He raised his hand and released the restriction seals.
The sudden rush of sound into her ears made Yu Huan feel slightly dizzy, and she subconsciously took two steps back.
Only when she stood firm did she realize that she had been standing so close to him just now.
Looking up, she saw Xie Wulei still standing in the same spot, watching her with a calm expression, his figure not having moved an inch.
Yu Huan frowned inwardly.
This man was indeed filled with an unsettling unpleasantness, insisting on presenting such a composed front that it made one feel entirely uncomfortable.
She turned her gaze away, ignoring him.
Gu Qianli’s voice then sounded in her ear:
"Miss Ye must be within some immortal blessed land, but Brother Xie’s tracking mark is blurred, and my Word Spirit has also lost its effect. The spaces here are as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, with immortal grotto-heavens scattered everywhere. How are we to determine which one she is in?"
Yu Huan frowned. "If we cannot pinpoint her exact location, we can only use the clumsy method—searching every single space within this Senluo Wanxiang Sea one by one."
As she spoke, she knew in her heart how slim that hope was.
The Mustard Seed Realms of the Senluo Wanxiang Sea were endless; searching like that was no different from looking for a needle in a haystack.
Gu Qianli suddenly turned to Xie Wulei and smiled:
"Brother Xie’s Trace Fate divine art—can it not see through the long river of time and space? Tracing the past, discerning the present, peering into the future… surely using such a world-shaking ability to find a person isn't a waste of talent?"
However, this question was no different from a pipe dream. Investigating every space in the Senluo Wanxiang Sea one by one was a massive undertaking beyond human capacity; even a Great Ascension cultivator would find it as difficult as ascending to heaven.
Xie Wulei did not answer, but the aura around him began to sink and settle.
A pressure originating from the primordial abyss spread out, carrying with it the aura of ages that could annihilate all living things.
By the side of the stagnant water, a wind suddenly rose, and snow began to fall.
His ink-satin long hair turned frost-silver inch by inch from the roots, like cold moonlight flowing down, fluttering in the quietly rising wind and snow. His moon-white robes with cloud patterns lost their luster, transforming into a swallow-light black that seemed to devour all illumination.
On one side of his neck, an ancient and wicked deep-blue totem emerged, crawling up his pale skin to the corner of his eye.
The whites of his phoenix eyes vanished, leaving only two ink-black whirlpools. Within them, galaxies seemed to be born and extinguished, emitting a gravitational pull that pierced through time and space to glimpse the paths of fate. It was as if an ancient deity holding the scepter of destiny was looking down—devoid of sorrow or joy, casting only a cold, profound glance toward the world of mortals.
At this moment, he no longer possessed a mortal appearance; he seemed more like the manifestation of laws formed by the fusion of heavenly divinity and ancient malevolence.
Everyone in the cultivation world knew that only upon breaking into the Soul Formation stage was a cultivator qualified to petition the laws of heaven and earth.
The term "Soul Formation" essentially meant the evolution of divine abilities—awakening the power of laws that resonated with one's own path. This was a crucial chasm on the path of cultivation.
Cruelly, seventy to eighty percent of Soul Formation cultivators failed to awaken a divine ability in their entire lives, their paths destined to halt there. Only the lucky or exceptionally talented twenty to thirty percent could succeed, and the rank of that divine ability was the final verdict on one's potential on the Path of Immortality:
Those with a Yellow-rank had a decent foundation and might hope to reach the Void Refinement stage; those with a Mysterious-rank had considerable potential and could expect to reach Void Refinement; those with an Earth-rank were brilliant geniuses destined to become titans of their era; a Heaven-rank, however, was a thing of legend, as rare as a phoenix's feather or a unicorn's horn, possessing the power to stir the universe. Yet, the price was also terrifying, often involving one's lifespan, Dao foundation, or even life itself.
At this moment, both Yu Huan and Gu Qianli were awestruck by this phenomenon. The moment they met those abyssal eyes, their souls shook—
In an instant, it seemed as if towering mountains rose from the ground, the vast seas overturned, and the universe collapsed;
In the blink of an eye, the torrent of eras rushed past, epics opened and closed, and all eventually returned to silence.
Beauty was but a fleeting moment; heroic souls passed away, turning to dust.
The boundless red dust of the world, the hundred faces of the mortal realm, the joys of meeting and the sorrows of parting…
The tides rose and fell… fates began and ended.
It took a long time for Gu Qianli to snap out of it. He snapped his folding fan shut, unable to hide his shock. "The legendary Heaven-rank divine ability… it truly lives up to its reputation. This pressure feels as if it could see right through one's very soul…"
He subconsciously took half a step back.
Xie Wulei held a position of supreme authority in the Immortal Dynasty. Years ago, it took him only three months to hunt down and exterminate the "Twelve Bone Masks" of the demon race, who had been hiding in the Immortal Dynasty for a thousand years and had baffled the previous Chief Commander. His Trace Fate divine art shook the imperial court, and the late Emperor personally appointed him as the First-Rank Commander of the Jiangyaosi, acting as the hand of heaven.
This position, which stood alongside the Zhenmosi as the two great pillars of power in the Immortal Dynasty, indeed belonged to no one but him.
Even though Yu Huan felt apprehension toward Xie Wulei—her future "executioner"—looking at the scene before her, her usual habit of wanting to criticize him failed her in the face of that frost-silver hair and those starry eyes.
Searching through her prepared remarks, she could find nothing to complain about.
This kind of elegance had surpassed the boundaries of gender, leaving one with nothing to say.
Gu Qianli composed himself and spoke up to remind him, "Brother Xie, there is no need to investigate every space. Miss Ye is upright and dignified; she is bound to be in an immortal blessed land. Perhaps you should only search those types of realms to avoid wasting your mental energy."
Xie Wulei lowered his lashes and glanced in Yu Huan’s direction. His silver hair fluttered in the frost-wind that appeared out of nowhere, and wind and snow lashed outside his black robes.
Within a ten-mile radius of where they stood, a layer of white snow soon covered the ground.
As his divine sense expanded, a scroll of flowing light unfurled in the void, the images spinning rapidly:
Pavilions and towers shrouded in immortal mist, auspicious scrolls of a hundred birds paying homage to a phoenix, profound realms echoing with the sounds of the Dao… all sorts of immortal vistas flashed by one after another, only to vanish instantly.
When the last immortal vista had been searched, Xie Wulei’s face grew even paler. The wind and snow around him intensified, and his gaze landed gloomily on Yu Huan’s face.
The man had snowy skin and silver hair, his black robes trailing on the ground. A hint of a smile played on the corners of his lips, but it did not reach his eyes; instead, it exuded an unspeakable wickedness.
"I have searched all the immortal blessed lands to no avail. What does Her Highness think?"
His current extraordinary appearance made Yu Huan somewhat afraid to look him in the eye.
She could sense the restrained yet massive power of time and space emanating from him, like an undercurrent in the deep sea; merely being near it made her heart feel heavy.
She shifted her gaze away. After a moment of hesitation, she finally remembered the description in the original book:
That chuunibyou, rebellious County Princess… the one who appeared holy and dignified on the surface but secretly loathed the strict rules, surreptitiously read secret manuals from the Joy Union Sect, and was secretly annoyed by her senior brother’s excessive discipline.
Yu Huan couldn't help but press a hand to her forehead.
The space Ye Shuyao was trapped in was likely anything but an immortal blessed land.
"Perhaps…"
She spoke as if casually, and facing two suddenly sharp gazes, she braced herself and said:
"Our understanding of County Princess Ye has been… a bit too superficial?"
She put it diplomatically: "The County Princess is trapped alone. In her fear, what she is thinking and feeling might not necessarily be entirely bright and upright matters. Perhaps she is thinking of something unrestrained, unconventional, or even something with a bit of mischievous, childlike whimsy?"
"Freedom? Unconventional?" Gu Qianli blinked.
"Sister Yu, are you saying… Yao Yao might be thinking of something scandalous?"
Xie Wulei did not refute her, but simply watched her intently. "Then, in Your Highness’s opinion?"
Yu Huan said, "Why not try searching for those types of… heartscape spaces that break conventions, are wildly imaginative, or even possess a bit of a childish nature."
A few breaths later, those cold, profound eyes locked onto a certain spot in the void, and he tapped his finger in the air.
The images in the void spun rapidly, finally settling on a bizarre and kaleidoscopic world.
A giant candy house hung in the sky, a river flowing with honey was cloyingly sweet, soft marshmallows covered the ground, and an inverted rainbow was painted with a silly, ghostly face. In the distance, dolls in strange costumes were tirelessly jumping and playing.
A clear-featured young girl in green was lying sprawled out on a giant rainbow gummy. She casually plucked a piece of candy and popped it into her mouth, her cheeks bulging slightly, her eyes curved into crescents with a look of pure satisfaction, completely unaware of the changes in the outside world.
The image flashed and vanished.
Gu Qianli was first dumbfounded, then began to chuckle softly, eventually erupting into a hearty laugh:
"Hahahaha! Brilliant! So our dignified and virtuous County Princess of Dongting is actually so… vivid and adorable in private! This is a thousand times more interesting than those wooden beauties who walk around with stiff faces!"
Only after he finished laughing did he realize his slip of tongue, as if he had lumped Yu Huan in with them. He quickly fanned himself and apologized with a smile: "Sister Yu, don't mind me. Your brother is just overjoyed; I certainly didn't mean to compare you to a block of wood."
Seeing his reaction, Yu Huan understood.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder; what others saw as naughtiness was exactly what he found endearing.
She sighed lightly. "This is a sign of a heart that has remained young. It seems County Princess Ye is indeed in there. Though the surface is bizarre, it perfectly matches her lively nature."
The phenomena brought by the Trace Fate divine art quickly receded.
Xie Wulei returned to his black hair and white robes. His face was pale as snow, his lips nearly transparent, and his aura was withered.
Seeing Yu Huan looking over, he gave a slight wave of his hand. "It is nothing."
Looking at that absurd scene, a faint smile remained on the corner of his lips, but his voice was as cold as frost. "Absurd."
Yu Huan thought to herself: Lord Smiling Tiger, if you really can't smile, then don't. This 'skin-deep' smile of yours is actually more frightening than a cold face.
He had clearly exhausted himself greatly, yet he insisted on putting on an air of being completely at ease; he really cared about appearances.
Xie Wulei’s phoenix eyes, which had regained their clarity, turned toward her with a half-smile. "Your Highness’s understanding of my junior sister is quite profound."
Yu Huan naturally caught the implication in his words: She had only known Ye Shuyao for half a month, yet she seemed to understand her heart better than the senior brother who had watched her grow up.
This harbinger of doom was definitely doubting her again!
He probably thought she had some sort of precognition and was likely plotting to investigate her background in secret!
She lowered her gaze and said calmly, "Yu Huan is simply a woman like County Princess Ye. I can see certain traits that are not easily noticed by men, so I took a bold guess. You were blinded by concern, my Lord. In your eyes, the County Princess is naturally perfect in every way, so it is easy to overlook the small whims in her nature. This is not your fault; it is simply a difference in perspective."
Xie Wulei curled his lips into a smile. "Your Highness is quite considerate."
Yu Huan remained silent.
These words sounded like praise, but the testing tone in his voice was practically overflowing.
Gu Qianli, however, didn't catch the verbal sparring between the two. He just kept smiling at Xie Wulei:
"Brother Xie, for Miss Ye to be so divinely gifted and full of childlike innocence, it must be the result of you, her senior brother, teaching her everything and protecting her with care? You protected her so well that she was able to maintain her pure heart. I am quite interested in how you go about teaching your junior sister."
Yu Huan also looked over thoughtfully.
Xie Wulei raised his eyes and glanced at her, smiling. "On the path of cultivation, there is only diligence. Every day at the first hour of the morning, she practices the sword for two hours, studies the Daoist scriptures for three hours, practices techniques for two hours, and spends the remaining time in meditation and copying scriptures. She is not allowed to slack off."
Yu Huan: "?"
Gu Qianli: "?"
Gu Qianli clicked his tongue in horror. "So, she gets up before dawn to practice the sword? At least two hours of sword practice every day? And three hours of studying scriptures? My god… Lord Xie, are you raising a junior sister or training a celestial soldier? How could you have the heart to drill a delicate fairy like Miss Ye like that? You don't even give her a moment's leisure to admire flowers or sip tea?"
He shook his head repeatedly. "You can't teach a girl in such a rigid way! You must treat her like the most precious orchid—nurture her with care, water her with love, and let her stretch out freely to bloom with her own brilliance. Your method… tsk, no wonder Miss Ye occasionally looks a bit… well, overly dignified and restrained."
Meeting a senior brother like you—I really don't know if it's her luck or her misfortune.
Xie Wulei finally turned his face away, his phoenix eyes as still as water.
"I have no interest in hearing the Joy Union Sect's insights from Vice-Commander Gu. My junior sister is the successor of the Ninth Peak, not a delicate orchid in your sect's flowerbeds."
Gu Qianli’s heart jumped at that gaze. He snapped open his folding fan to cover half his face. "Aiya, look at what Brother Xie is saying! I'm just concerned, just concerned! A person like Yao Yao—who wouldn't feel the need to protect her? I simply feel that although cultivation is hard, there should be a balance between work and rest. One shouldn't let this youthful prime go to waste."
He said this, but secretly sighed in his heart:
The higher the pressure, the easier it is to rebound.
That bit of childlike innocence in Ye Shuyao was likely the result of years of suppression.
Then he thought—Xie Wulei’s divine art could see through cause and effect, so how could he not have seen Ye Shuyao’s rebellious thoughts?
But just now, he had reacted as if he were learning of it for the first time, calling it "absurd."
Remembering how indifferent he was when he was forced to take his junior sister along on his trip south… it seemed those who walked the Path of Heartlessness were indeed cold-blooded, not even bothering to look at the true nature of those closest to them.
The Shangqing Immortal Sect was the leader of the Ten Great Immortal Sects, with unfathomable foundations. The most famous path within the sect was none other than the Path of Heartlessness of the Ninth Peak.
Rumor had it that when this path was cultivated to its extreme, it became a supreme immortal path that stripped away the seven emotions and pointed directly to the source. It was simply too solitary, and there had always been very few successors.
Now, the lineage of the Ninth Peak was almost extinct, with Xie Wulei being the only one left to inherit the Path of Heartlessness.
Thinking that Ye Shuyao was about to attempt to reach the Soul Formation stage and choose her path, Gu Qianli’s heart tightened: I absolutely cannot let her walk this path and become such an unrecognizable, cold person!
"There's no time to lose. Now that we have a location, we should quickly tear through space to find her!" He put away his joking manner, his tone becoming urgent.
Before his voice finished echoing, Xie Wulei had already raised his hand to strike out with a vast power of time and space.
The surrounding space vibrated, ripples wavered, and the black water surged violently.
However, after a moment…
He suddenly pulled back his hand, his long brows furrowed slightly. "The spatial laws here are different from the outside world. If I force my way through, it will trigger a chain reaction of collapses and harm my junior sister."
Yu Huan also noticed the abnormality. Recalling the records of the restricted area, she said slowly, "Forcing our way in is inappropriate. We might as well go with the flow and reach the County Princess's space by following the restricted area laws."
Gu Qianli was puzzled. "Following the restricted area laws?"
Yu Huan nodded. "As I mentioned before, when multiple people enter a restricted area together, the area focuses on eliminating the outsiders. It does this by manifesting the heartscape of the person most likely to trigger a killing intent. This scene of the shifting Sea of Passion hides the danger of losing one's heart and sinking into ruin; it is far more dangerous than the childlike heartscape where the County Princess is, which is why the laws have used this to trap us."
Gu Qianli seemed to understand and immediately followed up: "So, to enter Miss Ye’s space, we must make it so the heartscape seen by the laws is no longer this sea of desire? Meaning, we must change the mental state that has been judged as the most dangerous among us? If I can turn my mental state into something harmless, the laws might switch to capturing Sister Yu’s or Brother Xie’s heartscape as the dominant one…"
"But the new dominant heartscape might not necessarily be the childlike heartscape, making it still difficult to arrive precisely."
His brows were locked in a tight frown as he quickly deduced. "Unless… two of us simulate a mental state more harmless than a childlike heart, while the other simulates the childlike heart itself. That might trigger the laws and allow us to enter the County Princess’s location together. But a childlike heart is pure and simple, naturally close to the most harmless mental state. Where would a 'less dangerous' one come from? This distinction of danger is truly hard to define…"
He racked his brain, but it was difficult to reach a conclusion.
"Wait!" Gu Qianli’s eyes lit up, and he snapped his fan open. "Perhaps we don't need to delve into the levels of danger. If we all simulate Miss Ye’s childlike heart, making the laws misjudge our mental states as being of the same source and nature as the County Princess, we might naturally be grouped into the Mustard Seed Realm where she is!"
Yu Huan nodded. "That is the most direct and effective method. By using it to overwrite the dangerous heartscape currently identified by the laws and deceiving the restricted area laws, we can arrive safely."
She looked at Xie Wulei. Getting this "Smiling Tiger" to simulate a childlike heart was probably harder than getting him to cut his own throat.
"What does Lord Xie think?"
Xie Wulei: "Fine."
The single, concise word actually left Yu Huan stunned.
He had agreed so readily?
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