The Heavenly Dao Shines Bright

Lunar New Year's eve.

Tonight, as people stay up to welcome the New Year, every neighborhood is brightly lit and bustling with noise and excitement.

After the demons escaped from the dungeon of Six Thoughts Zen Temple, they were surrounded and killed by the Imperial Court army, so the impact was not too widespread. The decree to capture the Demon Child is irrelevant to martial arts practitioners below the Longevity Realm.

The vast majority of people in the city were completely unaware of the truth, had complete confidence in the Lingxiao Palace, and felt that everything was under control. The City Protection Array and the Nine Heavens Beyond the Clouds Great Formation had been activated before.

Even if the sky were to collapse, there would be transcendent and Longevity Realm Giants to hold it up, and those below would be protected from the wind and rain.

This confidence is deeply rooted and has been built up over thousands of years.

"Whoosh!"

Yao Qian's extraordinary figure appeared atop a six-story building with upturned eaves.

His pupils emitted beams of magical energy as he used some kind of eye magic to observe the three vertical and four horizontal streets within his field of vision, not missing a single pedestrian, vehicle, or house.

A black carriage slowly drove past him on the street below.

A faint glow emanated from An Xianjing's fingers as she plucked the Prayer Beads, transforming the car interior into an illusion. Even those who peered through it could only see a family of three.

After traveling a distance, the illusion dissipated.

Yao Qingxuan's appearance in Lingxiao City meant that Tuoba Butuo must have delivered the blood letter a month ago, which finally put Li Weiyi's mind at ease.

But why did they only arrive a full month later?

How can we explain his actions in Lingxiao City?

Li Weiyi secretly observed An Xianjing's face.

Today, her appearance is neither the stunning beauty of Pure Immortal Body nor ugly and fierce; it is the skin of a mortal and a delicate, above-average appearance.

It's impossible to judge her current state of mind based on her physical appearance.

An Xianjing's eyes, which were always eternally serene, had been coldly watching Li Weiyi ever since he got into the car.

This person is more than just a Buddhist practitioner; his temperament is unpredictable, and he might kill someone at any moment.

Li Weiyi has something to hide; it would be strange if she didn't feel pressured.

Outside, the streets were filled with the sounds of firecrackers, laughter, and the deafening drumbeats, as people bid farewell to the old year and welcomed the new.

The interior of the car was eerily quiet, like an icebox.

An Xianjing finally spoke, "Shouldn't you be happy to see us? But you seem very uneasy right now. What are you afraid of?"

Li Weiyi composed herself and responded with silence.

Seeing his attitude, An Xianjing's eyes flashed even colder. "Throw him out and hand him over to Yao Qian."

Yao Qingxuan raised his arm in a gesture, his slender fingers of his left hand spread out, and magical energy flowed around his fingers.

Li Weiyi immediately said, "If Hall Master An and Master had appeared before me a month ago, I would naturally be overjoyed. I would have been eager to invite the two of you to the Heavenly Pavilion, to eat the most expensive dishes, drink the finest wine, serve you tea and wine, and massage your shoulders and backs. But you only appeared a month later. How can I be happy? How can I not be uneasy?"

Sitting on the right, near the inside of the carriage, Yao Qingxuan exuded a faint fragrance. His fingers were hidden within the wide sleeves adorned with red cloud patterns, his long hair cascading down his sides. His eyes held a frosty glint. "Are you blaming us for not coming to your rescue immediately after receiving the plea for help written in blood?"

"I wouldn't dare! You two are both important figures in the Divine Sect. How could I, a junior, dare to have such wishful thinking?" Li Weiyi sat there upright, avoiding their gaze, looking as if he had something on his mind.

An Xianjing said, "You still have feelings? Since you escaped at Nanyan Pass, why did you come to Lingxiao City? Give me a reasonable explanation!"

Li Weiyi had already devised a plan. "If I don't come to Lingxiao City, where can I go? Back to the main altar? I'm afraid I'll die on the way."

"If you can't provide a reasonable explanation, I can't plead for you," Yao Qingxuan sighed softly.

Li Weiyi remained silent, a complex emotion welling up in his eyes. After a few breaths, he said, "Perhaps... I've fallen in love. After seeing Jiang Ning again at Nanyan Pass, especially seeing her walking with Xie Chucai, I felt an indescribable pain in my heart. I know that if I hadn't come to Lingxiao City, I might have lost her forever, and I might have regretted it for the rest of my life."

Li Weiyi's actions in Lingxiao City were almost entirely intertwined with those of Jiang Ning and Xie Chucai. In addition, there were already many rumors about him and Jiang Ning back during the Qianlong Lantern Festival.

This is the most reasonable explanation!

An Xianjing's eyes darkened. "To lose your mind like this for a woman?"

"How many of your trump cards did you reveal in the final battle at Six Thoughts Zen Temple? Wasn't the lesson of the ancestral field being destroyed enough? Just because of Jiang Ning? You have utterly disappointed me!" Yao Qingxuan also turned stern.

Li Weiyi had already guessed that the two of them must have been at Six Thoughts Zen Temple before.

When he and Taishi Yu drove away, the two of them likely followed them nearby.

Li Weiyi said, "Master..."

"Don't call me Master! The word 'Master' makes me feel like I have thorns in my back, standing beneath the six Demon Mountain of Six Thoughts Zen Temple. You've been all high and mighty, but I'm trembling with fear. Did she end up with you? Non-Self hadn't intervened, could you really have escaped from Yao Qian?"

Yao Qingxuan's anger was mostly genuine. Whether it was the Divine Child of the Rice Cult or the Jiu Li Hidden Person, Li Weiyi's actions this time were simply incomprehensible.

Li Weiyi was unaware of the deep entanglement between the Rice Cult and the Demon Kingdom, and planned to use this opportunity to probe. "Of course I know I'm involved in a dangerous game. If it were only because of Jiang Ning, I wouldn't be so reckless."

He then recounted the events of the Mother-Child Spring and the Ghost Infant in detail.

He looked at An Yao and the other woman, noticing their focused attention and expressions of shock. He understood what was going on and angrily exclaimed, "The Demon Kingdom's methods are too despicable! How many women in the Lingxiao Shengjing have drunk from the Mother-Child Spring over the past twenty years?"

"They are all innocent, but now they are all going to be turned into something neither human nor ghost. Those children, some are still babies, some are three or five years old, some are in the prime of their lives, what wrong have they done? In an instant, they will all be turned into Ghost Infant, eating people's hearts and livers everywhere, turning into monsters."

"I have been to the Taichang Temple prison and witnessed the hellish scenes there."

"They were once dignified and beautiful, mothers of children, daughters of others, with dreams and aspirations, but they all turned into monsters locked in cages. Those not locked in cages fought each other, even cannibalizing other Ghost Mother."

"You haven't seen anything like that, you can't understand how I feel."

"I know that war is cruel, and people will stop at nothing to win. You two must think the same way, right?"

"But I can't do it!"

"What I find most appalling is the brutality of targeting women and children; it's utterly shameless!"

"Bang!"

Li Weiyi, filled with rage, abruptly stood up in the car, his eyes red-rimmed, veins bulging, and slammed his fist heavily against the side wall. "You have no bottom line, but I do! Even if I had a hundred more chances, I would still challenge Xie Chucai to a duel. I deeply regret not killing him right now."

"If Hall Master An and Master think I've done something wrong, then just kill me. But I will never bow my head. I haven't done anything wrong. I don't care how the war is fought, but women and children must be treated as human beings. Heaven's justice is clear, and karma will prevail. People can be deceived, but not their hearts, and not even Heaven and Earth!"

Inside the car, everything fell silent.

An Xianjing, who had been staring intently into Li Weiyi's eyes, lowered her gaze to look at the Buddhist beads in her hand, occasionally raising her eyelids slightly to observe his stubborn and indignant appearance.

Yao Qingxuan spoke first, "In your heart, are your teacher and Hall Master An really that despicable?"

Li Weiyi remained silent.

"Sit down."

An Xianjing shouted this rebuke, then her tone softened considerably. "What do you mean we have no bottom line? You think you're the only one with a bottom line? You think you're a benevolent saint? A saint who doesn't care about his life?"

Li Weiyi sat back down, his eyes no longer flickering, and met her gaze. "I'm just stating what's on my mind, saying whatever comes to mind."

"Just because you speak frankly, you think you can presume to criticize me and your master? You're utterly audacious," An Xianjing said.

Li Weiyi sat calmly and said, "I know that the Divine Sect and the Demon Kingdom are cooperating. I have made such a grave mistake, so I imagine that Hall Master An will send me to be offered up to a high-ranking figure in the Demon Kingdom."

An Xianjing said, "You are the divine son of the Divine Sect, the Head Disciple of Venerable Nan. There is no reason in the world to push one's own chosen one out to be killed by others."

Li Weiyi was stunned, staring at her.

Yao Qingxuan said, "We risked a great deal to come to Lingxiao City. While we can't say it was entirely for you, at least 30-40% of our purpose was with you, yet you berated us mercilessly. Anyone else would have been reduced to ashes by now!"

Li Weiyi smiled, "Hall Master An won't kill me?"

An Xianjing said, "The Divine Cult and the Demon Kingdom do indeed cooperate, but I truly know nothing about the Mother-Child Spring. You said that Phoenix-born Unicorn-young leaked the information to you and has been leading you to the Six Thoughts Zen Temple, right?"

Li Weiyi nodded.

An Xianjing asked, "Do you know why?"

"He's trying to use someone else to do his dirty work," Li Weiyi said.

An Xianjing said, "Firstly, he wants to use you to incite conflict between the Demon Kingdom and the Divine Cult."

"Secondly, they wanted to expose the Demon Kingdom's power to the open, allowing the Third Palace Master and other powerful figures from Lingxiao City to first wage war against the Demon Kingdom, thus depleting the Imperial Court's strength and turning Lingxiao City into a desolate wasteland."

"In this way, the Demon Race can reap the benefits and seize the opportunity to attack Cloud Heaven Immortal Plain. At that time, the Divine Sect will also be forced to take action ahead of schedule."

"It can be said that Phoenix-born Unicorn-young is one of your few rivals among the younger generation. He is extremely intelligent and understands your personality, knowing that you would definitely join the game."

"If he succeeds, the initiative in the war will be firmly in the hands of the Demon Race."

Li Weiyi said, "Someone in the Divine Cult revealed my identity to Phoenix-born Unicorn-young."

"That's your problem! The younger generation are your rivals; you have to deal with them yourself."

An Xianjing continued, "What I wanted to tell you is that the Divine Cult, the Demon Kingdom, the Demon Race, and even some forces in the Netherworld of the Departed are all in a cooperative relationship. However, they all want to push each other into the fray first, to make the other party bear the brunt of the first wave of attacks from the Lingxiao Palace, so as to minimize their own losses and gain the greatest benefits after the war."

"The Demon Race wants the Demon Kingdom to start a war with the Lingxiao Palace first, forcing the Third Palace Master to take action. They want to expose the Divine Cult to the public eye, so that the Imperial Court and all the Myriad Gate Families will attack it."

"We feel the same way. We also want the Demon Race to make the first move, and for the Demon Kingdom to start fighting with the Lingxiao Palace first."

"In the Six Thoughts Zen Temple, why did the Demon Kingdom compromise with the Third Palace Master, giving Lingxiao Shengjing the opportunity to hunt down the Demon Child? Did you see the hidden meaning behind it?"