The Divine Statue opened his eyes.
The incense ash had not risen.
The spider silk had not stirred.
Even the mountain wind outside the temple seemed pinned beyond the threshold by an invisible hand.
The entire Guanjiangkou Divine Realm was utterly silent.
Yet the Three Xiao Fairies' Primordial Spirits shook violently at that very moment.
Bixiao's face abruptly paled, and her palm instinctively pressed against the Golden Flood Dragon Scissors.
The killing intent in Qiongxiao's eyes faltered, and the Dragon Binding Rope around her wrist actually tightened of its own accord.
Yunxiao stood at the front, her sleeves trembling slightly. Even the golden light cascading from the Primordial Golden Dou dimmed a fraction in that instant.
Those eyes were too calm.
So calm that they held no pressure.
So calm that they held no emotion.
Yet the three sisters' entire cultivation, ten thousand years of karma, pasts, and destined fates all seemed spread into a long scroll beneath that gaze.
The anger Bixiao suppressed in her heart.
The murderous intent Qiongxiao concealed within her sleeves.
Yunxiao's worries over the Interception Sect's future.
And their resolve to avenge Zhao Gongming, even at the cost of deploying the Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation ahead of time-none of it had anywhere to hide.
That gaze passed no judgment.
It merely looked.
Yet that only chilled the Three Xiao's hearts further.
"Not bad."
A languid, even voice emerged from deep within the Divine Statue.
It was quiet, yet pressed directly into the depths of the Three Xiao's Primordial Spirits.
Bixiao gave a muffled grunt and nearly stepped back.
Pain stabbed between Qiongxiao's brows, and her face turned pale.
Only Yunxiao forcibly steadied her Dao Heart and bowed once more.
"This junior's presumptuous intentions disturbed you, Dao Venerable. Please forgive me."
The gaze within the