Baili Gelin's expression shifted subtly the moment she saw him. Lu Li was also drenched from head to toe, his features obscured behind the curtain of rain, making his expression hard to discern. His voice was so calm it felt almost unreal: "Junior Sister Bai Li, the sect leader has summoned all disciples to Luxin Hall. Please proceed immediately."
Lu Li had always been well-liked by the others, especially Ye Ye. Ever since they arrived at the East Sea Myriad Immortals Assembly, Ye Ye had often brought up Lu Li in conversations with Ge Lin, but she always evaded the topic—either saying he was busy with cultivation or unavailable. Now that they suddenly met again, Ye Ye immediately clasped his hands and greeted warmly, "Brother Lu, it's been a while."
Lu Li strode in gracefully, poised and composed. After sweeping his gaze across the group, he smiled and returned the gesture. "A year apart, and your cultivation has clearly advanced further. I've been training in the Trial Grounds with the elders these past days and couldn't welcome you properly upon your arrival at the Eastern Sea. My apologies."
While he and Ye Ye exchanged pleasantries, Su Wan watched him curiously and tugged at Baili Gelin's sleeve, whispering, "Is he your senior brother? What a striking figure! He doesn't look like the men from the Central Land at all."
Baili Gelin gave a dry laugh. "Appearances can be deceiving." This man was far more complicated than any Central Land man could ever be.
Not wanting to watch Lu Li chat leisurely with Ye Ye and the others, she quickly hopped onto the Centipede demon's head and forced a smile. "At least Li Fei and the others are safe. Since Master has summoned us, I'll head there first."
She urged the Centipede demon to soar high, leaving Lu Li behind, but he soon caught up, leaping effortlessly to land beside her.
Baili Gelin kept her gaze fixed ahead and muttered, "Stay away from me."
Lu Li said nothing, merely reaching over to unceremoniously tug at her collar, peering down at her neck—the Nine-Headed Bird pendant was still there, now stained with blood. She must have tried countless times to tear it off, even if it meant scraping her neck raw.
She neither struggled nor spoke, only glared at him icily. Unfazed, Lu Li slowly released her and said flatly, "Even if you break your neck, it won’t break. Stop trying."
Baili Gelin averted her eyes and replied coldly, "I never liked you to begin with. Now I despise you even more."
Lu Li remained indifferent. "As you wish."
Baili Gelin clenched her fists slowly. She wanted to scream, to wail, to crush this man into dust—but all she could do was bury the seething turmoil deep inside, maintaining an unshakable facade of indifference, as if that alone could make her truly strong.
The cultivation grounds of the East Sea Myriad Immortals Assembly were built beneath the sea. The Ocean Sect differed entirely from the Mountain Sect—areas rich in concentrated spiritual energy were mostly underwater and relatively small in scale. Over time, each sect established their own towns on the land at the periphery, where spiritual energy was sparse, leading to a mixed habitation of cultivators and mortals. Only the elders, Celestials, and the sect leader could remain indefinitely in the deep-sea cultivation grounds where spiritual energy was dense and concentrated.
Luxin Hall was the foremost grand hall of the cultivation grounds, rarely used under normal circumstances. Baili Gelin guided the Centipede demon through coral formations resembling a forest for what felt like half a day before finally glimpsing the hall's exterior, illuminated by the glow of the water-repelling Immortal Technique. Inside, shadows of figures flickered—countless disciples had already gathered, filling the hall to the brim.She was inwardly shocked and, for the moment, forgot about Lu Li, hurrying into the hall. There, she saw Shen Xiansheng and dozens of elders gathered at the front, where several dozen corpses lay covered with black cloth, only their faces exposed. To her astonishment, they were all disciples of the Myriad Immortals Assembly—even two elder Celestials were among them.
Beside Shen Xiansheng stood several bloodstained elders, their expressions numb, some even weeping. One of them trembled as he spoke, "There were over a dozen disciples we couldn’t save in time... their bodies were already taken by the horde of Demons... Sect Leader, we have failed in our duty..."
So many disciples dead?! Baili Gelin was even more horrified. She scanned the crowd gathered in Luxin Hall—everyone present was at the first to third bottlenecks in cultivation. Normally, these were disciples who could only look up to the elder Celestials in awe, yet now two of those revered figures had perished. And from the discussions, it seemed some disciples had already been devoured by the Demonic Beasts. The remaining disciples all looked pale and lost.
Was something major about to happen?
Not far from Shen Xiansheng stood a jade-like young woman, beautiful and tearful—it was actually Senior Sister A Jiao. She was Shen Xiansheng’s daughter, nominally a disciple of the Myriad Immortals Assembly but holding a transcendent status within the sect. Shen Xiansheng doted on her, allowing her to come and go as she pleased. Ever since becoming lovers with Mo Yanfan of Star Rectitude Hall, she had hardly spent any time in the Eastern Sea over the past few years, and her cultivation had remained stagnant at the fourth bottleneck. If even she had been summoned back, then this truly was a grave matter.
"Senior Sister A Jiao," Baili Gelin stepped forward and bowed to her. When she had first arrived at the Myriad Immortals Assembly, A Jiao had taken great care of her, and she had grown fond of this straightforward yet fiery girl. She had always assumed A Jiao was a native of the Eastern Sea, but after joining the sect, she learned that Shen Xiansheng was actually from the Central Land, which made her feel even closer to Senior Sister A Jiao.
Tears welled in A Jiao’s eyes as she stared at Baili Gelin in surprise for a long moment before exclaiming, "You’re... Ge Lin? You’ve grown so much!"
Baili Gelin nearly laughed. Had this senior sister been so wrapped up in her sweet romance with her beloved Mo that she thought six or seven years would leave them all still looking like children?
Ever the smooth talker, she lowered her voice and said, "I’ve grown up, but Senior Sister A Jiao still looks the same—so beautiful. You must tell me your beauty secrets later, alright?"
Despite her heavy heart, A Jiao couldn’t help but chuckle. "Still as sweet-tongued as ever. Who taught you to speak so charmingly? Ah, but I’ve no mind for this now—this is hardly the time for idle chatter!"
Baili Gelin whispered, "Senior Sister, what... what’s happened?"
A Jiao sighed. "Well, you’ll all find out soon enough, so it’s fine to tell you now... Two days ago, the waters of the Eastern Sea began to recede. Five of our sect’s Trial Grounds had their Seals broken before they could be repaired—all of them contained powerful Demonic Beasts. Today, a group of disciples who had just broken through the fifth bottleneck went to train there and ended up clashing with those hordes of Demons. All of them perished... even the two elders leading them couldn’t escape."Baili Gelin suddenly recalled Ji Tongzhou’s earlier words about the abrupt surges of demon qi near the sea. So the barrier sealing the Trial Grounds had truly been breached! Dozens of disciples who had broken through the fifth bottleneck! This was nothing short of a devastating blow to the Myriad Immortals Assembly. Disciples who could surpass the fifth bottleneck held the hope of becoming Celestials—each one was a treasured disciple in their master’s eyes. For them to be wiped out so suddenly was like a bolt from the blue.
A Jiao’s eyes slowly welled with tears again, her voice trembling. “During the last Sea Fall, many died because the disciples couldn’t retreat in time. That incident has always been a burden on Father’s heart. Who would have thought that despite all the preparations this time, it still…!”
Her grief-stricken gaze turned to Shen Xiansheng. As the sect leader, he would undoubtedly be the main force resisting the Sea Fall this time, facing near-certain death. Whether he would survive was truly uncertain. She had been too willful as a daughter, not staying by his side to serve him properly these past years. Now, with what little time remained, she could only accompany her father day and night.
The more Baili Gelin thought about it, the more alarmed she became. Last night, her sister had mentioned that the number of Immortals gathering near the Eastern Sea seemed to be increasing. Who could have imagined the anomaly would arrive so swiftly, the sea receding so early? Could it be that they had summoned disciples from the first to third bottlenecks for evacuation purposes?
Soon, Shen Xiansheng turned around slowly, his face ashen. As the leader of the East Sea Myriad Immortals Assembly, his influence spanned the entire Ocean Sect. This Celestial, who usually remained unshaken even by heavenly thunder, now wore a trace of sorrow on his face.
His gaze swept across the hall, and the confused clamor of the disciples gradually subsided. Luxin Hall fell into deathly silence.
He suddenly spoke. “At the hour of Mao today, the waters of the Eastern Sea receded by eight inches. Five thousand li east of the sea’s surface, thunderclouds have gathered densely. The disaster of Heavenly Thunder will descend within months, and the Sea Fall is imminent.”
Pausing briefly, he continued, “Despite our utmost vigilance, the Myriad Immortals Assembly has failed to ensure everyone’s safety. Last night, the seals of five Trial Grounds were breached, and the hordes of demons and ferocious beasts within have broken through the barriers, swarming out. From this day forth, no disciple is permitted within a hundred li of the Eastern Sea! Those who disobey will share the fate of the corpses before this hall.”
Even after his words, Luxin Hall remained eerily silent. The disciples seemed unable to process the news immediately.
Shen Xiansheng raised his voice. “Instead of standing there dazed, you’d better start packing! The elders of the Mountain Sect have already begun rushing to the Eastern Sea. All sects here will begin evacuating disciples to the inland regions of the Central Land, starting with those of the shallowest cultivation. This evacuation is no trivial matter! You’ll be gone for years—think carefully about what to bring and don’t forget anything! The items of our Ocean Sect won’t be found among the Mountain Sect in the Central Land!”
His words struck like thunder out of a clear sky, jolting the bewildered disciples awake. The sudden prospect of leaving their homeland, possibly never seeing their masters or sect leader again, sent a wave of grief through Luxin Hall. Some wept in sorrow and reluctance, others panicked in fear, while a few were paralyzed by despair.Hearing about the Sea Fall in daily life is entirely different from experiencing it firsthand. In recent days, the increasingly intense anomalies in the Eastern Sea have left countless people feeling oppressed. Though no real danger has been encountered yet, the evacuation of disciples has once again made them feel the invisible terror of this calamity.
Shen Xiansheng frowned and said sternly, "What are you crying for? What are you afraid of?! Didn’t we survive the most devastating Sea Fall five hundred years ago?! Back then, I and these elders were just disciples like you! Five hundred years from now, it will be your turn to stand at the front as warriors protecting the younger disciples behind you! When that day comes, won’t you feel ashamed remembering how pitiful you look today?!"
The sobbing in the hall gradually quieted down. Shen Xiansheng continued, "Alright, all of you, go now. Gather at Luxin Hall at Chen hour three days from now. In these three days, if there are any unfinished regrets, you know what to do."
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