Spirit Realm

“Why?”

In a completely new five-story building, clad in a humble light-green martial practitioner uniform, Xue Moyan frowned at Qin Lie.

This wooden building was situated on Xu Changsheng’s Flowing Gold Fire Phoenix. It sat in the crook of the fire phoenix’s left wing, far from the clusters of wooden buildings at the center of the it’s back. This left it quiet and free of disturbances.

As long as they didn’t scream to communicate, there was no way for any Gold Sun Island martial practitioners to hear what Qin Lie’s group talked about.

Qin Lie had specifically requested to reside in this place.

“Why what?”

Qin Lie stood by the window gazing into the distance. He could vaguely make out the shapes of five big ships that resembled fish swimming across the water.

“Did you insist on joining Xiang Xi only to infuriate the Xing brothers?” Xue Moyan couldn’t quite understand his intentions.

After pondering for a moment, Qin Lie said, “Xing Yuyuan purposely sent us here so that Xiang Xi would kill us with his own hands. Once he did, even if Blood Fiend Sect demanded an answer in the future, they’d be able to explain themselves.”

“I know.” Xue Moyan nodded slightly. “But… the Xing Family shared a past connection with Blood Fiend Sect, not Xiang Xi’s group. Why have you joined them to pressure the Xing Family?”

In the past few days, Xue Moyan noticed that Qin Lie had gotten closer to Xiang Xi and his men. She secretly felt anxious on the inside.

She feared that Qin Lie would work with Xiang Xi to attack the Xing Family.

Although Qin Lie was only a single person and didn’t possess a high realm, she was well aware of the fact that the eight god corpses hidden under the sea made his killing potential outright scary.

If Qin Lie walked with Xiang Xi and treated the Xing Family as a sworn enemy… then the Xing Family would definitely suffer unfathomable losses!

Xue Moyan hoped that he would be able to attract Gold Sun Island and persuade the Xing Family to become an ally of Blood Fiend Sect. She didn’t want him to just kill them off.

She still had emotional attachment and unreasonable hopes for the Xing Family.

“If we want the Xing Family to willingly serve Blood Fiend Sect, we mustn’t befriend them entirely. A suitable amount of intimidation and pressure may result in a better and stronger response,” Qin Lie said with a smile. “Don’t worry, senior sister. Once we reach the Setting Sun Islands, everything will become clear.”

“The Setting Sun Islands?” Xue Moyan asked in surprised.

“Xiang Xi has made preparations to face the Xing Family there,” Qin Lie said, nodding. “I will arrange for the eight god corpses to head there in secret and get ready for a great upheaval.”

“Then… whose side will you be on?” Xue Moyan asked.

“Xing Shengnan has always treated me with sincerity,” Qin Lie said in a soft voice.

Xue Moyan gave him a profound look, emotions softly rippling through her bright eyes.

Then she smiled and said, “I can rest easy then.”

She realized that she was starting to understand him better.

When she first met Qin Lie in the Graveyard of Gods, she assumed that he was the one who killed her sisters from Illusory Demon Sect and tried her best to make him pay for it. However, Qin Lie restrained himself and avoided her again and again, unwilling to clash with her directly.

After that, Qin Lie helped her during every critical moment, causing her to mistakenly believe that he liked her and wanted to court her.

When she finally understood that Qin Lie did all of that because of a promise to her father and not specifically for her, she felt both happy… and slightly disappointed.

After fighting beside him within the Graveyard of Gods, she slowly came to know what kind of person he was.

Yet Xue Moyan still hadn’t been able to understand Qin Lie. She felt as though he were a fickle person, as if there were some kind of unknown force compelling him to do irrational things every so often.

Plenty of instances occurred where she thought he had a good heart and wouldn’t take extreme actions, that he would leave some room for compassion. However, that wasn’t actually the case.

For example, when Pan Qianqian exposed them to the Pan Family, Qin Lie decided that they had to kill her.

He had also demonstrated such capacity for ruthlessness to the Xing Family.

However, the moment Qin Lie said that Xing Shengnan treated him with sincerity, Xue Moyan understood that Qin Lie clearly knew when to hold a grudge and when to show gratitude.

He had not been eroded by malevolence and hatred.

This was why she could rest easy.

……

Two days later, the bright red evening sun made its slow descent through the sky and bathed the Setting Sun Islands in bright golden light.

The sun shone from a distance and looked as if it were sinking into the ground.

This gorgeous view was what the Setting Sun Islands were named after.

Five enormous ships forged from refined steel gradually came into view, cutting through the reflective waves and heading toward these islands.

“Be a little more careful, everyone!” Xing Yao called out. She stood atop the deck of the Wavebreaker, her attractive face a bright gold in the sunlight. “The Setting Sun Islands are fully developed islands under the control of four of our Gold Sun Island’s enforcers. Xiang Xi supervises them.”

Xing Yumiao never hid the conflicts between the Xing Family and Xiang Xi—not from her. This was why those four of the six enforcers had always disgusted her.

Back when she destroyed the reproductive ability of Bo Boze’s son, Xiang Xi had been the one to jump out and constantly call for proper punishment. He forced the Xing Family to imprison her for a long time, a terrible punishment in contrast to her supposed crime.

She never treated Xiang Xi and the other enforcers as seniors.

“The chief enforcer and his men cannot change anything.” Qi Jing wore an indifferent expression.

Xiang Xi and Bo Boze were only in the early stage of the Fragmentation Realm. Overthrowing the authority of the Xing brothers within Gold Sun Island was just wishful thinking.

So Qi Jing wasn’t worried.

“They won’t be able to overthrow the Xing Family,” Guo Yanzheng said. “But that only holds true so long as they do not borrow outside strength.”

As he said this, three Flowing Gold Fire Phoenixes gradually flew over from another direction.

According to the travel plan, Gold Sun Island’s five ships and three fire phoenixes would stop at the Setting Sun Islands to rest. Only after making a few preparations would they actually return to Gold Sun Island.

Guo Yanzheng sighed softly as he watched the fire phoenixes approach from a distance.

“I just don’t understand,” he said. “Why did Young Master Lie join Xiang Xi? You must have failed to inform him about the grudges between Xiang Xi and the Xing Family. He must have mistakenly thought that both sides are close.”

“He isn’t a member of our family!” Xing Yao shouted coldly. “No one who sides with Xiang Xi shall meet a good end! This fellow who showed up out of nowhere… hmph! In my opinion, he’s nothing but Xiang Xi’s lackey!”

She had no doubt in her mind that Xiang Xi had invited Qin Lie over to cause trouble.

“That’s impossible.” Guo Yanzheng shook his head. He was well aware of Qin Lie’s status as a member of Blood Fiend Sect. “Xiang Xi doesn’t have the ability to invite someone like him.”

“That is irrelevant. He will never reach Gold Sun Island alive!” Xing Yao declared, an icy smile spreading across her face.

Xing Yumiao hadn’t kept his threat a secret from Xing Yao, so she knew that he would personally kill Qin Lie if he didn’t choose to vanish before they reached Gold Sun Island.

Especially considering how Qin Lie stood beside Xiang Xi two days and publicly taunted the Xing Family, she was completely certain that Qin Lie would die.

Qin Lie had enraged every Xing Family clansman but Xing Shengnan!

“He has come yet again!” Qi Jing exclaimed in astonishment.

Xing Yao and Guo Yanzheng looked up, raising their hands to their foreheads to shield their eyes from the evening sun. They watched as a crystalline war chariot flew down from a Flowing Gold Fire Phoenix as expected and approached the deck of the Wavebreaker.

The chariot carried only one person—Qin Lie.

The crystalline war chariot stopped ten meters above the ship’s deck.

Qin Lie looked down at Xing Yao, and in a calm tone, he said, “I’m looking for big sister.”

Xing Wu suddenly appeared out of nowhere, his face grim as he started shouting at Qin Lie.

“She isn’t your big sister!” he yelled. “And no one in the Xing Family turns on their own kin!”

“Leave! You’re not welcome here!”

“Go away! Stop bothering us!”

“Buzz off! Go and hang out with Xiang Xi like the villain you are!””

“Someone like you isn’t a part of the Xing Family!”

Xing Family clansmen emerged from the stairway to the third floor one by one, the anger they had been suppressing for days finally exploding forth.

All of them pointed at Qin Lie accusingly and berated him.

Since Xiang Xi and the other three enforcers weren’t around, they yelled without restraint. They treated Qin Lie like the most despicable, shameless person they had ever seen and made sure he knew it.

Qin Lie smiled indifferently. He seemed as if he didn’t care and simply said, “I’m only here to speak with big sister.”

“Shut up!”

Xing Shengnan’s voice boomed from within her cultivation room. She had no choice but to stop cultivating and make her way to the deck of the ship.

Upon arrival, she began screeching at every Xing Family clansman, especially Xing Yao.

“Little brother simply doesn’t know about the relationship between our Xing Family and Xiang Xi,” she cried. “He has only mistakenly placed his trust in Xiang Xi! What in Spirit Realm are all of you doing? Why do you hide the truth from him, then blame him when he makes the wrong decision, huh?”

“Aunt! Can you just… please wake up!” Xing Yao could no longer stand Xing Shengnan’s confused beliefs. “Why don’t you understand? How many times have you been tricked? Why must you make the same mistake over and over again?”

“I am awake! I am more awake than anyone here right now!” Xing Shengnan yelled. “Xing Lie is seventh grandfather’s only grandson. He is my little brother, and a direct descendant of the Xing Family! Why are you treating your own family like this? Are you truly this heartless?”

“Seventh grandfather died more than a thousand years ago! You don’t know about that because father and uncle were afraid that you’d succumb to sadness!” Xing Yao screamed, frantically pointing at Qin Lie. “He isn’t a member of the Xing Family! This man… this person that appeared out of nowhere… he’s just like all of those spies who previously pretended to be members of the Xing Family. All of them are despicable, vile scum who want to take down the Xing Family! Aunt… you can’t keep making the same mistake over and over. You can’t keep living in the past. Seventh grandfather died… a-and… fourth uncle died in your arms. You were there when he did.”

Driven by her outrage toward Qin Lie and her disappointment in Xing Shengnan constantly making the same mistake, Xing Yao finally made the truth public.

Many Xing Family clansmen weren’t aware of the truth. The two enforcers on the side of the Xing Family, Guo Yanzheng and Qi Jing, were even more shocked by this revelation.

Then numerous gazes fell upon Xing Shengnan.

Everyone pitied her.

Xing Shengnan’s bulky frame collapsed to the ground. It was as if she had suddenly lost the strength that had supported her all this time. Helplessness shone from her small eyes as she unconsciously muttered to herself.

“D-dead,” she whispered. “All dead. They’re… all dead…”

Standing atop the crystalline war chariot, Qin Lie watched Xing Shengnan break down in both mind and spirit. A complicated look appeared in his eyes.

All of a sudden, he spoke up.

“No matter what my surname may be… in my heart, you will always be my big sister.”

His words made Xing Yao go insane with anger.

“Go away!” she screamed. “Get the hell away from us! Get as far from this place as you possibly can!”

“Kill him! Kill this traitor!”

“Kill him!”

“Don’t let him escape!”