Eastern Divine Continent. Qiyuan Mountain.
A great formation linked earth to sky, the land veins severed with no path forward.
Hundreds of streaks of light followed one after another, surrounding the mountain peak so tightly not even water could leak through. The great formation was activated, covering everything.
Tribulation Transcendence cultivators hovered in the sky, their divine consciousness sweeping down like a storm.
Under this kind of display, any cultivators who sensed the power nearby were fleeing at maximum speed.
When one of the Eighteen Immortal Sects showed its true, terrifying face, all questions vanished.
No one in Eastern Divine Continent's various sects knew what Xiaoyun Hall was doing with such a grand operation, with Tribulation Transcendence cultivators flying in.
Though Xiaoyun Hall publicly claimed this was to eliminate evil cultivators and restore Eastern Divine Continent to peace, everyone understood this was merely an excuse.
What kind of freakish evil cultivators could possibly warrant Xiaoyun Hall repeatedly dispatching Tribulation Transcendence cultivators, occasionally razing entire locations to the ground?
If evil cultivators this terrifying really existed, Eastern Divine Continent would have been a bloodbath long ago.
The crowd speculated wildly.
Some said Xiaoyun Hall was silencing witnesses.
Others claimed a peerless treasure had appeared, and Xiaoyun Hall was concealing it to claim everything for themselves.
Opinions varied. Xiaoyun Hall was aware of the outside chatter and naturally responded—by doing nothing at all.
Xiaoyun Hall had already put out notice: if any idle cultivators wanted to show up at this critical moment, insisting Xiaoyun Hall was hunting for some so-called treasure and believing their fortune was heaven-sent enough to snatch it from Tribulation Transcendence cultivators…
For cultivators with delusions, Xiaoyun Hall typically performed "harmless disposal" as a bonus service.
After all, when their heads were already like that, they were destined to never achieve immortality—hoping for a better next life was more reliable.
Xiaoyun Hall had no interest in distinguishing whether these cultivators had brain problems or character problems. If they dared show up, they'd be packed up without hesitation.
Chen Baiqing stood very far from Qiyuan Mountain. Only from a distant vantage point could she see the great formation, minuscule as a grain of rice.
Ye Antao accompanied her with a Xiaoyun Hall Tribulation Transcendence cultivator. She asked in confusion:
"Do we really need to stand this far away?"
"Naturally." Chen Baiqing replied absently. "There might be leftover remnants observing the situation just like we are. Being far enough away makes it easier for us to spot them—and we have our own mission."
Ye Antao nodded repeatedly, looking like she'd learned something new again.
The Xiaoyun Hall Tribulation Transcendence cultivator beside them gave Ye Antao an odd look, lips pressed slightly, but said nothing.
He understood that Ye Antao was the current core disciple Yunxiao's younger sister. Being a bit naive now and then was fine—she had a brother looking after her.
Of course, besides Chen Baiqing standing far enough away, other cultivators were also observing from a safe distance at this scene of Tribulation Transcendence cultivators going all out.
Tribulation Transcendence cultivators were nearly the pinnacle of the cultivation world. If one could glimpse even a wisp of their prowess, it could be beneficial for one's future path.
Moreover, this spectacle was grand enough—ignoring it would be a waste. Ordinary cultivators rarely had the fortune to witness Tribulation Transcendence cultivators in action.
Ye Antao seemed to have truly taken Chen Baiqing's words to heart, her gaze beginning to scan the other cultivators watching from a distance, seemingly trying to figure out who was suspicious.
Chen Baiqing's gaze was locked firmly ahead. The Qingtian Treasure Ring floated forward, channeling spiritual energy to project the live distant scene into her eyes.
The Qingtian Treasure Ring quickly captured the person Chen Baiqing wanted to see.
She watched her master's tall figure land, spiritual energy surging around him. Without a word, he took the lead in charging forward, with Yunxiao following closely behind.
As expected of Master—this image of landing and charging was truly bold beyond compare!
Nothing like the feeble performance she'd seen on the Peak of One Big Happy Family.
In her vision, two demons who had revealed their true forms also cast everything aside and charged toward her master, their crimson-black demonic power sweeping toward him. Blades and spears all transformed into devouring force.
Based on the spiritual energy fluctuations, Chen Baiqing estimated both demons were roughly at Spirit Transformation to Nascent Soul level.
Her master saw this and smiled faintly, showing no intention of retreating. The Primordial Chaos Twin Spirit Beads materialized, and relying on the finest treasure, he forcefully withstood the terrifying force bearing down on him.
Chen Baiqing made her assessment: if Master's cultivation had truly recovered, he could easily handle these two Spirit Transformation-level demons. He wouldn't need to use a spirit treasure to block—more likely he'd cleave through with a single sword strike.
Was Master putting on an act, deliberately appearing weak? Or was he truly not yet recovered, forcing himself to look tough?
Chu Xingchen's figure continued advancing, seemingly planning to battle these two Celestial Demons head-on.
But the next moment.
Chu Xingchen was blasted backward.
The two demons were momentarily stunned—they hadn't expected Chu Xingchen to be this weak. But they seized the opportunity, lunging toward him again, wanting to personally destroy this Child of Heaven, this great disaster of the demon race, this shameless one!
But one figure was faster than them.
The Tribulation Transcendence cultivator high above descended in the blink of an eye, showing these two demons what a Tribulation Transcendence cultivator's power truly meant.
Chen Baiqing's body instinctively wanted to rush toward Qiyuan Mountain, but she quickly suppressed the impulse, her eyes deadly serious as she continued observing her master's current state.
She watched her master struggle to sit up. Yunxiao, looking both shocked and furious, rushed to Chu Xingchen's side, examining his condition from every angle.
He also hastily activated numerous talismans and treasures for isolation and defense.
This also cut off Chen Baiqing's careful observation.
Chen Baiqing made her judgment: based on Yunxiao's expression—which was far too real to be faked—he was genuinely worried about Master.
Therefore, by inference, Master's injuries probably hadn't fully healed.
Today hadn't been a waste after all. She'd gotten to see her master's heroic side.
Chen Baiqing took an Image-Recording Stone from her chest and began using her memory of the scene to create an illusion for the stone to record everything that had happened.
Though this was technically faking it, the facts weren't faked.
She would make three copies of this recording.
One she'd keep to confront her master.
One she'd give to the so-called Shiniang, to show her—if she only stayed at Tianyan Sect worrying about Master, what would Master end up doing? If she truly cared, she should be by Master's side, stopping him from these meaningless and dangerous stunts.
The last one she'd give to her eldest senior sister.
Master's warmth had been too generous—so generous that Senior Sister's heart had gone soft.
Let Senior Sister see clearly: which was more important—this imperfect Master, or the justice in her heart?
Sometimes good people can't protect everything.
A master who was too brave also needed someone to protect him.
Chen Baiqing didn't care about anything else now. She only cared about Master.
At the same time, Master needed to understand one thing.
True care was always mutual. If one side hurt, the other would too.
She was. Senior Sister was. The Shiniang that Master loved was. Even the somewhat emotionally dense Second Senior Brother was.
If she could get through to Master…
Then Bai Qing could occasionally be a bad child.
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