North Sea’s Nightless City, along with Qianfan City on the Celestial Sea, the Grand Radiant City of the Vast Sea in the Far West, and the mysterious Umbral City of the Dark Sea, are collectively known as the “Four Cities of the Four Seas.” They are among the rare grand marvels of the Tongxuan Realm.

Every building within the city is made from a special polar-region mineral known as snow-gold sulfur stone. Though jet black in color, its surface is speckled with countless tiny platinum-like dots. When light hits it, the whole thing shimmers like snow glistening in the night, a strikingly beautiful sight.

In this land of perpetual daylight, the sprawling city stretches for hundreds of li. Bathed in constant sunlight, it shines like a miracle made real.

The Nightless City  was said to be surrounded on all four sides by towering walls, each rising over ten zhang tall. Inside those walls lay an area at least five times the size of Songjing City.

Despite its massive footprint, the city doesn’t have that many buildings; just seven or eight hundred at most, by the looks of it. For a city of this scale, that’s surprisingly sparse.

But between the buildings lie groves of dense forest and flowing streams, with exotic flowers and rare plants thriving in abundance. Thanks to powerful formations that keep the outside cold at bay, the whole city pulses with life.

Nightless City is divided into an inner and outer section. The inner city, at its heart, is where the sect’s disciples usually live. At the very center of this inner city stands a palace-like structure—the Radiant Hall, the core of Nightless City. Towering and majestic, it far outshines anything found in the mortal world.

After a brief tour of the city, Li Xun and the other guests were led to their quarters in the inner city.

Claiming he was tired from the journey, Li Xun quickly retreated to a quiet room. Only then did he finally shake the feeling of being watched. Like a leech clinging to his bones.

Relieved of that constant pressure, his body relaxed, but his mind grew heavier. Who could’ve guessed that in Nightless City, a place he’d never set foot in for eight lifetimes, he’d run into such trouble?

He sat in the quiet room, his body still, but a growing restlessness stirred inside him. That unseen gaze lurking in the shadows felt like a silent ghost, slipping through the air and seeping straight into his heart.

Li Xun even considered summoning his two Nethermyst Puppets, just to draw a sense of security from their presence.

Right then, a knock came at the door.

Without thinking, Li Xun called out, “Come in.” But the moment the words left his mouth, he realized something was off? What if it was that ghost? The thought sent a jolt through him, tensing every muscle in his body. Just as he was about to take the words back, the door creaked open.

“Junior Brother Xun?”

Li Xun quickly let his muscles relax and slipped back into his usual shy, reserved demeanor.  “Senior Sister Qi,” he greeted in a soft voice.

Even as he spoke, he found it a little odd.

In a sense, he and Qi Bi had truly been through life and death together. Among the disciples of the Mingxin Sword  Sect, she was one of the few with whom he’d shared a deeper bond.

And yet, ever since returning to the mountain, he’d been keeping his distance from her; for reasons unspoken, but somehow understood.

It wasn’t just him. Qi Bi had done the same. Otherwise, given how small Zhiguan Peak was, with both of them living here and neither having gone into seclusion or anything of the sort, it made no sense that they’d only crossed paths once or twice in months. And even then, they’d just nodded in passing. That alone was enough to raise eyebrows.

Now, Qi Bi looked different from the woman she was two years ago. Back then, she was a girl swept up in the tides of love. Though she had the poise of a senior sister and knew how to take care of others, there had still been a hint of youthful awkwardness in the way she handled the finer details.

Now, though, there was a marked difference in the way she moved; in every gesture and glance, she carried herself as a complete, grown woman. She’d filled out slightly, and there was a noticeable refinement in the way she styled herself.

All of it blended seamlessly with her warm, gentle presence, surrounding her with an unmistakable air of mature femininity.

In some ways, she now reminded Li Xun of a different kind of woman. Someone more like Madam Yan or Yin Wanderer.

But there was something else, something different. When she looked at him now, Li Xun hesitated for a split second. It wasn’t just concern in her eyes; there was a trace of pity, and something even more obscure, something harder to name.

Qi Bi came over and knelt down beside him, speaking gently: “Junior Brother Xun, I heard you haven’t been feeling well?”

It was natural for a senior sister to show care and concern for her younger brother in the sect. But that reason, coming from her right now, felt oddly out of place.

A thought flashed through Li Xun’s mind, and he suddenly understood something. He gave a vague, noncommittal sound in reply, then let his expression fall, as if weighed down. He sighed softly, barely audible.

Qi Bi frowned slightly and, to his surprise, reached out and touched his forehead.

The gesture startled him. But when he saw the natural, matter-of-fact look on her face, he couldn’t help but smile wryly to himself. Had marriage made her this much more maternal?

Li Xun had seen women more beautiful than Qi Bi. And yet, for some reason, when her palm brushed his skin, he actually felt his face flush.

Maybe married women were more perceptive, because Qi Bi seemed to notice the change in his expression. What caught him off guard, though, was how she responded.

Her cheeks flushed a little as she gently tapped Li Xun on the forehead and smiled. “You little rascal. Your face is so thin-skinned!”

I’m not a little rascal! Li Xun thought, but in the end, he swallowed the words. As true as they were, they sounded a little too sentimental.

He didn’t say anything. Instead, he acted in the way that best fit his current persona; he gave an awkward smile, shifted back a bit, and even broke out in a light sweat.

Once he had the act down, he spoke with some effort. “Senior Sister Qi, it’s really nothing… just that I’ve been feeling kind of off lately…”

Seeing a flicker of reaction in Qi Bi’s expression, he knew he’d struck a chord. He quickly followed up: “Ever since we got here, I’ve felt completely drained. I don’t want to go out, don’t want to talk… It’s like there’s something heavy pressing down on me.”

He said a whole string of things. All of them vague and mostly meaningless. But to Qi Bi, who was struggling with her own troubles, those words sounded very different.

Sure enough, she let out a quiet sigh, and the light in her face dimmed. Watching her closely, Li Xun saw a bitter smile appear as she said, “I know… it’s because of the Demon Phoenix, isn’t it?”

Li Xun’s eyes widened slightly. And that tiny reaction, in Qi Bi’s eyes, was as good as confirmation.

She shook her head gently, her voice growing more and more strained. “Junior Brother Xun… these past few months, you’ve been avoiding me. Don’t shake your head, I understand. If I were in your shoes, I’d probably do the same.”

It was clear Qi Bi’s emotions were no longer calm. And Li Xun, in her eyes, was the perfect person to confide in. Only someone who had been through the same thing could truly understand her.

So, once she started talking, she couldn’t stop.

“I know what you’re afraid of. You’re afraid of what happened on Tiandu Peak. You think I’d laugh at you for it, don’t you?”

Seeing the struggle on Li Xun’s face, then watching as he slowly, reluctantly nodded, Qi Bi gave a bitter smile. “How could I possibly?”

“Honestly, I was terrified. I’ve never met anyone as frightening as the Demon Phoenix…”

She didn’t even realize her slip of the tongue. After a brief pause, the words spilled out of her, unstoppable.

Her voice was trembling now.

“I was chained to the cliff. I couldn’t move at all, my whole body was useless. And then I heard her voice. The Demon Phoenix. I don’t know why, but even though my ears were full of static and buzzing, I could hear every single word she said, clear as day. Later, I realized… she must have forced me to hear her.”

The color was draining from her face, leaving it pale and drawn.

“I heard Sister Qi crying above me. I heard you, too, Junior Brother Xun. And in that moment… I wanted to cry too. But I couldn’t make a sound. Not even one.”

Li Xun could see her shaking now. If she hadn’t had one hand braced against the floor, she might’ve collapsed altogether. Moved, he reached out and gently placed his hand on the back of hers.

Qi Bi didn’t pull away. In fact, her trembling seemed to ease just a little. Li Xun knew he’d made the right call.

She even gave him a small, grateful glance before continuing. “When the Demon Phoenix pulled me up, I wasn’t even sure what I was thinking. Part of me was screaming, ‘I don’t want to die!’ But another part just kept saying, ‘Just let me die already…’ And then… the things that came next…”

What happened next was too hard to put into words. She could only gloss over it, but the more she held back, the heavier the weight in her heart became, and the deeper her words went.

“I really thought I’d gone mad back then. That scene… I haven’t been able to forget it, not once in the past two years. It always comes rushing back in the dead of night. Blood-red skies, ashes raining from above, burning maple forests… and that woman.

“And the Demon Phoenix.... she’s here! The moment I entered the polar lands, I started to feel sick. It’s like I could sense her breathing, like she was watching this place… laughing. Just looking into that darkness makes it hard to breathe…”

At that point, her voice broke off completely. She looked like her soul had left her body.

Li Xun stumbled over a few words in an attempt to comfort her, while quietly tightening his grip on her hand. Her palm was ice-cold, but she didn’t pull away. No resistance at all.

If someone like Shan Zhi had been here instead, Li Xun could easily imagine what kind of shameless things he might’ve done. But Li Xun wasn’t that kind of lust-driven fool. What stirred inside him wasn’t desire; it was a subtle thrill, the realization that he had just glimpsed the weakness in Qi Bi’s heart.

And he was going to use that… somehow.

Maybe because she’d let too much emotion pour out at once, Qi Bi felt a wave of dizziness. She instinctively circulated her internal energy, and the feeling slowly faded.

Only then did it dawn on her. Wait, wasn’t I the one who came to check on Li Xun? How did I end up like this?

Thinking back on everything she’d just blurted out, she wasn’t even sure what she’d said anymore.

The moment the thought struck, she felt a twinge of embarrassment. That’s when she noticed; she was still clutching Li Xun’s hand. He might be younger, but still, this wasn’t appropriate.

Quickly, she pulled her hand away under the pretense of wiping her eyes.

Just then, Li Xun looked up with a pitiful expression, his eyes shimmering with tears. “Senior Sister Qi… am I really that useless? But the Demon Phoenix… she’s just too strong…”

Qi Bi could see how shaken he was; this wasn’t the time to let him fall apart. She thought back over the past two years: yes, she had been in a bad state too, but at least she’d had her master, Wenhai… people who’d been there for her. When the fear overwhelmed her, there was always someone to lean on.

But this junior brother of hers... he’d been wandering alone outside all this time. How had he managed to survive it?

That thought tugged at her heart. All her protective instincts rushed to the surface. She reached out again, this time resting her hand gently on his shoulder.

“Junior Brother Xun, the Demon Phoenix is one of the most powerful people in the world. Not being able to stand against her, there’s nothing shameful about that. If we lost to someone like her, well… that’s only natural.”

Then something flashed through her mind. Suddenly, it all made sense.

Yes. Losing to someone like that… someone so unimaginably powerful; it should be natural, shouldn’t it?

To cry, to fear, to feel despair in front of someone like the Demon Phoenix… wasn’t that the most normal thing in the world?

So what was she tormenting herself over? What was Li Xun blaming himself for?

Of course. The strong prey on the weak. That’s how the world works. And here she was, caught up in guilt and regret... how ridiculous.

Even if she encountered the Demon Phoenix again in the future, and even if she fought her with all her strength and still lost. So be it. Why keep tearing herself up over it?

What she didn’t realize… was that this line of thinking was completely at odds with everything she’d been taught her whole life.

And yet, to her, in that moment.... it felt utterly, undeniably right.

Maybe it was just a small detour, but she never quite found her way back. Instead, she followed it around the bend and slowly started down another path.

And so, she smiled. Truly smiled. But now there was a restless urgency stirring in her; she wanted to share this new understanding with someone.

And in that moment, the only person in front of her was Li Xun.

She quickly turned her eyes away, not noticing the faint, fleeting curve at the corner of Li Xun’s lips. A hint of a smile that vanished in the blink of an eye.

Li Xun let out a long breath, got up, and walked Qi Bi to the door. As he watched her graceful figure slip outside, an impulse suddenly welled up in him. He lifted the hand that had touched her and brought it to his nose, inhaling softly. The lingering scent on his palm seeped deep into his chest. He chuckled and shook his head.

“No wonder that idiot Dan Zhi did what he did…”

What he'd done with Qi Bi wasn’t like the manipulative tricks he'd used on Shan Zhi No "Guiding Ghostlight" kind of schemes. It was more of a subtle, psychological nudge.

He hadn’t wanted anything from Qi Bi, nor had he meant her any harm. But if he could use this chance to grow a bit closer to her, to find someone he could count on for cover while on the sect.... why not?

Let’s just call it his reward for “helping her untie that knot in her heart.”

With a wry smile, he buried his head in his hands and lay back down on the floor.

He’d solved Qi Bi’s problem, but his own was only just beginning.