Back to Twelve

From the vantage point of Cuiyun Peak, the wind swept across tens of thousands of hectares of forest.

Cuiyun Peak had earned its name from the dense, cloud-like verdure of its trees. Yet, Shangguan Xue perceived the forest as an ocean—a vast, emerald sea where countless treetops swayed with the breeze, conjuring undulating waves.

She sat alone atop the mountain, her legs dangling precariously from the cliff edge, appearing as though a single gust of wind might send her plummeting into the valley below.

However, even disregarding her ability to traverse the air, those in the Creation Realm were virtually indestructible, their lives only extinguishable by others of their exact cultivation level.

Suddenly, four distinct sets of footsteps echoed from behind the contemplative Shangguan Xue.

A smile graced her lips as she sprang to her feet, turning to face her four former lovers.

They were clad in the same attire as the previous day.

Shi Ledong remained as aloof as ever, Beigong Qingmei wore her enigmatic smile, Ziyan’s eyes were still heavy with sleep, and Jia Nan’s expression held a hint of amusement, yet not quite a full smile.

Standing beside a pit they had evidently dug beforehand, Shangguan Xue cleared her throat, deciding to indulge in a moment of playful eccentricity:

“Because it has pleased Almighty God of His great mercy to take unto Himself the soul of our dear sister, here departed, we therefore commit her body to the ground. Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust. In sure and certain hope…”

“Who wants to slap some sense into her and make her sober up?” Shi Ledong sighed heavily, yet a smile involuntarily bloomed on her face.

“Sister Dong, you truly look better when you smile.” Shangguan Xue chuckled, “Alright everyone, now that we’re all here, I’ll begin my explanation.”

“Wait a moment.” Beigong Qingmei raised a hand to speak, “Why did you choose Cuiyun Peak for our meeting?”

“Because this is where the five of us had our first date…”

Jia Nan snorted, “What she *means* is, aren’t you afraid that by choosing a place like this, old memories will overwhelm us, and we’ll end up beating you senseless?”

“Well, how about you beat me up right now?” Shangguan Xue raised her hands in surrender.

“Let’s stick to the main topic.” Beigong Qingmei steered the conversation back on track, “There will be plenty of other opportunities for that.”

“I’ll definitely steer clear of you in the future…” Shangguan Xue muttered casually, then shifted to serious matters. “I know you’re eager for details about the Son of Fortune, but some heavenly secrets cannot be divulged.”

“All I can reveal is that he’s a hybrid of human and merman, he’s fallen in love with a Nightmare, and… he’s about to enroll in the Grand Spirit Academy.”

Upon hearing this, Shi Ledong, Ziyan, and Jia Nan all cast glances at Beigong Qingmei, their eyes conveying, ‘The Grand Spirit Academy belongs to your family.’

“What?!” Qingmei nearly stomped Cuiyun Peak into rubble. “This… this person was trained by the Ink Pavilion?”

“Of course not, he has another identity.” Shangguan Xue waved a dismissive hand. “It’s just that his constitution is unique, and only the Ink Pavilion’s academies are capable of teaching him, which is why he infiltrated them.”

“Even so, it reflects poorly on the Ink Pavilion’s instruction.” Beigong Qingmei looked utterly drained, as if both body and spirit were weary.

Shangguan Xue quickly redirected the conversation:

“The main reason I’ve gathered everyone here is to help control my power during my re-cultivation.”

“Alright…” Ziyan’s voice was languid even as she spoke.

“Then I shall begin.” Shangguan Xue nodded to the four, then circulated her spiritual energy to self-destruct.

****

Immediately, transparent spiritual energy, dense as liquid, surged forth from her body, rushing towards the heavens and earth.

Had it been allowed to run rampant, Cuiyun Peak and the surrounding thousand-li radius would have ceased to exist.

However, the four women acted in unison.

Spiritual energy—golden-red, cinnabar green, deep violet, and azure blue—surrounded the transparent energy, coalescing it into a dense sphere and lifting it into the air.

‘No wonder she sought out all four of us… To completely suppress runaway spiritual energy, at least two individuals of the same cultivation level are required.’

‘For precise control, ensuring none of her belongings are damaged, three people are necessary.’

‘But if she only brought three, the remaining one would surely dispatch her, which left her no choice but to summon all four of us.’

These identical thoughts surfaced in the minds of all four women.

They exchanged glances, each understanding that the others had reached the same conclusion.

By now, Shangguan Xue’s form had grown translucent and was gradually shrinking.

Her aura had weakened to the lowest cultivation realm, the Body Tempering Stage, and continued to recede.

Just then, she abruptly drew her Hegemon blade:

“Inject the spiritual energy… into my blade!”

“What?”

Shi Ledong’s eyes widened in disbelief, Beigong Qingmei’s face registered confusion, Ziyan’s expression instantly froze, and Jia Nan nearly choked on her own saliva.

“Hurry!” Shangguan Xue urged.

The four women sighed in unison, then pulled their hands downwards.

The trapped transparent spiritual energy, having found an outlet, surged forth with all its might.

Before long, a funnel-shaped vortex of spiritual energy formed at the cliff edge, its lower end precisely aimed at the Hegemon blade.

The spiritual energy, descending from the heavens like a diving dragon, carried an unparalleled might, so much so that even space itself began to fracture under the impact.

‘Not only her own spiritual energy was being siphoned, but also the ambient spiritual energy of heaven and earth; the Hegemon blade might not be able to contain it all…’

The four perfected Creation Realm cultivators silently exchanged thoughts, yet ultimately chose to trust Shangguan Xue.

As more and more spiritual energy was channeled into it, the Hegemon blade began to emit a pale golden glow, accompanied by a strained creaking.

“That doesn’t sound very promising…” Beigong Qingmei commented, her brow furrowed in a tight knot.

Shi Ledong nodded, Ziyan, uncharacteristically, widened her eyes, and one of Jia Nan’s hands had already transformed into a fox claw.

Suddenly, with a thunderous roar, the entirety of Cuiyun Peak shuddered violently, the sky darkened, and the Hegemon blade… exploded!

“Xue!” “Sister Xue!” “Sister Shangguan!” “Xue’er!”

Four distinct terms of address, yet all conveyed the same anxious cries.

Each of the four women deployed their unique methods, striving to rescue her.

“I’m fine!”

Suddenly, Shangguan Xue responded loudly, though her voice sounded subtly different from usual.

Then, her aura finally having plummeted to that of an ordinary mortal, she reappeared.

Shangguan Xue had become petite, her wheat-colored skin now a delicate snowy white, and her eyes, which once seemed to conceal blades and swords, had softened considerably.

Incredibly, she had transformed into a twelve-year-old girl.