Despite her victory, Yan Yu felt unsatisfied with her enemy's death. Still, she took solace in knowing that one of her most despised foes was finally gone.

Yan Yu turned her attention to plundering the Xia clan's wealth. She gathered thousands of spirit stones, pills that enhanced cultivation, and various talismans for offense and defense. She even found rare talismans capable of regenerating limbs. She left the weapons untouched, deeming them not worth the hassle of selling.

After taking everything of value, Yan Yu destroyed all the Xia clan's techniques and set fire to their compound. She then hunted down every servant, gardener, and fleeing clan member, including mothers with their children. The clan's decision to live on isolated peaks, separate from the "worthless" mortals, made it easy for Yan Yu to track them down. They could only hide among rocks, trees, and in holes, unable to blend into a crowd.

When it was over, Yan Yu descended the stairs slowly. Her purple robes were stained with blood, some even splattered on her pale face. She decided to find a river to wash herself. Though her robes could clean themselves and she knew techniques to cleanse her body, she felt the need to wash manually.

As she walked, Yan Yu pondered her future and the tasks ahead to right the wrongs of the past. She also considered which enemies she could defeat with her current strength.

"If I'm not mistaken, there's a dangerous spirit beast living nearby," she mused.

This spirit beast could use techniques like a human cultivator and harbored a burning desire to destroy the Burning World Sect. In Yan Yu's past life, it had become Xia Weiyuan's pet and killed billions and destroyed many sects and nations. Some of Yan Yu's sisters had died fighting this beast.

With Xia Weiyuan dead, the spirit beast might not be a total enemy and could even be used against the Burning World Sect. However, letting it roam free seemed risky. Plus, Yan Yu wanted to avenge her sisters by killing this strange creature—a green frog that looked like it was made of moss, with fire wings and the ability to control an inverted triangle artifact. Nodding to herself, Yan Yu decided to kill the frog. It shouldn't be too strong right now and was likely nearby.

Her thoughts then drifted to a young man from her sect, Liu Xing. Xia Yongzhi had apparently made contact with him, which was odd. Did Liu Xing have a connection to the Xia clan? Or was it mere coincidence?

Whatever the case, Yan Yu knew this world wouldn't be the same as her past life. She had already made different choices, and she suspected these changes were rippling outward and altering the future. She hoped her actions would lead to a better future for herself and a hellish fate for her enemies.

Suddenly, a face flashed in her mind. That bastard, that scum. She would gut him and tear him to pieces.

"Wait for me, you scum," she snarled.

As she spoke, everything around her—trees, grass, stairs, even a bird perched on a branch—turned to ice and shattered into billions of pieces.

***

High in the sky, among a sea of white clouds, a child with blue hair and blue eyes stood on a black platform thinner than paper. This kid, Hao Yun, looked down and smiled at the sight of the most interesting person he'd seen in a while.

"Yan Yu, huh," Hao Yun muttered.

When that girl first stepped into his sect, Hao Yun knew something was off about her. She felt like an old monster, layered with secrets that only the most brilliant mind could unravel.

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By all accounts, she was an ideal cultivator. She had talent, a powerful bloodline, and the ruthless mindset needed to advance in a cultivation world. Yet, many of her actions didn't make sense. The massacre of the Xia clan was one such puzzling move.

Hao Yun looked at the still burning Xia Clan compound as well as a man who died crawling towards his clan. They were a small sect, really small. They only had one cultivator beyond the Lock Opening realm, and even in the Twelve Sun Empire, they were mere ants. Yet, Yan Yu had moved straight from Purple Moon Sect to annihilate this clan. She had stopped briefly when she realized there was treasure nearby, but from the start, she had intended to wipe them out.

From his investigation, Hao Yun knew that Yan Yu came from a small clan in the northern part of the continent. She was a former genius who had been crippled by her uncle and cast aside, only to regain her ability to cultivate.

While her past wasn't smooth, there was no apparent connection between her and the Xia clan. No known animosity existed between them. As far as he knew, this was Yan Yu's first encounter with the Xia clan members. Yet, she had massacred them as if they had killed her parents.

This decision made her even more intriguing to Hao Yun, who loved mysteries. He had methods to instantly learn everything about her, but he decided it would be more fun to solve this puzzle himself. Plus, she was incredibly talented, and Hao Yun was always interested in talented individuals.

As he observed Yan Yu, he wondered about her next move. Then, his gaze drifted to the horizon, and he thought about Liu Xing.

This guy only had mediocre talent, but his luck seemed to be through the roof. He possessed some powerful artifacts and a decent mind for tinkering with the interface, as well as the right disposition to be granted limited access to the hidden library. As far as Hao Yun knew, only he, the Twelve Elders—currently only eleven members—and Liu Xing had access to it. This made Liu Xing interesting. What did Hao Yun's father see in Liu Xing that he couldn't?

Hao Yun grinned, then began to laugh. His laughter was cheerful, like the ringing of a bell. He had thought he could only play with Yan Yu, but now another person had caught his interest. This made him think of the other two: Shen Ye and Yi Yurong. Were they also interesting?

Hao Yun decided to investigate them and suddenly disappeared. If anyone had been able to see Hao Yun up in the sky, they would have thought he was just an illusion that vanished in the blink of an eye, though a lingering shadow remained for a moment after he disappeared.

What remained was only the echo of his laughter among the sea of clouds and an invisible moon that couldn't be seen in daylight, yet was always there, observing everything.

***

Liu Xing lay on a soft futon inside a small but spacious cave he had carved himself. A white blanket covered him, its weight on his chest making him feel warm and secure. Nearby, a bonfire danced, providing light and chasing away the cold air.

After escaping from the terrifying spirit beast with ink-black skin, golden snakes for limbs, and coconuts for ears, he ran as fast as he could. At first, he fled in a random direction, trying to put as much distance as possible between himself and the place where Elder Xia Juetian had died. Then he arrived at a small town without fanfare. Still invisible, he had run inside, found a clothing shop, and taken several outfits, a blanket, a futon, and some large bags. He had then searched for a place to wash and calm himself. After that, he reluctantly dropped his invisibility and asked for directions to the capital.

Now, about twelve hours later, Liu Xing was nearly at the Twelve Sun Empire's capital, the City of Suns. But before he could arrive, a heavy rain had begun to fall so he had carved this small cave and was now resting comfortably.

As the bonfire crackled, the sound of rain pattering outside made the night feel peaceful. The howling wind and creaking branches created a comforting symphony. Liu Xing lay beneath the soft blanket, his eyes tracing the smooth brown roof of the cave. Carved by his lightning blade, it almost shone as if made of polished granite. He could see lines of black and gold intertwining like rivers trying to merge.

As he followed these lines, the sounds of the elements soothing him, his mind returned to the spirit beast. Especially the black one with green coconuts for ears, golden snakes for limbs, and wriggling yellow teeth. This spirit beast had looked almost ridiculous, yet Liu Xing couldn't laugh when he remembered it. After all, that creature had nearly killed him.

Liu Xing inhaled deeply, trying to calm his racing mind, and closed his eyes. As darkness enveloped him, a tempting whisper arose from a corner of his heart. It argued that these spirit beasts weren't his problem. He could simply ignore them and flee to another nation. Wasn't he in the middle of a race to become an inner disciple? What if his pursuit of this matter cost him his chance at that coveted position? Logically, it made sense to walk away.