Wei-laoban—Wei Chengxiang—yanked her hand away from the “child.” 

The “child” took no notice, walking two steps ahead of her while stretching out. The flesh and bones of that body expanded. Soon, this person’s height surpassed that of Wei Chengxiang, who was already very tall, and continued to grow upwards. 

After another ten steps, she had become a woman nearly nine chi tall¹. 

If she had been standing in a crowd, she would have been head and shoulders above everyone else! 

Her long hair alone was over six chi long, so black it seemed as though it didn’t reflect light. The child’s small clothes had been stretched to rags by her big frame. She didn’t care at all. Walking through the street full of people coming and going, she simply tore the rags off. 

All the passersby seemed to be blind, walking right past her without even looking up. None of them saw that there was a young woman streaking right in the middle of the street. Wei Chengxiang alone had the chance to appreciate this “scenery.” 

Sadly, Wei Chengxiang couldn’t quite stand this “treat for the eyes.” Her eyelids twitched a few times, and she averted her gaze, lowering her head to look at the dirt. 

The young woman calmly took a light grey robe from her mustard seed and wrapped it around herself. She twirled her fingers, and her heavy-looking head of long hair coiled itself into a bun, held in place by a plain peach wood hairpin. Her outfit was extremely plain and neat. From behind, she seemed like a nun who had gone into a monastery hundreds of years ago. 

But as soon as she turned her head, she revealed a face that was so gorgeous it was almost demonic: long, thin brows, up-tilted eyes, scarlet lips that may have been natural or may have been painted. The contrast between her white face and black hair was too strong. When this face hit your eyes, it would certainly make you blink several times. 

“Why are you looking down?” said the gorgeous nun with a laugh. “What I have, don’t you have as well?” 

Wei Chengxiang came from a poor family. When she had been little, she could only eat and drink her fill on mixed grain flatbread and cold water. It was already a blessing that she had been able to grow to her full height. Where would she have had room to grow anything extra? 

“Senior Qiu Sha,” she said helplessly, cupping her hand, “you flatter me—I really don’t.” 

It turned out that this gorgeous nun was actually Qiu Sha, who had turned both the righteous and the evil cultivators upside down. 

At this time, an unknown number of ascended spirit and shed skin cultivators from Sanyue were intensively patrolling the area of Wild Fox Country with their consciousnesses; they had even sent an ascended spirit master down in person. Dongheng’s great array itself would have loved to get up and walk over to sit on Tao County. Yet this woman who was being targeted by all sides openly streaked through the street in Tao County, and a whole crowd of Chu masters couldn’t catch her! 

As expected, the first ever ascended spirit evil cultivator was out of the ordinary. 

As for Wei Chengxiang knowing her, that was a long story. 

Five years ago, during the chaos in the East Sea, she had killed White Amaranth, the chief of the Exonerators, and that bunch of mad dogs had hunted her for two whole years. 

Those two years had been awful. Before refining their spiritual bones, an open-eyed cultivator mainly relied on external objects. Without immortal tools, they were as good as unarmed. And the three disciplines of talismans, arrays, and inscriptions were broad and deep; there were many people in the spiritual mountains who'd had these disciplines poured into their heads by force by their elders yet could still hardly remember any, never mind her, with no one to teach her. Even the person who had guided her in swaggering around and bluffing was gone. She didn’t want to join the Kaiming Cultivators, either—everyone said that the “Kaiming Cultivators” were meant to speak on behalf of their fellow countrymen. Had her grandpa been alive, he probably would have been very pleased for her to have such future prospects. But her grandpa had died without a bit of intact skin on him, and she had no more fellow countrymen. She had nothing to say. She could only go into hiding in Demon Country, the Land of Turmoil. For her, living was cultivation. 

Two years ago, she had been besieged by the Exonerators working with another group of evil cultivators and had escaped to the neighborhood of the Lancang Spiritual Mountains. She had come to the end of the road. Her meridians had been exhausted, and she had fallen into a hidden realm. When she woke up, she found that she had fallen into a patch of late-autumn red. Late-autumn red was an unusual type of tree that grew high in the mountains. It was rare in Great Wan, so it had no formal name. This type of tree was parasitic, only budding after the beginning of autumn. The leaves were dark red, like blood, when they grew in. Tradition had it that as soon as late-autumn red “caught fire,” the frost would come. It was often seen as a bad omen. 

How could a hot and humid place like this, which didn’t even have “autumn”, have late-autumn red growing in it? Before Wei Chengxiang could work it out, the malevolent vines had twined around her. Then there was a sharp pain in her head. The fiery red vines were boring into her skull like a steel awl. 

She saw a big group of people appear from the late-autumn red thicket like ghosts. There was a vine with blood red leaves growing from the top of each person’s head. These people whose bodies had been snatched by the trees stood by in identical postures, observing her or waiting to welcome her as their new companion…and her meridians were exhausted. She couldn’t move a muscle. The only thing in her head was the echoing of her skull cracking. 

This scene had been unbearable. Up to now, it still regularly played out in Wei Chengxiang’s nightmares. 

But just when the vines began to bore inside her skull, the reincarnation wood amulet she carried that had been silent for many years suddenly heated up and sent the late-autumn red vines wrapped around her flying away. 

“Hss…” A voice echoed among the late-autumn red thicket, sounding like someone throwing a coquettish temper tantrum. “There’s already the mark of another tree on your spirit. How annoying.” 

That place was the strangest and most frightening hidden realm Wei Chengxiang had ever been in. 

And Qiu Sha, the hidden realm’s master, was the most fickle monster she had ever met. 

This great monster had been living off the Lancang Spiritual Mountains for untold centuries, since before Southern He had been extinguished, so she was completely clueless about the Lancang Spiritual Mountains being split up among the four nations. When an occasional unlucky wretch wandered in by mistake, she would stick a tree branch into their head. 

The great monster hadn’t been in a hurry to kill her. Apparently she had been in a good mood because she was soon to leave seclusion, so she had kept Wei Chengxiang to talk to and relieve her boredom. 

Wei Chengxiang was on tenterhooks while dealing with her every day. As soon as her injuries improved slightly, she started looking for an opportunity to escape. The great monster was an absolute good-for-nothing. Like a cat playing with a mouse, she let her struggle, deliberately waiting until she thought she had successfully escaped to reach out a paw to hold her down. 

Wei Chengxiang simply couldn’t describe the despair that filled her heart the moment she heard her laughter in her ear. But just as the late-autumn red vines twining around her pulled her down, a bracelet suddenly dropped out from among the vines. By some coincidence, it fell onto Wei Chengxiang’s wrist. 

All the vines instantly went limp and dropped Wei Chengxiang onto the ground. 

While she was dizzy from the fall, she heard a grim voice behind her say, “I’ve spent eight hundred years searching for it, and it would never appear. Instead it’s taken a liking to a little girl like you.” 

This bracelet was called the Law Breaker. It was the only immortal tool in the world that had no grade. When it had been born, even the Lancang Mountains’s great array had trembled. Apart from Moon Plated Gold, it was the work of the era’s legendary toolmaking master Hui Xiangjun that Lancang most coveted. Unfortunately, it seemed to have its own ideas. It only appeared before those for whom it had an affinity. When its master had died and her way had vanished, the Law Breaker Bracelet had gone out of control—Qiu Sha claimed to be Hui Xiangjun’s direct disciple, but Wei Chengxiang thought that she was just talking big. She figured that this Qiu woman was most likely a somewhat addle-brained saddle horse of the type that couldn’t take in new ideas even after eight hundred years of cultivating to enlightenment. 

Because the Law Breaker Bracelet had unexpectedly chosen her as its master, Wei Chengxiang had become the first person in eight hundred years to survive the great monster’s clutches. 

The great monster not only didn’t kill her, she also casually healed her injuries and gifted her a complete set of ancient books that the Lancang Sword Sect’s inner sect had used, and even shamelessly claimed to be halfway to being her teacher. 

Not long after Wei Chengxiang left the Lancang Spiritual Mountains, she heard the news about the emergence of an evildoer. That great monster had deliberately left seclusion to go reach the ascended spirit stage within Chu’s borders in showy style, delivering a fierce slap in the face to Sanyue, luring them into sending down a master. Then she had killed Xiang Zhao. 

Now that she was announcing all over the world that she was going to sell Xiang Zhao’s spiritual bones, Wei Chengxiang thought that she was going to play the same old trick again, though she didn’t know who her target was this time. 

Qiu Sha looked her over for a moment, then clicked her tongue. “I see that you haven’t improved at all.” 

Wei Chengxiang politely answered, “The same to you.” 

“Damn girl. You’re really unlikeable.” Qiu Sha rolled her eyes at her. “I suppose you know what kind of ascended spirit battlefield Seventeen Li Town will become? Yet an open-eyed ant like you actually dared to come crawling over here.” 

Wei Chengxiang said, “Low cultivation and going back on your word are two different things. I took your things, senior, and I owe you. Since you called me, it’s appropriate for me to come settle my debt.” 

Qiu Sha said, “You see how bitter it is to be an ‘evil cultivator’ with no one and nothing to rely on? Inexplicably accumulating debt and being summoned across thousands of li to come give up your life—I said before that you should be my disciple.” 

Wei Chengxiang, not turning a hair, said, “I beg to be excused. Though I owe you a debt of gratitude, senior, you must forgive me for being unable to agree with the way you conduct yourself. It would be a waste of breath for the two of us to debate our views. There is no need.” 

Qiu Sha’s long, shapely eyebrows rose. “Wei Chengxiang, you dare to find fault with me. You’re quite bold.” 

Wei Chengxiang said indifferently, “Supposing that I had a favor to ask of you, senior, naturally I would want to be nice to you. But now, while I am offering my services to you of my own free will, it is because you have some use for me. Wouldn’t you say that makes sense?” 

Like a difficult child, Qiu Sha instantly abandoned shame and lost her temper. “I hate you!” 

Wei Chengxiang figured that she couldn’t smack her to death. Not indulging her in the least, she said, “Isn’t that a coincidence? I feel the same.” 

Qiu Sha: “…” 

She sulked for a long time. Then her eyes turned, and she gave a mysterious smile. “You’ll regret that, little devil. There’s a big secret I meant to tell you, but now that you’ve made me mad, I’m not going to say it.” 

This erratic great monster hardly ever said anything sensible. If you let her get to you, you would lose. What she called a big secret was most likely something like “There’s a tea leaf caught in your teeth.” Wei Chengxiang, who had plenty of experience, checked her teeth and didn’t take it to heart. “With my negligible cultivation, I am afraid I am unqualified to aid you in a fight, senior. I wonder what assignment you have called me here on?” 

Qiu Sha waved a hand and said, “At least you have the wisdom of self-knowledge. I want to use the Law Breaker Bracelet.” 

Wei Chengxiang froze. She clamped a hand over her wrist. 

An invisible bracelet appeared on her skinny, bony wrist, suffused with warm light by the setting sun. Because it was so exquisite, it looked out of place next to her ragged clothes. 

The bracelet was made up of an inner and an outer ring inlaid together. On the outer ring were carved complicated openwork designs that revealed the inscriptions on the inner ring. Looking closely, the inscriptions were constantly changing. Looking at them made you dizzy. 

“Now that Xiang Zhao has died by my hand, presumably Sanyue won’t underestimate me. They’re probably getting ready to turn out in full force. My resources are limited. I can’t get the better of those immortals. So I’ve already sent letters to Kunlun and Lingyun’s people. Xuanyin… Ha, Xuanyin will probably be rather on their guard against me, though fortunately the demon they’ve been sheltering will bring that son-of-a-bitch Lin Chi here for me. When all four great sects gather together at once, won’t that be exciting?” 

Wei Chengxiang frowned, then saw Qiu Sha lift her wrist almost tenderly and stroke the Law Breaker Bracelet. At a slight touch from her fingertips, the Law Breaker’s inner ring began to move quickly. Soon, an inscription floated out of it, perfectly passing through the openwork designs on the outer ring to appear. 

Wei Chengxiang’s spiritual sense was immediately touched; she dimly sensed the scant spiritual energy swarming in the vicinity begin to spin. 

Qiu Sha smiled and stretched out her hand to take a lottery ticket from Wei Chengxiang’s Silver Tray. When she tore it open to look, it turned out that inside was the “ultimate” prize that hundreds of children hadn’t been able to pull. 

“It’s mine.” Qiu Sha rudely took a wooden carving of a gold-armored zheng from her shelves and put it away in her clothes. Then she said to Wei Chengxiang, “They’re all slavering over Xiangjun’s relics, all of them with bad intentions. The situation will be as chaotic as you could want. But it still won’t be enough. I want you to bring all of Tao County inside the Law Breaker Bracelet and make this damn place even more chaotic.” 

Wei Chengxiang said, “The Law Breaker Bracelet can change a place’s fortunes. A place enveloped by this bracelet won’t be seen by the eyes of any immortal mountain, won’t be divined by any stars. All kinds of abnormal things will happen here. All natural and divine laws will loosen—inscriptions will suddenly cease to be effective, arrays will leak spiritual energy in places people don’t expect, the spiritual energy around one cultivator might suddenly flow to another cultivator… I can activate the Law Breaker Bracelet, but I won’t be able to control what happens after it’s activated.” 

“Obviously,” Qiu Sha said impatiently. “You stole that bracelet from me. Don’t I understand it better than you do?” 

“I didn’t steal it. It was the Law Breaker Bracelet that chose me,” Wei Chengxiang retorted calmly. “After all, no one wants to end up in the hands of a deranged master—senior, don’t get angry. What I mean is that there’s no saying whether it will choose to help you or your enemies.” 

Having heard this, Qiu Sha actually didn’t get angry. With a wave of her sleeves, she stood and put her hands behind her back. She looked up at the sky. For a moment, the evil air about her vanished, and there was an appearance of still pools and tranquil mountains about her. At last she seemed like an ascended spirit riding the clouds. 

“Girl,” Qiu Sha said, “do you know why ascended spirit cultivators cannot emerge outside of spiritual mountains?” 

Wei Chengxiang raised her eyebrows. 

“Because it’s one of those divine laws. Never mind an ascended spirit, even a late period established foundation will be observed by your Great Wan’s Xuanyin’s Sea of Stars and Chu’s Heaven Viewing Platform. That asshole ‘fate’ pushes its lackeys to leave the mountains and take down these people. At the same time, it doesn’t rest; in the shortest time possible, it brings down all possible disasters on those ants who dare to violate divine commandments, not letting the ants pass the barrier to an ascended spirit,” Qiu Sha said coldly. “If I can’t break those bullshit ‘heavenly commandments,’ I’ll be buried in Wild Fox Country.” 

Wei Chengxiang wanted to say something, but when the words came to her lips, she sighed and swallowed them. 

“I don’t care whose side it stands on,” Qiu Sha said. “I came here to play for high stakes, so shut the fuck up. If I die, I don’t need you to follow me into the grave.”