AUOF - 26

Sang Li pulled Mudan and ran far away, still somewhat shaken.

She leaned against the wall, gasping for breath, waving her hand frantically: “I can’t go on, let me catch my breath.”

Sang Li patted Mudan’s back to help her calm down. Seeing Mudan’s pale lips, it was clear she had been frightened badly, which made Sang Li feel a twinge of guilt: “I’m sorry, Mudan...”

If only she had thought things through more carefully, her well-intentioned act wouldn’t have caused such trouble and dragged Mudan into it.

“Aiyo, what does this have to do with you?” Mudan straightened herself, her tone tinged with regret, “It’s just a pity about that hairpin.”

In that situation, neither of them dared to ask Ji Hengyu for the hairpin back.

Mudan’s expression of both regret and heartache made Sang Li chuckle: “It’s fine. Later, you can pick another one from my collection.”

Upon hearing this, Mudan’s face changed drastically, “Enough, enough. The things given to you by the Immortal Lord are beyond my blessings. Luckily, the Immortal Lord intervened this time, or we would’ve been in real trouble.”

The disciples of the Celestial Pavilion were nothing but bad omens—anyone who got entangled with them was bound to suffer misfortune.

Sang Li burst out laughing: “I meant you could pick one from my jewelry, or if we get the chance to go down the mountain again, I’ll buy you a new one. But it definitely won’t be as good as the previous one, so don’t ignore it.”

This warmed Mudan’s heart, and she grabbed Sang Li’s hand: “Just your thoughtfulness makes me happy. How could I possibly ignore it?”

After saying this, she suddenly remembered something and tapped her forehead—

“Talking with you made me forget. I still need to go to the Star Observation Platform. See you later, A Li.” Mudan’s emotions came and went quickly; by now, she had already forgotten her earlier fear. She waved goodbye to Sang Li and hurried off toward the platform.

Before Sang Li could even say goodbye, she spotted a familiar green figure approaching from not too far away—

—Situ.

The malicious Divine Maiden had come again.

Her complexion alternated between red and white; there was no way to pretend she hadn’t seen her. Finally, with great reluctance, Sang Li bowed: “A Li pays respects to the Divine Maiden.”

Situ tilted her chin slightly, striding forward like a fiery blaze, full of pride, perfectly matching Mudan’s earlier analogy—a proud peacock.

Situ didn’t waste time with pleasantries, cutting straight to the chase: “So, did you go around telling people that the item was a gift from Ji Hengyu?”

Sang Li felt bitter inside.

She realized that her being here wasn’t about survival—it was about finding ancestors to deal with. Everyone here seemed to treat her like one.

With a bitter face, she replied: “It was a misunderstanding.”

Situ pressed on relentlessly: “What kind of misunderstanding? I need a reasonable explanation.”

Sang Li began weaving an explanation in her mind, but before she could utter a word, Situ turned her head away: “Forget it. I don’t want to hear your explanation. It’s probably not anything good anyway.”

Sang Li: “…” She hadn’t even said anything yet!!

Situ covertly scrutinized Sang Li with her sharp eyes.

The more she looked, the stranger it seemed. The hairpin clearly wasn’t a gift from Ji Hengyu, yet he had admitted to it. Though being falsely credited irritated her, it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

This suggested there was something going on between them. There was a high possibility they would grow closer. If they did, knowing Ji Hengyu’s personality, he would undoubtedly take the initiative to call off the engagement, sparing her the trouble.

Situ softened her expression and noticed the registration token in Sang Li’s hand: “You’re participating in the selection?”

“Mm,” Sang Li didn’t hide it, “I want to join the Demon Subjugation Guard.”

The Demon Subjugation Guard, huh…

Situ couldn’t help but look at her with newfound respect.

She had heard that place was no place for ordinary people.

Unable to resist, Situ remarked: “I didn’t expect you to be so ambitious.”

Sang Li forced a dry laugh, thinking she was mocking her sarcastically, but to her surprise, Situ continued: “That’s right. Having achieved immortality, one should strive for greatness. What’s the point of always being a maid?”

Situ’s mother, the Holy Maiden of the Desolate Waters, was the guardian goddess of the four seas.

Before meeting her father, she was a fierce warrior. Many demon gods trembled at the mere mention of her name, defeated without even fighting.

But alas... one man stripped her of her nature, reducing her to a prisoner of love!

In the end, she died tragically in the Abyssal Sea, leaving behind no dignity.

Thinking of her mother, Situ’s heart ached.

She quickly shook off this sorrowful mood and wrapped her arm around Sang Li’s neck: “But let me warn you, among the twelve palaces in the upper realms, each palace’s entrance examination is extremely strict, let alone Gui Xu Sea. Speaking of which...” She shifted the topic abruptly, “How about it? Want to team up with me?”

Sang Li’s eyelids twitched violently, completely baffled by what the malicious Divine Maiden was planning.

Wasn’t she supposed to hate Gui Xu with every fiber of her being, wanting to flee hundreds of thousands of miles away overnight?

Become Ji Hengyu’s subordinate? With her?

Sang Li gently pushed Situ’s arm away and smiled ingratiatingly: “Divine Maiden, please don’t tease me. I’m not worthy of your company.”

Situ puffed out her cheeks angrily: “You rejected me, but allowed Ji Hengyu to take my place. What do you mean by this? Are you looking down on me?”

Sang Li was at a loss. How were these two things connected?

“No, I didn’t mean that.”

“If you didn’t mean that, then what did you mean? Tell me, what do you mean?”

Sang Li’s voice grew weaker and weaker: “...I didn’t mean anything.”

“You didn’t mean anything? What do you mean by that? Do you think I’m meaningless??” Situ kept pressing her, determined to extract some meaning from her.

Sang Li tightly pursed her lips and chose to remain silent.

—She couldn’t win against the Divine Maiden in an argument.

Seeing the child’s frightened and pitiful expression, Situ realized she had been a bit too aggressive.

However, in this Gui Xu Palace filled with oddballs and misfits, Sang Li was her only choice and way out. Whether in terms of appearance or cleverness, she was the most suitable candidate.

Sang Li hesitated: “Divine Maiden, if you team up with me, you’ll have to join the Demon Subjugation Guard with me. Are you sure about this?”

Situ stiffened abruptly.

Y-yeah, she didn’t want to become one of Ji Hengyu’s subordinates out of nowhere—that would drive her crazy.

But...

Situ was also worried that Sang Li’s small and fragile body might not survive the dangers of a hidden realm, potentially leaving no trace behind. Ambition was good, but without matching abilities, it was all just empty talk.

—She didn’t want to lose such a perfect pawn.

After much thought, Situ suddenly had an idea: “Alright, I understand.”

“…?” What exactly did you understand?

Situ finalized her decision: “I’ll have Senior Brother Shen Zheyou join your team to help you through the first trial!”

Her senior brother was highly skilled; a small hidden realm wouldn’t be a challenge for him!

That was one reason, and the second was that Senior Brother Shen Zheyou was handsome. If the two of them stood together, it would undoubtedly catch Ji Hengyu’s attention.

The fact that he had stood up for Sang Li today proved that she wasn’t entirely absent from his mind. If her senior brother’s presence could slightly fan the flames of this budding affection and make it burn more fiercely, wouldn’t that bring her one step closer to achieving her goal?

Situ immediately set off to find Shen Zheyou, but Sang Li grabbed her sleeve tightly.

“What is it?”

Her small face was tense, full of seriousness and displeasure: “A Li thanks Divine Maiden Situ for her kindness, but A Li does not wish to accept.”

“Why?” Situ was puzzled. “Don’t you want to join the Demon Subjugation Guard? I’m offering help, and you’re refusing?”

Sang Li replied: “Even if Divine Maiden Situ can help me today, you won’t always be able to. I am well aware of my mediocre qualifications. My foundation and cultivation are far inferior to yours. But regardless of the outcome, I hope everything I achieve is through my own efforts, not through deceit or reliance on others.”

How could she not be aware of her own weakness?

She had realized it the moment she entered this body.

The skills the original owner had cultivated over a hundred years of hard work were beyond Sang Li’s ability to wield. Even if she could use them, she wouldn’t feel justified in using the fruits of someone else’s labor—it wouldn’t be fair.

So, for the future, she needed to start from scratch, step by step, and learn what truly belonged to her. Though the process would be difficult, it would be something she had fought for with her own hands.

To put it bluntly, Selection Day was like the imperial examination. If she were to agree now, it would be cheating, unfair to others and to herself.

Sang Li didn’t want to face Situ’s angry expression, so she lowered her lashes and decided to speak her mind all at once: “I don’t know why Divine Maiden Situ is being so kind to me, but I hope you won’t do this again in the future. I am just a maid, and you are the Divine Maiden of the upper realms. If you keep associating with me, it won’t be good for me, nor will it be good for you. Farewell.”

Sang Li bowed slightly and turned to leave without even glancing back at her.

Situ watched her retreating figure, unable to snap out of her daze for a long time.

What did she mean… it’s not good for me, nor is it good for you?

How was it not good for her?!

These words successfully struck a nerve with Situ.

Though Situ held the title of Divine Maiden, she had never received the respect she deserved.

Gui Xu was a prison, but weren’t the four divine realms the same?

If she hadn’t been seeking freedom, why would she bother with all this?

Situ felt wronged, hurt, and stomped her feet in anger: “You, you—you stop right there!”

Sang Li stopped.

Turning around, she saw the Divine Maiden with red-rimmed eyes, as if she had endured countless grievances.

“Let me tell you, what I hate most in life is this obsession with status. You can’t be a maid forever, and I can’t be a Divine Maiden forever. If you don’t want my help, fine, but why say such hurtful things to make me sad?”

The title of Divine Maiden was what Situ hated the most.

When she was brought back to the four divine realms, she naively believed that the Supreme Dao Lord was her savior and obediently accepted him as her father god. But later, she realized that not everything about it was good.

He let her live so she could be a spectacle for the world to see.

The title of Divine Maiden was both a shackle and a humiliation. If she didn’t break free soon, disaster would surely befall her in the future.

Sang Li was momentarily surprised but quickly understood that her words had touched on Situ’s painful past.

“I apologize for offending you,” Sang Li said sincerely, no longer addressing her as Divine Maiden.

“Forget it.” Situ rubbed her sore eyes and then took out another bag filled with spirit stones and talismans from her storage pouch. “Surely you can take these? As a lowly maid, you probably don’t have the money to buy talismans, but you’ll definitely need them inside.”

Sang Li looked at the items in surprise. Situ’s face was flushed with suppressed frustration, as if she would collapse from anger if Sang Li refused.

Sang Li found it amusing.

In the original story, Situ was arrogant and hot-tempered, but lacked the intelligence to match. Her actions were driven by impulse, which ultimately led to her tragic end.

However…

Sang Li’s gaze lingered on her for a moment.

The fact that she could say those words earlier showed that she wasn’t as haughty as she appeared. There must be some hidden circumstances behind it all.

Sang Li immediately dismissed her prejudice and accepted the items with a sincere smile. “Thank you, Miss Situ.”

When she smiled, the air around her seemed to warm.

Situ tilted her head. “Miss Situ?”

Sang Li’s voice was soft: “Since you don’t like being called Divine Maiden, I won’t call you that. I’ll call you Miss Situ. If you feel offended…”

“Not at all!” Situ quickly interjected, glancing at her and secretly smiling as she bit her lip.

Miss Situ?

It actually sounded quite nice.

Feeling pleased, Situ wasted no time in thrusting the entire storage pouch into her hands: “It’s all yours. Best of luck in the selection.”

With that, Situ left gracefully.

Sang Li stood there, holding the expensive high-grade storage pouch, dumbfounded.

What the—!

How wealthy was this Divine Maiden to be throwing things around like this?!

Sang Li didn’t dare to accept Situ’s gifts again, so she secretly returned them to Situ’s residence using a transmission spell.

In the days that followed, she lived in constant fear that Situ might come back and force more things on her. Fortunately, her worries didn’t come true, and Selection Day arrived smoothly.

Seven days passed, and the selection began.

All the minor cloud immortals who had come to participate, along with the elders of Gui Xu, gathered at Huan Lang Peak.

This was the place where Gui Xu disciples underwent their annual assessments.

Huan Lang Peak was a floating mountain peak, towering and steep, renowned for its breathtaking scenery.

The landscape was lush with greenery, streams flowing like jade mist, creating an ethereal atmosphere. Being there felt like stepping into a dream—its otherworldly beauty stood in stark contrast to the damp and gloomy environment of Gui Xu.

It was said that this peak was originally the highest point of one of the four divine mountains—Qingyun Mountain.

At the time, Ji Hengyu had just been assigned to Gui Xu and found it lacking in natural beauty. Dissatisfied, he traveled overnight to the farthest northern Qingyun Mountain, sliced off its peak with a single sword strike, and secretly transported it to Gui Xu. He named it—Huan Lang Peak.

The next morning, when the immortal lord responsible for Qingyun Mountain woke up, he was horrified to find that his sacred mountain had lost its peak, turning what was once a towering summit into a mere hill. Upon learning that Ji Hengyu was responsible, he angrily went to the four divine realms to file a complaint against him.

Back then, Ji Hengyu was in his rebellious phase—arrogant, defiant, young, poor, and unable to compensate for the damage. Instead of returning the mountain, he handed the Qingyun Mountain immortal lord a whip, daring him to punish him physically.

Both were Immortal Lords, and though the Qingyun Mountain immortal lord was furious, he wouldn’t dare to actually whip him. Thus, the matter was dropped.

To this day, Qingyun Mountain and Gui Xu remained at odds.

The story digressed a bit, but the disciple selection process in Gui Xu consisted of three trials.

The first trial was a secret realm test within Gui Xu’s gates; the second was selecting an inner hall disciple to defeat and replace; and the third was going down the mountain for training. Completing all three trials would grant formal entry into Gui Xu.

Sang Li stood among the disciples, attentively listening to the elders seated at the main platform.

Being far away, she used a recording crystal to project the scene clearly onto her location.

Aside from the Examination Division, both Yuezhu Qing and Li Ningxi were present.

And then, there was Ji Hengyu.

Today, he was dressed more formally. Though still clad in an ink-black robe, he now wore numerous accessories, exuding an even more regal aura.

Ji Hengyu sat upright in the main seat, his expression stern and cold. Even without uttering a word, his overwhelming presence pressed down through the recording crystal.

Perhaps it was Sang Li’s imagination, but…

She couldn’t shake the feeling that he glanced over in her direction.

“There are four secret realms. All participating minor immortals may choose freely.”

The voice of the Examination Division official snapped Sang Li out of her thoughts.

Four void mirrors slowly appeared in the air, positioned in the four cardinal directions. The entrances, resembling water surfaces, bore swirling calligraphic inscriptions—

Wu Wo Zhi Jing (Realm of Selflessness), Wu Ying Zhi Jing (Realm of Shadows), Wu Huan Zhi Jing (Realm of Illusions), and Wu Sha Zhi Jing (Realm of No Killing).

While Sang Li was contemplating which one to choose, she overheard whispers nearby—

“I heard these four secret realms were personally created by Lord Tian Heng a thousand years ago.”

“Personally created?” The listener clicked their tongue in astonishment. “Secret realms can be created by oneself?”

“That’s Lord Tian Heng we’re talking about! Before the Battle of the Desolate Mountains, he was the only young Immortal Lord to achieve the state of Wu Shi Dao at such a young age. We often say ‘a flower contains a world,’ but Lord Tian Heng could literally transform everything into worlds. These four secret realms were created during that time. But alas…”

The speaker’s face revealed regret, sighing deeply with sorrow.

Having never read the original story, Sang Li naturally didn’t know these details.

She stared in shock at the man seated above. Ji Hengyu’s gaze was cold and composed, sitting upright with neither arrogance nor humility. His sharp edges were concealed, leaving behind only quiet stillness, like a piece of jade buried deep in the ocean, no longer able to shine.

Sang Li struggled to connect the figure before her with the rebellious youth from the stories—the one who stole a mountain and crafted illusions. But in this moment, she suddenly understood why he later sought to destroy heaven and earth.

A brilliant young man with boundless potential, destined to wield his sword across the mortal realm, had his pride shattered, forced to endure humiliation while listening to others lament the loss of the shining figure he once was.