A gentle breeze rustled in front of the quiet room.
Ling Chengxuan straightened his blue robe and was about to step out of the room.
"Etc."
Wen Jiao eyes narrowed, and she suddenly stepped forward to block his path.
She stared intently at the boy's seemingly calm face, a hint of accusation in her voice.
"You keep saying you don't want Xueyao to die, but all these years she's been constantly on the run, risking her life to find an antidote for Ling Zhantian, facing numerous assassination attempts by the Blood Baleful Intent Tower."
"As the young master of the Blood Baleful Intent Tower, why did you stand by and watch? Don't tell me you knew nothing about it."
Ling Chengxuan paused slightly.
He turned around, meeting Wen Jiao's angry gaze, but a faint, bitter smile appeared on his lips.
"Miss Wen, why are you so certain... that I have never secretly protected her?"
Wen Jiao's expression froze.
Before she could retort, Ling Chengxuan sighed softly and said frankly:
"I was indeed aware of those ambushes, and I even personally approved the list of assassinations."
"But the rules of the Blood Baleful Intent Tower are strict and cold. Even I, as the young master, cannot openly refuse the employer's bounty."
He looked up at Wen Jiao, his eyes clear and calm.
"All I can do is secretly manipulate personnel allocation."
"Every assassin I send out is one whose cultivation level is strictly controlled to be within Shen Qianyue's capabilities; I never send out experts who can truly crush their defenses."
"Otherwise, given the Blood Baleful Intent Tower's immense resources, if they were truly determined to take a princess's life, do you think she would have survived until now?"
Wen Jiao's breath hitched, and a storm raged in her heart.
As Ling Xueyao's close friend for many years, she had countless times secretly cheered for Xueyao's repeated escapes from death in desperate situations.
Although Shen Qianyue was powerful, if the Blood Baleful Intent Tower had dispatched several Golden Masks or even the Deputy Tower Master, Xueyao would have been reduced to ashes long ago.
It turns out... behind this deadly trap, there was always a hand secretly helping her avoid the most fatal danger.
Wen Jiao's hostility dissipated considerably, and she looked at Ling Chengxuan suspiciously, her eyes suddenly becoming strange.
"Your feelings for Xueyao... could it be...?"
This young man has endured so much, even risking exposure to repeatedly give in; could he be harboring feelings for a man?
Ling Chengxuan was slightly taken aback, then shook his head with a chuckle.
A long-lost gentleness and reminiscence slowly emerged from the depths of those once dim eyes.
"Miss Wen, you misunderstand. My relationship with my sister is purely platonic, like that of a brother and sister."
He lowered his head, his voice as soft as a leaf falling in the wind.
"Her personality is aloof and strong-willed, just like my younger sister who died in that fire... Every time I see her, it reminds me of my old home."
Ling Chengxuan paused, then pulled out a yellowed and worn book from deep within his wide sleeve.
His fingertips gently caressed the old cover, his expression forlorn.
"Moreover... when I was young, I was brought back to the palace by Ling Zhantian. I was all alone and helpless, and was often bullied and beaten by Ling Chengyuan and Ling Chenglie."
"On one occasion, she happened to witness it, drew her sword to defend me, and forced my two elder brothers to retreat."
Before leaving, she shoved this basic body-refining technique into my hands, her eyes red as she comforted me...
The boy's eyes gleamed, but a warm smile played on his lips.
She said, "Third brother, don't be afraid. As long as you master this technique and become a powerful and upright martial artist, no one will dare to bully you again."
"This is the first book I've ever read on my journey into martial arts."
"She was also the one who made me truly understand that if I wanted to take revenge on that beast, I had to become stronger at all costs."
He breathed a sigh of relief and carefully put the old book back into his pocket.
That's all.
"Those trivial childhood memories... she's probably forgotten them completely by now."
Having said that, Ling Chengxuan didn't linger for another word, turned around, and walked out of the courtyard.
The thin, frail figure was stretched long by the morning light, yet it exuded a poignant and serene acceptance of facing death.
Wen Jiao stood at the threshold, her heart churning with mixed emotions.
Chu Yunfei leaned back in his chair, quietly watching the direction the boy had gone, his eyes slightly closed, his fingertips tapping unconsciously on the table.
In this cruel world of cultivation.
But there is always a tiny glimmer of light that has never been extinguished, struggling desperately in the mire.
Deep within Chu Yunfei's consciousness, his soul trembled slightly.
The next moment.
Buzz!
A barely perceptible ripple in the void flashed by in the quiet room.
A wisp of golden light silently emerged from between Chu Yunfei's eyebrows, piercing through the void at incredible speed and disappearing straight into Ling Chengxuan's mind.
Ling Chengxuan, who was walking through the front hall corridor, suddenly froze.
A violent surge of warmth exploded within the sea of consciousness, transforming into a mysterious and unpredictable torrent of information that slowly unfolded within it.
Ling Chengxuan stood frozen in place, his heart pounding wildly.
This is...
He turned around abruptly, and across the many corridors, bowed deeply in Chu Yunfei's direction.
"Thank you, Brother Chu, for disregarding past grievances and leaving me a glimmer of hope."
The whispers faded into the wind. Ling Chengxuan laughed loudly, strode out of the Pill Pavilion gate, his face showing no more hesitation, facing death with equanimity.
Inside the quiet room, Chu Yunfei slowly withdrew his divine sense, his gaze deep and unwavering.
"Whether you live or die depends on your own fate."
Wen Jiao had already walked back to the table and picked up the black jade slip left behind by Ling Chengxuan.
The moment the divine sense probed in, the girl's exquisite face instantly drained of all color, and her delicate body trembled violently.
"This... this..."
Wen Jiao gasped softly, her fingertips turning white.
"Within the Eastern Continent, among the seven sects, the number of high-ranking members who have secretly pledged allegiance to the Blood Baleful Intent Tower... has actually reached such a level?!"
"Even within my own Pill Pavilion, there have been people completely infiltrated!"
Upon hearing this, Chu Yunfei's eyes narrowed slightly, and he pointed at the jade slip.
A vast stream of information instantly flooded my mind.
With just a cursory glance, Chu Yunfei's brows furrowed into a deep frown.
It's shocking.
Among the seven major sects, at least several powerful elders have secretly sided with the Blood Baleful Intent Tower, and some have even infiltrated nearly half of them.
Late Divine Sea Realm, Late Stage of the Heavenly Origin Realm... These core experts who usually manage the sect's laws, elixirs, and skill transmission have actually already had their marrow replaced with that of the Blood Baleful Intent Tower.
No wonder the Blood Baleful Intent Tower was able to easily influence the Seven Sects, not only changing the location of the Grand Competition to the Great Qian Imperial City, but also holding it ahead of schedule.
The entire Seven Sects of the Eastern Continent were almost completely hollowed out by the Blood Baleful Intent Tower.
Chu Yunfei's gaze swept over the last layer of the list, and he spoke in a deep voice:
"None of those on the list are at the Dao Mysterious Realm."
Wen Jiao was slightly taken aback. "No Dao Mysterious Realm?"
"Good."
Chu Yunfei lightly stroked the jade slip with his fingertip and said coldly:
"Either the Dao Profound Ancestor within the Seven Sects possesses an unwavering will, making him impossible for the Blood Baleful Intent Tower to crack, or... the network behind the Blood Baleful Intent Tower is too vast, so even Ling Chengxuan, the so-called Young Master of the Tower, is not qualified to access the pawns at that level."
Wen Jiao took a deep breath, forced herself to calm down, and continued to probe downwards.
When her gaze fell upon two of the striking vermilion names, she finally couldn't help but gasp in surprise, covering her mouth as she spoke.
" The Heavenly Sword Sect's Grand Elder... Nangong Hai?!"
"And... Yin Xiaotian, the Puppet Sect?!"
In a quiet room, you could hear a pin drop.
These two names carry immense weight.
One is the Grand Elder of the Heavenly Sword Sect, who holds a very high position and wields real power, second only to the Sect Master.
The other is the current leader of a first-class sect!
The sect leader had long since become a puppet of the assassin organization.
If this news were to get out, the entire Eastern Continent would instantly be plunged into great turmoil.
" Nangong Hai..."
Chu Yunfei's eyes suddenly turned cold, and a chilling killing intent appeared at the corner of his mouth. "That's Nangong Wuhen's elder, isn't it?"
Wen Jiao nodded emphatically, her chest heaving.
"That's right, Nangong Hai is his biological grandfather, and he usually shows extreme favoritism towards Nangong Wuhen."
"It's just strange... Nangong Wuhen's name isn't on the list, and even the holy sons and daughters of the other six sects aren't included."
Chu Yunfei sneered, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes.
That's not surprising.
"The holy sons and daughters of each sect are all top geniuses of the younger generation. As long as they break through to the Divine Sea Realm, they will eventually attract envoys from the Vast Waves Sacred Academy to recruit them."
"No matter how arrogant the Blood Baleful Intent Tower is, they are ultimately nothing more than a den of rats in a gutter. If they dare to openly reach out to the promising talents reserved by the Holy Academy, they are simply courting death."
Upon hearing the words " Vast Waves Sacred Academy," Wen Jiao's beautiful eyes flashed with a strange light as she looked at Chu Yunfei in surprise.
"My husband... he actually knows about the Vast Waves Sacred Academy?"
That is an unparalleled holy land that surpasses all other forces in the entire Vast Waves Domain; ordinary low-level cultivators don't even have the right to hear about it.
Chu Yunfei reached out and pinched her delicate, flawless cheek, casually chuckling:
"That dog emperor mentioned it himself after he woke up."
He looked at Wen Jiao, a half-smile playing on his lips, and teased, "With Jiao'er exceptional talent now that you've awakened the Heavenly Yin Baleful Intent Physique, when the Holy Academy's envoy arrives in six months, will you be interested in venturing into that holy land?"
Wen Jiao's cheeks flushed slightly. She shyly slapped his large hand away, then leaned into his arms and whispered:
"Wherever my husband goes, my Jiao'er will go."
She tilted her beautiful face up and gazed intently into the man's deep eyes. "What are your plans, my husband?"
Chu Yunfei stroked her black hair, his gaze drifting into the void, and said calmly, "We'll see how things go then."
Going is definitely out of the question.
Having been a giant in the immortal path in his previous life, he knew all too well how much a remote, isolated territory could limit martial arts cultivation.
Moreover, after Luo Wuxu, the former owner of the Abyss-Devouring Sword Abyss Sword, dominated the Vast Waves Domain, the place where he finally disappeared was the Vast Waves Sacred Academy.
There's also the legacy left by the Heaven-Slaying Sword Emperor... Many mysteries can only be completely dispelled by standing higher.
Wen Jiao nodded obediently, without asking any further questions, and lowered her head to probe the very end of the jade slip with her divine sense.
However, the next moment...
The jade slip in the girl's hand fell onto the table with a thud.
Her face was deathly pale, and she felt as if she had fallen into an icy abyss. She trembled and cried out:
"Husband... husband, look at the end..."