Xue Heng found the time to retrieve Ming Xiao, who was still asleep in the wilderness.

After checking, he found that Ming Xiao wasn’t seriously injured but would need another two days of rest.

The explosion had lasted for about half an hour before it finally began to die down.

The entire surrounding forest was flattened, yet the building at the center showed almost no damage.

The three of them planned to enter and investigate the situation inside.

Since Ming Xiao was still asleep, and Chu Xinghui had sensed the presence of Chi Heyu’s aura inside, the three of them decided not to bring him along. Instead, they sent someone to escort him back to the sect.

In the end, Ming Xiao spent the day sleeping outside, not contributing anything special, and was then sent back to the sect.

The remaining three entered the strange building.

When Chu Xinghui had first entered, he was pretending to be unconscious, never fully opening his eyes. Then he had to run for his life, so he hadn’t really seen the full extent of the building.

Now that they were back inside, Chu Xinghui was surprised to find that the interior of the building was much larger than he had expected. Different areas were clearly separated, and everything appeared highly organized.

It was evident that Cultivator Biyun had carefully managed this place over the years.

There were many rooms inside, and after some discussion, the three of them decided to split up and explore.

Chu Xinghui had almost been possessed here before, and Xie Liufeng was a bit worried about him. He kept reminding him: “If you run into danger—”

Chu Xinghui had learned to answer quickly: “I’ll call for you.”

Seeing him so serious, Xie Liufeng couldn’t help but chuckle.

Xue Heng, unable to stand the two of them whispering sweet nothings, urged: “Are we going or not?”

Xie Liufeng, still adjusting Chu Xinghui’s clothes, replied without missing a beat: “You go first, Senior Brother Xue.”

Xue Heng: “…”

He fell silent and turned to walk away.

Chu Xinghui and Xie Liufeng didn’t waste any more time. After exchanging a few more words, they quickly parted ways.

*

The area Chu Xinghui entered appeared to be the living quarters.

For cultivators, everyday items rarely required defensive formations, and Cultivator Biyun’s thinking was no different.

Thus, although the exterior of this area’s buildings had little damage, much of the personal belongings inside had been reduced to dust from the earlier explosion, leaving only rooms filled with fragments and remnants.

Chu Xinghui carefully observed the ruins and made a rough guess at the purpose of each room. Eventually, he arrived at what appeared to be the bedroom.

Much like the other rooms, the bedroom had been nearly destroyed in the explosion, with only fragments of furniture and the remnants of bed curtains remaining.

As Chu Xinghui scanned the room, he couldn’t find anything particularly unusual. Just as he was about to leave, something caught his attention—there was a damaged section of the wall in the corner.

This section of the wall was undoubtedly another trace left by the explosion.

But the material exposed beneath it… seemed subtly different from the damaged spots he had encountered throughout the rest of the building.

Chu Xinghui approached and reached out to touch the exposed brick.

He paused, his mind working quickly. Spreading out his spiritual sense, he explored the cracks in the brick, and soon he detected a hollow space beneath the floor, occupying about half the room’s area.

There was a basement under the room.

The entire basement was protected by a defensive formation. Normally, Chu Xinghui wouldn’t have been able to detect anything inside just with his spiritual sense. However, due to the explosion earlier, the formation had been weakened, allowing him to sense the hollow space below.

After a moment of thought, Chu Xinghui decided not to waste time searching for a potential, hidden trigger mechanism to open the basement. Instead, he drew his sword and thrust it directly into the weakened formation.

With a crisp crack, Chu Xinghui was sent tumbling downward.

When his feet hit solid ground, he quickly steadied himself and took out a glowing pearl to illuminate the basement.

The basement was small, sparsely furnished, and only had a table with drawers. Atop the table stood a life-sized white porcelain statue.

The statue depicted a mature woman, with lifelike clothing and hair… but her face was blurred, the features mashed into a formless mass, giving it a creepy and eerie feel under the dim light.

Chu Xinghui instinctively felt that the statue was off and quickly averted his gaze.

He scanned the basement, walking around it, and then opened the drawers beneath the table.

The left drawer was empty, but the right drawer contained a small wooden box.

Opening the box, Chu Xinghui found a journal, its corners yellowed with age and looking like it had been around for quite some time.

He placed the glowing pearl on the table and began flipping through the journal.

[… Today, my master spoke with me, saying that after his departure, I should take over Bihai Taohua Island. I don’t understand—my master’s cultivation path has been smooth, and he has many more years to live. My senior brother has always done well. Everyone knows that I don’t have the prestige or ambition to lead the sect. Why would my master say such a thing… It must be a joke.]

[… My master is dead.]

[I went to see my senior brother again, wanting to ask him what had happened, but he avoided me.]

[… Today, I finally met with my senior brother. He still wouldn’t tell me what happened. We parted on bad terms.]

[The diviner looked at the auspicious and inauspicious signs, seeking to peer into the future. I’ve encountered the curse that every diviner fears—the prophecy of their own death.]

[… Hundreds of years later, I finally understand the truth of that time. Long ago, the Destiny Book gave the fate of this world to the upper realms, and many years later, it gave them the passage to this world. The Destiny Book is… He is too, and everyone is doomed to bear this bitter fruit.

What I saw in the prophecy means that—my master’s sacrifice was in vain. This world will either be destroyed by the upper realms’ theft, or it will remain barely alive by cutting off the Heavenly Ladder, ensuring no one ascends ever again. There is no third option… And no matter which path it takes, neither I nor Bihai Taohua Island will survive.

So many people died… and many more will die because of this… Yet he lives without a care.]

[Now I am the master of Bihai Taohua Island, and I will not shield him like my master did. I’ve erased his name from the sect’s roster.]

[… I’ve packed my things and plan to seek the person who can fulfill the prophecy. Yao Yao is a smart and talented child. Even if I’m gone, I believe she will manage Bihai Taohua Island well.]

…

[I think I will follow in the footsteps of my predecessors… Those who try to change their fate will ultimately become the very instruments of it… Is that how it is?]

[What if… I am not ‘Biyun’?]

…

The journal’s contents abruptly cut off.

It was clear that the journal’s author was indeed Biyun herself, and the contents recorded were her experiences before she transformed into the dark mist.

The journal seemed to answer many questions, but as Chu Xinghui read it from beginning to end, something felt off.

He flipped to the last page and was about to check the cover when, just as he turned it, an empty page suddenly appeared.

Gradually, words began to form on the page: “When you turn to this page, the life of ‘Biyun’ has already come to an end.”

Chu Xinghui jumped in shock, nearly tossing this creepy thing away immediately.

The paper didn’t seem to realize how eerie it was and continued to display new words persistently:

“The divination once predicted that the destined one of Bihai Taohua Island would come before me, carrying the sacred object, and read this buried journal.”

“As the island master of Bihai Taohua Island, I show the highest respect for fate, but I still have my own interpretation of destiny. This will be the last passage written under the name ‘Biyun.’ After this, I will shed my physical form and, in another shape, attain eternal life.”

“To express my gratitude to the destined one for returning the sacred object to me, I am willing to leave a fragment of my soul behind to answer the questions of the destined one.”

The paper flickered for a moment before revealing the last line: “Please place the sacred object before me. The power of the sacred object will guide the fragment of my soul, allowing me to perform the final divination and bestow upon the destined one the power I have abandoned.”

Suddenly, a wooden tray appeared on the table in front of Chu Xinghui.

It seemed to be meant for placing the “sacred object.”

Chu Xinghui still had no idea what the so-called “sacred object” was, so he started trying different items from his storage bag, one by one.

When he tried a cup-shaped object, the tray suddenly lit up.

Chu Xinghui immediately pulled his hand back.

He looked down at the item in his hand.

It was a translucent white, goblet-shaped spiritual tool. Previously, it had a blue ice-like bead embedded at its bottom, which he had used earlier during the poison removal process.

This was also the object that Qin Yuwen had used to create the illusion.

This item had been with Xie Liufeng all this time, but it had likely slipped into his possession during one of Xie Liufeng’s routine “care packages.”

Chu Xinghui finally felt that this trip was worthwhile.

At least now he didn’t have to listen to Yue Yao’s cryptic riddles about the “sacred object.” That was a relief.

Now that he was certain about what the “sacred object” was, Chu Xinghui didn’t follow the instructions to place it on the tray just yet. Instead, he raised his head to look around.

The face of the white porcelain statue had somehow, without him noticing, become clear.

It was a beautiful woman’s face, smiling gently, with her eyes lowered. Her gaze was directly fixed on the spot where Chu Xinghui stood.

A chill ran down his spine.

Chu Xinghui had never seen Cultivator Biyun’s true appearance, but he instinctively felt that the face on the porcelain statue was indeed Cultivator Biyun’s own face.

He stared at the statue and thought for a moment.

It did seem like an alluring proposition.

However… knowing Cultivator Biyun’s character, he’d be a fool to trust it.

The secrets in the journal, whether true or false, made it clear that Cultivator Biyun would never let him walk out of here alive.

Without hesitation, Chu Xinghui summoned his spiritual sword and struck at the porcelain statue.

The statue shattered with a crisp sound.

After the shattering, the room fell into a brief silence.

Slowly, the temperature in the room began to drop.

The air around them seemed to fill with moisture, and Chu Xinghui could vaguely smell the salty scent of seawater.

In the next instant, a blurry shadow suddenly emerged from the broken pieces of the statue and charged toward Chu Xinghui.

He quickly dodged and raised his sword to block.

With just one clash, Chu Xinghui stumbled back.

Not wasting time, he grabbed the box with the journal and fled toward the exit of the basement.

As he ran out of the room, he noticed the shadow still in pursuit, so he shouted: “Xie Liufeng!”

The moment he shouted, Xie Liufeng hadn’t arrived yet, but a flash of sword light appeared behind Chu Xinghui, immediately protecting him.

Xie Liufeng emerged from another direction, looking bewildered as the person suddenly crashed into his arms: “What’s going on here?”

Chu Xinghui pointed behind him.

Xie Liufeng glanced at the shadow and quickly deduced that it was a fragment of a soul forcefully separated from its original body.

He still didn’t fully understand what was happening, but it didn’t stop him from immediately placing Chu Xinghui behind him, stepping forward to confront the shadow.

 

 

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