Chapter 22: Madness

All the clues finally clicked into place.

From the moment she stepped into the Five Elements Sect with Yu Xiu, Bu Xiwei had kept every trace of her presence tightly concealed. She had remained in the form of a plump little sparrow for that very reason—to avoid unnecessary trouble.

But now, that concealment no longer mattered.

In the blink of an eye, she released her spiritual power without restraint.
The ice-blue aura burst forth like elegant, silken ribbons—swiftly and completely encasing Peize, Yu Xiu’s spirit sword, from every angle.
The gap between their cultivation levels was simply too vast. Yu Xiu hadn’t even had time to react before her own natal spirit sword was forcibly wrenched from her grip.

Bu Xiwei’s spiritual energy combed through every inch of the blade with pinpoint precision.
As she had suspected—there it was.
Hidden deep within Peize, carefully buried in the very foundation of the sword’s core, was a sliver of Water-element spirit essence.

Spirit essence was a broad term used for any spiritually resonant material—anything with a soul of its own. Spirit swords were crafted using various essences, each carefully chosen for their synergy with the cultivator.

Yu Xiu possessed a dual-root constitution of Metal and Fire. Fire inherently restrained Metal, making the balance within her spiritual energy quite delicate. Cultivators like her were especially susceptible to interference from mismatched spirit essences.

And Water suppressed Fire.

Peize, her natal sword, contained not only Metal and Fire, but also Water—and no essence capable of restraining the Water. That meant every time Yu Xiu used this sword, her meridians were subjected to a constant, tearing clash of incompatible energies.

If this contradiction had only surfaced after Yu Xiu formed her Golden Core, she might’ve been able to suppress it with sheer strength.
But Yu Xiu was only at the Foundation Establishment stage.
That faint trace of Water essence was minuscule and tucked so deep into the sword that even someone like Bu Xiwei had to search carefully to find it.

No one else had even come close.
Her peak was the kind where the master was gone most of the time, the senior disciples were rarely seen, and the rest were either peers or weaker than her. Not a single person had been able to recognize the issue.

From how attuned Yu Xiu was to Peize, it was likely she had been using this sword since childhood.
Which meant… she had endured this torment for years.

Bu Xiwei felt like she’d been plunged into an icy abyss.

When they first met in this life, she had forcefully injected spiritual energy into Yu Xiu, which caused her to cough up blood.
How much of that pain had actually been this cursed sword’s doing?!

Her fury exploded.

Driven by sheer rage, the ice-blue spiritual energy wrapped around Peize surged—slicing cleanly through the sword’s body.
Without even a moment to cry out, the blade shattered into dust.

From the time it left its master’s hand to the moment it was destroyed, Peize never even had a chance to scream.
By the time Yu Xiu turned to look, nothing remained but glimmering motes of powder drifting through the air.

“……?!!”

Her pupils shrank.
Peize had been forged when she was just ten years old—after she painstakingly gathered spirit essence materials for four whole years. A kindly elder of the sect, known for his skill in forging, had helped her complete it.

Yu Xiu remembered how happy she had been when she first held the sword in her hands.
All these years, Peize had never left her side. Every inch she advanced on the path of cultivation, every moment of progress, had been achieved with Peize.

She recalled what Master Chiyang had once told her:

“Disciples of Chiyang Peak may never form a Daoist bond in this lifetime. Your natal sword will be your lifelong partner, the one who walks your path with you to the very end.”

For Yu Xiu, Peize wasn’t just a weapon.
It was her truest companion.
An extension of her body when she wielded her sword.
And now, Bu Xiwei had destroyed it right before her eyes.

Yu Xiu rarely lost control of her temper. Even when she first met Bu Xiwei, she had maintained perfect composure.
But now—her face was visibly clouded with anger.

She flew swiftly to the center of the shattered fragments. Staring down at the fine dust that remained of Peize, her chest rose and fell with ragged intensity.
When she lifted her gaze, it was cold and sharp.

“…What exactly do you think you’re doing?”

Yu Xiu was not one to be ruled by emotion. She waited—for Bu Xiwei to give her a reason.
Their time together had proven Bu Xiwei wasn’t the kind of person to lash out without cause. She had revealed her presence and risked exposure to the entire sect. It was only a matter of time before the elders arrived.

There had to be a reason—something that outweighed all that risk.

Bu Xiwei wanted to explain.
She really did.
But when it came to Yu Xiu’s safety, Bu Xiwei had never been good at managing her emotions.
The moment she discovered Peize’s betrayal, it felt like facing the very thing that had murdered Yu Xiu with its own hands.
She had only one thought: annihilate it.

Uncontrolled spiritual power surged in her body, triggering a dangerous backlash.
Her tiny sparrow form began to split and crack, blood-red fractures tracing across her feathers. Her eyes glowed a terrible crimson.

It wasn’t the first time Yu Xiu had seen her like this.
But this time… it was far worse.

The pain stabbed into her skull. Her vision swam with varying shades of red.
Her last shred of sanity was slipping.

And yet—even if she lost all reason, one thing remained crystal clear:
She must not go berserk in front of Yu Xiu.

Yu Xiu was only in the Foundation Establishment stage.
If she lost control here, she would kill her.

That possibility alone made the decision for her.

Clinging to a sliver of will, Bu Xiwei forced herself back into her original form.
Then, without a second of hesitation, she turned and flew—straight for the edge of the sect’s boundaries.
She had to get away.
Anywhere, it didn’t matter—just far enough that Yu Xiu wouldn’t be harmed.

Yu Xiu could only watch as Bu Xiwei left without uttering a single word.
The wind kicked up by her departure scattered the last remnants of Peize’s powder to the skies.

Three powerful spiritual auras rapidly approached Daixiao Peak.
Three elders of the Five Elements Sect—rushing in at full speed.
Bu Xiwei, a flash of deep blue among the clouds, barely escaped their encirclement.

Yu Xiu remained motionless.
Her eyes, always soft like spring water, had turned to ice.

***

Bu Xiwei’s escape was anything but smooth.

Not only were the three elders hot on her trail, but the sect’s protective formation had also been raised to its highest alert level—blocking her path.
Her mind was in chaos. The violent urge to destroy boiled in her veins. Her eyes had turned entirely blood-red.

With a guttural cry, she summoned her natal spirit sword.
In a frenzy, she swung the blade again and again—carving open a narrow fissure in the barrier.
The three approaching auras—at least Nascent Soul-level—drew closer.

Bu Xiwei didn’t care to fight.
Even in her unstable state, one command still burned clear in her mind:
Get as far away from the Five Elements Sect as possible.

Though she lacked awareness or reason, she was still the same Demon Lord who had once ruled through endless bloodshed.
Even in madness, instinct told her:
If she got tangled up with these three cultivators now, she would lose precious time.

With a snarl, she turned and lashed out—a full-strength blow straight behind her.
The sword strike carried everything she had left.