On a cliff edge of Guiyun Peak.
A figure in white was practicing swordplay.
Behind him were misty, cloud-wreathed peaks, and beside him stood a sturdy peach tree, its delicate pink-white blossoms in full, vibrant bloom, covering the entire tree. From a distance, it looked like a pink cloud floating above the cliff.
The man beneath the tree moved with a graceful, flowing elegance that blended seamlessly with the surrounding scenery, as if he were a celestial being descended to earth.
But in the grass not far away, a burning gaze was fixed intently on that figure.
Those eyes revealed madness and obsession, but above all, possessiveness.
Chi Yao’s petite form was completely hidden in the undergrowth. She greedily watched Shen Yu’s every move, while holding an iron chain in her hands, inscribing one formation after another onto it.
Chi Yao had only joined the Tianyan Sect a few months ago, but she had coveted the figure on that cliff for three years.
Chi Yao was an orphan abandoned by her parents at birth. A beggar had taken her in, allowing her to survive.
But that good fortune didn’t last long. The beggar passed away when she was seven, and the little girl had to fend for herself among the beggars, enduring days of hunger punctuated by rare meals.
Even at fourteen, one of the beggars had taken an unsavory interest in her, trying to sell her to a brothel.
Fortunately, she was clever. She escaped quietly along the way and even picked up a tattered cultivation manual.
Through her own trial and error, she finally grasped some fundamentals of cultivation. From then on, relying on the meager cultivation she had figured out on her own, she took on simple jobs in the cultivation world to support herself.
Until three years ago, when she was escorting goods for a household and encountered bandits.
These bandits also had cultivation, and it surpassed hers. Both she and the goods she was escorting were captured and taken back to their hideout.
It was in that bandit den that Chi Yao met Shen Yu.
Shen Yu, like her, had been captured by the bandits.
But no matter where Shen Yu was, he was always the most dazzling presence. Even trapped in a cage, his breathtakingly beautiful face and the transcendent, otherworldly aura about him made it impossible to look away.
The moment Chi Yao laid eyes on him, possessive thoughts took root in her heart.
She had never possessed anything so beautiful and radiant. Hiding among the other captives, she freely indulged in peeping at Shen Yu.
She wanted to take him back, lock him up with iron chains, and make him hers alone.
That thought reached its peak the instant Shen Yu met her gaze.
Among all the captives, he had spotted her with a single glance.
So he was destined to be hers.
Chi Yao used some petty tricks to distract the bandits, successfully opened the cage, and led Shen Yu down the mountain.
She told him she would take him somewhere safe, but in truth, she had already secretly prepared the iron chains, waiting for the moment Shen Yu let down his guard to imprison him.
However, just as she was about to make her move, the bandits caught up, and Shen Yu finally stopped hiding his identity.
It turned out he was the disciple of Immortal Venerable Yun Yi—the renowned Immortal Lord Luochen, and the legendary Reincarnation of the Heavenly Dao.
It was said that when Immortal Venerable Yun Yi brought Shen Yu back to the Tianyan Sect three hundred years ago, spiritual rain had fallen continuously for three days across a radius of a hundred li. Many people’s cultivation surged as a result, and countless others stuck at bottlenecks finally broke through successfully.
After that, Shen Yu lived up to all expectations. With his extraordinary talent and unmatched cultivation speed, he had already broken through to the Tribulation Transcendence Realm at the age of twenty-five.
His current strength was even more unfathomable. No one in the cultivation world was his match—even Yun Yi, the Immortal Venerable, had been defeated by him a hundred years ago.
Later, Yun Yi went into seclusion, and Shen Yu became the living signboard of Tianyan Sect, making countless people desperate to join.
Thus, over these centuries, Tianyan Sect recruited talents widely and successfully secured its position as the number one sect in the cultivation world.
And all of this clearly told Chi Yao that she and Shen Yu were as far apart as heaven and earth.
He was an existence she could never reach in this lifetime.
So at that time, she could only abandon the thought of imprisoning Shen Yu.
In the end, Shen Yu killed the mountain bandits. Before leaving, he left Chi Yao a cultivation method, instructing her to cultivate diligently so that one day she could participate in Tianyan Sect’s disciple assessment.
But Chi Yao had always been one to repay kindness with enmity. The more goodwill he showed her, the more she wanted to possess him.
For this goal, she devoted herself to cultivation for three years, and finally, a few months ago, she waited until Tianyan Sect began recruiting disciples.
The cultivation method Shen Yu left behind was very suitable for Tianyan Sect, and Chi Yao smoothly became a disciple of Tianyan Sect.
But what Chi Yao hadn’t expected was that on the day of the apprenticeship ceremony, Yun Yi, who had been in seclusion for years, actually came out and took a liking to her, accepting her as a disciple.
She became Shen Yu’s junior sister—his only junior sister.
Even so, she still didn’t dare approach Shen Yu easily.
He was heaven’s favored prodigy, while she was the most unremarkable of all the disciples. She could only, like three years ago, hide among the crowd and secretly observe him.
However, a month ago, she discovered that Shen Yu came to the cliff to practice his sword every day, and she also found an excellent hiding spot beside the cliff.
Here she could finally observe Shen Yu without any scruples.
Even though that face was already deeply engraved in her heart, she still couldn’t get enough of it.
She came here every day, greedily watching Shen Yu’s every move, as if just looking a few more times would close the distance between them.
This month of observation had not made Chi Yao tired of it—instead, it made her increasingly unsatisfied.
She was not satisfied with only watching Shen Yu practice his sword; she wanted to spy on more, to know his every move.
She wanted even more to imprison Shen Yu, so that he could never leave her sight.
Chi Yao slowly brushed her fingers over the iron chain in her hand, and her gaze toward Shen Yu grew infatuated.
“Senior brother… I really want to lock you up…”
The soft murmur had not yet drifted out of the grass when it was scattered by a gentle breeze.
At the same time, Shen Yu’s movements also slowed. With a beautiful turn, he landed his final strike.
As he withdrew his stance, he happened to be facing the direction where Chi Yao was. A head of black hair, along with the hem of his clothes, was gently lifted by the breeze.
Again and again, it was like a tickle on Chi Yao’s heart, making her heartbeat gradually quicken. Her gaze was tightly locked on that figure, unwilling to leave for even a moment.
Chi Yao knew Shen Yu should be leaving now.
She skillfully concealed her aura, waiting for Shen Yu to pass through this patch of grass.
But today was somewhat different from usual.
Shen Yu had just put away his sword when a phoenix cry came from the sky.
A fire phoenix flew in from the horizon, bringing up a large swath of flames that dyed the clouds at the edge of the sky red.
When the fire phoenix drew near, a woman with a graceful figure could be seen standing on it.
Her goal was clear—once she got off the fire phoenix, she walked straight toward Shen Yu.
“Immortal Lord, what made you suddenly think of me?”
The woman’s voice was as melodious as an oriole’s, so enchanting that even Chi Yao, herself a woman, felt her body involuntarily soften.
But at this moment, Chi Yao’s attention was fixed on the woman’s words.
Although Shen Yu was the hallmark of Tianyan Sect, he did not participate in sect affairs. He only acted when encountering troubles that could not be resolved otherwise.
Moreover, Shen Yu preferred quietude and rarely invited people to Guiyun Peak as guests.
Yet this woman had been actively invited by Shen Yu himself.
At this thought, Chi Yao’s breathing suddenly became slightly disordered.
Meanwhile, Shen Yu also glanced in Chi Yao’s direction, but before she could notice, he had already shifted his gaze away.
When Shen Yu spoke, his voice was completely concealed—Chi Yao could only see his lips moving but could not hear a single word.
“Today I invited Sect Master Jiang here because I have a request.”
Shen Yu’s words brought a flicker of surprise to Jiang Wanyin’s eyes, followed by her red lips curling up as intense interest spread across her face.
“Well, well, the sun really does rise from the west. Even Immortal Lord Luochen has come to seek something from our Hehuan Sect. Might I ask what the Immortal Lord desires?”
“I need some Tianji Grass.”
“How much does the Immortal Lord need?” The interest in Jiang Wanyin’s eyes deepened.
“All of it.”
Jiang Wanyin’s expression froze at his answer.
Throughout the cultivation world, only the Hehuan Sect could cultivate Tianji Grass, but the process was extremely labor-intensive—sometimes it took years to nurture even a single plant.
Now Shen Yu was asking for all of it at once. It was no different from robbery.
Jiang Wanyin could no longer keep her composure; her expression turned cold.
“Heh, the Immortal Lord certainly has an enormous appetite. Why don’t you just go rob my Hehuan Sect directly?”
No sooner had those words left her mouth than Shen Yu’s gaze immediately swept over. Those slightly oppressive eyes made Jiang Wanyin suddenly feel a foreboding sense of dread.
Fortunately, the next moment, a heavy Storage Pouch landed in her hand.
“One million Spirit Stones plus two hundred High-grade Magical Artifacts.”
When he said this, there was little fluctuation on Shen Yu’s face, but Jiang Wanyin was utterly shocked.
She hadn’t expected Shen Yu to produce the entire resources of a small sect in a single move.
This was more than enough to buy all the Tianji Grass Hehuan Sect currently had. But Tianji Grass was used to repair blocked meridians—Shen Yu certainly wouldn’t need it for himself, so he must be buying it for someone else.
Since that person could make Shen Yu care this much, why not demand even more benefits?
Jiang Wanyin weighed the Storage Pouch in her hand and put on a troubled expression.
“This isn’t quite enough, you see. Our Hehuan Sect’s cultivation of Tianji Grass—”
“Sect Master Jiang.”
Shen Yu directly cut her off, casually wiping the sword in his hand.
“If it’s inconvenient for you to deliver the Tianji Grass, then I’ll come and collect it myself.”
Though these words were spoken politely, they were clearly telling Jiang Wanyin that if she did not know when to stop, he would truly go straight to Hehuan Sect and take it by force.
The cold gleam reflected off the blade made Jiang Wanyin’s expression shift.
Shen Yu’s face was far too deceptive. Anyone who saw him at first glance would instinctively assume he was a righteous immortal lord of unimpeachable character.
But Jiang Wanyin knew very well that Shen Yu never cared about rules or propriety—if force would do, he never wasted words. He was practically a great demon hidden within a prestigious orthodox sect.
If it weren’t for the fact that her own master had suffered a loss at Shen Yu’s hands, Jiang Wanyin might have been fooled by his handsome appearance.
She had no doubt Shen Yu was capable of it.
“Honored Immortal Lord, what are you saying? How could I trouble you to fetch it personally?”
A hint of ingratiation crept into Jiang Wanyin’s smile.
Just as she was about to say something to ease the atmosphere, a faint rustling suddenly came from the grass not far away.
Jiang Wanyin’s eyes shifted slightly, and an idea immediately formed in her mind.
“Immortal Lord, don’t be angry. It seems someone over there is sneakily peeking at you. Let me capture that person for you.”
With that, Jiang Wanyin swiftly moved to the side of the grass and waved her hand, sending out a burst of spiritual power.
The grass was quickly parted, revealing Chi Yao’s slightly flustered face.
Jiang Wanyin’s speed was simply too fast—Chi Yao had no way to dodge. As the attack drew closer and closer to Chi Yao, a snow-white figure appeared in an instant, blocking in front of Chi Yao and deflecting the attack back.
Jiang Wanyin was forced to take her own attack head-on, her hands trembling from the impact.
When she looked up at Shen Yu, she found him shielding the person in the grass behind him in a protective posture.
His usually calm and unruffled face was now covered in frost, but besides that, Jiang Wanyin also caught a trace of tension in his expression.
Jiang Wanyin was somewhat stunned.
Back when the demon race invaded, Shen Yu had faced hundreds of thousands of demon soldiers alone without so much as a change in expression. Yet now, she had merely nearly harmed the woman in the grass, and it was enough to make Shen Yu show such a tense look.
As if she had suddenly understood something, a hint of chagrin surfaced on Jiang Wanyin’s face.
“So I was mistaken. My apologies. But rest assured, Immortal Lord, I will deliver what you need as soon as possible. I won’t disturb you any longer—I’ll take my leave now.”
Seeing Shen Yu’s expression growing colder and colder, she quickly explained herself and then swiftly departed from that troublesome spot.
Only after Jiang Wanyin had ridden her fire phoenix far into the distance did Shen Yu turn around.
The moment he turned, the chill on his face instantly melted away. Though his brow still carried a hint of aloofness, he was practically a different person compared to moments before.
“Why is Junior Sister here?”
This question made Chi Yao’s heart tighten with guilt. She tucked the iron chain in her hand further behind her back.
“I was just wandering around with nothing better to do, and I didn’t expect to run into Senior Brother. I hope I’m not disturbing you?”
Chi Yao’s explanation was flawless.
After all, only she and Shen Yu lived on the entire Guiyun Peak, so running into each other while strolling was perfectly normal.
But the key issue was that Chi Yao had been caught off guard and hadn’t had time to put away the iron chain, so she could only hide it behind her back.
If Shen Yu discovered it, it would be hard to explain.
Chi Yao watched Shen Yu nervously, her hand behind her back unconsciously tightening.
Meanwhile, Shen Yu’s gaze swept almost imperceptibly toward Chi Yao’s back. When he caught a glimpse of the exposed section of iron chain, a flicker of emotion stirred in his eyes, and the fingers hanging at his side rubbed together lightly.
But the change was so subtle that Chi Yao couldn’t possibly notice it.
All she could see was his handsome face as, under her gaze, he shook his head.
“Junior Sister isn’t disturbing me. I was just about to head back after finishing my sword practice. You should return early as well.”
Shen Yu didn’t linger. His gaze swept over the exposed iron chain once more before he turned and left directly.
Chi Yao finally breathed a sigh of relief, but when she looked up at Shen Yu’s retreating figure, a hint of infatuation couldn’t help but surface in her eyes.
Her senior brother was still the same as before, always appearing cold and aloof to everyone.
But it was precisely his coldness that she liked—it made her unable to resist wanting to lock him away, and then personally destroy that coldness with her own hands.
Just as Chi Yao’s gaze grew increasingly fervent, a pouch suddenly slipped from Shen Yu’s sleeve.
Shen Yu seemed not to notice, and his steps didn’t pause in the slightest.
But Chi Yao’s gaze immediately fell upon the pouch.
Earlier, he had given Jiang Wanyin a Storage Pouch whose color was quite similar to this pouch. Although Chi Yao didn’t know what transaction they had made, she knew she envied Jiang Wanyin.
Envious that she could obtain something of Shen Yu’s.
For a moment, that intense envy even turned into jealousy, and it was precisely because of this that she failed to steady her breath, causing Jiang Wanyin to sense her presence.
Now, looking at the pouch that had fallen to the ground, Chi Yao’s heartbeat gradually quickened. She slowly stepped forward, approaching the pouch’s location step by step.
Finally, just as Shen Yu’s figure disappeared, she reached the pouch, quickly picked it up, and immediately left the cliff.
Only after returning to her own dwelling did Chi Yao carefully take out the pouch.
A faint, refreshing fragrance still lingered on the pouch—it was the scent of Shen Yu.
As Chi Yao’s fingertips brushed over the pouch, an expression of infatuation appeared on her face.
“Senior brother…”
Chi Yao caressed every part of the pouch carefully, but when her fingertip brushed over the knot, something suddenly fell out of the pouch.
Chi Yao looked down and found that what had fallen out was a small mirror.
But before she could react, with a flash of white light, the mirror unexpectedly began to grow larger before her eyes, until it was as tall as she was, standing upright directly in front of her.
Chi Yao instinctively looked into the mirror, but that one glance made her expression turn panicked.
For what appeared in the mirror was not herself, but the pouch’s owner—Shen Yu.