Bai Jinxue materialized in the chamber.
Eight figures were seated in patterns carved by millennia. Two seats remained empty: Heiyun Jue was dead, Lu Feiyu absent.
Mo Qinghai, at the head, fixed her with eyes like voided stars. "You're late."
Bai's lips curved, cold and unreadable. "Thank you for waiting."
A taut silence hung, broken only by the faint crackle of Yao Shiqiu's lightning-beard. "I hope you can manage the girl properly."
Yun Shuren leaned forward, eyes narrow. "Heiyun called her dangerous. Cultivate her to Transcendent stage, and we invite disaster."
Cang Shixuan's voice sliced through the tension. "Is that fear I hear, Yun?"
Qi Wanzhen interjected, calm but sharp: "Detain her. Observe. Restrict evolution. Cultivate others to Ruler stage. Study the Tome. Understand her first, then decide."
Jin Lianhai's smile sharpened. "Better to study a threat safely than risk unchecked growth."
Lan Xiwu inclined her head.
Bai's gaze swept the chamber. "If allowed to evolve, she could reach Transcendent stage within a decade."
Murmurs rippled. Millennia were normal; a decade was unheard of.
"Keep her detained," Bai continued. "Observe. Restrict, but do not harm. She is a resource, not a casualty."
Hong Yanluo's presence shifted the air. "World shards? Or mortal matters first?"
"You'll need mortals," Bai replied.
"Tools exist," Hong countered. "But another mass drafting is necessary."
Lan Xiwu arched an eyebrow. "Why?"
"Attrition," Hong said. "The war continues. Fresh forces maintain balance until ascension."
Yao's lightning flared. "We leave soon. Why care for this world?"
Mo Qinghai's voice cut through the room, sharp as steel under silk. "We do not know the higher realms. Arriving weakened is unacceptable. Expendable forces are necessary. Scouts. Sacrifices if needed." He locked eyes on Bai. "Restrict her evolution. Detain. Observe. Waste not."
He swept his gaze over the chamber. "Assess Heiyun's realm. Survivors. Artifacts. Knowledge. Report within a month."
Agreement murmured.
"Minimize contact with other species," he added. "Maintain useful arrangements. Avoid new conflicts. We cannot predict the ruling powers beyond."
One by one, the Transcendents vanished, reality folding around them like smoke. Each departure left an imprint of choices that would doom thousands, preserve sacrifice, maintain power.
Bai lingered, golden eyes pulsing. Xīng Hé would be detained, restricted, studied. Strategic, yes, but it complicated her plans to manipulate the girl gradually.
A smile touched her lips. Centuries of scheming had taught her constraints were merely another battlefield. She vanished.
The chamber fell silent, waiting for the next assembly of rulers