As Yun Ruoyan carried Li Yan with one hand, she threw a smoldering fireball at Rong Yueshan with the other. Her fireballs had grown far smaller in size than before she had become a sword saint, but their speed and power were both incomparable to before.

Rong Yueshan had barely blinked when the fireball hit her and lit her body on fire. The pain caused her to screech. As she blazed, she spat at Yun Ruoyan. “Yun Ruoyan, even if I die, I’ll bring you and your son down with me!”

With all her spiritual energy, she transformed into a beam of light that shot toward Yun Ruoyan.

“Not good—she’s going to self-destruct!” the demonic dragon forefather called out. With her entire life as collateral, she would be able to do massive damage with this one attack. It likely wouldn’t be enough to kill Yun Ruoyan, now a second-rank sword saint, but as for Li Yan…

Li Mo, Yun Moxiao, and the demonic dragon forefather all stepped forward, but before they could reach Rong Yueshan, a great explosion occurred. When the light and heat died down, the first thing they saw was Qiuqiu’s enormous form.

“To think you’d try to kill my mistress with such pitiful cultivation!” Qiuqiu snorted, then shook its flaming-red fur. Yun Ruoyan and Li Yan strode out from behind Qiuqiu. Having been awakened by the explosion, Li Yan was happily chewing on Yun Ruoyan’s fingers.

Li Mo relaxed as soon as he found his wife and son safe and sound.

“Now that Rong Yueshan has been destroyed, you can finally head to the Jiyuan continent, huhut!” The demonic dragon forefather let out a deep breath, then began to laugh.

Everyone’s attention had been focused on Yun Ruoyan and Li Yan, but when the demonic dragon forefather began to laugh, everyone turned to him. They were all stupefied when they saw his body, now so translucent he was almost transparent, as though he would dissipate at any moment.

“Elder, are you alright?” Yun Moxiao asked.

“I’m fine. It’s just that my time’s almost up,” the demonic dragon forefather replied calmly.

Yun Ruoyan immediately handed Li Yan to Li Mo, then walked over to the demonic dragon forefather and tried to infuse spiritual energy into his body, but the demonic dragon forefather stopped him.

“It’s useless,” he said. “My death is nigh, so don’t waste your energy on me.”

“Didn’t you say that you had about a year left?” Yun Ruoyan asked. She had initially somewhat disliked the demonic dragon forefather because of his continuous threats, but that didn’t mean that she wanted him to die. Furthermore, considering how much he had helped both her and Li Yan, Yun Ruoyan was very grateful to him.

She had anticipated that she would be able to bring holy water back from the Jiyuan continent to help prolong the demonic dragon forefather’s life, but she didn’t think that he would be passing so soon.

“If I hadn’t exerted myself, I could have lasted another year, certainly,” the demonic dragon forefather replied.

“In that case, to cast this spirit divination technique, you…”

“No, no,” the demonic dragon forefather quickly replied. “All I did was for myself, for the prosperity of the demonic dragon clan. Don’t worry about me, lass. I’ve done everything I can, and now I’m at ease. I entrust my will to you.” As he spoke, his spirit gradually grew fainter and fainter, but a radiant smile hung on his face.

“But how will we get to the Jiyuan continent without you?”

“Don’t worry. You can use the all-seeing mirror to return to the Mingyuan continent first, and then Qiuqiu will be able to help you break through the barrier separating it from the Jiyuan continent,” the demonic dragon forefather replied. “This procedure will be somewhat troublesome, but it’s the safest approach. That silver dragon knows that you’re going to head to the Jiyuan continent, so he surely has patrols by the usual entrances. However, if Qiuqiu were to break apart the barrier separating the continents, he won’t be able to catch you.”

Yun Ruoyan turned to Qiuqiu, her eyes questioning.

“Don’t worry, Mistress. I’m highly adept at breaking barriers,” Qiuqiu replied.

“Lass, don’t forget about what you promised me,” the demonic dragon forefather murmured, then vanished.

“Don’t worry, Elder. I’ll do my best to revive the demonic dragon clan and ensure their continued prosperity,” Yun Ruoyan pledged resolutely, glancing at where the demonic dragon forefather had vanished.

Before heading back to the Mingyuan continent, Yun Ruoyan and the others visited Empress Xue Tong again. She had once been the holy maiden of the silver dragon clan, and her information and knowledge about the Jiyuan continent and the silver dragon palace would be invaluable.

“This is a map I’ve prepared for you,” she began, even before Li Mo and Yun Ruoyan clarified their reason for the visit.

“Mother, we’re going to head off momentarily. Please take care. I promise I’ll recover your true body and return you your freedom,” Li Mo promised.

“I’ll wait for your return.” Empress Xue Tong’s voice was hopeful. After so many years, she was finally able to put her plan into action. Whether or not she would regain her body would depend on her son and daughter-in-law.

Li Mo and Yun Ruoyan both kowtowed to Empress Xue Tong, then turned to leave. Yun Moxiao waited outside the palace for the two of them. This was the first time he had ever been to the palace, and he was awestruck by the grandeur of the palace, even after it had fallen into disrepair.

From his youth, he had heard legends that there was a beastkin palace deep within the Yueli mountain range, but no one had seen it for themselves. A few expeditions had been sent to the area in search of this fabled palace, but none had borne fruit. He hadn’t expected to be able to see it for himself one day.

“Ruoyan, why did the two of you come here?” Yun Moxiao asked when he saw them walking out from an underground tunnel. Yun Ruoyan hadn’t had a chance to explain Li Mo’s true identity to him. Although Yun Moxiao had been confused as to why they were heading toward the Yueli mountain range, he didn’t voice his concerns because of the rush they were in.

Yun Ruoyan turned to Li Mo. “My brother’s my family, and he’ll be travelling with us to the Jiyuan continent. Can I reveal the truth behind your identity to him?”

Li Mo nodded.

“Brother, let’s talk as we fly. We’ll be able to reach Kongming Academy by nighttime,” Yun Ruoyan suggested. Along the way, she told him about Li Mo’s identity and about the beastkin. Yun Moxiao asked quite a number of questions, each of which Yun Ruoyan and Li Mo patiently answered. At the conclusion of the journey, he felt as though he had a renewed understanding of his sister and his brother-in-law.

Because of how long they had talked, their schedule was a little delayed. They decided to rest for the night and set off for the Mingyuan continent the next day instead. Yun Ruoyan handed the all-seeing mirror to the first elder of Kongming Academy, requesting that he open the portal to the Mingyuan continent once more. They, along with all six elders, headed to the roof of the southern tower.

“Yun Ruoyan, where’s that elder from before?” the third elder asked.

“He ascended,” Yun Ruoyan replied truthfully.

“He’s dead?!” the other elders gasped.

Yun Ruoyan didn’t respond, and the elders took her silence as tacit affirmation. Their faces instantly lit up with radiant smiles: they had been supreme existences on the Chenyuan continent until he appeared, an elder that could kill them as easily as if they were ants. The experience had left them feeling grossly uncomfortable, and they were worried that he would return and cause havoc once more. They were used to being in positions of authority, and having to bow down to someone else wasn’t something they could accept.

Ever since the demonic dragon forefather’s first appearance, the various elders had been agitated. Now, however, Yun Ruoyan had brought them excellent news: they were still the reigning existences on the Chenyuan continent.

“Yun Ruoyan.” The second elder cleared his throat and stood straight up, again assuming an elevated appearance. “Since this all-seeing mirror originally belonged to Kongming Academy, and that elder has already passed away, shouldn’t the mirror be returned to the academy?”

The gathered elders all turned to Yun Ruoyan, waiting for her response. Yun Ruoyan had been intending on bringing the all-seeing mirror with her to the Jiyuan continent, but it was only later that she found out from the demonic dragon forefather that the all-seeing mirror, unlike the heaven-transcending mirror, wasn’t an artifact of war. Instead, it was able to strengthen arrays and formations.

However, Yun Ruoyan wasn’t familiar with arrays or formations, so the all-seeing mirror would be of limited use to her. If she carried it with her, it might even be stolen from her grasp. Furthermore, since they would have to use the all-seeing mirror to get to the Mingyuan continent, it didn’t seem feasible to bring the mirror along with them. In that case, it made sense to leave it at Kongming Academy, where she could easily retrieve it given her cultivation.

“Certainly,” Yun Ruoyan replied, then handed the mirror to the second elder. However, not only did the second elder not dare to touch it, he even took a step back.

The elders had all seen the might and wrath of the all-seeing mirror for themselves while they were just students, so they didn’t dare to touch it at all.

Yun Ruoyan smiled, replacing the all-seeing mirror where it once stood herself. The moment it returned to its original position, the roar of thunder could be heard from the skies.

“Ah, the ruined formation’s functioning again! Wonderful!” the elders all exclaimed. Amidst their cheers, Yun Ruoyan urged the first elder to open the portal leading them to the Mingyuan continent.