Chi Lian's reaction was extremely fast. He subconsciously glanced back at Wei Ming, then immediately shouted for Gui Heng to stop. But the problem was that it was too fast. The last shred of doubt in Wei Ming's heart was extinguished by that single glance, followed by a sudden surge of anger.

'So that's how it is.'

But before his anger could fully ignite, it was doused by a flurry of panic, like a ladle of cold water.

He thought Chi Lian cared about the Divine Soul. For that, he was willing to pretend he didn't know about the entanglements of past and present lives, to only firmly grasp the here and now. But if what Chi Lian valued was this appearance, identical to the person from his past life, and the past they had spent together, then what was Wei Ming—a person who knew nothing and remembered nothing, like a phantom dwelling in another's shell—to do?

Gui Heng was still muttering indignantly over there: "What are you yelling at me for? Who knew you'd find someone who looks so much like him and keep him by your side..."

Before he could finish, Chi Lian's sword was at his throat. This time, he truly had killing intent, and he reminded him coldly: "Say one more word, and you won't have to go back. Just wait to sacrifice yourself for the Heavenly Dao."

Gui Heng: "..."

Like a large dog with its muzzle clamped shut, he resentfully turned to look at Wei Ming, still feeling wronged for being scolded.

Wei Ming sighed softly in his heart.

Logically, he could tell that Gui Heng held no malice toward him and hadn't intended to hurt anyone. He was just an immortal accustomed to looking down on others, his arrogance having become second nature. He only saw his own kind and wouldn't bother considering the feelings of a mortal—just as a mortal wouldn't ask an ant's opinion before dousing it with water or setting it on fire.

Reason also told him that this was not the time to be hung up on being a substitute. Wei Ming decisively suppressed all his emotions, his heart choking with bitterness, yet he pretended not to understand anything and gently advised, "Forget it. What's important is the task at hand. Let's focus on the present."

Chi Lian shot Gui Heng a warning glance and moved the sword from his neck. Gui Heng immediately tucked his tail and scurried far away from him. Wei Ming turned back to Bai Hua and asked, "You just said that if you handed over the spiritual treasure, Immortal Venerable Qingyang would have you silenced. Why does he want to kill you?"

Bai Hua had been silently watching them bicker like fighting cocks, feeling that something was amiss. Now, hearing Wei Ming's question, he lifted his eyes and suddenly gave a cryptic smile. "A mere mortal. What's the use in asking such things? The affairs of the Celestial Realm are not for you to meddle in."

"Don't misunderstand, I don't intend to meddle," Wei Ming said calmly. "I'm just curious. You look like you have a bellyful of grievances you wish to air, so I asked. If you don't want to talk, then forget it."

Bai Hua was taken aback.

Seeing him hesitate to answer, Wei Ming stepped aside slightly to reveal Chi Lian. "If words won't work, then let's use force. I have no more questions."

Chi Lian coldly raised his sword.

"Wait!"

Bai Hua said suddenly, "Chi Lian, I can return the Tantian Pagoda to you, but you must promise me one thing."

This time, he neither feigned intimacy nor spoke with sarcasm. He called him directly by name, his tone carrying a sharp chill. "Have those two back away. You, come here."

Wei Ming immediately said, "Be careful, it could be a trap."

Bai Hua raised his voice. "Don't you want to know why I took such a great risk to steal Immortal Venerable Qingyang's spiritual treasure?"

"Let me tell you, this item is of great importance, linked to the safety of the Three Realms. Since you defected, Jiangxiao Palace has been unable to stand alone and has completely fallen to Qingyang's faction. Now, among Emperor Cangze's subordinates, only you remain outside the fray. I can't trust anyone else, so I can only entrust it to you."

"Immortal Lord Chi Lian, if you are still a person of Jiangxiao Palace, if you still acknowledge Emperor Cangze's rules, then come over and hear me out."

The four words "Emperor Cangze" were more effective than an imperial edict. The hand Chi Lian held his sword with paused slightly. Wei Ming tried to stop him again, but Chi Lian made a placating gesture, saying softly, "It's fine," indicating he shouldn't worry. He then exchanged a look with Gui Heng, lowered his sword, and walked alone toward Bai Hua.

The distance between them wasn't great, merely from one end of the courtyard to the other, but Wei Ming's heart pounded for no reason, as if Chi Lian were about to step into some desperate, ghostly domain.

Chi Lian stopped three steps away from Bai Hua and extended his empty left hand. "Give me the Tantian Pagoda first. I'm listening to what you have to say."

The vines circling Bai Hua, deterred by his pressure, all shrank back into the darkness, but they were restless, constantly and deliberately craning their heads out to probe. Bai Hua swiped his remaining left hand across his chest. In an instant, blood gushed out, soaking his robes, yet as if feeling no pain, he forcibly gouged a deep blue pagoda shimmering with a bloody light from his torn flesh.

He clutched the artifact tightly. Streams of light rose from the bottom of the crystal-clear pagoda, like a small lamp in the night, illuminating the small space around the two of them.

"This is the Tantian Pagoda. Beautiful, isn't it?"

Chi Lian frowned and didn't reply,

Bai Hua's hands were covered in blood. He held the exquisite pagoda, looking at it from left to right as if he couldn't bear to part with it. "I'm just an ordinary Immortal Attendant. If not for being summoned by a high god, I wouldn't get to see those immortal emperors and venerable ones even in a hundred years, let alone such an important treasure."

"Did you know? You are the most legendary of all the Immortal Attendants in Xuanjian Pavilion. I thought entering Bitai Palace meant my luck was as good as yours, but I never expected I was sending myself into a fiery pit."

"What exactly are you trying to say?" Chi Lian didn't have the patience to listen to his sentiments. "Did you call me over just to see a legend?"

"The Tantian Pagoda cannot fall into the hands of any immortal." Bai Hua suddenly took a step forward and said hastily in a voice only the two of them could hear, "I need you to find a way to destroy it. Remember, don't trust the Heavenly Court, and don't..."

A wet, tearing sound—

Bai Hua's words were cut short. The expression on his face froze in a moment of shock, and he slowly looked down at his own hand.

"Chi Lian!!"

That moment was a complete blank. Chi Lian first heard Wei Ming's shout, still wondering why Bai Hua had such an expression, then belatedly shifted his gaze downward. It was only when blood gushed out that he realized what had happened—

An exceptionally familiar ice mace had pierced straight through him, one end protruding from his back, while the other was held in... Bai Hua's right hand, which should have been missing.

The thousands of vines lurking in the night transformed into gray-black demonic qi, coalescing into the form of a man upon landing. His snow-silver hair moved without any wind, not stained with a single drop of blood.

He gripped Bai Hua's neck tightly with one hand, the bones making a horrifying cracking sound, yet his tone was as soft as a lover's whisper. "So you hid it within your core. You really made me search for it."

"I told you I would help you get revenge. Why did you go soft on these sanctimonious immortals? Why did you betray me?"

Blood sprayed from Bai Hua's chest, and bloody foam spilled from his lips. He could only manage a choked sound: "No..."

Chou Xinwei poured spiritual power into his right hand, suddenly forcing the ice mace another inch forward. Chi Lian could no longer hold back and instantly spat out a large mouthful of blood.

"Look," Chou Xinwei's glass-like eyes reflected the approaching figure as he whispered maliciously, "Someone has come to save you."

Chi Lian was at the end of his strength. Blood flowed from the corner of his lips like a stream, impossible to stop. Agonizing pain seeped into every crevice of his bones, but he held on by sheer will, turning his head to shout sharply at Wei Ming, "Don't come over!"

But by the time the words left his mouth, it was too late.

A vine as thick as a wrist suddenly shot out from behind Chou Xinwei, even faster than Gui Heng's arrows. It shot through the air, its sharp tip letting out a piercing whistle as it tore through the air. It pierced flesh as easily as a knife cutting through tofu, sending Wei Ming, who was less than half a step behind Chi Lian, flying back to the end of the courtyard. He crashed into a corridor pillar with a loud thud.

He didn't fall face-first. He appeared to be half-leaning against the pillar, his head just hanging limply. If not for the blood trickling down the pillar to form a crimson pool on the ground, one might even have the illusion that he wasn't injured.

That was because the vine had pierced directly through his left shoulder, pinning him firmly to the pillar.

"Your Highness!!"

The cry was laced with blood. Chi Lian's eyes were nearly splitting with rage. A burst of power came from nowhere, his longsword moving like lightning. With one strike, he unleashed a golden-red brilliance like a toppling mountain and a churning sea, slashing down at Chou Xinwei with unparalleled force!

But Chou Xinwei had anticipated this. He casually pushed Bai Hua forward, right onto the tip of the sword, while he himself retreated several steps like a phantom, laughing lightly. "Immortal Lord Chi Lian, why be so angry? The score for that sword strike on the Sweet Dew Terrace has only just been half settled."

Chi Lian's strike had committed fully; it was too late to pull back. Bai Hua knew he couldn't dodge and resigned himself to his fate, closing his eyes and meeting the magnificent sword light with his body. However, the expected agony never came. A streak of green light, like a shooting star, suddenly flashed across his vision, which was dyed golden-red. A huge explosion boomed in his ears. Bai Hua's body felt light as it was spun around in midair and swept away by the strong gale produced by the clash of spiritual powers, landing heavily in a corner of the courtyard.

At the other end of the courtyard, Gui Heng had nocked another arrow to his longbow, its cold glint aimed dangerously at Chou Xinwei. "Get away from him."

Chou Xinwei raised an eyebrow, seeming surprised, yet also amused. He did as he was told, slowly raising both hands to show he was unarmed, and backed away step by step, putting distance between himself and Chi Lian.

Chi Lian could no longer hold himself up. He clutched the wound in his abdomen and collapsed to his knees. Gui Heng spared him a glance from the corner of his eye and shouted, "Hey, don't you die!"

But Chou Xinwei suddenly gave a mysterious smile, and his figure vanished abruptly. The next moment, he appeared before Gui Heng. Simultaneously, the ice mace inside Chi Lian's body instantly vaporized, only to reform in Chou Xinwei's hand. With one fierce strike, he sent Gui Heng flying!

The wound, suddenly unblocked, sprayed a shower of blood from Chi Lian's back like a crimson butterfly spreading its wings in the wind. He could no longer even maintain his kneeling posture and, utterly exhausted, pitched forward and collapsed.

"Chi Lian!"

"Your Highness..."

He struggled to lift his face toward Wei Ming, his entire vision filled with the figure pinned to the pillar. He desperately reached out, trying to touch him, but could only grasp fruitlessly at the empty air.

"Your Highness..."

He didn't know how pathetic and unsightly he looked at that moment. Forget an immortal, he was worse off than a wild dog rolling in the mud. A long, winding trail of blood was dragged across the ground. Chi Lian no longer had the strength to stand, only able to use his arms to drag his broken body, arduously crawling toward Wei Ming.

The distance of a few dozen steps felt as vast as a chasm. With every step closer, his breath grew fainter, yet his fingertips, stained with blood and dirt, could never quite reach the hem of Wei Ming's robes.

"Your Highness..."