Shen Qinghan's POV
I watched Lin Yue disappear into the sky on that demon tiger, and something inside my chest shattered.
Three days. She said they had three days before the ritual.
"Sect Master." Luca, my second-in-command, put a hand on my shoulder. "We have to let her go. We can't fight five hundred cultivators and win."
"Then we don't fight fairly." I stood up, my mind already racing through impossible plans. "Send messages to every allied sect. Call in every favor we're owed. And find me someone who knows about demon summoning rituals."
"Sect Master, even with allies, we'd need weeks to gather forces—"
"We have three days." I grabbed his collar. "My entire sect is built on the principle of protecting the innocent. Lin Yue is innocent, and I will not abandon her to be sacrificed. Do you understand?"
Luca's eyes widened, then he nodded. "Yes, Sect Master. I'll gather everyone immediately."
As my disciples scattered to follow orders, I stared at the spot where Lin Yue had vanished. Her last words echoed in my head: "Thank you for making me feel like a person instead of a tool."
Five years ago, I searched for her because I owed a debt. Now I was going to war for her because somewhere between her saving my life and me discovering she was alive, I'd fallen completely in love with her.
And I'd just let her fly away to her death without telling her.
"Idiot," I muttered to myself. "You're a complete idiot."
"Talking to yourself, cousin?"
I turned to see Luca returning with an old woman I didn't recognize. She was hunched and wrinkled, but her eyes were sharp and knowing.
"This is Grandmother Wei," Luca said. "She used to be a demon hunter before she retired. If anyone knows about Demon Emperor summoning rituals, it's her."
"Can we stop it?" I asked immediately.
Grandmother Wei studied me with those sharp eyes. "Why do you care so much about one girl, Sect Master? You willing to die for her?"
"Yes."
"Willing to lose your sect?"
"If necessary."
"Willing to give up your cultivation, your power, everything you've built?"
I didn't hesitate. "Yes."
She smiled, showing missing teeth. "Good answer. Then there might be hope." She pulled out a worn scroll. "Demon Emperor summoning requires Phoenix blood and betrayer's remorse. Two sacrifices at the demon altar on the night of the blood moon—which is in three days."
"How do we stop it?"
"You don't. Once the ritual starts, nothing can interrupt it." She paused. "Unless someone offers themselves as a replacement sacrifice."
My heart stopped. "What?"
"The ritual needs powerful life force. Phoenix blood is preferred, but Nascent Soul cultivation is even better." Her eyes locked onto mine. "A Sect Master's cultivation would actually be more valuable than the girl's."
"Then I'll trade myself—"
"It's not that simple." Grandmother Wei cut me off. "The replacement must be accepted by the Demon Emperor himself. And he only accepts trades that cause maximum suffering. So you can't just swap yourself for her. You'd need to offer something that breaks her heart to lose."
I understood immediately. "I'd have to make her watch me die."
"While she lives, yes. That's the kind of suffering demons feed on." Grandmother Wei rolled up her scroll. "Still willing?"
"Absolutely." I turned to Luca. "Prepare a stealth team. We're infiltrating that fortress."
"Sect Master, that's suicide—"
"Then I'll commit suicide saving her instead of living without her." I grabbed my sword. "Anyone who wants to follow me is welcome. Anyone who doesn't, I understand. But I'm going."
Silence filled the hall. Then, one by one, every single disciple drew their swords.
"We follow our Sect Master," Luca said firmly. "Always."
Pride swelled in my chest. "Then let's go save her."
[Meanwhile at the Demon Fortress]
Lin Yue's POV
Zhang Wei and I were dragged to separate cages on opposite sides of the ritual chamber. My former betrothed was sobbing, begging for mercy that wouldn't come.
"Please, I didn't know! I thought I was helping her escape!"
"Of course you did," Mother said sweetly, checking the demon arrays on the floor. "That's what makes you perfect. You betrayed her, then tried to save her, and now you'll die with her. The emotional complexity feeds the ritual beautifully."
"You're insane!" Zhang Wei screamed.
"So everyone keeps saying." Mother sighed. "Why does nobody appreciate art anymore?"
I sat quietly in my cage, trying to think. There had to be a way out. Some weakness in the arrays, some flaw in the ritual, something—
"Stop thinking so hard, sweetling." Mother appeared beside my cage. "You're just like your father—always believing you can fix things with cleverness. But some problems don't have solutions."
"Did you ever love him?" I asked quietly. "My father? Even a little?"
For a moment, something flickered in her eyes. Then it was gone. "Love is weakness. The Demon Emperor taught me that. Your father was useful, nothing more."
"Then you're already dead inside," I said. "And I feel sorry for you."
Her hand shot through the bars and grabbed my throat. "Don't you dare pity me! I'm going to live forever! I'm going to have power beyond imagination! While you rot in a demon's belly!"
She released me and stormed away, but I saw it—the tiniest crack in her confidence.
She was trying to convince herself more than me.
The ritual chamber door opened, and my mother's smile returned. "Ah, guests! How wonderful."
Three men in elaborate robes entered—sect masters from Azure Cloud, Demon Suppression Temple, and another sect I didn't recognize. They bowed to my mother like she was royalty.
"Is everything ready?" the Azure Cloud Sect Master asked.
"Almost." Mother gestured to us. "The sacrifices are prepared. The blood moon rises in three days. All we need now is for the Demon Emperor to awaken and accept the offering."
"And our payment?" Demon Suppression Temple's master pressed.
"Once the Emperor is free, you'll each receive a portion of his power. Enough to become immortal yourselves." Mother's eyes glittered. "We'll rule the cultivation world together. No more hiding, no more fear. We'll be gods."
They were all insane. Every single one of them.
"What about Heavenly Sword Sect?" the third sect master asked. "Shen Qinghan won't just accept this."
"Shen Qinghan is a fool who values honor over survival." Mother waved dismissively. "He'll probably try some heroic rescue. Let him come. We'll kill him and use his Nascent Soul cultivation to strengthen the ritual."
My stomach dropped. If Shen Qinghan came, they'd kill him.
"Don't worry, sweetling," Mother said, noticing my expression. "Your precious Sect Master won't suffer long. We'll make his death quick. Unlike yours."
"Why?" The word burst from me. "Why go through all this? Why sacrifice your own daughter for power?"
"Because power is everything!" Mother's voice echoed through the chamber. "I was born into the Phoenix Clan with weak cultivation. My sisters mocked me, my parents rejected me. I was nothing! But the Demon Emperor saw my potential. He offered me strength beyond imagination—all I had to do was give him one thing."
"Me," I whispered.
"You." She smiled. "I spent twenty years preparing you. Making you strong, giving you the perfect bloodline. You're my masterpiece, Lin Yue. My greatest creation. And in three days, you'll serve your purpose."
She left with the sect masters, their laughter echoing down the halls.
Zhang Wei was still crying in his cage. "I'm sorry, Lin Yue. I'm so, so sorry."
"Save it," I said tiredly. "We're both dead anyway."
"No." A new voice spoke from the shadows. "You're not."
A figure materialized beside my cage—a young man with fox ears and nine tails. His eyes were ancient despite his youthful face.
"Who are you?" I gasped.
"My name is Xiao Bai, and I'm a nine-tailed celestial fox." He grinned. "Also, I'm your new spirit beast companion."
"I don't have a spirit beast—"
"You do now. I've been watching you for months, waiting for the right moment to bond." He examined the cage lock with interest. "You saved my mother from demon hunters a year ago. Remember that injured fox you healed in the forest?"
I did remember. I'd found a beautiful white fox with multiple tails caught in a trap. I'd freed her and used my spiritual energy to heal her wounds.
"That was your mother?"
"Yep! And fox spirits always repay debts." Xiao Bai's eyes glowed golden. "So here's the deal: I bond with you, which gives you access to my spiritual power. Combined with your Phoenix blood, you might be strong enough to break these cages."
"Might?"
"Sixty percent chance. But it's better than zero percent, right?"
Before I could answer, he bit his own paw and pressed it against my forehead. Power exploded through me—ancient, wild, overwhelming.
My cage bars started glowing red-hot.
"Quickly!" Xiao Bai urged. "Before the guards notice!"
I channeled all my spiritual energy plus Xiao Bai's fox power into my hands. The cage bars bent, then snapped.
I was free.
"Now get the whiny guy and let's go!" Xiao Bai said.
I ran to Zhang Wei's cage and ripped the door off with my enhanced strength. He stared at me in shock.
"How—"
"Explanations later. Run now." I grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the secret passage behind the wall.
Alarms started blaring immediately. We had minutes, maybe seconds.
We ran through dark tunnels filled with demon breeding chambers—massive caverns where demons were being raised like livestock. It was horrifying, but we couldn't stop.
Finally, we saw moonlight ahead. The exit!
We burst out of the mountain into the night air, and I breathed in freedom—
A sword pressed against my throat from behind.
"Going somewhere, sweetling?"
My mother's voice. She'd been waiting at the exit.
"You really thought I wouldn't guard the obvious escape route?" She laughed. "I raised you better than that."
Dozens of demon-possessed cultivators surrounded us. No way out.
"Back to your cages," Mother ordered. "And this time, I'll break your legs so you can't—"
A massive explosion rocked the mountain.
Through the smoke and fire, fifty figures appeared—all wearing Heavenly Sword Sect robes, all ready for battle.
And leading them, his ice-blue eyes blazing with determination, was Shen Qinghan.
"Get away from her," he said quietly, "or I'll kill every single one of you."
My mother smiled. "Perfect. I was hoping you'd come."
She raised her hand, and a hundred more demon cultivators emerged from the shadows.
We were surrounded. Outnumbered. About to die.
Shen Qinghan's eyes met mine across the battlefield, and he mouthed three words:
I love you.
Then the battle began.