The great void.
Li fire burned and rose, and the light of double radiance shifted, revealing a man clad in vermilion treasure armor. His expression was cold, his aura weakened, and flecks of Buddhist radiance diffused through his Dharma Body.
"We simply let him leave like that."
A trace of anger colored Song Shiqing's voice. He looked behind him, only to see a surge of Geng metal light.
"The decree came from the heart of Great Li. What else could we do?"
A woman's voice rang out, and a graceful figure stepped out of the metal qi.
She was tall and straight-backed, clad in silver armor, with a heroic air about her brows and eyes. At that moment, however, she seemed lost in thought.
She was none other than Mei Ye, a direct-line disciple of Tai Zhen and the youngest Purple Mansion cultivator of the Mei. She had only recently broken through to the early Purple Mansion stage and mastered [Cave of Illuminating Truth].
"The people of Heavenwater were all converted by that monk."
Song Shiqing seemed deeply enraged, seething with indignation.
He had intended to go straight to his clan elders and ask them to intervene, but he had encountered this Purple Mansion cultivator of the Grand Truth Sect along the way. After explaining the stakes, she had stopped him.
"I know the matter of vast wood is urgent. Mingying is a pawn of that [Divine Vastness] True Lord. By sentiment and reason alike, we should accommodate him and draw out some of vast wood's methods. But... the one in the grotto-heaven was far too heartless. The people of Heavenwater are the ones most devoted to our Great Li!"
Beside him, Mei Ye's expression shifted slightly. She sighed, unwilling to pass judgment directly, and merely said:
"How much mortal