Above the clouds, the spirit tablets emanated the auras of her clansmen. Surrounded by them, Li Yaowen stared unblinkingly at Goddess Xia Yan.
She finally understood that those Heaven-Chosen Divine Sect Chosen Ones who had ventured outside had never been mere wine sacks and rice bags. Those Chosen Ones outside might have always been within Goddess Xia Yan's calculations. For this day, she had even been willing to let the Chosen Ones fall!
Whenever Goddess Xia Yan appeared, she wore a compassionate expression, as though grieving for all beneath heaven. Yet under Li Yaowen's questioning, this woman who did not even value the lives of her sect disciples finally fell silent for a moment. Then the corners of her lips curled up—a false smile of utter coldness and exceptional arrogance.
"Of course I could not foresee this day, much less the hidden strength of your Azure Cloud Li Family, or everything your ancestors left behind for you within the Bronze Gate."
The wind in the sky turned slightly colder, lifting the tips of Goddess Xia Yan's hair. "Just as I never agreed with the sect master allowing the Divine Sect to enter the world, nor did I agree with his struggle for supremacy amid these troubled times. He has his own selfish desires, and what he seeks is likely your Bronze Gate. I have weathered countless storms. The far west is not barren or bitter—it is a paradise in the Beyond. But the human realm outside is..."
"Hell."
Her smile became gentle. "People like you and me cannot decide the course of a faction. We are forever holding umbrellas over them on rainy days. Whatever they want, we must do our utmost to satisfy."
"When they decided to deal with the Li Family, I knew this journey would never be