Inside the Angel God Temple,
Qian Renxue held a cup of cold tea delicately between her fingers.
The Legend of Sword and Wine was open to its latest page.
Suddenly—
the wind chime on her desk gave a crisp ding–ling.
She didn't notice the moment when, just three feet in front of her, an ice-crystal swing quietly formed from thin air.
"Tsk, tsk… someone's already writing books and legends about that boy?"
Glowing Feather Douluo lounged lazily upon the swing, chewing on a crimson spirit fruit with a teasing grin.
"Judging by the way things are going…"
"Give it a little longer, and someone might just build him a shrine and gild his statue in gold!"
Qian Renxue's beautiful face flushed red.
She quickly shut the book and scolded him with mock anger:
"Grandpa Five, you came without a sound again!"
Glowing Feather Douluo blew out a puff of frost from his palm, using it to rock the swing gently back and forth, humming in amusement.
"I didn't even try to hide my footsteps—it's just you who were too absorbed in your reading!"
He paused for a beat, then continued:
"Spirit Hall's making big moves lately. They're about to reselect the Seven Great Sects."
"That boy Li Zhexian has ties with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, and the Wind Sword Sect."
"With his temperament, he's bound to interfere."
Crack—
The ice-crystal swing shattered into shards.
Glowing Feather Douluo's figure faded away at the same time,
but a wisp of chilling air lingered in front of Qian Renxue for a moment.
Then—
the two largest, ripest red spirit fruits from the fruit plate in front of her disappeared without a trace.
"Heh, can't let this trip be for nothing, can I?"
Qian Renxue just shook her head, smiling helplessly—long used to her grandfather's antics.
But her golden eyes soon grew cold and contemplative.
That woman's decision to hold a re-selection of the Seven Sects…
was definitely not without ambition.
It was nothing less than a scheme to expel the sects disloyal to Spirit Hall,
and replace them with obedient ones.
If more than half of the Seven Sects pledged allegiance,
then Spirit Hall could rightfully declare itself a nation.
And once that happened—
its ambition to conquer the entire continent could no longer be hidden.
"Li Zhexian…"
Qian Renxue's slender hands slowly clenched.
A faint trace of sorrow flickered across her flawless features.
She had only just rested for a short while,
but soon stood up again—
heading toward the Angel God Trial Grounds.
"Completing the first three Angel Trials is far from enough…"
"If I were strong enough, maybe—just maybe—I could change everything…"
...
"Ahh, so sweet!"
Guangling Douluo's cheerful voice echoed through the corridor
as he walked out, steps light and easy.
Outside the temple doors,
Azure Luan Douluo and Lion Douluo, the Third and Fourth Worshipers,
stood with solemn expressions.
"Glowing Feather," said Lion Douluo, his crimson mane-like hair flaring faintly, voice as deep as a bell. "Last time, when you went with Fifteen Ton and Falling Devil to find Li Zhexian, didn't he clearly refuse to join the Worship Hall?"
Glowing Feather Douluo nodded casually.
"That's right."
"Then why tell Xue'er?"
Lion Douluo frowned, red hair rippling slightly with his restrained anger.
"Even if the Worship Hall doesn't take orders directly from Bibi Dong,
we're still part of Spirit Hall."
"If one day we're forced to face Li Zhexian on the battlefield…"
"How do you expect Xue'er to deal with that?"
"If one day we truly cross blades with Li Zhexian…"
Glowing Feather Douluo's hand froze mid-bite, the easy mischief fading from his handsome features.
"How should she deal with it?"
"Xue'er's finally found someone who stirs her heart—
and you'd have her cower because of a 'what if' that hasn't even happened?"
"If—"
"If the day truly comes when Spirit Hall needs us old relics to march to war, then we'll go!"
"As for Xue'er and Li Zhexian…"
"Let them decide for themselves."
"Living in the present—that's the only real joy!"
He walked forward a few steps, stopping beside Lion Douluo and Azure Luan Douluo.
Opening his palm, he revealed the fruit core left behind.
"This fruit…"
"Would've been perfect a few days ago."
"To let something so sweet rot before tasting it—now that would be a real shame."
Whistling a cheerful tune, Glowing Feather Douluo drifted away down the corridor.
A rare hint of a smile passed across Azure Luan Douluo's cold face.
"It's rare for Glowing Feather to speak reasonably."
"If something changes in the future, we few old men will bear the burden for her."
Lion Douluo's thick brows furrowed deeply.
For a long moment, he sighed helplessly.
"That child Xue'er suffered too much when she was young."
"Because of that boy Li Zhexian, she's become much more open and bright."
At that moment, Fifteen Ton and Falling Devil turned the corner of the corridor and approached.
"Third Brother, Fourth Brother," Fifteen Ton said with a faint smile, "we already told you—let Xue'er and Li Zhexian follow their hearts."
"Who can predict the future?"
"There will always be a path where both sides can have peace."
...
Meanwhile, deep within the Evildemon Forest—
Li Zhexian rode upon Yazi, searching for a suitable Spirit Beast.
The Ice scroll given by the Snow Empress was indeed proving invaluable.
As the saying goes—
"Each land nurtures its own life."
The same truth held for Spirit Beasts.
If this were the Star Dou Great Forest, Li Zhexian could confidently claim to recognize nearly every beast there — even those rare creatures touched by divine aura.
But here, in the Evildemon Forest,
the creatures he encountered were mostly unfamiliar, strange species whose names he did not even know.
He had to constantly compare them against the entries in the Ice Scroll.
"A ten-thousand-year Sword Demon Vine—compatible with sword spirits, but too mediocre…"
"A ten-thousand-year Evil Lotus Swordheart Beast—most of its abilities are sword techniques, nothing impressive…"
"A ten-thousand-year Evil-Eyed Tyrant… hmm…"
On one frosted page,
a ghostly image appeared — a massive beast whose single eye covered most of its body,
with countless gray tentacles dangling below it.
Li Zhexian's eyes flickered.
"The kin of the Evil-Eyed Tyrant King— the ruling species of this forest."
"The Evil Emperor has hundreds of offspring; the strongest among them has already surpassed a hundred thousand years…"
"But still… not quite what I need."
He frowned.
The Evil-Eyed Tyrant clan possessed a single attribute — unmatched spiritual power and psychic assault.
But Li Zhexian had already mastered the Sword Intent of Spiritual Power.
To gain another spirit ring of the same nature would be redundant — even wasteful.
"This won't do."
"That won't either."
It wasn't that Li Zhexian was being picky—
it was that his Spirit Ring configuration had already reached a level bordering on the absurd.
His third Spirit Ring came from the Dragon-Headed Sword Falcon, touched by divine aura.
His fourth Spirit Ability was from the Calamity Bloom, a immortalplant that only bloomed once in its lifetime.
And his fifth Spirit Ring—from the Sword-Bearing Auspicious Beast, Yazi, the embodiment of slaughter and fortune.
As for this sixth Spirit Ring…
Li Zhexian refused to settle for anything less than perfection.
A stench of blood and wind howled past his ears.
In the moment of his distraction, Yazi had already leapt forward a thousand meters.
When Li Zhexian came back to his senses,
he realized that this part of the forest was eerily silent.
Other than the distant rumble of the battle between the Evil Emperor and the Snow and Ice Empresses,
he could sense no trace of life nearby.
The forest was blanketed in snow,
yet here—the snow was noticeably thinner than anywhere else.
"Not good!"
"We've entered the territory of a powerful spirit beast!"
Li Zhexian's face changed drastically as he shouted:
"Little Yazi! Fall back!"
But before his words had even faded—
"SSHHHHH!!!"
A shriek—harsh and piercing, carrying the same origin as the Evil Emperor's own roar—
tore through the silence.
A flood of crimson spiritual power swept toward them,
uprooting ancient trees and shattering boulders into dust.
"Hmph!"
Li Zhexian snorted coldly.
Yazi, understanding instantly, kicked off the ground,
soaring tens of meters into the air.
Zheng—!
The Qinglian Sword materialized in Li Zhexian's grip.
His Great Vertebrae Spirit Bone thrummed with power; sword qi burst skyward.
"Qinglian Sword Song, Seventh Form—Boundless Thought!"
Spiritual against Spiritual Power!
Seven ethereal Qinglian Swords surged forth through the air!
In that instant, the blade in his hand turned transparent—
Where the sword's edge passed, space distorted, thought unraveled—
With the might to rend chaos itself,
his sword descended!