Beneath the ancient blossom tree, the Fourth Prince Xu Lang unleashed his full power. The sky shimmered with the reflection of a boundless ocean of blue light, waves of spiritual energy colliding with the petals raining down from above. His aura raged like a storm.
From a distance, the First Prince Xu Aing watched in alarm.
Xu Bing whispered, frowning, "Elder Brother… what is happening to him? I've never seen the Fourth Prince in such a furious state before."
Xu Lang's grip on his sword trembled as fragments of blurred memories flashed before his eyes—
A girl smiling.
A kiss beneath lantern light.
A wedding veil.
And then—Shen Min's face, her eyes like pools of hidden sorrow.
His breath caught. A sharp pain tore through his chest as blood spilled from his lips. His voice cracked, trembling between disbelief and anguish.
"C-could it be… Xiao? Are you… are you really her?"
---
Night fell. Silence cloaked the Immortal Clan, but shadows moved. Figures cloaked in black robes slipped past the walls like wraiths, their faces covered, their swords etched with a sinister emblem. Without a word, they descended upon the guards, blades gleaming cold. Soldiers fell one by one, their cries swallowed in the dark.
Their leader, masked and commanding, raised a hand.
"You know our purpose. Leave none alive. Tonight, the Shadowdeath moves unseen."
The assassins scattered like smoke.
Inside her chamber, Shen Min stirred at a faint noise. Her eyes flew open, heart pounding. "What… was that?" she whispered. Snatching the knife from her bedside, she crept toward the window. Outside, shadows darted across the courtyard. Her breath hitched when she spotted the black sword emblem glowing faintly on a man's hand.
She quickly shut the window and pressed her trembling palms to her lips. *If I scream, they'll find me. But if I stay silent… everyone will die.*
The window creaked. A Shadowdeath soldier slipped inside. His eyes scanned the room.
Shen Min crouched beneath the bed, clutching her knife, her body trembling. But she remembered her mother's voice, steady and fierce during kung fu training: *"Never show fear. Strike when they least expect it."*
Her grip tightened. She crept forward. The soldier turned—too late.
With all her strength, she drove the blade into his neck. The man collapsed, unconscious. Shen Min's breath shook, but her eyes glimmered with determination.
---
Elsewhere, Xu Lang stirred awake. His sharp eyes scanned the hall filled with unconscious comrades. The scent of spilt tea lingered. Realization struck—*they were drugged.*
A sudden noise snapped his focus. He drew his sword, ready to strike—
"Wait! It's me!" Shen Min burst in, face pale but defiant.
Xu Lang's blade stopped inches from her throat. With a flick of his hand, the doors sealed shut. His voice was icy.
"What's happening here? Speak!"
She gasped. "Men in black robes… they've invaded! I saw them kill our guards with my own eyes."
Xu Lang's glare hardened. "Then why are you wearing their robes? Did you think I wouldn't notice?"
"No!" Shen Min raised both hands desperately. "If I was with them, would I be here, risking my life to warn you?"
His eyes narrowed. "And how do you know their name—Shadowdeath?"
Her lips parted in shock. "I… I never told you…"
Xu Lang's fury flared. He pressed his sword closer. "Enough! You will obey if you value your life."
From his robes, he pulled out a small vial of shimmering blue pills. "Feed these to the others. Now."
Shen Min's eyes widened. "Why me? You already want to kill me!"
"Do it." His blade pressed harder against her neck.
"Ahh—fine, fine! But promise you won't kill me after this!" she whined dramatically.
Xu Lang smirked coldly. "And you think you're in any position to bargain with me?"
Pouting, Shen Min sighed. "Ugh, fine! But you better not stab me while I'm saving your friends, Pig Prince."
One by one, she fed the pills to Xu Bing and Xu Aing. Slowly, they stirred awake, confusion flashing across their faces.
"What in heavens' name is going on?" Xu Aing demanded.
Before Shen Min could explain, Xu Lang barked an order. "Enough talk. Ready your swords."
The three princes stepped outside, blades drawn—Xu Lang's thunderous blue lightning sword, Xu Aing's radiant white blade, and Xu Bing's golden edge. The sight made Shen Min blush.
*Wow… so handsome…* She quickly shook her head, glaring at Xu Lang. *No, no! Not him. He's just a pig! A scary, annoying, handsome… pig!*
---
The Shadowdeath assassins regrouped, their leader sneering.
"So, the princes survived after all. I suppose the tea wasn't to your liking?"
The battlefield erupted. Blades clashed, blood sprayed, screams tore through the night. Yet the assassins' leader only laughed, tossing a dark powder into the air.
Black snow fell.
Instantly, the princes staggered, coughing blood. Their knees buckled.
"This," the leader sneered, "is Black Poison. Even immortals and demons cannot resist it. Without the antidote, you'll all be corpses within two hours."
Xu Bing roared, "You coward! Face me head-on if you dare!"
But the leader only smirked and lunged. His blade slashed down, aimed straight at Xu Lang's heart—
Blood sprayed.
But it wasn't Xu Lang.
It was Shen Min.
Her fragile body fell into his arms.
Xu Lang froze, his world shattering as her blood soaked his hands. For the first time, tears filled his eyes.
"Why… why would you do this?"
Her lips curved into a faint smile. "Because… I only had three months left anyway. Better me than you. If you die, this world loses its leader. If I die… well… I was just a noisy girl to you, wasn't I?"
Her trembling hand cupped his face. "I always thought you were just an emotionless pig… but look at you now. Crying. Guess you're just a soft-hearted pig after all…"
Her hand fell limp. Her eyes closed forever.
"No!" Xu Lang's scream tore the night.
Something snapped inside him. His blood boiled, surging with a power long sealed away.
His eyes split—one blazing red, the other pitch black. Energy poured from his body, swallowing the skies. The moon itself vanished behind waves of darkness.
The Shadowdeath leader froze, horror dawning. "This power… this is no immortal. This is… a demon."
Xu Lang rose into the air, his aura consuming heaven and earth. A black demonic blade materialized in his hand, radiating suffocating destruction.
His voice was no longer human or Immortal
.
"You dared wake me… now all of you will perish."
The night split open with his first strike....