Xi Yan was a disciple of the renowned Ruthless Dao Sect, and her master was an Immortal Venerable whose name shook the upper realms.
Yet she was stuck on the most fundamental—and most bizarre—bottleneck on the path of cultivation: the Path of Emotion.
No matter how hard she tried to comprehend, to experience, to resonate, that door remained firmly shut to her.
Because she was simply too lazy. Falling in love with a man was far too much trouble—better to bask in the sun back at the sect.
And so, even though her master always said her talent was extraordinary, her cultivation had stagnated at the Return to Origin Realm for a hundred years without the slightest progress. Among her fellow disciples, she had long since become the subject of whispered gossip and even pity.
Had her master not always protected her, she would likely have had no place to stand in the upper realm's immortal sects, where prodigies were as common as clouds.
It was for this very reason that when her master instructed her to descend to the mortal world alone on a critical "undercover" mission, she was afraid—yet a faint desire to prove herself stirred within her.
Perhaps experiencing the mortal world would help her break through the barrier of emotion. Perhaps desperation would force out her hidden potential.
But now… looking at the three or more demonic cultivators of the same realm before her, plus an unfathomable gaunt old man, that pitiful sliver of longing was instantly extinguished by cold reality.
This wasn't a trial—this was a death sentence!
No. Judging by the looks in their eyes, even a quick death was probably wishful thinking.
In the deathly silent great hall, greedy gazes roamed over her body like tangible things, raising goosebumps across her skin.
Finally, a burly man standing in the front row, his face marked by a grotesque scar, broke the silence first. He licked his cracked lips, lechery practically spilling from his eyes, and rasped in a coarse voice:
"This little beauty who fell from the sky is gorgeous—I've never seen anyone this exquisite in my entire life! How about we have our fun with her before Big Brother gets back? Otherwise, once he returns, we might not even get the scraps!"
Those words were like water dropped into boiling oil, instantly igniting the oppressive atmosphere in the hall.
"Elder Zhu speaks the truth!"
"Brilliant! A heaven-sent treasure! It's only right that we enjoy her!"
"Look at that delicate skin—she must be some fairy who escaped from a major sect, eh? Heh heh…"
Many voices immediately echoed in agreement, filthy words mixed with brazen laughter reverberating through the hall. Those cultivators who had still harbored a trace of hesitation quickly shed their reservations as well, revealing eager, ferocious expressions as they began to slowly close in.
In that instant, Xi Yan fully understood the look in their eyes—it was the wild ecstasy and hunger of men who had discovered an unclaimed treasure, free to ravage and plunder at will.
Listening to their unabashed, loud, derisive jeering, her heart pounded wildly, nearly bursting from her chest.
Yet, to her own surprise, beyond the instinctive tensing of her body and the primal fear, her mind had not descended into complete panic.
It was not that she had any confidence in her stagnant Return to Origin Realm cultivation, believing she could single-handedly take on a group of demonic cultivators at her level or even higher.
Rather… she held an almost blind faith in her all-powerful, infallible master.
Her master had said that the Heavenly Dao had been obscured, and even an Immortal Venerable could not divine her origins.
Her master had said that fate would guide her path.
Since her master had thrown her here, surely he couldn't truly intend for her to be humiliated to death by this pack of demons? That would be far too absurd!
There had to be some hidden card up his sleeve! There had to be some arrangement! Her master could never be wrong!
She desperately used these thoughts to bolster her courage, trying to suppress the terror that grew like wildgrass inside her.
But watching the men draw closer, their eyes gleaming with a predatory green light and leering smiles plastered across their faces, and smelling the nauseating stench of sweat and blood that radiated from them, she couldn't stop trembling.
But what if?
What if her master had miscalculated this time?
What if her master had overestimated her abilities and underestimated just how low these demons could sink?
What if the so-called "obscuring of heavenly secrets" only prevented them from divining her origins, but didn't stop them from doing whatever they wanted to her?
No way. Then wouldn't I be dead for sure!? And in such a humiliating way, too!
Cold despair began to erode her pitiful faith, little by little.
She instinctively shrank backward, her hand quietly reaching for the life-saving jade talisman at her waist—her master's gift, her absolute last resort. It was said to unleash a strike on par with an Immortal Venerable, but it could only be used once, and it didn't distinguish between friend and foe.
If she triggered it inside this sealed grand hall, she'd likely lose more than half her own life as well.
Should she use it? Use it now?
Her palms were drenched in cold sweat, her heart pounding as if it would explode at any moment.
The surrounding demonic cultivators had already closed in. The nearest ones even reached out, wanting to touch her face and clothes.
In the instant those filthy fingers were about to make contact—
BOOM!!!
A deafening roar erupted without warning!
The hall's two immensely heavy black iron doors, engraved with defensive runes, were kicked to pieces from outside as though they were made of paper! Splinters and shards of metal scattered in all directions, and the sheer force of the impact made the entire grand hall tremble!
A violent gust of wind surged through, carrying the crisp, clean air from outside and instantly diluting the foul, blood-stinking miasma within the hall.
A tall, imposing figure radiating an aura of lethal intent stood silhouetted against the brilliant light flooding in from beyond the shattered doorway. His shadow stretched impossibly long across the hall, falling precisely over Xi Yan.
All movement, all leering, all uproar—everything came to an abrupt halt in that single moment.
The demonic cultivators inside the hall froze in unison, turning in shock toward the entrance. Their faces still bore traces of lust and savagery, now mingled with the fury of being interrupted and a faint, almost imperceptible thread of dread.
From within the backlight, that figure's voice rang out—cold and unyielding, carrying an authority that brooked no argument—rolling through the deathly silent hall like thunder:
"The Heavenly Alliance is here on business. Where is the head of your Xuanming Sect?"
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Hey everyone,
I hope you're doing well. I'm writing this with a heavy heart because, for the first time in over two years of creating content for you all, I've been hit really hard financially.
I've always tried to keep things running smoothly—updating regularly, posting daily, and even putting out bonus chapters on Patreon. But right now, I'm in deep trouble trying to manage my education expenses on top of everything else.
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]