Cheng Yaojia had never regretted not training in martial arts more than she did now.

Even though she had nominally become a disciple of Sun Bu’er, the tranquil hermit of the Quanzhen Sect, she only cultivated at home and never trained seriously. Her skills were weak and unrefined. So when she encountered Ouyang Ke tonight, she couldn’t even lift a finger in resistance before his maidservants captured her and took her away.

Shame and anger boiled in her heart. She was already prepared to die to preserve her reputation, thinking how best to end her life before losing her chastity—when everything was suddenly thrown into chaos.

First, an unknown hero appeared to intercept the maidservants taking away the Beggar Sect elder. Then that hero and the Beggar Sect disciples teamed up to besiege Ouyang Ke, forcing the maidservants escorting her to toss her aside on a rooftop in order to assist their master.

Cheng Yaojia was fervently praying for Ouyang Ke’s demise when laughter suddenly rang out nearby.

A beggar emerged to save her, and upon speaking with him, Cheng Yaojia discovered this man was none other than the legendary Northern Beggar, Hong Qigong.

She immediately asked why he wasn’t taking action to kill Ouyang Ke himself. Hong Qigong told her that he had an old relationship with that little scoundrel’s uncle, Ouyang Feng, and didn’t wish to use his seniority to bully the young. Instead, he’d chosen to let his disciple, Guo Jing, take on the fight.

So the two of them remained on the rooftop, watching the battle unfold—until Ouyang Ke summoned forth a swarm of snakes, and Hong Qigong’s expression finally grew serious.

But before he could act…

The sky turned bright.

Though it was deep into the night, the sun suddenly rose.

A celestial maiden stepped upon the clouds and descended. One sword drawn, a Xuanbird cried, and waves of searing heat rolled across the night air.

Cheng Yaojia watched in a daze as Li Mochou descended from the sky. Hong Qigong stood beside her, slapping himself over and over again.

Smack! Smack! Smack!

Finally, he let out a bizarre shriek:
«Heavens! A celestial! A real celestial!»

«This old beggar actually gets to witness a celestial descend!!»

Cheng Yaojia’s vision swam. She stared blankly at the graceful maiden descending from the heavens, completely captivated.

She wasn’t alone. On the luan carriage, Mu Nianci stood completely frozen.

She hadn’t understood earlier what Huang Rong meant by «special effects.» But now—she understood.

Her young master could reverse day and night, and cause the sun to rise in the middle of darkness!

She stood on the carriage like someone still asleep, dazed and disoriented. Was this even real?

Meanwhile, Huang Rong looked up at the glowing sun illusion hanging in the sky and clucked her tongue in admiration.

«Amazing! Brother Xing, your aesthetic’s even more outrageous than before. I guess I don’t need to use the flares I prepared!»

Xuan Yuan   chuckled. «You even brought flares?»

«Not just flares! Watch closely, Brother Xing. Tonight, Rong’er will place you upon the celestial altar!»

Huang Rong tapped her ear-pendant. Immediately, Xuan birds burst across the sky in formation.

This time, they weren’t illusions, but biomechanical ornithopters styled after Xuan birds.

Their wings flapped as they soared high above the city. They let out clear chirping calls, and everywhere they passed, beams of radiant «mystical light» rained down.

Xuan Yuan   saw clearly—it wasn’t celestial  light, but high-energy particle beams fired from the weapon systems embedded in the Xuanbirds.

Zzzzp! Zzzzp!

Wherever they flew, their beams tore through Ouyang Ke’s snake swarms, again and again—completely neutralizing them.

With a thump, Tolui fell to his knees.

«Eternal Sky! Eternal Sky! These are the celestial  birds of Eternal Sky!»

Huang Rong frowned and let out a cute humph. A Xuanbird turned, opened its beak, and fired a «mystical light beam» that landed just a few feet from Tolui’s face, instantly burning a smoking crater in the earth.

«‘Eternal Sky’? Nonsense. Brother Xing—it’s your turn!»

«And Mochou! Hey, Mochou! Li Mochou!!»

«Why are you spacing out?! Come back to your senses! Return to your spirit!»

Li Mochou: «……»

The sound of Huang Rong’s voice in her mind made Li Mochou snap back.

She blinked around, stunned. Wait… was this really me? No no no, this must’ve been Shen Dage’s setup, right?

Recollecting herself, she steadied her breath and leapt down onto the sloped edge of a three-story tavern rooftop, towering above Ouyang Ke—who was now visibly trembling with fear.

And then—

Li Mochou (internally):
Rong’er… I… I forgot my lines! I’m sorry! I’m too nervous!

Huang Rong (telepathically):
You dummy! I’ll recite it—you repeat after me!

Their secret conversation ended. Li Mochou cleared her throat and began reciting:

«Ouyang Ke—your evil deeds are many. You ruin the reputations of innocents, harm the loyal and good, and act as a lackey to villains. You’ve been invaded by wicked forces and are fated to become a ghost servant that spreads chaos in the world… Do you acknowledge your sins?»

After finishing the speech Huang Rong gave her, she waited for more lines. But none came. Unable to contain herself, her little mouth opened wide and she yelled:

«You have chosen the path to your death!»

Her voice was carried by the amplifiers installed in the flying Xuanbirds, echoing across all of Baoying City.

Back on the luan carriage, Xuan Yuan   slapped his own face:
«Just how much does this girl love that line? It’s her catchphrase at this point.»

Thump!
Ouyang Ke dropped to his knees on the spot.
«Celestial Maiden, have mercy! Have mercy! I’ve been framed!!»

«No mercy for you!»

«Today, by decree of the Celestial master—I seal you here, as a warning to all under heaven!»

With that, Li Mochou slashed out with her sword.

At the same time, Xuan Yuan   unleashed a celestial -tech-enhanced Blossoming Sword Palm filled with dazzling visuals.

In an instant—the sky filled with endless radiance, sweeping across the entire city.

And then—

The seasons reversed. Spring arrived in a single night.

The entire city of Baoying was suddenly in bloom. Blossoms erupted from trees everywhere.

A warm breeze swept through, bringing a shower of falling petals, filling the streets with fragrance and light.

Several Xuanbirds swooped down, releasing a blinding celestial aurora that engulfed Ouyang Ke’s body.

The crowd watched, stunned, as glowing beams wrapped around him.

And then—

They heard:

«You… you are the Celestial Maiden under the throne of Taiyi?!»
«NO—!»
«How did you know I was hiding inside this vessel!?»
«I refuse to submit—!!!»
«One day… one day… this world will become our hunting ground! You can save them now—but you can’t save them forever!!»
«DONG! HUANG! TAI! YI!!!!»

That final shout—«Donghuang Taiyi»—roared like thunder through the night sky.

As the celestial  light faded, the blazing sun illusion above vanished into golden sparks, fading into the stars.

Darkness once more blanketed the world.

The celestial maiden had disappeared. In the spot where Ouyang Ke once knelt… remained only a giant crystalline monument.

Clear and flawless, the crystal contained the image of Ouyang Ke—his face twisted in terror and rage, perfectly frozen in time.

He was long dead.

«Done!» Huang Rong clapped, proud. «Brother Xing—How did I do?»

«I sealed Ouyang Ke in fast-curing synthetic jade. Paired with the miracle of the blooming city, after tonight…»

«The name of Celestial Taiyi will resonate across the world!»

«And I added that last message to—people fear the demonic. That fear will become awe, and that awe will spread your name far and wide!»

Xuan Yuan looked down at the street, at the glowing crystal monument, and suddenly smiled.

«Just like you said, Rong’er…»
«Ouyang Ke… died with grandeur.»