Things didn’t seem to be going well.
Su Luo thought pushing the Demon Lord out might not be a bad idea.
But then again, the Demon Lord couldn’t die just yet.
Su Luo stepped forward, shielding the Demon Lord: "I’m afraid she won’t be staying."
"If I insist otherwise?"
"Then there’s nothing to be done."
Su Luo drew Xia Ying, ready for battle.
The Demon Lord, gripping the Heavenly Demon Sword, doubted Su Luo could handle Nangong Xiyun.
"I’ll join you."
"No need," Su Luo refused. "I won’t be able to protect you if we fight."
"Are you underestimating me?" Though Jiang Ningshu hadn’t fully recovered to her second stage, her strength was still formidable.
"No, but your peak hasn’t returned yet. Today, you’ll listen to me, right?"
"...Yes."
"Then stay back—no, go to the spot I showed you. I’ll hold her off."
Jiang Ningshu hesitated but obeyed. She had promised to follow his lead today.
Nangong Xiyun slashed out a sword beam to block Jiang Ningshu’s retreat.
Su Luo intercepted it effortlessly.
"I’ll be your opponent."
Su Luo hadn’t planned to fight Nangong Xiyun so soon. In the past, every challenge he issued ended in defeat—utter, crushing losses. Even at his peak, he’d never managed to push her to her limits.
But now, armed with new skills, he at least wouldn’t be humiliated. Winning, however? That would require reaching the Great Ascension Realm.
Su Luo struck first, channeling Nangong Xiyun’s power—though he couldn’t wield it too fiercely, his body still couldn’t withstand such overwhelming force.
"Void-Splitting Strike: Zero!"
Space split violently, a jagged rift tearing through the fabric of reality.
Nangong Xiyun’s blade sealed the fissure shut with a single stroke.
Their swords clashed in rapid succession, faster and faster until the blades became invisible.
"Hey… are you angry?" Su Luo asked.
"No."
Liar. Her fury practically radiated off her. Su Luo could feel it in her strikes. "Why? Did I do something?"
"No." Nangong Xiyun pressed her assault.
Su Luo didn’t let his guard down.
At first, his familiarity with her techniques gave him a slight edge.
But Nangong Xiyun adapted swiftly, effortlessly recalibrating. Her improvisation was flawless.
The stalemate was an illusion. Su Luo knew prolonged combat only spelled his defeat.
In a split-second gamble, Su Luo let Nangong Xiyun’s blade slash his waist—while his own sword struck hers.
Earlier, he’d rolled the dice. A nine.
His sword slammed into her like a bat hitting a ball, launching her backward.
Meanwhile, he clutched his side, gritting his teeth. Even with half the damage negated, the pain was sharp.
Nangong Xiyun rose, unharmed. A single strike wouldn’t fell her—she was no pushover.
She closed the distance again. From the start, she’d treated Su Luo as a top-tier opponent.
"You continue to surprise me," she said coldly, careful not to betray too much emotion. If Su Luo realized she was A’Yun, things would get complicated.
"Pretend you didn’t see it," Su Luo replied.
Being on her radar was trouble, though he knew his words were pointless.
They clashed again.
Suddenly, Su Luo’s eyes glowed violet, energy bursting forth.
If physical attacks failed, he’d strike her mind.
He sought to unleash the inner demon Nangong Xiyun had sealed away. He knew it was futile—even if it surfaced, she’d suppress it again. But buying time was enough.
Diving deep into her psyche, Su Luo froze.
Where was the demon?
The sealed darkness that once tormented her—gone.
Huh? Is that… a portrait of me?
Before he could focus, he was ejected.
"You—what did you see?!" Nangong Xiyun’s voice wavered, tense and hurried.
But Su Luo had his own question: "Where’s your inner demon?!"
"We reconciled. That’s why I reached the Great Ascension."
"…What?"
Su Luo’s confusion was palpable. That wasn’t how it happened in the original timeline—her demon was supposed to be destroyed later. Reconciliation made no sense.
Nangong Xiyun relaxed. He hadn’t seen it.
"Wait, I think I noticed—"
"You saw nothing." She swung her sword again.
"I wasn’t hallucinating. Why was there a painting of me?"
"Because you’re a formidable opponent. I take you seriously." Her tone was deadpan.
"…Really?"
Su Luo almost believed her. The Nangong Xiyun he knew—when not playing a role—never lied.
"Really."
She had already locked her mental world. No more intrusions.
Regardless, Su Luo couldn’t afford distractions. He focused solely on survival.
Their blades, once a storm of motion, gradually slowed.
Yet this wasn’t fatigue—it was a higher level of swordsmanship.
Every strike carried profound intricacies, their power mounting.
Each collision shook the earth, the battlefield long reduced to ruin.
In this deadly dance, a single misstep meant defeat—for Su Luo, at least. Nangong Xiyun, a Great Ascension cultivator, wouldn’t fall so easily.
[The Jester’s Delight]
Nangong Xiyun: "Ahahahaha—!"
She stiffened. Why was she laughing? Su Luo’s doing, no doubt.
His tricks were endless—and she couldn’t counter this one.
Laughing mid-battle wasn’t her style. Being watched by Su Luo made it worse. Her icy demeanor was crumbling.
Good. That was the point.
Since he couldn’t win fairly, he’d exploit every advantage.
I’ll defeat you just once, Nangong Xiyun—no matter what it takes!
…Wait. Wasn’t I supposed to stall and escape?
Why am I getting fired up?
No matter. Fight first, think later.
Su Luo disengaged. "Enough. Let’s end this with one strike."
The dice landed on five.
[Charging…]
Nangong Xiyun nodded. Originally, she’d come to reconnect with Su Luo in her true identity, to mend their rapport. Yet here they were.
But retreat wasn’t an option now. And this battle had taught her much.
Nangong Xiyun lifted his sword, his demeanor utterly calm, yet beneath that serenity lay an unfathomable power gathering momentum.
Su Luo inhaled deeply, then exhaled slowly, as strands of spiritual energy began coiling around her, growing denser by the second.
In an instant, an immense surge of spiritual energy coalesced around Su Luo’s body before being channeled entirely into Xia Ying—this strike was pure offense, with no thought of defense.
Xia Ying trembled with excitement. After being sealed away for so long, it was finally free to unleash its full potential.
iving with nine beautiful women. [Ding! Welcome back to the Joyous Sect, Host…] Lin Yu: ??? I’m clearly in a shared rental, but you’re saying I’m in the Joyous Sect? Watering plants is now [Tending to Spiritual Flora]? Cooking becomes [Researching Elixirs]? Making the bed turns into [Setting Up Formations]? A gentle and innocent auntie, twin classmates, a mysterious hacker girl on leave, a severely socially anxious artist, an elementary school Chinese teacher, a community hospital nurse, a pet shop owner, an antique clock restorer… This system… is kinda interesting.
fe full of thrilling battles, ultimately sacrificing himself to protect his homeland and its people. Unexpectedly, he was reborn into his youth, where he encountered the campus ice queen, Ye Miyue, now working as a masseuse at his family's martial arts school. "How long have you been doing this?" "I-it's my first time..." the campus belle murmured, her head bowed. Wang Xian remembered clearly that back then, although Ye Miyue had not yet awakened her martial arts talent, her outstanding academic performance, breathtaking beauty, and icy demeanor had made her the moon goddess of every boy in school. He was no exception. In his previous life, they had no connection, never imagining they would meet under such circumstances. Sadly, today the city was attacked by an S-class beast, the 'Wind King Falcon,' destroying nearly half of the city streets. Ye Miyue had died on her way home during this disaster. Now, given a second chance, facing the campus goddess of his youth, Wang Xian resolutely decided to extend her session! And so. "My hands are tired..." the blushing campus belle whispered, relieved. Wang Xian pointed to her slender calves and said, "Who said only hands can massage? There are feet too!" "Extend the session, continue!"
g Yu was preparing for retirement when her organization decided to eliminate her. She transmigrated to a zombie apocalypse world. However, a tiny unexpected situation occurred: She somehow transformed into an adorable little girl?!
m back to his original world. In the end, he realized he had overthought things. [Hey, why is Shen Manni, the female lead, acting strange? Shouldn't she be fawning over the male lead at this point?] [Zhou Qiaoqiao, are you sick? Weren't you supposed to break off your engagement today?] [Damn it! An Youyi, please do your job as an undercover agent and sell my information to the protagonist, you idiot!] ... At this moment, Xu Mo himself didn't know that these female leads had already heard his inner thoughts. Then they decided not to play by the rules. Xu Mo: Please respect my profession as the big villain!
