The sky and the earth changed color in an instant, and the demons’ breath was like a sharp arrow breaking through the clouds, heading straight toward the twisted Gate of Time, Space, Life, and Death in the distance.

     The continuous rainstorm that had lasted more than ten days suddenly stopped.

     It was pouring just now, but in the blink of an eye, not a single drop was left.

     Someone’s lips trembled, hoping for a lucky break, and they asked shakily, “What… what happened?”

     No one answered him. Everyone’s eyes were fixed in the direction of the Gate of Time, Space, Life, and Death. However, the black doorway that almost covered half of the sky didn’t show any signs of abnormality for a while.

     Everyone waited apprehensively.

     Their hearts were pounding...

     Nothing unusual, nothing unusual.

     No abnormalities.

     “The rain has stopped... Did anything happen?”

     “It should be a false alarm. Everything is fine now…”

     One after another, people breathed sighs of relief, their tense faces relaxing. However, at this moment, the ground beneath their feet suddenly began to shake violently.

     “What’s wrong?!”

     Looking up again, the black hole of the Gate of Life and Death began expanding at an alarming rate, swallowing up the remaining cumulus clouds in the sky. Then a sharp whistle pierced the sky, and everyone was stunned!

     A fiery red phoenix bird broke out of the black hole and pierced through the dome. The phoenix spread its wings, almost covering the sky and the sun. Its eyes were as big as Heavenly Lake, its claws as big as mountains, and a single feather was over a hundred meters long. With a single flap of its wings, wind and smoke rolled over the land, uprooting numerous grasses and trees. The snow melted and ice shattered on the Kunlun Mountains, which was closest to it.

     “Raa—!!”

     In an instant, this divine bird had perched atop Mount Kun, crying out with the exact same whistling sound that occurred when the Gate of Time, Space, Life, and Death opened and closed.

     “This is…”

     One of the cultivators cried out in dismay, “It’s the First Phoenix!!”

     “It’s the First Phoenix!!”

     This was an ancient mythical beast that couldn’t even be found in painted scrolls. Later, it became subordinate to the palace of Gouchen the Exalted. The First Phoenix had the ability to move mountains and fill the seas; when it flapped its giant wings and soared into the sky, its speed was swifter than lightning and far surpassed the light of dawn.

     Chu Wanning murmured, "So... it has always been the guardian of the Gate of Life and Death?"

     Of the three forbidden techniques created by Gouchen, the Gate of Time, Space, Life, and Death was actually the opening of the exact void cage that imprisoned the First Phoenix. The moment someone stepped into the rift, the First Phoenix cried out and asked questions, carrying the entrants across time on the wind, back to the past or toward the future. However, its body was so large and its speed so fast that the people who opened the Gate of Life and Death often couldn’t see even its shadow. They only had time to hear its cry before they were taken to the era they intended to go to.

     The phoenix stood on the Kunlun Mountains, its golden-red eyes overlooking the earth. Suddenly, it uttered a low, dark human voice, like a loud bell warning the world: “The mortal world has order; those who go against it shall be punished by the heavens.”

     After saying this, it soared into the sky, and its nine golden wings and tail feathers opened one by one, trailing along the ground. As its wings folded and closed, the mountains and the earth shook, while hills crumbled! If this weren’t a scene of the apocalypse, it would actually be magnificent.

     Chu Wanning said sternly, “Retreat!”

     More than one person shouted in tandem with him. Almost every sect leader and elder had the same reaction at this time—

     Retreat.

     Survival was an instinct and did not need any further reminders. Those cultivators who were as small as ants or mustard seeds before the First Phoenix all immediately flew up onto their swords and fled in the opposite direction of the First Phoenix.

     Mei Hanxue rushed to Chu Wanning at this moment, brushed away the messy hair in front of his eyes, and said, “Zongshi, please have them retreat to the border of the Gate of Time, Space, Life, and Death."

     Without waiting for Chu Wanning to ask, he added, “This mortal world has been long since passed on. For the past eight years, Xue Meng and I sought a way to minimize the disaster when this day arrived. So on the day the two mortal worlds merged, we laid a spell formation with Xuanwu Heavy Armor next to the Gate of Life and Death.”

     Xuanwu Heavy Armor was the remained of the Xuanwu from the same period as the First Phoenix. With it as the foundation, a protective barrier cast could be enhanced tens of millions of times.

     The only thing was, it was rumored that this kind of armor slough could only be found in the East Sea, a place where one’s chances of death were nine out of ten.

     What hardships did the Mei brothers and Xue Meng experience to bring it back…?

     Mei Hanxue said, “Zongshi, please ask everyone to retreat over there and let them all return to their own world.”

     As soon as he finished speaking, the First Phoenix spread its wings and soared high in the distance. The golden red-tailed phoenix flapped its wings, rolled up thousands of piles of snow on the Kunlun Mountain, and then transformed into a red light between the heavens and earth.

     Its speed was so great that no one could see it, but in the blink of an eye, the Yellow River flowed back, the Yangtze River rushed backwards, and the water of the vast ocean was stirred up thousands of feet high, as if the entire ocean was lifted up from the bottom of the sea, and rushed towards the continent!

     The water of the vast ocean came from the sky, and the nine provinces turned into a desolate flood in the blink of an eye.

     Chu Wanning wanted to retreat, but he found that the speed at which the flood devoured the earth was faster than the speed of everyone fleeing on their swords. In the blink of an eye, it was already closing in on them. He was afraid that it would catch up with a majority of the retreating people in a matter of moments.

     He made a prompt decision and said to Mei Hanxue, “You and Xue Meng lead them away first. I will stay here and buy some time.”

     As he spoke, he summoned the Ascending Dragon Talisman once again, and it soared into the sky.

     Chu Wanning said sternly, “Tianwen! Ten Thousand Coffins!”

     Willow vines sprang up from the ground, and he bit the tip of his finger, dripping blood on them, before shouting, “Create a wall!”

     Vines covered vines, and willow branches entwined with willow branches, overlapping and weaving back and forth, layer upon layer of green, instantly forming a wall of immense height.

     “Jiu’ge, be summoned!”

     Light suddenly radiated from his palms as Jiu’ge lay on his knees. Chu Wanning plucked the strings of the guqin, and amid the flowing sound, golden light enveloped the wall built by willow vines, making it even more indestructible. By the time he’d done all of this, the rolling torrent had already reached—

     “Whoosh!”

     A splash of water hit the wall, instantly causing huge waves to reach the sky.

     Chu Wanning turned half of his face to Mei Hanxue and said, “Go!”

     Mei Hanxue had never expected such a situation. Although he felt burned, there was nothing he could do but salute Chu Wanning and disappear into the depths of the dense forest.

     For a moment, the cultivator army retreated, and Chu Wanning tried his best to resist.

     The surging flood roared, trying to tear apart the long dam built by Tianwen and Jiu’ge.

     On the Path of Martyrdom, the gate to the demon world slowly opened in front of the Butterfly-Boned Beauty Feasts. The peaceful crimson-lavender clouds of the demon world intertwined with the atmosphere of desolation upon the mortal world.

     The gate was completely opened.

     Shi Mei stood at the very front of the group and was the first to be enveloped by the pure demonic aura. This aura made his entire body tremble and soothed him. He couldn't help but greedily breathe in the demonic aura, and the shrunken spiritual core in his chest finally expanded and recovered after finally being exposed to it.

      The power belonging to the demon clan finally surged through his body at this moment.

     So this is what it feels like to have strong spiritual power?

     He finally felt it… He finally felt it!

     His eyes sparkled with ecstasy, and a beast-like gleam even appeared on his handsome face. The same thing happened to all the Butterfly-Boned race members behind him.

     Those Beauty Feasts who were once powerless and had weakened spiritual cores due to the loss of the demonic aura, lacking the strength even to truss a chicken, had now finally gained the powerful strength that was rightfully theirs.

     An old man with a hunched body and neat hair and beard slowly appeared at the gate of the demon world. His red eyes swept over everyone, and then his skin wrinkled as he grinned. “Aiyo, I have been waiting here for four thousand years. Even the successors of the gatekeepers have all perished, but I have not seen any Beauty Feasts who could do this.”

     He leaned on his cane and said with satisfaction, “Well, well, you have done quite a lot of good against the gods. Not bad, not bad.”

     After he finished speaking, he glanced at the world that was falling apart and smiled, revealing his black and yellow teeth.

     The old demon turned to the side to make way for the Butterfly-Boned Beauty Feasts and said in a slow, trembling voice, “This old man respectfully welcomes you all to return to your homeland.”

     There was a raging flood behind them, but that was a human matter; what did it have to do with the demons?

     Shi Mei looked back at Chu Wanning, who was trying his best to struggle against the disaster in the sky. With just a small amount of human power, he alone wanted to save the situation.

     Was this bravery or foolishness?

     But it was probably Chu Wanning's foolishness that caused him unsettled emotions. Before leaving, Shi Mei couldn't help but think of the year when Yuheng Elder brought him home under an umbrella. At that time, they saw an earthworm crawling on the edge of Naihe Bridge.

     Chu Wanning gave it a casual glance and waved his sleeve. The earthworm was wrapped in a golden light and safely placed back into the grass.

     “What is Elder doing?”

     Chu Wanning was expressionless. “It’s blocking the way.”

     Shi Mei smiled at this naturally lousy excuse. “Elder is truly kind. But when it rains, the ground is stuffy. If you put it back in the soil, it will still come out after a while and crawl outside. Then it will block Elder's way again.”

     Chu Wanning's steps paused slightly, and a faint crease seemed to appear between his smooth eyebrows.

     “...I never knew that.” He lowered his eyes and glanced at Shi Mei again. “You know quite a lot.”

     Shi Mei smiled shyly and said, "Earthworms are ground dragons and are often used for medicine. I have learned a little about their habits. I only know these things that aren’t very useful."

     The two continued to walk forward, and Shi Mei found that even though Chu Wanning understood, he would still "clean up" the little things that blocked the way. In the end, he was a little amused and simply decided to help.

     Chu Wanning looked at him, holding a pile of thick books in his arms but still reluctantly bending over, and said, “Why bother?”

     “They are blocking Elder's way.” Shi Mei looked back at him in the clear rain and said gently, "This disciple will let them learn a lesson.”

     Chu Wanning shook his head, walked over, and once again placed the green-boned paper umbrella over Shi Mei. “Don't run around; you're getting wet.”

     The way back was neither too long nor too short. But it was always a bit awkward not to talk about something as the two walked side by side.

     Shi Mei asked gently, “Elder, are you always so kind?”

     “...”

     His brown eyes turned downward, and the phoenix eyes looked magnificent.

     Chu Wanning’s face was impassive. “What good?”

     Shi Mei was very smart and realized that Yuheng Elder wasn’t as unkind as the rumors claimed. He smiled and said, “Elder knows that some things are useless, but he still does them…”

     Chu Wanning didn’t answer and walked forward in silence.

     Just when Shi Mei thought he wouldn't pay attention to him anymore, Chu Wanning said, “If you meet a beggar on the road, knowing that a little money may not necessarily help alleviate his difficulties, do you not give him alms?”

     “...”

     “When you encounter an injured spirit animal on the road, knowing that if you rescue it and release it back into the forest it may fall into the trap again, do you stand by and do nothing?”

     Shi Mei dropped his soft eyelashes and said gently, “This disciple understands Elder’s meaning. Thank you for your teachings.”

     “...” He was so gentle that Chu Wanning felt a little embarrassed. He coughed lightly and said, “But with the earthworms, they are really just blocking the way.”

     Shi Mei was stunned for a moment, then looked up at the side of his face. He looked very cold, but the edges of his ears were a little red.

     Suddenly, he felt it was so cute.

     So Shi Mei pursed his lips, his voice like waves of water: “Elder is very kind. I’m sure he must have pity for other living creatures too.”

     “...”

     He paused for a moment, then suddenly asked, “By the way, this disciple read something in a book today and didn’t understand but have no Shizun to ask. Can Elder help clear up this disciple’s confusion?”

     Finally, they no longer had to discuss such embarrassing questions about saving lives. Chu Wanning felt relieved and nodded. “You can continue.”

     “Guyueye Medical Sect's Hundred Herb Collection is all-encompassing, with many of the cultivation methods leaving the disciples dumbfounded. One of the most puzzling among them is a sacred medicine that can rapidly improve the spiritual core. When taken, it can make—”

     Chu Wanning’s face darkened for some reason, and he interrupted, “You want this medicine?”

     “Elder, do you know which one it is?”

     “This medicine was highly praised in the early years of the cultivation world. Sects of all sizes would go to the medical sect to ask for them to sell it.” Chu Wanning narrowed his eyes slightly. “How could I not know?”

     Shi Mei observed his words and expressions, then said, "This disciple isn’t interested in the medicine but is somewhat puzzled when seeing that the ingredients required for this medicine include the flesh and blood of the Butterfly-Boned Beauty Feast. It makes one wonder if this Beauty Feast... is considered a human or a beast?”

     Chu Wanning didn’t hesitate for a moment. He knitted his brows and answered the disciple’s question with a solemn expression.

     “It’s a person.”

     He didn’t even say it was “considered a person,” but instead said “it’s a person” without wavering.

     “...”

     Before Shi Mei could reply, Chu Wanning glanced at the Guyueye Medical Sect’s book in his arms, then raised his hand and took it into his palm.

     “Elder?”

     “The contents of the Guyueye Medical Sect are difficult to distinguish between good and evil, so it’s not suitable for beginners to study. You can go to the library tomorrow to borrow Tanlang Elder’s writings, which may be more appropriate.”

     Shi Mei lowered his head and said, “As for books stored in the library, this disciple can only borrow those from the outer area. The ones inside... all the ones inside need the permission of a personal master…”

     Chu Wanning was stunned for a moment by the thought that this child had been a disciple for some time now, yet because of his poor talent qualifications, even the most tolerant Xuanji was unwilling to accept him.

     In the gentle breeze and drizzling rain, he untied the jade pendant on his waist and said, “Take it.”

     “...!”

     “If the people in the Library Pavilion ask, just show them my token." Chu Wanning reminded him, "You should be selective when reading books. Don't go down the wrong path just because you read the wrong book."

     Shi Mei wanted to take the jade pendant with both hands, but there were too many books in his arms. To take it with a single hand would be tantamount to taking the wrong path. Just as he was at a loss, blushing to his ears, Chu Wanning half-knelt on one knee and instantly became only a little taller than the ignorant child. He lowered his long eyelashes and tied the jade pendant around Shi Mei’s waist with his own hands.

     As he did this, Chu Wanning's expression was very dull, as if he was just raising his hand to take care of the earthworms that were “blocking the road.”

     If it were any other elder, he would never lend his library token to any unfamiliar disciple. This was the rule.

     But Chu Wanning wasn’t a person who lived by the rules.

     “Alright.” After fastening the jade pendant for Shi Mei, he stood up again and lowered his hand, which had calluses from years of repairing mechs. “Let's go.”

     “...” The young child took a deep breath.

     He didn't know why he took that deep breath, but if he didn't, the emotion that suddenly filled his chest would probably make him cry.

     In truth, he actually felt very wronged.

     Whether as a Beauty Feast or a disciple lacking in spiritual power, he had never been treated fairly. In the past, he felt that it didn’t matter, and he was used to it anyway. In his eyes, all of these people were nothing but incredibly ugly butchers.

     But there was actually someone who stopped and told him that “a Butterfly-Boned Beauty Feast is a person,” actually someone stopped and handed him a token that even a direct disciple might not obtain, just so he wouldn’t go astray. For some reason, that heart of his, which had been tempered by thousands of hammers, suddenly hurt so badly.

     He finally felt very wronged, having endured so much hardship all this time.

     Shi Mei knew that although he may seem gentle and polite, that was ultimately just a mask he created for himself to see the crisis through to the end.

     He hid behind this mask, using gentleness to defend himself and to retreat. He seemed to be kind and amiable to everyone, but in fact, no one could touch his heart. His heart was already filled with hatred for the sake of the Butterfly-Boned Beauty Feast clan, and no warmth was left.

     But when he went back that day and wrote a letter of apprenticeship, the strokes of his brush had some precious, rare sincerity.

     When he finished the letter, he put down the broken bamboo brush and looked at the lamp tears flowing into a pool.

     He felt that in addition to revenge and returning home, his life seemed to have a little unexpected pleasant surprise. This surprise may be a little dangerous for him. But at that time, he felt that having a little tenderness might not hurt and wouldn’t change the greatest ambition in his heart.

     At this moment, Shi Mei looked back at the little “tenderness” he had in the past and didn’t know what to feel in his heart.

     Anger? Sadness?

     It wasn’t as simple as that.

     If people had fundamentally different values, it would be impossible to collaborate with each other.

     Shi Mei paused for a moment and said half-mockingly, "Shizun, look, no matter who it is, they can't help but fight before the heavens’ destiny. You, me, humans and demons, it’s all the same.”

     These words were spoken so softly that it was impossible for Chu Wanning to hear them from where he was high in the air. But as soon as Shi Mei said them, he felt relief in his heart.

     Then he led more than a thousand Butterfly-Boned Beauty Feasts and turned to walk towards the grandiose gate of the demon world.

     Returning home.

     The old demon guarding the gate knew that the one walking in front was naturally the leader of this group of people, so he treated Shi Mei with great courtesy and respect, saluting him as he entered the domain gate.

     “Gongzi, please wait.”

     “Why?”

     “The demon world is divided into higher and lower ranks according to family lineage. Now that gongzi is returning to your homeland, you must first test your origins and return to your clan to recognize your ancestors.”

     Shi Mei’s face was expressionless as he said, “Aren't all the Butterfly-Boned Beauty Feasts descendants of the maternal clan of Gouchen’s upper palace? What else is there to test?”

     The old demon guarding the gate said, “Gouchen's maternal clan has long been removed from the demon register. When gongzi and the others return to the demon world, you will have to register them according to the mixed blood of the other families in their bloodline.”

     Shi Mei frowned at the hassle but looked back and saw that Chu Wanning’s defenses were weakening. He didn’t know how much longer he could hold on, and behind him, there were still thousands of people waiting to enter the demon world, so he nodded. “Then hurry up.”

     The old gatekeeper demon waved his raised hand. A scepter with a beast head and fangs appeared in his palm, and he silently chanted an incantation. Hundreds of bands of red light floated out of the beast head's mouth, like a brocade, wrapping tightly around Shi Mei.

     “Bai, Cheng, Xie, Zhou…”

     Each band of light flickered with a single word.

     Shi Mei asked, “What is this?”

     The old demon said, "For the family lines, whichever family has the most similar bloodline to gongzi, will have that family's light band circled around gongzi's wrist."

     Shi Mei kept silent, looking down at the colorful bands.

     “Qin, Fei, Ouyang, Shangguan, Zhongli, Luo, Ye, Duan, Chu…”

     The old demon chanted continuously, but after a long time, there was still no band falling. He couldn't help but frown and look up at Shi Mei's face.

     Shi Mei also looked at him calmly.

     As he met his gaze, the old demon smiled sardonically and continued to chant the incantation faster. As he chanted, a red band suddenly wrapped around Shi Mei's arm. Shi Mei thoughtfully raised his hand and looked at it carefully.

     “Is it this one? What's your surname?”

     He looked along it, but before he could see the words clearly, the band quickly dried up and turned black, turning into powder and ash in an instant.

     Shi Mei: “...”

     The old demon guarding the gate didn’t speak for a moment; he only stood there, looking at him incredulously.

     Shi Mei slowly raised his gaze a few inches and actually had a vague answer in his heart. But he still asked with an odd, smiling face, “What's wrong?”

     The old demon's face changed drastically, his nose wrinkling, and he shouted, “Descendant of the gods!?!”

     “...” Shi Mei paused for a moment, sneered, and carelessly brushed off the gray and black stains on his wrist, before he said lightly, “My father is indeed a descendant of the gods, but so what? I have never performed half an inch of godly deeds in my life, and I have always taken the demons’ return home as my responsibility. It’s not as if I have so much dirty blood within me that you’d put the label of a descendant of the gods on me. That would be too—”

     Before he could finish, he saw a black gust of wind surround the old demon guarding the gate, forcing Shi Mei to take a step backwards.

     The wind died down, and the hunchbacked old demon disappeared.

     A skeletal monster with interlocking fangs and a huge axe appeared at the entrance to the demon world. The monster suddenly slashed the battle axe in its hand, blocking the way of the Butterfly-Boned Beauty Feasts, and raised its voice to the sky with a hoarse cry:

     "Since ancient times, gods and demons have never been allowed to collaborate. Your clan has mixed with the blood of gods and is extremely filthy! The Path of Martyrdom cannot be completed. You evil beasts are ordered to leave the demon world immediately—close the demon gate!”

     Following its shout, the demon doors on both sides stirred and actually closed towards the center, and the originally completed Path of Martyrdom bridge also collapsed with the horrifying sound of an avalanche from the direction of Sisheng Peak in the distance!!