With Lin Xiaoyu joining them, the group became noticeably more restrained. They gave up on activities like hunting sharks and digging for underwater treasure, settling instead for a casual game of beach volleyball.
That was what Xue Ji had originally thought—but then again, none of them were exactly ordinary people.
Boom! A volleyball shot past Xue Ji like a missile, grazing her side and slamming straight into a small shop by the beach.
Xia Jin, who had been hiding inside, didn’t even have time to react before the shop was completely blown through.
The battle on the sand was intense. In the hands of these supernatural beings, the volleyball had become a dangerous projectile. There was no coordination, no strategy—their thoughts were remarkably uniform.
All three of them believed in the philosophy of “power creates miracles,” and from the very first serve, they had no intention of letting anyone return the ball.
Under the barrage of these “missiles,” Xue Ji had no choice but to retreat from the battlefield, dragging Lin Xiaoyu along with her.
Lin Xiaoyu was still completely bewildered. Why on earth did these beautiful sisters have to play volleyball so wildly?
With Xue Ji pulling back, only Ling Xiaoxiao remained to face the duo of Lilith and Shaya.
“Both of you, come at me together!” Ling Xiaoxiao’s aura shifted, and an intimidating pressure descended upon the area.
“Tch, the moment A-Ji leaves, you violent bird-woman drop the act, huh?” Shaya put on a brave front, but her trembling legs betrayed her fear.
Lilith, however, remained much calmer. She stepped in front of Shaya, and the chill radiating from her body began to freeze the surrounding sea surface.
To Ling Xiaoxiao, Lilith’s presence felt eerily familiar—that icy aura was unmistakable.
A faint, elusive sword hum emanated from Lilith, and Ling Xiaoxiao could no longer control her expression.
“Simple imitation of memories couldn’t possibly achieve this. What exactly happened to you?”
“Your expression… it’s quite ugly, isn’t it~” Lilith replied with a smug grin, offering no explanation.
Sensing the aura of the immortal Xianren Xue Ji, Ling Xiaoxiao’s composure crumbled. Her eyes trembled with panic.
She forced herself to calm her chaotic thoughts and struck out with her hand, intending to grab Lilith directly.
But Lilith waved her hand and effortlessly dispersed the spiritual energy claw.
Their eyes clashed in an instant, the atmosphere thick with tension.
Ling Xiaoxiao summoned her sword, Hongshang, but the blade seemed disoriented.
It hovered in the air, as if hesitating.
Lilith grew overconfident, her mockery reaching its peak right in front of Ling Xiaoxiao.
“Looks like the violent birdie’s losing her touch~ Want big sister here to help you hold that sword? Hehehe.” She covered her mouth with one hand, squinting her eyes as she spoke with a cheeky grin.
Ling Xiaoxiao remained unfazed, simply smiling back at her.
Shaya, meanwhile, had absolutely no idea what had just happened in the span of a few minutes. Why had these two suddenly started fighting?
Though Shaya had rebellious thoughts, she had been beaten so many times that she had long lost any will to fight Ling Xiaoxiao.
But Lilith’s actions reignited a spark of passion within her.
“Are we going to win?” Shaya asked sincerely.
Lilith said nothing, only silently raising her aura.
Xue Ji, who had retreated with Lin Xiaoyu, sensed two powerful forces colliding.
She turned to look back toward the beach.
Lin Xiaoyu nervously gripped Xue Ji’s hand, her voice trembling with fear. “Xue Ji-jiejie, is there an earthquake?”
“It’s nothing, just the sisters having a little sparring match.”
This battle was even detected by the Canglong, triggering an alarm.
“Damn, why is it always those two again?”
“Why does Senior Chongming always cause such a huge commotion every time she fights?”
“Who do you think will win this time? That Lilith girl doesn’t seem simple either.”
“No question about it. Are you even awake?”
…
The fight ended quickly.
The previously invincible Lilith was defeated within ten minutes and was now being spanked while held over Ling Xiaoxiao’s lap.
“Waaaaah, I was wrong, don’t hit me—” Lilith was once again reminded of her past fears.
Back when she first awakened her consciousness, she had courted death in the exact same way—and suffered the exact same fate.
“Save me~” She reached out pitifully toward Shaya.
“Oh no, my stomach hurts so bad, ugh ugh ugh.” With that, Shaya clutched her belly and collapsed onto the beach.
And just like that, their supposedly unbreakable alliance was shattered by Ling Xiaoxiao.
Eva, who had emerged from the accelerated world at some point, gently patted Lilith’s head.
“Pain pain, fly away…”
“You—!!!” Lilith was so enraged by Eva’s gesture that her face twisted in fury.
She struggled frantically and, surprisingly, managed to break free from Ling Xiaoxiao’s grip.
But the pain on her rear still lingered—because Ling Xiaoxiao had infused spiritual power into her strikes. It wouldn’t cause any physical harm, but the pain was both excruciating and long-lasting.
No sooner had Lilith returned to her feet than she stumbled after two steps and fell face-first into the sand, swallowing a mouthful of grit.
Xue Ji arrived just in time, and Lilith, like a child, burrowed into her arms, sobbing about her ordeal.
To comfort her, Xue Ji did her best to soothe her gently—but it was all too obvious that Lilith was deliberately rubbing against her chest.
Though Xue Ji was wearing a light jacket over her swimsuit, being nuzzled like that still made her blush uncontrollably.
Ling Xiaoxiao’s eye twitched from the side, but there was nothing she could do in front of Xue Ji.
Shaya finally realized what was going on. So this was your real goal all along? How utterly cunning!
Lilith, still crying, suddenly turned her head back with a creepy grin, her face still pressed against Xue Ji’s chest.
“Hehehe~”
Shaya and Ling Xiaoxiao were both covered in black lines and sighed in unison. “You’re absolutely unbeatable…”
After much effort, Lilith finally fell asleep in Xue Ji’s arms.
Only then did Ling Xiaoxiao approach. Xue Ji looked up, and the two locked eyes—both seemingly with things to say.
“So… the one who truly holds the record of my past has actually been right beside me all along, hasn’t she?” Ling Xiaoxiao’s gaze flickered, her hands fidgeting restlessly.
“I originally thought my connection to that immortal Xianren Xue Ji wasn’t that close… but the more I learn, the more it hurts.”
Xue Ji took hold of Ling Xiaoxiao’s restless hands and made up her mind.
“I don’t want to lie to myself, and even less do I want to lie to you. The memories of the past have always remained deep within my soul, but I refused to accept them.”
“Instead, I created a false past-life persona to deceive myself. But how could I even create her? I knew nothing about the story from a thousand years ago.”
“That’s why, back then, when my Demon God strain flared up and I tried to erase your personality… it failed.”
At the mention of this, Ling Xiaoxiao’s hands trembled uncontrollably. Even now, the fear still lingered.
“I was her all along. There’s no such thing as one being an impurity of the other. You were destined to fail no matter what.”
“Then how did you come to realize that?” Ling Xiaoxiao asked curiously.
“Lilith… she devoured the Xianren Xue Ji that my subconscious created. But what she absorbed was only the memories of that person’s cultivation journey and my own magical power.”
“In other words, the Xianren Xue Ji she consumed was merely an empty shell without a soul. The real Xianren Xue Ji… is me.”
Shaya had carried Lilith away earlier. Ling Xiaoxiao was silent for a long time, while Xue Ji lowered her head, a wave of intense guilt surging from the depths of her soul.
“I’m such a fool. Not only was I deceived by you, but twice over…”
Ling Xiaoxiao gently pushed Xue Ji down onto the sand. Her waterfall-like black hair was now within arm’s reach.
“I’m always the villain, and you’re always the pitiful one.”
At this point, even an apology seemed impossible to utter—it would only sound like a weak, hollow excuse.
In Xue Ji’s own eyes, when she combined her past self from a thousand years ago with everything her modern self had done, it all amounted to one-sidedly tormenting Ling Xiaoxiao.
She had twisted her personality, made her believe she wasn’t the same person from before, and then made her fall in love all over again.
And now, she was telling her that she was that very person—the complex, twisted immortal Xianren Xue Ji.
“Toying with my heart… is it fun for you?!”
“I’m sorry. It’s all my fault…”
“And you still say that now?! Do you really not get it, or are you just pretending, you idiot!”
Once Xue Ji finally spoke these buried feelings aloud, the barrier that had always stood between her and Ling Xiaoxiao finally dissolved.
An enraged Ling Xiaoxiao raised her right hand, clenched her fist, and swung it down.
But instead of the heavy punch she expected, a pair of hands gently cupped her face.
“What do you want me to do… I don’t want to hate you anymore…”
“If you were going to lie to me, couldn’t you have made me a little happier? Couldn’t you have just not told me all this…”
Ling Xiaoxiao collapsed onto Xue Ji and bit her firmly on the cheek.
Above them, lightning surged violently, and massive amounts of spiritual energy converged in the sky. Ling Xiaoxiao grabbed Xue Ji and flew toward a place far from the island.
“Are you dragging me along to face your Lightning Tribulation?” Xue Ji wondered.
“Don’t get the wrong idea. I don’t want to die. But to survive this tribulation, you have to be here.” Ling Xiaoxiao’s tone was cold and she said no more.
“Alright. Whatever you need me to do, I’ll do it.”
Ling Xiaoxiao didn’t respond until the first bolt of lightning had fully formed.
Suddenly, she whipped her head around and asked, “Anything at all?”
Xue Ji was confused, but could only follow along. “Anything at all.”
