Chapter 520: And this barrier was Yu Xian.

With a deafening ‘boom,’ Nangong Pushi and Wang Xianzhi clashed in midair, erupting once more in a sound that split the eardrums.

Raging energy swept out like a tsunami, shattering the surrounding clouds.

Nangong Pushi’s saber rainbow intertwined with the golden flame in Wang Xianzhi’s palm, forming a blinding radiance that made it nearly impossible for the distant onlookers to open their eyes.

Nangong Pushi felt a sharp pain shoot through both arms; the web between her thumb and forefinger split, and fresh blood trickled down the saber hilt, dripping into the churning sea below. Yet, she gritted her teeth tightly, pouring the last trace of strength within her body into her dual sabers, causing the light of the saber rainbow to flare even brighter.

Wang Xianzhi, however, was also swaying precariously, his aura draining away. Clearly, he no longer possessed the strength to fight on.

If he ended the battle now and returned to recuperate, he still had a chance to survive.

But judging by Nangong Pushi’s demeanor, she did not look like someone who would let Wang Xianzhi off!

“City Lord!” Seeing Wang Xianzhi defeated but Nangong Pushi showing no sign of stopping, the Twelve Martial Slaves angrily tried to intervene, but they were blocked by an invisible wall of Qi casually erected by Yu Xian. No matter how they channeled their power to strike it, the Qi wall remained utterly still.

The Twelve Martial Slaves’ faces flushed red, their eyes filled with anxiety and unwillingness, yet they could only watch helplessly as Nangong Pushi’s saber light, carrying a biting killing intent, pressed in once more toward the weakened Wang Xianzhi.

Wang Xianzhi looked at the rapidly approaching saber shadow. There was no fear on his face; instead, a bitter, relieved smile appeared. He murmured softly, “In the end… I could not escape this Karma…”

He slowly closed his eyes, seemingly giving up all resistance, waiting only for the blade edge that would end everything to fall.

“Puchi!”

Nangong Pushi’s saber severed Wang Xianzhi’s last thread of vitality.

Wang Xianzhi was dead; the revenge was complete. A look of relief dawned on Nangong Pushi’s face, then, with a soft ‘poof,’ she spat out a mouthful of blood and plummeted from the sky like a kite whose string had been cut.

Yu Xian moved in an instant, appearing beside her, steadying her securely in his arms, and placing a Medicinal Pill into her mouth.

Nangong Pushi leaned weakly against Yu Xian’s chest. The relieved smile on her lips had not yet faded, but her eyes slowly closed. She had clearly exhausted herself into unconsciousness.

Yao Yue and the others rushed forward to check on her. Seeing that although her aura was faint, her life was not in danger, they finally breathed a sigh of relief.

On the city wall, Wang Xianzhi’s body fell stiffly like a piece of deadwood. The deep eyes that had once seen through the world’s storms now lacked all brilliance, only his white hair trembled slightly in the sea breeze, as if narrating the end of a Martial God’s legend.

On the shore, the Twelve Martial Slaves looked at their City Lord’s corpse and knelt down in unison, letting out suppressed, mournful roars. However, blocked by the Qi wall, they could not approach, forced only to watch as tears mixed with unwillingness streamed down their faces.

Yu Xian, holding Nangong Pushi, swept his gaze over the grieving Martial Slaves in the city and the body that was gradually growing cold. He sighed softly, then turned and left with The Women, soaring away.

All that remained behind were the still-trembling city walls, the surging sea waves, and the lingering scent of blood and the desolate wind hanging over Wudi City.

In the Small World.

Nangong Pushi’s injuries had actually healed, but she had not woken up. The Women guarded her anxiously.

“Is she really alright?” Ning Zhongze still asked Yu Xian with concern.

“She should be fine. She is likely comprehending the life-and-death experience and the martial Dao Breakthrough brought about by this battle.

After all, confronting Wang Xianzhi—once hailed as invincible in the mortal world—while being in the Late Stage of the Celestial Realm, contains enough profound truths of the Great Dao to plunge her into a long state of enlightenment.

This comprehension is not deliberate; it is the natural settling process after her body and spirit undergo extreme combat—a Fusion and sublimation of battlefield experience, insights gained from life and death, and a new understanding of her own Saber Dao.

Perhaps her consciousness is currently immersed in some mysterious Realm, sorting through what she gained from this battle. Once she breaks free from the cocoon, her martial Dao Realm is bound to experience a qualitative leap.”

Yu Xian could feel that although Nangong Pushi’s aura was weak, it was exceptionally pure. The Saber Intent within her body seemed to be undergoing a metamorphosis; it was no longer purely sharp and murderous, but now possessed a steadiness and completeness born from experiencing life and death.

This change was not instantaneous; it required time for her consciousness and body to achieve deep integration, internalizing every detail and every insight from this great battle as part of her own martial Dao.

Hearing Yu Xian, the worries of The Women slightly lessened, but they still stayed by her side, their gazes occasionally falling upon Nangong Pushi’s peaceful face, anticipating the transformation when she awoke.

Pei Nanwei saw that not only Yu Xian cared deeply for Nangong Pushi, but Ning Zhongze and the others did as well. It was the first time she had seen such a harmonious family.

She couldn’t help but envy Nangong Pushi. If she also had so many people who cared for her, she would die without regret.

Although she lived in this so-called Beyond the Heavens Small World, and although The Women treated her like a sister, she ultimately felt a barrier existing between them.

And this barrier was Yu Xian.

At King Jingan’s residence, Yu Xian clearly expressed interest the first time he saw her. But now, she had lived in the Small World for so long, she rode horses outside with them during the day, and every time The Women performed acts of chivalry, Yu Xian would protect her by his side because she lacked cultivation.

But…

But from the Qingzhou territory all the way to Wudi City, Yu Xian had maintained an aloof distance from her. There was neither the enthusiastic probing from their first meeting at King Jingan’s residence, nor the natural intimacy he shared with the other sisters.

He would protect her immediately when she encountered danger, and he would offer her a cup of hot tea when she frowned, yet he never made any move that crossed the bounds of propriety, as if those ambiguous words from before were merely her illusion.

Pei Nanwei unconsciously rubbed the hidden pattern on her sleeve, gazing at Yu Xian’s back as he guarded Nangong Pushi, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

She did not understand whether this deliberate restraint stemmed from respect or was another form of distancing—like looking at the moon reflected in water through a thin mist: seemingly within reach, yet never grasping the true warmth.

Pei Nanwei quietly withdrew from Nangong Pushi’s room, walked out of the palace, and wandered alone in the Small World.

After Pei Nanwei left, Ning Zhongze gently nudged Yu Xian and asked, “What are you thinking? You brought her in, yet you remain distant from her.”

Yu Xian paused slightly upon hearing this and whispered, “Her Heart-Nature is sensitive, and she has experienced the infighting of the Prince’s manor; she understands human relationships better than anyone.

If I were to approach rashly, it would only make her feel like a parasitic vine dependent on others.

Some knots in her heart must be untied by herself. Some distance must remain until she truly lets down her guard and is willing to step forward; only then can I respond.”

Ning Zhongze sighed softly and said no more, but a hint of complexity flashed in her eyes.

The Women in this Small World each had their own stories and their own obsessions. What Yu Xian needed to do was never just to protect them, but also to guide them to find the Dao that belonged to them.