My Host Only Marries the Strong

The demon cultivator laughed low and mocking. “What big words. That’s quite some breath you’ve got.”

Being taunted by a demon didn’t ruffle Echo’s feathers in the slightest. She raised her hand to her lips and breathed a gentle puff of air across her palm. She had drunk fragrant tea after dinner, and the tea scent still lingered on her lips and teeth—proof enough that this demon wasn’t just strange, but also fond of lying.

Still, she was in something of a hurry.

The moment Echo lowered her hand, Nine Heavens in her other hand struck without warning. The blade sang through the air toward the demon. Tan Yue’s horrified shout followed: “Senior Xi, stay calm! She still holds the lives of everyone in this city!”

But her words couldn’t match the speed of Echo’s sword light. Cold, whistling sword aura roared forward like a hunting tiger, the blade’s gleam sharp as winter ice. The oppressive dark clouds above suddenly scattered points of white light.

Snow hesitated in the frigid air, then transformed into heavy, goose-feather flakes that blanketed the world in moments.

The demon facing Echo’s direct assault took flight, her expression twisting with panic. She was middle Soul Transformation—a small grade above this white-haired cultivator—but the merciless sword intent radiating from Echo made her blood run cold.

Such domineering sword techniques! Such reckless momentum!

She tried to hide her soul within the bodies of Pingjin City’s residents like before, but every time she attempted to descend, sword light intercepted her. The demon looked up to see the white-haired cultivator’s sword multiply into ten thousand blades, all pointed directly at her.

Domineering and elegant sword arts. Unfathomable cultivation. Incomparably sharp divine weapons. A young, beautiful face…… Why should one person get all the good things in this world?

Demon cultivators have twisted personalities by nature. After just this brief exchange with Echo, jealousy poured through this demon’s heart like a waterfall, drenching her in envy.

Even in this bitter winter, surrounded by ice and snow, her soul trembled with such intense jealousy that she momentarily forgot her master’s instructions. She wanted nothing more than to tear out Echo’s soul and wear this beautiful skin herself!

Meanwhile, Echo asked leisurely, “How long are you two going to keep watching?”

A snowflake clung to her silver-lined lashes as her clear pupils turned toward the side. Her cold, indifferent gaze fell on Tan Yue and her master as she asked calmly, “Or perhaps you two are also the demon’s accomplices?”

Tan Yue and her master’s hearts jumped. They heard Echo’s voice, cool and gentle: “If that’s the case, I’ll have to deal with all of you together.”

“Fellow Daoist Xi, please don’t misunderstand! We’ll intercept her immediately!” Tan Yue’s master called out loudly, then said to Tan Yue, “You go protect the city’s residents. I’ll join Fellow Daoist Xi in fighting the demon!”

Tan Yue quickly replied, “Yes, Master.”

She hurried forward, raising her sword to sweep away the thick snow covering the city’s people, then moved through the drifts to help the unconscious residents to safety, protecting them with defensive artifacts.

Echo hovered in the air, surveying the scene. Nine Heavens performed a sword flourish in her palm.

After Tan Yue’s master declared his intention to fight, he charged forward without hesitation, throwing everything he had against the demon.

Heavy snow fell like a white curtain. Black and gold clashed within it, ringing out the sharp sounds of metal on metal. Tan Yue’s master threw out an attack talisman, his face pale as he popped a recovery pill into his mouth.

He turned and called out to the figure hovering leisurely in midair, as though watching a play: “Fellow Daoist Xi, come lend me a hand!”

His expression looked somewhat strained. He wondered if his earlier near-misunderstanding had left Fellow Daoist Xi holding a grudge.

Fortunately, after he spoke, Fellow Daoist Xi finally moved.

“Rise, swords.” Echo said.

The ten thousand blades behind her hummed in unison.

“Attack.”

Echo’s low voice fell, and ten thousand streaks of silver light pierced through the snow.

The silver gleamed with cold intent, instantly rushing toward the demon battling Tan Yue’s master. A chill ran down his spine.

He turned back in terror, pupils contracting sharply as he saw the ten thousand cold lights coming straight at him. They swept past his hair by mere inches, striking toward the demon behind him.

Before he could exhale in relief, the demon suddenly split apart, transforming into several wisps of green smoke that dodged the lights and charged directly at him.

“Master, be careful!” Tan Yue shouted, drawing her sword and rushing forward to intercept the demon.

Echo was faster than her.

Her slender fingers gripped Nine Heavens’ hilt, pale knuckles brushing lightly over the red bead on the handle. In her consciousness sea, the sword manual turned to a new page—Sword like a swimming dragon, swift as a startled swan.

“BOOM!”

Beneath the heavens, above Pingjin City, towering ice mountains rose up magnificently. Overwhelming killing intent covered the ice peaks like snow.

The ice peaks stood coldly in the empty air. The demon’s soul remnant rushing toward Tan Yue’s master was like kindling meeting flame—she let out a hysterical shriek and instantly recoiled.

She glared at Echo with furious eyes, hatred dark as a muddy swamp, as if she wanted to devour Echo whole.

Echo calmly raised her hand. The ice mountain suspended in air rose higher, blocking the demon’s line of sight.

The demon: “……”

She looked warily in Echo’s direction, then suddenly dove toward the ground. Her target was still the city full of people.

“Senior Xi!” Tan Yue shouted desperately at Echo. “Save them quickly!”

Echo turned back and gave Tan Yue a flat look, making no move to help.

The Nascent Soul cultivator’s barrier was like tissue paper before the demon. She gleefully shattered the barrier—the hostages she could easily obtain were right in front of her.

As her dispersed soul rushed toward Pingjin City’s residents, two soft “chirping” sounds suddenly echoed in her ears.

Soul-shaking terror struck her. Her survival instincts overcame reason, and she retreated sharply, but something even faster than her instantly appeared.

Thunder-like sounds exploded as two golden dragons opened their massive jaws, cold, ruthless light flashing in their eyes as they bit down mercilessly on the demon’s soul.

“Hiss…” Tan Yue gasped, goosebumps rising on her arms as she whispered, “Dragons…”

But this wasn’t the end. Echo casually swung her sword, and the ice mountain suspended in air shattered into countless fragments that fell like rain.

Looking closer, those fragments were actually countless ice arrows, all targeting the soul remnant being pursued by the twin dragons.

Enemies ahead, pursuers behind—the demon roared: “Damn it!” She whirled around and charged toward the stunned-looking Tan Yue.

“Disciple, be careful!” Tan Yue’s master shouted, rushing to protect Tan Yue.

Echo watched as the soul remnant ruthlessly shattered Tan Yue’s master’s sword light and slammed into his chest.

“Master!” Tan Yue’s eyes instantly reddened. She raised her sword but couldn’t bring herself to strike, giving the soul remnant the opening to possess her as well.

“Ah,” Echo blinked. “Still quite clumsy, really.”

The pursuing dragons angrily lashed their tails, sending the possessed Tan Yue and her master flying into the barrier protecting the city.

“Tan Yue” spat out blood, clutching her chest, and said smugly to Echo: “If you don’t want these two to die for nothing, let me leave.”

Echo thought for a moment, then answered completely off-topic: “Your cooking was quite good.”

Tan Yue froze, then flew into a rage and struck out with spiritual energy toward Echo. Echo said unhurriedly: “But you’re a bit weak. Are you really middle Soul Transformation? I don’t believe it.”

“Oh, and one more thing!” Echo said with a smile, “That recording stone from earlier was a lie. I didn’t have time to record you—it was a souvenir from a friend at the Eastern Continent Grand Tournament!”

“You’re not just weak, you’re also quite gullible.”

Echo gave her a thumbs up: “Completely trash-tier.”

“……”

Tan Yue and her master’s faces both contorted with rage as they glared at Echo viciously. She had always thought that her disguise had been perfect all this time, never realizing this person had been watching from the very beginning. Not only had she been played, she had been serving her this whole time!

Even her final escape to destroy evidence had been part of Echo’s deception!

“Die!” The demon controlling Tan Yue and her master roared furiously. The two figures leaped up and struck out with sword light, then fled toward the city outskirts without looking back.

Echo laughed softly, stepping onto a golden dragon’s head as she swept her sword toward the demon’s retreating form.

Silver-white sword light swept across, shattering their two sword strikes and continuing toward the demon.

A golden light suddenly blazed across the sky, blocking Echo’s sword light. With a “bang!” the silver-white sword light dissipated into nothing.

Echo looked on with some surprise as the golden collar the demon had worn at her chest blazed with light. It was actually an incredibly durable protective treasure, thrown out by the demon to block Echo’s pursuit.

Echo frowned and flew up to catch the falling golden collar. One dragon swam over to catch Echo while the other gave relentless pursuit to Tan Yue and her master.

Outside Pingjin City, the illusion concealing the city suddenly dispersed. On the spirit vessel’s deck, Feng Zhen’s eyes lit up with relief, but then she saw Tan Yue and her master charging toward them, panic and fury mixed on their faces.

When they spotted her, the terror in their eyes deepened further, and they fell from the sky like broken kites, crashing into the earth.

“Elder Zhao!”

Just before the two would have been smashed to paste, Feng Zhen flew out to catch them both and bring them back to the deck.

Yu Xuefei bent down to examine their bodies and said in shock: “Soul loss syndrome?”

“Soul loss?” Feng Zhen extended her hand toward the two, sending spiritual energy into their veins. The energy entering their bodies vanished like a stone dropped into the ocean, without the slightest ripple.

These two looked as if they were merely sleeping—peaceful expressions, healthy complexions, not a trace of injury.

Yu Xuefei frowned deeply. After another careful examination, she said: “It is indeed soul loss syndrome, but different from ordinary cases.” She looked up and instinctively stepped back, gasping: “This is…”

Feng Zhen turned to see a massive golden dragon staring at the two people on her boat from a distance.

“The realm’s spirit of the Twin Dragon Secret Realm—Fellow Daoist Xi?”

Inside Pingjin City, another golden dragon rose up, carrying Echo with Nine Heavens in hand on its head. Echo stomped her foot, and the dragon’s head beneath her swayed left and right.

The approaching dragon also swayed.

Hello, hello.

“……”

Unmistakably Fellow Daoist Xi.

Everyone on the spirit vessel paused. Feng Zhen took out pillows and blankets from her storage ring to cover the two soulless people, then went below deck to steer the spirit vessel into Pingjin City.

The dragon that had pursued the demon flew back and reported to Echo: “Master, I lost track of the demon soul. After she separated from the human cultivators, she vanished without a trace.”

Echo nodded. “She’s not good in a fight, but her hiding and escape skills aren’t bad.” So not completely trash-tier, just mostly trash-tier.

Echo looked somewhat unhappily toward the city outskirts, as if she wanted to use her gaze alone to drag the demon out of wherever she was hiding.

“Please don’t be angry, Master. That demon soul has already been beaten half to death by us. Even if she escaped, she won’t be able to cause much trouble. If not for the golden light blocking us, she would never have escaped our pursuit,” the golden dragon consoled Echo, sensing her mood.

Echo didn’t speak, her expression ice-cold as she looked down at the collar in her palm.

This collar was adorned with phoenixes—two birds with wings spread facing each other, their eyes dotted with red stones, so lifelike that every feather seemed real.

Phoenixes.

Echo’s mood improved a tiny bit. But only a tiny bit.