After nine lifetimes of reincarnation, the yandere villainous heroine descends.

This sudden and seemingly terrifying storm actually did not cause much of a stir.

In the dark, torrential rain, the little girl with a lollipop in her mouth ultimately chose the first path, letting Shen Luoning leave.

She made this choice not out of fear, but as a decision made after weighing the pros and cons.

In her eyes, the unknown presence surrounding Shen Luoning wouldn't last long, and it seemed that the other party's purpose was simply to protect that young man.

If we forcefully obstruct them, we will only push them to the brink of destruction, and then the entire capital of Yan will be dragged into catastrophe.

Since the other party showed no further hostility, she decided to let her go for the time being. No matter where she went, she had already prepared a backup plan.

As for the fate of those passersby in the bar, she naturally attributed it to the Underworld Ghost. Without much thought, she concluded that everything that happened tonight was instigated by the Underworld Ghost.

The next moment, Ling Xing looked up at the sky and his gaze locked onto the gaunt figure hiding in the dark clouds, trying to slip away quietly.

"Isn't it too late to leave now?"

Her voice instantly lost its sweetness and turned chillingly cold.

Hearing the voice from the gaunt figure shrouded in dark clouds, a sinister laugh escaped his throat: "You Mingyou Bureau are quite something, letting her leave so brazenly, yet you come to keep an eye on me? Looks like you're nothing but a bunch of bullies who prey on the weak."

"Click—"

A crisp cracking sound rang out.

The lollipop in Ling Xing's mouth was suddenly crushed, and sugar crumbs mixed with the sharp force spilled out from between her teeth.

"Compared to her, I just find you more disgusting."

Her tone was calm, yet chillingly cold.

Before she finished speaking, a huge heavy sword appeared out of thin air in her hand. The sword was pitch black and seemed to be able to devour the surrounding light. Its heavy aura made the air slightly stagnant.

Immediately afterwards, her figure vanished from the spot, and when she reappeared, she was standing in the sky, with the torrential rain seemingly being pushed away by an invisible force around her.

The giant sword in his hand was swung high above his head, bringing with it a whistling wind. Then, a sharp and incomparable black shadow cut through the rain and suddenly slashed down at the figure in the dark clouds!

Upon seeing this, the gaunt figure in the dark clouds maintained his cold smile and slowly extended a hand.

In an instant, the weather changed dramatically, and the dark clouds surged like boiling ink.

A massive, dark hand, capable of tearing through space, suddenly emerged from the sky and fiercely grabbed at the incoming giant sword!

On land, a team of Mingyou Bureau members dressed in combat uniforms quickly assembled and began cleaning up the mess.

Xie Ci's face was grim as he walked straight toward the two women. His intuition told him that these two must know something.

"Brother," Xie Zhixia called softly.

"What exactly happened here? Who was that person just now?"

Xie Ci's gaze fell on her.

Xie Zhixia opened her mouth, but ultimately remained silent.

Seeing that she was unwilling to say more, Xie Ci did not press her further. With the methods of the Mingyou Bureau, a simple investigation later would reveal the truth.

"After this is over, you'd better stay home and not go anywhere," he said coldly.

Immediately, he turned to look at Shen Wanfu, his tone even more somber: "I don't care what your Shen family wants to do, this is Yandu, not a place where you can act recklessly."

Shen Wanfu simply pursed her lips and did not respond, but her eyes were looking in one direction, the direction Shen Luoning had left.

After giving a brief explanation, Xie Ci looked up at the sky.

Rumble—!!

Thunderclouds exploded in the sky, and the dark clouds were torn apart by an unparalleled sword aura, creating a crack that stretched for thousands of miles across the heavens.

Ling Xing stood in the center of the raging wind, his heavy sword reaching for the sky. Lightning crackled and blood surged on the blade, and every swing resonated with the heavens and earth.

Where the sword wind swept, the clouds shattered and the air exploded.

The heavy sword in her hand was like a thunderbolt, cleaving, slashing, sweeping, and hacking, each strike carrying a fierce and domineering force as if it were creating the world.

The sword's pressure was like a mountain collapsing and a sea overturning, making the entire world seem to freeze.

The sword light pierced the dim sky, transforming into streaks of silver rainbows that stretched across heaven and earth, sharp and domineering to the extreme.

The gaunt figure's face grew increasingly pale.

He had to protect the critically injured and dying Yu Jianxue while also fending off the onslaught of Lingxing Heavy Sword. For a time, he was overwhelmed and completely put on the defensive.

If Yu Jianxue weren't a highly valued member of the Underworld's elite forces, given his status, he would never have risked venturing so deep into Yandu.

Moreover, something big is about to happen on Blue Star, and that's when manpower will be in high demand. He absolutely cannot let a combat power like Yu Jianxue be lost here.

"Captain, what should we do with this unconscious woman?"

On the ground, a team member pointed at the unconscious Yu Linghuan and asked.

Xie Ci glanced at it and coldly ordered, "Take it back."

Before the words were even finished, and just as everyone was about to make their move, an overwhelming and terrifying killing intent descended from the sky without warning.

The killing intent was like a freezing current that engulfed the entire space in an instant.

Xie Ci felt as if the blood in his body had frozen, and a bone-chilling coldness emanated from his limbs and bones.

Even the fierce battle within the dark clouds abruptly ceased.

Ling Xing gripped his heavy sword tightly and suddenly turned around to look.

Suddenly, a blinding crimson light appeared deep within the rolling black clouds, illuminating half the sky like a burning will-o'-the-wisp.

Immediately afterwards, a petite figure stepped out of the clouds, bathed in bloody light.

On the other side, the gaunt figure of the Nether Ghost was about to slip away when a colossal creature rolled out from the clouds, blocking his path like a mountain range.

When the giant beast finally emerged from the clouds and stopped in front of the gaunt figure, he was immediately terrified.

It was a ferocious dragon head, its scales as if forged from black iron, and its eyes burning with ghostly blue flames.

On the dragon's head stood a figure dressed in white, hands behind his back, the tassel of his long sword fluttering in the wind.

"Who hurt my brother?"

"Hand over my brother!"

Two voices rang out simultaneously, each word distinct and deliberate, shattering the dark sky.

.......

.......

On the other side, Shen Luoning led Shen Shuchou into a secluded room.

This is her hiding place in Yandu. Lu Wanheng has already realized that he is about to be separated from this avatar of consciousness.

She gently placed Shen Shuchou on the bed—it was she who had knocked him unconscious at the bar earlier.

Gazing closely at that familiar face, Shen Luoning murmured softly, her tone filled with an almost obsessive tenderness.

"My disciple, you are my everything, and I will never let you suffer even the slightest harm again."

The next moment, her fingertips gently traced Shen Shuchou's cheek, a deep smile gracing her eyes:

"Wait here for me, I will take you away. I will keep my promise to you. You also promised me that you would be my disciple for life. You have already lied to me once, and I will not allow you to lie to me a second time."

Before he could finish speaking, Lu Wanheng suddenly felt a violent throbbing within his body.

That was Shen Luoning's independent consciousness, struggling frantically to break free of her body.

"Insolence! You are merely an avatar I created, yet you dare to defy me?"

Lu Wanheng's expression turned cold, and he rebuked her sharply.

She knew in her heart that she had to return to her original body immediately, otherwise Shen Luoning's consciousness avatar would surely collapse and be annihilated.

Before leaving, she raised her hand and set up a powerful barrier, completely concealing and shielding the entire room, making it impossible for ordinary people to find her in a short period of time.

After doing all this, Lu Wanheng stretched out a finger and gently touched Shen Shuchou's brow, softly calling out to him.

"wake up."

-

"The first trial has officially begun!"

A loud, bell-like sound suddenly resounded through the sky, vibrating every inch of air in the valley.

At the entrance to the massive valley, hundreds of stone steps wind upwards, and below the steps stand a group of young men and women dressed in various styles of clothing.

"It's finally starting!"

"Yes, I wonder if I can pass the trials and enter the immortal realm..."

"Stop dreaming. Qingxuan Holy Land is the foremost of the three great holy lands of the Central Continent. It's not that easy to enter."

After the solemn announcement, the whispers of the boys and girls rose and fell, clear and somewhat childish, echoing through the valley.

At the back of the crowd, a young man dressed in coarse cloth and shorts gazed at the towering stone steps before him and the mist-shrouded mountain gate in the distance, and murmured softly, "Is it finally... about to begin?"

This young man was none other than Shen Shuchou, who had descended to the seventh incarnation. He had been in this world for four years.

Name: Shen Shuchou

[World: The Seventh]

Cultivation Level: None

[Related: Female Lead - Lu Wanheng]

Looking at the panel that appeared before him, Shen Shuchou clenched his fist.

His mission was clear: pass through three trials, enter the Qingxuan Holy Land, and become a disciple of the current Holy Maiden, Lu Wanheng.

According to legend, Lu Wanheng is the most aloof and ethereal fairy in the Central Continent, and has rarely appeared in public for the past hundred years.

Each time he appears, he causes a huge uproar, drawing the attention of the entire cultivation world.

"Those who successfully complete the thousand steps will proceed to the second trial. Once you step inside, there is no turning back. Those who retreat without permission or whose willpower fails will persevere and die on the spot! The first trial now begins!"

Before the majestic voice had even faded from the valley, the young men and women in front of Shen Shuchou had already shot off like arrows, rushing headlong up the steps!

Seeing this, Shen Shuchou silently put away the panel in front of him and followed the flow of people, walking uphill at a leisurely pace.

At this moment, inside the main hall at the top of the valley, dozens of cultivators dressed in Taoist robes were holding their breath and focusing their attention on the huge water mirror in the center of the hall.

The mirror-like surface is as clear as glass, reflecting clearly every figure struggling to climb the thousand steps.

"How many people do you think will be able to pass all three trials this year?"

An old woman with a withered face stroked her beard and spoke with a smile.

"In my humble opinion, it is likely to be more than in previous years."

An elderly man with white hair stroked his long beard, his eyes filled with approval. "Among these children, there are a few promising talents. Two of them are probably no less gifted than you and I were back in our day!"

"You old codger, you've probably had your eye on those two kids for a while now, wanting to take them under your wing, haven't you?"

The old woman immediately laughed and scolded, but there was no malice in her eyes.

The old man chuckled, stroked his beard, and said no more, his gaze returning to the water mirror.

Just as everyone was watching intently, a figure in white slowly entered from outside the hall.

The figure was tall and straight, with his robes fluttering lightly, and he seemed to be surrounded by a faint, clear light, instantly attracting the attention of everyone in the hall.

"Your Highness? What brings you here?"

The old woman was the first to react, her tone tinged with surprise.

"Could it be... that Her Highness the Holy Maiden also intends to take on a disciple?"

Seeing this, the other cultivators couldn't help but whisper among themselves.

It should be noted that in the past hundred years, the Qingxuan Holy Land has never had a precedent of having a disciple personally taught by the Holy Maiden.

"Stop talking nonsense!"

The old woman rebuked in a stern voice: "The rules of the Holy Land are these; how could the Holy Maiden make an exception? Perhaps Her Highness has been in seclusion for too long and has come out for some fresh air to see this year's rising stars."

The figure in white seemed oblivious to the surrounding chatter and walked straight to the water mirror.

Her clear, moonlit eyes swept across the mirror, her gaze calm and undisturbed.

She was in seclusion cultivating, but just now she was inexplicably moved, as if some invisible force compelled her to interrupt her cultivation and come here.

But looking at the scene in the mirror, Lu Wanheng did not find anything unusual, and the inexplicable sense of attraction seemed to have dissipated.

She frowned slightly, about to turn and leave, when that strange feeling welled up in her heart again, even clearer than before.

Lu Wanheng stopped and turned his gaze back to the water mirror.

This time, her gaze was drawn as if by a magnet, instantly fixing on a figure.

It was a gray-clad boy lagging behind at the back of the crowd, his face covered in sweat.

His expression was somewhat numb, yet he was taking slow, deliberate steps upwards with difficulty and determination.