Are There Only Demonesses Left in the Cultivation Realm?

The late spring nights carried a hint of summer.

In the past, Su Youwan’s sense of spring, summer, autumn, and winter had been quite vague, because at the Compassionate Palace, snow fell all year round.

But recently, she had come to feel things differently.

Each season was unique—not just in temperature, but even in the scent of the wind it carried.

Su Youwan gazed up at the bright stars in the crisp night sky.

She suddenly recalled the sword strike Lu Changyuan had delivered during the day. Compared to the Heaven-Cutting Taiyi of the past, Guiyi was a bit gentler.

But it was still terrifyingly powerful.

That was definitely not a power someone at the Kai Yang realm could wield. It was a power born from some kind of terrifying, ultimate intent.

‘As expected of Young Master Lu.’

‘He’s incredible.’

‘Who am I, really?’

‘And why did Young Master Lu use that same sword strike on me?’

The maiden had been pondering this question for a long time. But when she asked Lu Changyuan, he had already told her that what he struck was the Celestial Dao.

This meant that even Lu Changyuan didn’t know her origins. The only one who might know about Su Youwan’s background was the master of the Compassionate Palace.

But that person wouldn’t explain things clearly either, instead letting the maiden guess for herself. Perhaps all the Great Powers of the Cultivation Realm enjoyed speaking in riddles, holding half their words back.

Su Youwan toyed with a thin needle in her hand.

She tried once more to embroider the future between herself and Lu Changyuan.

But a moment later…

…she failed.

Su Youwan wasn’t surprised in the slightest. Lu Changyuan’s fate was difficult for her to interfere with.

‘Why isn’t there any backlash?’

The silver-haired maiden tilted her head, thinking carefully.

There had long been rumors in the Mortal World that so-called “heaven-peekers” would never meet a good end for leaking celestial secrets.

This principle did indeed hold true.

Even Feng Xianlong, the previous Palace Master of Yuyue Immortal Palace, who had used her advantageous status to cultivate to the Yao Guang realm, had suffered a backlash that shortened her lifespan.

As for her own power—to set fate, something even more profound than merely divining it…

…she, Su Youwan, had never suffered any backlash.

Take now, for instance. The magic to embroider a future of her and Lu Changyuan united in ceremony had failed. Logically, the backlash from a failed magic should be the strongest, yet she was completely unharmed.

‘Could I be the reincarnation of some Great Power?’

‘Just like Miss Xia from Miao Yu Palace.’

‘Perhaps I was some Great Power that Lu Changyuan had cut down in a past life, reincarnated now to claim his life in return… Or maybe I was once an Immortal living in the heavens, struck down into the mortal world by one of Lu Changyuan’s sword strikes.’

‘Then Master found me and raised me.’

“I’ve really been reading too many storybooks.”

Su Youwan shook her head, dispelling the wild thoughts. Perhaps she had been on Celestial Mountain for too long and had been influenced by its storybooks.

“Hm?”

The maiden suddenly felt her heart begin to pound.

She saw the thread on her body—the one connecting her to Lu Changyuan.

The maiden’s cultivation of the Destined Celestial Dao had already reached the Fifth Realm. The threads of many people in this world were perfectly clear in her eyes, but she could never see her own.

She used to think this was because cultivators of the Destined Celestial Dao couldn’t see their own threads. But ever since Lu Changyuan had “eaten her feelings,” this thread had appeared between them.

This was also the only thread on her own body she could see, and it meant that her destiny was bound together with Lu Changyuan’s.

Without hesitation, Su Youwan headed towards the guest room where Lu Changyuan was staying.

The Celestial Dao Grand Competition was still ongoing.

The Qingcao Sword Sect didn’t have enough guest rooms for everyone, so most people were temporarily staying on the mountain or on the Sword Testing Platform.

As for the participants of the Celestial Dao Grand Competition, they were still living in their previous cave residences.

But the three of them were different.

Li Qingcao had personally arranged their guest rooms, even choosing three pavilions where they could see the Cloud Sea just by opening a window.

Gazing upon the Cloud Sea, one could see the vastness of heaven and earth and understand their own insignificance.

It was quite beneficial for one’s cultivation.

Lu Changyuan’s explanation was: “The Qingcao Sword Sect is full of good people. This whole Sect is just a bunch of nice guys.”

‘Then again, in Young Master Lu’s eyes, there were probably good people everywhere.’

Su Youwan felt her heart beat heavier. She only ever got this feeling when Lu Changyuan was nearby.

The maiden walked up to the pavilion where Lu Changyuan was staying. The simple, red-wooden doors of the pavilion were engraved with a Sound Insulation Array, so she couldn’t hear what was happening inside.

But she knew exactly what was happening inside.

She had experienced this same heartbeat on the Lotus Platform.

So, the maiden knocked on the door.

There was no answer.

The beating in her heart grew more intense, even stopping for a brief moment.

‘I scared him,’ Su Youwan thought.

After a long moment, the door finally opened. Lu Changyuan saw the silver-haired maiden in the moonlight and sighed. “Miss Su, it’s so late. Why aren’t you asleep? What are you doing here?”

“Where is Miss Qiu? I have something I need to discuss with her.”

Lu Changyuan said helplessly, “Isn’t she resting in her pavilion over there?”

“I’ve already been. There’s no one there.”

Of course, Su Youwan hadn’t actually gone to the residence the Qingcao Sword Sect had arranged for Qiu Yuehan. She was certain that no one was there.

“She might have gone out for a walk. The scenery at the Qingcao Sword Sect is lovely. This mountain was a good choice; the vast Cloud Sea is quite a sight.”

The maiden spoke again, “Youwan just returned from a walk a moment ago and didn’t see Miss Qiu. Besides, Young Master Lu, the thread connecting you to Miss Qiu is very strong right now.”

Lu Changyuan was momentarily at a loss for words.

His moment of distraction was all the maiden needed to slip past him and deftly dart into the room.

A single candle flickered in the room, its light dim and soft, casting a warm yellow glow.

In a bronze incense burner nearby, the Qingcao Sword Sect’s unique incense was burning. Its fragrance was clear and lingering, as refreshing as a mountain range after the rain. The scent drifted through the silent air in faint wisps, doing an excellent job of masking any other odors.