Wei Ming hung his head, unconscious, as if he had completely lost all signs of life.

The sky above the courtyard was almost completely covered by the intersecting green and cold lights. Although Gui Heng seemed unreliable, he was not to be trifled with. As long as he could keep his distance from Chou Xinwei, he could use his arrows to restrain his opponent's movements. But Chou Xinwei's movement technique was terrifyingly strange, as if he had no physical form. Any part of his body could turn into black mist at any time. Gui Heng couldn't get close and couldn't shoot him dead, so he could only engage in a stalemate in midair.

Compared to his bitter struggle, Chou Xinwei seemed much more relaxed, even toying with him like a cat with a mouse, circling back and forth. Gui Heng knew in his heart that dragging this on would only be to his disadvantage, and he focused his attention, trying to find a flaw in his movements. Suddenly, he saw Chou Xinwei's expression change. He dropped his lazy smile and said in a low voice, "It's here."

What was here?

Before Gui Heng could figure it out, his vision suddenly blurred. A vast white light nearly blinded him. In that split second, a huge bolt of lightning tore through the night sky and descended from above, striking both of them without distinguishing between friend or foe!

Rumble—

A muffled thunderclap followed immediately. Gui Heng's heart sank as he finally remembered what he had forgotten, cursing his luck. A group of immortals, spirits, and demons fighting fiercely in this small courtyard, their sword lights and shadows showing no mercy, the spiritual power they stirred up had surely long exceeded the limits of the Heavenly Dao. It had actually summoned heavenly lightning!

In that brief blink of an eye, Chou Xinwei's figure flashed past the lightning and appeared above him. He struck downwards, knocking him over, then, holding the ice mace, plunged straight down, using the immense momentum of his descent to slam Gui Heng from midair into the ground.

With a deafening crash, dust rose more than half a man's height. Gui Heng's body collided with the ground, creating a human-shaped shallow pit on the spot.

Even for an immortal, that blow was enough to take half his life. If it were a mortal, he would probably have been killed instantly.

Chou Xinwei brushed the dust from his sleeves, ruthlessly pulling out the ice mace, letting the blood spatter onto the hem of his clothes. He patted Gui Heng's face with the blood-stained tip and sneered mockingly, "Is this all the skill the disciples of Jiangxiao Palace have? I thought you could struggle a little longer. Does such trash deserve to be called a celestial god?"

Gui Heng was dizzy from the fall, yet he still trembled, trying to get up. Chou Xinwei kicked him in the back, then stepped on the back of his head, pressing his face into the dirt. "Ants should know their place. You just need to stay quietly in the dirt."

He casually cast a binding spell, trapping Gui Heng in place, and then finally had the leisure to turn back and admire his night's work.

Gui Heng was immobilized, Wei Ming was pinned to a pillar, Chi Lian was gravely injured and his life uncertain, only a step away from Wei Ming. The blood beneath them had pooled together. Bai Hua lay in a corner not far away, completely unconscious.

The Tantian Pagoda had rolled from his loosened palm, and now lay quietly in the dust, shimmering with a faint blue light.

Chou Xinwei walked over and picked it up, examining it carefully in his hand. His ears suddenly twitched as he heard an unusual sound.

He turned his head, this time genuinely a little surprised. "Oh? Not dead?"

Wei Ming coughed twice, turning his head to spit out a mouthful of blood. He opened his eyes amidst the rustling night wind and the blood-soaked ground.

The ringing in his ears from the thunder still buzzed in his head. His disoriented hearing made everything around him feel like an absurd, chaotic illusion. The first thing he saw was Chi Lian's ashen profile and the horrifying trail of blood behind him. The scene needed no words; anyone with eyes could see what had happened.

Until the last moment before losing consciousness, Chi Lian had maintained a reaching posture. The back of his hand and his fingertips were covered in blood and grime, devoid of any beauty, yet they strangely overlapped with the hand that had lifted the curtain in Wei Ming's dreams.

It was as if someone had viciously stabbed him in the heart. Compared to this, even the wound on his left shoulder where the vine had pierced him seemed less painful.

Wei Ming took a deep breath, grabbed the vine, and with a burst of strength, pulled it directly out of his body. The barbs on the branch brought out wood splinters and flesh, spattering on his pale cheeks, yet Wei Ming didn't even bother to frown, as if the horrific wound wasn't on his own body.

He pressed his right palm against the wound and, using some unknown method, stopped the bleeding. He went over and lifted Chi Lian from the ground, propping him up against the pillar. His fingertips carefully avoided his wounds as he quickly and lightly drew a hemostasis talisman. He then tore a piece from his robe and meticulously wiped the blood and dirt from Chi Lian's face. Using his fingers as a comb, he straightened his messy long hair, then took his hand and, with the patience and care one would reserve for a priceless treasure, wiped the blood and mud from every finger.

Chi Lian's mind was trapped in an endless, hazy stupor. The only sensation left in his entire body was pain. He was not one who couldn't endure hardship and pain, but what hurt more was the cruel reality that wouldn't let him go even in unconsciousness—the person he had sworn to protect with his life had once again disappeared before his eyes.

Even if he were shattered to pieces, how many more times could he find him again?

Amidst the endless pain, a faint touch suddenly came through, carrying a gentle and familiar aura, as if someone were squeezing his palm.

He had experienced this once, a long, long time ago. Back then, he could see nothing, only darkness even with his eyes open. The person taking care of him, in order to soothe him and let him know someone was there, would habitually squeeze his hand, like petting the paw of a small cat or dog. Their thumb would gently push up from the base of his palm and stop in the center, so that he could grasp it as soon as he curled his fingers—

His cold, weak fingertips struggled to clench, loosely closing over the back of Wei Ming's hand.

Chi Lian's eyes remained tightly shut, but a large teardrop rolled out from under his long lashes. The tear trail meandered as his voice, faint as a gossamer thread and filled with infinite sorrow, murmured, "Emperor..."

Wei Ming's expression was calm. Hearing this title, there was no change on his face. He just squeezed his cold hand, and in that position, gently hugged him, whispering close to Chi Lian's temple, "It's alright now. I'm here. There's nothing to be afraid of."

Chou Xinwei was quite tactful, standing far away and not disturbing them. It was only when Wei Ming stood up that he tentatively spoke, "A mortal?"

"Chou Xinwei... no, perhaps I should call you Temple Master Chi," Wei Ming said coldly. "Now that you've caused a river of blood, there's no need to pretend to be innocent. Do you not recognize who I am?"

Chou Xinwei was an expert at using words to provoke others' emotions, so being exposed on the spot by Wei Ming only elicited a faint, unconcerned smile, with no sign of panic. "His Highness, Prince Duan, I recognize you. I just didn't expect Your Highness to be so bold and insightful. It's a bit of a surprise."

He had some impression of Wei Ming, purely because the man was clever enough. In the Ran Dragon Case, he was the first to find out his identity within the delegation, and at Chunling Temple, he had deduced that something was amiss from a careless word. Tonight, he had come knocking with Chi Lian. If Bai Hua, who was possessing the tree, hadn't tipped them off, they would have probably discovered that the real Chi Anshou and the Daoists had long since become piles of white bones under the tree's roots.

But in the end, Wei Ming was just a mortal. No matter how smart, it was just petty cleverness, utterly incapable of contending with the power of gods and demons.

Wei Ming couldn't be bothered with his nonsense and got straight to the point. "Last time you used the pretext of avenging the Ran Dragon, and this time you're using the excuse of helping a Tree Spirit get revenge on immortals. Who are you, and what are you really after?"

Chou Xinwei's smile deepened. "It seems Your Highness cares deeply for Immortal Lord Chi Lian. Does he know what you think? And how much do you know about him?"

"That should be none of your business, right?" Wei Ming retorted sarcastically. "You went to such great lengths to set up this scheme and turn everything upside down just to test how well I know him?"

"You're mistaken," Chou Xinwei said leisurely. "Whether they are gods or mortals, their eyes can only ever see the big picture—either grand ambitions or earth-shattering conspiracies. They never care about what each individual caught in the middle is thinking."

"Everything that happened today was started by Bai Hua. So, do you know why he stole such an important spiritual treasure?"

Wei Ming didn't speak. Chou Xinwei didn't expect him to play along and continued on his own. "Because the task he was given was not to concoct medicine at all. The Immortal Attendants transferred to Bitai Palace actually had their Divine Souls drained to create spiritual artifacts. You could say this Tantian Pagoda was built upon their very bones."

"Bai Hua knew very well that he was next. He was afraid of death and planned to flee quietly. But he still had a shred of conscience and wanted the Celestial Realm to know about Bitai Palace's secret dealings, so he took a huge risk and stole the Tantian Pagoda, fleeing to the Mortal Realm. He was even so desperate due to his own weakness that he forsook the immortal path to become a demon, vowing allegiance to me."

"But it was precisely this bit of conscience that was his undoing. He wanted to entrust this item to Chi Lian, but by a strange twist of fate, he created an opportunity for me to gravely injure Chi Lian, which in turn doomed himself."

"You see, everything that happened tonight was just because of the struggle of one insignificant Tree Spirit—and weren't you here tonight because of a single thought as well?"

"I once said that Chi Lian and your Empress think very much alike. The more you want to hide something, the more you will draw attention to another target." Chou Xinwei looked directly into Wei Ming's eyes, his tone as soft as a bewitching spell. "If you knew why Chi Lian descended to the mortal world, you probably wouldn't have ended up in this situation."

Wei Ming cut to the chase. "No need for riddles. You mean he used me as a substitute for Emperor Cangze, revolving around me to hide what he truly values, making me a target for his enemies."

"You know even more than I imagined." Chou Xinwei clapped his hands and smiled. "His Highness truly has a heart of seven orifices."

Wei Ming asked, "Then what is it he wants to hide?"

Chou Xinwei brandished the Tantian Pagoda in his hand and said meaningfully, "In the Heavenly Court, the immortal who governs the Human Race, the Spirit Race, and all living beings in the Nine Heavens and Three Realms is Taiwei Heavenly Emperor, the very same Emperor Cangze whom Chi Lian serves. When he presided over the Heavenly Court, he established several iron-clad laws: the Heavenly Race must not cross realms at will, must not interfere with mortal karma, and must not intermarry with the Human Race."

"Emperor Cangze is an unrivaled master of formations. The law of the Heavenly Dao that now separates the Mortal Realm from all other realms and has always protected it was created by him alone. It is called the 'Oath of the Nine Heavens'."

"The central hub of the 'Oath of the Nine Heavens' is a white jade seal named 'Sancai'. Any immortal in the Heavenly Court, even the Heavenly Emperor himself, must obtain the Emperor's permission and a travel talisman stamped with the seal to pass through the restrictions of the Oath of the Nine Heavens."

"But unfortunately, a hundred years ago, Emperor Cangze perished on Mount Mang. After his death, his trusted subordinate, Immortal Lord Chi Lian, caused a great disturbance in Jiangxiao Palace, forcefully taking the Emperor's remains and defecting to the Mortal Realm alone. He has been unheard of since, and the Sancai Seal's whereabouts have been unknown along with him."

"You have no idea how many pairs of eyes in the heavens are searching for him, nor the danger he is in." Chou Xinwei suddenly seemed to remember something and tapped his palm. "By the way, has anyone ever told you that you bear an eighty to ninety percent resemblance to Emperor Cangze? At first glance, you look like you were carved from the same mold."

Wei Ming said, "I've heard something like that. I just don't know if the one who told me was human."

Chou Xinwei: "..."

After getting a jab in, Wei Ming naturally steered the conversation back. "Since you said the Sancai Seal is lost, how were Bai Hua and Gui Heng able to appear in the Mortal Realm? And how did you get in?"

"Two reasons." Chou Xinwei held up two fingers. "First, after tens of thousands of years, the Oath of the Nine Heavens has weakened and is no longer impenetrable. Second, this Tantian Pagoda was made for this very purpose. The Heavenly Court wants to use it to replace the Sancai Seal and re-establish order in the Three Realms."

"But it's a pity that the Heavenly Court currently has no immortal whose mastery of formations can compare to Emperor Cangze's. After sacrificing so many innocent lives, all they created was a spiritual artifact that devours all Divine Souls."

The implication hidden in that sentence was simply breathtaking. Wei Ming realized he had stumbled upon an incredible secret, and it would be difficult to get out of this unscathed today. He restrained himself from looking at Chi Lian and said calmly, "I've been enlightened. But I'm just a mere mortal, easier for you to crush than an ant. Why is Your Excellency so insistent on telling me the truth?"

Chou Xinwei said, "Among all the mortals I've met, you are one of the clever ones. It would be a pity for you to die just like that. Don't you want to get revenge on Chi Lian? After all, you gave him your devoted heart, but he only treated you as a pawn that could be discarded at any time."

"Mortals can only be manipulated by immortals. But if you were to obtain power far greater than his, the situation would be reversed," he switched to a more ambiguous, vague tone. "Then you could manipulate him as you please... do anything to him, even trample him underfoot. Wouldn't that be nice?"

Wei Ming said flatly, "Not at all. It's a bit disgusting."

"Even the Jade Emperor can't demand a response for everything, let alone me." Wei Ming said bluntly, "You just want to use someone else's hands to humiliate him, no need to make it sound so noble. You don't care about the subtleties of the human heart or a fleeting thought. You just seize upon a bit of resentment to fan the flames and stir up trouble."

"Am I right, Your Excellency, Heart Demon?"

The smile that seemed perpetually fixed on Chou Xinwei's face finally melted away like frost under the hot sun.

Wei Ming and Chi Lian had privately discussed what on earth Chou Xinwei was many times. Judging by his appearance, the silver hair was undoubtedly a feature of the Demon Clan, but there were many kinds of demons. It wasn't until tonight, facing Chou Xinwei directly and speaking with him for so long, that a guess faintly formed in Wei Ming's mind.

The Heart Demon is best at exploiting weaknesses, using flowery words to stir up the poisons of 'greed, anger, and ignorance' in people's hearts, luring them to fall into the demonic path. The evil thoughts that constantly grow in their hearts are its best nourishment. Over time, the host often loses all sanity, becoming mad and bloodthirsty, eventually becoming the flesh and blood soil for the Demon Clan, sucked dry until not even bone dregs remain.