The woman who stepped into the prison cell clashed starkly with the dark and oppressive surroundings.
She was dressed in black with a sheer cyan veil, her figure was graceful and refined, like an orchid blooming in a secluded valley, her presence pure as jade.
Her long, pitch-black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, her facial were features obscured, yet her eyes, those eyes, were stunningly beautiful: clear and untainted, untouched by the vulgarities of the mortal world, yet filled with a kind of compassion for all beings.
Chen Kuang froze for a moment.
For no reason but the fact that this woman's beauty was simply overwhelming.
A line of poetry flashed through his mind:
"Though the bright moon precedes her, she smiles back as spring returns, cold and aloof across millennia."
The woman had not smiled; her true face remained hidden, yet the line felt inexplicably fitting.
Surely, even her smile would be cold as frost.
Madam Chu Wenruo was a national beauty, yet her allure could only barely match this woman's eyes alone.
He couldn't imagine what kind of face lay beneath the veil.
Without a word being spoken, Chen Kuang already knew: this woman had to be one of the two so-called celestial beings, immortals, stationed here to guard the prison.
Chen Kuang drew in a breath, not speaking right away, instead wondering about the immortal's disposition and how best to manipulate her.
The woman stepped further into the prison. Behind her, the heavy prison gate closed with a thud.
Boom.
Darkness fell completely over the Heavenly Prison.
And the woman in black merged seamlessly into that darkness while her cold, beautiful eyes remained unperturbed. It didn't seem like the darkness had engulfed her, rather, it was she who had dyed the world black.
Chen Kuang's heart gave an involuntary jolt.
Too quiet... he suddenly realized that there was no sound at all in the prison.
No wind. No snoring. No insects. No rustling of straw or cloth. There was nothing at all.
Only a soft, gentle woman's voice sounded near his ear.
"You've been waiting for me to come."
Shen Xingzhu stood right in front of him, gazing at him with those exquisitely beautiful eyes, her voice calm:
"So I came, to see what kind of person could fool Li Hongling without even showing his face, and incite Wei Su with just a few words."
Her gaze met his, carrying both curiosity and disappointment.
Curiosity: "You're not blind. So how did you fool Li Hongling into thinking you were? Blindness cannot be faked with a single night's act, unless you were once blind, and now see."
Disappointment: "So you're not a mortal after all. Just a weak cultivator. But quite bold."
With just those few words, Chen Kuang felt a chill crawl down his spine, his teeth clenched tight, muscles tense.
Like a prey animal sensing a predator, his entire being screamed at him to flee.
What truly terrified him, though, was that, Huo Hengxuan, who lay nearby, was also silent.
From the moment this woman entered, the entire prison had been devoid of sound.
Chen Kuang dared not look to see if Huo Hengxuan was asleep, or worse.
"Don't worry."
Shen Xingzhu seemed to read his thoughts, speaking softly:
"I neither kill nor save. The war between Zhou and Liang has nothing to do with me. It should be resolved by the people of the two nations."
Her tone was mild, and with her soft voice, it sounded almost gentle.
But considering how she had immediately pierced through his entire disguise, anyone who mistook her for what she appeared to be on the surface was bound to suffer for it.
This was definitely the kind of person who could calmly speak with you one second, and plunge a blade into your heart the next.
Chen Kuang hesitated for a moment, then asked directly:
"If Immortal neither kills nor saves, why appear on the battlefield and guard the prison for General Li?"
Shen Xingzhu lowered her gaze.
"My sect, the Mysterious Divine Path Sect, embraces compassion and upholds virtue. We walk our own path, hoping to guide others to enlightenment. If they do not listen, I do not force them."
"I came here not to guard, but to pacify the war."
Chen Kuang couldn't help but ask, "Pacify the war? How?"
"By preaching the Dao. Those with fate will comprehend."
Chen Kuang: "..."
He tugged at the corner of his mouth, unsure what to say.
He had long suspected that in a high-martial world, strange and absurd "Daos" would exist, but this was a bit too much.
A true "Compassionate Immortal," indeed!
Her so-called Dao was simply talking, offering a few words of guidance, then letting people figure it out for themselves.
Whether they understood or followed it didn't matter to her in the least...
How lofty, how divine!
She had elevated moral posturing to an art form.
A faint irritation stirred in Chen Kuang's heart, he pressed:
"Is your compassionate Dao just about moving yourself to tears? Right in front of you are innocent people suffering from war. If you can't persuade the culprits, can't you at least save these people?"
Shen Xingzhu's gaze fell to his legs.
"You mean... yourself?"
"I mean this world, the people of Liang. The black-armored army has left corpses in the millions. Don't you see any of this!?"
Chen Kuang took a deep breath, feeling a strange and unfamiliar emotion rise within him.
It clearly wasn't his own.. It belonged to the original Chen Kuang.
He was a son of Liang.
As a victim of this war, seeing someone with the power to stop Liang's fall remain idle, yet claim to be moved by compassion, it was only natural for him to be furious.
Shen Xingzhu's expression didn't change. She seemed thoughtful.
"So that's it. This is why you deceived Li Hongling and stirred up Wei Su."
"No," Chen Kuang exhaled. "I just want to live."
National hatred and personal vengeance, those all belonged to the original host.
He looked to Shen Xingzhu. "Since Immortal sees through my motives, why come see me at all? To stop me from surviving?"
Shen Xingzhu shook her head.
"Wei Su told me that Li Hongling used torture on a mortal musician. He hoped I would stop her, and rescue you."
Chen Kuang paused, then heard her say:
"To preach the Dao, there must first be Dao."
"The Dao is not below, but above. If the ones above possess Dao, I will guide them. If they do not, I will kill them. Thus, I neither save nor slay, because cultivators... are not people."
"If the strong oppress the weak, that is Dao-less. It must be cut down."
She spoke lightly, casually, with the tone of someone speaking from a great height.
Not out of contempt, but indifference.
Chen Kuang understood.
This Compassionate Immortal's Dao was not for mortals, but for cultivators.
If mortals didn't listen, that was fine. Their struggles weren't her concern.
But if cultivators violated her Dao, she would act.
In that case... Li Hongling was a violator, wasn't she!?
Chen Kuang's breath quickened, but then he suddenly remembered something sad.
He himself... was now a cultivator.
Which meant Li Hongling's actions against him didn't count as "the strong oppressing the weak"...
No wonder... no wonder she was disappointed!
Had he just personally buried a chance to escape?
No, he forced himself to think calmly. Not "escape", just being transferred from Li Hongling's hand... to that of someone named Wei Su.
But what was strange was: this woman seemed completely unaware of the Elixir of Immortality, she hadn't mentioned it at all.
Yet she had come at Wei Su's request, she should know everything.
Chen Kuang probed, "Immortal... have you heard of the Elixir of Immortality?"
Shen Xingzhu frowned slightly.
"Elixir of Immortality? What elixir?"
Chen Kuang blinked and in that moment, his heart suddenly plummeted.