"Senior Brother?"
Chi Yao called out to Shen Yu hesitantly.
Shen Yu's movements suddenly froze, and when he turned to look at Chi Yao, a rare trace of awkwardness showed on his face.
"Junior Sister." Shen Yu's voice was also somewhat stiff.
Chi Yao glanced at the vicious wolf that had been beaten to within an inch of its life, then shifted her gaze to the whip in Shen Yu's hand.
"Why are you here, Senior Brother?"
Truthfully, when she asked this question, Chi Yao harbored a sliver of expectation.
After all, Shen Yu had appeared at such a coincidental moment, and he had even seized the vicious wolf that had tried to hurt her.
"I couldn't see you in the Teleportation Array for quite a while, so I came over to check. I happened upon this wolf that was behaving strangely."
So her Senior Brother had come for her sake—but not entirely for her sake.
Chi Yao felt a twinge of disappointment.
Perhaps because she had spent so long with Shen Yu, she had grown increasingly greedy, beginning to crave being treated differently from everyone else.
So the moment she saw the vicious wolf, she had almost taken it for granted that Shen Yu was venting her anger for her.
But reality had cruelly told her never to indulge in wishful thinking.
Chi Yao's eyes dimmed a little, but when she looked up again, she met Shen Yu's gaze directly.
Shen Yu's eyes seemed to have been resting on her all along.
Those eyes were like a cold pool hiding a Zhulong—utterly calm on the surface, yet concealing many other emotions within.
Even after several months together, Chi Yao still wasn't used to meeting Shen Yu's gaze. She didn't dare probe what those eyes might be hiding, and could only awkwardly look away.
The atmosphere grew silent, and Chi Yao felt increasingly uncomfortable.
She looked again at the vicious wolf nearby, trying to find a topic of conversation: "So, did it confess?"
The moment the words left her mouth, Chi Yao regretted them.
Anyone with eyes could see that this vicious wolf had never developed sentience, and naturally couldn't communicate with people—how could it possibly confess?
Yet the way Shen Yu had hung the wolf up and whipped it really did look like an interrogation.
Chi Yao thought Shen Yu would surely find her question utterly foolish, but when she looked over, she saw a faint curve tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"Almost confessed."
This answer completely caught Chi Yao off guard.
She couldn't believe Shen Yu could spout nonsense with such a straight face.
Nearly a month of observation had shown Chi Yao many sides of Shen Yu that no one else knew. She had thought she understood him well enough, yet he still managed to surprise her endlessly.
She felt like a greedy fish, and Shen Yu the alluring bait, luring her in step by step, letting her sink deeper and deeper until she finally fell into an abyss from which there was no return.
In truth, after joining the sect, she hadn't failed to weigh the pros and cons, considering whether to abandon the idea of imprisoning Shen Yu.
But Shen Yu was simply too tempting.
Whenever that thought arose, Shen Yu would become even more suited to her tastes, leaving her itching with longing, unable to stop.
Just like now—the Immortal Lord, always so cold and aloof, could actually crack a joke. This intense contrast fascinated her, making her desire to win Shen Yu's heart all the more urgent.
The surprise in Chi Yao's eyes gradually turned into dazzled admiration.
This change fell clearly into Shen Yu's sight, adding a few more traces of amusement to his eyes.
But as his gaze drifted downward, he suddenly saw Chi Yao's injured arm.
Shen Yu's eyes turned cold in an instant. He put away his long whip and glanced at the evil wolf beside him.
That icy gaze made the wolf's body tremble.
However, before the wolf could even show weakness and beg for mercy, Shen Yu suddenly raised his hand and sent out a burst of spiritual energy. The next moment, the wolf turned to powder before their eyes.
It all happened so fast that Chi Yao had no time to process what had occurred. She could only sense that Shen Yu seemed somewhat angry.
But before she could probe the reason, a wisp of golden light suddenly shot out from the powder scattered on the ground.
The golden light moved extremely fast, darting toward the jungle in the blink of an eye.
Just as it was about to vanish into the jungle, Shen Yu merely raised his hand slightly, and the wisp of golden light was yanked back by an invisible force, landing in his palm.
Only then did Chi Yao see clearly that a faint layer of black mist lingered around the golden light.
But that black mist seemed utterly terrified of Shen Yu—the moment it touched his palm, it vanished completely.
The golden light, now separated from the black mist, seemed to be quite fond of Shen Yu, continuously nuzzling against his palm.
"Senior Brother, what is this?"
Chi Yao leaned over curiously, watching the dancing golden light.
"The Power of the Heavenly Dao."
As soon as Shen Yu's words fell, the wisp of the Power of the Heavenly Dao instantly burrowed into his palm, merging directly with him.
This scene left Chi Yao even more puzzled.
It was said that Shen Yu was the Reincarnation of the Heavenly Dao, so the Power of the Heavenly Dao should belong to Shen Yu. Why, then, had it appeared elsewhere?
"Three hundred years ago, a force from another world stole the Power of the Heavenly Dao. To prevent the laws of the Cultivation Realm from collapsing, I sealed away the remaining Power of the Heavenly Dao and manifested a physical body to prevent it from being stolen again."
Before Chi Yao could even ask, Shen Yu took the initiative to explain.
His answer stunned her.
So Shen Yu was not the Reincarnation of the Heavenly Dao, but the Physical Manifestation of the Heavenly Dao itself.
From beginning to end, he had been that Heavenly Dao who controlled all things in the world—so utterly rational as to be devoid of all emotion.
"No wonder they all say Senior Brother can maintain absolute rationality at all times. So it's because Senior Brother cannot be swayed by emotion."
There was a trace of dejection in Chi Yao's voice.
No wonder no matter how hard she tried, she could never stir the slightest ripple on that cold, aloof face. So Senior Brother simply had no emotions or desires at all.
She had thought that once she imprisoned Shen Yu, she would be able to tear apart his coldness and see intense emotions on his face—emotions caused by her.
Now it seemed that idea was doomed to come to nothing.
She could already imagine it: after imprisoning Shen Yu, no matter what she did, he would only calmly urge her to turn back from the wrong path—even while she wantonly defiled him.
If that were the case, it would truly be far too boring.
"Not so."
Almost before the thought of giving up could even form in Chi Yao's mind, Shen Yu's voice reached her.
Chi Yao's heart, which had just gone quiet, began to pound wildly again, and even her gaze toward Shen Yu took on a hint of expectation.
"Before taking a Physical Manifestation, the Heavenly Dao was only responsible for maintaining the operation of the world's laws. But once it takes a Physical Manifestation, it becomes just like an ordinary person."
At this point, Shen Yu paused. As his gaze settled on Chi Yao's face, his eyes darkened a few shades.
"It also possesses all the emotions that humans have." Including desire.
That dark thought in Chi Yao's heart was ignited once more, burning ever more fiercely.
Imprison the Heavenly Dao, then wantonly torment him.
Just imagining that scene made Chi Yao feel incredibly excited.
But was imprisoning the Heavenly Dao really that easy?
After the intense emotions subsided, Chi Yao calmed down a bit.
Suppressing the emotions in her eyes, she asked Shen Yu tentatively:
"If Senior Brother is the Heavenly Dao, doesn't that mean you're omnipotent, and no one could ever be your match?"
The hand Chi Yao kept at her side quietly clenched, and a trace of nervousness showed on her face.
Shen Yu slowly shook his head under her gaze.
"Even the Heavenly Dao is not omnipotent. I have sealed the Power of the Heavenly Dao within my body. All of my current cultivation comes from my own training. If one day I were gravely injured, or made a mistake in my cultivation, I might be imprisoned by someone without even being able to resist."
In the latter half of his words, Shen Yu's tone seemed to carry a hint of guidance.
And upon hearing the words "imprisoned," ripples of intense emotion indeed surged in Chi Yao's eyes.
To Chi Yao, Shen Yu's words were no different from a direct invitation for her to imprison him.
In that moment, all of Chi Yao's reservations vanished into thin air.
Only one thought remained in her mind: to imprison Shen Yu as quickly as possible.
She could hardly wait.
…
By the time Chi Yao returned to the Tianyan Sect with Shen Yu, the assessment had already concluded.
The moment Chi Yao stepped out of the Teleportation Array, Elder Pei hurried over.
Seeing that Chi Yao was safe and sound, Elder Pei breathed a sigh of relief, then broke into a smile.
"Junior Sister Chi Yao, congratulations on taking first place in the assessment!"
This result surprised Chi Yao. She had known that obtaining the reverse scale would earn her a good result, but she hadn’t expected to take first place.
However, all her emotions were quickly replaced by immense joy, and a smile couldn't help but spread across her face.
"Thank you, Elder Pei!"
"You're too kind, Junior Sister Chi Yao. According to the rules, the reverse scale belongs to you."
Elder Pei handed Chi Yao a brocade box containing the reverse scale, then took out a bottle of pills.
"These are pills that aid in cultivation and healing—a gift to congratulate you. I hope you'll accept them."
Chi Yao took the brocade box, but she hesitated at the pills Elder Pei offered.
She wasn't close to Elder Pei, and even though she had taken first place in the assessment, he had no reason to give her pills.
Little did she know that while Chi Yao hesitated, Elder Pei was sweating anxiously, practically ready to kneel and beg her to accept.
He knew very well that if Chi Yao refused, Shen Yu would definitely settle accounts with him later.
"Since it's Elder Pei's kind intention, Junior Sister, you should accept it."
Fortunately, Shen Yu's voice came at just that moment.
Since Shen Yu had said so, Chi Yao no longer had any reservations, and finally accepted the pills under Elder Pei's hopeful gaze.
"Thank you, Elder Pei."
"You're too kind, Junior Sister Chi Yao."
Elder Pei seemed to finally breathe a sigh of relief, exchanged a few more pleasantries, and then left.
With the results announced, only a handful of disciples remained in the plaza. Just as Chi Yao was about to head back, Shen Yu called out to her.
"Junior Sister."
The moment Chi Yao turned around, a book appeared before her eyes.
"A few days ago, you asked me about Array Formations. This is a book on Array Formations I found—consider it my gift congratulating you on taking first place in the assessment."
"Th… thank you, Senior Brother."
The moment Chi Yao took the Array Formation book, she felt an almost unreal sensation wash over her.
This was the first time her Senior Brother had ever given her a gift.
And it was all because of a single offhand remark she'd made a few days ago.
Chi Yao was so excited that her fingers trembled slightly. To keep Shen Yu from noticing anything unusual, she feigned calmness as she put the book away.
Only after returning to her quarters did she take the book out again, her fingertips tracing inch by inch across the cover, obsession showing in her eyes.
Ever since becoming Shen Yu's Junior Sister, she had taken out that iron chain she'd prepared for him three years ago.
To make sure he couldn't break free from it in the future, she had been continuously reinforcing it with Array Formations.
A few days ago, while practicing swordplay with Shen Yu, a wicked thought had suddenly occurred to her.
Ask Shen Yu to teach her Array Formations, then use the very formations he taught her to imprison him.
That day, Shen Yu had indeed taught her a few formations, but she hadn't expected him to give her an Array Formation book because of it.
At this thought, Chi Yao immediately waved her hand to open the mirror nearby.
At this moment, Shen Yu had already returned to his bedchamber and was sitting at his desk reading, just as he always did.
Chi Yao gazed at that face that haunted her dreams, slowly reaching out to touch the mirror's surface.
"Don't worry, Senior Brother. I'll study these formations well."
Chi Yao's fingertips moved slowly, coming to rest on Shen Yu's face, obsession and madness showing in her eyes.
"And then use every single one of them on you."
The moment those words left her mouth, a faint smile actually appeared at the corner of Shen Yu's mouth in the mirror.
Chi Yao's breath caught instantly, her fingertips freezing in place.
But just as she was about to control the image and move closer to Shen Yu for a better look, an intense pain swept through her meridians from all directions.
This was the backlash from overusing her spiritual energy.
Chi Yao had been taking pills for the past month, and her meridians had cleared up considerably, so she had used a bit more spiritual energy than usual during this assessment.
Who knew her meridians still couldn't bear it—and this time the pain was even more intense than before.
Before she could control her surging spiritual energy, Chi Yao collapsed, her consciousness gradually fading.
In her daze, she seemed to see Shen Yu hurriedly rising to his feet, walking toward the mirror—and then actually passing through it, arriving directly at her side, his face showing an anxiety she had never seen before.
Chi Yao wanted to confirm whether this was a hallucination, but before she could see clearly, the searing pain blacked out her vision, and she lost consciousness.