"He isn't saying one thing and doing another."
"He wants to save face, but he doesn't dare admit it."
"He sent the commander and the other Authority Holders to their deaths so he could see just how far my Authority could go."
"If it was strong, he'd have one more reason to be wary. If it wasn't, that would only make it easier for him to act."
Xilos fell silent for a moment, then asked,
"Then who exactly were you putting on that show for today?"
Only moments earlier, Xilos had suddenly realized that if Shen Yi had truly wanted to kill those Authority Holders, his strength would have made it almost effortless. It certainly would not have taken so long.
Shen Yi thought for a moment.
"All of them."
He paused.
"And the one hidden deep inside the Hidden Light Hall."
Xilos froze, then looked up at him.
Shen Yi said nothing more. He looked ahead. Byron had already walked quite some distance away.
"Let's go," he said, stepping forward to follow her.
Lamplight fell across their backs as the three of them gradually disappeared into the depths of the Hidden Light Hall.
In the direction of the Cangwu Hall, all thirty-seven presences had silently withdrawn.
Only that speck of dusky blue-green light in the deepest part of the hall still shone.
Deep inside the Hidden Light Hall.
This was Shen Yi's first time entering this area.
The depths of the Hidden Light Hall were nothing like its outer reaches.
There was no light, no furniture, only layer upon layer of curtains hanging to the floor, with no end in sight. Walking through them felt like stepping into the bottom of a deep well.
The farther they went, the heavier that earlier feeling of stillness became.
It was