After hearing Old Man Zheng’s words, Yue Yao suddenly furrowed her brows, her expression turning uncertain as she looked at Chu Xinghui.

Her look was strange, as though she had realized something crucial had been misunderstood.

Xie Liufeng, still with a calm expression, turned to Old Man Zheng and asked: “What did you mean by ‘terrible conclusion’?”

Old Man Zheng began rambling nonsense: “Terrible conclusion? Well, it’s simple—everyone dies together. Whoever is the destined one will be the first to go.”

Xie Liufeng, with a completely neutral expression, repeated the key phrase: “The destined one… will die first?”

Old Man Zheng, unaware of the approaching danger, continued playing the fool: “Hey, that’s just your own interpretation. I never said anything. People live, people die. Everyone dies eventually. You’ll die, I’ll die, we all die. You can’t go against the heavens.”

He said, then once again looked at Chu Xinghui with a pointed expression.

Chu Xinghui hadn’t said anything yet when Xie Liufeng stared at Old Zheng and casually moved his wrist.

He spoke to the others: “Please step outside for a moment. I need to have a few words with Brother Zheng.”

Xue Heng had no objections, immediately pulling his disciple out, while reminding him: “I dealt with him last night, so take it easy.”

His disciple still didn’t know what the deal with the sacrificial issue was, so don’t end up killing him.

Ming Xiao, not understanding what was going on, was still dragged out.

Yue Yao stayed where she was for a moment, chuckled, then turned to leave.

She had only mentioned that the two of them weren’t suitable, and Xie Liufeng had immediately slashed her fan. And this elder of hers? He just cursed someone’s Dao partner to die.

This old man was even less likable than her, quite something.

Chu Xinghui stayed still for a moment, then looked up at Xie Liufeng and tugged at his sleeve.

Xie Liufeng looked at him with a soft and gentle tone: “Don’t worry, it’s just a little talk with Brother Zheng about proper manners. You go wait outside for me.”

Chu Xinghui comforted him: “Don’t be mad, I won’t die.”

Although being randomly cursed was a bit annoying, he had no particular fear of death. After all, he didn’t believe that if someone said he would die, it would really happen… What he was more concerned about was whether Xie Liufeng would get too angry.

Xie Liufeng rubbed his head: “Rest assured, I’ll calm down soon.”

Chu Xinghui observed him for a moment, confirming that his emotions were still stable, then let go and obediently went outside.

*

Not long after Chu Xinghui left, terrified shouting came from the cell.

Xue Heng rubbed his ears, feeling it was too noisy, and set up a soundproof formation at the door of the cell.

Mu Zeqing, who was locked in a nearby cell, saw so many people arrive and felt uneasy. He couldn’t help but stick his head out of the cell to look over.

Chu Xinghui saw this person from a distance and felt curious: “Why is he still here?”

After all, he was a high-ranking child of a major sect. Once the situation was clarified, according to procedure, Fang Yan should have coordinated with Lingxiang Sect on how to handle him.

Xue Heng had seen Mu Zeqing the night before and knew what was going on: “Fang Yan already discussed it with Lingxiang Sect. But they are still arguing about his father colluding with evil cultivators. Plus, he himself practiced evil techniques, so no one is willing to come to his rescue. He’s still being kept here for now.”

He thought for a moment and added: “Oh, according to Fang Yan, his mother passed out when she heard about her daughter’s death, and just woke up to hear about this father-son issue, only to faint again.”

So now, this person was completely neglected and just left in the cell to get by on food and drink.

Chu Xinghui: “…”

The people from Lingxiang Sect were truly… quite something.

Ming Xiao glanced around, feeling a bit bored, and started chatting with Chu Xinghui.

Of course, it was mainly Ming Xiao talking while Chu Xinghui just listened.

Ming Xiao rambled on about all sorts of things, then suddenly remembered something, poking Chu Xinghui: “That old man inside just now said you saw Cultivator Biyun’s memories. Is that true?”

Considering the old man’s harsh words, Ming Xiao had already decided not to address him as ‘Senior’ anymore.

Upon hearing this, Yue Yao, who had been silent, immediately couldn’t help but look over.

Chu Xinghui glanced at Yue Yao, feeling a bit hesitant.

Telling Xue Heng and his disciples this was no problem, but Yue Yao…

Yue Yao noticed his hesitation and adopted a sorrowful expression, sighing: “After traveling together for so long, Cultivator Chu, you still don’t trust me? This really hurts my feelings.”

Chu Xinghui: “…”

How did he not know that the two of them had such a trusting relationship?

Ming Xiao looked around, immediately understanding: “Stop talking, let’s go back and talk privately.”

Yue Yao was pushed aside and waved her fan, persuading Chu Xinghui: “Cultivator Chu, I’ve helped you all by sending my master into your sect’s prison. Isn’t that enough to prove we’re on the same boat?”

She thought for a moment and then suggested: “How about I swear an oath of heart demons?”

Chu Xinghui: “…”

It was clear Yue Yao was very eager to know this information.

Yue Yao continued to persuade him: “Don’t worry, I’m not like my master or my elder. They’re both old and have severed their paths, so they can talk nonsense without affecting anything. I’m still young, waiting for my ascension.”

Seeing that Chu Xinghui’s attitude was softening and he was starting to weigh the pros and cons, Yue Yao was about to say more when the prison door in front of the four of them suddenly opened.

Xie Liufeng happily adjusted his sleeve and didn’t even look up: “Does the Saintess want to hear what our Star is going to say? Why not ask me? I might know too.”

Chu Xinghui didn’t bother with Yue Yao and immediately walked to his side to check on him.

Xie Liufeng took hold of his hands that were busy checking him and smiled wryly: “I’m the one who hits people, but why does it look like I’ve been beaten?”

Chu Xinghui gave him a serious look for a few seconds, then relaxed and stood next to him.

Yue Yao peeked through the slightly open door to see what was happening inside. She slightly restrained herself but still didn’t give up: “I just want to know what Cultivator Chu saw in my master’s memories.”

Chu Xinghui finally addressed her: “Since you want to know what I saw, Cultivator Yue, shouldn’t you offer some equivalent information in exchange?”

Yue Yao was a little reluctant: “Regarding what my master saw of the heavenly secrets, I’ve already told you everything I know. If there are no new leads, I truly can’t say anything else.”

Xie Liufeng suddenly spoke: “Just now, Brother Zheng explained a few things to me… He said that the reason he believed the people of this realm couldn’t ascend was that the ascent channel had a problem. He saw that the ladder from this realm to the upper realms indeed had a flaw.”

Yue Yao was slightly stunned.

However, while this matter sounded somewhat unbelievable, it wasn’t entirely without traces to follow.

For example, why were people like Qin Suyun able to descend to this realm… If it was because of a flaw in the ascent ladder, then that would explain it.

She quickly thought for a moment, sighed, and looked up again to repeat: “When Cultivator Chu tells me what he saw, I will swear an oath of heart demons and reveal everything I know about the situation. How does that sound?”

Chu Xinghui looked at the others, seeking their opinion.

The others nodded at him.

Xie Liufeng took his hand.

Just as Chu Xinghui was about to speak, Ming Xiao suddenly remembered something and immediately covered his ears, turning to walk away: “Wait, let me move a bit farther before you say it. I had no idea I had gone into the storage room before. Who knows if someone can control my body… If I find out later, it could cause trouble.”

Although he really wanted to hear what Chu Xinghui had to say, he was still quite safety-conscious.

Xue Heng reached out and pressed him down.

“Calm down. Anyone who could pull off a sacrificial ceremony would have long known what Cultivator Biyun saw. Why would they need to ask you for information?” While lecturing his disciple, he shot a side glance at Yue Yao, implying: “Besides, the Saintess of Bihai Taohua Island and you are both sacrifices. If she’s not afraid, why should you be?”

Yue Yao: “…”

She wasn’t angered and continued to stand there composedly.

After a moment of thought, Ming Xiao also realized this, standing confidently in place and looking at Chu Xinghui expectantly.

Chu Xinghui: “…”

He finally spoke, recounting once again what he had seen in Cultivator Biyun’s memories.

Yue Yao fell silent for a while, then murmured: “I see.”

She scanned the others, then spoke again: “Regarding my master’s observation of the heavenly secrets… this matter is the core of everything. To show my sincerity, I will now swear an oath of heart demons — everything I say from now on is the truth.”

Chu Xinghui couldn’t help but ask: “So… how much of what you said before was false?”

Yue Yao, rare as it was, was about to speak the truth, and upon hearing his question, her expression froze for a moment. She smiled awkwardly and said: “… Well, that’s something for you all to figure out. After all, I’ve said so much, sometimes I can’t even remember everything I’ve said.”

Chu Xinghui: “…”

He shouldn’t have asked that question.

Yue Yao quickly moved past the awkward moment and started explaining: “I’m sure you’re all very curious. Bihai Taohua Island and Lingxiang Sect have no connection, so why would I collaborate with Qin Yuwen… or rather, Qin Suyun? Actually, it’s because when I investigated my master’s observation of the heavenly secrets, I found a note she had left behind. It said that on a certain day in the future, someone would sever the ascent passage, making it impossible for anyone from this realm to ascend. Bihai Taohua Island would also sink into the sea because of this.”

“I’ve always wondered why she said that someone would sever the ascent passage in the future. But the power to sever it surely didn’t come from this realm, so I naturally thought of the ‘god’ that Sword Sovereign killed. So before this, I always assumed that she was talking about Qin Suyun and her people. The person she was waiting for, the one whose fate would fulfill the heavenly secrets, was Qin Yuwen… But now, it seems she was talking about the ascent ladder breaking in the future. And the so-called person who would fulfill the heavenly secrets is the one who will sever the ascent ladder.”

She finally looked at Chu Xinghui: “Cultivator Chu… does this mean that you will be the one to sever the ascent ladder, causing this realm to never have anyone ascend, and then die because of it?”

Chu Xinghui was stunned.

Sever the ascent ladder? Am I that powerful?

 

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