The life of a young maiden is ever-changing.
She was once a princess of the Great Qian, enjoying all the riches and luxuries the world had to offer.
Yet, at the age of sixteen, she suddenly became a hunted fugitive, losing both her parents in the process.
The root of it all.
The beginning and the end.
It was all connected to the Emperor of Great Qian.
A monster in human skin, indifferently watching as the commonfolk suffered and died, orchestrating all the tragedies from behind the scenes.
Wu Yingxue gritted her teeth, glaring fiercely at the demon in imperial robes.
"You despicable emperor!"
In this dark night, the Ten Thousand Great Mountains seemed like a monstrous mouth with exposed fangs, swallowing all sound and color. Yet, the young maiden's hoarse, rage-filled scream broke through the silence.
The demon showed no reaction.
Still maintaining that imperious, lofty demeanor.
With every movement, a dangerous aura emanated, causing Wu Yingxue's body to tremble and warn her of the peril.
"Interesting..."
"So, you're one of the strays from the border region."
After a moment, the demon clapped his hands in delight, a joy born from seeing a change in the game.
"The last one who stood before me did so because of a meal. And you? What reason do you have?"
The demon casually clenched his hand, and in that nonchalant motion, a terrifying aura sealed the heavens and locked the earth, cutting off all possible escape routes.
But the girl had no intention of running away.
She held a long spear, its tip sharp and glistening, and answered, "A dream."
"A dream?"
"He showed me a dream where everyone could have enough to eat, where everyone could live."
Wu Yingxue's response was so peculiar and unexpected.
The demon was stunned.
Gradually, a mocking smile spread across his face.
"I thought it would be something profound, but instead, it's something so unrealistic. Do you know how endless the demonic forces are in this world?"
"Once upon a time, I too thought of resistance."
"But human strength is frail, and the demons are limitless. Above them, there are even greater beings like the Demon Gods and Demon Saints."
"Thus, I came to understand one thing: human strength has its limits. Instead of hoping to overcome the heavens with human will, it's better to become one of the demons."
It seemed he hadn't spoken to anyone in a long time.
The Emperor of Great Qian didn't rush to attack, instead sharing some tales from the past.
Those were stories from a thousand years ago.
Led by the Azure Dragon, the demons had captured a large number of humans, including the Emperor of Great Qian, and imprisoned them deep within the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, treating them like livestock.
During that time, some resisted, some struggled.
But all met with failure.
Eventually, the then-Emperor of Great Qian collapsed, believing that the Qi Blood Martial Path was useless. He willingly surrendered to the Azure Dragon, drinking its blood and transforming into a half-dragon being.
Establishing the Great Qian, he became a tool for the demons, breeding even more succulent "food" for them.
That "food" was the human martial practitioners.
"What do you say? Would you like to submit to me? I can guarantee your survival."
"Get lost, you vile wretch!"
Wu Yingxue's face twisted in disgust. Without hesitation, she swung her spear with abandon, like a tempest whirling, a torrential rain of points, forming an impenetrable wall of flaming spear strikes.
Crack! Crack!
Crack! Crack!
The spear lashed out at the demon's body again and again.
But no wounds were inflicted.
Instead, the sheer force shook Wu Yingxue's hands, threatening to dislodge her weapon.
"Is that so..."
"How foolish, just the same as your father. Both of you are so unbearably stupid."
The demon sneered.
His human hand transformed into a dragon's claw.
Scales of azure covered him as he casually swept his arm, the overwhelming force sending the girl flying.
That was the power of the Demon King Realm, comparable to the Martial Dao Human Immortal.
A terrifying physical body, pure strength, capable of crushing everything with ease.
An Innate Realm martial practitioner had no chance of winning.
Not even an outsider genius could hope to survive this nightmare battle.
With one strike, Wu Yingxue was sent flying far away, rolling on the ground and toppling numerous trees.
When she finally managed to stand up, she was already covered in blood, her forehead pouring crimson tears that blurred her vision and dripped onto the ground.
"I can't fall, not yet."
"I must win, I must win, I have to win..."
Wu Yingxue propped herself up with her spear, gritting her teeth as she struggled to stand.
Despite her unsteady stance.
Despite her tattered clothes.
She remained standing.
Time hadn't passed for long. The Survivors' Army (Qiúshēng Jūn) and Xu Xi, even if they had left, wouldn't have gone far.
Wu Yingxue wanted to hold on, to buy everyone more time.
At the same time, within the girl's heart, there was an extremely bold, almost ridiculous thought.
She wanted to defeat the Emperor of Great Qian, to slay a Demon King with her Innate Realm strength, and to live, to leave and meet Xu Xi again.
She very much wanted, wanted to see Xu Xi's face once more.
To tell him in person: "Teacher, I'm back."
However, that dream seemed too distant, so far that it felt impossible to reach.
"Teacher..."
"I, I..."
"I might never see you again..."
The girl's voice was broken, her throat choked with blood, interfering with her movements and thoughts.
Each step forward, each attack.
Meant she drew closer to death.
But every time she approached her limits, that intense fighting spirit would transform into strength, nourishing Wu Yingxue's body and providing a bit of healing.
Like an unextinguishable flame.
"Annoying," the demon frowned.
He extended just one finger and lightly drew a stroke. The rupturing airwaves and converging world-crushing power launched an annihilating slash toward Wu Yingxue.
The atmosphere was terrifying.
The night sky shattered.
That attack, filled with draconic might, seemed intent on erasing both heaven and earth from existence.
There was no way to dodge, the girl couldn't dodge.
She hadn't even thought of fleeing.
"I must, I must hold on, so Teacher can escape..."
Blood dripped from the corner of her mouth.
Wounds covered her body.
A smile that looked uglier than crying.
Wu Yingxue held her spear with both hands, pouring all her Qi Blood into a sweeping motion under the dark night sky, creating a blaze of dazzling fire.
That fire wasn't as dazzling as the sun, nor as miraculous as those in legendary tales.
It was like a moth to the flame.
A fragile light that knew its fate but still leaped into the inferno.
"Riiiiiiip——"
Like a breathtakingly dramatic torn painting.
That singular crimson slash in the night danced, resembling a silent beam of sunlight tearing through the darkness of the night. Her resolve, her love, poured into that spear strike to the fullest.
...
"Yingxue, is this all you're bringing?"
"Yes, Teacher. We're going into the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, so I can't carry too much stuff."
"True, with your nature, you wouldn't stand for anything too cumbersome."
...
The day before the official breakout into the Ten Thousand Great Mountains.
Xu Xi and Wu Yingxue had a brief conversation.
Xu Xi marveled at the girl's scant luggage, joking that it was nearly as if she wasn't bringing anything at all.
"Teacher..."
"He... never noticed..."
Her arm dropped weakly.
The moth to the flame had burned all it could.
Wu Yingxue lost all her strength, collapsing heavily to the ground. A meticulously hidden paper flower fell from her side satchel, soaked in blood to become an eerie crimson. The girl wanted to reach out and grab it, but no matter how she tried, she couldn't.
A new hand appeared.
Reaching out to pick it up for her.