face burn again, and he buried it back into the ground. A wave of hot shame washed over him.
Lin Ge's tone remained steady, not even a ripple: "Using the Passion Fire here is just downright heinous. Fenghuang'er, you really did pick up some nasty habits in Yama's Heaven."
The Demon Phoenix responded coolly, "One becomes what they're surrounded by. After seeing enough of it, I learned a few things."
As they spoke, Qi Bi had already drifted into the Demon Phoenix's hands. Her body hung limp, like a rag doll—no visible restraints, yet completely helpless.
The Demon Phoenix's slender fingers glided across Qi Bi's cheek—both bearing the same snow-white. The touch was indescribably enchanting and captivating.
Qi Bi couldn't guess what she intended, but she knew danger when she felt it. That eerie kind of contact only made her fear deepen.
Even Lin Ge's expression twitched. "Even ancient demon lords rarely stoop to this…"
A faint, unfathomable smile crept across the Demon Phoenix's face. But then it turned cold, sharp as frost. "Well, I did learn it—and I've found it very effective. No need to doubt me, my dear Lin."
Her hand slid down Qi Bi's face, traced along her neck, then came to rest on her breast—right on a sensitive spot.
Qi Bi was terrified, but her face flushed red anyway. She wanted to resist, to pull away, but couldn't even lift a finger. All she could do was let the Demon Phoenix gently twirl her breast—and let out a moan she couldn't hold back.
At some point, the seal on her voice had been undone.
"Truly a sight to stir pity even in me!" the Demon Phoenix sighed softly.
Hearing that sigh, Li Xun felt a chill run straight into his bones. There was something deeply wrong in the way the Demon Phoenix behaved—and now, her true intent was more than obvious.
Passion Fire.
Li Xun snuck a glance at Lin Ge, then at Qi Bi. He already had a rough idea of what the demon phoenix was planning.
As expected—utterly ruthless.
Lin Ge was a senior immortal, Qi Bi his junior disciple. In the Mingxin Sword Sect, where reverence for one's teacher was sacred, if anything happened between the two of them, no matter how it started, the consequences would be catastrophic.
Torturing Lin Ge was one thing—but the real killer would be the sect's reputation. Once tainted, that kind of stain wasn't something that could be scrubbed away in a few years, or even decades.
And when that time came, how could the Mingxin Sword Sect still dare to call itself the "Number One Sect in the East"?
The demon phoenix's plan—despicable as it was—hit right where it hurt.
That realization made something stir in Li Xun's heart. If that's her plan, then Qi Bi probably won't be killed… Leaving her alive would be like what happened a thousand years ago with Qingyin—all over again. That incident almost crushed the sect. Back then, they had Zhong Yin suddenly rise to prominence and help salvage the situation. But now—who do they have?
And for Li Xun personally, things just got worse. His role had become deeply awkward. He was alive only because he served as proof—a living witness to confirm the scandal beyond all doubt. As long as he lived, the Mingxin Sword Sect would never be able to clear its name.
But when that day came… what would he be?
It wasn't hard to imagine how miserable his future would be.
Maybe dying earlier would have been the right choice. Though he'd survived, his body was limp as mud, and whatever courage he'd had had already spilled out along with that foul, stinking mess on his pants…
He could only keep telling himself, As long as I'm alive… there's always a way!
Maybe it was because Lin Ge had already seen through everything—he seemed much calmer in comparison. He glanced at Qi Bi, unfazed. "This trick of yours… definitely venomous. But if I cannot hope to live, am I not even allowed to seek death?'
The Demon Phoenix's eyes shimmered with firelight. She gave him a cold smile.
"How could I let you die so easily?" As she spoke, a green flame ignited at her fingertip.
Suddenly, Lin Ge's body convulsed violently. From just below his shoulder blades, two streams of that same green flame burst out of his back, twisting into chains of fire—solid and real.
"A Soul Chain embedded in your body… You think death will grant you escape? It's no longer so simple!"
Lin Ge's face turned pale. Though he had already collapsed to the ground, his body still struggled to stay upright. He wavered twice, nearly toppling over completely.
That was when the Demon Phoenix leaned down and gently laid Qi Bi beside him.
So close—so close that they could feel each other's breath. Yet between them lay Qi Bi.
Their eyes met for a brief second. Lin Ge's face was calm while the Demon Phoenix wore a light smile full of boundless grace.
Then, without warning, she reached out and touched Lin Ge's forehead.
Li Xun heard a faint crack—and saw the clarity vanish from Lin Ge's eyes, replaced instantly by a murky, clouded haze.
The Demon Phoenix's palm slid gently across his face, her eyes full of something tender and complex. She sighed faintly. "What a perfect day for it… my dear Lin, enjoy these final moments."
But just as she finished speaking, she saw it.
A sharp, cold glint—deep in Lin Ge's eyes. It was subtle, but deadly.
Without hesitation, her powerful fire-true breath surged, and she hurled backward like a fire meteor in reverse.
But she was still too late.
A shard of icy-true breath shot from Lin Ge's body like a needle and pierced straight into her lower abdomen. It didn't go deep—just a few inches—but the malevolent, \fierce true \energy wreaked havoc on her fire-based constitution.
This technique had clearly been crafted specifically to counter her. It mapped precisely to the flow of her meridians and the false and true nodes of her acupoints. If not for the subtle adjustments she'd made to her cultivation method over the past century, that one strike would have left her with wounds too severe to ever fully recover from.
Even so, a small mouthful of blood still escaped her lips. Scarlet droplets splattered onto the stone, bursting into a trail of blooming blood-flowers.
Lin Ge wavered, then slowly stood upright. His face remained pale, but his eyes—now clear again—blazed with an intensity too fierce to look at directly.
The two now stood ten or so paces apart, locked in cold, wordless confrontation.
After a long moment, Lin Ge finally smiled faintly. "Fenghuang'er, even if I don't have many days left… I still refuse to die like that."
Li Xun couldn't say why, but something in Lin Ge's voice now carried an eerie undertone, like some strange interference.
The Demon Phoenix wiped the blood from her lips, her face still showing clear astonishment. "How did you do it?"
As she spoke, the soul-binding chains of green flame surrounding Lin Ge's body crumbled into countless sparks and faded into the wind.
Lin Ge tapped the side of his head and gave a wry smile. "With this. I spent a hundred years thinking about what I would do… if I ever met you again. Day and night, I planned for every possible contingency. If even that wasn't enough to overcome you… then those hundred years would've truly been wasted."
The Demon Phoenix furrowed her brow slightly. "So your first counterattack was just a ruse to catch me off guard?" she said. "You started laying your trap from that moment?"
Lin Ge only smiled in silence.
Then, in the blink of an eye, he blurred forward, crossing the ten-odd steps between them in a single flash. His fist shot out.
Li Xun barely had time to blink. A blast of wind—born from the raw force of the clash—exploded outward, flattening everything in its path. It sent him tumbling like a dry leaf caught in a gale, bouncing along the ground until he nearly rolled off the mountain path and into the ravine.
The wind vanished as quickly as it had arrived.
When he opened his eyes again, the mountain path was completely deserted. No trace of the two remained. Overhead, thunderclouds roiled and rumbled, and the residual arcs of lightning carved deep scars into the stone.
They fought… right here, Li Xun realized. But before he could gather his thoughts, he caught sight of Qi Bi—still bound, lying motionless. The shockwave had blown her over ten zhang away, and she now teetered at the edge of the cliff.
Save her or not?
The hesitation lasted less than a heartbeat. Li Xun forced himself to his feet and sprinted toward her, drawing his Azure Jade mid-run.
The dozen-zhang gap vanished in an instant. Without breaking stride, he scooped Qi Bi into his arms, held her tight, and leapt off the cliff's edge.
A flash of jade-green light burst beneath his feet as the sword caught his weight. He channeled his true breath and plunged down the ravine, intending to use the terrain to escape.
"Where do you think you're going?"
A voice rang out from above—calm, emotionless, and unmistakable:
Li Xun froze.
Then whipped his head around—and when he saw who had spoken, his heart surged with joy.
"Master!"
This cry came from deep within. It wasn't forced. It wasn't feigned.
Lin Ge looked disheveled, clearly injured, but the Demon Phoenix was nowhere in sight. Could it be… she had been driven off?
Relief flooded Li Xun's chest—but just as quickly, a twinge of shame followed. His current actions, in his master's eyes, likely appeared selfish and cowardly.
Embarrassed, he hurriedly deactivated the sword and leapt back up onto the mountain path.
Just as he opened his mouth to explain, Lin Ge had already taken Qi Bi from his arms. With a casual flick of his finger, he dispelled the seal on her body.
As soon as the seal on Qi Bi was lifted, she broke free and landed on the ground. Her eyes instantly reddened. "Grandmaster Uncle…"
She barely got the words out before choking with sobs. And that was already a show of strength—if it had been someone else, after witnessing over a dozen fellow disciples reduced to ash, they would likely have already collapsed in despair. Compared to her, Li Xun lacked a measure of backbone.
Guilt gnawed at him. He dared not meet her gaze. Inwardly, he was already wondering how he might salvage his reputation once they returned to the sect.
But then, Lin Ge's voice came to his ears: "You two—split up and flee."
That one sentence stunned them both.
They looked up in unison and saw fine threads of blood slowly seeping from Lin Ge's mouth and nose. His appearance was utterly wretched.
Even so, he still managed a faint smile. "I managed to trick her into retreating… but it won't fool her for long. She'll be back soon. If you split up, maybe… one of you will survive."
"Master!" Qi Bi cried, grief piercing her voice. She was about to argue—but Lin Ge suddenly grabbed her shoulder and hurled her toward the ravine.
The motion carried more weight than a thousand words. Qi Bi could not possibly misunderstand what he meant.
A mere half-breath passed. A streak of rainbow-colored light shot up from the chasm. It paused briefly at the mountain's edge, then flared dazzlingly and vanished into the clouds.
"She's trying to draw her attention away from you…" Lin Ge turned and looked coldly at his disciple.
Li Xun instinctively shrank back, ashamed.
But then—unexpectedly—Lin Ge chuckled.
"Indeed… you're just like me. Enough—there's no need to think too much. Just survive. That's what matters most. Go."
Though still trembling inwardly, Li Xun knew this was no time for hesitation. He gritted his teeth, kowtowed once more, then turned and ran.
His mind buzzed with a storm of emotion—fear, shame, relief, gratitude—all tangled together, impossible to sort out.
Unlike Qi Bi's nobility and valor, Li Xun's escape was more cautious, even cowardly. He pressed his sword-light low, skimming just above the treetops. This demanded immense control and nerve, but the looming threat of death behind him sharpened his focus to an uncanny degree.
In fact, his current speed nearly matched what he could achieve in high-altitude flight. In the time it would take half a stick of incense to burn, he had already flown several hundred li along the mountain range. Even if the demon phoenix came in pursuit, it would take her some time to catch up.
But soon, Li Xun began to feel breathless.
It was likely due to tension—his true breath was draining far faster than usual. After just this short distance, his stamina was nearing its limit.
This wouldn't do. He had no choice but to slow down and concentrate on steadying his breathing and calming his thoughts.
As he entered a meditative rhythm, the wondrous effect of the Jade Bixie began to reveal itself. Cool, gentle qi spread swiftly through his meridians. His wildly beating heart soon settled. The cold current surged with his blood, clearing his head and quieting his thoughts.
With his state restored, his swordflight became smoother and more agile. But his mind refused to idle. The events from just moments ago kept replaying in his head like a lantern shadow show—especially everything connected to "Jade Wanderer." The more he thought, the deeper the mystery became.
Back when he had used the Zuowang Stone to peer into his past three lives, it had revealed he possessed the "Mark of Solitary Calamity". At that time, Qingyin and Qingxu had believed he was the reincarnation of a cultivator who failed to survive the tribulation, his soul scattered in all three lifetimes, yet preserving a sliver of spiritual consciousness.
If that fallen cultivator was Jade Wanderer, then everything made sense.
But… judging from Qingyin, Lin Ge, and especially the Demon Phoenix's reactions, Jade Wanderer was clearly still alive.
What, then, was going on?
Li Xun had a hunch—if he could solve this mystery, the path ahead would become far clearer.
Though his thoughts raced, his sword-light never slowed. He covered another hundred li or so, and was already nearing the edge of the Tiandu mountain range. At this distance, he finally began to feel a little safer.
I should be in the clear now, he thought, relaxing just a bit.
He began recalling the geography of the boundary between the Mortal Realm and the Tongxuan Realm. Right now, what mattered most was returning to the mountain sect to report this catastrophe. Only there, at the heart of the sect, could he find true safety.
Just as this thought crossed his mind, a light chuckle sounded from above.
"Where do you think you're going?"