Shi Zhixuan's forced smile cracked.
His whole body tensed up.
He couldn't stop trembling.
Could he really be so unlucky? Were these two fairies also from the Eternal God's domain?
The once-proud Evil King now stared at them with growing dread.
Li Xiuning gazed at him coldly.
"If you oppose our God, then at least know who we are. I am Li Xiuning, sister of Li Shimin. She is Shi Feixuan."
Thud!
Shi Zhixuan collapsed to his knees.
His face twisted in disbelief.
"N-No… That's impossible! The rumors said you were both dead. They even said your heads were burned on the altar!"
The legends of the Eternal Religion had spread across the realm.
The most circulated tale?
That Shi Feixuan, the proud disciple of Cihang Jingzhai, had been sacrificed by Li Shimin to summon the evil god. Her blood had powered the altar and brought about divine intervention.
Was that all false?
Li Xiuning turned toward Shi Feixuan and smirked.
"Sister, isn't it amazing? In this version, you not only died… but were burned beyond recognition. Some imagination."
Shi Feixuan's expression darkened.
"Which shameless fool dared to slander me like that?!"
Her indignation surged.
The mountain trembled faintly as her aura flared.
Seeing the change in atmosphere, Shi Zhixuan panicked. He turned and dove into the mountain stream below, hoping to escape.
But just as he moved, a gentle breeze brushed past—and in an instant, he was swept into the sky.
He struggled madly, summoning every ounce of his power.
Even his famed Immortal Seal was activated.
But it was no use.
He couldn't escape the swirling winds.
"Enough struggling," Shi Feixuan said coldly, lifting him in the air with a flick of her finger.
"We are goddesses of the Divine Realm. You think you can die that easily?"
Originally, she wanted to crush him outright.
But then she remembered something—this old villain had a daughter.
She smiled maliciously.
"Didn't you have a daughter named Shi Qingxuan? Let's show the world what happens to those who defy the Eternal God."
Shi Zhixuan stared at her in horror, overcome with regret.
Why did he have to show up here?
He'd basically delivered himself on a silver platter.
Their speed was astonishing.
Riding on clouds, they arrived before Li Shimin in less than half an hour.
Even though the world had advanced in martial strength, only Li Shimin had the ability to fly at this level.
The rest were still grounded.
The sudden appearance of two ethereal figures descending with a struggling old man shocked the guards nearby.
"Is the envoy Li Shimin here?" one of the divine women asked.
The guard froze, blinking. "A-And you are?"
"I'm Li Xiuning. She's Shi Feixuan. We've come from the God Realm with an oracle. As for that man—he's the so-called Evil King, Shi Zhixuan."
The soldier was dumbfounded.
Before he could report, a booming voice called out from the palace.
"Haha! I thought that light in the sky looked familiar!"
Dressed in casual black robes, Li Shimin strode out with a wide grin.
When he laid eyes on his transformed sister, his joy turned into awe.
It had only been a little over a month…
But now, her aura was divine. Her eyes seemed to pierce straight into his soul.
Terrifying—but also inspiring.
Nearby soldiers immediately dropped to their knees.
"Welcome, goddesses!"
Li Xiuning rolled her eyes. "Really? Still this dramatic?"
He was still her brother, after all.
While the siblings reunited, Shi Feixuan leaned close to Li Xiuning.
"I'll go check on the nearby troublemakers. I heard some... interesting voices earlier."
Li Xiuning waved her off. "Go, but don't overdo it."
"Mhm."
With a swirl of mist, Shi Feixuan vanished atop a drifting cloud.
Her immortal grace left everyone below in silent admiration.
Li Xiuning smiled faintly and turned back to her brother.
"So, what's the situation here? I heard there's still trouble in Liaodong?"
Li Shimin sighed.
"Yeah. A stubborn coalition led by the Demonic Sect. They keep harassing my forces. Even though everyone is trained warriors now, we're spread thin."
The Eternal Meditation Method was effective—it allowed commoners to bypass natural limits and gain strength.
But there was a downside.
Once cultivation rose, so did appetites.
Food consumption had skyrocketed.
To prevent famine, Li Shimin had to limit the spread of the meditation technique.
Though the Central Plains was stable, provisioning the frontier was another matter.
Originally, Li Shimin had planned to fully unify the region and host a grand national sacrifice—an offering even larger than the one held for Murong Fu.
It would have been a glorious celebration of the Eternal God.
But now, those plans had stalled due to food shortages.
Even before the Sui Emperor's failed eastern campaign, the Central Plains had already been suffering from lack of supplies.
Now, with a sudden spike in innate martial masters, the food requirements were astronomical.
Li Shimin could only feel helpless.
Li Xiuning nodded quietly, thoughtful.
It seemed the Eternal God's predictions had been correct.
After the first sacrifice, no one dared to offer another one immediately.
There was too much at stake.
Everyone was afraid of falling behind—or worse, offering something unworthy.
She muttered inwardly:
They want to sacrifice… but they're too scared to act first.
Hearing her brother's concern, Li Xiuning sighed softly.
"Second Brother, you really worry too much. The core principle of the Eternal God's doctrine is sincerity. If there's a problem, offer a proper prayer—make a sacrifice. As a servant of the Divine Shrine, I will know of it."
"Huh? You can respond to sacrifices too?" Li Shimin blinked.
He hadn't expected that.
If they were short on food, they could just pray to the Eternal God?
Wasn't that a little… casual?
"Of course," Li Xiuning said, unfazed. "The Eternal God told us from the start—Daughters of Destiny exist to benefit their home worlds. That includes you."
She then straightened her tone.
"Besides, our descent this time isn't just to deliver a message. It's to help you fully pacify the Central Plains and prepare for a grand state sacrifice."
"As for food shortages—just hold on for another half month."
Her voice was firm.
Because this was not a suggestion.
It was a divine command.
And something deep in her heart told her—this upcoming sacrifice would be different from any that came before.
Li Shimin was immediately invigorated.
"Then I'll follow your lead, Sister. Your words are law. Oh, and our parents are still in Jiangcheng. Want to visit them?"
Li Xiuning hesitated—then shook her head.
"No. I'll focus on the mission. As long as they're safe and healthy, that's enough."
She didn't dare delay the Eternal God's will—not even for family.
Elsewhere
Shi Feixuan had left the capital and was now sweeping the region for her disciples.
To her surprise, she found them living quietly in mountain valleys hundreds of miles away.
The once-mighty Cihang Jingzhai was gone.
In its place… a humble herbal clinic.
Hovering above the roof, Shi Feixuan watched the women she once trained now helping commoners with herbs and medicine.
She sighed.
"Since they've chosen another way to live… fine. If they don't oppose the Eternal God, they can live peacefully as ordinary people."
But she herself…
She was no longer the Shi Feixuan of old.
The world, to her now, was like a painted scroll—still beautiful, but distant.
She remembered how Cihang Jingzhai once schemed to control the imperial court through martial supremacy, pretending to stand aloof while manipulating from the shadows.
Fortunately, they hadn't crossed the line into true evil—or the Eternal God would have wiped them out entirely.
Wasn't that what happened to Guanyin Bodhisattva?
She had been slapped into oblivion by a single palm strike.
A reminder that even immortals were not above divine law.
Leaving the herbal clinic behind, Shi Feixuan continued scanning the surrounding countryside.
Eventually, she found the person she was looking for.
Inside a modest courtyard, shielded by wards and illusions maintained by sympathetic believers, she saw them—
Wanwan, the demoness.
And with her:
Xu Ziling, and disciples of the Jingnian Zen Sect.
"Wanwan, why aren't you moving yet?" Xu Ziling asked helplessly.
"My master has already asked you several times."
Xu Ziling, now a disciple of the grassland sage Bi Xuan, had been captured alongside Kou Zhong in their youth. Since then, he had trained hard, and his strength had soared.
After just a month, he could already match second-rate martial artists.
Against enemies of equal rank, he was nearly unbeatable.
But he still didn't understand Wanwan's hesitation.
Wanwan sat on the rooftop in her black robes, legs dangling casually.
She stared into the clouds above, lost in thought.
"If you want to die, go right ahead," she muttered. "I'm not interested."
"And what about your master, Zhu Yuyan?" Xu Ziling frowned. "What if she insists?"
"She can do whatever she wants. But me? I'm not throwing my life away."
Her eyes narrowed.
"Lately… I've been wondering. Whatever happened to Shi Feixuan? My eternal rival… is she really dead? Or has she ascended to the Divine Realm, basking in glory while I'm still stuck here?"
She spoke softly, but bitterness seeped into every word.
Wanwan had only two true ambitions:
To find a man who truly understood her.
To defeat Shi Feixuan once and for all.
And now?
Both seemed out of reach.
But deep down, a part of her believed—if anyone had ascended to the God Realm, it would be Shi Feixuan.
That woman was always one step ahead.
So what did she decide?
"Fine," she had thought.
"If I can't defeat her with my martial arts… maybe I'll do it with beauty instead."
If she could rise to the heavens too, she would crush that ice queen's pride in the one way she hadn't tried.
That's when it happened.
A soft, chilling voice drifted through the air:
"Then I really must thank you, Wanwan. If you miss me so much, why not join the Eternal Faith?"
Wanwan's body froze.
The courtyard went silent.
Standing beside her now was a woman in radiant white, her robes shimmering like fresh snow.
Divine light coiled around her body like living mist.
Wanwan jumped up in shock, heart pounding.
Her voice trembled.
"Y-You… Shi Feixuan?! That... that can't be!"
Shi Feixuan tilted her head slightly.
"Why not? I've ascended to the God Realm, and by the will of the Eternal God, I can descend when needed."
She stepped closer.
"And since you seem to miss me so dearly… perhaps you'd like to come serve the Eternal God, too?"
As she spoke, her jade-like finger lifted gently.
A sharp, multicolored beam of divine sword intent materialized and hovered under Wanwan's chin.