Transforming into a stunningly beautiful fox spirit, leaving a scar on the heart of a prodigy.

Su Chang'an raised his illusory right hand. His pale fingertips gently beckoned towards the broken sword.

hum.

A deep, resonant sword cry pierced the wind and snow. The broken sword rose from the ground. It drew a straight black trajectory in mid-air, passing directly through the strangulation array of Geng metal evil energy and the protective shield of righteous energy. Neither array offered any resistance. The broken sword hovered steadily above Su Chang'an's palm.

The sword trembled slightly. All killing intent vanished. It rested against Su Chang'an's translucent palm, emitting a faint hum.

Su Chang'an gazed at the sword. She knew whose will resided within its blade. She extended her left hand, forcing out a drop of extremely concentrated Heavenly Fox Essence from her fingertips. This drop of essence was dark red, radiating a faint yet pure warmth. With her fingertips, she meticulously inscribed a single character on the white bone blade.

and so on.

Blood-red characters seeped into the sword's core. The broken sword resonated powerfully. Black sword energy flowed around the edges of the characters, deeply imprinting them into the blade.

Su Chang'an flicked her wrist. With the last ounce of strength in her soul, she hurled the broken sword into the depths of the north.

"Go back to your master."

Su Chang'an's voice was very weak, carrying an undeniable weariness.

Tell him I'm waiting for him here.

The broken sword transformed into a black lightning bolt, tearing through the gloomy sky of the far north. Its sword energy pierced through the heavy snow and disappeared into the distance.

Gu Xiang knelt in the snow. He stared in the direction the broken sword had gone. The muscles in his gaunt face twitched repeatedly. His heart, usually so sensitive, beat slightly erratically. The sword's owner. Su Qing wanted the sword to go back to its owner. She was going to wait for him here.

Gu Xiang gripped the calligraphy brush tightly in his hand. His nails dug into his palm, drawing blood. He had traveled thousands of miles, burning himself out to get here. He thought he was facing only a tiger demon with fur and horns. Now, there was another unknown man. Moreover, Su Qing's attitude towards that man carried an undeniable bond.

Bai Yin's reaction was even more direct. He knelt on one knee on the frozen ground. His blood-stained hands dug into the rocks, crushing them into powder. His bloodshot eyes were fixed on the north. The word "wait" pierced every nerve in his body. He had waited three thousand years to earn her promise. Now, she was waiting here for another man.

Jealousy and a sense of crisis simultaneously erupted in Gu Xiang and Bai Yin's hearts. They turned their heads, their eyes meeting. This time, they saw the same apprehension in each other's eyes. The presence of a third man had shattered their previous balance of power.

After Su Chang'an finished doing all this, his arm fell limply to his side.

Her spiritual energy was stretched to its limit. The wind and snow in her vision began to distort. Darkness surged in from all sides, quickly engulfing her consciousness.

Her grayish-white body fell backward.

"Qing'er!"

"Little Nine!"

Two distorted roars rang out simultaneously.

Gu Xiang mustered all his strength and pushed off the snow with both legs. His withered body lunged forward. He stretched out his thin arms, trying to catch the remnant soul that was about to fall to the ground.

Bai Yin's movements were equally swift. He ignored the laceration on his back, his tall frame becoming a blur. His large, blood-stained hand reached forward.

They both tried to catch her with their own bodies. Their shoulders collided heavily in mid-air. Neither was willing to give way an inch. The dull thud echoed within the barrier. The righteous energy and the malevolent energy of Geng metal clashed violently due to their master's loss of control, bursting forth with blinding light.

At a critical moment.

A streak of icy blue sword light slashed in from the side.

The sword light, carrying extreme cold, cut directly between Gu Xiang and Bai Yin. The light didn't harm them, but it possessed an irresistible, gentle force that forced each of them back half a step.

Luo Qingxue appeared inside the barrier, carrying a long sword. Her face was completely bloodless. The previous battle and the backlash from the formation had left her with severe internal injuries. Stains of blood still clung to the corners of her mouth.

She made a hand seal with her left hand.

A soft ice crystal barrier formed beneath Su Chang'an.

Su Chang'an's remnant soul landed steadily on the ice crystal barrier. The icy crystals supported her, preventing her soul from colliding with the ground. The faint light emanating from the ice crystals barely protected the last vestiges of Su Chang'an's consciousness.

Luo Qingxue turned her head. Her eyes were filled with conflict. She looked at the two men rolling on the ground from the impact. One was the Prime Minister of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and the other was a peerless demon. At this moment, they were completely like two madmen fighting over an object, utterly disheveled. Her Daoist heart, which had been detached from worldly affairs, was strongly shaken at this moment. She could not understand this obsession that transcended life and death, yet she was truly shocked by it.

"If you keep arguing, she'll really be gone."

Luo Qingxue's voice was cold and carried a blunt warning.

Gu Xiang and Bai Yin stopped moving at the same time. They got up from the snow and stared intently at the ice crystal barrier held up by Luo Qingxue. Seeing that Su Chang'an's soul had not yet collapsed, their tense nerves relaxed slightly.

Luo Qingxue looked at Su Chang'an's increasingly transparent soul.

"My sect's forbidden area, the Ice Soul Cold Pool, is the only place in the Northern Region that can nurture the soul."

Luo Qingxue paused for a moment. Her gaze swept over Gu Xiang and Bai Yin.

"But the formation there is special. Only one person can enter to protect the formation."

These words reached the ears of Gu Xiang and Bai Yin.

The conflict was once again starkly confronted between the two. The brief period of calm was quickly shattered.

Gu Xiang stepped forward. He straightened his hunched back.

He raised his right hand, pointing to his chest. There, his perfectly shaped heart was beating. The sound of his heartbeat echoed through the silent ruins, carrying a steady rhythm.

"I am connected to her at my very origin."

Gu Xiang's voice was hoarse, but it carried an unwavering determination.

"My righteous spirit is the only force she can accept now."

He looked at Bai Yin, his eyes filled with rejection. The majesty of the Grand Chancellor of the Great Zhou returned to this withered body at this moment.

Bai Yin roared. He slammed his fist into the ground.

A deep crater was punched into the hard frozen ground. Ice and snow mixed with mud flew everywhere.

Bai Yin's eyes were red, and he let out a low growl like a wild beast.

"fart!"

He ripped open the tattered front of his shirt, revealing a dark red fox mark on his left chest, near his heart. The mark emitted a faint red glow, echoing the aura of Su Chang'an's soul.

"She still bears my demonic mark!"

Bai Yin stared directly at Gu Xiang, showing no sign of backing down. The rage and domineering nature of the great demon was on full display.

"Only I can help her suppress the backlash from the demonic energy!"

Neither would yield. Righteous energy and malevolent metal energy clashed once more within the barrier, causing the surrounding air currents to become turbulent. Stimulated by this fluctuation, Su Chang'an's divine soul, perched atop the ice crystal barrier, showed signs of instability once more.

Luo Qingxue looked at the two irrational men. She knew that if they continued arguing, Su Chang'an would surely die.

She looked away, no longer glancing at Gu Xiang and Bai Yin.

Luo Qingxue lowered her head. She looked at Su Chang'an, who was being supported by ice crystals and whose breath was growing weaker and weaker.

"Your fate is yours to choose."

Luo Qingxue spoke very softly.

"Go with your instincts and get close to the one you trust most."

The wind and snow fell into absolute stillness at that moment.

Gu Xiang held his breath. He stared intently at the ice crystal, his withered hands clenched into fists.

Bai Yin's bloodshot eyes widened. He didn't dare to breathe, afraid that his breathing would affect that choice.

All eyes were focused on the ice crystal barrier.

Su Chang'an's remnant soul, held aloft by ice crystals and floating purely on instinct, remained suspended in mid-air for a moment.

Then, she drifted half a step in one direction.