The Sacred Leaves Family's Wishes for Peace

Ten thousand miles east of Ascension City lay a stretch of barren land.

It was here that Yao Zitong and Qu Wubing had recently held several duels.

From the pitted and scarred earth, it was obvious this land had been ravaged beyond recognition—perhaps it wasn't barren in the beginning.

In the beginning, these two tight-lipped fighters exchanged blows in silence, stopping only when a winner emerged.

But after fighting many times, they started to see eye to eye. Once feelings began to blossom, their duels turned into chats amidst the clashing of weapons, even planning where to eat afterward.

Qu Wubing threw a thunderous punch, the air rippling as though space itself had been struck.

"Let's go eat at Brother Chu's place after this. He's got some good wine."

Fang Hao was there too, and Qu Wubing wanted to share a few drinks with them.

"Fang Clan's place? Might not be appropriate," Yao Zitong replied as her sword slashed through the air. Heaven and earth shifted; sword intent spread across a hundred miles, and countless sword shadows rained down like a storm.

Qu Wubing had mentioned Fang Chu to her before.

"What's inappropriate about it? We're all friends."

In an instant, Qu Wubing unleashed tens of thousands of punches. Each fist shadow shimmered like a golden mountain, shattering the sword shadows in the sky.

"Just friends?"

Yao Zitong's tone sank, and her sword grew sharper still.

Having no experience with romance, Qu Wubing completely missed the implication. He thought Yao Zitong simply wanted to force him to go all out, so he did—unleashing his full strength and pushing her back repeatedly.

To those who knew, it was clearly a duel. But to outsiders, it looked like two lovebirds flirting mid-fight.

Immersed in each other, they remained unaware of the danger looming nearby.

Not far off, two figures lay hidden in the shadows.

"I've been observing those two for half a month now. They're elites, sure, but there are no guards or protectors with them."

"Then we'll strike now. Once it's done, we head straight for Starsea. A few months there, we'll have enough to head home for year's end."

"No problem."

"Do it!"

Just as Qu Wubing and Yao Zitong were about to determine the winner, glowing light screens suddenly flared up around them.

Qu Wubing shouted, "Damn! Someone's setting up a formation!"

He instantly flashed to Yao Zitong's side, grabbed her hand, and bolted toward Ascension City.

Anyone capable of setting a formation this silently was clearly no friend. In this situation, escape was the best option.

Unfortunately, the two in ambush had already made full preparations. The formation had long been laid and now activated instantly, sealing the two within.

It was a refined and complex formation. Communication jades and teleportation charms were useless. Only imperial-grade tokens, forged by emperor-realm cultivators and capable of traversing space, could bypass it.

But neither of them had such a treasure.

Escape was impossible. So was calling for help.

Two figures now appeared outside the formation—one tall, one short, both cloaked in thick mist, concealing their appearances.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Qu Wubing asked coldly.

Never in his wildest thoughts did he expect someone to be bold enough to ambush them so close to Ascension City.

But that was precisely why he and Yao Zitong had let their guard down.

This wasn't even the first time those two had carried out attacks near the city.

They gave no answer—only launched their attacks immediately.

They too understood the risk of acting so close to Ascension City. The sooner they ended this, the better.

Boom! Boom!!

Both attackers were at the Great Saint stage. Every move they made carried terrifying power.

Seeing themselves outmatched, Qu Wubing and Yao Zitong immediately used their life-saving trump cards to block the first wave of attacks.

But before they could even catch their breath, a second wave was already upon them.

They were only mid-True Saint stage. Facing even early-stage Great Saints was a hopeless mismatch.

They blocked one strike, but that didn't mean they could block a second—or a third.

Spurt!

As the next strike neared, Qu Wubing threw himself in front of Yao Zitong, taking the blow.

He was a body cultivator, his flesh nearly as strong as a sacred weapon. But he wasn't a defense-type weapon, and his opponent was a Great Saint. The hit left him gravely injured, coughing up blood.

"Wubing!"

Yao Zitong screamed, catching him in her arms.

But Qu Wubing ignored the pain. A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes. He whispered, "Move. I'll self-detonate and blow this formation open. You run."

"No!" Her eyes filled with defiance. "If we die, we die together!"

Then came a chilling voice.

"Self-detonate? In your dreams."

Both Great Saints unleashed their full power. Giant hands of force bore down from the sky, trying to crush them.

Having depleted most of their essence energy in their earlier sparring match and being trapped in the formation, they were hopelessly outmatched.

Qu Wubing and Yao Zitong knew the end had come. Their eyes filled with sorrow and longing for each other.

They had only just fallen in love… They hadn't traveled the world together, met each other's families, or stargazed side by side.

Was it really going to end like this?

But at least they would die in each other's arms. Even on the road to the underworld, they could walk hand in hand.

"Hmm?"

Just as the final blow was about to fall, a soft murmur echoed through the air—and in that moment, everything froze.

Their attackers' thunderous moves dissipated like smoke in the wind.

Boom! Boom!

The tall and short enemies exploded instantly, reduced to dust.

The formation was sliced apart.

A voice rang in their ears.

"Come back and recover."

Qu Wubing recognized Fang Ting's voice and sighed with relief.

They were saved.

Yao Zitong, overwhelmed with emotion, clung tightly to Qu Wubing's bloody form, weeping tears that soaked his robes—yet warmth bloomed in her heart.

"You idiot! Why'd you shield me? Why are you so stupid?!"

"I'm a body cultivator. I can take hits."

"Still not okay!"

"I—cough... cough..."

Seeing him cough up blood again, his vitality slipping away, Yao Zitong snapped back to reality and immediately carried him back to the Fang Clan in Ascension City.

She went straight to Fang Chu for help.

Fang Chu, though not a healer by profession, knew enough.

Qu Wubing, as a body cultivator, had strong life force. But left to heal with pills and meditation, he'd need six months just to recover from the injuries—and a full year to regain peak strength.

With Fang Chu's help, though, he could be back to full health within a month.

That's the value of an elder at home—truly a treasure.

Considering the years Fang Chu spent in the Azure Dragon Secret Realm, he really was the oldest member of the Fang Clan.