Baili Gelin suddenly shoved Lu Li aside and staggered out of the cell. She randomly grabbed a guard entangled in vines, staring at him with wide eyes as she hoarsely demanded, "Is what she said true? Those two people, a man and a woman, both under twenty, wearing black clothes embroidered with earth-yellow borders?"
Seeing the guard trembling in fear, she tightened her grip on his throat, her voice rising to a shriek, "Speak! If you lie, I'll strangle you!"
The guard stammered, "Y-yes! That day they tried to ambush His Highness, and he killed them with his own hands..."
Baili Gelin snarled, "I don't believe it! Where are the bodies?!"
"I swear I'm not lying! I was the one who noticed two prisoners missing from the dungeon and reported it to His Highness. He said they tried to ambush him, so he burned them to ashes with that Black Fire! There are no bodies!"
Before he could finish, Baili Gelin drew her dagger and slashed. A cold glint flashed as the guard's head rolled to the ground, blood splattering across her face. Her entire body felt as if it had plunged into an icy abyss, while countless blades seemed to pierce her flesh, the pain so intense her vision darkened.
Lu Li rushed forward and embraced her tightly, forcing his voice to remain steady, "That might not be true. If he wanted to use Ye Ye and the others as bait to lure out Jiang Li Fei, why would he kill them? Think carefully."
Baili Gelin stared blankly at his face and whispered, "Really?"
Lan Ya Junzhu, bound by the Dragon Imprisoning Lock, burst into mad laughter, "Jiang Li Fei? She already took the bait! It's her! The woman His Highness can't stop thinking about is her!"
This time, Baili Gelin didn't question her further. She grabbed another vine-entangled guard and rasped, "You! Tell me everything that happened! I won't kill you!"
Before the guard could speak, Lu Li, his face pale, yanked Baili Gelin back urgently, "Celestials are coming! We have to go!"
Overwhelmed by emotion, Baili Gelin ignored him, gripping the guard so tightly her nails nearly tore off, "Speak! Tell me now!"
Before she could finish, a flash of light blinded her. She and Lu Li were instantly bound by the Dragon Imprisoning Lock, their spiritual energy completely sealed within their bodies. The small green monsters coiled around them immediately turned into Talisman Paper and fell to the ground. Several figures then darted into the dungeon like lightning—elderly Celestials from the No Moon Court, exuding an otherworldly air. The leader, an old Celestial with drowsy yet sharp eyes, froze upon seeing the two Sea Sect disciples bound by the Dragon Imprisoning Lock. The group couldn't hide their disappointment.
Shouzhong Xianren sighed with a wry smile, "You miscalculated this time, Cui Xuan. Jiang Li Fei and the others didn't come to rescue them. We've been guarding for nothing, only to catch two junior Sea Sect disciples."
Cui Xuan Xianren also shook his head in dismay. When he saw the dungeon empty except for Lan Ya Junzhu, his expression darkened, and he demanded sharply, "Where are the two previously imprisoned here?! Where is your prince?!"
A guard who recognized them quickly answered, "Honored Celestials, the two prisoners tried to ambush His Highness and were accidentally killed by him. His Highness was deeply troubled and left the manor last night. We don't know where he went!"
Cui Xuan Xianren laughed in fury, "Accidentally killed?! That deranged brat!"
Suddenly, Baili Gelin's trembling voice cut through, "Did you see him kill them with your own eyes?! I don’t believe it! My sister wouldn’t die!"Sister? Cuixuan Xianren gave her another glance, noticing her face bore a seventy to eighty percent resemblance to the female Earth Treasury Gate disciple previously imprisoned in the dungeon. He immediately understood—he'd heard earlier that among those close to Jiang Li Fei was a Sea Sect disciple. This must be her. Unexpectedly, after guarding for so many days without catching Jiang Li Fei, another excellent bait had arrived.
However, since she belonged to the Sea Sect, he couldn't treat her as casually as Mountain Sect disciples. After pondering for a while, he asked, "Did you witness their deaths with your own eyes?"
"Well... no, we didn't..."
Cuixuan Xianren said indifferently, "If you didn't see it, then they may not be dead."
With a flick of his palm, he snatched the name tags from Lu Li and Baili Gelin's robes, memorizing their names. He then turned and whispered something to Shouzhong Xianren, who looked troubled. "The Mountain and Sea Sects are currently allied against a common enemy. If we detain Sea Sect disciples, this cooperation may collapse."
Cuixuan Xianren replied softly, "Since this involves overseas matters, the Sea Sect will naturally take notice. Besides, we're only using them as bait to lure the others out, not actually executing them. I'm not skilled in such negotiations, so I'll leave this to you."
Shouzhong Xianren nodded and stepped out of the dungeon first. The other Celestials followed suit. Inside the dungeon, the three Dragon Imprisoning Locks floated midair as if held by invisible hands, slowly trailing behind them.
By the time they exited the dungeon, the horizon was already tinged with the light of dawn—the night had passed surprisingly quickly. In the distance, the faint crowing of roosters could be heard. Cuixuan Xianren narrowed his eyes at the sky and let out a soft "Huh?" before asking, "What time is it now?"
One of the Celestials retrieved a small hourglass from his sleeve, studied it briefly, and exclaimed in surprise, "It's only the Hour of the Ox, yet the sky is already brightening!"
As he spoke, a fierce wind began to rise, and dark clouds surged from all directions, blotting out the morning light. In an instant, sand and stones flew through the air. Despite being late summer in the Central Land's interior, the bitter north wind cut to the bone, turning the lips of the three disciples bound by the Dragon Imprisoning Locks blue with cold.
Within moments, thick snowflakes began falling from the sky like torn cotton, startling the Celestials. Such drastic weather changes had already reached this far inland?!
Even more bizarrely, while the eastern sun was obscured by dark clouds, the western sky began to glow faintly. Another rising sun—crimson as blood—slowly emerged from the western horizon. The surrounding clouds seemed scorched, their edges gilded in red.
Two suns in the sky! An omen of great calamity! Just as Cuixuan Xianren's heart trembled with dread, he felt a Curse Seal in his robe vibrating incessantly. He hastily pulled it out and saw hastily scrawled words: Heavenly Thunder descends. Return to the Eastern Sea at once.
A deep, strange thunder rumbled slowly from afar, like the footsteps of a giant or the howling of countless demons. Wave after wave, it carried the overwhelming might of heaven and earth, utterly unlike ordinary thunder—a sound that inspired awe. Even from nearly a thousand miles away, the ground trembled violently. Paper windows and wooden doors shook as if about to fall, roof tiles clattered down, and dust swirled everywhere.
Shen Xiansheng frowned as he gazed toward the distant Eastern Sea coastline, where the entire sky had turned ink-black. The countless powerful Demonic Beasts lurking along the shore finally began fleeing in terror, their Demon Qi prickling uncomfortably like needles.He glanced back at Shouzhong Xianren. At such a critical moment, the old Celestial still insisted on bringing up the matter of capturing No Moon Court's defecting disciples. Were it not for his seniority, he would have openly rebuked him.
"As Elder Shouzhong can see, the Heavenly Thunder has arrived," Shen Xiansheng said calmly. "Right now, deploying the Spiritual Qi Net to prevent the Heavenly Thunder from destroying everything is of utmost importance. What does the elder think? If any of our Sea Sect disciples have offended in any way, I ask for your forgiveness. Once Sea Fall passes, I will personally lead them to apologize at your doorstep."
Shouzhong Xianren was no fool—he immediately grasped the implication behind his words and smiled. "Shen Xiansheng misunderstands. It's not that your Sea Sect disciples have done anything wrong. It's just that this matter is as significant as Sea Fall... perhaps even more so."
He recounted Jiang Li Fei's origins in detail, carefully observing Shen Xiansheng's expression as he spoke. The man's frown deepened, and when he heard that Jiang Li Fei could absorb spiritual energy, he couldn't contain his urgency. "So it's actually true!"
Shouzhong Xianren was puzzled. "Does Shen Xiansheng know something about this?"
Shen Xiansheng, visibly agitated, quickly replied, "Indeed! Our sect also has ancient records of a woman matching the description in those old bamboo scrolls. Though the exact era is unclear, such a woman certainly existed. While the ability to absorb spiritual energy from others may seem invincible, the amount she could take was not limitless. The reason the Immortals of that time were able to kill her was precisely because she had already absorbed her fill. The later arriving Immortals gathered and struck her down together! To think... there really is such a person from beyond the seas! Where is she now?"
Shouzhong Xianren chuckled. "No need for haste, Shen Xiansheng. Earlier, I mentioned borrowing two of your disciples—this is precisely for that purpose. Right now, she and the Yaksa are hiding in the shadows, making it impossible to track them. We only know she may take advantage of the chaos when the Heavenly Thunder Fire Sea descends to flee the Central Land for foreign shores. To lure her out, we must use some of her old acquaintances here."
Shen Xiansheng was known for fiercely protecting his disciples. Though intensely curious about this extraordinary woman from beyond the seas, he still hesitated before saying, "Ge Lin and Lu Li are my prized students. If Jiang Li Fei doesn't appear, the matter of execution..."
"Rest assured, we would never harm your disciples," Shouzhong Xianren said with a clap of his hands. "Regardless of the outcome, your disciples will remain unharmed."
Shen Xiansheng let out a long sigh, overwhelmed with emotion. "Such an astonishing turn of events! Our Central Land Immortals have long suffered under Sea Fall. Now, at last, we have a chance to understand the world beyond the seas!"
"Indeed, well said."
A hoarse voice suddenly rang out from above. Shen Xiansheng and Shouzhong Xianren turned in unison to see several Celestials with an otherworldly air descending from the sky—they were none other than the founders of Young Phoenix Academy. Among them was the most senior, Sang Hua Jun, prompting even Shouzhong Xianren to immediately bow in greeting. "To trouble Elder Sang Hua to come in person is truly an undeserved honor."
Sang Hua Jun was the longest-lived among the Central Plains Immortals, having achieved immortality nearly fifteen hundred years ago. He was but one step away from attaining the Great Dao and had spent recent years in seclusion, focusing on breaking through that final barrier. Who would have thought news of Jiang Li Fei could draw him out? This was an unexpected boon.Sang Hua Jun, though advanced in years, appeared remarkably youthful—even younger than Shen Xiansheng by some measure. A few wisps of refined beard hung from his chin, lending him an air of ethereal grace. His voice, too, was elusive and unfathomable: "Several years ago, Zuo Qiu borrowed the Twin Swords of Fate from me, claiming they were to protect a few Academy disciples. At the time, I was preoccupied with cultivation and never inquired further. Just the other day, I received a letter from Guiyuan Zhangmen of the No Moon Court mentioning Jiang Li Fei. It was then that the Twin Swords informed me of her past entanglement with Zhen Yunzi at Green Mound and the Nine-tailed Fox Demon sealed within her. Had I known earlier, much of today’s troubles could have been avoided. This oversight is mine to bear."
Shouzhong Xianren smiled gently and said, "Senior Sang Hua, there’s no need for self-reproach. Knowing now is still timely enough to witness how those from overseas absorb spiritual energy—it will surely broaden our horizons. By the way, why hasn’t Zuoqiu Xiansheng come?"
Zhong Nan Jun, standing nearby, sighed. "He said he couldn’t bear to attend. I don’t understand him."
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