The Heroine Must Die

Everyone fell silent.

“Yes, yes,” Gerald hurriedly added. “Their family line is thin this generation. He’s the only one left to carry on the bloodline.”

Drake rubbed his temples. “I guarantee he’ll come out the same way he went in.”

He explained the situation patiently. With his assurance, both master and disciple finally relaxed.

“Kareem,” Gerald said solemnly, “listen to the Immortal Venerable. Deliver the message properly. And find out what’s going on inside. Report everything when you return. Understood?”

“Yes, sir.”

Lauren led Kareem toward Sky-covering Valley, explaining the situation along the way.

When they reached the boundary, Kareem hesitated for only a second before stepping into the place even righteous cultivators avoided like the plague. Only after he disappeared into the mist did Briar and Edmund appear.

“God Venerable,” Briar asked softly, “will we be able to go home soon?”

Edmund looked out over the mist-wrapped mountains, the peaks twisting like a sleeping dragon.

“Soon.” He believed that.

After a pause, he glanced at Lauren. “I’ll be returning soon. As for when Briar can go back… that depends on you.”

Lauren pointed at herself. “Me?”

“Yes. Briar’s roots are now planted in your inner space. Naturally, he has to stay with you. He can only ascend when you do.”

“Wait—can’t you just pull them out?” She didn’t want to delay his return.

Briar shook his head. “My roots are already fragile. I can’t keep tearing them out.”

“…Then what? You’re just stuck with me forever?”

“Not necessarily,” Briar said. “I recover faster in the Upper Realm. Once I’ve nearly regained my strength, I can leave.”

Lauren stared at him. So she’d become a walking greenhouse.

.......

Inside Sky-covering Valley.

“Hey! Look at that—another one just walked in.”

“Young man,” someone called lazily, “you look like a vicious little bastard. What’d you do to end up hiding here?”

Kareem instinctively touched his face. Do I really look that vicious? “I’m not hiding,” he said stiffly. “I’m here to deliver a message.”

“A message?” Butcher snorted and immediately lost interest.

He hadn’t been craving meat lately. A few days ago, he’d gotten into a fight and accidentally incinerated every chicken in the valley. The rest of them wouldn’t touch the roasted remains, so he’d been the only one eating them. He was sick of poultry.

“Butcher, what’s he here for?” someone else asked.

“He says he’s delivering a message.”

The villagers drifted out one by one, circling Kareem. Kareem spotted Herbert and hurried over, handing him the letter. “Mr. Herbert. A letter from Mr. Drake.”

Herbert took it and skimmed through quickly before passing it around. As each person read it, their expressions darkened. “More are coming?”

“Yeah. We’d better prepare. If people descend again, they’re definitely here for the seal.”

“Let them come,” Viper scoffed. “If they dare set foot here, I’ll beat them until they don’t even have a ghost left to haunt.”

Herbert shot him a withering look. “Anyone coming down from above will be at peak Mahayana. You think you can beat them into pulp?”

“I…” Viper shrank slightly and glanced at Light. “I can’t. But my master can. And you can, Herbert. And Flower Wife. And Devourer.”

“If they come again, it definitely won’t be as easy as last time,” Herbert said grimly. “Drake told us to be ready. Just in case.”

“That’s right,” someone else chimed in. “We’ll set up the killing formation ahead of time. Human or ghost, we’re not afraid.”

Herbert quickly wrote a reply for Kareem to take back—most of it concerning the sect. If he remained trapped in Sky-covering Valley, he feared his disciples would descend into chaos.

When he learned that Gerald had stepped in and stabilized the situation, he felt a flicker of gratitude—though he still muttered under his breath, “Nosy bastard. Couldn’t just mind his own business.”

With the important matters settled, Kareem turned to his gleaming-browed junior brother. His expression grew complicated.

“Malcolm,” he said softly, “Master’s been worried sick about you. Ever since he got back, he hasn’t been able to eat or sleep. Sighs all damn day.”

Malcolm’s eyes immediately reddened. “Kareem… I’ve let Master down.”

Herbert couldn’t stand the pathetic sight. He waved a hand irritably. “Oh please. That Gerald—so damn stingy. He doesn’t even have the proper cultivation methods himself. Keeping such a talented disciple by his side is a waste. The boy’s better off following Light Master.”

Light offered Herbert a faint smile and a polite nod in thanks.

Kareem nodded in agreement and patted Malcolm’s shoulder. “The Immortal Venerable said you should cultivate properly under Light Master. Monk or not doesn’t matter. Just focus on your training.”

“Ah? What did Master say?” Malcolm asked anxiously.

“Master…” Kareem hesitated. What else could Master possibly have said?

“Master said… about that robe…”

Malcolm immediately began tugging at his outer robe. “You came at the perfect time. Take it. Bring it back to Master.”

Kareem quickly grabbed his hands. “I’m not here to take it back. Master said you should keep it safe. Treat it as a gift from us.”

“Impossible,” Herbert scoffed at once. “Do you think I don’t know Gerald? He’d part with this robe? In your dreams.”

Kareem replied weakly, “The Immortal Venerable told him not to be stingy.”

“…Ah.” Herbert snorted. “Now that makes sense.”

After Malcolm’s matter was settled, Kareem looked around the valley. “Which one of you is Mr. Freya?”

Herbert stepped aside. Kareem had recognized him the moment he entered, but since the man called himself Devourer, he hadn’t exposed him.

He bowed respectfully to the seemingly ordinary middle-aged man. “Mr. Freya, my Master asked me to convey his greetings.”

Devourer’s expression remained indifferent. He gave a slight nod but said nothing more. Only then did the others realize that Devourer had once been a disciple of a prestigious sect.

Flower Wife had already suspected as much. When he’d casually produced a Heaven-ranked cultivation technique before, she’d known he came from a major sect—she just hadn’t known which one.

“Flower Wife,” Kareem continued, “Miss Lauren sends her regards.”

Flower Wife smiled faintly. “How is that girl?”

“She’s well. She’s waiting outside.”

“That’s good. That’s good.”

Flower Wife had once possessed shocking talent. At a young age, she’d reached heights many cultivators never touched in their entire lives. Among cultivators, she was still considered young—just over a thousand years old.

But her appearance told a different story.

After the upheaval back then, she had aged overnight—from an eighteen-year-old girl to a frail old woman. Forced into hiding in Sky-covering Valley, surviving day by day.

Having delivered every message, Kareem prepared to leave. No one made things difficult for him.

Butcher glanced at Devourer and chuckled. “Well, that clears up Devourer’s background. So—what about you two? Where the hell did you come from?”

The two reclusive weapon refiners and array masters exchanged a look. They ignored him completely and walked off.

Butcher clicked his tongue. “Tsk. Those two are something else.”

He turned to Tyler. “You were the first one here out of all of us. Know where they’re from?”

Tyler shook his head. “No idea. They were already here when I arrived.”

Those two had been obsessing over breaking the valley’s formation to escape. They rarely interacted with anyone. Their origins remained a mystery.

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