Jiang Xuezhi was taken away.
And she was taken by a supreme grandmaster.
Though no one knew exactly which grandmaster had protected her, it was clear that whoever it was, they were beyond anyone’s reproach.
The crowd remained in place, exchanging glances, but no one spoke first.
They were waiting.
Waiting for the Heavenly Yong Immortal Manor to react first.
The Heavenly Yong Immortal Manor was the largest power in the cultivation world, second only to the Immortal Alliance.
They accounted for more than half of the grandmasters in the world, so it was highly likely that the one who had protected Jiang Xuezhi was one of theirs.
Judging by the silence of the Heavenly Yong disciples, this speculation was almost confirmed.
But who was it?
Lin Wanwan looked bewildered, pondering the same question.
Had a grandmaster from Heavenly Yong protected Jiang Xuezhi?
When had she managed to form a connection with the Heavenly Yong Immortal Manor? And how had she earned the favor of a grandmaster, who would rescue her from such a perilous situation?
Lin Wanwan had always dreamed of entering the Heavenly Yong Immortal Manor.
To preserve that possibility, she had suppressed her conscience and targeted Jiang Xuezhi.
But what if Jiang Xuezhi had already gained the recognition of the Heavenly Yong Immortal Manor before her?
Did that mean that, even as her mere substitute, Jiang Xuezhi was truly better than her?
In the past, Jiang Xuezhi’s excellence had never shown, suppressed as she was by the Profound Heaven Sect and tormented by her master and senior brothers.
Or perhaps her master and senior brothers had recognized her worth all along, which was why they projected their feelings for Lin Wanwan onto her.
Wu Shuang had hinted more than once that before Lin Wanwan’s return, Jiang Xuezhi often spent long periods alone with their master and the others.
Lin Wanwan knew exactly what she was trying to imply.
But she refused to believe it and didn’t want to dwell on it.
She believed her master and the others wouldn’t stoop so low, and she didn’t think Jiang Xuezhi had that kind of allure.
After all, Jiang Xuezhi was just a counterfeit, a fake, how could they possibly…
Never mind.
There was no point in thinking about it now.
Because reality kept reminding her that she was inferior to Jiang Xuezhi, inferior to this substitute.
If Jiang Xuezhi had truly been taken away by a Heavenly Yong grandmaster and revealed what had happened in the Profound Heaven Sect, it would be difficult for the sect to keep its secrets.
Even with the help of the Immortal Alliance, it would be hard to avoid exposing flaws.
Trouble was brewing.
A major disaster was imminent.
Both the sect and she herself were doomed.
Lin Wanwan, who had done nothing wrong, felt as though she had just escaped a desperate situation only to run headlong into another dead end.
Her face turned ashen as she desperately tried to figure out how to salvage the situation. She absolutely could not be looked down upon by Heavenly Yong, it was her lifelong dream, and she was willing to pay any price to enter the Heavenly Yong Immortal Manor.
As the leader of the Immortal Alliance and someone who knew the secrets of the Profound Heaven Sect, Shen Qingxian had also considered the same things as Lin Wanwan.
He remained as composed as ever, knowing that even if the truth came to light, the Profound Heaven Sect wouldn’t dare expose him.
He had always managed to stay above the fray, never truly involved in anything, and his conscience was clear.
What bothered him now was the identity of the person who had taken Jiang Xuezhi.
Others might not be able to guess who it was, but Shen Qingxian was the leader of the Immortal Alliance and the eldest son of the Shen Clan in Tianxuan Province.
The Shen Clan excelled in mystic arts and divination. He could “foresee” certain futures, and it was this ability that had made him the youngest alliance leader and led to his engagement with Lin Wanwan, an obscure disciple of the Profound Heaven Sect.
But now, these “foresights” had become blurred and uncertain.
This unsettled him.
Like everyone else, he couldn’t determine who had taken Jiang Xuezhi, and this uncertainty only heightened his unease to its peak.
His status allowed him to have met all the great powers of the cultivation world, and he was familiar with their identities and auras.
Anyone he had encountered before, even if they concealed their true appearance upon reappearing, he could still recognize them.
But this person, he could not.
Perhaps this person was the reason Jiang Xuewei had become so unusual?
She was shrouded in too many mysteries, elusive and indistinct, making it impossible for Shen Qingxian to simply let go.
His Adam’s apple bobbed as he lowered his bamboo hat and headed into the secret realm to investigate Jiang Xuewei’s current whereabouts.
At the same time, the demon realm was also rushing toward the City of Sin.
The chaos in the secret realm within the City of Sin had stirred up such a commotion that even the demon realm had received the news.
However, that wasn’t the reason for their haste and urgency.
Ji Lingfeng sat inside a flying artifact, with four demon cultivators piloting it for him, while he focused intently on adjusting his appearance in a mirror.
Wanwan wasn’t dead after all.
She had returned alive!
Heaven knew how ecstatic Ji Lingfeng had been when he received this news.
Three years, he had no idea how he had endured these three years. Only by looking at Jiang Xuewei’s face, that stand-in, could he barely convince himself that Wanwan wasn’t dead, that she would return, that there was still hope and a chance for everything to turn around.
He had given the life-exchange method to the Xuantian Sect, and they had lived up to expectations, actually finding someone suitable to serve as Wanwan’s substitute.
This also meant they were aligning with the will of heaven, and the heavens intended for them to bring Wanwan back.
Wanwan was his pride and joy, the one he could not afford to lose. No one could shake that fact.
Not even Jiang Xuewei.
“You’re saying that impostor woman has thrown the City of Sin into chaos?” Ji Lingfeng said disdainfully. “Impossible. A first-level Qi Refining trash, someone who has to worry about losing her life whenever she steps outside, with a weak and incompetent personality who only knows how to please others, she thinks she can stir up trouble in the City of Sin? She’s not worthy.”
“The news is reliable,” his trusted subordinate said. “Our informants in the City of Sin and the Xuantian Sect all say the same.”
“Still impossible,” Ji Lingfeng put down the mirror and said scornfully. “Who knows her better than I do? Half the poison in her body was given by me to Xie Wangwu. Have the informants spent more time with her than I have? How could I not know what kind of person she is?”
“…” The subordinate fell silent, thinking the young master had a point.
They had also seen Jiang Xuewei before, a timid, useless waste who would only tremble and fawn over the young master. How could she possibly stir up storms in a perilous place like the City of Sin?
Was this some kind of fantasy story?
But…
Ji Lingfeng lowered his gaze, looking at his exquisite purple robe.
No matter how meticulously and beautifully he dressed, he wouldn’t receive a warm welcome from Lin Wanwan.
She had encountered danger in the Barren Wastelands, and to this day, they still hadn’t figured out what it was that could completely devour a person’s cultivation and willpower in an instant.
If she hadn’t sacrificed herself, Xiao Jin, Wu Shuang, and even Xie Wangwu would have died there.
The Barren Wastelands had never been peaceful, so it wasn’t entirely surprising for unexpected dangers to arise.
But the scene back then, even now, felt unbelievable upon recollection.
What was it? Would it appear again? Was it good or bad for the current state of the cultivation world?
Ji Lingfeng had a pair of purple eyes, the same shade as his robe.
His black hair flowed loosely as he gazed in the direction of the City of Sin and asked his subordinate, “How is my adoptive father?”
The subordinate replied, “The Venerable One is still ‘in seclusion’ inside the coffin, with no unusual movements.”
Ji Lingfeng felt slightly reassured. “That’s good. While I’m away from the palace, make sure someone takes good care of my adoptive father. He must not come to any harm.”
“Rest assured, Young Master.”
Ji Lingfeng nodded, yet his tightly furrowed brows showed anything but reassurance.
The flying artifact moved swiftly, and the City of Sin was now within sight.
The only thing that brought him joy was the thought of soon seeing Lin Wanwan.
Within the secret realm, the thunder tribulation had passed, and the siege had temporarily ceased.
Silence fell around them, so profound one could hear a pin drop.
Jiang Xuezhi lay with her eyes closed, breathing evenly and motionless.
She hadn’t slept for days.
In her previous body, lack of sleep meant nothing, going a month without rest was commonplace.
But now it was different.
Though her spirit remained alert and she felt no exhaustion, her body was on the verge of collapse.
Cracks spread across her skin inch by inch, blood vessels visible all over, as if she were being scorched and torn apart by flames.
Even in this state, she persisted, standing her ground against enemies, determined to hold the line single-handedly.
Was she truly unafraid of turning to ashes in the next moment?
Did she truly feel no pain?
He had never seen a woman like her.
Yun Cangming’s eyes were lowered, his long lashes casting shadows like butterfly wings beneath them.
The sharp aura that usually surrounded him had completely receded in solitude, leaving only purity and tranquility.
Jiang Xuezhi lay on a clean, soft blanket, with Yun Cangming seated beside her.
Even in sleep, her hand remained active, clutching his wrist tightly, refusing to let go. Yun Cangming had tried many methods but couldn’t break free.
It was hard to explain, but despite his cultivation level, he truly couldn’t escape her unconscious grip.
Yun Cangming had a lean build, broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and strong arms with well-defined muscles, yet his wrists were surprisingly slender.
If one were to see only his fair wrists peeking from his wide sleeves, they might mistake him for a frail scholar without an ounce of strength.
Faint ice and snow runes slowly circled around him, a healing array. Jiang Xuezhi’s cracked skin and deteriorating condition gradually mended within this frost-imbued formation.
While injured, she showed no signs of discomfort or pain, but as her body healed, she seemed to struggle with the recovery.
Jiang Xuezhi frowned deeply, as if facing an immense dilemma in her dreams.
Someone who never showed difficulty while awake now wore a troubled expression in her sleep.
Yun Cangming watched, intrigued, and unconsciously leaned closer, curious about what she could be dreaming.
He found himself inexplicably wanting to know what could make her look like that.
Drawn in, he gradually closed the distance, unaware of the danger this would bring.
In her sleep, Jiang Xuezhi detected a familiar scent.
It was the mark of her temporary imprint.
She had only imprinted one person, Yun Cangming.
The icy aura was his scent, wasn’t it? That scent (or the array?) enveloped her, seeping into every pore, controlling her every breath.
Overwhelmed by his scent, her unfinished rut was reignited.
An Alpha’s rut, without any relief or suppression, typically lasts from a week to half a month.
Stirred awake by instinct, Jiang Xuezhi pinned down the person beside her by the nape, gritting her teeth as she said, “Strike my neck?”
“I trusted you, let my guard down around you, and this is how you repay me.”
Jiang Xuezhi held grudges.
She had given Yun Cangming a temporary mark and knew he was nearby at the time.
She had let her guard down around someone who had helped her three times, yet this person had knocked her unconscious.
It stirred up terrible memories.
The reason her spiritual energy was damaged, forcing her to rest, was due to the betrayal of a subordinate she had trusted.
She had long said she didn’t need friends, because friends were unreliable like this.
Now, even the Omega she had marked was unreliable.
Jiang Xuezhi’s mind was in chaos, only recalling her own unhappiness and unable to remember any kindness from others. She couldn’t think clearly and was completely unaware of her body’s recovery process.
Her grip tightened uncontrollably, and she fiercely clutched Yun Cangming’s neck, biting his lips without a word. In an instant, the tender, soft lips were torn and bleeding.
“I’ll kill you.”
Jiang Xuezhi hoarsely declared her decision.