Standing quietly in place, Jian Chou watched for a long time.

Everyone stood behind her, not going forward to disturb her, perhaps because they too had infinite feelings and thoughts in their hearts that needed to be sorted out during this opportunity.

Only the vast emerald waves from within the scroll painting continued pouring out, gradually changing from the continuously rushing massive waves to a trickling stream.

At some unknown time, the water surging from within the scroll painting seemed to have stopped.

That long river flowing forward, without subsequent water sources to replenish it, finally flowed away majestically, leaving only a long belt-like water mark in its original place.

“Eh?”

Zuoliu, who had just turned his gaze to look at the scroll painting, suddenly made a surprised sound.

The lake water had flowed away cleanly, and the pavilions and corridors within the scroll painting had long been washed clean, leaving not a trace of anything behind.

Over the entire scroll painting was an aged grayish-yellow, yet it was now completely blank.

When the wind blew, it gently detached from within the gate and actually rolled itself up automatically, becoming a scroll two feet long.

Faint warm white light emanated from the scroll shaft, wrapping around the painting, and it actually flew toward Jian Chou who was still standing quietly in the distance.

In that instant, everyone’s attention was drawn to it.

Jian Chou hadn’t yet had time to withdraw her gaze cast into the distance when she noticed this scroll shaft appearing in her field of vision.

She was slightly stunned for a moment, but didn’t immediately reach out to catch the scroll shaft. Instead, she turned around to look—

Sure enough, this scroll painting was the one that had previously hung within the gate.

Without the obstruction of this painting, standing outside the great gate and looking inside, there was still nothing but ruins.

The painted world they had entered before had completely disappeared.

Lijun’s previous question suddenly echoed in her ears: “Aren’t you curious? I have nothing left to give you.”

“…”

She was merely a passerby, merely a guardian within the hidden realm—why had he suddenly brought her so much contemplation?

Jian Chou discovered that she didn’t understand herself very well either.

The scroll shaft was Lijun’s former dwelling place, and she had no controlling power over the hidden realm whatsoever.

This thing could contain an entire world, and the objects within the painting had experienced the passage of real years and could transform from virtual to real—no matter how one looked at it, it wasn’t an ordinary object.

Without Lijun’s prior arrangements, how could it have automatically flown into her hands?

It wasn’t that there was nothing to bestow—he had simply saved it for last.

Jian Chou thought of this, and the others had surely thought of it too.

This should have been something to be happy about. After all, since entering the hidden realm, they truly hadn’t had any gains. But thinking about it now, these treasures were better left unreceived.

A breath that had been suppressed for a long time slowly exhaled from Jian Chou’s chest.

She finally extended her hand and grasped the scroll that was suspended before her.

“Lord Lijun!”

“Lord Lijun!”

“We’re here…”

“Chitter chitter chitter…”

…

A series of footsteps suddenly rang out from the distance, accompanied by a chorus of joyful calls. The little short-legged squirrel ran hard in front, seeing that gate from far away, its eyes practically glowing.

Its fluffy little body nimbly flipped over patch after patch of ruins on the ground, and the little squirrel quickly arrived before Jian Chou: “Chitter chitter chitter!”

We meet again, did you see Lord Lijun?

“…”

Only Jian Chou’s wordless silence responded to it.

The many spirit beasts that followed were a bit slower than the little squirrel, but they also arrived one after another.

At first they were all quite happy, with those who could speak waiting for the little squirrel to clarify the situation, even discussing the current appearance of the celestial palace.

But after the little squirrel stared at Jian Chou expectantly for a long time, and Jian Chou remained silent, all the spirit beasts seemed to detect something unusual.

Only then did they notice: the painting that had hung on the fourth gate was now quietly lying in someone’s palm.

This painting, called “Virtual and Real Universe,” was Lijun’s birthplace and also Lijun’s magical artifact…

Now, how…

An ominous premonition suddenly arose in all the spirit beasts’ hearts.

Silence, not knowing who it started from, eventually swept through everyone present.

Oppressively quiet.

The little squirrel called out for a long time, even reaching out its paw to tug at Jian Chou’s sleeve. Jian Chou looked down at it, seeming to want to speak but ultimately not knowing what to say.

Though she didn’t speak, the little squirrel could see the sorrow hidden in her eyes…

Its little paw trembled and stiffened before withdrawing.

In the sky, there were still those brilliant patches of karmic fire red lotuses, but no longer any trace of that koi.

Below a tall building on a commercial street, a man walking along the long street suddenly stopped, seeming to sense something as he looked toward the northwest direction.

“What’s wrong?”

Holding a long sword, the purple-robed Sword Marquis Xue Wujiu took a few steps with his characteristic gait, and seeing no one following, frowned and turned back to look at him.

Dressed in a black robe with dark, heavy fabric, but with striking golden patterns embroidered all over it, from a distance it gave one a feeling of sharp brilliance.

Standing here, he was like a sword intent that pierced through the heavens.

Two swords hung at his waist, one deep blue, one grayish-white, looking quite ordinary.

Qu Zhengfeng looked toward the northwest for a long time, then turned his palm over and looked down at it.

From years of sword practice, his palm and fingertips had many calluses, appearing somewhat rough.

At this moment, a crimson fish scale lay quietly in his palm. The bright daylight shone on it, causing a streak of flowing light to flash across it before dimming.

He was silent for a moment before saying: “An old friend has passed away.”

“Old friend?”

This fish scale was clearly not ordinary, and seemed to have something carved on it. With Xue Wujiu’s keen eye, he could tell almost immediately.

But Qu Zhengfeng had no intention of explaining further.

The Qingfeng Nunnery’s hidden realm…

If he remembered correctly, that group of cultivators from the Central Domain should have only recently entered the hidden realm. Among them were Jian Chou, Xie Buchen, and the young sect master of the Demonic Path’s Shanyin Sect…

Had some accident occurred after all?

Qu Zhengfeng had no way of knowing.

Thinking of the “Mad Swordsman Zhou Bai” he was going to “visit” today, he finally gently turned his hand to put away the fish scale.

Unexpectedly, a casual voice suddenly came from the side: “Wait! That thing of yours looks pretty good. Let me have a look!”

Xue Wujiu almost immediately frowned.

Qu Zhengfeng also turned his head and saw a young man wearing a Sumeru ring on his finger standing before him. His eyes carried several traces of malevolent energy, staring directly at the fish scale in his hand that he hadn’t yet put away.

A quick assessment showed he was at late Nascent Soul stage—not low cultivation.

His face carried a three-part smile, appearing to make one feel like spring breeze. Qu Zhengfeng was extremely amiable: “Would you like to take a look?”

He extended his palm, displaying the fish scale within, asking thus.

The faint golden light on the fish scale immediately became enticing.

The malevolent young man’s eyes blazed with greedy light, and he immediately reached toward the fish scale!

Just as he was about to grasp the fish scale with one hand, with only an inch of distance remaining—

The world in the young man’s eyes suddenly froze.

It was the kind and gentle smile on the face of the man in the gold-embroidered black robe, the distance between him and that fish scale.

A dark blue long sword had somehow already left its sheath.

There wasn’t even the slightest change in atmosphere, not a trace of revealed killing intent, not a bit of sharp sword qi—it even appeared without any warning!

Just like…

As if stabbing into a block of tofu, it gently pierced into his forehead, simple and easy.

The small human-shaped Nascent Soul in his spiritual platform didn’t even have time to dodge before being struck by this sword, instantly letting out a scream and dispersing like smoke!

Drip, drip…

Blood finally seeped out, staining the malevolent young man’s world red.

His throat moved up and down, some indistinct sounds emerging from his throat, ultimately drowned by the fresh blood suddenly pouring from his mouth.

Qu Zhengfeng held the Haiguang Sword, not even a flicker of divine light in his eyes.

He slowly withdrew the sword, giving it a gentle shake. The blood droplets on the sword scattered to the ground, leaving the entire blade clean and spotless, a dark blue color.

“Thud.”

The malevolent young man finally lost all sensation and fell to the ground, his eyes filled with inexplicable terror, still unable to close.

Xue Wujiu stood beside Qu Zhengfeng, personally witnessing his entire sword-drawing process, yet his heart had already developed a bone-chilling feeling.

Over a hundred years, always maintaining peak Nascent Soul state, with no cultivator from the Nineteen Continents surpassing him during this period.

What kind of enlightenment had occurred in between?

Breaking through from Nascent Soul to Soul Departure—was it really just from peak Nascent Soul to early Soul Departure?

At least, Xue Wujiu couldn’t see through him clearly.

Having killed a Nascent Soul stage cultivator so casually, just how terrifying was Qu Zhengfeng’s current combat power?

But he himself didn’t seem to care much.

Putting away the fish scale and returning the sword to its sheath, many people on the entire street were already looking sideways, but not one person dared to come forward, or rather, they were already accustomed to it and couldn’t be bothered to come check.

“Let’s go.”

He smiled slightly, not worried at all.

Xue Wujiu also glanced at the surrounding people, looking at this prosperous market town and the gradually approaching dusk, truly feeling indescribable.

No one would care who had died, nor would anyone investigate what grievances existed between killer and killed. All the rules of the world here were simplified to the essence of might makes right.

Who cared about the rest?

This was Mingri Xinghai.

No one knew what their tomorrow would look like; all anyone could grasp was the present.

Qu Zhengfeng had already walked away. Xue Wujiu held his sword, laughing lazily and aristocratically: “Tomorrow, ah…”

He wasn’t worried at all that this cultivator’s death would bring attention from Mingri Xinghai or endless trouble for them.

Because he knew deep in his heart: no matter how many people died today or how many things happened, tomorrow in Mingri Xinghai, people would only discuss one person’s death.

Having entered the demonic path, no longer under Yashan’s gate…

Xue Wujiu looked at Qu Zhengfeng’s back from a distance.

His steps were steady, walking all the way toward the dilapidated grass hut in the alley’s end.

There lived the most temperamental Mad Swordsman in all of Mingri Xinghai, Zhou Bai.

Outside the fourth great gate of the Qingfeng Nunnery’s hidden realm.

The spirit beasts that had just gathered finally gradually dispersed.

They had already thanked Jian Chou, yet still couldn’t stop the sorrow on their faces. This was a result no one had expected, yet also an inevitable result.

The little squirrel walked dejectedly among the spirit beasts, still seeming unable to react.

The silver fox and old turtle accompanied it. The silver fox’s face bore that extremely gentle expression, and it turned back to look—Jian Chou still stood in place, seeing them off.

The old turtle crawled slowly on the ground, saying in its weathered voice: “Lord Lijun has just transformed back into a koi. He’s still in this hidden realm. Who knows, maybe we’ll encounter him someday…”

After all, they were originally demons.

Why couldn’t they cultivate back to their former state someday?

This was already the best possible outcome.

The little squirrel buried its head and finally began crying, walking while crying, using its little paws to wipe its fluffy face.

Though it looked so comical, no one could find it amusing.

The silver fox gently embraced it like a big sister, saying: “It will be fine, everything will be fine.”

As if telling both the little squirrel and itself.

“Will everything really be fine?”

Zuoliu listened to those voices from afar, those increasingly distant voices, murmuring with confusion.

Jian Chou slightly lowered her eyes but curved her lips: “It will be fine.”

“Then what’s the real story with Master Buyu?”

Zuoliu was confused again.

Jian Chou looked at the scroll in her hand, putting it into her Qiankun bag. Hearing Zuoliu’s question, she was silent for a moment before saying: “In the Lingering Thoughts realm, Master Buyu has sculptures of various cultivation stages, eight in total, each with a line of text carved on it. His cultivation was always accompanied by powerful heart demons.”

Everyone suddenly froze.

This was the first time they’d heard Jian Chou mention what she’d seen in the Lingering Thoughts realm. Though they had also seen it, they hadn’t really thought deeply about it.

After all, heart demons, while uncommon among cultivators, weren’t rare either.

Jian Chou continued: “Initially, heart demons appeared a hundred days after his breakthrough, later it became ten days, then several days… finally becoming symbiotic… The shorter the time, the more powerful the heart demon. In that path of mine, the final stone statue contained skeletal remains.”

Skeletal remains?!

Everyone listening to this point drew in sharp breaths.

Though Jian Chou didn’t say it explicitly, how could they not understand?

These remains were undoubtedly Master Buyu’s!

Young Master Ruhua’s eyes showed thoughtfulness, Lu Xiangleng sighed softly, while Xia Houshe and Xie Buchen both remained expressionless.

Only Zuoliu had a flash of inspiration, suddenly looking toward the spirit beasts now reduced to mere shadows.

“Sister Jian Chou means the heart demon killed Master Buyu’s true body and ascended itself? Then why didn’t it tell them…”

Jian Chou glanced at him, then looked toward the spirit beasts now hidden among the ruins.

“Do you think they truly have no awareness at all…”

Zuoliu suddenly froze.

Jian Chou’s expression was mysteriously changing, finally gradually returning to calm. She let out a heavy breath, her gaze sweeping across the other five people: “The old turtle just said that the secret of the ‘Nine Curves River Map’ we’re looking for should be hidden atop the celestial palace overhead, welcoming all comers.”

That was a magnificent shadow.

Hearing Jian Chou’s words, everyone raised their heads. All they could see were blooming lotus flowers, while the now-repaired Grand Luminous Seal had hidden its form at the base of the celestial palace.

The entire celestial palace presented the appearance of a tall pagoda, layer upon layer, with glazed lanterns hanging from the octagonal flying eaves, making the whole celestial palace appear translucent and pristine.

They all knew this was the final place they needed to go.

Once they obtained the secrets related to the “Nine Curves River Map,” their journey to the hidden realm would be complete.

“Let’s go.”

This feeling of everything being within reach seemed so wonderful, so tangible.

Who could wait any longer?

The moment Jian Chou’s words hit the ground, everyone raised their eyes, exchanged glances, and with perfect synchronization, simultaneously took flight toward the heights of the sky!

They felt no obstructing presence.

The Grand Luminous Seal had been repaired, and overhead were those blooming karmic fire red lotuses, harboring full goodwill toward them.

Riding the wind ten thousand li, soaring straight up.

Fierce winds blew Jian Chou’s raven-black hair flying through the air, and even more fluttering were her hunting robes.

She raised her head to look up. Ripples spread across the sky, and she could faintly touch a membrane—the existence of the mirror lake in the sky.

“Splash!”

Like a deep diver suddenly surfacing, the feeling of passing through that layer of ripples was like passing through water, suddenly splashing up brilliant golden waves.

Jian Chou rose from the lake surface, clearly seeing the world above this sky.

It was actually a great lake floating in the sky, endless as far as the eye could see, golden and brilliant, extending to very distant places.

On the lake surface were the endless red lotuses they had seen from below.

One next to another, one crowding another, covering the lake surface like they touched the sky.

That enormously large celestial palace stood at one side of this sky-lake, and the moment Jian Chou turned to look, it occupied her entire field of vision.

Too large, too large.

Too tall, too tall.

Just looking up like this, she couldn’t even see where its peak was, only able to see that glazed, transparent color.

In that moment, Jian Chou thought of that “precarious tower” where one could pluck stars…

If one truly stood atop this celestial palace, what magnificent scenery would it be?

Jian Chou hovered in mid-air, quietly watching like this. In the silence, she suddenly said: “Karmic fire red lotus, supported by a calm lake, atop the sky, reaching nine heavens. This celestial palace has excellent feng shui—a fine place to bury someone.”

It was nearly a murmur, nearly talking to herself, even low enough to be inaudible.

But Xie Buchen happened to be standing not far beside her, also looking at that magnificent and grand celestial palace like her, catching every word of her statement.

His entire being exuded coldness, giving him a somewhat otherworldly air.

He didn’t turn to look at her either, only remaining silent for a long time. With shifting divine light in his eyes, he smiled faintly: “Fellow Daoist Jian Chou, my thoughts align with yours.”