The violet cauldron shattered, causing a massive explosion that immediately engulfed the woman.

In the blink of an eye, her body and soul were killed!

Silence reigned. Everyone in the area was shocked and in awe of Yan Xiaobao. Although they had all heard of the mighty Heavenly Dao Foundation, none had expected the foundation's assassin to not only fail to defeat him, but to be killed by him as easily as flipping a hand!

Even as everyone struggled to breathe, Du Lingfei's expression became intense, and she said, "How did these three get in? I can't believe Eastwood City's great magic formation is inactive. Immediately investigate the records and see which clan is responsible. As the official envoy of this city, I demand an explanation!

"The Cultivation Tribes shall conduct a thorough search of the entire city: interrogate anyone who seems suspicious. These three might not be the only assassins here!"

Around the same time, several beams of light appeared above. Now that the cultivation families knew Yan Xiaobao was in the city, the Clan Leader and other leaders appeared.

When the Clan Leaders saw the bloody scene below, their expressions flickered. Then they heard Du Lingfei's words, and their own murderous intent began to rage. One of the Clan Leaders suddenly looked sick because he realized his family had been in charge of maintaining the magic formation for the past few months.

"Daoist Bai, Goddess Du: The Li family will surely investigate this matter. Let the sun and moon bear witness that we are the loyal and true Spiritual Sect! That night, Eastwood City went under martial law. All cultivation families launched operations to conduct a thorough investigation across the city. As for Bai Xiaochun and Du Lingfei, they disappeared into the night.

Du Lingfei explained to Bai Xiaochun that her assignment was almost over, and returning early to the sect wouldn't be a bad thing. Therefore, she would accompany him on the way back.

**

It was late at night. Stars twinkled in the sky, the moon stood tall. Yan Xiaobao and Du Lingfei sat atop the mountain, gazing at the stars. Du Lingfei appeared more beautiful than usual under the starlight. She smiled at Yan Xiaobao, as he recounted events that had occurred over the years.

"You wouldn't believe it, hush. On the South Shore, they actually threw stones at me. Man, that hurt a lot...

"I didn't mean to find that path in the 10,000 Snakes Valley! I just thought the snakes looked a bit cute...

"When you get back to the sect, hush, you must tell me if you see that damn rabbit!

"The guys from the North Shore are total bullies. When I was sent to the North Shore, I was alone, poor. I struggled with my tail between my legs, fearing to offend anyone, but they still wouldn't let me out of trouble..." As he recounted his stories of the Spiritual Sect, Du Lingfei occasionally comforted him, sometimes even laughing. Her praise and surprised expressions made Yan Xiaobao try even harder.

She protested the nickname "hush," more than once, but it did no good. In fact, the more she protested, the more he used it.

"Hush, hush, hush...."

At last, she just shook her head and sighed.

Eventually, they found a cave where they settled down for the night. Yan Xiaobao sat cross-legged to meditate, and after some time, a gentle breeze rose. Strangely, Yan Xiaobao didn't notice the breeze at all.

Du Lingfei opened her eyes and looked at Yan Xiaobao, her eyes filled with excited emotion. After a while, she stood up and walked out of the cave, looking up at the bright moon. A wisp of hair blew in the wind, and she reached out to tuck it behind her ear.

However, when her fingers reached the hair, they went straight through it. Du Lingfei looked at her shimmering index finger, the complexity in her eyes deepened. After clenching her fist, the finger became solid again, and she tucked the stray hair away.

"Not much time...

Some time passed. Feeling melancholy, Du Lingfei walked back into the cave and looked at Yan Xiaobao sitting there quietly. Careful not to wake him, she sat beside him and rested her head on his shoulder. After closing her eyes, she smiled.

The time they traveled together passed. Three days went by, which didn't seem long to Yan Xiaobao. He imagined what it would be like to return to the sect as an expert of the Heavenly Dao Foundation, and how he would become the center of all attention. Every time he thought about it, he felt more excited.

Du Lingfei wanted to slow the journey, but when she saw how excited he was, she simply smiled and held her tongue. On the third day, Yan Xiaobao's foundation base stabilized, and they were very close to the Spiritual Flow Sect.

Late in the third night, when they were only a day's journey from the Spiritual Flow Sect, Du Lingfei suggested they take a break. They found a cave, and Yan Xiaobao started to recount his terrifying experiences in the Fallen Sword World. As he talked, he began to feel tired, and before he realized what was happening, he had fallen asleep.

Everything was quiet, with the only sound being the crackling and hissing of the small fire they had built. Inside the cave, the flames cast dancing shadows, while outside, it was pitch black. All was calm.

Du Lingfei stared at the fire for a while, then looked at the sleeping Yan Xiaobao, thinking back to the past with gentle eyes. Up to this moment, she hadn't noticed her body, which started to flicker and become translucent.

After a long time, she sighed. To give Yan Xiaobao a profound look, she stood up and trembled slightly. At this point, she noticed his mouth curling into a smile as he slept. Clearly, he was having some kind of wonderful dream.

Leaning down, she softly kissed his lips, then turned and walked out of the cave, determination spreading across her face.

As she appeared, the air rippled, and nine shadowy figures emerged. They were all mysterious and strange, even eerie, as they stood there, the air around them flickering.

Unexpectedly, all nine clasped their hands and deeply bowed to Du Lingfei. From the respect they showed, they were almost like servants.

One of the shadowy figures stepped forward, speaking in a sharp voice that seemed to echo from ancient times. "Young Female Clan Leader, your assigned mission to us is complete. All 11 are here."

Then, he waved his hand, causing eleven severed heads to tumble out. Each head had a face twisted into expressions of horror and disbelief.

Shockingly, these were spies who had infiltrated Eastwood City with the intention to assassinate Yan Xiaobao.

Du Lingfei ignored the severed heads and the nine shadowy figures. Turning around, she looked at the sleeping Yan Xiaobao.

"Everything about me in the Spiritual Sect is false," she whispered, eyes sparkling as if tears flowed out. "The only real thing was when the Luochen Clan chased us.

"My mission is complete, but for some reason, I'm not happy. I hope you can forgive me... I'm sorry, Yan Xiaobao." As tears splashed onto her cheeks, they rolled down her face, turning to ash, drifting into the wind.

One of the shadowy figures clasped his hands respectfully and said, "Young Female Clan Leader, the mortal body created for you by the clan leader will not last much longer. He sent us here to escort you. Madam, will you come?"

Du Lingfei continued to look at Yan Xiaobao for a long time, then gently nodded. She looked exhausted. Finally, she turned to leave. As she did, her body slowly faded, turning to smoke. The nine shadowy figures vanished as well...

As for the eleven severed heads, they dissolved into ash.

At dawn the next morning, as the first rays of sunlight shone into the cave, Yan Xiaobao squinted, peering through bleary eyes. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"I'm thirsty, hush..." he said, yawning. He was a bit surprised; since beginning cultivation, he found he didn't need to sleep often, yet he had just slept for a very long time. Rubbing his eyes, he stood up and looked around for Du Lingfei.

Not seeing her, he didn't think much of it. Walking out of the cave, he gazed at the rising sun, then lazily stretched.

"I must have worn myself out lately. Man, that was a great night's sleep." At this moment, he felt more energetic than ever, as if a boundless life force echoed from within him. His nine spiritual oceans had always been golden, and he was fully and completely in the stage of the Heavenly Dao Foundation's establishment.

...