Farewell, Jiang Ningshu

The screams gradually faded, as the black threads had pierced enough to claim lives.

"Ugh, this is too brutal."

The righteous faction had no choice but to take Su Luo seriously now—they had underestimated him before.

But Su Luo halted his attacks. If he had wanted, not a single demonic cultivator would have escaped.

However, he needed to leave some for Jiang Ningshu. She would be arriving soon.

The remaining demonic cultivators stopped fleeing and obediently engaged the righteous faction.

Thus, the battle reverted to its initial state.

Lin Xuan declared, "Ignore Su Luo. Focus on the other demonic cultivators. I’ll handle him."

Since Lin Xuan had spoken, the righteous faction obeyed without question, turning their attacks back on the demonic forces.

Lin Xuan and Su Luo stood facing each other, neither making the first move.

To onlookers, it was a classic standoff between masters—neither acting rashly, waiting for the perfect strike.

At that moment, the demonic faction encountered another problem.

A sword relentlessly reaped their lives.

A very familiar sword—the Heavenly Demon Sword.

"Th-the... the Demon Lord!"

Some members of the Heavenly Demon Sect gasped in shock.

Hadn’t she lost her power? How was this possible?

Jiang Ningshu advanced step by step, cutting them down without pause. "I am no longer your Demon Lord. I am here only for vengeance."

With Jiang Ningshu joining the fray, the battle became completely one-sided. The demonic alliance stood no chance.

Lin Xuan almost pitied them—first dragged into a death trap by Su Luo, then hunted down by their former leader.

Almost. There was no mercy for demonic cultivators.

Now, Su Luo finally moved.

"Lin Xuan! Prepare to die!"

There were many dramatic lines he could’ve used, but it didn’t matter. This was the finale.

And just like before, the scene played out predictably.

Su Luo was swiftly defeated.

If the fallen demonic cultivators knew, they’d die all over again in disbelief.

Where was all that earlier bravado?

Su Luo collapsed heavily onto the ground.

"Didn’t expect it to go so smoothly. Good. Kill Su Luo, and this ends here."

Several righteous cultivators closed in, but despite their words, none dared act recklessly.

A cornered beast was most dangerous.

They looked to Lin Xuan, waiting for him to deliver the final blow.

Lin Xuan, however, was waiting—for Su Luo to escape, so he could give a half-hearted chase and call it a day.

Just then, Jiang Ningshu finished slaughtering the remaining Heavenly Demon Sect members and approached.

"Let him go."

The righteous faction hesitated. This former Demon Lord was clearly formidable—they’d seen her in action.

Someone asked, "So... whose side are you on?"

"I have no side. I act for myself. He saved me once. This repays that debt."

Her stance was clear: she was shielding Su Luo.

Silence fell.

But tension simmered beneath the surface. The righteous faction couldn’t simply let Su Luo walk away.

All eyes turned to Lin Xuan for the final decision.

Lin Xuan wanted to agree immediately, but he forced himself to appear thoughtful.

After a long pause, he finally nodded.

"Fine. Let him go."

With his approval, the others reluctantly backed down.

Su Luo shouted, "Demon Lord, return! Now that your strength is restored, you can reclaim your place!"

"No. The Heavenly Demon Sect has no place for me anymore. Leave." Jiang Ningshu’s voice was icy.

Su Luo tried a few more heartfelt pleas, but she remained unmoved.

Grudgingly, he retreated.

Lin Xuan and the others mopped up the remaining demonic forces. By all accounts, this was a resounding victory—far easier than expected.

Jiang Ningshu left as well. She had only come to hunt the Heavenly Demon Sect, not to ally with Lin Xuan’s group.

Solitude suited her better.

And so, she wandered off alone... straight to Su Luo.

So much for solitude.

"Well? I carried out your plan perfectly, didn’t I?"

"Flawlessly. Good work."

Indeed, the entire battle had been staged—a script Su Luo and Jiang Ningshu had prepared in advance.

"It’s been a while, Su Luo."

"Yeah, long time no see."

(Not really.)

"Truly too long, Jiang Ningshu."

Nangong Xiyun arrived, her voice light. She’d intended to help Su Luo but found no opening, so she’d observed from the shadows instead.

Meanwhile, Little Yu was busy elsewhere, ensuring no demonic cultivators escaped alive.

"Could you leave?" Jiang Ningshu wasn’t in the mood for Nangong Xiyun—not when she wanted to catch up with Su Luo.

"I’m already here. Why would I leave?"

Nangong Xiyun didn’t budge.

"Tch." Jiang Ningshu gave up and decided to ignore her.

Lately, she’d been recovering her third-stage power, though progress was slow. Still, she’d regained strength up to the early Mahayana realm. The rest would take time.

Nangong Xiyun, too, had been steadily improving.

Beyond Mahayana, cultivation relied more on enlightenment. A breakthrough in understanding brought faster progress—far quicker than secluded meditation.

(Unless enlightenment eluded you.)

Though Nangong Xiyun often seemed idle, she never neglected her growth. Even during her time as "A-Yun," she’d secretly pondered ways to advance.

"Let’s go. It’s over," Su Luo said.

"Mm-hmm." Nangong Xiyun looped her arm through his and rested her head on his shoulder.

Jiang Ningshu’s eye twitched.

"Nangong Xiyun, what’s gotten into you? Since when do you act like this?"

"Jiang Ningshu, could you go somewhere else?"

"Why?"

"Because Su Luo and I have... things to do."

"What ‘things’?" Jiang Ningshu frowned.

Nangong Xiyun kissed Su Luo’s cheek. "Now you get it."

Jiang Ningshu wondered if Nangong Xiyun had lost her mind. Since when was she like this?

But seeing her so smug, Jiang Ningshu decided to ruin her fun.

"Su Luo, I helped you pull off this big scheme. Don’t I deserve a reward?"

"What do you want?"

Jiang Ningshu smirked. "For one month, Nangong Xiyun isn’t allowed to touch you."

Nangong Xiyun: ?

"What? How is that my problem?"

"I just don’t like you."

Jiang Ningshu had only wanted an excuse to talk to Su Luo, but now she’d found an even better use for her "reward."

"Su Luo, don’t agree."

Ahem. "Her request isn’t unreasonable."

Honestly, Jiang Ningshu had helped him. A reward was fair, and her demand wasn’t excessive.

Nangong Xiyun panicked. She’d only just begun savoring the sweetness of love—now it was being cut short.

"Seven days," she bargained.

"You’re haggling? A month is nothing for you." Jiang Ningshu held firm.

"Seven days."

"One month."

"SEVEN DAYS!"

"ONE MONTH!"

Finally, Nangong Xiyun relented. "Fine. One month. But no more after this."

She glared at Jiang Ningshu, warning her never to use a "reward" like this again.