Xie Zhaolin slowly stood up, her eyes fixed on the deep, smoking crater as turbulent waves of shock rose in her heart.
Su Yue—that quick-witted fence-sitter she remembered so clearly from her previous life—had actually chosen to self-detonate for the sake of Yu Xiaotang. She had done it without a shred of hesitation or a single plea for mercy.
"Loyalty…?" she murmured, her voice sounding hoarse against the settling dust. "That's way too strange."
She wondered if Yu Xiaotang had used the power of that Xi Tong again. That thing wasn't just for concealment or teleportation. Did it also allow her to control the very hearts of people? The thought sent a cold chill crawling up her spine, prickling against her skin.
"It looks like getting exact information about Yu Xiaotang from ordinary disciples is basically impossible," Ling Chuan said. He clenched his fist until his knuckles whitened. "That Liu Shaoyu clearly looks like her confidant. If even the ordinary disciples are like this, then even if we catch her, we probably won't be able to get anything out of her either."
Xie Zhaolin fell silent for a moment. "At least now we know just how tightly Yu Xiaotang controls her subordinates."
Knowing the truth was one thing. Actually finding Yu Xiaotang was another matter entirely. Those disciples' auras had vanished far too completely. It was as if they had melted into the secret realm itself, or rather, as if they had been perfectly erased by some kind of external power.
Just as Xie Zhaolin and Ling Chuan were stuck at an impasse, at a loss for what to do next, a different scene was unfolding. In an extremely hidden natural limestone cave, where dampness clung to the walls, Yu Xiaotang sat with her eyes closed. She was regulating her breathing when she suddenly snapped her eyes open.
[Warning! Target Su Yue. Preset loyalty and secrecy restriction forcibly triggered. Target confirmed dead.]
The system's notification rang out with a cold, mechanical clarity in her mind. Yu Xiaotang could clearly feel the connection between herself and Su Yue—established through the system's functions—being completely severed. There was only one possibility for such an abrupt end. When faced with the threat of revealing core secrets, Su Yue had triggered the restriction and chosen to self-detonate.
"Damn it!" she cursed under her breath. She immediately sensed another connection, weaker but just as clear. The directional group teleportation talisman she had entrusted to Liu Shaoyu had been used as well. "The teleportation talisman… was used too?!"
She knew something had gone horribly wrong. She didn't even need to think to guess who was responsible. Aside from that Ling Chuan from the Northern Ice Palace, and that black-robed person who haunted her like a ghost and ruined her plans again and again, who else could it be?
Her group concealment halo was powerful, but it could only cover herself and an area within three zhang. Its duration was also limited. Once the disciples separated from her exceeded that range or time limit, their discovery was only a matter of time. She just hadn't expected the other side to arrive this fast, or to use such ruthless methods. They had directly forced Liu Shaoyu to use the last life-saving teleportation talisman and even pushed Su Yue to the point of self-detonation.
That restriction was something she had spent a huge amount of points on. She had used the system's functions combined with specific soul suggestion and restriction techniques, planting them specifically in these trusted disciples. The moment anyone touched on her core secrets or tried to forcibly search their soul or control them, the restriction would trigger and cause total self-destruction.
"Bastards!" Yu Xiaotang ground her teeth, her eyes boiling with killing intent.
"It's her again!" Through the system's data analysis function, she had already confirmed the identity. The black-robed person involved this time matched the one who had ambushed her in the Fusang Secret Realm and stolen her Purple Cloud Ginseng. Whether it was the body shape, the presence, or the attack methods, they lined up almost perfectly. It was clearly the same person.
"Ha…" Yu Xiaotang suddenly laughed softly. The smile was icy and devoid of any warmth. Madness and danger flickered in her eyes, yet buried deep within was a trace of something she didn't even want to examine herself—unwillingness and frustration.
"So it really is you…"
"My dear Senior Sister."
She hadn't failed to imagine meeting Yun Qingyue again. She just hadn't expected it to be this soon. The Tianxu Secret Realm gathered cultivators from all directions. It was vast, boundless, and riddled with hidden dangers. She had thought that even if Yun Qingyue really hadn't died, and had even entered the secret realm as well, it wouldn't be easy for them to run into each other. She expected they might only meet at the core of the realm.
But she had been wrong. From the Fusang Secret Realm to the poisonous miasma swamp at the outskirts of the Tianxu Secret Realm, and now to the Bewildering Soul Rift Valley, the other side's persistence went far beyond her imagination. Every single time, it felt like she was stronger than before. Her methods were stranger, and she was even more troublesome to deal with.
Back in the Fusang Secret Realm, Yu Xiaotang had still been able to barely trade blows using her artifacts. Yet how long had it even been since then? This time, the other side had actually teamed up with Ling Chuan. They had severely injured Granny Hua right under her nose and snatched the fragment away. Now they had even forced Liu Shaoyu to use the life-saving teleportation talisman and forced Su Yue to self-detonate.
"Your strength improved this fast…" An indescribable bitterness and a sense of suffocation surged up in her chest.
She had the system. She had resources and foresight far beyond ordinary people. Her cultivation, her power, and her treasures were all skyrocketing. She had thought she had already left everyone else far behind in her wake. Yet this Senior Sister who should have been dead was like an inescapable nightmare. She grew stronger each time, leaving Yu Xiaotang feeling more and more powerless.
"Genius…" she murmured, a self-mocking curve tugging at her lips. "What a load of crap."
Back then, Yun Qingyue had been praised as the Hehuan Sect's once-in-a-thousand-years genius. Her talent, her temperament, and her comprehension had all been top-tier. As for Yu Xiaotang, her aptitude had been average. Even though she was also Sect Master Hua Qiluo's personal disciple, she had always been compared to that Senior Sister, living in her shadow. She had been unwilling to accept it, so she had schemed endlessly. In the end, she had won.
At least, she thought she had won. But reality had now slapped her hard across the face. Why was that shadow still clinging to her like this?
"Young Sect Master?" At that moment, Granny Hua, who had been sitting nearby regulating her breathing with her eyes closed, slowly opened them.
Her aura was steadier than before, but her face was still pale. Her brows were etched with deep exhaustion and lingering pain. Though she was fully focused on sorting out the chaotic blood sha power inside her body, the spiritual perception of a Nascent Soul cultivator remained sharp. Yu Xiaotang's barely suppressed killing intent and shock couldn't escape her notice.
"Did something happen?" Granny Hua asked hoarsely, her expression growing grave.
"Yes." Yu Xiaotang took a deep breath, forcibly pressing those thoughts down into the depths of her mind. "Liu Shaoyu and the others used the teleportation talisman."
Granny Hua immediately understood, her expression turning even worse as the implications sank in. "What?!" Her face changed. "Was it… those two thieves from before?" She instantly thought of Ling Chuan and the black-robed person.
"Who else could it be," Yu Xiaotang said as she walked to the cave entrance. "And their methods were ruthless. They forced Shaoyu to use the teleportation talisman. Su Yue… also…"
She didn't continue the sentence.
"I'm the one who dragged the Young Sect Master down," Granny Hua said, guilt and hatred flashing through her eyes.
"Now isn't the time to say that. I have to go meet them."
"The teleportation location is…" Yu Xiaotang closed her eyes, sensing the position of the child seal on Liu Shaoyu.
A moment later, she snapped her eyes open, uncertainty flickering within them. "Northeast of the rift valley… White Water Pool? Why would it be there?" That safe point had been one of the more remote and hidden ones she had set. The surroundings were complex, and it also seemed to be close to the edge of a so-called dangerous area recorded in ancient texts.
"Their situation… doesn't look good."