That night, as several major immortal sects successively arrived at the Yuntian Sect, the core disciples who were aware of the truth from each peak were all mobilized to receive the guests. Streams of light occasionally cut across the sky above the sect, and the central main peak—Haotian Peak—was brightly lit as if it were daytime.
Xiao Lingyu stood holding Zhu Yurun, gazing toward Haotian Peak. That night, Chu Mingwei and Wu Yunzi still had not returned. Once again, he activated the transmission talisman in his hand. Chu Mingwei’s familiar voice came through, carefully reminding him to eat properly, rest early, and—most importantly—not to wander outside.
Xiao Lingyu suppressed the uneasy feeling in his heart. Something about Chu Mingwei’s tone felt off.
In his arms, Zhu Yurun struggled to keep his eyes open.
“Little monster, is Senior Brother not coming back tonight?”
Xiao Lingyu softly acknowledged him.
“Then… can Little Pig sleep with Little Monster?”
Xiao Lingyu smiled and stroked his head. “Mm.”
“Then let’s go sleep quickly,” Zhu Yurun said, hugging his neck. “Little Pig is already very sleepy.”
“Alright, we’ll sleep.”
Just as Xiao Lingyu was about to head back, he suddenly stopped.
A streak of light was flying toward them from Haotian Peak.
“Senior Brother!” Xiao Lingyu called out in surprise—only to freeze when he saw who it was.
On a glowing blue sword stood Luo Shaohan in a green robe, holding Cang Ye in his arms. His expression was rigid, as though he was suppressing a great deal of frustration.
“Senior Brother Luo?” Xiao Lingyu greeted carefully.
Luo Shaohan tried to smile, but failed. He looked down at Cang Ye with a headache.
“Lingyu… could you help me take care of him for one night?”
Xiao Lingyu naturally agreed—but Cang Ye clung tightly to Luo Shaohan, refusing to let go.
Before Xiao Lingyu could say more, Cang Ye suddenly turned and glared at him fiercely.
“Father, don’t abandon Cang Ye! I won’t attack that annoying sister anymore!”
Luo Shaohan’s expression darkened, unmoved.
Cang Ye’s lips trembled. “Father… are you choosing that sister over me?”
Tears fell silently down his face.
Xiao Lingyu quietly took a step back.
This scene was… deeply unsettling.
In the end, Luo Shaohan gave in, awkwardly wiping Cang Ye’s tears.
“No one is abandoning you. Just stay with Lingyu for one night. I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
Cang Ye immediately cheered up, obediently climbed down, and stood beside Xiao Lingyu.
But the moment Luo Shaohan left, Cang Ye turned to Xiao Lingyu with hostility.
“Father is mine. Don’t look at him.”
Xiao Lingyu: “……”
Before long, Zhu Yurun also leaned out from his arms.
“Little Monster is Little Pig’s. You’re not allowed to look at him either.”
Cang Ye snorted and finally stopped glaring.
That night, Cang Ye slept in a separate room. Zhu Yurun and Xiao Lingyu returned to rest.
But deep in the night, a black shadow silently appeared in Cang Ye’s room.
Vines erupted instantly from Cang Ye’s body, lashing toward the intruder.
“Cang Ye!”
The shadow called his name—and the vines froze midair.
Under moonlight, the figure revealed itself: Jiang Zhan.
“Do you not remember me?” Jiang Zhan asked quietly.
Cang Ye blinked. “Your aura… feels familiar. Like Brother Qingming.”
Jiang Zhan fell silent.
After confirming Cang Ye truly had no memory and had even regressed into a child, he sighed and stepped forward, gently touching his head.
“Cang Ye…”
At that moment, another presence appeared.
“Brother Qingming!” Cang Ye called happily.
Qingming stepped out of the shadows.
Jiang Zhan’s expression darkened immediately.
Qingming ignored him and went straight to the point.
“You are looking into the anomaly from sixteen years ago.”
Then he asked, without hesitation:
“The Illusory Demon Realm… has fragments of the Heavenly Mechanism Disc, correct?”
Jiang Zhan’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Qingming continued coldly. “The lower realm is worsening. The Void is becoming unstable. If the world collapses, everything will return to chaos. The only way out is to reconstruct a cycle of worlds—create a new realm that can support balance.”
Jiang Zhan scoffed. “And what does that have to do with me?”
Qingming finally said it directly.
“I need the Creation Pearl.”
Jiang Zhan laughed coldly. “That is the demon race’s sacred artifact. Don’t even think about it.”
Qingming replied calmly, “It is not for me. It is for the Spirit Rhinoceros Pig.”
At the mention of Zhu Yurun, Jiang Zhan paused.
“You know him?”
“I’ve seen him here while recovering,” Jiang Zhan said casually.
Qingming explained further: the Spirit Rhinoceros Pig’s inner space could evolve into a world—but only with the Heavenly Mechanism Disc fragment, could that evolution succeed.
Jiang Zhan’s expression turned mocking.
“So you’re willing to sacrifice him for humans?”
Qingming sighed. “Call it whatever you want. I only ask—can you lend it to me?”
Jiang Zhan answered lazily.
“It’s not with me.”
“What?”
“It’s with my remnant soul.”
Qingming frowned. “You were careless with a sacred artifact?”
Jiang Zhan smirked. “Unlike you, I don’t serve humans.”
He turned to leave.
Cang Ye suddenly asked softly, “If the world collapses… will Father be okay?”
Qingming looked at him gently.
“He will be fine.”
“I will protect Father,” Cang Ye said seriously.
Qingming smiled faintly.
Jiang Zhan’s expression darkened even further.
Later that night, Zhu Yurun sleepwalked out of Xiao Lingyu’s room and ended up in Jiang Zhan’s arms.
Half-asleep, he mumbled, “Little Monster, I need to pee…”
Jiang Zhan stood motionless.
What followed was an utterly absurd sequence of events involving a confused Spirit Rhinoceros Pig, a blank-faced ancient demon, and a very quiet night that somehow ended with Zhu Yurun sleeping on a stone stool, murmuring happily about “something delicious.”
At dawn, Xiao Lingyu found him like that—naked, curled up, drooling.
He sighed helplessly and carried him back.
Behind him, Jiang Zhan silently left through a spatial crack.
Before it closed, his final glance lingered on Zhu Yurun.
“The fate of the Spirit Rhinoceros Pig…”
A quiet sigh dissolved into the Void.