The night was deep.
Though there was only a faint breeze, Yue Qing could not stop herself from trembling all over.
She looked at Ye Dingzhi, at the sinister, oppressive aura surrounding him,
and only now did she truly realize—
the Ye Dingzhi before her
was no longer the Ye Dingzhi of the past.
As someone from the Demonic Sect, she was certain of one thing:
Ye Dingzhi had already fallen into demonic cultivation.
"Ye Dingzhi… don't do anything reckless. I—I came to help you!"
Yue Qing panicked.
If she had known things would turn out like this,
even with ten thousand times the courage, she would never have dared to provoke him this way.
Unfortunately—
it was already too late.
Ye Dingzhi slowly sheathed his sword.
But in the next instant—
his left hand shot out, gripping Yue Qing's long, slender neck,
as easily as grabbing a chick.
"Ah!"
Pain contorted Yue Qing's pretty face.
"Please… don't! I can't die here…"
Ye Dingzhi's expression was indifferent.
"Give me a reason not to kill you."
"I—I can help you become stronger!"
"I can even teach you the Void Thought Art!"
Yue Qing looked pitiful and fragile, tears welling in her eyes like pear blossoms in the rain.
If it were the Ye Dingzhi of the past,
he might truly have been deceived, softened, and let her go.
But—
the current Ye Dingzhi saw through her little schemes at a glance.
"Even at this point, you're still plotting?"
He frowned slightly and raised his right hand, pressing it against Yue Qing's smooth, fair forehead.
No matter how desperately Yue Qing begged,
he merely circulated his demonic art
and branded a Soul Seal deep into her soul.
Moments later—
Yue Qing stopped struggling.
A trace of confusion and emptiness surfaced in her beautiful eyes.
After another short while—
like a puppet whose strings had been seized,
she knelt straight down, prostrating herself at Ye Dingzhi's feet.
"Yue Qing greets her Master."
Ye Dingzhi said calmly,
"Get up. Tell me why you came looking for me."
Immediately afterward,
Yue Qing recounted the entire sequence of events, holding nothing back.
"I am Yue Yao's twin younger sister. Because you possess a Heavenly Innate Martial Vein, Master,
I intended to use you to heal my father…"
As Yue Qing revealed every detail—
Ye Dingzhi's gaze flickered.
Looking at her pure, sweet face,
no one would ever imagine that beneath such beauty
lurked such deep and ruthless calculation.
What surprised him even more was—
that there existed such a powerful Demonic Sect in this world.
If the ruler of Heaven Beyond Heaven,
the Demonic Sect's leader Yue Fengcheng,
intended to absorb his cultivated inner power to break through the ninth level of the Void Thought Art—
didn't that mean
he could instead absorb Yue Fengcheng's cultivation in return?
Not only that—
he might even seize control of Heaven Beyond Heaven entirely
and become the new Demonic Sect Master.
As this thought took shape,
Ye Dingzhi formed a rough plan for what lay ahead.
But before that—
there were still some matters he needed to settle.
…
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
Inside a blacksmith's shop,
the sound of hammering rang out without pause.
At this moment—
a carriage slowly approached along the street outside the shop.
"We're here."
"This is the place."
A white-haired young man spoke softly.
Baili Dongjun raised his head and glanced at the signboard above the shop—Thousand Moon Forge.
"Brother Chunshui, have you been here before?" he asked.
The white-haired young man nodded slightly.
"Hoe, shovel, or plow?"
The blacksmith suddenly asked.
"A blade,"
"a good blade,"
the white-haired youth replied calmly.
The hammering stopped abruptly.
The blacksmith looked up at him, his voice low.
"Who are you?"
"An old acquaintance."
"And your name?" the blacksmith pressed.
"Nangong Chunshui."
"You're not surnamed Li?"
"You look exactly like that fellow when he was young. Aren't you his son?"
The blacksmith spoke meaningfully.
The moment those words fell—
Baili Dongjun couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Li Changsheng asked calmly,
"What—does he look like the kind of man burdened with romantic debts in your eyes?"
"Of course," the blacksmith said while wiping his hands.
"That peacock—if you told me he had a few grandsons already, I wouldn't be surprised."
"Peacock," Baili Dongjun muttered with a grin, teasing Li Changsheng under his breath.
Beside them, Yue Yao also couldn't help but secretly laugh.
Still—
Li Changsheng was an immortal who had lived for one hundred and eighty years.
His tolerance was naturally vast.
He wouldn't be angered by such remarks.
He merely said,
"Speaking of an old friend like that isn't very decent."
"Enough standing around," the blacksmith waved them in.
"Come inside."
Moments later—
inside the blacksmith's shop.
"Dongjun, this is the man I told you about—one of the top three weapon-forging masters in the world,
the Weapon God, Luo Sheng," Li Changsheng introduced.
"Enough nonsense," Luo Sheng said impatiently.
"What exactly are you here for?"
Then, as if recalling something, he added,
"That fellow Li Changsheng definitely didn't arrange anything good for me."
Li Changsheng smiled faintly.
"Master Luo is being asked to forge a good blade for this young man."
"I won't do it," Luo Sheng replied decisively.
"I've already accepted an important commission. I don't have time for him."
Li Changsheng took out a jade pendant.
"No matter how important the job is, shouldn't you first take a look at the payment Li is offering?"
Luo Sheng took the jade pendant and examined it carefully.
After a moment, his expression changed.
"This… this was left behind by her?"
"Li searched for a long time," Li Changsheng said.
Luo Sheng sighed, solemnly putting the jade pendant away.
Then he looked at Baili Dongjun.
"You brat—already holding an Immortal Palace–grade sword, and still coming to me for a blade."
"Looks like Li Changsheng intends to pass his ultimate art down to you."
Baili Dongjun raised an eyebrow and looked at Li Changsheng.
"What ultimate art?"
Li Changsheng smiled lightly.
"Dual-Handed Blade and Sword Technique."
"Correct," Luo Sheng nodded.
"His blade style is domineering and fierce, his sword style light and agile."
"One heavy, one light—combined, they are unbeatable."
"I see that your sword represents the 'light.'"
"Then I'll give you a blade—one fierce enough to match it!"
Li Changsheng laughed.
"Looks like Weapon God Luo still has stock left."
Luo Sheng explained,
"Years ago, someone gifted me a piece of Heavenly Meteorite Iron."
"I forged a sword and a blade from it."
"That sword is already promised to the person I mentioned earlier."
"As for the blade—it still needs final forging. Three days."
Li Changsheng asked curiously,
"The one commissioning you to forge a sword—does he have as much influence as Li here?"
"Far more human than him," Luo Sheng scoffed.
"At least that person paid with real gold and silver."
"Unlike him—trying to scam an unrivaled divine weapon from me with a broken rock."
At that moment—
from outside the blacksmith's shop,
a cold, clear voice suddenly rang out.
"May I ask—is this the residence of Weapon God Luo?"
Luo Sheng stood up and called out,
"And you are?"
"Ye Dingzhi,"
the voice replied calmly.
"By my master's order—
I have come to retrieve a sword.