Ex-girlfriend (Part 4)

“Are you all intent on getting under my skin today?” Shangguan Xue grumbled, having departed the Ziyan Tower. “Thankfully, Jia Nan probably isn’t.”

Shangguan Xue had no intention of seeking out her final ex-girlfriend.

This was because Jia Nan resided far away in the Eastern Continent, a land teeming with demonic beasts, and possessed no fixed abode, unlike the other three who were bound to their respective headquarters and rarely ventured outside.

Consequently, Shangguan Xue planned to summon Jia Nan, who could potentially manifest anywhere.

Locating a mountain range far removed from the three major powers of the Central Continent, Shangguan Xue retrieved a lantern from her storage pouch and ignited it with a snap of her fingers.

The flame, surprisingly, glowed a vibrant blue-green.

The very next moment, an unusual gale erupted, tearing apart the vast expanse of clouds into fragments.

From the void, a Nine-Tailed Fox emerged, its body pristine white save for a single fiery red mark on its forehead.

“Uh…” Shangguan Xue recognized it as Jia Nan’s demonic beast form, yet her concern lay elsewhere. “Why reveal your true form?”

Demonic beasts capable of transformation typically only did so during combat.

“Shangguan Xue!”

A furious roar erupted from the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox, causing the mountains and forests to tremble and birds to scatter in fright.

Alongside the roar, a torrent of blue-green flames surged towards the Martial Saint.

“Shit!” Shangguan Xue couldn’t help but curse aloud.

This fire was the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox’s Foxfire, also known as the Fire of Extreme Yin; once it latched on, it clung like a festering gangrene, capable of incinerating even spiritual energy.

When wielded by Jia Nan, who possessed the perfected power of the Creation Realm, it could incinerate space itself.

Confronted by her strike, Shangguan Xue gripped her saber hilt with both hands, channeling power from her waist to unleash a devastating slash.

The Overlord Saber, akin to a bolt of lightning, shattered the flames into countless fragments.

Shangguan Xue’s slash had not utilized any spiritual energy, thus she harbored no fear of the Foxfire’s incineration.

All her spiritual energy remained stored within her body, enhancing her close-combat capabilities.

Yet, Jia Nan showed no inclination to relent.

Her nine tails unfurled like expansive wings, instantly unleashing myriad slender threads of fire that blanketed the sky, resembling a sky-devouring flood dragon.

Had a practitioner of the Minor Completion stage of the Creation Realm been present, without any special abilities transcending their cultivation, they would have inevitably met a gruesome end, leaving not even a complete corpse.

‘Seriously, Sis, there’s no need to be so ruthless with me…’ Shangguan Xue stared, utterly dumbfounded, able only to sigh, ‘I brought this upon myself.’

Back then, Shangguan Xue had broken up with the other three due to their impending succession as leaders of their respective organizations, while she, cherishing her freedom, was unwilling to remain confined to one place.

However, Jia Nan held no such official position and had proposed that they journey the world together.

Nevertheless, Shangguan Xue had declared, “I cannot show favoritism; if I’m breaking up with some, I’ll break up with all.”

Consequently, compared to the three who had been broken up with for valid reasons, Jia Nan, who had been discarded without cause, harbored a far greater resentment.

Moreover, she had been the very first to know Shangguan Xue.

Yet, precisely because they had been first loves, Jia Nan found herself unable to truly strike.

The threads of fire dissipated the instant they neared Shangguan Xue.

“I knew it,” Shangguan Xue chuckled, stealthily dispelling the defensive divine ability she had been preparing.

In mid-air, Jia Nan retracted her demonic beast true form, transforming into her human guise.

She possessed fiery red hair and crimson eyes, her countenance exquisitely beautiful, though her brows were etched with a pervasive melancholy, and the fiery red mark on her forehead resembled a blossoming flower.

Jia Nan then landed before Shangguan Xue and delivered a resounding slap.

“You actually dared to seek me out?”

“I’m sorry, I was wrong,” Shangguan Xue apologized swiftly. “But, Jia Nan, I genuinely need your help with something.”

“What sort of trouble is so immense that even you need assistance?” Jia Nan paused, momentarily taken aback, before stating, “Tell me, and I’ll do my best to help you.”

‘I knew it; with Jia Nan, there’s no need for elaborate explanations of the backstory; she’ll definitely help me…’ Shangguan Xue had to admit, Jia Nan was the easiest to persuade.

“Twenty years from now, a Child of Destiny will invade the Central Continent and kill me. I have a way to resolve this: by cultivating anew.”

The invasion of the Central Continent by a Child of Destiny had no bearing on Jia Nan, a demonic beast from the Eastern Continent.

However, the prospect of Shangguan Xue being killed certainly displeased her.

“Cultivating anew, huh…” Jia Nan pursed her lips. “Are you planning to seize his destiny?”

“Indeed,” Shangguan Xue replied, her eyes wide with curiosity upon hearing Jia Nan’s accurate guess. “How did you know?”

“It’s not as if there haven’t been Children of Destiny among demonic beasts,” Jia Nan scoffed. “Now, tell me, how can I help you?”

“Well… could we perhaps discuss this tomorrow on Cuiyun Peak?” Shangguan Xue chuckled awkwardly. “Because there are still… them.”

Upon hearing this, Jia Nan’s face puffed up with indignation, as though she had transformed from a fox into a hamster.

“You!”

“Because I truly need all of you to help me together!” Shangguan Xue hastily explained, flustered.

Jia Nan shot her a glare, then reached out and patted her head.

“It’s easy enough to talk to Yanzi, but Qingmei and Sister Dong aren’t as soft-hearted as I am. How will you convince them?”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Shangguan Xue declared:

“The Child of Destiny will lead the Nightmare Clan and the Merfolk to invade the Central Continent, and they will also kill Beigong Senior.”

“Understood.”

Jia Nan, being quite familiar with those two, naturally understood the profound enmity involved.

She then inquired:

“So, you’ve already approached them?”

“Mhm,” Shangguan Xue nodded.

Hearing this, Jia Nan suddenly rose onto her tiptoes, bringing her face close to Shangguan Xue’s, her fingertip gently prodding her chin.

“So, I was the last one you sought out?”

With them standing so intimately close, if a fight were to erupt, the Martial Saint, peerless in close combat, would undoubtedly emerge victorious.

Yet, Shangguan Xue merely offered a placating smile.

“My thought process was from most difficult to easiest…”

“Have I spoiled you too much?” Jia Nan huffed, stomping her foot.

“Absolutely! Jia Nan spoils me the most,” Shangguan Xue declared, her words truly heartfelt.

“At least you have some conscience with that remark,” Jia Nan said, patting her head once more. “Come on, I’m hungry.”

“Then… should I catch you a field mouse? Foxes eat field mice, don’t they?”

“Xiaoxue, are you tired of living?” Jia Nan gazed at her with a smile that held no warmth, only icy killing intent.

“Alright, alright, I’ll take you to a restaurant for a meal,” Shangguan Xue conceded, raising her hands in surrender. “Oh, by the way, I just saw two dogs by the roadside. One looked like you, and so did the other.”

‘Must you really push my buttons like this…’ Jia Nan, fuming, lifted her leg and kicked Shangguan Xue squarely on the backside.

“Now hurry up and go!”