Late summer showers came with strong winds and quick rains, then went away in a hurry, leaving behind muddy puddles in mountain roads and ravines.

*Stomp stomp---*

The hooves of strong and heavy horses stomped into the puddles, causing mud and water to fly in all directions.

In the forest outside the east gate of **Heavenly Gate City**, two fierce-looking dark horses were walking side by side.

A woman wearing a bamboo hat was sitting sideways on the taller horse.

The woman held a flute made of black jade, and as she pressed her fingers lightly on the flute holes, a sweet sound spread far and wide, causing other riders and pedestrians on the road to turn their heads and look.

Because of the veil of the bamboo hat, passersby could only vaguely see the woman's red glazed lips biting the mouth of the flute, as well as her black hair blowing in the wind.

The woman's name was Gu Mingxin.

When she was just a year old, she met the ***Heavenly Demon*** Sect Patriarch by chance and was accepted as his personal disciple.

During these sixteen years, she had devotedly cultivated in the ***Heavenly Demon*** Sect, and finally, after sacrificing more than two hundred contemporary disciples, she succeeded in forming a demonic core and became a demonic cultivator in the *Core Formation* stage.

Three months ago, the ***Heavenly Demon*** Sect Patriarch gave her the task of sneaking into the ***Imperial*** Sect in the **Central Region** to instigate the war between the ***Imperial*** Sect and the ***Demon Clan***. It would be best if the Demon King and the **Central Region** Emperor could fight directly face to face.

The fight between two *Void Returning* cultivators was bound to involve thousands of people. If they fought relentlessly, not to mention the **Heavenly Gate City**, the two of them would destroy even the entire **Central Region**.

As the saying goes, the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind*.

The ***Heavenly Demon*** Sect wanted to be like the oriole. After the ***Demon Clan*** and the ***Imperial*** Sect brought each other enough damage, they would break through the Great Wall on the east side of the **Central Region** and take back all the land that once belonged to demonic cultivators.

In other words, Gu Mingxin was the first arrow that the ***Heavenly Demon*** Sect shot at the Immortal Family.

At this time, the young man in black who was riding on the other horse next to Gu Mingxin looked at the east gate of **Heavenly Gate City** ahead and reminded her. "Sister Mingxin, we are here."

The melodious sound of the flute stopped suddenly. Gu Mingxin gently put down the black jade flute, slightly lifted the veil with her pale fingers, and looked forward.

When she saw the tea stall at the city gate, her red eyes hidden under the bamboo hat narrowed slightly, and there was a look of disdain in them.

Then, with a smile on her face, she steered her horse close to her junior brother's, then reached out and tucked his hair behind his ear.

"Brother, do you regret it?"

The black-clad young man's eyes fell on the pale hand touching his ear, and his breathing became noticeably faster.

He gulped. "I am yours from birth, and I will die yours. I will do whatever you want me to do, Sister, and I will never complain, uhm---"

"Good boy."

Gu Mingxin's fingers gently traced along the young man's face and landed on his neck. For a moment, he seemed to have ascended to the sky, his eyes were blurred, his breathing was disordered, and he almost fell down from the horse.

Seeing this, Gu Mingxin showed a trace of a smile, gently pulled the horse's rein, and then led it toward the city gate.

At this time, a voice sounded in her mind. *"Mingxin, you really have bad taste."*

Immediately, a small figure emitting a black light appeared above her head. The black halo emanating from its body even dimmed the sunlight that originally shone over Gu Mingxin.

"Xue'e, don't lie on my head. I can't see the road."

*"Yes, yes, yes..."*

The little dark figure called "Xue'e" floated into the sky, turned around, and looked at the little brother of the ***Heavenly Demon*** Sect who had just been incited by Gu Mingxin and had not come back to his senses until now. *"Mingxin, don't you like Brother Xu?"*

"I like him." Gu Mingxin answered immediately as she looked back at the brother behind her. "Who wouldn't like him when he is so nice and handsome? All sisters in the sect pamper him as much as they can."

*"Then, why did you still take him with you?"*

"He is willing to die for me, and I'll bury him with gratitude. Isn't it the same as those romance stories in books?"

Xue'e rolled her eyes at her, then thought for a while before asking, *"Mingxin, do you have any thoughts of finding a man? There are a lot of disciples in the ***Heavenly Demon*** Sect who are willing to be your male pets, so pick one at random and use him. Practicing dual cultivation is much faster than practicing alone."*

"Heh, those people are not worthy." Gu Mingxin let out an evil smile. "No one is qualified to be my male pet if they aren't at least as good as my master."

*"You like the old man?"*

"I only said to be like my master, but not an old man like my master." Gu Mingxin thought for a while and pursed her lips. "It is best to be about the same age as me, with a mature and restrained temperament, and a great mind. Also, it's best if he has a wife or something. As for cultivation and qualifications... there's no requirement. Anyway, there is no one with better qualifications than me in this world."

Xue'e thought it was quite normal, but then she suddenly felt that something was wrong.

?

She blinked, frowning. *"Huh? Why is there a wife?"*

Gu Mingxin jokingly explained, "A woman watches her husband fall under my charm step by step. She is so angry but she is helpless. She wants to kill me but is stopped by her husband. This kind of plot... Isn't it wonderful?"

*"Well..."*

Xue'e sighed slightly and simply stopped talking. Her figure gradually disappeared from above Gu Mingxin's head.

Gu Mingxin straightened the bamboo hat on her head, took out a sword from her storage bag, and tied it on her belt before steering her horse to the city gate.

Taking out a sect disciple identity card she got from the storage bag of an Immortal cultivator a few days ago, she showed it to the soldiers guarding the city, and then she and her brother passed through the city gate smoothly.

Entering the city, they passed through the *Eastern District*'s bustling streets. Because of the hot and stuffy weather, many cultivators gathered in the teahouses to enjoy the coolness. You could vaguely hear those people chatting about the actions of the ***Demon Clan***:

"I asked around a few days ago, and it seems that the ***Demon Clan*** has already broken through **Safe Pass**. They are only about a thousand miles away from **Heavenly Gate City**. But it's strange. There are no refugees from the West coming here. I thought a lot of people would come this way, and I prepared a lot of goods, but I can't sell them now."

"It's probably because the city was massacred and no one got away. What else... The ***Demon Clan*** always had a grudge against human cultivators. Isn't it normal to destroy the city?"

"Then, shouldn't we run?"

"Run where? **Heavenly Gate City** is the safest place in the **Central Region**. The Emperor is here. If the city is captured, then we will die wherever we run. Besides, the city must be surrounded by a *Void Returning* cultivator's spell formation, so the ***Demon Clan*** won't be able to fight their way in."

"What if they lay siege to the city but don't attack it?"

"Then, let them do it. Let's see how long the ***Demon Clan*** dares to surround the city. When the ***Black Star*** Sect of the **Western Region** and the ***Bright Star*** Sect of the **Southern Region** arrive, the ***Demon Clan*** will be the one surrounded."

...

The news of the ***Demon Clan*** crossing the border had spread throughout **Heavenly Gate City** these days, but most of the cultivators in the city were, just like these people, not taking it seriously.

Walking down the street on horseback, Gu Mingxin listened to this chatter with a sneer. "These immortal cultivators are really laid back~ I can't wait to see what expressions these people will show when they face the sharp claws of the ***Demon Clan***."

"Of course, they will regret it." The junior from the ***Heavenly Demon*** Sect who was following her replied with a smile. He looked at a restaurant not far ahead and said, "Big sister, let's stop at the restaurant in front. You've been on the road for so long and you're tired. I will massage your feet later..."

Gu Mingxin glanced at him and smiled. "I'm not tired, but my horse is. You can massage its legs."

"I'll be extremely honored."

"Heh..."

Gu Mingxin chuckled and looked casually toward both sides of the street.

But in the next moment, her red eyes under the hat narrowed slightly, and her initially carefree gaze instantly became alert.

A girl holding a roasted chicken and walking on the sidewalk caught her attention.

The girl had this rarely-seen silver hair.

However, what attracted her was not the girl's silver hair, but the golden figure on her shoulder that was very similar to her Xue'e.