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

Within the White Bone Secret Realm, Su Chang'an introspected himself.

The aura of a peak Great Sage flowed smoothly through his meridians, vast and profound. His divine soul was more solid than ever before, all illusions vanished, revealing a tangible texture of flesh and blood. This divine soul, reshaped by the blood and sweat of the Heavenly Fox, already possessed terrifying combat power capable of sweeping across an entire region.

Yet she knew all too well that this was ultimately a tree without roots. Without a physical body to rely on, her soul was constantly subjected to the invisible wear and tear of the laws of heaven and earth. The killing trap in the Abyss of Fallen Gods in Central Continent was complete, and Chen Xuan was struggling to hold on in this desperate situation, dragging his broken body along. The body that had been suppressed to the bottom of the abyss by the chains of heaven also urgently needed to be reclaimed. Time was of the essence, allowing no moment's respite.

Su Chang'an withdrew her oppressive aura, causing her pure white robe to drape gracefully. She turned and walked towards the hundred-zhang-tall, stark white bone gate. Pure celestial fox essence flowed within her, the ultimate power accumulated over three thousand years. Before she could even approach, two intertwined giant beast ribs sensed the shared aura. A muffled rumble echoed from the ground, and the massive bone gate slowly slid apart with a teeth-grinding grinding sound.

Outside the door, a fierce blizzard raged in the far north. Gu Xiang and Bai Yin were sitting cross-legged on the frozen ground, using the powerful life force within their bodies to ward off the bitter cold. Hearing a rumbling sound from their bones, the two leaped up almost simultaneously. Gu Xiang quickly brushed the ice crystals off his tattered blue robe, barely straightened the strips of cloth, put his hands behind his back, and straightened his slightly hunched back, trying to maintain the dignity of the Prime Minister of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Bai Yin, on the other hand, hastily wiped the blood from his face, stretched his broad shoulders back, and slightly raised his chin. Both were trying their best to hide their disheveled state, attempting to appear composed in front of the person behind the door.

A crimson light dissipated as the door opened. Su Chang'an, clad in a pristine white robe, slowly emerged from the shadowy depths. The wind and snow, approaching within three feet of her, were forcefully repelled by an invisible aura. Gu Xiang and Bai Yin stared intently at her, sensing the completely solidified divine soul and the chilling pressure of a Great Saint Realm expert; their eyes blazed with wild joy. They instinctively reached for a step, but upon meeting Su Chang'an's cold, icy gaze, their feet froze in place.

"Qing'er."

"Xiao Jiu".

The two names overlapped in the wind and snow. The sound stopped abruptly, and the two men turned sharply, their hostile gazes clashing fiercely in mid-air. Gu Xiang's eyes were dark and warning; Bai Yin's pupils contracted, surging with violence and disdain. With Su Chang'an present, neither dared to make a move, and they could only exchange silent battles with their eyes.

Su Chang'an ignored this childish power struggle. His cold gaze swept over the two, and under the perception of the Heavenly Fox's origin, their internal energy was nowhere to be hidden. Chunxian's twenty percent of her lifeblood had indeed kept their depleted life force afloat at the critical moment. However, the Heavenly Fox's lifeblood was extremely domineering and aloof. At this moment, this external life force was violently clashing with Gu Xiang's upright and peaceful righteous energy and Bai Yin's violent and sharp Geng metal evil energy. The two forces clashed wildly, constantly damaging the newly repaired internal organs.

"The internal energy is backfiring," Su Chang'an said bluntly, his voice flat. "If it is not channeled, the meridians could break at any moment."

Gu Xiang's expression stiffened almost imperceptibly, then he forced a faint smile and tilted his head slightly: "Just a mere clash of energies. My foundation is as solid as a rock; how could such a minor affliction shake it?"

Bai Yin sneered, patting his scarred chest heavily with a dull thud: "The demon race's bodies are tempered through countless trials; this impact is nothing more than a tickle. But that weak, pedantic scholar, lest he suffer a qi deviation and become a cripple."

Gu Xiang glanced sideways, his tone sarcastic: "These barbarians from beyond the borders are only fit to rely on their rough flesh to tough it out. Their internal organs are probably already tattered sacks, yet they're still putting on a show of bravado. It's truly laughable."

Seeing the two still exchanging sarcastic remarks, Su Chang'an frowned slightly. Without saying another word, she shifted her feet slightly and disappeared like a ghost, instantly appearing between the two.

Tai Su's white robe billowed in the wind. She used both hands simultaneously, swift as lightning, to firmly grasp Gu Xiang's left wrist and Bai Yin's right wrist. The Heavenly Fox Essence at the peak of the Great Sage Realm burst forth from her palms, carrying an irresistible force, and forcefully entered the meridians of the two men, forcefully suppressing the raging energy with overwhelming force.

Gu Xiang and Bai Yin trembled violently. Having their vital points sealed was a grave taboo for cultivators, but feeling the scorching heat and overwhelming pressure of Su Chang'an's palm, their carefully maintained pride crumbled instantly. The prime minister's scheming and the Great Sage's arrogance vanished. The two obediently relaxed their bodies, allowing the domineering aura to penetrate them. In the wind and snow, their eyes were lowered, and a hint of dark red appeared at the base of their ears.

The primordial energy flowed freely. The seven-aperture exquisite heart, radiating golden light within Gu Xiang's chest, resonated intensely with the crimson fox mark on Bai Yin's chest. The unruly celestial fox's life force, soothed by this shared power, transformed into pure vitality, flowing along the meridians into the righteous energy and the malevolent energy of Geng metal. The conflicting forces not only subsided but also underwent a transformation under the catalysis of this vitality. Gu Xiang's righteous energy gained a resilient, inexhaustible strength; Bai Yin's malevolent energy, however, shed its madness, becoming increasingly restrained and deadly.

With his breathing steady, Su Chang'an released his hands.

Gu Xiang took a half step back, clasped his hands together, and bowed deeply. His gaze was intense as he attempted to express his feelings using the most refined language of the court: "In life and death, we have made a vow. Qing'er, having survived this desperate situation, I, Gu Xiang, swear that I will..."

The word "when" was still stuck in his throat when a large shadow crashed down on him. Bai Yin took a step forward, his broad back forcefully blocking Gu Xiang's view. The burly demon man disregarded all court etiquette, his rough hands slapping his breastplate with a loud thud.

"You're full of sour, lame words, what good are they!" Bai Yin glanced sideways at Gu Xiang, then turned to look ahead, deliberately lowering his voice. "Little Jiu, I'm tough as nails. You point in the direction, and even if the gods and Buddhas of the Nine Heavens block your way, I'll tear them apart for you. Wherever you go, I'll follow!"

Gu Xiang staggered half a step from the savage collision, barely managing to regain his footing, his carefully maintained scholarly demeanor shattered. The Prime Minister of the Great Zhou gritted his teeth, forcibly smoothing his wrinkled sleeves.

"A barbaric outlaw, utterly ignorant of civilization." Gu Xiang snorted coldly, retorting without backing down, "Court intrigues and the grand schemes of the world are none of your business, you mere brute who only knows how to throw punches. You can't even touch the edge of the chessboard when Qing'er is about to make her move."

"I don't know anything about chess," Bai Yin sneered, deliberately picking at the most painful wound. "All I know is that the dignified Prime Minister of the Great Zhou couldn't even protect a woman!"

As the words fell, the wind and snow grew even colder. Gu Xiang's face turned deathly pale, and his usually sharp and perceptive heart clenched uncontrollably. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. The moment the words left his lips, Bai Yin regretted them. The usually arrogant and domineering Great Sage of the Demon Clan nervously rubbed his hands together, even the courage to look straight ahead vanished completely.

Bai Yin took a step forward, his tall figure blocking Gu Xiang's view. He stared intently at Su Chang'an, his voice rough: "Little Jiu, my physical body is fine now! No matter where you go, even if you have to fight your way to the Ninth Heaven, I'll clear the way for you!"

"Shut up."

Su Chang'an decisively uttered two words, interrupting this new round of jealousy and rivalry. She brushed the remaining snow from her sleeve and glanced at the two of them. She knew that they harbored too much confusion, anger, and grievance in their hearts—the heart transplant at Luofeng Slope, the sacrifice at Guanghan Palace, and who she really was.

The wind and snow raged behind them. Su Chang'an looked at the two men before her, willing to die for her, and spoke calmly and resolutely:

"I know you have many questions." She looked directly into their eyes. "Today, I will tell you everything."