Su Haozang stormed toward the council hall, seething with anger.
Two disciples were stationed at the entrance. When they saw the elder approaching, they initially wanted to greet him. But as soon as they noticed the furious expression on his face, they fell silent.
Elder Su's temper was notorious.
There was once an inner disciple who, after being caught flirting with a new junior sister by Elder Su, had his cultivation crippled and was expelled from the sect.
They couldn't help but wonder who the unlucky fool was that had angered him this time.
Su Haozang entered the council hall with killing intent.
He knew that while his daughter's spiritual palace had been destroyed, her body remained intact and had been taken to Kunlun Sect by a cultivator named Meng Shuying, who had preserved it in the Cold Palace. Meng Shuying had paid a heavy price to ensure that Su Luowei's body was kept safe.
Out of respect for Meng Shuying's efforts, Su Haozang and his wife had not taken their daughter's body back to the East Pole Sect for burial.
But now, a Grandmaster cultivator from Qingxu Sect had appeared, looking exactly like his daughter. This filled Su Haozang with uncontrollable rage.
He wasn't naive about the dark sides of the cultivation world; in fact, he knew them all too well.
In his mind, it was far more likely that Meng Shuying had finally given in—either voluntarily or under coercion from someone in Qingxu Sect—handing over Su Luowei's body to be refined into a spiritual artifact.
The refinement of spiritual artifacts was an ancient technique. Many years ago, when Grandmaster cultivators neared the end of their lives and were unwilling to die, they created a sinister method: splitting their Nascent Soul in two, leaving one half in their original body and embedding the other half into a spiritual artifact, a process they called "Soul Splitting."
Soul Splitting required a suitable spiritual artifact.
Although Su Haozang wasn't knowledgeable about the refinement process, he did know that a body like his daughter's—a Golden Core cultivator who had self-destructed her spiritual palace—was an ideal material for such a purpose.
This single suspicion was enough to enrage Su Haozang.
He had been prepared to confront the Grandmaster with everything he had—if she was indeed using his daughter's body, then no matter who she was, he wouldn't rest until he had reclaimed it, even if it meant going to war with Qingxu Sect.
But his rage was doused like a heavy downpour as soon as he heard her voice and saw her face.
That was his daughter.
Su Haozang's heart trembled, and his hands shook. After locking eyes with Su Luowei for what felt like an eternity, he couldn't help but tear up.
By the time Zhan Xueying hurried into the council hall, Su Haozang had already composed himself, but the smile on his face refused to fade. When he saw his wife rushing in, he gently tugged at her sleeve, whispering, "Don't frighten the child."
Child? What child?
The disciple who had gone to fetch Zhan Xueying hadn't explained the situation, only saying that Master seemed about to clash with the esteemed guests from Qingxu Sect. So, unprepared for what awaited her, Zhan Xueying rushed in and, upon seeing her daughter, forgot everything else. She ran forward and pulled her into a tight embrace.
Tears rolled down her cheeks and landed on Su Luowei's forehead, filling her heart with a bittersweet ache. In her mother's warm embrace, Su Luowei suddenly felt a surge of overwhelming emotion, and she, too, nearly cried.
Even Su Haozang, who had finally calmed down, discreetly wiped his eyes. "Our daughter has returned. This is a joyous occasion. Enough with the tears—let's go home."
While the emotional reunion was happening, Wen Miaomiao and Xie Hanzhu had been gathering information from the East Pole Sect's leader. They learned that Fu Guang and his demon army had indeed reached the coastal area across the sea. However, for some unknown reason, they hadn't crossed the coastline but had left after only three days.
Though they hadn't crossed over, the East Pole Sect had been terrified of suffering the same fate as the Danyang Alliance. Under the leader's direction, the East Pole Sect had activated their protective array overnight and had fortified the demon seal with all their might.
The sect master confidently declared that not even Fu Guang himself, leading the demon army, could shake the seal's passage.
With the East Pole Sect safe, there was no reason for them to stay longer.
Su Haozang had originally wanted his daughter to stay a while longer—things were too dangerous outside, with the demons wreaking havoc and the world in turmoil. He was reluctant to see her leave.
So, even though he suggested she stay a few more days, in his heart, he was hoping that now that his daughter had returned, she wouldn't leave again.
But his attempts to keep her were in vain. The very next morning, just as dawn broke, Su Luowei and the others set out without a sound. It wasn't until mid-morning that Su Haozang learned from his wife that his precious daughter had quietly left.
Su Haozang was a bit upset but didn't dare show it in front of his wife. He paced back and forth in the hall several times before stopping in front of Zhan Xueying and frowning, "Our daughter wanted to leave, and you didn't try to stop her. What were you thinking?"
Zhan Xueying held her teacup, carefully skimming the leaves off the surface before taking a slow sip. Only then did she put down the cup, raise her eyes to him, and drop a bombshell.
"Luowei has a partner now. They've formed a Dao Companion contract."
Su Haozang was stunned. "What? Who's the basta—"
He didn't get to finish his sentence because his wife shot him a disapproving look.
"You've met her. It's Meng Shuying. Luowei said she's trapped somewhere, and once she deals with the demon issue, she plans to go find her."
Hearing the name Meng Shuying, Su Haozang was immediately silenced.
He knew all about his daughter's relationship with Meng Shuying. After all, Meng Shuying had watched over his daughter for nearly two hundred years. When he was about to give up, Meng Shuying had held on, standing vigil alone.
And… ahem… he and his wife had heard the rumors and stories circulating among the people.
So he had no objections to their Dao Companion relationship; he just thought of it as gaining another daughter.
But…
Su Haozang couldn't help but sigh deeply.
Meng Shuying had waited for nearly two hundred years, and just when they had finally become partners, she was trapped somewhere. His daughter had said she would go find her after dealing with the demons, but resolving the demon problem wasn't something that could be done in a day or two.
This pair of lovers truly had a rough path ahead.
Deep within the Endless Sea, a sea beast floating in the dark waters surfaced, its large eyes like copper bells fixed on the sky. Above, dark clouds pressed low, filled with roaring thunder and crackling lightning. If one looked closely, they could see a dragon formed of purple lightning, coiling within the storm clouds, waiting to strike.
This scene awakened a primal fear in the sea beast. It lifted its head and let out a sharp cry, warning its companions to leave the area immediately.
Who on earth was that? How could someone be undergoing tribulation here?
The sea beast was a high-level demon beast, its power comparable to a Grandmaster cultivator. Even it felt uneasy under the residual power of the heavenly lightning, so how could that human cultivator at the center of the tribulation remain unfazed?
In the highest tower of Nanwang City, a woman stood by the intricately carved window, hands behind her back, gazing at the distant horizon where the storm clouds roiled.
A young girl dressed in green, serving tea behind her, glanced in the same direction and asked curiously, "Those tribulation clouds have been gathering for days without dispersing. Who on earth is undergoing tribulation, Mistress Mingyou?"
"Do you remember the two female cultivators you captured from Nanwang City? The one undergoing tribulation is one of them."
"Oh? Is it Miss Meng?" The young girl tilted her head in thought and then whispered to her companion, "I remember Miss Meng is Lord Fu Guang's daughter. Does that mean we're about to have a new demon lord?"
"So it's her? No wonder. But in that case…" The other girl glanced at their mistress, who was still focused on the storm clouds, and whispered back, "If she successfully overcomes the tribulation, does that mean our mistress could also…"
For years, no new demon lord had emerged in the demon realm, just as in the human realm. As time passed, the ambition of the demons waned. If Meng Shuying could succeed in her tribulation, it might reignite some hope in others.
"I wish I could watch…" the young girl murmured. "If she succeeds, maybe we could learn something from it."
"You can't," Mingyou suddenly said, shaking her head. She also felt a twinge of regret at not being able to witness Meng Shuying's tribulation firsthand. "Judging by the position of those clouds, she's in the Endless Sea."
The Endless Sea was easy to enter but impossible to exit. Even if Meng Shuying survived the heavenly tribulation and became the new demon lord, she would still be trapped there.
What a pity.
In the Endless Sea.
Under the storm clouds, the waves surged. Towering waves, tens of meters high, battered the lonely island, trying to shatter and consume it.
Surrounded by the raging sea and the roaring thunder overhead, Meng Shuying stood alone at the mountaintop, as if at the end of the world.
The overwhelming divine power pressing down from above didn't faze Meng Shuying. After days of preparation, the spiritual liquid in her spiritual palace had nearly reached its peak.
As the liquid accumulated, Meng Shuying's state improved. She was like a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis, unfurling its beautiful wings under the warm spring sun, or like a jade that had been polished a thousand times, revealing its radiant luster under the gentle spring rain.
A few sea beasts peeked out from the sea cliffs. A bolt of purple lightning immediately struck down, reducing them to ashes and leaving a massive crack in the cliff where they had hidden.
The remaining electrical currents danced through the water, electrifying the surrounding area. The other sea beasts, spying from afar, hurriedly swam away, terrified of being caught in the same fate as their unfortunate companions.
"The time has come," Meng Shuying, standing at the heart of the storm, seemed to sense something. She drew her sword, standing tall as she faced the rolling thunder.
The sky darkened further, lightning flickered, and her black eyes reflected the flashes of electricity.
She tilted her head back, staring directly at the lightning bolt crashing down from the heavens, her eyes burning with unyielding resolve, even curving her lips into a smile.
In that moment, an aura of radiant beauty burst forth from her, leaving the sea beasts hiding below the waves in awe.
In this world, strength was revered, and there was no doubt that the woman bathed in the divine lightning was the strongest here. She faced the might of the heavens without fear, her defiance of the heavens giving her an aura of unparalleled fierceness.
Would she succeed?
At that moment, countless high-level demons silently watched the scene unfold.
If she succeeded, it would mean the heavens had not yet forsaken them entirely.
Unanimously, they prayed for Meng Shuying to overcome the tribulation.
Meng Shuying, standing at the center of the heavenly tribulation, was unaware of how many were watching her at that moment. Her entire being was focused on her battle with the tribulation.
In her previous life, when she refined her master's divine bone and ascended to immortality, she had also faced a tribulation, so she had some confidence.
But compared to the tribulation she faced now, that one seemed like child's play. Standing in her current position, she could feel the heavens' disdain.
The thunder rolled on endlessly, and the heavens were determined not to give her a second chance, intent on reducing her to ashes.
Cultivating to immortality had always been a defiance of the natural order, and Meng Shuying knew she wasn't favored by the heavens. She knew she would have to struggle more than others to succeed.
But she hadn't expected the heavens to harbor such malice toward her.
The defensive artifacts Su Luowei had given her before they parted had already been reduced to ashes by the heavenly lightning, and even the spiritual liquid in her palace was nearly depleted. She could no longer afford to hold back and began to unleash every technique she had learned in both lifetimes, barely holding her own against the relentless fury of the heavens.
Was this what a true tribulation was like?
Had her master, once known as the Tenth Place Scholar, also experienced all of this?
Had her master ever felt fear in the face of such terrifying power?
Meng Shuying didn't know.
All she knew was that at this moment, she missed her master terribly. She wanted to hold her, to tell her that as long as she was there, she would never let her suffer like this or endure such pain.
The battle seemed endless, without respite, and gradually, Meng Shuying realized that the spiritual liquid within her was completely exhausted.
Her limbs grew heavy, her ears buzzed, and her vision blurred as if a fog had descended, obscuring everything. All she could see was the endless purple lightning.
In the human realm, Su Luowei, who had been focused on her journey, suddenly felt a pang in her chest. She stopped in her tracks, her fingers brushing against her heart, and without warning, tears began to fall.
It was autumn in the human world, and the landscape was bathed in a golden hue. The branches were heavy with ripe fruit, and a young boy perched on a grazing ox, singing as they made their way home.
It was a scene of peace and tranquility, yet Su Luowei felt an overwhelming sadness in her heart. The sorrow gripped her heart, making it hard to breathe.
"Sister, why are you crying?" Xie Hanzhu's voice brought her back to reality. Su Luowei blinked, wiped away her tears, and replied, "It's nothing."
After a pause, she added quietly, "I just suddenly felt sad."
Sad?
Xie Hanzhu exchanged a glance with Wen Miaomiao, who then pondered aloud, "Sister, you're a Grandmaster cultivator now, your heart shouldn't be so easily affected by external forces. How could you suddenly feel sad?"
Su Luowei pressed a hand to her chest, murmuring, "Could it be… that Ah Ying is in trouble?"
Before leaving Qingxu Sect, she had arranged for disciples to watch over the Ten Directions Blessed Land. If Meng Shuying emerged, the disciples were to crush a transmission talisman to inform Su Luowei.
But more than ten days had passed since she left Qingxu Mountain, and the talisman in her possession remained inactive, increasing Su Luowei's anxiety.
"Meng Shuying…" Wen Miaomiao's eyes showed a hint of hesitation. After a moment of contemplation, she decided to keep the truth from her sister for now. Knowing too much would only bring sorrow, and it was better to leave her with some hope.
She said nothing, but that didn't stop Su Luowei from piecing things together.
She had always been perceptive and intelligent. In the past, she had avoided asking too many questions, believing that since she didn't truly belong to this world, there were things she didn't need to know.
But now that Meng Shuying's safety was at stake, it was different.
The image of her partner hesitating before their farewell flashed in her mind, and with just a little thought, Su Luowei could unravel the mystery.
That teleportation array could only transport one person, and the divine bone that Meng Shuying had given her was the key to activating it.
Meng Shuying had given her the chance to live.
What must she have been feeling as she personally activated that array?
Su Luowei didn't know.
Nor did she want to know.
Because she had already made up her mind to find Meng Shuying and ask her herself.
To once again cross the Endless Sea and find that lonely island, she would have to pass through the demon seal to reach the demon realm. And to do that…
Su Luowei's heart sank, and for the first time, her expression grew serious.
She would have to deal with Fu Guang first.
She would have to ascend to immortality.