Cage

On the lush green hillside, the Daylily Axe stood quietly embedded in the ground. Its blade and sheer weight had pressed it so deeply that only half of it remained above the soil.

It was so sharp that even a light touch against a person would likely end in severed limbs and shattered bones.

Yet in terms of sharpness, the axe still could not compare to the radiant longsword resting against Xie Yuan's neck.

Even though it merely lay there lightly, the sword qi had already numbed a patch of Xie Yuan's neck. His Golden Bell Cover was practically useless.

The Torchbearer Envoy held the longsword, wearing an easy smile.

"Do you have anything else to say?"

Xie Yuan did not answer. He only felt a little regret.

He closed his eyes and waited quietly.

A long while passed.

The surroundings remained utterly silent.

By the time Xie Yuan began to find it strange that nothing had happened, he opened his eyes again and saw the Torchbearer Envoy still standing there, watching him with great interest.

"Why aren't you afraid?"

"If you want to kill me, then kill me. You sure talk a lot of crap."

Xie Yuan snorted disdainfully.

The Torchbearer Envoy gave an "ah."

"Why are you so impatient? Are you in that much of a hurry to reincarnate?"

"Give me the sword, and you'll know why I'm impatient."

Xie Yuan snapped.

The Torchbearer Envoy laughed so hard her body trembled like a flower in the wind, her purple eyeshadow curving with her eyes.

"Interesting. So you're not completely fearless after all. Since that's the case, why not beg for mercy? Maybe I'll consider it."

"Begging for life on my knees is not my style."

Xie Yuan said coldly.

The Torchbearer Envoy smiled sweetly.

"I never said I wanted you to kneel. Just try begging for mercy. What if? Then you wouldn't have to die."

This enchantress is truly annoying. The mental resolve he had painstakingly built up was about to collapse after just a few jabs from her. As expected of a demonic cult enchantress.

If he truly fell for her tricks, he would be humiliated before his death.

Xie Yuan simply closed his eyes again, ignoring her completely.

Seeing this, the Torchbearer Envoy clicked her tongue.

"Forget it. I won't tease you anymore. You do have one way to live today: join our Holy Church."

When she saw that Xie Yuan still gave no response, her tone turned serious.

"I'm not joking with you. I see that you're a talented man and have taken a liking to your abilities. As long as you join our Holy Church, I'll spare you this deadly tribulation."

Hearing the seriousness in her voice, Xie Yuan opened his eyes, his heart stirring slightly.

If she was telling the truth, then did that not mean he had a way out?

The demonic cult might be terrifying, but he could pretend to submit and play along for now, then seek a chance to escape later. As long as the green hills remained, there would be no shortage of firewood.

Xie Yuan admitted that she had swayed him. If there was a chance to live, he naturally did not want to give it up.

He was only afraid that this enchantress was still toying with him to vent her anger. Yet this time, she seemed sincere. Even if there was only a one-in-ten-thousand chance, he could not abandon it. Even if he was wrong, at worst he would just die more miserably...

As his thoughts wavered, the Flame Igniter Envoy seemed to see through him and said blandly, "Those who enter our Holy Church must naturally submit to its rites and rules, serving the Holy Light Flame with body and soul. Don't worry. Once you agree to join, we will all be brothers and sisters from then on. The things you are thinking of will never come to pass."

Xie Yuan fell silent. As expected, it was not that simple.

If the greatest faith in the world could be entered and left at will, without any means of controlling its followers, it could not possibly have stood unshaken for tens of thousands of years, with a history longer than dynasties and aristocratic clans.

If he were truly brainwashed, there would be little difference between that and death. He might even be used to commit evil or hurt those close to him. He might as well die first.

With that thought, Xie Yuan exhaled and decisively shook his head.

There was nothing to fear. Perhaps he could still return home...

The Torchbearer Envoy frowned and glared at him viciously.

"You still refuse to join us even like this?"

Xie Yuan merely shook his head and said nothing more.

The girl bit her lip and remained silent for a long time before suddenly blurting out, "Then beg for mercy."

Xie Yuan looked at her, feeling that there was something wrong with her mind.

Noticing the way he looked at her as though she were insane, the Torchbearer Envoy gritted her teeth.

"Hurry up!"

"Absolutely not."

Xie Yuan refused.

"Do you have some perverted rule where you can only kill people who don't want to die? How boring."

The Torchbearer Envoy spat.

"I'm not that dull. But if I just let you go like this, wouldn't that make me lose face?"

Xie Yuan frowned at her words. What kind of nonsense was she talking about?

But in the next instant, the girl put away her sword as well and asked unhappily, "I'll give you one more chance. Are you begging for mercy or not?"

Xie Yuan wore a conflicted expression for a moment, seemingly hesitant and wanting to speak but stopping himself.

The Torchbearer Envoy's face darkened in anger. Her longsword suddenly slashed toward an empty patch of ground beside her.

"Don't take me for a fool!"

Xie Yuan's figure appeared. He staggered, narrowly evading that strike.

Looking at the deep trench in the ground, Xie Yuan bared his teeth. She clearly had never intended to spare him. As expected, she only wanted to humiliate him.

His body honestly remained where it was, and then he shook his head with righteous severity.

"Wishful thinking."

The Torchbearer Envoy pressed her lips tightly together, then gave a cold hum, sheathed her sword, and actually turned to leave.

Xie Yuan stared blankly at the scene, unable to react for a moment.

After hesitating, he called out first.

"W-Wait!"

The seductive girl turned back, impatience written on her face.

"What?"

"What are you doing?"

Xie Yuan frowned.

"I still have people to kill."

"Am I not a person?"

"You don't count."

The Torchbearer Envoy glanced at him, seeming somewhat annoyed.

Xie Yuan paused. It seemed that this enchantress truly intended to let him go, and he found it rather unbelievable.

"Why?"

The Torchbearer Envoy stared at him, looking him over from head to toe for quite some time.

"Do you really not know, or are you pretending not to know?"

"Know what?"

Xie Yuan frowned slightly.

The Torchbearer Envoy gave a cold hum.

"How would I dare? What if I really hurt you and Master skins me alive?"

"Master?"

Xie Yuan froze. One of the Four Envoys competing for the position of Stove Church Holy Maiden actually had a master?

What did her master have to do with him?

"Who is your master?"

A thought flashed through Xie Yuan's mind, and he hurriedly asked.

The girl frowned.

"Didn't you meet her two days ago?"

"Two days ago? You mean..."

Xie Yuan's thoughts flashed like lightning, and he instantly thought of the mysterious hooded guest at Chunjiang Restaurant.

His lips suddenly felt dry as he asked in a low voice, "She is...?"

The girl gave him a strange look.

"I heard that you ate together the day before yesterday. Didn't Master tell you anything?"

Only then did Xie Yuan understand why one of the mysterious person's two attendants had disappeared. It turned out she had come to the palace disguised as someone from Zhikong Mountain.

Yet when he considered that mysterious person's identity, his feelings became complicated. Still, he asked, "It really is... that person? But weren't you competing for her position? How is she your master as well?"

The girl simply walked back, studied Xie Yuan, and only then spoke.

"You truly understand nothing. Master's circumstances are rather special, but how much does the outside world know about the affairs within the church?"

With her indirect confirmation, Xie Yuan's expression immediately became dazed. He had accidentally met the family already?

His tone became somewhat strange.

"So she specifically ordered you not to lay a hand on me? Then why were you causing trouble for me here?"

The bewitching girl glanced at him and immediately sneered.

"I listen to Master, but that doesn't mean I listen to you. Don't think I'm afraid of you!

"I was merely weighing your mettle. You have backbone, but as for ability... you're a little lacking."

After mocking Xie Yuan a couple of times, she seemed to add casually, "But you don't need to say too much before Master. Mm, she doesn't like people who are too loose-lipped."

Seeing her watch him both openly and covertly, Xie Yuan understood. It seemed she really had been paying attention to him.

His feelings were complicated, but he still asked in confusion, "Then why was that Flame Igniter Envoy shouting about killing me before? I nearly died at her hands."

At his words, the girl immediately revealed a peculiar smile.

"Wasn't that because you concealed your identity? If you had revealed it sooner, that violent maniac Lisi definitely wouldn't have dared make things difficult for you. But this was better, hehehe."

Upon hearing that, Xie Yuan remembered that he had been using Yao Tianchuan's false identity at the time. He did not know whether to laugh or cry. If he had been less capable, he might have been beaten to death back then.

Then his thoughts began racing.

So Miss Qin's mother was still alive. That legendary and terrifying great figure had not vanished without a sound at all. She had reemerged into the world, was still watching over Miss Qin, and by extension, watching over him. She had even specifically invited him to share a meal with her and told him to leave the Capital City...

At that thought, Xie Yuan suddenly jolted awake.

What had this great figure come to the Capital City for?

His heart abruptly tightened.

"Why did your master enter the Capital City?"

The Torchbearer Envoy looked at him, slowly revealing a smile.

"Naturally, she came at His Majesty the Emperor's invitation. Their hatred for the aristocratic clans is much the same."

Xie Yuan understood at once.

Just moments ago, he had been wondering what the Emperor intended to use against the heads of the great clans. So this was the kind of helper he had invited!

He instantly began worrying about Xie Yi.

Xie Yi had secretly entered the Capital City for some unknown reason. Perhaps the other clan heads had done the same, and perhaps there was an even greater scheme behind it.

Yet the Emperor was doing the same. He might have set a trap already, waiting for them to walk into the net of their own accord!

Xie Yuan immediately said, "I need to leave this place."

The Torchbearer Envoy looked at him and blinked her purple-shadowed eyes.

"It should have already begun outside. And even if you get out, what can you do?"

Xie Yuan fell silent. He did not know what exactly he could do, either.

But it was certainly better than staying here.

"Since you won't attack me, let me out first."

The Torchbearer Envoy glanced at him and curled her lips.

"I haven't killed anyone yet."

"Everyone here is just an extra garnish anyway. Whether you kill them or not makes no difference. Why listen to that old Emperor?"

Xie Yuan tried to persuade her. If she truly began slaughtering people, likely no one here aside from himself would survive.

"Then I have even less reason to listen to you."

The Torchbearer Envoy retorted directly, but then added, "Fine. I'll get you out first so you don't become an eyesore. I still have things to do here."

Xie Yuan did not know what she meant by that, but he continued, "There are others. Send them out too. They won't stand in your way."

The Torchbearer Envoy cast him a sidelong glance, half mocking and half teasing.

"You really are a righteous man."

She said no more, merely taking out that palm-sized miniature landscape again.

Xie Yuan took one look and realized that this miniature landscape was the true "Palm-Sized" World. Many points of light gleamed upon it, seemingly marking their locations. At once, he understood why they had been found so easily.

The young girl muttered to herself:

"Boring. If they were all in the Third Transformation Realm, killing them would at least be more interesting. I cannot even be bothered to deal with a bunch of trash. It is only because this restriction was set by the Emperor. If it were entirely under my control, I would definitely unseal all of you first..."

She rambled on until she suddenly fell silent.

Seeing the change in her expression, Xie Yuan sensed that something was wrong.

"What is it?"

The Torchbearer Envoy raised her head and looked at Xie Yuan, her expression half a smile, half a sigh.

"I seem to have forgotten that, in that dead Emperor's eyes, I am much the same as you. Better off dead."

An ominous premonition rose within Xie Yuan.

"You mean..."

"I cannot open this thing either."

The Torchbearer Envoy lifted her head, gazing at the cloud-and-mist-shrouded sky, and sighed.

The mist hung thick and hazy, covering this entire world like a heavy curtain, dividing the two realms.

Xie Yuan's brows immediately knotted. He did not know whether to curse the Torchbearer Envoy for being useless or curse the Emperor for being too ruthless, too thorough.

His expression shifted uncertainly before he slowly said:

"If we are merely trapped here, there should not be much danger, right? This place is rich in resources. Living here for a lifetime would not be a problem. Besides, no matter what happens outside, someone will eventually come to help us..."

Judging from the Torchbearer Envoy's account and what Xie Yuan himself had seen, this mother-in-law of his still retained her reason. She probably did not bear him much ill will.

No matter which side won in the end, so long as the Emperor did not seize complete control, he ought to be rescued... provided no other changes arose.

The Torchbearer Envoy looked at him and said faintly:

"This thing was only temporarily repaired. Once activated, it can only last three days. After three days, the inside and outside will be cut off, the treasure will stagnate, and what will happen to those still inside, even I do not know—but it certainly will not be anything good."

Xie Yuan's expression changed slightly at those words.

"Three days? That should be enough time for those outside to help us break the restriction, shouldn't it?"

The Torchbearer Envoy slowly shook her head.

"The Emperor must have kept what happened here strictly secret. We do not even know what the outside looks like now. It is hard to say whether anyone will still have the attention to spare for us.

"More importantly, given his methods, after locking this cage, he probably destroyed the key outright."

Xie Yuan's frown deepened.

"Now this is a true dead end."

The Torchbearer Envoy murmured, then looked at Xie Yuan.

"Are you afraid?"

Xie Yuan replied calmly:

"I was not afraid just now. We are not dead yet, so what is there to fear?"

The Torchbearer Envoy blinked, smiling sweetly.

"Liar. You must have guessed that I still have a way, haven't you?"

"I do not know what other way you have, but I think it has not reached the final moment yet."

Xie Yuan gave a slight nod.

Earlier, this woman had said she had other business here. Xie Yuan had then suspected that she had entered this place for more than merely serving as the Emperor's assassin.

The Torchbearer Envoy glanced at him, then turned toward the mountains.

"There is indeed still a chance, but... I do not know whether there will be enough time."

"How can I help you?"

Xie Yuan asked directly.

The Torchbearer Envoy smiled.

"It really saves effort talking to you. Well, do you know what I came here to find?"

She did not wait for Xie Yuan's answer. She had not expected him to guess it anyway.

"In the history of my Holy Church, there was once a Church Master who came from this very place."

"This place?"

Xie Yuan asked instinctively.

"Yes, this very 'place.'"

The Torchbearer Envoy confirmed:

"The world within the Palm-Sized World.

"The previous dynasty possessed a divine artifact called the Palm-Sized World. A real world evolved within it, with mountains and rivers, flying insects and beasts, even enough for humans to live here.

"Thus, from the moment the previous dynasty acquired this divine artifact, it moved a group of commoners inside to survive here, reclaim wasteland, and grow grain. Given the seasons and conditions here, one mu of land yielded more than ten mu in the outside world. The Palm-Sized World, not even as large as a single province, produced more than Jiangnan, which was known as the granary of the realm.

"However, at the beginning, the nobles and officials naturally only told the first residents that they were being relocated elsewhere. They did not tell them it was a small world, much less that they would be forbidden from leaving for generation after generation. Slowly, perhaps ordinary people came to believe that the world was merely the few villages, commanderies, and counties around them. Everyone's inborn mission was to farm, raise livestock, and gather medicine. Everyone was born to labor—not to think, not to rest. There was no need to study and no need to cultivate. Batch after batch was born, batch after batch died, like oxen and horses within an enclosure forever dragging millstones and plows, circling endlessly with no end in sight.

"But after generation upon generation here faced the yellow earth with their backs to the sky, there would always be a few among the cattle and sheep who liked to raise their heads and look at the heavens. Slowly, they discovered that something was wrong.

"Whenever such people appeared, they were naturally soon discovered and executed by the overseers. The earliest resistance achieved nothing and did not even raise a ripple.

"But it was not meaningless.

"No one knew when it began, but among the native inhabitants—though their ancestors had also been relocated here, after several hundred years they had become natives of this place—there gradually arose a legacy. The true awakened ones learned the truth of this world and slowly sought a path of escape.

"They were discovered time and again, purged time and again, yet the spark was always passed on, until at last that Church Master emerged.

"That Church Master possessed talent that shook ancient and modern times alike. By secretly learning just scraps of the overseers' martial arts, he entered the martial path and quickly grew stronger than the overseers themselves. Then, relying on the inheritance accumulated by those before him and his own talent, he shut himself within this small world for ten years, cultivating and studying with relentless effort. Astonishingly, with only fragments and scraps to work from, he directly broke through into the Grandmaster Realm.

"After that, he found the opportunity he had long awaited and escaped the Palm-Sized World in one stroke. Like a bird soaring into the blue heavens, like a dragon entering the vast sea, he gained his freedom from then on. Later, by a twist of fate, he entered our Holy Church and became its Church Master."

Xie Yuan nodded repeatedly as he listened.

"He sounds like a heroic figure."

"Of course. This Church Master was held in the highest reverence throughout the history of our Holy Church. Even your Great Li Founder once received his favor."

"That happened?"

Xie Yuan was startled. The Stove Sect had always been synonymous with professional rebels. From the founding of Great Li, it had been designated as the foremost target for extermination. He had not known the Great Li Founder had such ties to it.

The Torchbearer Envoy slowly said:

"After that Church Master escaped with everyone's hopes upon his shoulders, all the others in the Palm-Sized World were naturally slaughtered clean, utterly purged.

"The previous dynasty was already nearing its end. By the time he became Church Master, he ignited the flames of rebellion across the realm, and righteous armies rose everywhere. The force he supported, however, looked utterly unremarkable at the time. It possessed no bearing of a king whatsoever. It was merely the several hundred local soldiers led by your Great Li Founder, who had been driven into a corner.

"If not for the Church Master, your Great Li Founder would likely have been wiped out by some petty warlord from a single province back then."

Xie Yuan nodded slowly.

"According to the Annals of the Great Li Founder, the Founder rose from a commandery and county, led several hundred local soldiers to victory after victory, swiftly swept across the realm, and utterly overturned the previous dynasty."

The Torchbearer Envoy smiled sweetly.

"And history books are to be believed?"

Xie Yuan thought that what she had seen was surely also drawn from the Stove Sect's own histories, but he did not say it aloud.

"So, you are saying that the ruins left behind by that Church Master are still here?"

"Correct. You are quick-witted."

The Torchbearer Envoy praised him.

"Back then, the Church Master brought down the previous dynasty from behind the scenes. In the end, he helped the Great Li Founder breach this divine artifact and kill the final Emperor of the previous dynasty.

"However, the Great Li Founder wished to keep using it, while the Church Master destroyed it outright. Yet this was, after all, an extraordinarily formidable divine artifact, and it was also the Church Master's homeland. He did not completely destroy it, which was why it could barely be repaired now. It is said that he also left something behind here back then. That is what I came for. Once we find it, there should be a way out."

Xie Yuan asked:

"Then do you know where it is?"

The Torchbearer Envoy turned and gazed at the mountains.

"It is somewhere in these mountains. But where exactly is difficult to say. I fear we can only search slowly."

"We have less than three days."

Xie Yuan said, his brows furrowed.

The Torchbearer Envoy suddenly looked at him and smiled.

"So you will have to raise your arm and give the call."

Having heard this much, Xie Yuan finally understood what she meant and slowly nodded.

At the same time, doubts rose within him. Had she deliberately spared his life precisely because she had been waiting for this moment...?

"Good thing this Envoy is kindhearted and did not recklessly create a slaughter. Otherwise, there would be no one to do the work."

At that very moment, the Torchbearer Envoy was still smiling sweetly, looking quite pleased.

Xie Yuan fell silent for a moment, then turned and walked toward the Mountain God Temple.

Though he was working for the Enchantress, he was also saving himself. At least for now, it seemed the only way.

With her hands clasped behind her back, the Torchbearer Envoy leisurely followed behind Xie Yuan. Her gaze roamed over his back, and a faint smile appeared on her lips.

Near the Mountain God Temple, Xie Yuan immediately spotted two figures racing over like the wind. Looking closely, he saw that they were Wang Qiwen and Cui Lei.

"Brother Xie!"

The moment Cui Lei saw him, delight appeared on his face.

"You are back! It is good that you are all right. The others and I gathered at this Mountain God Temple. When we heard you had not returned for so long, we were just about to come look for you."

Wang Qiwen looked Xie Yuan over, his expression easing slightly. Then he immediately looked at the Torchbearer Envoy behind him, suspicion in his eyes.

The Torchbearer Envoy had revealed her true face now, completely unlike the Zhikong Mountain Heaven Calculating Master's fully wrapped, mysterious attire from before.

Her features were pure and beautiful, yet her makeup was bewitching. She was young, her figure graceful and alluring, and her entire being exuded an air where youth and seduction intertwined, enough to set any man's blood boiling.

Her clothes appeared to be those of the Zhikong Mountain Heaven Calculating Master, yet her bearing was worlds apart.

Just as Xie Yuan was about to tell them everything, the Torchbearer Envoy herself smiled faintly first.

"This humble girl is Yun Xing of Zhikong Mountain. Greetings, young masters."

After speaking, she gave a slight curtsy, appearing very courteous.

This was probably the first time everyone at the Hidden Dragon Banquet had heard the mysterious "Zhikong Mountain Heaven Calculating Master" speak.

Wang Qiwen and Cui Lei hastily returned the greeting.

Cui Lei even winked at Xie Yuan. Naturally, he could tell that the two seemed to share a closer relationship.

"Brother Xie, not bad. You have even made Miss Heaven Calculating show herself for you."

Before Xie Yuan could reply, Wang Qiwen spoke first.

"Brother Cui, how can you be so disrespectful to Miss Yun?"

Cui Lei rolled his eyes outright.

"Put that act away when you are with me."

Wang Qiwen frowned and was about to continue when the Torchbearer Envoy stepped forward.

"Gentlemen, Young Master Xie and I have come because there is an important matter concerning this place that we must discuss with everyone."

The moment Cui Lei and Wang Qiwen heard this, they stopped their dispute and nodded.

"Then let us return to the temple."

"Right, have you seen Brother Pei? Everyone else is here. Only you two and Brother Pei have not shown yourselves."

The Torchbearer Envoy blinked.

"I have not seen him."

"I see."

Wang Qiwen nodded.

"Let us go first, then. We can see whether we can find Brother Pei later."

Cui Lei and Wang Qiwen led the way. Xie Yuan had intended to speak when a voice as faint as a mosquito's hum sounded beside his ear.

"I think it would be best if you did not say too much. If you reveal everything, many of them will certainly be unwilling to believe me. What that delays will be your lives, and everyone else's."

Those words struck straight at Xie Yuan's heart. He immediately hesitated and glanced at the Torchbearer Envoy beside him, who seemed to be smiling yet not smiling. The fragrance of night-blooming epiphyllum was once more clear to smell.

He gave a soft snort and said in a low voice:

"The reason you are worried is that it would affect your life as well, I suppose."

"I do not care about life or death."

The Torchbearer Envoy smiled faintly, her face calm and indifferent.

Xie Yuan looked this mysterious and powerful woman up and down, unable to tell what exactly she was thinking. Even whether Yun Xing was truly her real name was uncertain.

For the time being, he would take it as true. He had no other choice now.

Xie Yuan remained silent, which counted as tacit agreement to her plan.

When the group returned to the Mountain God Temple, there were thirteen people in total, including the Tang-surnamed martial artist lying down.

In theory, the Hidden Dragon Banquet invited only the top eighteen on the Hidden Dragon Ranking. Aside from several who had not come, and including Xie Yuan, who was not among the top eighteen, there had been fourteen people in all.

The Tang-surnamed martial artist had also used Precious Medicine supplied by the others and barely managed to cling to life, but his breath remained weak.

Once everyone had gathered, Wang Qiwen looked at Yun Xing.

"Miss Yun, you said you have an important matter to share with everyone. What exactly is it?"

"Does it concern our way out?"

Cui Lei was even more direct.

Yun Xing nodded, her voice crisp and clear.

"I believe you all know that we cannot leave for the time being."

Everyone glanced at Tang Zhen lying on the ground and silently nodded.

"There is another piece of news. This Palm-Sized World was only temporarily repaired and is fundamentally incomplete. If we do not get out within three days, I fear we will be left here forever."

Yun Xing continued.

The crowd immediately erupted in uproar.

"That cannot be, can it? Since something has gone wrong, it should be repaired soon."

"Yes, my master is outside. He is in the Capital City and will certainly find a way to save me!"

Seeing their panic, Yun Xing smiled faintly and spoke slowly.

"Someone will come to save you? But what if this problem was caused deliberately?"

At those words, everyone froze.

Wang Qiwen and Cui Lei frowned at the same time. They had clearly caught the implication behind Yun Xing's words.

"Miss Yun, don't speak nonsense. The Emperor... His Majesty, why would he do such a thing?"

Someone asked uneasily.

Yun Xing shook her head.

"I don't know. I'm only suggesting one possibility. But if that is the case, I'm afraid no one will come to save us within three days. Even when we die, the people outside may not know what happened."

Everyone's expressions shifted at once, and someone hurriedly looked at Yun Xing.

"Miss Yun, you are Zhikong Mountain's Heaven Calculating Master, the next Mountain Lord. Your methods are unfathomable—you must have a solution, right?"

The others immediately came to their senses and hurriedly turned hopeful gazes toward Yun Xing.

Seeing this, Xie Yuan sighed inwardly. This Enchantress was exceptionally skilled at bewitching people. These people had already instinctively taken her for a lifeline.

Yun Xing put on a solemn expression and nodded.

"There is indeed a way. I have calculated that there should be a relic left behind by an ancient great power somewhere in this mountain. Within it lies the secret to opening the Palm-Sized World from the inside. If we can find it, we should be able to leave together.

"However, I cannot calculate its exact location. We must all contribute our strength, find the relic, and then break this deadlock."

The crowd was instantly stirred into excitement. They all hurriedly declared that they would search with all their might for this relic.

"What does this relic roughly look like?"

Someone asked the crucial question.

Yun Xing shook her head.

"I do not know the specifics either. But if there are any man-made anomalies in this mountain—be they hidden chambers in temples, stone grottoes, or cave dwellings—so long as something unusual is concealed there, it may be the place."

Everyone frowned slightly upon hearing this. The scope was simply too broad. No wonder everyone had to search together.

Time waited for no one. Seeing that they had asked enough, the group split up and agreed to send signals the moment they found anything. Though three days was not exactly short, neither was it long. Everyone feared that Yun Xing's scenario might come true, leaving them to wait foolishly for three days and walk straight into their own destruction.

As martial artists, most of them still wanted to hold their own fate in their hands.

"But why hasn't Brother Pei returned yet? Should we find him first? Perhaps he has run into trouble."

Someone asked doubtfully.

Yun Xing calmly shook her head.

"There should be no danger in this mountain capable of harming a martial artist of his level. Perhaps he simply went too far afield. I will leave him a letter. Once he returns, he will understand what happened."

The others found this reasonable as well and stopped dwelling on it.

Cui Lei gave Yun Xing a slightly puzzled look.

Earlier, this Heaven Calculating Master of Zhikong Mountain had not uttered a word, as though she did not exist. Yet now she was leading the crowd, naturally carrying an imposing air, as if she had become a different person.

Could that veil and eyepatch have actually sealed her? It was fortunate Brother Xie had removed them, allowing the real Yun Xing to emerge. The contrast was rather striking.

Cui Lei shook his head, chose a direction, and headed up the mountain to search.

For a time, only Xie Yuan and Yun Xing remained in the temple. Yun Xing smiled sweetly.

"This mountain is not particularly vast. So long as our luck is not outrageously bad, we should find something soon enough."

Seeing how composed and assured she looked, Xie Yuan could not shake the feeling that she had anticipated this scene all along.

He frowned slightly and said slowly, "Are you going to leave a letter?"

Yun Xing glanced at him and smiled.

"He's already dead. Leave it for a ghost?"

"Hmph. Then what are you still standing here for?"

Xie Yuan snorted. Though he was not familiar with the martial artist surnamed Pei and did not feel much over his death, he disliked Yun Xing's style of killing without batting an eye.

Unfortunately, he could not defeat her... Forget him alone—even if all the others joined forces, they would still be no match for her.

Their cultivation had been restricted to the First Transformation Realm. With a gap of two entire levels, the difference between them and the Third Transformation Realm was no longer something numbers could make up for. Besides, there were not that many of them, and Yun Xing was no ordinary Qi Blood Third Transformation Realm martial artist.

Xie Yuan could only silently travel alongside Yun Xing as they made their way up the mountain.

The two also employed their movement techniques, searching in every direction with their eyesight, Blood Qi, senses, and even a martial artist's instinct and experience. For the time being, however, they found nothing.

From time to time, others sent signals. Yun Xing insisted on bringing Xie Yuan with her and headed over at an unhurried pace, but each time they returned empty-handed.

Xie Yuan increasingly felt that Yun Xing had some other motive. With the movement technique of her Third Transformation Realm cultivation, she could have searched the mountain much faster, yet she insisted on wandering about with him, never leaving his side.

Could it be that she actually knew where the relic was? Then why was she doing this?

Doubt rose within Xie Yuan.

Yet even after a full day and night, the group had found nothing at all, and everyone grew anxious.

Xie Yuan noticed that Yun Xing's expression seemed to have darkened somewhat. Her movement technique had clearly accelerated, and she searched much faster. Only then did he realize that she seemed to genuinely not know.

He rasped, "You actually don't know where this so-called relic mechanism is?"

"If I knew, what would I need you useless lot for?"

Yun Xing had already become somewhat irritable.

Xie Yuan stared at her incredulously.

"Then why were you so unhurried before, acting as though victory was already in your grasp?"

"That was because... because it should not have been this hard to find, by all reason... How could our luck be this bad?"

Yun Xing frowned deeply and muttered.

Xie Yuan fell silent for a moment upon hearing that.

Luck... It was somewhat difficult to speak of, when it came to him.

If one called him a jinx, he somehow always managed to turn danger into safety, often receiving strokes of good fortune in perilous lands and secret realms. But if one said he was not a jinx, there were clearly far too many strange things happening around him.

Could it be that he had jinxed this Torchbearer Envoy? Someone chosen to become the Holy Maiden ought to have a tougher fate.

Xie Yuan let out a breath and felt the pressure mounting as well.

He had already searched close to the mountaintop. He had gone up and down twice, and many places had already been examined. There was nothing special anywhere.

What now? This was purely a contest of luck. So many people had practically turned the entire mountain upside down, yet they had found nothing. Could Yun Xing's information have been false?

Xie Yuan knitted his brows. Just as he was wondering whether he could no longer rely on her and had to think of another method, he suddenly felt light all over. It was as though specks of golden light had enveloped the void around him, and an inexplicable feeling of joy and renewal welled up within him.

"This..."

Xie Yuan was rather startled. He had felt this several times before. What exactly was it?

As he pondered it, the ground beneath his feet suddenly gave way. He stepped onto a loose mountain rock, and then, as though a snow avalanche had been triggered, this stretch of slope collapsed. Amid rumbling thunder and billowing dust, a doorway was revealed within the mountain earth.

Xie Yuan stared at the obviously unusual doorway, dumbfounded.

He had... found it just like that?

He stepped on one rock, and the mountain had been directly torn open?

He had experienced that strange sensation several times before, and each time, it had come into play at a crucial moment within a relic.

Could it be that he really was someone favored by the goddess of fate?

Xie Yuan found it unbelievable. Then he saw Yun Xing rushing over from the other side. Looking at the cave dwelling's doorway, she was overcome with excitement.

"This is it! This is it!"

She shook Xie Yuan by the shoulders and said excitedly, "Your fortune truly is extraordinary!"

"Is that so..."

Xie Yuan was shaken until his head spun. Then he watched Yun Xing push him aside, step before the doorway, and directly push it open.

"Aren't we calling the others over?"

Xie Yuan asked with a frown.

"What would we call them over for? To divide the treasures?"

Yun Xing turned her head and gave him a bewitching smile. Her purple eyeshadow seemed to flow amid the dust.

"If they try to contend with me, I'm afraid I won't be able to resist killing them."

Xie Yuan was silent for a moment before saying, "Then what about getting out..."

"Once the Palm-Sized World is opened, everyone will naturally get out. There is no need to do it here specifically. Their mission is already complete."

Yun Xing spoke calmly, then smiled again.

"Still, the top eighteen on the Hidden Dragon Ranking combined seem inferior to you. It was the right choice to keep only you."

Seeing her expression, Xie Yuan said gravely, "So you really did deceive me. You deceived the others into helping you search for this relic."

Yun Xing smiled sweetly.

"Don't talk nonsense. How could I be that kind of person?"

She took the lead into the cave dwelling. After walking several steps and seeing that Xie Yuan had not followed, the corner of her lips curled upward.

"Not coming? There really are treasures inside."

"What treasure was left here?"

Xie Yuan asked with a frown.

Yun Xing blinked and lowered her voice.

"I'm afraid it'll scare you to death if I tell you...

"The Cult Master left a page of the Black Heaven Book here."

Xie Yuan froze upon hearing this.

There was a Black Heaven Book here?

Seeing that Xie Yuan had indeed been stunned, Yun Xing giggled.

"Scared, aren't you? Look at that ignorant face of yours. At least you know what a rare wonder the Black Heaven Book is."

Xie Yuan's expression turned strange. After thinking for a moment, he stepped forward and followed her.

When he reached Yun Xing's side, he said quietly, "You're quite generous."

"I never said I would give it to you. Do you think you can contend with me for it?"

Yun Xing smiled with narrowed eyes.

"I'm merely broadening your horizons. In the future, remember to put in a good word for me before the master! Once I become the next Holy Maiden, I'll make you a Dharma King or something. You won't lack benefits."

Xie Yuan scoffed.

"You can't even offer empty promises properly. Why not directly make me Cult Master? Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

"That isn't impossible either, so long as you are willing to join the sect."

Yun Xing smiled.

Xie Yuan glanced at her. Her words seemed half true and half false, making him somewhat suspicious.

"You really seem to want me to join your sect."

Yun Xing nodded.

"Yes. There is no need to speak of your talent. Though you cannot compare to this envoy, it is still exceptional. More importantly, your thoughts and insight—despite being a scion of an aristocratic family, you possess great vision and wisdom that transcend the world. That is exceedingly rare. You have even inspired this envoy. You truly ought to be one of our sect's followers. Becoming Cult Master is naturally impossible, but if you are willing to join, I can recommend you to become a Law Transmission Envoy directly. Your status would not be beneath mine—though you could not become the Holy Maiden, of course."

Seeing how serious she was, Xie Yuan fell silent for a moment and shook his head.

"Forget it. Our ideas may appear the same on the surface, but in truth, they run in opposite directions like southbound carts and northbound horses. Besides, I do not understand your sect's doctrines, but as for your methods, no matter what, they cannot be called righteous. Bloody and bizarre incidents rise one after another across the land, with countless innocent dead and injured. All of them are the work of your Stove Sect."

When Yun Xing saw him refuse again, a chill flashed through her eyes. She said indifferently, "Ignorant beyond measure. All living beings are but illusions; only within the fire is the true essence revealed."

Xie Yuan had no desire to debate doctrine with a heretic, especially when he could not defeat her, so he could only ignore her.

"We're here."

Xie Yuan and Yun Xing proceeded some distance through the Mountain Core and reached what felt like its center. Another stone door stood before them, with a plaque hanging above it.

Xie Yuan looked up, and his eyes suddenly narrowed as though they had been stabbed by pain.

Four great characters were inscribed upon the plaque, at once repressed and unrestrained. Every horizontal hook and vertical stroke was like a sword, seeming to pierce through the plaque and tear through the heavens, yet helplessly confined within it, forced to remain in such a tiny space.

For the first time, Xie Yuan felt powerful emotions within a few written characters. Intense unwillingness and fury surged in his heart. It seemed to him that he saw a desolate figure standing here, raising a brush and writing the four great characters before him:

This Heaven is a Prison!