At this moment, only the most trusted person can remain undetected.

The breeze, flowers, snow, and moon remained just as they were in the past.

Bai Xuanling gazed ahead; a monstrous crimson hue filled the sky, and demonic energy surged, yet her mood was exceptionally calm.

So calm that even she felt it was somewhat unreal.

Perhaps it was because she had already experienced this scene in her youth.

Only back then, there wasn't much she could do.

But now, at this moment, she finally possessed the power to say no.

Like a rainbow piercing the sun, her sword intent shook the vast sky.

Qingming pierced through all obstacles in front of her as Bai Xuanling's figure closed in directly on the Heavenly Demon.

Perhaps it had been too long since she last held Qingming; when Bai Xuanling first grasped it, it felt somewhat unfamiliar.

A natural yet strange feeling.

However, Qingming was just as passionate as it had been in the beginning.

That day, Lv Xuan did not stop her, not even saying a word of persuasion.

Because on that day, Bai Xuanling went to see Lv Xuan holding Qingming.

Bai Xuanling didn't recognize what kind of trash the Heavenly Demon with the ferocious expression in front of her was, nor did she know its name or what its abilities were, even as it seemingly opened its mouth to provoke her.

Everyone in the world said that Bai Xuanling, as a living Yama, had a bad temper and was ruthless in her actions.

It was originally thought that mockery could disrupt her state of mind and movements.

In reality, none of it could.

Because she could no longer hear these distracting noises.

What Bai Xuanling wanted to hear was the resonance between herself and her sword, the sound of everything she had gained on her journey of climbing to the top.

Only by resonating with herself and with Qingming in her hand could she see that sliver of the limit.

Qingming trembled and hummed.

A single sword strike leveled mountains and banished shadows, its Dao rhythm flowing endlessly.

Bai Xuanling's posture was graceful, cyan light flowing around her as her eyes locked onto every movement of the Heavenly Demon opposite her.

As the monstrous blood energy surged towards her, she could spot its flaws with just a single glance.

It was as if she was born for slaughter in this life.

Yet, the reason she had stopped was also because of slaughter.

Bai Xuanling raised her hand to clash, her spiritual power recklessly unleashing its full might.

Annihilation.

Raising her sword, the power overturned.

Annihilation.

Bai Xuanling's expression was indifferent as Qingming in her hand pressed down.

Annihilation.

Bai Xuanling only felt her body becoming increasingly light and agile, and her spiritual power, which had almost stagnated in its flow, finally began to boil once more.

A life-and-death battle during the Tribulation Crossing stage was inherently extremely simple.

It was merely a slaughter.

No matter what methods were used, no matter how bizarre.

As long as one was struck, they would die.

Bai Xuanling's eyes were calm as she watched the Heavenly Demon before her employ various methods, tearing through space to shuttle at extreme speeds, turning its origin power into all sorts of techniques.

Along with the cover provided by other Heavenly Demons, all of this was just dazzling fireworks to confuse the eyes, flashy but without substance.

Thunder, frost, and fire dyed the surroundings in a myriad of colors.

Crimson pierced through it all, as a long crimson sword shuttled towards her.

Bai Xuanling's gaze caught it, following the position of the long sword as she looked forward, thrusting out Qingming in her hand—but not to block this sword.

Rather, it was to kill the Heavenly Demon holding the sword.

This sword strike might take her life.

But... so what?

She had never feared death; she was merely trying her best to avoid dying.

Bai Xuanling could feel a smile seemingly hanging on the corners of her mouth, as Qingming fell silent.

The spiritual power of a Great Perfection Tribulation Crossing cultivator resonated, and Dao rhythm swept out from Qingming.

The various techniques in the surroundings were swept clear in an instant.

Revealing the truest appearance of things.

The Heavenly Demon thrusting its sword formed from origin power at her.

And Bai Xuanling, holding Qingming, intending to take the Heavenly Demon's life.

The Heavenly Demon looked into Bai Xuanling's calm eyes and at that indomitable Qingming, immediately understanding Bai Xuanling's intentions.

Its figure paused slightly, seemingly hesitating.

Bai Xuanling chuckled lightly in her heart—in the face of life and death, those who hesitated had the highest probability of dying.

This could be considered her voice of experience.

Bai Xuanling had thought this group of Heavenly Demons wouldn't fear death.

In this position, locked on by this divine sense, no amount of hesitation would allow an escape.

Qingming transformed into a streak of cyan light.

Piercing through.

At this moment, Bai Xuanling recklessly mobilized all of her power.

The cyan light dazzled the sky, like ink splashed on a painting.

More than half of the Heavenly Demon's body was destroyed, its form blasted into the ground. Crimson origin power scattered outward, as if embellishing the cyan light that was currently more dazzling than a bright sun.

Bai Xuanling did not pursue; instead, her figure quickly retreated backward to open up the distance. Meanwhile, Xu Linglong had drawn her bowstring to the full, and the shot arrow of origin power was still tracking her.

Qingming left her hand, shrouded in cyan light, flying out to block the origin arrow.

Bai Xuanling did not look down; instead, she directly raised her hand and pulled out the origin longsword that had pierced her left shoulder. She then forcefully crushed it, and the origin longsword dissipated into crimson fragments of light.

The pain in her left shoulder made her feel somewhat nostalgic.

Aside from Chu Xingchen's pills, she indeed hadn't felt this sensation in a long time.

Bai Xuanling's gaze swept across, looking towards Xu Linglong, who had shot the origin arrow at her. She raised her hand, and Qingming returned to her grasp.

She cast a sideways glance at Qingming, only to find that it had turned somewhat red.

Is the blood of Heavenly Demons also red?

Bai Xuanling shifted her eyes again and suddenly came to a realization.

It was her own spiritual energy that had turned red; at this moment, her overflowing spiritual power was an intertwining of cyan and red.

Originally, Bai Xuanling thought it was the Heavenly Demon's origin power clashing with her spiritual power.

True, Qingming was a spiritual treasure and divine weapon that Bai Xuanling had painstakingly forged; how could it be stained with blood?

Bai Xuanling's figure did not hesitate as she charged straight in Xu Linglong's direction.

Her figure shuttled back and forth, the cyan and red colors leaving behind only faint afterimages.

Seeing this, Xu Linglong retreated with extreme decisiveness, her expression seemingly holding a trace of joy.

Bai Xuanling's figure paused once again. With a backhand strike of Qingming, she knocked down the surging origin power, and cast another sideways glance.

She saw a Heavenly Demon looking at her with a provocative expression, seemingly saying something.

Silent clamor was still clamor.

Bai Xuanling furrowed her brows. Just as she was about to leap forward and suppress it, she felt as if she had forgotten something.

She instinctively looked back and saw the place where the earth had been smashed through, where underground water currents were surging and beginning to overflow, only to remember that she had forgotten to deliver the finishing blow.

The Heavenly Demon there had also long since disappeared without a trace.

Bai Xuanling took two heavy breaths, only to realize that the hand holding Qingming seemed to be trembling slightly.

Her expression slowly calmed down as she began to recall things to adjust to the current situation.

But the very next moment.

A sentence welled up from the bottom of her heart, striking her at her core.

[Sister, you can't even hold a sword steadily; how are you going to protect me?]

Bai Xuanling subconsciously gripped Qingming tightly. As she raised her gaze, she felt that everything before her eyes was starting to turn red.

Just like back then.

Only now, she could hold her sword steadily, and she could also protect her.

Qingming flew from Bai Xuanling's grasp, eclipsing the morning glow.

The cyan light seemed to descend from the heavens, heading straight for the provocatively looking Heavenly Demon.

Bai Xuanling was about to fly over and suppress it, intending to kill this enemy first.

But the next moment, Bai Xuanling's body stiffened; her arm had been grabbed by someone.

In a life-and-death struggle, being grabbed silently by someone was tantamount to death.

Bai Xuanling glared fiercely—was she still unable to do anything?

Looking back, what entered Bai Xuanling's eyes was the face of a young, handsome man.

Since Qingming had already left her hand, Bai Xuanling threw a punch without the slightest hesitation.

A myriad of techniques formed into a white shield, blocking this direct blow.

However, the force of a Great Perfection Tribulation Crossing cultivator penetrated through, still causing Chu Xingchen to cough up blood heavily.

Chu Xingchen still held tightly onto Bai Xuanling's hand, shouting loudly:

Bai Xuanling! Do you only care about the dead? What about the living?

Bai Xuanling had already raised her hand once more, but upon hearing these words, her movements suddenly halted.

The only person capable of approaching her at this moment without being detected,

was not some cultivator at the peak of the Tribulation Transcendence realm.

Instead, it could only be her most trusted confidant.