Su Yunmiao’s revelation hung in the air, heavy and intoxicating. Zhang Xian processed the implications for a moment before curiosity overwhelmed his caution.

“Dare I ask, Esteemed Elder,” he ventured, his voice respectful but probing, “what realm have you actually reached?”

A mysterious, almost playful smile curved Su Yunmiao’s lips. “My realm? That is not for you to know yet. However…” She shifted, her posture radiating a casual arrogance that felt as natural as breathing. “I heard you offended the Guiyuan Sect of the Central Continent? Do not lose sleep over it. If we are debating who truly sits at the apex of this world, Song Taichu is still waiting for his turn.”

Zhang Xian mentally cursed the riddle-speaking powerhouse but felt a mountain of weight lift off his shoulders. This woman didn’t just ignore the Central Continent giants; she looked down on them.

The good news: he had hugged a thigh so thick it defied comprehension. The bad news: his [Teacher’s Halo] was only a trial version. If he could have formally bowed and taken her as his Master right now, it would have been the ultimate shortcut to immortality.

As if reading his greed, Su Yunmiao produced several ancient jade boxes from her sleeve.

“It is poor form for an elder to accept gifts without reciprocation,” she said, floating the boxes toward him. “I know your pockets are deep, and common treasures bore you. These are trinkets I have collected over the years. Consider them a meeting gift.”

Zhang Xian caught them, his interest piqued. He popped the first lid. Inside sat two golden pills, their aroma so rich it cleared his mind instantly.

“The [Yellow Court Spirit Cleansing Pill],” Su Yunmiao explained. “Your spiritual roots are complete, but their quality is raw. These contain a trace of congenital essence. They will scrub the impurities from your foundation. Not as miraculous as your Creation Pills, but useful.”

Useful? This is exactly what I needed.

Zhang Xian’s eyes lit up. He had been fretting over how to upgrade his newly acquired Five Elements roots. “Thank you, Ancestor! This is exactly what this disciple lacks.”

He opened the second box. Inside lay a pair of warm, translucent white jade pendants, carved to resemble birds in flight.

“The [United Heart Winged Pendants],” she said. “A pair. When worn by two people, they create a bond that ignores almost all spatial seals. Activate one, and you will instantly teleport to the wearer of the other, regardless of distance.”

She paused, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “However, they are single-use. The jade will shatter upon arrival.”

She leaned forward slightly. “I hear you have… many red-hued confidantes? You will have to decide who is worthy of holding the other half.”

Instant, unblockable teleportation.

Zhang Xian’s heart hammered. This was better than the [Void Breaking Shuttle], which cost blood essence to use. This was free. As for the single-use limit? He would just have the System clone it later.

He stashed the pendants with reverence. “Ancestor’s gifts are truly extraordinary. Disciple thanks you again.”

Su Yunmiao looked at his genuine delight and felt her vanity stroked. “Go on, then. I have messaged Sect Leader Xing Jie. She will not trouble you.”

“Disciple takes his leave.” Zhang Xian bowed and summoned his vessel.

“Wait.”

Su Yunmiao raised a hand. She pointed two fingers like a sword, gathering a speck of starlight at the tip. With a flick, she sent the light drifting into Zhang Xian’s chest.

It sank into him, washing over his body like cool water before vanishing into an invisible veil.

“I sensed someone using Heavenly Calculation techniques to hunt you,” she said, her voice turning cold. “This [Star Concealment] mark will blind them. Unless their cultivation surpasses mine, they will find nothing but fog.”

Zhang Xian stiffened. The [Demon Nest]. They were hunting him.

“Thank you for your protection, Ancestor.”

This time, he didn’t hesitate. He boarded his vessel, turning into a streak of prismatic light that tore through the sky, leaving the misty islands of Penglai behind.

He glanced back one last time, his gaze hardening.

Wait for me, Lele. I will be strong enough. I will be your shield.

The journey back to the Southern Capital took days of flight and teleportation transfers. When Zhang Xian finally stepped out of the array in the capital, the atmosphere hit him like a physical weight.

The usual roar of the imperial city was gone, replaced by a suffocating hush.

The streets were thin on crowds. Cultivators hurried with their heads down. The air tasted of panic.

Above, the massive dome of the Zhou Tian Grand Array hummed at full power, casting a shimmering light over the city. But the barrier brought no comfort. Everyone knew the truth now: the enemy was a Nascent Soul monster who could walk through walls and eat souls.

Rumors of the shadow assassin had spread like plague. The Grand Array was a majestic wall, but against a ghost, it was just decoration.

In the central plaza, Emperor Xia Xuanyin sat on a high platform, his golden robes stark against the gray mood. His voice boomed across the city via amplification arrays, issuing orders to sect cultivators and city guards. He projected strength, but the furrow in his brow betrayed his fear.

Perfected Being Shouheng led a team of array masters in a frantic effort to reinforce the city’s nodes. Runes flashed and flickered as they worked, desperate to patch the unpatchable.

Every high-level cultivator knew it was theater. The demon’s corrupted life essence rotted array formations like acid. They were buying time, not safety.

Zhang Xian pulled his hood down and moved quickly through the anxious streets, heading straight for the Yunmiao Sect’s estate.

He pushed open the heavy doors of the courtyard.

“Zhang Xian!”

“Brother!”

Two figures blurred toward him.

Lin Yinyin and Li Fuxi stopped just short of tackling him. They had known he was alive via jade slip, but seeing him in the flesh—breathing, whole—was a different relief entirely.

Li Fuxi’s usually icy demeanor cracked. Her face flushed with a rare, sharp anger.

“Zhang Xian! You possess gall bigger than the heavens!”

She stepped forward, her chest heaving. “Do you have any idea what you walked into? That was a Nascent Soul entity! The apex of this world! You… you dared to chase it alone?”

Her eyes were wide, round with fear and fury. “If you ever do something that stupid again…”

Zhang Xian looked at her flushed face and felt a warm current in his chest. He held up his hands in surrender, grinning.

“Yes, yes, Master is right. This disciple was rash. I promise, never again.”