The memories of all humanity are awakening, except for mine.

Yu Youwei suddenly asked.

Jiang Chuan shook his head. He hadn't even reached the fourth realm, let alone the realm above the fifth.

Yu Youwei's red eyes held a complex expression.

"Some roads, going too fast may not be a good thing."

She changed the subject.

"However, we have more pressing matters to attend to right now."

Just as Jiang Chuan was about to ask, he suddenly felt a warmth in his chest, and the small bronze mirror that he always wore close to his body began to tremble on its own.

Yu Youwei's gaze immediately locked onto the small mirror, a strange light flashing in her red eyes.

"really."

she whispered.

"They've already started taking action."

"Who?"

Jiang Chuan looked around warily; the courtyard was deserted except for the falling snow.

Yu Youwei did not answer, but instead reached out and lightly tapped the small mirror on Jiang Chuan's chest.

A beam of red light flowed from her fingertips and seeped into the mirror. The small mirror immediately fell silent, but Jiang Chuan could sense that something within it had been awakened.

"Jiangchuan."

Yu Youwei's voice suddenly turned serious.

"Whatever happens next, remember one thing—don't trust anyone, including me."

Jiang Chuan was stunned.

"What do you mean?"

Yu Youwei's red eyes held emotions that Jiang Chuan couldn't decipher.

"Because even I sometimes can't tell which one is the real me."

Before she finished speaking, her figure suddenly became blurry, like a reflection in water being disturbed.

Jiang Chuan subconsciously reached out to grab it, but only caught a wisp of dissipating red light.

"Youwei!"

He shouted, and his voice echoed in the empty courtyard.

The only answers he received were the falling snowflakes and the faint cawing of crows in the distance.

At the same time, in a guest room in the Liang Prince's mansion, Zhu Lu suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, his face turning deathly pale instantly.

He staggered back a few steps, barely managing to stand by grabbing the corner of the table.

"grown ups!"

The guards standing outside rushed in upon hearing the noise.

Zhu Lu raised his hand to signal them to step back, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve, and his eyes were full of sinister intent.

"What a brilliant clone! What a brilliant Nascent Soul Transformation!"

He walked to the bronze mirror and looked at his pale face in the mirror—a crack was faintly visible between his brows, a trace of the backlash of his soul power.

His clone was destroyed, and his main body was naturally also affected.

To be implicated.

"Capable of instantly killing my clone"

Zhu Lu gritted his teeth.

"At least at the peak of the fifth realm, or even possibly."

He didn't continue, because the possibility was too terrifying.

A fifth-realm sage is already a rare find in this world. If that woman truly possesses the level of cultivation he suspected, the power behind her must be incredibly profound.
Test.

Zhu Luqiang suppressed his surging blood and qi.

He walked to the desk, took out a piece of dark yellow talisman paper, bit his fingertip, and drew a complex rune on it.

"I do not care who you are."

He whispered to himself.

"Anyone who dares to ruin my plans will pay the price."

The talisman spontaneously combusted in his hand, transforming into a jet-black raven that flapped its wings and flew out the window into the rain.

Zhu Lu watched the crow disappear, his eyes filled with uncertain emotions.

"Jiangchuan."

he murmured.

"You think you can escape this calamity with the help of a powerful figure? The imperial court, the demonic sect, and those forces lurking in the shadows all want your life. I'll see how long you can live!"

He turned and walked into the inner room, deciding to temporarily step back from the limelight.

Since that mysterious woman's cultivation level is so high, it would be too risky for her to take action herself.

It would be better to let other forces test the waters first, while we reap the benefits.

Meanwhile, at the south gate of the city, the autumn rain continued incessantly, and the armored soldiers on the city walls had already taken shelter in the watchtowers.

Inspector Li Huan rubbed his hands together and complained with dissatisfaction.

"In this awful weather, what's the point of staying here?"
"What city gate? Who would choose to enter the city at a time like this?"

The underling smiled obsequiously.

"Sir, I heard that the higher-ups have given a strict order to guard against this, it seems they're arresting someone."

Li Huan scoffed at this.

"Arrest people? Thousands of people come and go in this county every day, how can we arrest them?"

He suddenly lowered his voice.

"However, I heard about that new official..."

The soldier quickly made a shushing gesture.

"Sir, please be careful with your words. That person is not someone to be trifled with."

Li Huan pursed his lips and said no more.

Neither of them noticed that in the darkest corner of the city wall, a figure shrouded in a black robe stood silently, letting the rain soak his clothes.

Puppeteer Zhou Ze stood with his eyes closed, raindrops sliding down his cheeks, but unable to conceal the eerie smile on his lips.

He was toying with an almost transparent thread in his hand.

The other end disappeared into the depths of the rain.

"Soon."

He spoke softly, his voice like sandpaper scraping.

We'll be there soon.

At the edge of his perception, a blurry figure was slowly walking towards the city gate through the rain.

"Fellow Daoists, now that you're here, why not show yourselves?"

Zhou Ze's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly pierced through the rain and reached the ears of every soldier guarding the city wall.

On the city wall, the armored soldiers looked at each other, gripping their spears tightly.

They knew who this seemingly ordinary old man in a straw raincoat was—one of the three Sage Realm experts under the command of the Prefect of Longhai.
One of the cultivators, puppeteer Zhou Ze.

Suddenly, two rainbow lights appeared in the rain, one blue and one red, like lightning tearing through the dark clouds, rising from the city and landing on the city wall in the blink of an eye.

The rainbow light dissipated, revealing two figures, a man and a woman.

The man, dressed in a blue robe with a lean face and carrying an ancient longsword on his back, was none other than Chen Ping, the head of the Zuowang Peak of the Yunhai Immortal Sect.

The woman was dressed in a fiery red silk skirt with a silver bell tied around her waist. Her almond-shaped eyes were wide open. She was Pei Guoguo, the junior sister of Zuowang Peak.

"Senior Zhou."

Chen Ping bowed respectfully, his voice calm and composed.

Zhou Ze nodded slightly.

"Chief Chen has come from afar, which brings great honor to Longhai County."

Pei Guoguo abruptly interrupted the pleasantries, her clear voice standing out distinctly against the sound of rain.

"Old Zhou, we're not here to be polite with you."

Where is Jiang Chuan?

Zhou Ze's lips, hidden beneath his straw hat, curled slightly upward.

"Miss Pei is still as straightforward as ever."

"Young Master Jiang is currently a guest at the Prefect's residence and is safe and sound."

"fart!"

Pei Guoguo's eyebrows shot up.

"Don't you know what kind of people you are from Longhai County? That incident from three years ago isn't over yet! If a single hair on Jiangchuan's head is missing today, I'll burn down your dilapidated city walls!"

Chen Ping coughed lightly.

"Junior sister, watch your words."

Zhou Ze was not offended; instead, he laughed.

"Don't worry, Miss Pei. There are three Sage Realm experts guarding the city. Even if the Yan Kingdom's army presses in, they won't be able to harm Young Master Jiang in the slightest."

Before Pei Guoguo could say anything more, the sound of orderly hooves suddenly came from afar, shattering the silence of the rain.

Everyone turned to look, and saw a troop of people slowly approaching from the end of the official road, with banners...
The flags fluttered in the rain, embroidered with ferocious black bird patterns—the Yan Kingdom delegation.

The leading knight was dressed in a brocade robe, with a jade belt at his waist, and had a sinister face.

He raised his hand to signal the troops to stop, then rode forward alone, reining in his horse ten zhang in front of the city gate.

"I am Huo Jinzhi, Vice Minister of Rites of the Yan Kingdom, here on the orders of the King to escort the Crown Prince back to the country! Open the city gates immediately!"

A commotion erupted on the city wall. The patrol officer gripped his sword hilt and looked at Zhou Ze.

The old puppeteer slowly stepped forward and stood at the edge of the battlement, rain dripping down his raincoat.

"Lord Huo is joking."

Zhou Ze's voice was calm. "Haojing is a thousand miles away from here. How could the Prince of Yan know that the Crown Prince is in my Longhai County? Besides, isn't the Crown Prince of Yan currently in Haojing?"

Huo Jinzhi sneered and took out a jade pendant from her bosom, holding it high above her head.

"The Prince of Yan has already appointed his third son as Crown Prince. I have come here with an envoy's order. Do you dare to disobey?"

The jade tablet gleamed faintly in the rain, undoubtedly bearing the order of the Yan envoy.

Pei Guoguo suddenly chuckled.

"What bullshit Crown Prince! Jiang Chuan is the successor of the Zuowang Peak of my Yunhai Immortal Sect, and he will become one of the seven chief disciples of the sect in the future. What does he have to do with your Yan Kingdom's royal family?"

Huo Jinzhi's expression changed drastically.

"Insolence! The Crown Prince is of the late king's bloodline; how dare you cultivators defile him!"

He suddenly drew his sword, its blade pointing towards the city wall.

"Ghost General Jiang Chuan! I know you are in the city! Show yourself immediately and come back to the capital with me!"

"Shut up!"

Pei Guoguo shouted angrily, and the silver bell at her waist rang out crisply without any wind.

"If you dare to slander Jiang Chuan again, I'll cut out your tongue!"

Huo Jinzhi, enraged, laughed and suddenly leaped from his horse, his sword pointing directly at the city wall.

Dozens of knights behind him drew their swords at the same time, their cold glints blending together in the rain.

"alert!"

The patrol officer roared. The armored soldiers on the city wall quickly formed ranks, their spears like a forest.

The alarm bells rang out loudly, shaking the entire Longhai County.

Chen Ping sighed, raised his right hand slightly, and the ancient sword behind him was drawn half an inch from its sheath with a "clang".

A chilling sword aura shot out from the sky like a blue dragon soaring through the air, instantly cleaving through the rain and striking Hawkingzhi squarely in the chest.

mouth.

"puff--"

Huo Jinzhi coughed up a mouthful of blood and fell heavily from mid-air, crashing into the muddy water.

The knights of Yan cried out in alarm and rushed forward to help him up, only to see that Huo Jinzhi's robe was torn in the chest, with a deep sword wound that revealed the bone.

"Cloud Sea Immortal Sect. What a magnificent Cloud Sea Immortal Sect!"

Huo Jinzhi gritted his teeth and was helped up by his subordinates.

"The humiliation we have suffered today will surely be avenged by the State of Yan!"

Zhou Ze stood on the city wall, his voice suddenly turning cold.

"Lord Huo, without the prefect's order, no one can enter the city. Please return."

Huo Jinzhi grinned as she wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth.

"You think this is the end?"

He suddenly waved his hand.

"Fire arrows!"

Dozens of Yan knights simultaneously drew their bows and nocked their arrows. The sound of arrows piercing the air mingled with the sound of rain, and a dark rain of arrows poured down on the city walls.

"court death!"

Pei Guoguo let out a sharp cry, formed a hand seal, and a fiery red barrier unfolded on the city wall, turning arrows into ashes upon impact.

Chen Ping then pointed his sword, and the ancient sword was fully drawn, transforming into a streak of blue light that shot down towards the city.

Meanwhile, inside the Liang Prince's Mansion in the center of Longhai County.

Wearing a black cloak, Gu Cheng silently passed through the corridor and arrived at a secluded courtyard.

"Mr. Ye, I request an audience in this isolated city."

His voice was low and almost inaudible in the sound of rain.

A lazy male voice came from inside the courtyard.

"In the dead of night, my lord, you have quite the refined taste."

Ignoring the sarcasm in the conversation, Gu Cheng said in a deep voice.

"I have a business deal that I'd like Mr. Ye to handle."

After a moment of silence, the courtyard gate opened silently.

Gu Cheng stepped inside and saw that the candlelight flickered in the hall, and a young man in white was reclining on a soft couch, with a beautiful woman serving him on each side.

One person massaged his shoulders, and another poured him wine.

The white-clad young man was almost otherworldly handsome, with long, flowing hair. He was none other than Ye Qiu, a guest of the Liang Prince's mansion, known as the assassin who could "startle autumn with a single sword."

"Tell me, who to kill?"

Ye Qiu didn't even lift his eyelids, toying with the wine glass in his hand.

Gu Cheng removed his cloak, revealing a sinister face.

"The Third Prince of Yan."

Ye Qiu paused, then finally looked up at Gu Cheng.

"Interesting. You dare to touch the person Yan has just appointed as Crown Prince?"

"Mr. Ye, this matter is of great importance, and we hope you will lend a helping hand."

Gu Cheng stood on the bluestone slab in front of the gate, the moonlight casting a long shadow of him.

He wore a dark cloak, and a simple, ancient longsword hung at his waist, its scabbard adorned with several dark red lines.
The silk threads swayed gently in the night breeze.

Ye Qiu leaned against the doorframe, toying with a copper coin between his fingers; the coin fluttered like a butterfly between his fingers.

Killing a Sage Realm expert is no small matter.

He looked up at the lonely city, his eyes...

It has a playful quality to it.

"I want the pair of mermaid pearls in your mansion."

Gu Cheng frowned slightly, and the scars on his face looked even more ferocious in the moonlight.

"Mr. Ye, you jest. Mermaid pearls are rare treasures. How could my household possess such a precious item?"

"is it?"

Ye Qiu chuckled softly, and the copper coin suddenly stopped on his thumb.

"The Chronicles of the Nine Provinces records that when the Sea Kingdom was destroyed, some merfolk fled across millions of miles to the northern border. If merfolk can come, why can't merfolk pearls?"

The shadow of the old locust tree in the courtyard swayed on the ground. Gu Cheng remained silent for a moment, his hands under his cloak clenching slightly.

"The merfolk that appeared in the South China Sea are nothing but a setup."

"Bureau?"

Ye Qiu flicked the copper coin into the air and caught it steadily.

"The scheme set up by the Imperial Advisor? Marquis Weiyuan almost lost his life because of it. I heard that the Imperial Advisor caught a big fish."

The night wind suddenly turned fierce, rustling the fallen leaves in the courtyard.

A complex expression crossed Gu Cheng's eyes.

"The Grand Preceptor's actions are unpredictable, and I have no idea about the outcome of that game."

The copper coin stopped spinning between Ye Qiu's fingers.

"Pity."

he sighed.

"The Imperial Advisor was close to an answer, but failed at the last moment."

The lone city took a step forward, the moonlight illuminating half of his face.

“Mr. Ye, this matter concerns the safety of the Northern Territory. If you are willing to help, I am willing to give you three spirit mines.”

"Spirit ore?"

Ye Qiu chuckled.

What use would I have for those inanimate objects?

He turned to go back inside.

"Without mermaid pearls, there's no point in discussing it."

"and many more!"

Gu Cheng's voice suddenly lowered.

"What if I told you that there is a divine body in the city whose destiny is extremely strong compared to Jiang Chuan's?"

Ye Qiu paused, turning back with a mocking look in his eyes.

"That little girl at Huoshenshan Hospital? She can't kill Jiang Chuan."

Gu Cheng took out a jade box from his bosom and slowly opened it.

A beam of azure light suddenly burst forth, swirling like a dragon in the night.

Ye Qiu's pupils contracted slightly; the sword intent contained within that light...

The copper coin on his fingertip suddenly became scalding hot.

"The Sage's Sword Intent?"

For the first time, Ye Qiu's voice showed a change in tone.

"Taken from Zhao Weiyuan's body."

Gu Cheng closed the jade box, and the blue light immediately disappeared.

"An undying wisp of Azure Dragon sword energy."

A brief silence fell over the courtyard, broken only by the rustling of the locust tree leaves in the wind.

Ye Qiu stared at the jade box in Gu Cheng's hand, his eyes flashing.

"Interesting. If one can disguise oneself as both a man and a woman, that person must be an absolute master. But what if the disguised person isn't the same person?"

A glint of light flashed in Gu Cheng's eyes. (End of Chapter)