From sunrise to sunset, Shaya had been pulling weeds.
When she finally uprooted the last bright green “weed” at the foot of the mountain, the fury in her eyes was already beyond control.
“Ling Xiaoxiao, you and I are NOT done with this!” She stood next to a pile of weeds as tall as a small hill, tearing at these worthless things with her bare hands.
“Huh? Why does it smell so good?” She looked at the glowing green “weed” in her hand, and a sense of dread washed over her.
Something that smells this good definitely isn’t just some ordinary weed!
Had she worked all day only to end up owing Ling Xiaoxiao another four thousand bucks?!
“I can’t accept this. I just can’t accept this~”
Under such circumstances, Shaya was on the verge of losing her mind. This wasn’t about the money anymore—it was about the unbearable thought of slaving away all day and still having to hand over her own wages to Ling Xiaoxiao as tribute.
Refusing to give up, she buried the broken three pieces of the “weed” back into the soil, pressed her palms together, and stood with her tail erect, praying.
“Come back to life, my wages!” At that moment, Shaya was utterly sincere, calling out to the heavens.
Inside the villa, Ling Xiaoxiao choked on her bamboo-leaf wine as she watched the scene unfold. She coughed and laughed while pointing at her phone screen, completely abandoning any pretense of being an immortal.
“Little fox spirit, got no moves left, huh? Cough, cough You might as well just spend the rest of your life as a maid serving me and Xue Ji, haha—cough.”
Xia Jin handed her a tissue and chimed in, “Miss Shaya has been thoroughly outmaneuvered by the young lady. You’re truly amazing, miss.”
“How much do you think I should fine her this time? After all, that Soul-Grass wasn’t exactly—”
Before she could finish, Ling Xiaoxiao’s tone shifted from smugness to confusion, and then to shock.
“How is this even possible?”
She watched as black and white energies gradually converged around the Soul-Grass. What was this strange yet familiar feeling?
In the video, something miraculous happened while Shaya prayed with her eyes closed.
A vortex woven from black and white energies enveloped the Soul-Grass. As Shaya muttered through gritted teeth, a streak of emerald light pierced through the black-and-white cocoon.
An intense surge of life energy burst forth, revitalizing every plant and animal within a hundred meters. Green leaves, fresh sprouts, birdsong, floral scents—it was a scene of vibrant life.
When Shaya opened her eyes and saw three Soul-Grasses before her, she was overjoyed. She knew her prayers would work—her wages had truly come back to life!
“And there are two extra ones too! These things must be worth a fortune. I can use these two to pay off my debt, and then—freedom, here I come~”
She bounded up the mountain, arriving at the villa entrance in no time.
“Hey, stupid bird, come out!” Despite being covered in dirt from head to toe—her hands, feet, and even her face smeared with mud—she was in high spirits at the thought of her debt being wiped out. She dropped all pretense.
When no one answered from inside, she kicked the locked door wide open and sauntered in, all smug.
“Debt-free and carefree, heh heh~”
But just a few steps in, the door she’d kicked open slammed shut behind her, and several golden chains of light bound her tightly.
In her moment of triumphant carelessness, she’d forgotten that Ling Xiaoxiao’s villa was packed with formations. Trespassing recklessly was extremely dangerous.
The chains were followed by a sword formation—twelve blades encircled her. Already immobilized, she couldn’t even shift back to her true form.
“What’s going on?!” Shaya struggled fiercely, but the chains only tightened further.
A massive sword began to condense above her head, and every hair on her body stood on end.
“Danger. I’m going to die. I’m actually going to die.” Shaya understood all too well. This feeling of utter helplessness was eerily similar to facing Cain’s attack—that same crushing powerlessness.
The gap in their cultivation levels was so vast it was despair-inducing.
“Should I beg for help? Ling Xiaoxiao must be watching this. She’s deliberately not stepping in just to see me make a fool of myself.”
Shaya understood the gap between them. She knew better than anyone when to cut her losses and back down.
But the scars on her body refused to let her retreat.
In her full werewolf form, her back, arms, and even her face were covered in dense, crisscrossing scars. She didn’t want to show her true face in front of Xue Ji.
Even though she could assume a perfect appearance when shapeshifting, she refused to forget her past as the Wolf King. She refused to part with her battle trophies.
She’d only used her full werewolf form once before—against Shino. And because she still hadn’t managed to completely defeat her opponent even in that form, it had left her depressed for a long time.
But today, the anger in her heart had been ignited. There was no reason to bow her head.
Even if it meant death. Even if she’d never see Xue Ji again.
“BREAK APART!”
She pulled at the golden chains, and cracks began to spread across them.
But the giant sword above had already finished condensing, poised to claim her life.
As the sword began its descent, Shaya still couldn’t break free.
“I will NOT lose to you again, Ling Xiaoxiao!” She roared, unleashing both ice and fire powers simultaneously.
Ice and flame fused into one upon her body. Before she even struck, the overflowing destructive force shattered every chain.
Even the sword formation wavered under this power, freezing for a brief moment.
That was when Ling Xiaoxiao finally arrived, inserting herself between the two opposing forces.
“STOP!”
“Now’s my chance!” Temporarily freed from the sword formation’s suppression, Shaya leaped toward the giant blade.
Seeing Ling Xiaoxiao appear, Shaya didn’t hold back—instead, she charged straight at her.
Shaya couldn’t fully control the destructive power raging within her. And Ling Xiaoxiao’s Demon-Suppressing Sword Formation was designed purely for killing. A collision between these two forces would be catastrophic.
Faced with Shaya’s reckless, death-defying fury, a dark thought flickered through Ling Xiaoxiao’s mind.
“Let her die. This ungrateful wretch.”
A phantom appeared behind her, voicing her darkest thoughts without reservation.
“Kill her. Then kill everyone else circling around Xue Ji. Then she’ll be yours alone.”
“Even if Xue Ji throws a tantrum, you can hold the world hostage to make her comply. She’s exactly the type to cave in.”
Ling Xiaoxiao could see those blood-red eyes that had brought her endless suffering. The demonic seed within her was shifting again.
“If you’d just listen to me, you wouldn’t be suffering like this!” The phantom shrieked hysterically. “Don’t let the same soul fool you twice!”
Ling Xiaoxiao’s hovering figure wavered slightly. Before her was the murderous Shaya. Behind her was the strongest strike of the demon-suppressing formation she’d assembled at great cost.
Even she had ample reason to dodge for self-preservation at this moment.
She shifted her body aside. Without her to block them, the two colossal forces began to vie against each other, causing even space itself to tremble.
“Yes, that’s it! Let’s fall into the abyss together!”
Ling Xiaoxiao ignored the phantom. What flashed before her eyes instead was the image of Xue Ji breaking down in tears, looking at her with hatred, or even worse—moving like a hollow shell, obediently letting Ling Xiaoxiao manipulate her.
The two forces were about to collide. Ling Xiaoxiao took a step back, as if she’d already made her choice.
But then she simply shook her head. The illusory Xue Ji before her dissolved as she saw through the deception. Golden light swirled in her eyes. Piercing through all falsehoods, she glimpsed the truth that had truly saved her—the smile of that white-haired girl.
Ling Xiaoxiao clicked her tongue and muttered, “I suppose this is me reaping what I sowed.”
At the critical moment, she spun around and plunged between the two forces, facing the demon-suppressing sword head-on.
“You’re insane!” The phantom shrieked as it dissipated. “Why? WHY?! Why won’t you listen to me?!”
There was no time to use her sword techniques. The moment Hongshang Sword made contact, it was deflected.
So she used her own body to block the strike.
Behind her, Shaya’s claws pierced through her chest, pure destructive energy rampaging through her body.
“What are you—!” Shaya’s voice trembled. Caught completely off guard, she had no idea what to do.
“I don’t want… to make her… hate me…” Ling Xiaoxiao’s face twisted in pain as she suppressed the destructive force within herself while simultaneously holding back the demon-suppressing sword.
She forced her body to endure, gathering her Vermilion Bird flames. Huge golden wings of fire unfurled, embracing the demon-suppressing sword like a hug.
A massive explosion radiated from the mountain villa. Even in the farthest parts of City A, scattered flaming feathers could be seen falling from the sky.
Disaster alarms blared. Red warning pillars shot up. This meant the calamity was severe enough to destroy multiple cities—or even entire continental plates.
“Commander! Something’s happened to Ling Xiaoxiao!”
“WHAT?!”
