As Stars Shift with the Merchant, Part 3

Yun Yao watched as Bi Xiao shattered inch by inch in Mu Hanyuan’s palm, reduced to ash and smoke— not even a trace of her soul remained.

Before them, the demonic flames of city incineration roared, reducing everything in Shu City to charred ruins. The city’s residents, having fled, gathered outside—some trembling, others seething with hatred—gazing upward at the lawless “demon” who had killed without restraint in full view of the world, defying the sword cultivators of Xuanhan Sect who glared at him with bone-deep loathing. Each stare seemed to slice Mu Hanyuan apart.

Yun Yao stood a zhang away, nearly suffocating, her trembling fingers grasping at the fleeting ashes.

The Power of Finality was true annihilation across the Three Realms. It meant absolute erasure, obliteration in both space and time. Those sent to oblivion by it ceased to exist, leaving no trace.

— She was one step too late.

“…Why?” Yun Yao’s voice quivered as she clenched her fists.

Mu Hanyuan’s long, snow-white hair framed his striking, almost vibrant features. Hovering in the sky, his tone was calm: “I won’t give them a sliver of a chance to escape punishment.”

“That wasn’t their chance…” Yun Yao’s eyes shook, tracing his white hair to the demonic patterns at his temples. Her words broke like tears. “It was yours.”

It was his last chance.

With Bi Xiao’s death, Fuyu Palace had no scapegoat left for the world to blame.

The “Slaughter of the Demon” had become a foregone conclusion.

The world saw Mu Hanyuan embrace his prophecy, fall to demonhood, and kill in front of all. Demonic flames raged, corpses piled for miles, his black hair turned snow, his demonic patterns blood-soaked— Every detail fulfilled Si Xuan and the Heavenly Mirror’s prophecy.

This was a death sentence.

As long as the demon seed remained, heaven’s wrath unbroken, no one in Qian Yuan could ascend. The prophecy of world-ending doom was a death knell—sects and countless cultivators, even for self-preservation, would demand his death for their eternal peace.

The more Yun Yao thought, the deeper her heart ached. She saw Mu Hanyuan standing at a cliff’s edge, an abyss behind him ready to shatter him. Just one step—she could have pulled him back. But she failed.

That frail, innocent youth in white she’d brought back from the Demon Realm…

He had fallen.

Mu Hanyuan was apprehended by Jiusi Valley and Xuanhan Sect, detained in Xuanhan Sect’s Sword Prison in the northern border of 仙域.

The Sword Prison, built to hold Demon Realm cultivators attempting to cross the border, sat in the Shanxi Range, the highest terrain in 仙域, backed by the “Qian Yuan Heavenly Chasm.” Frigid year-round, snow shrouded the sun, encasing the peak and prison in ice, devoid of life. Thus, it was called 仙域’s “Land Abandoned by Heaven.”

All major sects of 仙域 were now gathered in Xuanhan Sect.

Their purpose: to discuss Fuyu Palace’s attack on Qianmen, their “Slaughter of the Demon,” and their total annihilation in 仙域’s northwest.

“…Mu Hanyuan harbors the demon seed—his fall to demonhood is fact and fate! Fuyu Palace was right at Tianshan—they attacked to eradicate this world-dooming demon! It was for the greater good! Yet their entire sect was slaughtered by him!” In the discussion hall, a sect leader from a minor eastern sect, once loyal to Fuyu Palace, raged against Mu Hanyuan’s crimes.

“Nonsense!” a Qianmen disciple shouted back. “Fuyu Palace harbored evil intent—they meant to wipe out Qianmen that day!”

“I don’t buy it,” another voice countered. “Everyone knows 仙域’s top cultivator is Qianmen’s Grandmaster Yun Yao. Even if she wasn’t there, what gave Fuyu Palace the audacity to act so boldly? What backing did they have to escape her wrath?”

“They…”

The Qianmen disciple, unaware of the Finality Golden Lotus, flushed red, speechless.

Seeing this, bolder voices chimed in: “If Fuyu Palace was the villain, why did Mu Hanyuan leave no survivors? Smells like silencing witnesses…”

At that, even Ding Xiao slammed the table: “What coward hides and slanders?!”

The speaker shrank back into the crowd.

The dissent grew louder, murmurs rising.

“Qianmen dominates now, aiming to replace Fuyu Palace.” “Exactly—a sect with three Tribulation Crossers, so mighty… If this continues, who’d dare oppose them? Will 仙域 become their echo chamber?” “They won’t even admit it?” “If the prophecy comes true, Qian Yuan’s destruction isn’t far!” “But Mu Hanyuan killed Fuyu Palace’s leader for invading. Condemning him for murder seems…” “Are you blind to how the people judge him?” “Right—仙域 knows a world-dooming demon rose from a great sect, causing chaos and panic!” “Mu Hanyuan’s slaughter painted miles red, his flames nearly burned Shu City’s people alive! Even now, Shu City demands his execution!” “Such a demon—how can we trust he won’t kill us innocently if displeased?” “…”

Amid the rising clamor, Qianmen’s seats flushed red and pale.

After the Slaughter of the Demon, Sect Leader Chen Qingmu fell gravely ill, and Grandmaster Yun Yao had secluded herself for days. Qianmen was leaderless. Even for this 仙域 meeting, Elder Tang Yin, the least injured, represented Chen Qingmu.

Seeing the hall’s tide turn, like 仙域’s recent storms, Ding Xiao panicked like an ant on a hot pan. She leaned to Tang Yin, whispering, “Elder Tang, say something—or get Grandmaster to appear!”

Tang Yin sighed, “It’s not that I won’t. Three days ago, Grandmaster ordered no disturbances, not even questions, or it’s defying her will and expulsion from Qianmen.”

“…!” Ding Xiao paled.

A junior disciple behind her asked nervously, “Could Grandmaster think Hanyuan Zun, fallen to demonhood, is beyond saving and left him to their judgment?”

“Nonsense!” Ding Xiao roared. “What kind of person do you take her for?”

Tang Yin pulled back Ding Xiao, ready to draw her sword. “Enough—don’t cause trouble. Before I came, the Sect Leader instructed me.”

Ding Xiao asked, “What did he say?”

“He said 仙域’s eyes are on Qianmen—don’t give them leverage. Didn’t you hear? Fuyu Palace’s fall has lesser sects dreaming of co-ruling 仙域. Qianmen, with three Tribulation Crossers, is a target, especially with a ‘demon seed’ everyone wants dead.”

Ding Xiao’s face darkened. “Are we really to do nothing?”

“Not nothing—we can’t,” Tang Yin said via divine sense. “Three days ago, Grandmaster left me one phrase.”

“What?”

“‘Words are like the sea—they drown lives, breach dams, trample justice,’” Tang Yin gazed at the raucous hall, sighing, “‘…and overturn the world.’”

Qianmen’s seats fell silent.

In the hall, outrage boiled— “Such a demon, flipping clouds and rain—if we don’t end him soon, will we all follow Fuyu Palace’s fate?!”

“…”

Ding Xiao couldn’t bear it, rising in fury. As she drew breath to retort, a weary divine sense transmission reached her— “Save your strength.”

“!” Ding Xiao choked, joy and shock mixing. “Grandmaster?!”

“Tonight, end of Xu hour, meet me outside Sword Prison. Tell no one.”

“Yes, Grandmaster!”

That night, end of Xu hour. Outside Xuanhan Sect’s Sword Prison.

Snow blanketed the mountains, clouds hid the moon.

Ding Xiao, in black and masked, appeared mysteriously before Yun Yao. “Grandmaster, I’m here!”

Yun Yao barely recognized her. “…What’s with the disguise?”

“To avoid being spotted!” Ding Xiao rubbed her hands. “Where do we break in?”

“…Break in?”

“Yeah!” Ding Xiao’s masked smile froze. “Isn’t that why you called me?”

Yun Yao: “…” She sighed. “If I were breaking in, why bring just you?”

Ding Xiao blinked, her expression shifting to shock, mouth opening— Slap. Yun Yao muffled her cry. “Use transmission.”

Ding Xiao’s voice exploded in Yun Yao’s sea of consciousness: “Grandmaster! If we don’t break in, it’s over! Those cowards plan to publicly try Hanyuan Zun tomorrow! Shu City’s still surrounded by fools demanding the Immortal Alliance execute the demon for peace!”

Her voice numbed Yun Yao’s mind. Waiting for a pause, Yun Yao sighed, “Breaking in is easy—one sword could split it. Then what?”

“Then take Hanyuan Zun back to Qianmen and hide him!”

“Do you think the world’s fools wouldn’t know who broke him out?” Yun Yao said helplessly. “When sects and mortals storm Qianmen’s gates, demanding the demon, what then?”

“I’d—”

“You might stand firm, but Qianmen’s other disciples? Firm at one question, but a thousand days of it—can every disciple endure?”

“I…”

Ding Xiao wanted to say yes but faltered.

No need for thousands. 仙域’s anti-demon fervor had shaken Qianmen disciples who’d witnessed that day’s bloodshed. Few could remain steadfast under such pressure.

Despair crept in, but Ding Xiao clung to hope. “Your three-day seclusion—did you find a way to clear Hanyuan Zun’s name?”

Yun Yao’s eyes flickered, her voice calm. “From the moment he fell to demonhood and killed Fuyu Palace’s last member before the world, his fate was sealed—irreversible.”

Ding Xiao’s voice cracked. “No way at all?”

“None.”

“Then why call me to Sword Prison?” Ding Xiao asked, resentful.

“To be my shield. I need to see Mu Hanyuan, but not as myself.”

“Why?”

“…Because I’m Qianmen’s Grandmaster.” Yun Yao’s glance was cold, chilling. “I can’t be tied to the world’s condemned demon.”

“—”

Ding Xiao froze, then followed, disbelieving.

For Yun Yao, posing as a Qianmen disciple visiting her admired senior wasn’t hard. With Ding Xiao, known for her recent debates, vouching for her, the prison guards let her pass easily.

After all, if Qianmen wanted to break in, no one could stop them. Some might even hope they’d try.

Ding Xiao stayed outside. Yun Yao followed a guard into the icy Sword Prison atop the snow peak. The moonless night deepened the chill. She trailed the guard, passing barred cells holding demon cultivators, their air thick with blood and frost, making her frown.

She couldn’t—wouldn’t—imagine Mu Hanyuan in such a filthy, dark place.

Clank, clank. The guard stopped at a cell, tapping the bars with a staff, unlocking the array. “Mu Hanyuan, your junior sister’s here.”

“…”

The voice echoed in the night.

The gate opened, the array resealed. The guard addressed Yun Yao: “Half an hour. Say what you need quickly.” He glanced into the dark with pity. “Tomorrow’s the public trial at the Absolute Peak. This is likely your last meeting.”

“…”

The guard left.

As his footsteps faded, the silent prison stirred. Nearby cells cast malicious gazes, their voices rising. @Infinite Good Reads, Only at Jinjiang Literature City “No wonder he’s the famed Hanyuan Zun—even fallen and locked with us, he gets a junior sister’s visit!” “Pfft, bad move. He’s a demon now—the wants him dead.” “Public trial tomorrow? Ha, I’ve been here years and never heard such a fuss.” “Impressive, impressive…”

Yun Yao ignored them, casting a soundproof light shield and approaching the cell window.

By faint moonlight through the clouds, she saw him. Mu Hanyuan was bound by countless seals, a spirit-locking nail piercing his left wrist, pinning him to a corner.

Seeing the blood on his wrist, Yun Yao’s eyes darkened. “Xuanhan Sect dares use private torture—they court death—” @Infinite Good Reads, Only at Jinjiang Literature City

“I asked for it,” Mu Hanyuan said, turning his head. His snow-white hair swept over his demon-patterned black robe, his bloodless face pale as jade.

Yun Yao gritted her teeth. “Why?”

“…”

Mu Hanyuan was silent. @Infinite Good Reads, Only at Jinjiang Literature City His soul was damaged, his focus strained. If that Mu Hanyuan returned, he couldn’t counter it. Only by locking his meridians’ self-healing with the nail, bleeding heavily, could he keep his body on the edge of survival. Only then could his soul ensure no reckless moves in his sea of consciousness.

But how could he say that?

Tell Yun Yao the Finality Fire Seed—or his evil ghost aspect—was nothing, that he was the true world-dooming calamity?

She’d regret bringing this scourge back from the Demon Realm.

“Think of it, Master,” he said via transmission, voice hoarse, “as my atonement.”

“For what?”

Mu Hanyuan lowered his eyes, clenching his fists. “You’ve already guessed.”

“…”

Yun Yao’s eyes trembled. Instinctively, she looked at his snow-like hair. The golden lotus jade hairpin was gone. And the Finality Fire Seed… was within him.

Three days ago, above Shu City, she’d suspected. She just couldn’t admit it.

“…I won’t ask why,” Yun Yao closed her eyes, reopening them with calm clarity. “What’s done is done, what’s wrong is wrong. Reasons don’t matter—you should face punishment.”

“…”

For the first time, Mu Hanyuan raised his neck, meeting her gaze with a faint smile. “I know.” “I promised I’d never touch those bloody threads again. Though not my will, I broke it once. Tomorrow, even in death, there won’t be a second time.”

Yun Yao’s pupils shrank. “In Tribulation Realm, you can fully control it?”

“…Yes.” Mu Hanyuan’s smile was light.

—If Finality ends, the world-burning fire won’t exist.

That smile, that “death,” that look. Yun Yao felt a chill after a moment’s daze—he truly meant to die for his sins.

If not in Sword Prison, if not for tomorrow’s trial, if not for needing utmost caution— Yun Yao, grinding her teeth, fists clenched, barely restrained from thrashing this defiant disciple.

After three deep breaths, she calmed. “I didn’t visit you for three days. Did you resent me?”

She expected “no,” but—

“A little,” Mu Hanyuan said softly.

Yun Yao: “?” She met his gaze, falling into the churning sea of his emotions.

He watched her silently, then smiled. “But seeing you tonight, Master, it’s gone.”

That gaze, so deep with emotion, made Yun Yao look away. Her sleeve hid her tightened grip. “I won’t save you tomorrow.”

“…I know. You carry Qianmen’s weight—how could you tarnish its thousand-year honor for me?” Mu Hanyuan lowered his eyes. “Will you attend the trial?”

“Why ask?”

“If possible, don’t go,” he said gently, as if speaking of another’s death. “I don’t want you upset.”

“—”

Upset? He was upsetting her now!

Yun Yao’s fingers in her sleeve clenched and released, unable to hold back. The woman in Qianmen disciple robes flashed to his side, grabbing his collar, pinning him against the jagged cell wall. “Your life’s at stake, and you tell me not to be upset?”

Mu Hanyuan hadn’t expected such fury. Stunned, he leaned against the cold wall, gazing at her before smiling.

Yun Yao’s grip loosened. “…What’s so funny?”

“Master, I’m the demon, the evil, the rebel—why do you feel guilt for me?”

“…” Yun Yao gritted her teeth. “Maybe I owed you in a past life.”

“Is that so?” His eyes shifted. “Then repay me in this life, Master.”

“…What?” Her heart skipped, fearing he’d seen her immortal mark.

Instinctively pulling back, her wrist was caught by his single hand. “The Red Dust Buddha can see past and future lives,” Mu Hanyuan gripped her wrist with near-obsession, struggling to pull her closer but restraining himself. “…Master, if I have a next life, would you take me as your disciple again?”

“—”

Yun Yao froze. Never had she faced such raw emotion in his eyes—tomorrow was his end, and all suppressed desires poured out, unreserved. They surged, fierce and unmasked, drowning her like the sea, her heartbeat pounding in the suffocating clarity.

Time blurred.

As their souls’ entwined energies settled, her face flushed. Gritting her teeth, she snapped, “Next life? That’s all you aspire to?”

Mu Hanyuan paused, then smiled faintly. “Mas—”

The “ter” never came.

Yun Yao yanked his collar, pulling him close. One knee on the stone bench’s edge, she leaned in and kissed him. Mu Hanyuan froze.

A cool sensation slid from her tongue to his throat.

Simultaneously, a low hum of spiritual magic buzzed in her ears.

“…” Finally. Yun Yao exhaled, moving to pull back.

A crack rang out. Her peripheral vision caught the spirit-locking nail’s chain shattering, dissolving into smoke. —Finality’s power.

Her eyes twitched, sensing trouble.

Too late. As she parted from his lips, his bloodied hand pressed her neck, pulling her back. It was a kiss gentle on the surface but fiercely unhinged beneath, his fingers tracing her neck with relentless tenderness, lips grinding as if to steal her breath.

“Yun Yao…”

His trembling call in that kiss shook her to her core.

Until he pinned her to the stone bench, his fingers tugging her waistband, about to tear it— He stopped.

His snow-like hair draped over her shoulders. Mu Hanyuan bent, burying his face in her neck, half-sobbing, half-sighing: “…Master.”