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

At the bottom of the Valley of Broken Souls, it was as quiet as a newly filled grave.

The green miasma, like undissolved corpse fluid, flowed viscously through the forest.

Su Chang'an sat cross-legged on the boulder, resting his chin on his hand, looking down at Chen Xuan, who was fast asleep beside him.

That unfilial son, he can't even sleep peacefully.

His brows were furrowed so deeply they could trap a fly, and his hands gripped the crack in the rock beneath him so tightly that his knuckles were pale.

He curled up into a ball, like a lone wolf ready to pounce and bite at any moment, or like a cub afraid of being abandoned in the wilderness.

"Go to sleep, Dad's going to get you some supplies."

Su Chang'an's illusory fingertip hovered half an inch above his cheek, tracing the old scar that extended from his brow bone to his temple.

Ugh, so ugly.

It's really heartbreaking.

She could sense an extremely pure soul energy fluctuation deep within the Soul-Severing Valley—the Ten-Thousand-Year-Old Soul-Nourishing Wood.

Although her current soul has the foundation of a quasi-emperor, it is ultimately a rootless duckweed.

To protect this mad and rebellious son in this perilous secret realm, she must gain a physical form.

Even if it's just a temporary physical form, even if it's just to block a hidden arrow for him, even if... he can actually touch and pinch that stubborn mouth of his.

"I'm leaving now. Wait for me patiently."

Su Chang'an's figure flickered, transforming into a wisp of smoke, and silently drifted into the depths of the poisonous swamp.

……

The campfire in the camp had burned out, leaving only a few dark red embers, like the eyes of a dying man.

Under the cover of night, a dozen dark figures sneaked into the Chen family's residence like ghosts.

Wearing the Ji family's night-clothes and concealing soft boots, she precisely avoided the withered branches with every step.

The leader was a direct descendant of the Ji family, at the early stage of the Transformation Realm.

His gaze swept menacingly over the Chen family's collateral disciples lying sprawled on the ground, a mocking smirk playing on his lips.

A group of pigs waiting to be slaughtered.

His gaze finally settled on the huddled figure beside the boulder.

Rumor has it that this abandoned son of the Chen family has shattered his Dao heart and has become a madman who only talks to himself.

Although he used some unorthodox methods during the day, in his view, they were nothing more than a last gasp before death, a desperate attempt to prolong his life.

"Hurry up."

The Ji family steward transmitted his thoughts telepathically, his tone contemptuous, "Rescue the second young master first, then send that cripple on his way. The Divine Child has ordered that not a single dog of the Chen family be spared."

A dozen or so elite members of the Ji family nodded, their magical artifacts gleaming with a chilling light as they fanned out to surround the boulder.

Ten steps.

Five steps.

A murderous aura silently spread through the night. A member of the Ji family raised his poisoned dagger, its cold light about to pierce the air.

At that very moment.

The figure that had been huddled under the boulder moved without warning.

Chen Xuan suddenly opened his eyes.

Those eyes held no trace of sleepiness, only a deathly emptiness, and... a sudden, explosive panic.

That's a stress response.

He instinctively reached out to grab something to his side.

empty.

His fingertips touched cold, hard rock, lacking the illusory coolness he craved.

Chen Xuan froze on the spot, his pupils shrinking to the size of pinpoints.

gone?

The "inner demon" that used to scold him, feel sorry for him, and use its soul power to wipe his face is gone?

A massive wave of panic overwhelmed his reason.

For the first time in three years, he slept so soundly, but when he woke up, he was faced with such emptiness.

Was everything that happened last night just a hallucination he had when he was on the verge of collapse?

No.

wrong!

Chen Xuan slowly stood up from the ground, his black robe fluttering in the night wind.

His gaze swept around, finally settling on the Ji family assassins who were about to make their move.

These are the people.

It was the murderous aura of these people that disturbed this place.

They scared "her" away!

As the young man slowly stood up, the Ji family steward felt a chill creep into his heart, as if he were being watched by an ancient ferocious beast.

But he quickly suppressed this absurd feeling, sneered, and pointed his long sword directly at Chen Xuan: "Chen Xuan, your death is imminent..."

"Noisy."

Two words, as light as a lover's whisper, yet as heavy as a thunderbolt.

Chen Xuan did not draw his sword.

He merely raised his eyelids slightly, and in his bloodshot eyes surged a palpable ferocity and madness.

boom--!

An extremely terrifying pressure was released without reservation, centered on Chen Xuan!

That is a power that the Transformation Realm cannot comprehend.

That was a killing intent built from mountains of corpses and seas of blood!

"Snap!"

The crisp sound of bones cracking was particularly jarring in the quiet night.

The dozen or so Ji family elites who were about to pounce on the attack were forced to their knees by the terrifying pressure that descended from the sky before they could even scream!

His kneecap shattered!

Blood instantly stained the ground red, and white bones pierced through flesh, a gruesome sight.

The steward leading the Ji family was the closest and therefore bore the most pressure.

He felt as if he were carrying an ancient divine mountain on his back, and his entire body was groaning under the unbearable weight.

He stared wide-eyed in terror, wanting to open his mouth to beg for mercy, but found that he couldn't even move his tongue.

How can this person be considered a useless person?

This is clearly a monster in human skin!

The disciples of the Chen family's collateral branches were awakened by the loud commotion and scrambled to their feet in a panic.

When they saw the scene before them, everyone was stunned, a chill running from the soles of their feet to the top of their heads.

The usually taciturn older brother, who would often stare blankly into thin air, was now standing under the moonlight.

He was surrounded by black, malevolent energy, and his eyes were so cold that they lacked any warmth, like a god of death who had just crawled out of hell.

And at his feet.

Those Ji family elites who were usually high and mighty were now kneeling on the ground like dead dogs, trembling and defecating.

……

Deep within the Valley of Broken Souls, a swamp of poisonous swamps surges.

Su Chang'an hovered in front of a dead tree that was entirely black and emitted a faint fluorescent glow.

This is the Ten-Thousand-Year-Old Soul-Nourishing Wood.

Even in this desolate place filled with poisonous miasma, it still exudes a calming fragrance that soothes the soul.

"Luckily, it's in excellent condition."

Just as Su Chang'an was about to reach out to grab it, the mud below suddenly exploded!

Whoosh!

A dark green venomous dragon, as thick as a water bucket, burst out of the water, opened its blood-red maw, and bit down on Su Chang'an with its foul-smelling venom!

This venomous dragon has horns on its head, clearly indicating that it has reached the peak of the Transformation Realm and is only one step away from transforming into a dragon.

At the same time, seven or eight figures rushed out from the surrounding dense forest.

That was another group from the Ji family, specifically responsible for searching for rare and precious materials in the secret realm.

"That's... a spirit or soul?"

The leader, a direct descendant of the Ji family, looked at Su Chang'an, who was suspended in mid-air, a glint of greed in his eyes. "Such pure divine soul power! If we capture him and refine him into a weapon spirit, he would definitely be excellent material!"

"Make your move! Take that Soul-Nourishing Wood along with it!"

At his command, seven or eight magical artifacts, radiating multicolored light, blocked all of Su Chang'an's escape routes.

They were attacked from the front by a poisonous dragon and surrounded by cultivators from behind.

If it were an ordinary wandering spirit, it would probably have been scared out of its wits by now.

But Su Chang'an merely raised an eyebrow lazily.

"You dare to steal from me?"

She looked at the venomous dragon rushing towards her and laughed mockingly.

Su Chang'an did not dodge.

She raised her right hand and gently tapped with her index finger.

At her fingertips, a faint yet incomparably sharp sword intent slowly emerged.

That was a trace of Chen Xuan's sword intent remaining in her body.

She used her own quasi-emperor level spiritual foundation as fuel to ignite the killing intent belonging to the sword cultivator of the Cave Profound Realm.

"Kneel down."

Her red lips parted slightly, and her words became law.

Om-!

A terrifying pressure originating from the soul level instantly swept across the entire poisonous swamp.

The once arrogant, Transformation Realm Poisonous Dragon's eyes instantly transformed from ferocity to extreme fear.

Its massive body suddenly froze in mid-air, and then it seemed as if it had been gripped tightly by an invisible giant hand.

"Bang!"

There is no room for struggle.

The iron-hard scales shattered inch by inch, and the demon beast at the peak of the Transformation Realm was directly blown into a cloud of blood mist by this one finger!

Blood rained down from the sky, before anyone could even let out a wail.

Those Ji family cultivators who had charged forward with great momentum were shaken by this terrifying spiritual impact, causing them to bleed from all seven orifices, and the magic weapons in their hands to dim and fall to the ground with a series of crackling sounds.

The direct descendant of the Ji family clutched his chest, staring in horror at the illusory figure in flowing red robes, his worldview shattered at that moment.

Is this some kind of wandering ghost?

Who could possibly kill a peak-stage Transformation Realm Poisonous Flood Dragon with a single finger?!

"You... are you a human or a ghost?!" His voice trembled, and his legs went weak.

Su Chang'an patted non-existent dust off his hands, snatched the Soul-Nourishing Wood into his robes, and said casually:

"I am your ancestor."

"Form ranks! Form ranks now!"

As a direct descendant of the Ji family, he was experienced and suppressed his fear, roaring as he commanded his men to fight back desperately.

however.

Just as they activated their defensive formation...

A black lightning bolt tore through the poisonous miasma that filled the sky.

Chen Xuan has arrived.

He was covered in blood, and the broken sword in his hand was still dripping with blood of unknown origin.

Those scarlet eyes swept across the entire area, finally settling on the Ji family cultivators who were surrounding Su Chang'an.

From his perspective, this group of people were using their magic weapons to try and kill the vulnerable "inner demon" that had just "returned".

At that moment, the string of reason snapped completely.

"You...you're asking for it!!!"

A roar like that of a wild beast shook the entire valley.

Chen Xuan did not use any fancy sword techniques.

He charged straight into the crowd like a mad wolf.

The broken sword was wielded—simple, brutal, and deadly.

puff!

A cultivator from the Ji family was cleaved in two, along with his protective magic shield, his internal organs spilling out onto the ground.

Chen Xuan didn't even glance at him. He stabbed the other man in the throat with his sword, and with a flick of his wrist, the man's head exploded.

He ignored the magical attacks hitting him, letting the blood stain his black robe, his eyes filled only with the purest killing intent.

This was a one-sided massacre.

The direct descendants of the Ji family were terrified when they saw the madman running rampant through the crowd.

He wanted to escape, but his legs felt as heavy as lead.

"No...don't..."

A flash of sword light.

The head of the direct descendant flew high into the air, his face still bearing the marks of extreme fear.

In just ten breaths.

The poisonous swamp then fell silent.

The ground was littered with severed limbs, and streams of blood flowed into the swamp, turning the dark green mud a deep red.

The Chen family's collateral descendants who had come to help stood at a distance, dumbfounded.

They stared at the figure standing amidst the mountains of corpses and seas of blood, their throats dry, not daring to even breathe.

This is Chen Xuan.

This is the man who was considered an outcast by his family.

For the sake of a "female ghost," he slaughtered two groups of elite Ji family members, causing the entire Broken Soul Valley to change color.

Chen Xuan stood still, his chest heaving violently.

He slowly turned around, his scarlet eyes fixed on Su Chang'an, as if trying to etch her into his bones.

Su Chang'an held the Soul-Nourishing Wood, looked at his rebellious son covered in blood, and sighed inwardly.

Just as he was about to say something witty to ease the tension, Chen Xuan strode over.

He snatched the Soul-Nourishing Wood from Su Chang'an's arms and roughly shoved it back into her arms. Then, with his blood-stained hand, he gripped Su Chang'an's wrist tightly.

This time.

No longer is it passing through the cold emptiness.

The power of the Soul-Nourishing Wood gave Su Chang'an a temporary physical form, and a warm sensation came from his palm.

Chen Xuan's hand trembled violently, and he gripped her even tighter, his nails almost digging into her flesh.

"Who told you to run around like that?"

Chen Xuan gritted his teeth, his voice hoarse, but his eyes were filled with the fear of regaining what he had lost.

"Don't you know it's dangerous outside? You'll only make my eyes dirty if you die!"

He hurled the most offensive insults, but his body betrayed him by standing in front of Su Chang'an.

With his not-so-broad, yet blood-stained back, he shielded her from the swirling poisonous miasma and the stench of blood.

Su Chang'an looked at his slightly trembling shoulders and couldn't help but smile.

That unfilial son.

The only thing on his body that's hard is his mouth.

As the Soul-Nourishing Wood entered his body, a warm and gentle power instantly enveloped Su Chang'an's soul.

Her illusory figure began to solidify at a visible speed, her red dress was like fire, her silver hair was like a waterfall, and even the patterns on the hem of her clothes became clearly visible.

At the very moment when the soul solidified.

A trace of the ancient and noble aura belonging to the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox spread out uncontrollably, shaking the surrounding area.

……

Deep within the secret realm, in front of the ruins of the Emperor's Palace.

A young man dressed in golden armor, sitting cross-legged, suddenly opened his eyes.

The life tablet he was holding shattered into powder with a "crack".

That was the command slip from the Ji family steward.

Ji Wushuang watched the powder slip through her fingers, her face showing no anger, but rather a playful smile.

He took a deep breath, as if he could smell the faint, eerie aura in the air.

"I see……"

Ji Wushuang slowly stood up, her golden armor reflecting a dazzling light in the sunlight, making her look like a celestial being surveying the human world.

"Chen Xuan's weakness is actually the soul of a celestial fox demon."

He licked his lips, a cruel glint flashing in his eyes.

"interesting."

"This knife is mine."