Just as Su Shi'er had said back then, her Master-Disciple Bond with Su Shi'er would not hinder her friendship with Tang Zhuying.
"Don't worry. Your master has her own plans!"
Tang Zhuying did not slow her stride. True Yuan surged around her, transforming into jade-green bamboo leaves. Amid their shimmering radiance, phantom images of the Myriad Stars faintly emerged around her.
"But..."
"There are no buts. Those people outside the sect have come in force. If we want as many disciples as possible to leave alive, someone must hold them back!
In Xuanji Sect as it is now, only I can do this!"
Tang Zhuying's expression remained calm and detached, without even a trace of grim resolve in her eyes.
She had never lacked the courage to face death.
She could remain so composed now because she had anticipated the worst-case scenario from the very beginning.
"Then... I'll go with you!"
Without a moment's thought, Feng Fei immediately spoke up again.
"No. You must stay behind and leave with the elders.
If I survive, then everything will be easy to settle.
But if I am unfortunate enough to perish, then... the future Xuanji Sect will be entrusted to you.
The burden on your shoulders will not be light. You must... restore Xuanji Sect to its former glory and ensure that its legacy is never severed.
This is not merely for Xuanji Sect, but for the Cultivation World as well."
Tang Zhuying stopped at the entrance to the main hall and shook her head with her back to the crowd.
"For the Cultivation World?" Feng Fei blinked, utterly bewildered.
"You may not understand now, but one day, you will.
From the day Xuanji Sect was rebuilt, Xuanji Sect's Heavenly Mandate had already arrived."
Tang Zhuying continued, offering no further explanation.
"But