Ming Lan stepped out of the Sun Light Sect’s main gate and gazed silently at the clear sky for a long time.
Back in the room, when Yu Ci had made his stance clear, the looks directed at her had shifted. Those shrewd individuals had sensed something unusual. No one believed Yu Ci was acting without reason—and even if he were, Xie Yan had been sitting in the room the entire time. Though the man hadn’t uttered a word, his silence was tacit approval. This practically announced that the Mysterious Moon Sect had withdrawn from the feast of dividing the Sun Light Sect’s abundant resources.
Yet Ming Lan wasn’t the least bit surprised.
She stood on the steps before the main gate for a while. The carriage was already prepared, surrounded by several high-ranking members of the Mysterious Moon Sect—mostly women—whose faces were filled with indignation. The fruits of their hard-fought battle throughout the night had been wiped away with a single sentence. The only reason they hadn’t erupted on the spot was Ming Lan’s towering prestige within the sect.
Stepping into the carriage unhurriedly, Ming Lan signaled their return to the Mystery Seeking Palace.
Her cultivation method was unique, and her physical constitution was far weaker than that of the Golden Elixir cultivators—even compared to those at her own Divine Connectivity level. The night’s fierce battle, coupled with the weight on her mind, had left her utterly exhausted. Once inside the carriage, she reclined against the seat, closing her eyes to rest. Half-asleep, she seemed to hear the rolling of thunder overhead.
After last night’s great battle, the city remained tense, its inhabitants still shaken.
The Mystery Seeking Palace was nearly deserted, with only a handful of devotees lingering before its gates.
The carriage stopped at the palace entrance. As Ming Lan stepped out, another faint rumble of thunder echoed in the distance. The sect elders accompanying her looked puzzled, but Ming Lan remained unperturbed. She summoned a disciple who had stayed behind and inquired about Chi Yin’s whereabouts.
“The Master initially intended to embark on a long journey, but for some reason, she changed her mind at the last moment. She is now resting in the rear courtyard.”
Hearing the disciple’s reply, Ming Lan paused briefly in thought. After giving a few instructions to the elders with her, she did not head to the rear courtyard where Chi Yin was but instead turned toward the great hall enshrining the golden statue of the Immortal Xuan Yin.
With so few devotees today, the hall was empty save for a single disciple tending to the shrine.
Ming Lan meticulously adjusted her attire, washed her hands, and cleansed her face before kneeling in devout worship. The disciple stole glances at her—this revered Dharma Preceptor, known for her kindness and approachability, was deeply admired by the sect’s disciples. Her piety and selflessness were especially revered. Watching her pay homage to the Immortal, the disciple couldn’t help but try to emulate her dignified bearing.
After performing the grand rites, Ming Lan knelt before the golden statue, eyes closed, reciting prayers. The disciple faintly caught the verses of the Origin Vow Sutra, a scripture extolling the Immortal’s divine powers and expressing unwavering devotion. Ming Lan recited the thousand-word sutra ten times in a steady, unhurried voice, a process that took over an hour. By the time she rose, the sun had climbed to its zenith.
Only then did Ming Lan proceed to the rear courtyard. Along the way, she asked another disciple and learned that Chi Yin had not left but had also not attended to any sect affairs, remaining in meditation within her quiet chamber.
Without further delay, Ming Lan went straight to Chi Yin’s quarters. She knocked several times at the door but received no response. Finally, she pushed it open and entered.
The chamber was spacious but sparsely furnished—only a desk and a mat, with at most an incense burner atop the desk. It was a stark contrast to the owner’s usual style.
Chi Yin stood with her back to the door, pacing slowly.
At the sound of the door opening, she turned her head. Seeing Ming Lan, she turned away expressionlessly, fixing her gaze on the bronze mirror placed on the desk without moving again.
Her attire differed from the previous night. The opulent robes were gone, replaced by the sect’s customary cloak and hood. Her jet-black hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall, shimmering under the chamber’s pearl light as if veiled in mist. In truth, this mist-like aura already surrounded her, faint yet discernible, especially when she stood still.
Ming Lan’s round face still carried a smile. After bowing, she studied Chi Yin for a moment before recounting the events at Dan Cliff, regardless of whether the other woman wished to listen. Of course, she did not omit Yu Ci’s stance or the potential consequences it might bring.
Chi Yin kept her eyes on the bronze mirror, not turning around. A cold laugh escaped her lips. “That lowly runaway s1ave—his skill at acting high and mighty by clinging to someone else’s power has truly improved.”
Ming Lan pretended not to hear the remark and simply asked, “The Master prepared to leave but then stayed. Was it because…?”
Chi Yin replied indifferently, “The Rifting Earth Sect is quite the hospitable host. Xie Yan personally detained me, waiting in the skies for over an hour. Did you not see him, Dharma Preceptor Ming?”
Ming Lan lowered her eyes. “Sword energy blanketing the heavens, thunder resonating through the firmament—Xie Yan’s mastery of the sword path can indeed be called a display of grand ambition.”
“Grand ambition… Grand ambition to stand up for a dog!”
Chi Yin’s words dripped with icy venom. “I avoided direct conflict with him, yet he grows ever more brazen. Others may fear his sky-rending sword techniques, but in a true life-and-death battle, the victor is yet to be decided!”
Ming Lan neither agreed nor disagreed with Chi Yin’s harsh words. She took two steps forward, standing beside her to observe the bronze mirror on the desk. The mirror’s surface shimmered faintly, while the desk beneath it bore a scorched ring—proof of the intense heat radiating from it.
Chi Yin made no attempt to hide anything. The two had discussed this mirror at length the previous night, but she had held firm to her stance—and she remained unwavering now. “If you’re still planning to spout nonsense about ‘returning it to its rightful owner,’ save your breath.”
Ming Lan’s brows furrowed slightly, but she said nothing.
Yet Chi Yin’s temper flared. “After that d*mned elder brother of mine died, I became the sole master of this Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror. Back then, that s1ave took advantage of our battle against a powerful enemy, stealing the treasure and fleeing when we were too occupied to stop him. Over a decade later, he’s suddenly an outer disciple of the Rifting Earth Sect… But no matter what, he remains a runaway s1ave. For the Rifting Earth Sect to shield such a dog is absurd enough—if I were to back down now, I’d be a laughingstock for all eternity!”
Her voice carried unmistakable emotion, revealing that being blocked by Xie Yan for over an hour had left her far less composed than she appeared.
Ming Lan considered this but chose not to dwell on the matter. Instead, she steered the conversation toward the mirror, aligning with Chi Yin’s mood: “This treasure still seems to resonate with someone at a distance? Why not store it in a spatial ring to sever the connection?”
Chi Yin glanced at her, her temper cooling slightly. “That’s one of this mirror’s peculiar traits. Even if placed inside a spatial ring, it maintains a link to the outside world, destabilizing the storage void. Keeping it there would only invite trouble.”
“Oh?”
This was the first Ming Lan had heard of such a thing, and she was genuinely surprised.
Chi Yin stared at the bronze mirror on the desk, her expression complex.
“My d*mned elder brother acquired this mirror over a century ago during the great upheaval of the Northern Demon Sect. According to him, back then, the East Flaming Mountain’s Lu Chen, that old demon, clashed with the Demon Sect. A single strike of his ‘Chaos Thunder Hammer’ sank a hundred-mile stretch of land into a lake, slaughtering countless sect members and reducing countless artifacts—including several renowned treasures—to scrap. This mirror was something he scavenged from the battlefield afterward. Seeing that it bore no obvious damage and was made of extraordinary material, he assumed it was a treasure and brought it back to study. But after years of fruitless research, it was stolen by that runaway s1ave.”
“Now it seems that wretch wasn’t entirely useless. In just over a decade, he actually managed to unlock some of its functions. When he was at Dan Cliff and I was in the Mystery Seeking Palace, separated by ten miles, the resonance never ceased… I imagine even if I truly fled far away, he’d still coax Xie Yan into chasing me down. Hmph! If only I’d used more ‘Soul-Burning Incense’ back then—had I extinguished his soul, I wouldn’t be dealing with this nuisance today!”
After a pause, she sneered. “Last night, Sunset Valley sent Xu Hui to back Jin Huan, only for him to watch as the Sun Light Sect was wiped out. At Heavenly Wings Pavilion, that shadow puppet struck lethally, killing over thirty Divine Connectivity cultivators and above. Even the chaos in Sky Rift Valley hasn’t caused such heavy losses in such a short time. And let’s not even mention how the city’s morale has plummeted compared to before last night. With such turmoil, does he really think Cliff City is purely his to toy with as he pleases?”
“I have my troubles, but his are far greater than mine. I want to see what expression that dog will wear when all this blows up in his face!”
“When that time comes—”
As Chi Yin’s voice trailed off, the chamber’s walls seemed to grow colder.
Ming Lan’s smile faded, her brow shadowed with unease, but in the end, she said nothing.
*****
As for the so called “trouble” in Chi Yin’s words, Yu Ci’s mood was quite different from that of the female cultivator ten miles away.
His discussion with Shi Song and the others had long concluded. In his current physical state, he truly wasn’t fit for mental exertion. Not long after dismissing Ming Lan, Shi Song and the others had taken their leave. Even earlier, Xie Yan had departed to fulfill the task Yu Ci had entrusted to him.
Alone in the room, Yu Ci closed his eyes, and his Void Within the Mind…the Inner Void unfolded before him—a world both familiar and strange.
The same moonlit void, the same forested lake, yet it was far from its usual tranquil state. The storm-stirring “Dragon Fish” was gone, but the full moon above flickered erratically between brightness and dimness. The shadowy forest was now blurred beyond recognition, twisting like a mass of distorted mist, undulating with the void’s own fluctuations. When it occasionally sharpened, it no longer resembled a forest but rather a patchwork of fragmented images.
Among them, Chi Yin and Ming Lan appeared most frequently.
Yu Ci had been observing the other side through the Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror. Though the distance fractured the images, he could still piece together the general situation. Chi Yin would never dream that the mirror could be used this way—her every move was reflected in Yu Ci’s Inner Void, forming the backdrop of the night, laid bare for his scrutiny.
That was how Yu Ci had awakened in time to request Xie Yan’s intervention, trapping Chi Yin in the Mystery Seeking Palace, unable to take a single step beyond it.
Such a mystical feat would be hard for an ordinary person to comprehend without detailed explanation. Yet within the Inner Void, the most unbelievable thing wasn’t this:
Amid the void’s turbulence, the starlight flickered over the central lake, its waters churning violently. Suddenly, a dark shadow burst forth, writhing wildly in the void. The spray of water, illuminated by the moon’s glow, scattered like shattered jade, breathtakingly beautiful.
It was the Dragon Fish that had vanished earlier!
The moment the Dragon Fish appeared, the void’s turbulence intensified, as if the entire space now revolved around it. At the same time, the creature’s glossy black body exuded a faint mist that dissipated into the void, vanishing in an instant.
The Inner Void’s agitation was too intense, its impact too heavy. Yu Ci didn’t linger long before withdrawing, smacking his lips as if savoring something. His keen senses detected an indescribable scent in the room’s air—something peculiar and elusive.
Just then, the door creaked open. Xie Yan stepped in, his expression impassive, though his gaze softened slightly when he saw Yu Ci’s improved complexion. “I’ve done as you asked… though your method is needlessly convoluted. If you dislike her so much, why not just go and cut her down with a single stroke? What’s the point of this stalemate?”
“There’s a reason for it.”
Yu Ci smiled, about to explain, when a loud laugh interrupted from outside.
“Hah! Old Man Xie, your junior’s still alive?”
With a boisterous chuckle, Xu Hui strode in, his yellowed beard and hair contrasting with the frost in his eyes.
Yu Ci glanced at him, then turned back to Xie Yan with a grin.
“Uncle Master, this is precisely why.”