White clouds blanketed the sky like a canopy, and cliff winds blew, stirring the vast expanse into undulating waves thousands of zhang high.
The crisp ring of fingers tapping against a sword scattered on the wind, and Lian Rusu spoke calmly again. “In the Empire, even a pure threat from Ruin Spirits might be better than the other possibilities.”
After the crisis with the Nation-Securing Chart in the Empire, the sects across the Nine Provinces had pitied the Empire for its lack of a ruler and shown leniency in many matters. Yet deep down, they harbored vigilance. They had refrained from interfering in the Empire’s affairs due to the established rules of thousands of years—sparking a war among the Immortal Dao sects would stir the Return to Ruins, leading to even worse outcomes. The current situation resulted from weighing pros and cons; it did not mean the sects fully endorsed the Empire’s use of its people.
Xiang Yingshou fell silent.
Lian Rusu’s concerns made sense. If those two had been corrupted by Ruin Spirits, the sects of the Nine Provinces would detect it immediately. But if they had not been corrupted and yet did something unconventional, it would be hard to guard against. They could not gamble on that “what if.” After pondering seriously for a moment, Xiang Yingshou said, “If the Sect Master wishes to go, then go.”
As for objections from the Empire, she could anticipate them. The Empire’s reputation in the Dharma Realm was already tarnished, and Taiyi Sect was only responding to a cultivator’s plea, not meddling arbitrarily in the Empire’s governance.
Xiang Yingshou suddenly asked, “How has the Sect Master’s divine ability progressed?”
Lian Rusu replied, “I gained insight from the Daoist manual gifted by Fellow Daoist Shangshan. Cave Heaven cultivators have ways to shield their mindscapes from divination, and for those of lower realms, it suffices to keep them from glimpsing my true form.”
She did not linger at the cliffside. With a nod to Xiang Yingshou, she transformed into a streak of escaping light and soared away. Her cultivation had now reached the Cave Heaven Second Layer, allowing her to retract and extend her aura at will. Yet as a Cave Heaven Realm cultivator, how could she avoid alerting fellow Daoists? Not long after Lian Rusu left Taiyi Sect, the Tianyan Mirror buzzed with activity.
“That aura feels unfamiliar—Cave Heaven Realm, originating from Taiyi Sect. Could it be Taiyi Sect Master herself?” The speaker was Fu Luo, a Cave Heaven cultivator from Joy Sect and the sect master’s junior sister. She poked Xiang Yingshou’s name seal and roused the awareness of her fellow Daoists immersed in the Tianyan Mirror.
“Didn’t Fellow Daoist Xiang say your sect master was in seclusion?”
“Seclusion? Fellow Daoist Lian simply didn’t want to see you lot.” Qin Lianxin interjected abruptly.
“Qin Lianxin, isn’t Wind Moon Heartless Sect the least welcome in the Dharma Realm?”
“Fellow Daoists, enough quarreling. Fellow Daoist Lian headed toward the Empire? Fellow Daoist Xiang, say something.” Fu Luo, eager for gossip, not only jabbed Xiang Yingshou’s seal relentlessly but also pinged Chu Jiangkuo guarding the Path of No Return and Lian Wuya, still in seclusion at Taiyi. After several breaths with no response from Taiyi cultivators, Fu Luo, ever one to stir the pot, specifically messaged Rong Yin. “What do you think, Fellow Daoist Rong? Will that Return to Ruins Gap, thousands of li away, belong to Taiyi Sect in the end, or to you?”
Xiang Yingshou had not wanted to engage in the chatter, but as Fu Luo grew more insistent, she let out a cold laugh. “Fellow Daoist Ning Suhin, rein in your junior sister. Could it be that after Days and Nights with the Vicious Junior Sister, you’ve been drained of your vital energy, too exhausted even to speak in the Tianyan Mirror?”
Qin Lianxin asked curiously, “What Days and Nights?”
Xiang Yingshou: “Days and Nights with the Vicious Junior Sister. I trust Joy Sect disciples wouldn’t dare slander two Cave Heaven True Persons, but a certain vicious someone might.”
Fu Luo: “…”
Xiang Yingshou dropped that line and withdrew, deftly shifting the drama onto Joy Sect’s two leads. Yet she found no quick respite. Chu Jiangkuo, guarding the Path of No Return, had seen the messages. A illusory projection of her appeared before Xiang Yingshou.
“Eldest Senior Sister, the Sect Master went to the Empire?” Chu Jiangkuo’s brows knitted tight, anger simmering in her eyes. Were it not for her duties, she would chase after her to the Empire. The Nation-Securing Chart crisis lingered fresh; if the Sect Master went to the Empire—Chu Jiangkuo dared not think further. The mere suspicion made her tremble.
“Third Junior Sister, the Sect Master has her reasons in the end.” Xiang Yingshou rubbed her brow and sighed softly.
“But anywhere else would be fine—why the Empire?” Chu Jiangkuo raised her voice. “You know what the Empire is like!”
Xiang Yingshou said gently, “But those reckless madmen died in the Nation-Securing Chart. Now Rong Yin and Liang Daoqi handle the Empire’s affairs.”
Chu Jiangkuo’s eyes blazed with fury. “The Empire’s Cave Heaven scoundrels are all cut from the same cloth!”
Xiang Yingshou opened her mouth to respond but swallowed her words upon seeing Chu Jiangkuo’s reddened eyes. She said, “We both know Little Junior Sister’s capabilities well. If she chooses to go to the Empire, we trust her.”
Chu Jiangkuo fell silent. After a long while, she ground her teeth and spat bitterly, “Don’t let me hear of any objections from the Empire!”
In Tianhe Village of White Sun Town in the Empire.
Upon receiving the news, Liang Daoqi arrived first at this newborn Return to Ruins Gap. The Return to Ruins Realm constantly clashed with the Nine Provinces, widening the rift considerably. The area had once been sparse in vital energy, but after the impact, it brimmed with dense, turbulent vital energy. It would gradually evolve into a blessed land for cultivators’ training, though the gap’s level remained uncertain, as did the realm of the Ruin Spirits it might spawn.
Liang Daoqi did not meet Shi Yu, who lingered nearby. She instructed the cultivators below to evacuate nearby mortals as swiftly as possible, clearing at least a thousand li. Cultivators could train amid it, but mortals could not withstand the vital energy’s assault—some lucky ones might embark on the immortal path, but most would die corrupted by Ruin Spirits or descend into inexplicable madness.
After a moment’s thought, Liang Daoqi turned into a streak of escaping light and plunged into the Return to Ruins Gap. She had no time to search for fallen cultivators but headed straight for the true rift. Only there could she gauge its danger.
Not long after Liang Daoqi vanished, a brilliant azure sword light tore through the sky, arriving with thunderous momentum. The sword qi gleamed radiantly, and the bizarre rift in the heavens seemed cleaved in two, the twisted mists taking several breaths to reform.
Upon reaching the Return to Ruins Gap, Lian Rusu did not enter the rift directly. Her divine sense enveloped thousands of li, easily sensing tens of thousands of mortals in the region. Though Empire cultivators moved to relocate them, their efficiency proved low. Flying boats hovered in the air as they seized the chance to select children with spiritual roots, abducting them forcibly. They even demanded fees for the evacuation.
These acts might not have been Liang Daoqi’s orders, but given the Empire cultivators’ nature, she would overlook the mortals.
She sought results, nothing more.
Hearing a few mentions in the Tianyan Mirror differed from witnessing it firsthand. Lian Rusu suddenly recalled Li Ruoshui’s words about “acting on Heaven’s behalf.” A flicker of anger and sorrow stirred in her serene mind. Strictly speaking, she had come for the Return to Ruins Gap; the rest was the Empire’s internal affair. Yet those cries of pain, those faces numb with despair, flashed unbidden in her mindsea.
She took a deep breath. With a flick, she sent forth her Dharma sword and pinched a hand seal, unleashing a divine ability called “Kunpeng Transformation.” A long, ethereal cry rang out. Azure light bloomed, and an immense kun projection, vast enough to blanket the heavens and earth, soared forth. It swept downward like a gentle breeze, lifting all the mortals with an invisible force onto its back.
Even Shi Yu, hiding in the shadows to observe the Return to Ruins Gap, could not resist that soft power and was hoisted onto the kun’s back.
“Fellow Daoist, please take these beings and resettle them,” a gentle voice echoed in Shi Yu’s mindsea.
Shi Yu shuddered. Glancing back at the gap revealed no hazy figure, not even lingering mists. Turning to the varied expressions on the kun’s back, she blinked. How to resettle them? Did that senior know she was not an Empire cultivator? Perhaps take them all to the East Sea? A bold idea struck Shi Yu. She whispered to the kun, “Head to the East Sea?”
The illusory kun actually turned, traversing hundreds of li in an instant.
Shi Yu: “…” She inhaled sharply and hurriedly messaged her master.
Moments later, Ying Wu Gui replied: “That is Taiyi Sect Master. In that case, bring them all back.”
Tianyan Mirror.
Though the major sects’ Cave Heaven True Persons refrained from interfering, they still watched the spectacle.
Upon seeing the great kun carry tens of thousands of beings toward the East Sea, the projected avatars exchanged glances. That was a Cave Heaven True Person’s grand divine ability—unless Rong Yin acted personally, no one could intercept those tens of thousands.
Yet Rong Yin did not act. Her projection appeared in the Tianyan Mirror, fixing on Xiang Yingshou. “What is the meaning of this?”
Before Xiang Yingshou could reply, Chu Jiangkuo’s figure manifested. She eyed Rong Yin impatiently and sneered. “Ask your Empire cultivators what they did. My junior sister is upright and aboveboard; if she did this, your Empire cultivators must have erred.”
“Whatever crimes our Empire cultivators committed are our internal matters. Fellow Daoist Lian sending tens of thousands of subjects to the East Sea is still improper,” Rong Yin said calmly.
“When your Empire begged fellow Daoists to resolve the Nation-Securing Chart crisis, why wasn’t that an ‘internal matter’?” Qin Lianxin sneered, her indifferent gaze landing on Rong Yin. “Doesn’t the Empire value rules and hierarchy most? Only the Emperor has the standing to speak with Fellow Daoist Lian. What are you, Rong Yin? Merely acting as regent—do you fancy yourself the Empire’s master?”
Where Empire and Wind Moon Heartless Sect True Persons appeared, a war of words ensued. The other sects, unwilling to get involved, remained silent.
Rong Yin’s eyes flickered. “Are you bullying our Empire for lacking a ruler?”
Qin Lianxin regarded her coldly. “If we were truly bullying you, Wind Moon Heartless Sect would have razed your Empire long ago to avenge my senior sister, the sect master!”
At Qin Lianxin’s mention of Rong Qing, Rong Yin’s heightened emotions ebbed like receding tides. She pressed her lips and said, “No one knows exactly what happened in the Nation-Securing Chart. I regret Senior Sister Rong’s matter deeply, but the Emperor perished in that battle too. Our Empire’s losses were no less than yours!”
“Was the Nation-Securing Chart’s ambush orchestrated by your imperial clan? Did your imperial clan unleash that Cave Heaven Realm Ruin Spirit? Was it your Rong clansmen who got corrupted?” Qin Lianxin shot Rong Yin a disgusted look. “If you weren’t senior sister’s cousin, you’d be dead already.”
