Hope Shattered, Raise a Stele for You

Wanli Holy Land, atop Yunlan Peak.

The sun had just risen, and purple qi filled the sky.

Hua Yunxiao sat quietly in meditation, absorbing the clusters of majestic purple qi that formed as the blazing sun rose.

"Whoosh—"

After a long while, he exhaled a breath of turbid air. It billowed like clouds, stretching for thousands of meters.

"Buzz—"

Hua Yunxiao opened his eyes, and the wisps of Daoist aura in them gradually faded.

In the next moment, his body and mind felt utterly refreshed.

His cultivation had been stagnant for a long time, but now, at last, he had broken through once more.

He had spent decades consolidating his cultivation at the early ninth stage of the Nascent Soul Realm. Now, he had finally broken through two minor stages in succession and entered the late stage of the Nascent Soul Realm.

All of this was thanks to the Ancestor's guidance, as well as the teachings of Mystic Master Zhuge Wuwei.

"Early this morning, I saw the vast purple qi boiling like a deity descending to the mortal realm. I knew then that Imperial Lord Hua would receive a great boon today."

Not far away, Zhuge Wuwei, his hair and beard white as snow, yet with the complexion of a child, approached through the clouds with a smile.

Before he arrived, his voice had already reached them.

"Mystic Master Zhuge."

Hua Yunxiao immediately rose and bowed with utmost respect.

"Imperial Lord Yun, there's no need for such formalities."

Zhuge Wuwei smiled faintly and waved a hand, showing no concern for the gesture.

"Mystic Master Zhuge, we'll be taking action at noon. But for some reason, ever since the Ancestor entrusted me with this task, I haven't been able to calm my mind. I feel uneasy."

Hua Yunxiao hesitated briefly before voicing his concern.

"An unsettled mind is only natural."

Zhuge Wuwei's smile faded, and his expression grew more serious.

"Recently, I studied the celestial signs at night and discovered that ever since the Heaven-Fallen Soul Stele appeared, the position of the Celestial Pivot has shifted, and dark clouds have already obscured it.

"The heavens may be on the verge of great change.

"If this change continues to intensify, then a cataclysm will be upon us, and troubled times are sure to descend!

"The Cloud Barrens Era may face a devastating calamity beyond all imagining.

"Of course, if the Celestial Pivot returns to its proper place, the clouds part and the sun shines through, spiritual light gathers, and the divine signs reconverge...

"Then this, too, could be a great opportunity bestowed by heaven and earth.

"What we're fighting over is a thread of heavenly secrets, destiny, the Heavenly Dao, and the decree of fate."

Zhuge Wuwei looked up at the sky.

The blazing sun burned overhead, with clouds of vapor swirling around it, but its light was not as fierce as usual. It seemed veiled by a layer of gloomy clouds.

"Mystic Master Zhuge, then... what should we..."

Hua Yunxiao pondered for a long while before asking.

"This is merely my personal deduction. What's more, I arrived at it after arguing with my disciple.

"The source of it is the Mystic Tortoise Back Diagram from the Era of Demise.

"As for this calamity, that brat insists it means a golden age is coming, and that a 'Lord of Destiny' will surely descend.

"After we argued, he refused to concede and came over to your side."

At the mention of it, Zhuge Wuwei couldn't help smiling kindly again.

Hearing this, Hua Yunxiao felt relieved. But a faint look of disdain soon appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Zhuge Qingchen's abilities...

He had completely lost faith in them. After all, Zhuge Qingchen wasn't even as capable as Su Li!

He couldn't make a deduction, yet still tried to deceive them, only for Su Li to expose him and make him look utterly ridiculous...

Now, from what Mystic Master Zhuge said, it seemed even the Mystic Tortoise Back Diagram had made a wrong deduction, and the result was that Zhuge Qingchen had run away from home?

That made Hua Yunxiao think even less of Zhuge Qingchen.

If Zhuge Qingchen had even a tenth of Su Li's ability, then when he faced Su Li this time, wouldn't he have been spared the dilemma of owing him a favor?

Could it be that Zhuge Qingchen thinks he's the Lord of Destiny?

Hua Yunxiao couldn't help teasing him.

"That brat really does think so. And I've made a deduction about him, too. His destiny is indeed... noble beyond words. He truly has the fate of one 'Destined to Return.'

"However, something is missing from his fate.

"If that missing piece is filled, he could truly be Destined to Return, and the Celestial Pivot would be complete."

As Zhuge Wuwei spoke, he glanced meaningfully at Hua Yunxiao.

Hua Yunxiao froze, then realized what he meant and asked, "Then, Mystic Master Zhuge, what is he missing?"

Zhuge Wuwei said, "Of the seven emotions, he lacks love. He's missing a relationship."

Hua Yunxiao pondered briefly. He had almost grasped the idea, but still wasn't sure. "Then... what do you mean, Mystic Master Zhuge?"

Zhuge Wuwei didn't answer directly. Instead, he said calmly, "Imperial Lord Hua, the chances of your infant transformation succeeding are very high, but there are indeed some risks. Also, a transverse bone has appeared between your brows. It's an ill omen.

"However, I can resolve all of that for you. Even now."

Hua Yunxiao's expression tightened. He immediately bowed deeply and said, "Mystic Master Zhuge, I was foolish. Please enlighten me."

Zhuge Wuwei said, "Your Ancestor, Hua Lingshang, and I have already discussed the entire plan. Just carry it out carefully. Also, the infant girl you adopted earlier has the Mysterious Yin Sacred Body, correct?"

Hua Yunxiao's heart tightened, and he answered respectfully, "Her name is Mu Yuxi. I discovered her by chance—"

Zhuge Wuwei cut him off. "You discovered her by chance, then had Yun Wanchu adopt her so she could grow up alongside your daughter? That 'chance' of yours was actually something your Ancestor, Hua Lingshang, deliberately arranged. Your Ancestor slaughtered an entire clan for it.

"Even the infant soul Yaolan, who will awaken at midnight tonight from the Nine Desolations Tower, came about because your Ancestor wiped out her entire clan.

"Of course, they're all just tools that were raised for this purpose."

Hua Yunxiao's pupils contracted slightly, and his lips moved, but in the end he said nothing.

"She's also a crucial part of this plan, so bring her along this time. Also, Fang Yueheng was examined by that boy named Su Li, and Su Li deduced some things about him?"

Zhuge Wuwei's expression grew noticeably more serious when he mentioned Su Li.

"Yes. I witnessed it with my own eyes and heard it with my own ears."

"Mm. Tell me everything about your past with him in detail. Don't hide a single thing! This is extremely important!"

"Yes, Mystic Master Zhuge."

"Yu Xi, the Holy Lord will probably send you to serve Master Su today. I expect you won't be able to stay with me after that."

After finishing her morning cultivation, Hua Ziyan felt refreshed.

She couldn't help teasing Mu Yuxi.

Mu Yuxi wore a light pink gauzy dress. Her skin glistened like jade, and wisps of spiritual mist seemed to shimmer around her, making her look like a beautiful flower just about to bloom.

A breeze swept by, stirring her pink skirt and outlining her curvaceous figure and particularly full breasts.

Hua Ziyan suddenly realized that the little girl who always followed her around—the somewhat foolish, timid Mu Yuxi—had grown into a woman before she knew it.

At her words, Mu Yuxi met Hua Ziyan's teasing, smiling gaze and felt flustered.

She lowered her head slightly, and a bashful smile instinctively rose to her lips. In her beautiful eyes, it was as if she saw the carefree days from a few days ago, when that disheveled young man had joked with her and teased her on the barren mountain.

For a moment, she was lost in a daze.

It wasn't until Hua Ziyan called her several times that she came to her senses. Then she responded, feeling both guilty and flustered.

"The Holy Lord said you'll be temporarily serving and protecting Master Su for the time being. Master Su has shown us the kindness of giving us a new lease on life, so you absolutely mustn't neglect him. But looking at you, it seems your heart is already completely with him. Master Su is a good person, but he's still a little too simple-minded. And you've never experienced much of life, either, so you're rather slow to grasp the ways of the world.

"To be honest, I'm not at all confident about leaving you to protect him.

"But the Holy Lord probably won't let me replace you and go protect him instead.

"So, Yu Xi, you have to keep your wits about you!"

As Hua Ziyan spoke, she revealed what she was really thinking. She wasn't especially fond of Master Su and hoping to replace Mu Yuxi as his protector; she simply didn't trust Mu Yuxi to handle things properly.

"Sister Li, I-I'll protect Master Su with my life! No one can hurt him! Unless... unless I'm dead!"

Mu Yuxi immediately declared solemnly.

Her eyes were filled with determination, as if this were the faith she had dedicated her entire life to.

"You, protecting Master Su with your life? With Master Su's abilities, if your life were in danger, wouldn't he deduce it in the blink of an eye? Then he'd make sure you were safe and sound!

"To be honest, with his abilities, he could probably deduce every thought in your head at a glance. His mind is clear as a mirror."

Hua Ziyan smiled and teased her.

"Ah—no, surely not? That would be... so embarrassing..."

Mu Yuxi couldn't bear to think about it. Her face burned, and she lowered her head, too embarrassed to face anyone.

"Y-you wouldn't happen to have some really bold thoughts about him, would you...?"

Hua Ziyan's eyes widened, her face full of disbelief and curiosity.

Dawn broke.

Su Li rose from the bed and watched Yun Qingxuan leave, his expression complicated.

Yun Qingxuan was formidable.

She had nearly drained him dry.

If he hadn't possessed the Life Archive's ability to know her innermost thoughts at every moment, he might truly have been unable to withstand her terrifying schemes!

What was even more impressive about Yun Qingxuan was that although she intended to place all her trust in him, she still asked about controlling the Soul Locking Tower, securing her final fallback.

The meaning of that question was self-evident.

Considering the result of the Trigram Symbol—only by truly working together could they have even a sliver of hope of survival—and since he could see her thoughts at every moment, Su Li told Yun Qingxuan some things to watch out for when controlling the Soul Locking Tower. He also told her that if they really intended to deal with Gongcheng Tiansheng, then the weakness Gongcheng Tiansheng displayed was all fake!

His true weakness wasn't the area beneath his left ribs, as Yun Qingxuan had previously concluded. It was behind his right ear, at the base of the ear. That was where his infant soul's lifeline lay.

An infant soul was a soul of the Nascent Soul that had separated from the body. Though extraordinarily powerful, it also had a fatal weakness!

His deduction had revealed the future, and so he had learned this secret.

As for this exchange of trust, Su Li hadn't kept this information from her.

Because if things really came to that, it would mean that even working together, the two of them had still failed!

Or perhaps he would be dead, and Yun Qingxuan, with nowhere left to turn, could only endure humiliation and then assassinate Gongcheng Tiansheng.

That would be their final dead end!

Yun Qingxuan carried a deep sense of tragedy within her. She never considered the best possible outcome for any plan; she always considered the worst!

When she asked whether she could trust him, she had already decided to stake everything on trusting him!

Su Li had, of course, given her an affirmative answer!

And because he could learn her thoughts through the Life Archive, Su Li also told her about the worst-case scenario!

Afterward, the two of them discussed the matter repeatedly, coming up with ways to deal with every possible situation.

Only after Yun Qingxuan had accounted for every contingency did she finally feel at ease and quietly leave.

Su Li got out of bed, rinsed his mouth with a few sips of spiritual water, and swallowed two Qi Replenishing Pills to stave off hunger. Then he stepped out into the courtyard.

The weather was beautiful today.

Su Li activated his Universe Ring and checked the ten "Random Teleportation Talismans" inside. His heart settled a little.

After drinking Nine Radiance Heart-Inquiry Tea all night, his body's capacity to store spiritual energy had greatly increased.

At the same time, he had also initially refined all the nine-star Spirit Artifacts in his Universe Ring!

Now, he dispersed the spiritual energy in his body and opened the Life Archive System.

His Heavenly Secrets Value hadn't changed at all. It was still 72,361 points.

The character information he had previously locked onto had also disappeared.

After Yun Qingxuan left, he could no longer lock onto her, which meant he couldn't observe her situation at every moment.

That was one of the system's minor drawbacks: only people he could see with his own eyes could be locked onto.

After that, he could open the records of the people mentioned in that person's archive.

I hope we can succeed in working together this time.

Your fate is to see sorrow in all things. Only I can change it for you! Only I can save your mother! The Soul Locking Tower is powerful, but it can easily consume your destiny and fate. Although the Nine Radiance Heart-Inquiry Tea can replenish them, it only makes up a tiny fraction of what's lost, while using the tower consumes quite a lot!

I hope you don't disappoint me!

I've already been disappointed in this world once!

Su Li's expression was calm, yet his eyes held a trace of hope and a trace of weariness.

After Yun Qingxuan left Yunxiu Peak and returned to her own quarters, she immediately took out the Soul Perishing Tea Can without hesitation.

Then she brewed tea once more and tossed the Soul Locking Tower from her Universe Ring back into the Soul Perishing Tea Can.

She had promised Su Li that she wouldn't touch the Soul Locking Tower again for a while, but at this moment, she seemed to have forgotten that promise.

Since there's a sliver of hope... then I can only believe in myself.

Master Su, I'm sorry!

Once it's done, I'll raise a stele for you, then pay my respects as your disciple!

You're the key to this struggle for the core position. We can't succeed if we go together.

I can only choose that final path!

I know you can deduce everything. But when I survived the massacre of my clan in my early years, I learned one thing: no matter how skilled a Heavenly Secrets Master is at making deductions, even if he can hear people's inner thoughts, he can do nothing when I can even deceive myself!

When I trust you, I truly trust you!

But when I don't trust you, I truly don't trust you either! Because in this world, there's no one left who's worthy of my trust!

I made a fatal mistake once, and I'll never make it again!

What's more, if you scheme against me, I'll have nowhere left to turn!

Master Su, I'm sorry!

The thought flashed through Yun Qingxuan's mind and vanished. Then she drew a deep breath of the white smoke rising from the Soul Perishing Tea Can.

In the next moment, her entire body seemed to turn into nothingness and disappeared from where she stood.