But the young man in the carriage didn’t spare Rainblade King a single glance. He just stared intently at Jade Demoness across from him, as if waiting to see what she would do.
As the embryonic anomaly surged and crashed forward, Jade Demoness’s aura reacted instantly and erupted. Cold and heat clashed and intertwined, brewing something wild and terrifying. It was like a fragment of chaos snatched from the void, or the shadow of a demon god descending into the mortal realm. An overwhelming, unstoppable force exploded from Jade Demoness.
That overwhelming force slammed into the embryonic anomaly with a crackle. Rainblade King’s eye suddenly burst with blood, and his head snapped back as if he’d been shot.
"Impossible!" Phantom Shade Master couldn’t help but cry out.
Rumor had it Jade Demoness wasn’t even Innate yet, and she just shattered Rainblade King’s embryonic anomaly in a pure mental clash? Is that even allowed? Was the intel wrong, and Jade Demoness is actually a King? No, no, no—if you sense carefully, even I can tell, Jade Demoness really isn’t Innate. She really crushed the anomaly head-on with just a mortal body.
If Rainblade King is a genius, then Jade Demoness is a freak—an unfathomable freak!
Rainblade King clutched his bleeding eye, glaring at the figure seated atop the grand carriage with crazed, hateful eyes. Damn it, damn it, damn it! Nobody, nobody gets to stand before me!
Clang, clang!! The Flying Feather Sword rattled in its sheath as Rainblade King gripped the hilt tight. Mental clashes don’t prove cultivation, after all. A desperate surge of innate sword energy built up—one slash and Jade Demoness would be dead within five steps!
But just then, the young man in the carriage spoke.
"Not even twenty and you’ve already got an embryonic anomaly. You’ll be a King in no time. Rainblade King, you’re a true prodigy. Such a fine talent—wasted, just pulling my carriage." The young man tapped the carriage lightly, and Rainblade King’s energy instantly collapsed. The Flying Feather Sword went silent, too. Before he could even rejoice, terror seized him. He turned to see the young man smiling gently at him—a smile that nearly scared his soul out of his body: "Best you crawl under the carriage instead."
What?
Getting stuck under the carriage is how you reward a prodigy?
Phantom Shade Master’s mind went blank. Then the carriage jolted, and when he snapped back to reality, the whole thing was perfectly balanced—one person under each side. He looked up cautiously and saw the young man seemed quite pleased. The two carriages faced off, but the ones pulling them had been crushed by the other side. Maybe it was a bit embarrassing, but the young man just smiled.
Not that “gentle smile,” but a real, genuine smile.
A little joy, a little pride, a little nostalgia, a little appreciation, a touch of ‘it’s been ages,’ and a satisfaction like watching your kids grow up—mixed with a dash of helpless amusement.
Then the young man turned to Jade Demoness and spoke.
"Fail."
Phantom Shade Master thought Jade Demoness was a total freak, but to the young man, that freak didn’t even pass?
"Utter nonsense."
Crack! The treasure-like Warm Jade and Cold Jade mask on Jade Demoness’s face suddenly split down the middle. The terrifying Demoness Mask broke in two and fell away, revealing the face beneath.
It was a young girl in her prime.
A girl so beautiful, words just couldn’t do her justice.
In that moment, it was like the sun vanished from the sky and the vast desert faded away. Caught off guard by her face, even the seasoned Lord of Phantom Shade blanked out for a second. He’d seen every kind of sultry scene, played with countless beauties, tried every trick in the book—but suddenly, all those so-called ‘lovelies’ from his past felt like dirt.
He’d seen gorgeous women, but never one this stunning. He hadn’t even imagined a woman so beautiful could make his Innate Dao heart falter—just by being beautiful.
It was a beauty that went beyond looks—a beauty that was almost Dao itself.
He bit his lip hard, and the sting snapped him back. Ready to look again, his Dao heart stayed steady, but the girl was still breathtaking.
There shouldn’t be a beauty like this in the world.
No wonder Jade Demoness always wore that scary mask—it was just self-preservation. In this world, if a woman is this beautiful, her beauty isn’t just beauty. It’s fate, karma, debt, original sin—the root of ruin. A woman like this is doomed. Beauty always comes with tragedy.
Unless she’s got a backer strong enough to hold up the sky.
The beauty stared blankly at the young man in the carriage, as if her clash with Rainblade King was just instinct, not even touching her heart. She just gazed at the young man, dazed and unblinking.
Phantom Shade Master snuck a glance at the young man on the carriage. Did this guy know the stunning beauty?
"What a mess." The young man wasn’t fazed by her looks at all. He calmly patted the old carriage: "Come here, let me take a good look at you."
Boom—the eight carriages sank as the beauty shot into the young man’s arms like the wind.
"Mmm..." The beauty suddenly pouted, and big fat tears welled up in her eyes. What does a peerless beauty look like when she cries? She should look soft and delicate, right? That’s what usually tugs at a man’s heart.
But this one? Absolutely not.
She clearly didn’t care about any idol baggage.
Her tears dripped down, ran from her tear ducts to her nose, and out again. First she pouted, then gritted her teeth, then raised her arm to cover her face—trying not to let anyone see. But in the end, she just flopped onto the young man’s chest and wailed.
She cried like a wild child who’d finally found home, like an injured sparrow in the storm, like a scrappy street kid. No whimpering, no fake sobs—her crying was all grit and longing, nothing delicate or put-on.
"There, there." The young man stroked the back of her head, his voice softening: "Your master’s back."
"Ma... Ma... Ma..." She tried three times, nose all stuffed up, then grabbed the young man’s sleeve and gave a huge honk. Sniffling, she finally blurted out: "Master—!! You’re finally back!! You promised you’d be back soon, but it’s been four years! I thought I’d never see you again, waaaa—!!"
Master?
Phantom Shade Master shuddered, then his face went blank. Yep, no regrets—this loss was totally deserved.
"Your master’s late." The young man patted the girl’s back. "Don’t rush to cry, let me check—see if your scrappy little life can be saved." He lifted her up and looked: one side of her face was blue, the other red, and it looked like the two energies were about to go to war.
Lord of Phantom Shade suddenly understood—so this freakish girl had messed up her internal energy.
Blind Elder slapped his thigh and shouted, "So that’s the story! Now that you’re back, she’ll be fine!"