Chapter 1: Tragedy of the New Moon Night

Ten years ago.

In the northern expanse of the Daluo Immortal Domain, within the starry region of the Pinnacle of Zijin!

This was an unimaginably vast domain of immortals. Billions of stars dotted the firmament, glowing brilliantly like diamonds. Among them, life-bearing stars were numerous and complex, teeming with boundless cosmic fortune, making it exceptionally suited for cultivating immortality and practicing the Dao. It could not be compared in the slightest to the barren and desolate realm of the Heluo Sect's starry territory.

The Zijin Imperial Star, located at the center of this vast stellar region, was the principal star of the Pinnacle of Zijin starry domain, and currently the only imperial star existing among the nine great immortal domains.

The entire star possessed a purplish-golden hue, appearing supremely noble. Its sheer scale surpassed all other stars, making it truly worthy of the title of Imperial Star. However, mere size was not the sole reason it was revered as an imperial star; the most critical factor was that this ancient life-bearing star was intimately connected to a Supreme Being.

In the contemporary immortal domain, all immortals regarded the "Immortal Lord" as their ultimate goal. It was rumored that once one stepped into the realm of the Immortal Lord, one would truly achieve a longevity of ten thousand, a hundred thousand, indeed countless years, living forever without decay. Among the Immortal Lords, the most renowned were the nine primordial domain lords who had once forged the glorious golden age of the current nine great immortal domains. Later generations emulated these peerless nine lords, establishing a domain lord in every immortal domain to govern (with the exception of the Primordial Immortal Domain).

Yet, there was still a path beyond the Immortal Lord! The Dao title often spoken of by immortals—"Supreme Paramount"—was passed down from the very source of cultivation history, representing the realm attained by the Primordial Ancestor of the Immortal Dao: the Paramount! Below the Paramount, but above the Immortal Lord, lay the Supreme Being, also known as the Lord of the Era. This realm was that of emperors, the imperial domain. In the history of cultivation, several taboo entities had reached this level, and every single one of them possessed heaven-defying fortune, absorbing the breath of heaven and earth, serving as the trendsetters who created new epochs and eras.

The Zijin Emperor was a title regarded as a taboo. He was the final Supreme Being of the immortal domain, and some whispered that without him, the current nine great immortal domains would not exist. The Zijin Imperial Star was the Daoist sanctuary of this sovereign-level entity, as well as the ancestral home of his later descendants. In other words, every human on this planet belonged to the same clan and lineage.

The Zhou Family!

The Zhou Family was universally acknowledged as the preeminent human immortal family in the immortal domain. The Zijin Emperor was their greatest source of glory, but the fundamental reason for the family's enduring prosperity was its continuous generation of mighty figures and brilliant geniuses.

On the Zijin Imperial Star, there stood an incomparably vast metropolis named the Zijin Imperial City, though calling it a nation would be more fitting than a city. This city was inhabited exclusively by members of the nine major ancestral branches of the Zhou Family and served as the sacred capital in the hearts of all Zhou family members on the imperial star.

The human immortals of the Zhou Family were divided into ninety-nine branches, comprising nine ancestral branches and ninety sub-branches. The ancestral branches were the direct descendants of the Zijin Emperor, while the sub-branches were the descendants of his other concubine-born offspring.

The nine ancestral branches of the Zhou Family were named: Yang, Tian, Di, Xuan, Huang, Yu, Zhou, Hong, and Huang! Legend has it that in ancient times, the Ancestor of the Zhou, namely the Zijin Emperor, took the Xuan Su Maiden of the Nine Heavens as his wife and fathered nine imperial sons. They were named eldest son Zhou Yang, second son Zhou Tian, third son Zhou Di, fourth son Zhou Xuan, fifth son Zhou Huang, sixth son Zhou Yu, seventh son Zhou Zhou, eighth son Zhou Hong, and ninth son Zhou Huang. This was the origin of the nine ancestral branches!

Above the Zijin Imperial City, night fell, shrouded in darkness without stars or moon. The four wildernesses were desolate, frighteningly silent.

Four figures clad in different robes appeared above these clouds and heavens. All four had snow-white hair and beards, their faces as aged as elderly mortals, yet they radiated an otherworldly demeanor and grace that made them resemble dormant dragons in the abyss, brimming with an unassailable majesty.

Among the four elders, one wore azure-blue robes, looking steadfast and prudent; one wore earth-yellow robes, calm and reserved; one wore golden-yellow robes, sharp and aggressive. The final elder wore black robes, embroidered with four red moons on the front and back—one on the front left chest, one on the lower left, one on the lower right, and another on the back. This elder bore a fierce expression, appeared the oldest of the four, and exuded supreme authority.

"Eldest brother, stop now. I do not wish for us brothers to slaughter one another!" The azure-robed elder spoke first, his words concise yet freighted with a pleading tone. His gaze remained fixed on the black-robed elder.

"Hmph, the three of you coming here today is just to say these things?" The corners of the black-robed elder's mouth twitched upward slightly. He glanced at the three of them before letting out a contemptuous snort.

"The Night Palace acts willfully, slaughtering immortals to seize their primordial spirits, poisoning seven immortal domains, and the mastermind behind all of this is you. We originally intended to summon the eight ancestral elders before dealing with you, the Great Ancestor Elder, but we never expected the others to care only for self-preservation. It is lamentable that among the millions of sons of the Zhou Family, so many are merely cowards clinging to life," the golden-robed elder, always outspoken and quick-tongued, burst out in fury.

"Eldest brother, the three of us came here today with only one purpose: we hope you will disband the Night Palace, release those imprisoned innocent primordial spirits, and cease sowing karmic slaughter. From now on, you will still be our good eldest brother!" The earth-yellow-robed elder spoke very slowly, but his words were earnest and carried immense weight.

"My foolish brothers, why can you not understand the painstaking efforts I have made so that the Zhou Family may truly unify the immortal domain in a grand enterprise? As long as I take that final step, all things in heaven and earth will change because of me, and the entire immortal domain will become the prosperous imperial dynasty of the Great Zhou. I ask you, which member of the Zhou family would not be moved by such a prospect, would not feel proud of it?" The black-robed elder shook his head, wearing an expression of apparent helplessness.

"The Ancestor of the Zhou long ago proved to the world that hegemony cannot rule the immortal domain! Eldest brother, why must you remain so obsessed? Today, the Zhou Family is flourishing with descendants and brimming with talent; we are already in a golden age, yet you wish to forge a dictatorial new world. Do you not find that utterly ridiculous?" The azure-robed elder retorted.

Regrettably, to the black-robed elder, these words held little meaning, sounding no different from idle chatter. Golden light flickered faintly within his opening and closing eyes as he stared silently at the three elders before him, as though capable of piercing through everything.

"Second brother, I told you long ago, there is nothing to discuss with a person like this. Not a shred of human nature remains in him; all he thinks about day and night is devouring the primordial spirits of immortals, practicing his demonic arts to resist aging, and vainly attempting to surpass the Immortal Lord. He spouts pretty words about unifying the immortal domain for the Zhou Family, but I see his true motive is simply to achieve eternal life for himself!" The golden-robed elder shouted loudly, evidently holding deep revulsion for the black-robed elder's manifold atrocities.

The azure-robed elder, addressed as Second Brother, took a deep breath. Gazing at the familiar yet estranged black-robed elder before him, he finally clenched his fists and said, "In that case, you cannot blame the three of us brothers for turning against you."

With that, the earth-yellow-robed elder, the golden-robed elder, and he simultaneously arrived within three zhang of the black-robed elder, encircling him completely.

"Heh, I would also like to see what progress the three of you have made in your cultivation over all these years!" The black-robed elder chuckled, his aura suddenly surging upward. His deeply profound black eyes transformed at that moment into a pair of golden pupils with concentric circles, their radiance terrifying.

Golden Double Pupils!

"Open!"

Almost simultaneously, the other three elders surrounding him shouted in unison. In an instant, their pupils changed as well, revealing themselves to be identical Golden Double Pupils.

As it turned out, every member of the Zhou Family possessed an innate seal of pupillary art: the Golden Double Pupils. This seal originated from the bloodline of the Ancestor of the Zhou, and anyone who unlocked their eyes could cultivate this pair of supreme eyes, possessing all manner of unfathomable and mysterious powers.

That night, three ancestral elders of the Zhou Family joined forces to battle the Great Ancestor Elder of the Zhou Family. A battle of Immortal Lord level erupted; boundless immortal might permeated the air, vast pressure shaking the high heavens, the void crying out in agony, and the eight wildernesses falling into dead silence.

Hum!

Three men, six eyes, six rays of golden pupillary light shone forth from three different directions, striking the encircled Great Ancestor Elder. The latter showed no fear whatsoever, retaliating with his own pupillary light—two rays of golden radiance brighter than the sun, slashed out like peerless, razor-sharp heavenly swords. The void shattered instantly, holding its ground without yielding against the six rays of pupillary light.

A full eight rays of pupillary light clashed within the dark firmament, illuminating the shattered void entirely. People within the Zijin Imperial City looked up, yet could see and hear nothing, because mysterious rules and orders flowed there, interfering with the five senses of immortals.

"Kill!"

Gale-force winds rose abruptly, black robes fluttered. The dazzling golden light shot from the eyes of the Great Ancestor Elder was far too intense; even when besieged by the three at close range, he held the absolute upper hand. Finally, raising his head to the skies, he let out a cold shout. Two rays of golden light erupted with surging immortal power, breaking through the limits of the firmament and surging straight into the starry sky above, while his physical body vanished from the spot.

Almost instantaneously, dull, massive reverberations came rolling down from the starry sky, resembling the war drums of the Primordial Immortal Court being beaten, traveling from afar to near, shaking space itself.

An imposing figure descended from the starry sky. His ferocious countenance was like that of a demon or ghost, his massive body covered in purplish-gold armor and rivaling ten thousand giant mountains. Golden lightning intertwined around him, every single strand containing explosive power.

"He is using pupillary arts to visualize the Thunder God Dharmic Form," the Second Ancestor Elder frowned and said.

"What is there to fear? We can visualize them too!" The golden-robed elder was the Seventh Ancestor Elder; at this moment, the heavens and myriad phenomena were reflected within his Golden Double Pupils, shifting unpredictably like a kaleidoscope.

Simultaneously, that Thunder God Dharmic Form galloped down, riding the lightning; its speed equaled a falling thunderbolt. The Second Ancestor Elder and Third Ancestor Elder gazed toward it, likewise executing pupillary visualization.

From three directions, three towering Dharmic forms emerged: the Wind God of the Second Ancestor Elder, the Fire God of the Third Ancestor Elder, and the Herculean God of the Seventh Ancestor Elder.

The Wind God Dharmic Form wore cyan-gold battle armor, throwing a punch toward the heavens, its fist wind cutting through the void like a sharp blade. The Fire God Dharmic Form wore crimson-gold battle armor, pushing out with its palms, its palm imprints melting all things. The Herculean God Dharmic Form thrust both fists toward the skies, as though piercing heaven and earth.

Clang, clang, clang!

Golden lightning surged; the Thunder God Dharmic Form had fully descended, fighting the assault of the three gods single-handedly. Above the clouds and heavens, it was as if an anvil was being beaten. The physical body of the Thunder God was indestructible, enduring the attacks of the three gods without showing any signs of decline. On the contrary, its combat power was valiantly peerless, possessing the ability to contend with the heavens. Sturdy extra arms grew from its back, engaging in a chaotic melee with the Wind God, Fire God, and Herculean God.

(1/3)

(2/3)

"We cannot stretch our hands here; let us fight in the cosmos!" the Seventh Ancestor Elder proposed. Following that, the Herculean God ceased its attack, carrying him into the starry expanse as the first to leap upward.

The remaining three without a word followed closely with tacit understanding.

In the Pinnacle of Zijin starry domain, rivers of stars flowed quietly, myriad starlights paving the cosmic void. The four Dharmic forms suddenly appeared and expanded, vast as stars themselves.

His purplish-gold armor gleamed brightly, the Thunder God Dharmic Form radiating sovereign majesty. As its four arms moved, heaven and earth shook. Countless stars spun like spinning tops, hurtling toward the other three Dharmic forms.

The Herculean God bore the brunt of the assault. Facing the giant stars spinning rapidly toward it and smashing downward, it shattered them with a single punch each, the sounds of explosion echoing continuously.

The Wind God rode the wind, stirring violent gales across the cosmos that forcefully halted the momentum of those giant stars. The Fire God channeled divine fire, forming a wall of flame that instantly transformed star after star into blazing, disintegrating meteors.

Seeing this, the Thunder God stretched its four arms upward, and four crude black stone hammers materialized out of thin air within its grasp. To ordinary eyes, those hammers, weighing hundreds of millions of jun, would have been impossible even to lift; yet in the hands of the Thunder God, they were wielded with nimble ease, handling the heavy as if it were light.

Clang!

The Thunder God swung its hammers, the stellar cosmos trembled, and spatial ripples spread outward in all directions. Countless stars plunged downward; the power of a single hammer strike was terrifyingly heavy.

Seeing this, the three ancestral elders did not retreat in the slightest. Tonight's battle was a gamble of everything to fight for a bright future for the Zhou Family.

Swords hummed with a ringing sound. The Wind God Dharmic Form raised a giant sword, slashing out with a single strike that obliterated the river of stars.

Blade radiance blazed like fire. The Fire God Dharmic Form gripped a saber with both hands, cleaving downward with a single slash that incinerated the heavens and shattered the earth.

The pinnacle of physical strength transformed fists into golden armor. The fists of the Herculean God Dharmic Form turned golden yellow, and with a single punch thrown, nothing remained un-smashed.

One god against three, the Thunder God brought all four hammers down together, smashing against the three divine weapons. The ringing clangs echoed across the four directions, golden lightning washed over the firmament, and the constellations grew dim.

Both sides exhausted their techniques, pushing their pupillary visualization methods to the ultimate limit. This patch of the starry sky was blasted apart, countless stars plunged downward, and the void collapsed in swathes, triggering a massive cataclysm.

In the end, the Second, Third, and Seventh Ancestor Elders managed with great difficulty to shatter the Great Ancestor Elder's Thunder God Dharmic Form, but their own ancient divine forms perished together with it, resulting in a draw.

Behind the four figures, the starry sky fractured, heavens collapsed and earth cracked, leaving the boundless universe pitch black.

"We cannot fight here any longer. The final battle will end at the barren borders of the Daluo Immortal Domain!" The eyes of the Great Ancestor Elder returned to their original appearance. His eye sockets appeared even more deeply sunken, and his complexion had grown several shades paler, clearly indicating that the previous battle had consumed an immense amount of vital energy.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The four ancestral elders strode across the firmament, crossing a starry region with every step, growing faster and faster as they sped through cosmic space.

Since the Pinnacle of Zijin starry domain was already located in the northern part of the Daluo Immortal Domain, it was not overly distant from the extreme northern borderlands of the immortal domain, and the four of them arrived swiftly.

Chaos surged, darkness was endless, and several crimson stars gleamed within. The figures of the four were instantly swallowed by the chaos.

Brilliant sword light cleaved the chaos apart. Astonishingly, all four unleashed the exact same swordsmanship; its overwhelming momentum resembled great waves sifting sand or rushing rivers, a strike whose might even heaven, earth, and the cosmos could not contain!

"Monarch's Arrival Sword Art!"

Amidst the hazy chaos, the four ancestral elders wielded their swords in unison, staging a fierce battle of sword techniques. As the sword radiance surged, piercing the high heavens, each man and his sword appeared like an emperor descending into the world, ruling supreme over all under heaven. No matter how the eight wildernesses descended into chaos, a single sword stroke of theirs cleared the turbidity of the world.

After a long while, only a single black-robed figure walked out from the chaos. His expression was as placid as still water, his gaze cold and deep. He tore open space instantly and returned directly to the Zijin Imperial Star.

"Where are the three protectors and ten throne masters of the Night Palace?"

In Zijin Imperial City, inside Yangdu City—which gathered all descendants of the Zhou Family's Yang branch—the Great Ancestor Elder issued an urgent summons the moment he returned.

"What are the Palace Master's orders?"

After merely a moment, thirteen figures appeared in the underground palace hall beneath Yangdu City, dropping to one knee. Like the black-robed elder seated upon the dais above the hall, they all wore black robes embroidered with four red moons, their faces concealed beneath hoods.

"Listen well: the Second, Third, and Seventh Ancestor Elders are committing treason, attempting to kill me and seize power. Tonight, I want you to slaughter every last member of the Tian, Di, and Zhou branches, leaving not a single one alive, and bring their primordial spirits back to the Night Palace." The Great Ancestor Elder commanded sternly.

"Understood!" Without the slightest hesitation, the thirteen figures replied like unfeeling killing machines.

Then, they vanished from the hall. By now, it was the small hours of the morning, and the night was thick.

Tiandu City was home to all members of the Zhou Family's Tian branch. The Second Ancestor Elder was the spiritual and physical leader of these people.

As five black-robed figures quietly entered the city, the peace and tranquility of this ancient metropolis were easily shattered tonight.

The leader of the black-robed figures released a killing intent that enveloped the entire city, alarming countless powerful figures who came forth to resist the external enemies. Without exception, these people were Immortal King-level existences.

A battle erupted, yet it caused barely a ripple. Under the leader's overwhelmingly despair-inducing strength, one immortal king after another—young and old alike—fell to the ground, their physical bodies shattered while their primordial spirits were bound by familiar pitch-black chains and gathered into an exquisite treasure box.

Simultaneously, the other four figures made their move. Waving their sleeves, thousands of pitch-black chains flew out, extracting the primordial spirits of countless Tian branch members, leaving only their physical bodies to die tragic deaths on the streets.

Less than a quarter of an hour had passed since the issuance of the ultimatum, yet a majority of the human immortals of Tiandu City were already dead. Similarly, the Third Ancestor Elder's Didu City and the Seventh Ancestor Elder's Zhoudu City had likewise become shuro-like slaughterhouses!

In the night sky, there were no stars or moon, darkness covered the heavens, and tonight was a night of the dark moon (Shuri).

Within a rather luxurious courtyard, a purple-robed youth with an exceptionally handsome face had not yet gone to sleep. He was very happy today because he had finally advanced to the Golden Immortal realm. Feeling the full, rich immortal power contained within his body, he channeled it slightly, and a golden luster flowed across his skin. It was impervious to water and fire, and unharmed by swords and blades; this was the Indestructible Golden Body, the body of a Golden Immortal.

Becoming a Golden Immortal meant, quite obviously, the ability to skillfully employ all kinds of ordinary immortal techniques, the evolution of the physical body into a golden body, and an increase in lifespan from one thousand years to five thousand years.

The purple-robed youth had spent a mere century in cultivation yet had already reached the Golden Immortal realm, making him a rare genius within the immortal domain. However, he did not view himself as such, because he had an elder sister. He knew that only his elder sister was a true genius; before her, no matter how dazzling a genius might be, they would be utterly eclipsed.

"Sister, you became a Golden Immortal at twenty-five, but I took a hundred years. Am I truly that useless in your eyes? I am unworthy of being your younger brother, which is why you haven't come home these past few years. You must really hate seeing your useless little brother." Thinking of his sister, the purple-robed youth pursed his lips, feeling somewhat wronged and harboring an inferiority complex.

Everyone knew he had a genius sister hailed as the peerless heavenly maiden of the Zhou Family. From childhood, she had displayed astonishing cultivation talent: entering the Golden Immortal realm at twenty-five, becoming an Upper Immortal at one hundred, stepping into the Greater Immortal realm at three hundred, and within a mere millennium, becoming an immortal king revered by hundreds of millions, far surpassing her peers. Such talent was hard to find even a few instances of throughout the ages!

"I will not give up. What does it matter if I started slowly? From today onward, I will practice doubly hard. I, too, will reach the Immortal King realm before a thousand years of age. I want to show others that I am qualified to be your younger brother." The purple-robed youth clenched his fists tight, releasing his Golden Immortal aura as he silently resolved himself.

Before the grand gates of the estate, a black-robed figure appeared. Though the hood covered most of her head, the delicate chin exposed to the outside air revealed her to be a female immortal—and one could be certain, a female immortal of peerless, breathtaking beauty!

Bang!

The gates burst apart, and the black-robed figure stepped directly into the front courtyard of the estate. Yet the shattering sound awoke every single person up and down the estate.

The servants and guards were given no chance to shout curses before their chests were pierced by pitch-black chains, their primordial spirits hooked out simultaneously and deposited into the exquisite treasure box the black-robed figure had prepared beforehand.

In an instant, chains intertwined across the courtyard, primordial spirits flew about, and dead bodies littered the ground one after another. Before this black-robed figure, the cultivation realms of the estate's inhabitants were a complete joke, unable to resist in the slightest.

Finally, when the black-robed figure had slaughtered almost everyone in the front and rear courtyards, the master of the house finally emerged accompanied by his wife, arriving fashionably late. The middle-aged man's expression was utterly calm; seeing the courtyard full of corpses caused him neither surprise nor anger. Beside him, the beautiful matron was the same. The two merely gazed quietly at the black-robed figure.

The night wind blew. The black-robed figure stood alone in the courtyard surrounded by corpses; no one could discern the expression beneath that hood, though it was likely the indifference of foregone conclusion.

"Guanqiu..." The mother of the Zhou family could not help but softly murmur.

The middle-aged man tightly gripped the beautiful matron's hand, as if reminding her not to speak further, for everything had long been predestined.

In the black-robed figure's hand, a taut, slender chain materialized—the Heart-Piercing Sword. It could be long or short, curved or straight, piercing all things and penetrating everything.

"Father, Mother, what happened?"

At that moment, the purple-robed youth also flew out, followed closely by a masked, white-robed figure.

The father and mother of the Zhou family hastily turned their heads and shouted, "Shuo'er, run quickly! Shadow Master, take Shuo'er away from the Zijin Imperial City, quickly!"

Puff! Puff!

Before the two could finish speaking, the Heart-Piercing Sword had already pierced their hearts. The sword lengthened, entering from the father's left chest and piercing through his back, then entering the mother's left back and piercing through her chest.

"Father! Mother!" The pupils of the purple-robed youth constricted as he let out a despairing cry.

Opposite them, the black-robed figure gave a gentle tug, extracting the primordial spirits of the Zhou parents. The two maintained their turning posture, speaking with lingering reluctance to the purple-robed youth: "Shuo'er, you must survive. Run quickly! Run away! Shadow Master, quickly take Shuo'er away!"

The purple-robed youth, Zhou Guoshuo, frantically moved to fly forward and save his parents. However, the masked, white-robed figure behind him held him back, saying, "Listen to your parents, let's leave quickly, or you won't survive either."

"No, let go of me! I must save my father and mother!" The youth could not listen to reason at all, roaring like a maddened beast.

Space was locked down; Zhou Guoshuo could not move a single muscle of his entire body, forced to watch helplessly as his parents' primordial spirits were packed into the exquisite treasure box.

"Father! Mother! Ahhhhhh..." Zhou Guoshuo cried out helplessly, tears already streaming down his face.

"Let's go!" Shadow Master grabbed the purple-robed youth's hand, preparing to tear open space.

"Want to leave? Do you think you can escape?" The black-robed figure spoke for the first time, her voice icy and detached.

A full five pitch-black chains flew out, forcefully pulling the newly torn space back together and sealing it. The black-robed figure arrived before Shadow Master in an instant, a mere meter away.

Yet Zhou Guoshuo froze once more at that moment. He stared in disbelief at the vicious enemy who had murdered his parents, because the voice she had just used sounded exceedingly like someone he knew.

No, not like—it was completely identical!

"Who... exactly... are... you?" Zhou Guoshuo clenched his fists, pursing his lips, and asked word by word.

The black-robed figure said nothing; she merely lifted the hood from her head with a gentle movement.

Cold sweat oozed from Zhou Guoshuo's tightly clenched fists. In his heart, he was even praying: *It's not her, it's not her, it must not be her!*

Yet, upon seeing that flawless, breathtakingly cold and stunning face, he felt as though he might crush his teeth to pieces.

Zhou Guanqiu! The peerless heavenly maiden of the Zhou Family, his own biological elder sister.

"No, impossible! You're fake. Tell me, who on earth are you? You cannot be my sister! How could my sister kill people? How could she kill our father and mother?!" Zhou Guoshuo questioned angrily.

"You really are such a naive and pathetic child, living in a fairytale world. How could you possibly understand what 'the weak are prey to the strong' means? Relatives and friends are merely tools used on my path to becoming stronger. They should rejoice that they died at my hands, because their deaths have value and can help me rapidly elevate my cultivation!" Zhou Guanqiu replaced her hood and said slowly.

"Do you know what you're saying?" Zhou Guoshuo's eyes reddened, and he spoke through gritted teeth with seething fury.

"Heh, whatever. You are far too weak, talking to you more is just a waste of breath. Once I pull out your primordial spirit and send you to the Night Palace to witness the truly cruel world, you'll understand!" Zhou Guanqiu chuckled and shook her head, the Heart-Piercing Sword in her hand poised to pierce the purple-robed youth's heart.

Boom!

Shadow Master threw his arm around Zhou Guoshuo, dodging the heart-piercing sword while thrusting a palm forward to temporarily put distance between them and Zhou Guanqiu.

"Shuo'er, I will hold her off here. In a moment, open this; it can take you away from danger, and afterward, I will come find you. Remember, do not let the people of the Night Palace find you. If you die, no one will be able to avenge you. Only by making yourself stronger can you accomplish everything!" Shadow Master handed an archaic scroll to Zhou Guoshuo.

The purple-robed youth nodded heavily. He opened the scroll, upon which an intricate magic array was painted, a faint power pulling at him to draw him into the formation.

"Zhou Guoshuo, you are my only remaining family. Once I kill you, I will truly be without attachments, unfeeling and heartless. Your death is the stepping stone for me to become an Immortal Lord. You cannot run!"

The black-robed Zhou Guanqiu gripped the Heart-Piercing Sword, releasing the pressure of an Immortal King. The estate was instantly demolished entirely, reduced to a vast, desolate wasteland.

Shadow Master also grasped a sword in his hand, arriving before Zhou Guanqiu in a single step. Sword Qi like a rainbow slashed downward; she blocked it effortlessly, handling it with ease. Subsequently, the two erupted with the majesty of kings, shaking heaven and earth as they engaged in a life-or-death duel.

"Enter the array and run!" Shadow Master shouted to Zhou Guoshuo amidst the fight.

Seeing that his guardian Shadow Master was struggling bitterly to hold off Zhou Guanqiu and clearly beginning to fall behind, the purple-robed youth glanced at Shadow Master one last time and shouted, "Shadow Master, I will firmly remember your words. Take care!"

"Zhou Guanqiu, from this day forward you are no longer my sister! I will surely kill you to avenge my father and mother, I swear it!" Zhou Guoshuo transformed into a beam of light and plunged into the magic array. The scroll immediately rolled itself up automatically and vanished. Yet the vow he left behind was resolute and decisive, piercing through the clouds and stone, echoing long over the desolate wasteland.