Beneath the main hall of Tianyan Peak, inside a top-secret chamber.
Two Tribulation Transcendence cultivators stood on either side of a ritual array.
Their eyes were fixed on Bai Xuanling, who had just entered the array — their gazes held both admiration and regret.
"Even though I told you before, I get the feeling you didn't listen at all last time."
Lü Xuan wore a warm smile as he looked at Bai Xuanling, who had already entered the formation array and sat cross-legged within it.
Bai Xuanling sat with her legs crossed, her gaze serene as she watched Lü Xuan.
He had waited until she was inside the array before beginning his long-winded speech.
Her eyes narrowed slightly, the threat unmistakable:
"I heard you. Skip the nonsense and just begin."
Lü Xuan stood firm, already positioned at the array's primary seat.
Yan Yun carefully handed him a pale golden talisman.
"Oh? Then why don't you repeat what I told you last time, just to verify?"
Lü Xuan gave a slight wave. The pale golden talisman drifted before him, and points of golden light surged toward the array.
Once done, he smiled.
"See? You can't repeat it, can you?"
Seeing Bai Xuanling's slightly irritated expression, Lü Xuan's smile deepened.
"I clearly told you — once your cultivation is unsealed, resealing it becomes far more difficult."
He paused.
"And the side effects you suffer will be worse."
"Was your early Tribulation Transcendence cultivation truly not enough? Did you have to shatter the seal?"
"Think before you act — how many times have I reminded you? What couldn't we handle after the fact?"
"Our founding ancestor didn't leave many of these Shattered Dream Spirit Barrier Talismans behind. Each one used is truly one fewer."
"Supreme Elder Chen and Supreme Elder Lin were both in closed-door cultivation. They dropped everything the moment they heard about your situation and came."
He let out a breath.
"I've noticed — we're the only ones who treat your life like it matters. You seem to not care at all."
Bai Xuanling let out a soft sigh.
If it had been ordinary demons, she naturally wouldn't have torn the seal apart.
But those were likely the Eight Heavenly Demons.
If she had slain those two demons on the spot, the next Great Calamity might have been considerably easier.
Even if she couldn't kill them, inflicting serious injuries would have been a good outcome.
When the potential gains far outweighed the costs, letting fear and hesitation cause her to miss the opportunity...
...then she would never have reached the Tribulation Transcendence realm.
Bai Xuanling didn't want to argue right or wrong with Lü Xuan.
He was saying all of this for her own good, fundamentally.
She conceded as if admitting fault:
"It was my mistake."
Satisfied with the answer, Lü Xuan gently reached out and pressed the golden talisman into the array.
The instant it merged with the array, golden chains rapidly manifested from every point of the formation.
They surged toward Bai Xuanling's body, with several chains striking directly at her Sea of Consciousness.
Yan Yun pressed her lips together. She saw it clearly — the chains weren't binding Bai Xuanling's physical body.
They were binding her meridians and her soul.
Bai Xuanling's eyes were tightly shut. She tilted her head back slightly, without so much as furrowing her brow.
The two Tribulation Transcendence cultivators extended their hands, channeling vast spiritual energy into the array.
Lü Xuan reached toward the array, activating the talisman's effect:
"The pain will naturally be far worse than last time."
"Understand this — there most likely won't be a third time."
"The malevolent intent within you has grown stronger than before. If there's another incident, you might not even be able to stay rational."
He tilted his head slightly.
"You've hidden it quite well these past days. You didn't demolish a few of Tianyan Sect's mountain peaks — was that because you didn't want Xie Lingyu to worry, or because you didn't want Chu Xingchen to find out?"
At these words, Bai Xuanling's eyes snapped open.
The crimson killing intent had materialized into tangible form, coiling around her eyes as faint red dust-light.
Her voice was hoarse and heavy as she snapped:
"Shut your filthy mouth. What does it have to do with you?"
Lü Xuan's face still carried a smile, completely unaffected by Bai Xuanling's furious outburst:
"Your killing intent is tainting your spiritual sense right now. I won't bicker with you."
He placed his hands behind his back.
"It's going to hurt even more now. But rest assured — this is a consequence of the second sealing. It's absolutely not me settling a personal grudge."
Bai Xuanling opened her mouth to speak, but before any words could come out, her eyes closed again.
Yan Yun silently watched her master's expression — one of a man who had finally gotten revenge for a great grievance.
About this, she could only say one thing: it was hard to judge.
——————
For the remainder of the time, Bai Xuanling clearly no longer had the strength to speak.
Lü Xuan fully infused the talisman into the ritual array and finally let out a breath of relief.
He looked toward the two Tribulation Transcendence Supreme Elders maintaining and operating the array.
He cupped his hands in respect.
"I've troubled you both."
"We know you're busy. Go on — we'll handle Bai Xuanling."
"Hmm, give it three to five days, and she'll be bouncing around again, trying to shove some ten-complete great tonic pill down your throat."
"Haven't you been in closed-door cultivation? Where did you hear that rumor?"
"It's rare for me to come out of seclusion. Naturally I had to catch up on recent events."
The elder chuckled.
"I just casually asked a disciple, and the very first thing they mentioned was this."
"Who told you?! These are all rumors! Give me the name — I'll set them straight!"
Supreme Elder Chen raised a hand, channeled spiritual energy, and chuckled.
"You're already the Sect Master — why bicker with the younger generation?"
He smiled.
"It seems the entire Tianyan Sect knows about it. We probably don't have that many years left anyway, so what does it matter if people know?"
"Better to think about how to stop Bai Xuanling from feeding you great tonic pills."
Lü Xuan's expression was hard to describe. He simply left a single line.
"They're all rumors."
Then he hurried out.
Yan Yun sighed softly, bowed slightly to the two Supreme Elders, and departed.
As she left, Yan Yun glanced back at the white figure sealed within the array by several golden barriers.
——————
Lü Xuan walked toward the main hall with his hands behind his back.
Before he even reached it, he noticed someone already waiting for him inside.
After a moment's hesitation, Lü Xuan realized who it was.
He didn't try to avoid them, but continued toward the hall.
"It's been a while, Sect Master Lü. You've been rather busy lately, haven't you?"
Lü Xuan looked at Chu Xingchen, who stood in the center of the hall with a warm smile, greeting him.
He asked curiously:
"Didn't your disciple just break through to the Golden Core realm? How do you have time to visit today?"
"He's just a disciple — a couple of perfunctory words will do."
Chu Xingchen's gaze shifted to Yan Yun, who stood behind Lü Xuan, and he smiled.
"You should understand these principles better than I do, shouldn't you?"
Lü Xuan shot a glance at Yan Yun, then put on a righteous air.
"I have no idea what nonsense you're spouting. With your nature, you never visit without a reason."
He crossed his arms.
"Just say what you need — this Sect Master is very busy."
Chu Xingchen slowly withdrew his smile, his tone turning calm.
"Elder Bai should have already begun sealing her cultivation, correct?"
Lü Xuan didn't answer, merely looking at Chu Xingchen with calm eyes.
Chu Xingchen continued.
"I've come to ask about Elder Bai's true condition."
"You didn't ask before — why choose this exact moment to inquire?"
"Naturally, I couldn't just ask blindly. If Elder Bai didn't want me to know, she has plenty of methods to ensure I never find out."
He spoke evenly.
"So choosing the right moment to ask is crucial. If I ask now, you're not at fault, and neither am I. And she may not necessarily find out."
Lü Xuan's face was solemn.
"Bai Xuanling doesn't want to tell you. Why should I?"
Chu Xingchen replied calmly.
"The reasons I could give may not be what you want to hear. So let's try a different approach — why don't you divine it right here, right now?"
Lü Xuan narrowed his eyes slightly, as if trying to see right through Chu Xingchen.
"Divining might be a bit strenuous for me?"
Chu Xingchen reached into his spatial ring.
"Since you read the will of Heaven..." He pulled out a silver coin from the Xuanwu Kingdom. "...why not leave it to the will of Heaven?"
"Tell me if it lands on the character side. You don't need to tell me if it lands on the Xuanwu side."
Lü Xuan asked, "Who flips it?"
Chu Xingchen didn't answer. Instead, he flicked the coin into the air.
He didn't watch the spinning coin. His eyes were fixed on Lü Xuan.
Lü Xuan looked into Chu Xingchen's eyes, which seemed to say:
I am the will of Heaven — and I flip!
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