Three quarters of an hour before Chenshi, Baili Gelin pushed open her door to a world blanketed in swirling snow, where only black and white hues dominated her vision. She couldn't help but sigh softly, a wisp of white breath escaping her lips to vanish instantly in the blizzard.
After the recent rampage of the ferocious beast Qiongqi, the weather in the Eastern Sea region had become increasingly erratic. Just yesterday afternoon, the scorching sun of midsummer August blazed overhead, yet overnight, the land had transformed into a thousand miles of ice and snow.
Summoning her Centipede demon, Baili Gelin stood atop its head as it carried her in low flight. The outer towns of the Myriad Immortals Assembly were now encircled by dense layers of Spiritual Qi Nets. The once-bustling streets, teeming with people, had turned into a ghost town in mere days. Natural disasters struck swiftly and without warning.
Suddenly, her vision blurred as a letter bearing a golden Celestial Spell Mark materialized before her. Baili Gelin hastily opened it—her sister, Ye Ye, and the others had already arrived in Lu Gongzhen, with Su Wan tagging along. The girl, rarely venturing out, had grown restless and, having instantly bonded with Baili Gelin, was reluctant to leave, sticking close to them.
In the letter, Ye Ye mentioned that many disciples of Long Mingzuo were lingering around Lu Gongzhen, their presence eerily suspicious. Given their long-standing friction with Long Mingzuo, they dared not stay long and had changed their meeting location to Duantu, the capital of Yue Kingdom, while also checking if Ji Tongzhou remained in the royal palace.
Were Long Mingzuo's people provoking Yue Kingdom again? With the Sea Fall descending, the mountain and sea factions had united to face the threat, yet Long Mingzuo was taking advantage of the chaos to pursue their own schemes—utterly shameless.
Frowning, Baili Gelin tucked the letter away when she noticed a bustling crowd of mounts flying ahead. She paused to observe and saw a path woven from Spiritual Qi Nets abruptly stretching into the sky, layered countless times, gleaming with golden light. The narrow path allowed only two people to pass at a time, forcing many disciples heading to the assembly to wait in line.
"Senior Sister Ge Lin!" A young man ahead waved cheerfully at her. Baili Gelin steered her Centipede demon toward him with a smile. "How rare—you actually arrived earlier than me today."
The fair-skinned, handsome youth, looking about fifteen or sixteen, sat cross-legged atop a toad demon. This was An Jiming, a disciple from the Central Land, selected by the Myriad Immortals Assembly from the Academy in his third year—just as Baili Gelin had been. His lively personality and shared origins made her treat him like a younger brother, naturally doting on him more than others.
"I was hoping to sneak another trip to the seaside these past few days," An Jiming sighed, shaking his head. "But look—it's all sealed off now. Who knows how many years it'll be before we see the Eastern Sea again."
With ferocious beasts lurking near the coast, the Celestials had long sealed the area with Spiritual Qi Nets. Yet since the Myriad Immortals Assembly was located beneath the sea, the only way to reach Luxin Hall was along these narrow, net-woven paths. As Chenshi approached, more and more disciples crowded the entrance, making it unclear when they'd all get through. Baili Gelin decided to pass the time chatting and joking with An Jiming while waiting.
"When did you capture this toad demon?" Baili Gelin eyed the youth with amusement. "Oh? You broke through your first bottleneck? And you didn't even tell me?"An Jiming scratched his head, his face flushed. "I wanted to tell you! I tried to find you right after coming back from the Trial Grounds with Master, but then all these disasters happened... Besides, I felt a bit awkward always seeking you out. Every time I do, Senior Brother Lu Li turns icy cold."
At the mention of Lu Li, her expression cooled. "What does he have to do with anything?"
An Jiming looked puzzled. "How is it unrelated? Aren’t you two a couple? Everyone says so!"
Baili Gelin replied coldly, "Who said we’re a couple? Stop listening to idle gossip. How could I possibly be involved with him?"
The young boy across from her was taken aback by her sudden anger. He glanced around and suddenly whispered, "Ah, Senior Brother Lu is up ahead... He’s looking at you!"
Baili Gelin instinctively turned her head and indeed saw Lu Li watching her from a distance, his expression and gaze inscrutable. Irritated, she frowned and turned back, saying flatly, "Ignore him. Tell me about your training. Of all things, why did you have to catch a toad Demon?"
Toad Demons were never the first choice for disciples' mounts. While other mounts could fly, toads preferred to hop around clumsily and slowly, their skin sticky and disgusting. Only someone as eccentric as Lu Li would keep one. Who would have thought An Jiming would choose one for his first mount?
An Jiming smiled sheepishly. "You noticed? I really admire Senior Brother Lu. I want to be like him."
Baili Gelin was speechless. "You... you actually want to be like him..."
Still blushing, An Jiming continued, "I want to be as composed and steady as him. And... and since he’s paired with you, Senior Sister Ge Lin, I also..."
"I already told you that’s not the case," Baili Gelin shook her head, amused. "You also what? At your age, focus on your training first! Stop daydreaming."
An Jiming protested, "I’m not that young—I’m fifteen! Besides, I’m not neglecting my training. I still practice diligently. But I don’t like the girls from the Eastern Sea—they’re too dark... I... I prefer someone like you, Senior Sister Ge Lin..."
"Pfft..." Baili Gelin couldn’t help but burst into laughter. Too dark? Well, that was blatant discrimination. The beauty standards of Central Land men and Eastern Sea men were worlds apart. In the Eastern Sea, darker skin was considered more beautiful. It was no surprise that a young boy from the Central Land couldn’t appreciate the enthusiasm and deep complexion of Eastern Sea girls.
"This time, when we retreat to the Central Land, you’ll see plenty of fair-skinned Central Land girls to your heart’s content," Baili Gelin patted his shoulder. "Don’t set your sights on me—I don’t like younger brothers."
An Jiming muttered dejectedly, "You reject me so bluntly. It’s not just about looks... Senior Sister Ge Lin, you really don’t understand a man’s heart at all."
Not understanding a man’s heart—his petulant words made her fall silent for a moment. She truly didn’t understand, but then again, she didn’t need to.
Baili Gelin smiled. "Too bad you haven’t been a disciple for five years yet, so you can’t wander around freely. Otherwise, it’d be nice to take you to meet my sister and the others. If you want to learn, don’t follow Lu Li’s example. Let me tell you, my brother-in-law is called Ye Ye. You’d be better off learning some of his smoothness..."
Just as she was speaking, An Jiming suddenly exclaimed, "Senior Brother Lu!"Before Baili Gelin could turn around, she felt someone grab her arm. She was involuntarily yanked from the top of the Centipede demon onto the back of a crab demon. Without even looking back, she knew exactly who it was. She struggled briefly but failed to break free, so she coldly said, "Let go of me."
Lu Li glanced at An Jiming. The young boy gazed at him with a mix of admiration and fear. Lu Li lowered his voice and said, "Lend me your senior sister for a moment."
An Jiming nodded eagerly, betraying his Ge Lin senior sister without hesitation, watching as the two flew far ahead.
Baili Gelin felt her arm being squeezed painfully. She struggled again with all her might and snapped, "That hurts! Let go!"
Lu Li loosened his grip slightly but didn't release her. His voice sounded unexpectedly calm and steady: "This is an evacuation of disciples, not a sightseeing trip."
Baili Gelin retorted coldly, "I'm going to see my sister. Even Master hasn't said anything. Who are you to interfere?"
Lu Li replied evenly, "I told you, don’t wander off."
Baili Gelin looked up at him with a frown. Were An Jiming and the other junior brothers blind? Where exactly was this guy’s so-called steadiness and composure? He was just paranoid, brooding, and utterly impossible to deal with!
She used all her strength to shake off his hand and said icily, "What right do you have to control me?"
Lu Li seemed to let out a faint sigh. For some reason, that almost imperceptible sound made her pause mid-step as she turned to leave. Baili Gelin turned back to meet his pitch-black eyes, which seemed to hold endless exhaustion and uncertainty—an expression she had never seen on him before.
She hesitated for a moment, but then her hand was gently held again. His voice softened: "Don’t wander off."
She didn’t understand. What was going on in his mind? Did he hate her? Then why keep her close? Did he like her? Then why humiliate her?
"...I have a family," Baili Gelin blurted out after a long silence. "I care about them more than anything in this world, and they care about me just as much. Do you understand that kind of feeling?"
Lu Li said nothing, only giving her hand a slow, gentle squeeze.
Baili Gelin said calmly, "You’ve already done something unforgivable to me. For a whole year, you cut me off from my family and even nearly got them killed. Thankfully, they’re fine. But if anything had happened to them, you could never make it up to me—it would only make me die with hatred in my heart. I can’t forgive you right now. If you truly understood how I feel about them, you wouldn’t have done this."
Lu Li remained silent. Baili Gelin gently pulled her hand away and murmured, "Let me be alone for a while."
She summoned her Centipede demon and lightly leaped onto its back. Lu Li didn’t follow her this time. Just then, the queue moved forward to her position. She urged the Centipede demon to race along the path laid out by the Spiritual Qi Net—this route indeed led to the Myriad Immortals Assembly beneath the sea.
The underwater scene was vastly different from before. Countless whirlpools and bubbles churned in the water, which had once been clear but was now murky and black. Even with the Spiritual Qi Net separating them, the terrifying might of the heavens and earth was palpable.
Baili Gelin flew to Luxin Hall, where many disciples had already gathered. As soon as Senior Sister A Jiao spotted her, she waved and called out, "Ge Lin, come here."In front of the hall stood countless elders, each with a towering pile of silk ribbons at their feet. A Jiao pulled out a pale green ribbon from among them and personally tied it around Baili Gelin’s waist. Only then did Baili Gelin notice the densely packed, intricate spellwork inscribed on the silk—unlike anything she had ever seen before.
A Jiao then handed her a sealed envelope and quickly explained, "As a disciple who has broken through the third bottleneck, this is your access belt and proof of identity for the Myriad Immortals Assembly. No matter what, you must always keep these two items on you—never lose them."
Baili Gelin curiously ran her fingers over the ribbon and asked, puzzled, "Access belt? Access to where?"
A Jiao smiled faintly. "Our Myriad Immortals Assembly has a total of 356 disciples who have broken through the third bottleneck. Ten elders will escort you all to the No Moon Court. With so many Sea Sect disciples, we can’t have you all wandering around with mixed cultivation levels—it would make mobilization difficult. Disciples of the Myriad Immortals Assembly who have broken through the third bottleneck are being sent to the No Moon Court for refuge. Once the belt absorbs your spiritual energy, it will allow you to freely pass through the barrier at the No Moon Court’s gates. This item can only be used by you, so don’t lose it—it would be a huge hassle. And don’t just focus on having fun while at the No Moon Court. The elders will oversee your daily cultivation. Once the Sea Fall ends, we’ll all return together."
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