"I have received confirmed information that the Shushan survivor is hiding within Yellow Sand City," Huang Chengqian declared.

"Let me tell you about this Shushan remnant. After Shushan's destruction, he mysteriously disappeared for thirty years. Now that he's resurfaced, he has already annihilated several sects. Not long ago, over thirty factions in Jiangnan - including the Extreme Demonic Hall - were slaughtered. After the massacre, the Shushan survivor deliberately left witnesses alive, proclaiming himself as Li Xuanxiao, disciple of Shushan's Silver Sword Peak. He claims to have returned for revenge against the entire world! Hah! Ridiculous. Now he's come to Yellow Sand City. His intention couldn't be clearer - he wants to destroy my Yellow Sand Sect. I know you're listening right now, Li Xuanxiao, hiding somewhere in this city like a gutter rat, fantasizing about your grand revenge? Let me make this clear - I don't fear you in the slightest. Not some obscure former Shushan disciple, not even if your senior brother Xue Yun rose from the grave! Let me enlighten you - I've personally killed countless Shushan disciples. My master orchestrated Shushan's destruction - Goushengzi, Zhongzhou's foremost fortune master! So Li Xuanxiao, you want revenge? Come! I'll be waiting at the Yellow Sand Sect. Try your luck!" Huang Chengqian's voice thundered across the sky, audible not just throughout Yellow Sand City but even to the nearby Snakefolk Tribe.

..........

Half an hour earlier.

Li Xuanxiao and Nan Gongwan had entered a teahouse. The establishment was reasonably elegant, though Nan Gongwan, coming from aristocracy with refined tea standards, glanced at the brew and immediately lost all desire to drink. Li Xuanxiao had no such pretensions, downing his cup in one gulp. Nan Gongwan shot him a sidelong glance, her expression betraying faint disgust.

Even under Li Xuanxiao's control amidst the desert sands, Nan Gongwan maintained impeccable dignity. When not carrying out his tasks, she always wore spotless white robes with meticulously applied makeup, refusing to let herself go like others might. From various observations, she had deduced Li Xuanxiao was likely a rogue cultivator without backing, his methods more akin to demonic practitioners. She estimated his cultivation at the Golden Core Stage. Currently, she contemplated how to remove the parasitic gu worm and escape his control. Perhaps she could seek help from Huang Chengqian, Yellow Sand Sect's leader - she'd met him once with her grandfather. As the foremost disciple of Zhongzhou's top fortune master, they even shared distant familial ties.

Suddenly, Huang Chengqian's voice boomed through the air. Nan Gongwan listened intently until the words "Shushan remnant Li Xuanxiao" struck her like lightning. Her expression transformed as she stared at Li Xuanxiao in disbelief.

The corners of Li Xuanxiao's mouth curled slightly in a mocking half-smile, his posture relaxed against the chairback. Yet his eyes burned with contempt as they fixed on the distant colossal statue of Huang Chengqian - the imposing figure standing like a ruler of this domain. There was no reverence in that gaze, only undisguised scorn.

"Waiting for me? Fine. You'll regret those words." Li...Li Xuanxiao!?

Nan Gongwan's mind reeled. She'd assumed him a rogue cultivator, probably some sect traitor. But Shushan!? At twenty-seven, she was young by cultivation standards. Shushan's destruction predated her by thirty years - to her, it existed only in elders' tales, a near-mythical legend. And now she discovered she'd been traveling with an actual Shushan disciple! Her already pale face drained further of color.

Official histories painted Shushan as wicked - powerful cultivators running amok in Zhongzhou, committing countless atrocities, even colluding with foreign demons before being righteously purged by united forces. But as a noble daughter, she knew the truth: Shushan had grown too powerful, provoking collective fear until the world turned against them. Learning her companion's true identity left her emotions in turmoil - awe mingled with apprehension. Previously she'd respected his strength but inwardly dismissed him as mere rogue trash. Now everything changed.

At that moment, Huang Chengqian waved his hand. Several skeletons dropped from the sky as his voice rang out again: "These are all Shushan disciples. Li Xuanxiao, you want revenge for your sectmates? Come claim your brothers' remains! They died with eyes wide open, their corpses left to rot under sun and wind, souls denied rest!"

Nan Gongwan noticed Li Xuanxiao's expression darken. The way he looked at Huang Chengqian was how one regards the dead.

..........

Xiao Qing withdrew her gaze. "Shushan remnant, wait-" She froze as realization struck. Di Nü Feng had said "Li Xuanxiao ordered you to stay." Li Xuanxiao? A Shushan disciple? She gasped, staring at the man in shock. "You...you're from Shushan!?"

Calmly, Li Xuanxiao confirmed, "Yes, Silver Sword Peak disciple. Does this change your willingness to cooperate?"

Xiao Qing hesitated precisely two seconds before lunging to hug his leg. "A living Shushan disciple! Give me your autograph! My ticket to riches!" she babbled excitedly. "I'll guarantee your escape from Yellow Sand City if you take me to the Dust Burial Reincarnation Mirror. Deal?"

After brief consideration, Xiao Qing countered, "The Mirror is guarded by the Serpent God. As Golden Family, I risked death stealing just one fragment after years of preparation."

"Leave that to me. If I survived the world's purge of Shushan, I can take the Mirror." Li Xuanxiao radiated absolute confidence.

Xiao Qing's lively eyes darted thoughtfully before she finally nodded. Then she noticed Li Xuanxiao's sudden expression change.

At the teahouse counter, Li Xuanxiao's clone looked up in astonishment as his Self Corpse swaggered through the entrance.