**Chapter 189: Protagonist 27**

As one of the last remaining Eleven Spirit Immortals in the world, Jing Lingzhao rarely left the sect. His presence was a carefully balanced agreement between the Cultivation Realm and the Demon Realm.

What he left on Qian wasn’t just a simple sword technique—it also contained a trace of his spiritual sense. The moment that sword move was triggered, he would immediately know what had happened.

So when the sword was used, even from far away in the Cloud Concealed Sect, the Sword Immortal Lingzhao sensed it—someone from the Demon Race had tried to kill one of his juniors.

A high-ranking priest and a Demon General, trying to kill a mere child?

Jing Lingzhao was furious. The entire mountain where Zhaoming Palace stood was instantly blanketed in snow and ice. Blossoming trees froze into sculptures in the blink of an eye.

The sudden change startled nearby disciples, who looked on in fear and confusion. But what shocked them even more was that the long-silent ancestor of Zhaoming Palace—the Sword Immortal—had released a Spirit Clone.

Radiating an awe-inspiring aura, the translucent, multicolored Spirit Immortal Clone vanished in the direction of the Demon Realm.

Gongxi Yue had just finished her battle with Tu Hongying. From her opponent’s words, she learned the reason behind the recent unrest in the Demon Realm, and a vague sense of unease settled in her heart.

Without hesitation, she left her defeated rival behind and flew toward the Ninth City to rendezvous with her martial uncle and friends.

Tu Hongying, meanwhile, stood tall with her long halberd and returned to the Fiery Ghost Chariot.

“Young Master, the target has been found. The priest is gravely injured and en route.”

Upon hearing the Demon General’s report, Tu Hongying casually flicked the blood from her clothes. “We tried to capture one person and ended up with a priest seriously injured. What a great honor for the Demon Realm.”

In the distance, waves of demonic energy surged as two Demon Generals approached, dragging the severely wounded priest and Xiao Shou with them.

Both sides—inside and outside the Ninth City—noticed the newcomers at the same time, and both moved simultaneously.

The Demon Realm had the numbers. Tu Hongying stayed still, while the two Demon Generals moved to block Gongxi Yue. It looked like they were about to bring Xiao Shou and the others over to the Demon Realm’s side.

Suddenly, multicolored light burst across the sky. A wave of oppressive sword intent descended, making it hard for anyone present to breathe. Under such pressure, they couldn’t even move.

Gongxi Yue was the only one who could still move freely. She looked up in surprise. “Master?”

High above, the Spirit Immortal’s massive, translucent hand pressed down toward the fleeing priest and Xiao Shou’s group, as if to crush them into pulp.

But just then, a surge of demonic energy rushed in from the depths of the Demon Realm. Thick black clouds blocked the sky above Xiao Shou and the others.

The moment the two forces clashed, most of the black clouds scattered. The remaining black smoke and fierce winds swept up the priest, Xiao Shou, and Tu Hongying’s Fiery Ghost Chariot, retreating into the Demon Realm.

The multicolored light, tainted by the black clouds, refused to relent. It chased after them, grabbing a group of Demon Generals who had followed behind the black clouds and grinding them into black ash.

The entire clash happened in the blink of an eye.

The Demon General who had blocked Gongxi Yue didn’t have time to escape and was killed by her on the spot.

Back in the city, Lang Qingyue and Mu Yiling hadn’t even had time to act before the three Skin-Painting Demons they were guarding let out shrill screams and disintegrated into ash under the Spirit Immortal’s pressure.

Lang Qingyue frowned. “Why did Senior Disciple step in? Now that a Spirit Immortal Clone has appeared, the other sects are going to start talking again. And killing those Demon Generals outright—won’t the Demon Realm use this as an excuse to tear up the alliance?”

“Chaos is coming—what’s the point in avoiding it?” Jing Lingzhao, still seething with rage, cursed loudly. “That old thief Tu Jin treats the alliance like a joke, abducting and killing righteous cultivators, and now he dares to try and murder my grand-disciple? If I don’t send a message, I might as well give up the title of Sword Immortal!”

“Murder your grand-disciple?” Gongxi Yue had just sheathed her sword. Upon hearing this, she didn’t say another word. She turned and flew off on her sword, disappearing in an instant.

Lang Qingyue’s expression changed as well. She looked at the Senior Disciple with a mixture of frustration and disbelief. “You’re a dignified Sword Immortal—why didn’t you just keep them all here? You actually let them get away!”

Gongxi Yue returned to the Twelfth City and found the entire station reduced to rubble. She stepped over collapsed brick walls and shattered wood, just about to use her Divine Sense to search when Wen Xunzhen emerged from a dark alley, holding Qian in her arms.

Qian lay unconscious, bloodstained, her eyes tightly shut.

Gongxi Yue gripped her sword tightly and slowly walked over.

Seeing her expression, Wen Xunzhen coughed and said, “The blood’s mine. She’s just asleep.”

Gongxi Yue froze mid-step. “…”

Everyone was more or less unharmed. Xue Yingying, who had been overwhelmed by demonic energy, had just woken up. Lang Qingyue and Mu Yiling had also returned. With solemn expressions, the group made their way back to Yunyin Immortal Sect from the Twelfth City.

Among the Yunyin Immortal Sect disciples was Mu Yiling from Snowfall Palace and Wen Xunzhen from Medical Valley.

Mu Yiling had originally set out to search for missing disciples. Though she hadn’t completed her mission, she received a message from her sect instructing her to join the Immortal Assembly at Yunyin Immortal Sect to discuss matters concerning the Demon Realm.

As for Wen Xunzhen, she had been forcibly brought back by Gongxi Yue and her daughter. It wasn’t until they passed through the mountain gate of Yunyin Immortal Sect that she was finally released.

“No need for all this. I’ve got nowhere else to go—I’m not going to run,” Wen Xunzhen said.

Gongxi Yue gave her a once-over. For the first time, the usually cold look in her eyes softened with a hint of relief.

It seemed her mind was finally clear. When she’d run off before, Gongxi Yue had assumed she’d gone to find Xiao Shou and thought she was beyond saving.

“Senior Sister, please head to the Main Peak for the Immortal Assembly. We’re discussing the Demon Race situation,” a disciple said as soon as they returned to the sect.

Gongxi Yue handed Qian over to Wen Xunzhen and said to the girl, “Take your little friends and go get some rest.”

These days, there wasn’t a single person in the Yunyin Immortal Sect who didn’t know Qian. She’d run wild on every peak—chasing chickens, scaring dogs, and even harassing disciples. So when her mother gave her the word, she confidently took Wen Xunzhen’s hand and led her straight back to Crane Cauldron Mountain.

“Zhenzhen, I’m taking you home.”

Having been rescued at a critical moment, the child clung even more tightly to her long-lost playmate. She gave her a full tour of Crane Cauldron Mountain, including the little courtyard and even the secluded cave where her mother went into Closed-door Cultivation.

The courtyard was simple, nothing like the opulence of the Gongxi Family. There weren’t many flowers or plants, just the deep green of pine and cypress.

In front of the courtyard was a wide open space for sword practice. From a giant boulder that offered a view of the sunrise, an old slanted tree stood wrapped in wisteria vines. The varying shades of purple were the only splash of color in the entire place.

Sitting on that boulder, gazing at the distant mountains and the sea of clouds, Wen Xunzhen held Qian in her arms. Her chaotic thoughts finally began to settle.

When she saw Xiao Shou again, she realized he had been lying to her. He wasn’t the gentle, dependable man he had first appeared to be. He didn’t even like her.

But back then, a voice in her heart kept telling her that no matter what, she loved this man—she couldn’t leave him.

So she locked him in that small wooden cabin, watching him constantly.

Sometimes she heard his gentle coaxing, other times his furious curses as he writhed in pain. The longer she stayed by his side, the more she felt something inside her changing—becoming strange.

It wasn’t until she heard Xiao Shou say he wanted to kill Qian that her muddled mind finally cleared.

“Was it all a lie? Not just his feelings for me—were mine for him fake too?”

And what about Qian? Her and Gongxi Yue’s behavior toward her had always been odd, something she could never quite understand. Then there were Xiao Shou’s crazed rants about “strategies” and “affection points”…

“What do my feelings mean to you people?”

Qian nestled in Wen Xunzhen’s arms and, seeing her looking back with tears in her eyes, stopped squirming.

She had been wriggling just a moment ago, complaining that Zhenzhen was hugging her too tightly. But now, seeing her cry, she froze, tucking her head down and nervously shifting her feet.

“Zhenzhen, you’re crying.” The child reached out with a puzzled look and wiped her tears. Then she stood on tiptoe and blew gently on a scratch on Wen Xunzhen’s face, showering her with little puffs of spit.

“Zhenzhen doesn’t hurt, don’t cry.”

“I’ll give you my treasures. And my toys too.”

Her eyes were big and bright, her likes and dislikes written all over her face. She looked like she was about to cry herself.

Wen Xunzhen finally smiled again and buried her face into the little girl’s shoulder.

Forget it.

Gongxi Yue didn’t return until late at night. As her friend, Mu Yiling would be staying temporarily on Crane Cauldron Mountain until the Immortal Sect Assembly concluded.

Recently, it wasn’t just disciples from Snowfall Palace who had gone missing—disciples from several sects had disappeared near the Demon Realm’s border.

On top of that, the Demon Realm had been provoking more frequently in recent years, crossing the Twelfth City boundary to stir up trouble in the Cultivation Realm. Many sects had grown increasingly resentful.

Now, with the Lingzhao Sword Immortal of Yunyin Immortal Sect clashing directly with the Demon Realm, it was clear the Cultivation Realm was done turning the other cheek. Whether it would come to war or negotiation, a decision had to be made.

“I doubt it’ll come to a full-scale war,” Gongxi Yue said calmly. “The Cultivation Realm may have many sects, but each has its own agenda. Even in today’s meeting, plenty of people were hemming and hawing. Unless the Demon Realm strikes directly at their gates, they won’t lift a finger.”

She saw it clearly and hadn’t said a word during the meeting.

Mu Yiling, for once, wasn’t riding her white tiger. She walked slowly beside her. “Can’t really blame them. It’s been years since there was a real war between the Cultivation Realm and the Demon Realm. Even when tensions rise, the Immortal-Demon Convention is usually enough to put each other in their place.”

The two realms had been at peace for many years. Disputes were typically settled during the once-every-sixty-years Immortal-Demon Convention.

Each side would send their most talented disciples to compete, life and death left to fate, grudges settled on the battlefield.

It had been nearly fifty years since the last Convention, which the Demon Realm had lost. Now it seemed they were desperate to reclaim their pride—who knew what they were relying on?

“In the end,” Gongxi Yue said with certainty, “they’ll probably just move the Immortal-Demon Convention forward to resolve the conflict.”

Mu Yiling replied, “Then you’ll likely be the one taking the lead against the Demon Realm again.”

Gongxi Yue snorted. “What’s there to be afraid of?”

Fighting wasn’t the problem. What truly annoyed her was Xiao Shou and Tu Hongying. She worried that her old rival might be swayed by sweet words and end up giving Xiao Shou her fortune and fate.

She’d tried to suppress him many times, yet Xiao Shou always managed to survive against the odds. That meant his luck hadn’t run out.

Thinking of this, Gongxi Yue glanced at her friend Mu Yiling, her tense expression easing.

Every time she thought of all those junior disciples, little sisters, and other girls around her with their heads full of love and romance, she felt like they were missing a screw. Her friend, who never bothered with such nonsense, was a refreshing sight.

As they chatted, they arrived at the sword training ground in front of the courtyard and caught a whiff of smoke—rich with the scent of oil and roasted meat.

Looking closely, they saw Wen Xunzhen sitting under the wisteria tree with Qian, grilling meat over an open flame.

Qian was perched on a small stool, one skewer in each hand, her mouth shining with grease.

She’d take a bite, then gulp down a big mouthful of spirit fruit juice, letting out a satisfied sigh—completely content.

When she saw her mother and godmother returning together, she shamelessly took another big bite, then scooted over to Wen Xunzhen’s side and muttered under her mother’s gaze, “Zhenzhen’s hungry.”

Wen Xunzhen, busy tending the grill, was speechless. “…”

“She’s the one who was hungry,” she explained. “She threw a tantrum, rolling on the ground, demanding roasted meat. Even bribed me with a whole bag of treasures—just for one bite.”

Qian, looking like a greedy little kitten, nodded vigorously.

“What is that? Smells amazing.”

Before Gongxi Yue could say anything, Mu Yiling had already stepped forward to ask. Wen Xunzhen smiled warmly. “Qian asked a senior sister to help prepare it. I heard it’s beef from the yellow cattle raised behind the mountain.”

“Then I have to try some.” Mu Yiling sat down.

Qian scooted up to her, holding up a fragrant skewer and chirping, “This one’s yummy! Eat this one!”

Standing alone to the side, shooting daggers with her eyes, Gongxi Yue watched the trio laughing happily and felt completely left out.

Qian kept sneaking glances at her mother. Noticing her frowning and glaring at them, she leaned in close to whisper in her godmother’s ear.

Mu Yiling turned her head curiously to look at her frozen friend and asked, “Why aren’t you coming over? Don’t like beef skewers?”

Gongxi Yue had no desire to talk to this blockhead. She kept a straight face and said coldly, “I’ve been in seclusion for years. I’ve long since transcended such worldly cravings.”

“Then if you’re not eating, how about helping us grill?” Mu Yiling asked seriously.

Seeing her rendered speechless, Wen Xunzhen lowered her head to stifle a laugh, and Qian giggled mischievously.

Gongxi Yue snapped, “What are you laughing at?”

Everyone thought she was about to lose her temper, but to their surprise, she actually set her sword aside and took the skewers to help with the grilling.

Seeing this, Qian scooted over from Mu Yiling’s side to hers.

“Mom, when you’re done grilling, I get the first bite, okay?”

“We’ll see if I even give you any.”

Qian immediately stood on tiptoe, trying to kiss her on the cheek to coax her.

Gongxi Yue turned her head to dodge. “Your mouth’s all greasy. Don’t kiss me.”

But the kid insisted, and ended up kissing all three of them.

That night, the stars above shone brighter and more brilliantly than ever.