Within the dim crevices of the prison cell, the old man revealed, for the first time, an expression that could only be described as losing composure.
Beneath his pale, disheveled hair, every muscle on his face twitched and tensed. Minute waves of power tightened every inch of skin, clinging closely to the chiseled musculature beneath, making his visage appear ferocious and terrifying.
Chen Kuang's heart skipped a beat.
Only now did he realize that beneath the hunched and gaunt figure, the emaciated body exposed under the torn prison garb was unnaturally lean yet forged like iron. Every strand of muscle was coiled like braided steel wire.
This was the physique of a true grandmaster, forged to its pinnacle. Even riddled with injuries, it still brimmed with strength powerful enough to move mountains and split seas.
Huo Hengxuan's expression was far too grim, far too terrifying. Just sitting there, he radiated a dreadful pressure that made one's skin crawl, stirring uncontrollable fear and disarray.
If not for the lack of warning from his "Blood Premonition" passive, Chen Kuang would've thought this old man was about to kill him!
He gritted his teeth uncomfortably. "So what if I shattered her Dao Heart?"
Huo Hengxuan fixed a deathly stare on him and said coldly, "Do you even know what Shen Xingzhu means to the Mysterious Divine Path Sect?"
"What does she mean?"
In truth, Chen Kuang barely knew who Shen Xingzhu was, let alone what the Mysterious Divine Path Sect actually stood for... Before she introduced herself, he hadn't even known her name.
It was only with the help of his Blood Premonition and Piercing Insight passives that he'd been able to perceive and control her reactions.
Which was to say, yes, he really had gambled big.
"She is the Dao Beacon!"
Huo Hengxuan drew a deep breath, and due to his emotional upheaval, couldn't suppress the qi surging from his body.
"She is the lighthouse of the Dao Shore, a beacon bright enough to eclipse both sun and moon."
His face grew expressionless as he continued, "That was the appraisal given to her by the renowned sage and master of Liberty Mountain. It was recorded in the 'Canglang Evaluation,' which catalogs the greatest paragons of the age."
Chen Kuang scratched his head awkwardly. "Uh... I don't understand anything you just said."
"Sages, Canglang Evaluation..." Those were things far beyond the reach of an ordinary mortal like the original Chen Kuang.
"..."
Huo Hengxuan fell silent.
He'd forgotten, this kid had just opened his sixth spiritual aperture. He was barely more than a mortal.
Damn it, it's even more absurd now.
Someone like this... had shattered Shen Xingzhu's Dao Heart? Even a lunatic wouldn't believe it!
But precisely because of how ludicrous it sounded, Huo Hengxuan didn't doubt it.
Because no sane person would think to lie about something so unbelievable.
So be it. Things had come to this.
The old man sighed and reined in his qi.
"All you need to know is, she's the hope of the entire Mysterious Divine Path Sect. Have you ever heard the phrase, 'One ascends, and all beneath rise with them'?"
Chen Kuang nodded, he understood the implication.
"A Dao beacon... can guide others to the shore, awaken the truth, and ferry them across the sea of suffering and bitterness."
Huo Hengxuan said no more than that.
"You broke her Dao Heart. You severed the future of the Mysterious Divine Path Sect. If this gets out, you will become the mortal enemy of all 40,000 Daoist sects under the heavens. You'll have nowhere left to go."
He had thought Chen Kuang would grasp the gravity of the situation.
But unexpectedly, Chen Kuang just blinked, then shrugged.
"Well, that's a problem for the future. If I had just sat here and let her expose me, I'd be walking the same path as the fallen emperor tomorrow. If she's strong and I'm weak, am I supposed to lie down and die without resistance?"
"If that's the way things are, then what's the point of cultivation? Anyone with higher realm and more connections can force you to die on the spot?"
He imitated Huo Hengxuan's tone, swaying his head dramatically.
"If I must die, so be it, but I shall not lose my courage."
The youth sat upright, his gaze sharp as a drawn blade, shining with unshakable resolve.
Huo Hengxuan's eye twitched. "You call that courage? That's called asking for death!"
"When the full might of the Daoist world comes for you, you'll understand what regret means."
"Then let them come. It's not like I can't run."
Chen Kuang muttered. Then suddenly, he smiled slyly.
"Old bastard, why do you sound so anxious? Don't tell me you're afraid I'll die?"
Huo Hengxuan stiffened, then scoffed with a straight face:
"I'm running out of time. If you die, my legacy ends with me."
Chen Kuang chuckled. "Relax. You've taught me sword and spell, whether you admit it or not, I'll consider you half my master."
"I'm at least a 'rare talent,' aren't I? Who's to say in thirty years I won't rise again?"
He murmured under his breath:
"And that so-called Dao beacon... might not be so untouchable after all."
That woman's hands were dirty.
...
High atop the corner tower, Shen Xingzhu stood motionless while Wei Su looked up at her from below, deeply moved.
This Dao Child of the Mysterious Divine Path Sect truly possessed otherworldly grace. Even beneath the star-strewn sky, her flowing robes outshone the stars themselves.
No wonder, aside from the Canglang Evaluation, her name was also listed in the Rouge Review, a ranking of the world's most beautiful women.
Though no one had ever seen her true face, her presence and eyes alone had secured her the third spot.
When Li Hongling suddenly left earlier, Wei Su immediately knew she had gone to the prison.
Opening his white fan, he called out cheerfully:
"Daoist friend Shen, did you meet with that musician?"
Shen Xingzhu stared at the stars. Her black robes fluttered like windblown silk.
"I did," she said calmly.
Wei Su clasped his hands in mock concern. "And what did you think?"
"I've heard from one of the Black Armor Guard, a man named Qingcuo. He said Li Hongling stomped on that musician's legs and shattered them. He must be in agony."
"For Li Hongling to act so cruelly, and right under your nose, truly..."
"I saw no other injuries on him," Shen Xingzhu interrupted.
She turned her cold gaze upon Wei Su.
"If she was going to use torture, why stop at one strike?"
Wei Su had begun with a confident air, but after a few moments, he found himself closing his fan, sweating heavily.
"Perhaps... she felt guilty?"
Shen Xingzhu stepped off the tower into the air, her hands behind her back.
"If she felt guilt, why didn't she silence him?"
Wei Su stepped back involuntarily. The hand holding his fan tensed, veins bulging.
"Silencing someone is... difficult to do without leaving a trace..."
Shen Xingzhu's voice chilled.
"So you do know... wind leaves sound, and geese leave tracks."
Before she even finished her sentence, a terrifying realization struck Wei Su, his back bristled with fear.
With a flick of his wrist, he tried to open his fan, but just as the ink markings appeared, a blade was already at his neck.
Wei Su froze.
The gulf in power was too vast. He hadn't even had a chance to resist.
Faced with such hopeless odds, he gave up struggling entirely.
"This was a conspiracy between the Three Calamities Sect and the Zhou Empire," he said, trembling. "It concerns the fate of a sect... countless lives hang in the balance... please, Daoist friend, show mercy!"
Wei Su's pathetic groveling reminded Shen Xingzhu of Chen Kuang.
He, too, had only six apertures, no different from an insect. But he'd dared challenge the heavens and aim for the stars.
More absurdly... he'd succeeded.
Her eyes narrowed in annoyance.
"Wei Su," she said, "I recall... you know the art of 'Stealing Heaven, Swapping Sun,' yes?"
Wei Su's face went pale. He knew there was no point hiding anymore.
"...Yes."
Shen Xingzhu's voice grew soft.
"Then... what is 'Eh-li-xer'?"
Back then, Chen Kuang had muttered multiple different nonsensical syllables to her in desperation. She had thought he was delirious.
But now, now she realized he was never the kind to say something meaningless.
Those three strange syllables must be incredibly important.
So important, in fact, that he believed them capable of flipping the entire board.
Shen Xingzhu fixed her gaze on Wei Su's face, waiting patiently for an answer.