Chapter 425: The Husband

In the southern part of Lingzhou, within the governor’s mansion of Taogu County.

With a gentle breeze passing through, the scent of blood drifting from the north began its century-long cycle of fading and intensifying.

In the courtyard, countless Dan Masters clad in crimson robes, under the guidance of the Abbess and the Elders, continuously circulated their Dan Qi, spreading it outward in all directions.

The Four Hall Masters of the Heavenly Book Academy, the Six Upper Fifth-Realm Perfect cultivators of Lingjian Mountain, and other elders had all swallowed elixirs and were now using the dan light’s healing power to regulate and restore themselves.

Since the Descendants arrived to seize the artifact, the imminent catastrophe forced humanity to unite in earnest, desperately resisting the Descendants’ onslaught.

But the gap in strength caused them to suffer heavy losses in an instant of combat; had it not been for the Sacred Artifact’s protection, they would long ago have become the Descendants’ blood food.

Yet the Sacred Artifact’s might could suppress the Descendants’ supreme combatants but could not protect every human, nor reach every corner.

Thus, they abandoned the two northern counties of Lingzhou, retreated a thousand li to the Taogu Plain, and began using the terrain of Dongling Mountain Range for defense.

Meanwhile, the Western Front’s Shanhai Pavilion, the Chen Clan, and the Yongzhou aristocratic houses pulled their lines southeastward, while the Wenda Sect, allied with the Yuzhou clans, held the Sunset Mountain Range to the southwest.

Yesterday, the battle on the Taogu Plain had just ended; for the first time, humanity had halted its decline and repelled the Descendants’ advance.

But they knew the Descendants were bloodthirsty by nature—truly relentless until death—and the next assault could come at any moment, which was why they must heal and recover as quickly as possible.

Yan Shuyi was also within this county mansion, seated beside You Yingqiu, enveloped in the Dan Light of Yuanchen and Yuancaiwei.

“How do you feel, sister?”

Yuancaiwei opened her dewy eyes, gazing at Yan Shuyi as she slowly opened hers.

The Junior Monitor felt the flow of spiritual energy and nodded: “Much better. The stabbing pain in my spiritual origin has lessened.”

“Once your spiritual origin stabilizes, take another Hongqi Elixir your younger brother brewed yesterday—you should fully recover.”

“Yuanchen has matured quite a bit. He’s actually useful now?”

Yuanchen, hearing this, instinctively shrank his head: “I’m no longer the boy I used to be. Why does Junior Monitor Sister keep teasing me? With the great calamity upon us, all I can do is this—I must work harder.”

As the two spoke, Yuancaiwei suddenly reached out and placed a bundle before her.

Seeing this, Yan Shuyi snapped back to awareness, her beautiful eyes flickering with question.

“Word came from the Western Front: many wounded have lost the ability to metabolize elixirs on their own. I must take several senior and junior brothers and sisters there. I ask for your permission, Sister,” Yuancaiwei said softly.

Yan Shuyi’s smile faded: “The front lines are dangerous.”

“I’m not afraid. Like my younger brother, I used to bury myself in elixir-making without knowing who received them or what effect they had. Now, I feel I’m actually useful.”

Yan Shuyi looked at her and said: “Take care of yourself.”

Yuancaiwei’s eyes shimmered as she gave a quiet nod.

She then gave Yan Shuyi the Hongqi Elixir, catalyzed its potency, and with a group of senior and junior brothers and sisters, shouldered their packs and stepped out the main gate of the Taogu County mansion.

The coachman waiting outside had been there a long time; seeing them, he dismounted and reached for Yuancaiwei’s bundle—but she turned aside, avoiding his grasp.

“Thank you, I’ll carry it myself.”

Yuancaiwei thanked the coachman, then stepped onto the footstool and entered the carriage.

Once seated, the carriage began to move slowly; the rumble of its wheels carried through the curtain.

Inside, the Dan Sect’s daughter carefully unbound the bundle, took out a tablet inscribed with “Late Husband Ji You,” and gently stroked it, her lips slightly pressed together.

After so long, she no longer wept upon seeing it—but the hollow within her heart remained forever unhealed.

What she forbade others to touch was not the bundle, but the pain it contained within her soul.

Just as the carriage carrying the Dan Masters toward the Western Front departed from the mansion’s gate, Qin Rong, Head of the Administration Hall, hurried in holding a letter, swept aside his robe, dashed past the meditating Elders, and approached You Yingqiu.

“Abbess, a letter from the Demon Prince!”

Many in the Taogu mansion had already finished healing; seeing his hurried figure, they lifted their eyes.

They had heard days ago of the alliance between humanity and the demon race. Though the two had long been bitter enemies, under these circumstances, more allies were better than fighting alone—no one had objected.

You Yingqiu slowly opened her eyes from meditation and looked at Qin Rong: “What does the letter say?”

“It says they’ve rescued their clansmen from Qingzhou and are returning. A thousand humans who escaped with them will enter from Liangzhou.”

“Was their journey smooth?”

Qin Rong shook his head: “Not at all. According to the Demon Prince, they discovered a ritual altar under construction within the Descendants’ fortifications.”

At these words, all in the courtyard froze.

“So the Heavenly Omen my sister saw was correct—the Descendants’ Holy Emperor truly intends to re-refine the Dao,” Zuoqiu Yang murmured gravely.

Qin Rong nodded: “Precisely. Because of this, they misjudged the guard strength and encountered thirty Upper Fifth-Realm Perfect Descendant generals.”

“Thirty?!”

“Yes.”

Yan Jingxiang, Master of Xuanjian Peak, narrowed his eyes: “Over ten already appeared on the battlefield days ago—now another thirty? Even if we doubled the total of all human immortal sects, we still wouldn’t reach that number.”

You Yingqiu’s gaze hardened: “And then?”

“They barely escaped. Though pursued, the Demon Emperor arrived in time and held off the thirty Descendant generals. Also… there was one other.”

“One other?”

Qin Rong nodded: “The letter says they encountered a human hiding in the Great Wilderness Forest. When they were being chased, he drew his sword and held them off for an hour.”

You Yingqiu pondered long before speaking: “What kind of human?”

“Described as an ordinary-looking human. Based on the description, it should be the same one the Gong family encountered.”

As the words fell, all paused, then instinctively turned to the Junior Monitor of Lingjian Mountain.

They did so because the Gong family, upon fleeing Qingzhou, had brought word of this human—and many had foolishly claimed he was Ji You resurrected.

From this man, thoughts turned to Ji You—and naturally, to the Junior Monitor of Lingjian Mountain, who bore Ji You’s daughter.

At this moment, Yan Shuyi’s eyelashes trembled slightly, but she gave no further reaction.

She had been deceived once—she would not be deceived again, for that pain had been unbearable.

“Some are simply incredibly lucky: alive, they flattered and gained much; just before disaster struck, they died—escaping it all. Whether it was planned or not, death is death. What exception could there be?”

Yan Jingxiang, Master of Xuanjian Peak, frowned, his eyes cold as he scanned the crowd, finally settling on his daughter.

Yan Shuyi slowly turned her gaze toward her father.

The Junior Monitor of Lingjian Mountain, raised since childhood in the mountains to cultivate the Dao, had always been distant from her family; after bearing her daughter, this estrangement deepened further.

Yan Jingxiang could not understand his daughter’s choice, nor why she had kept the child in her womb—he had once raged, “You will regret this.”

This is perhaps the nature of parenthood: always believing that ignoring elders’ advice leads to immediate suffering.

Especially after the autumn of Taiwu Year Seven, he became even more certain he was right.

As for Yan Shuyi, stripped of her status as a junior disciple of the Tiny Heavenly Book Academy, she had grown colder, never speaking to them since.

Yet after this brief interlude, everyone’s attention quickly shifted back to the man himself.

“The Gong family previously said this man slew a Wujiang-level Descendant. Now the demon race claims he held off Upper Fifth-Realm Perfect generals. What cultivation level is he?”

“Indeed. Has he broken through multiple realms in just over ten days? What kind of genius is this?”

“This isn’t genius—it’s nonsense.”

From the western side of the mansion, Yan Zhong, Master of Tianjian Peak, stroked his long beard and spoke softly.

Hearing this, all turned to look at him: “Master Yan’s meaning is that the demon race is lying?”

“From Wujiang to capable of fighting Upper Fifth-Realm Perfect in ten days? Even our earliest ancestors could scarcely achieve such a feat. How could this be credible? The Snow Realm demon race once tried every means to steal our qi fortune. Though forced into alliance by circumstance, we must not lower our guard.”

“That… does make sense…”

Yan Zhong’s words held merit, precisely because the claim was absurd.

They were all cultivators; they knew better than anyone how cultivation worked. How could they believe someone’s realm could rise so swiftly?

Added to their longstanding enmity with the demon race, the claim was naturally implausible.

Yet as they debated, another figure hurried in from outside.

Ji Jingyao, the other Head of the Administration Hall, swept his robe aside and entered: “Several aristocratic youths from Zhongzhou, along with two of our own Administration Hall disciples, escaped from the Descendants.”

“Escaped?”