The matter of killing someone had little to do with Xie Buchen.

But what would happen after the killing did have some relevance.

After all, the two of them were now clay Buddhas on the same boat, grasshoppers tied to the same rope. If either one truly caused a commotion, the other wouldn’t be able to escape either.

He did want to kill Jian Chou, but he had never thought of dragging himself down with her.

But at this moment, feeling the cold and real killing intent at his neck, and observing Jian Chou’s current expression, he knew her inner choice.

He was quite clear about her temperament.

Once she had made a decision, no one could change it. Not to mention, the person speaking to stop her was him.

Everything was as it had always been.

She took risks, he sought stability.

Xie Buchen naturally knew who was right and who was wrong at this moment, but that didn’t mean he would be moved by it, much less that he would make any irrational decisions because of this non-existent emotion.

But at this moment, he finally said nothing more.

Jian Chou stared at him for a moment, confirming that he wouldn’t do anything unnecessary, then withdrew her hand with a mocking laugh: “You’re being sensible after all. I thought I’d have to chop off your meddlesome hands before you’d shut up!”

It sounded like a threat that only remained on her lips.

But Xie Buchen knew she wasn’t joking at all: if he had said anything more just now, Jian Chou might not have actually killed him, but this Lamp-Lighting Sword would certainly have severed his palm!

After saying this, her sword was already withdrawn.

The next moment, when Xie Buchen looked up, she was already gone. Only a faint, barely noticeable spatial fluctuation remained in place—instantaneous movement!

“Whoosh!”

Jian Chou’s robes embroidered with exquisite and intricate patterns swept toward everyone the moment she appeared in the room. A gust of wind carrying vast spiritual power rolled forth from her sleeves!

The four women in the room—whether the two resting on the couch, the girl being tormented in the monk’s arms, or the slender-waisted woman standing nearby—had no time to react at all.

Only a hint of surprise appeared on their faces, but before they could even see the newcomer’s face clearly, they had already been knocked unconscious directly.

How terrifying was Jian Chou’s late Nascent Soul cultivation?

Not to mention she was now the number one in the Nascent Soul stage throughout the Jiushijiu Zhou.

If she wanted to kill, she naturally wouldn’t involve these originally innocent women.

Sweeping her sleeves to knock them unconscious served two purposes: first, to avoid exposing herself, and second, for their own safety. The force was very light—they would only need to sleep briefly before waking up.

But when it came to the “culprit,” things wouldn’t be so easy.

A woman had actually appeared out of thin air in the room, and she looked like a Buddha Mother!

How could this be?

Master Hongren, completely naked, angrily opened his eyes, wanting to demand Jian Chou’s identity. But as soon as one hand stretched out to point at Jian Chou, an even larger “hand” reached toward him!

Heaven-Overturning Seal!

Ever since she had fortuitously learned the true Heaven-Overturning Seal when forcibly breaking through multiple barriers to leave the Extreme Region that day, Jian Chou’s control over this Dao Seal had gradually become proficient.

Since it could absorb surrounding spiritual energy to form a virtual image as an attack.

Then, by slightly suppressing its power at this moment, hiding it without releasing it, it became an excellent means of control!

Hongren was already greatly frightened upon seeing this mighty strength. Blue veins bulged on his forehead as he immediately changed direction to strike the ground with his palm, wanting to escape. But before his palm could reach the ground, the virtualized large palm had already firmly grasped his entire person!

Pure power instantly compressed around him!

Caught off guard, Hongren, who had been completely unprepared due to his single-minded indulgence in lust, almost immediately felt his blood and qi surge, nearly spitting out a mouthful of blood.

Under the control of this large palm, he couldn’t move at all, and even the Nascent Soul within his body trembled with fear!

What kind of palm technique was this?

What was the background of this female cultivator who had suddenly appeared!

Hongren was terrified to the extreme, but at this moment, he could only watch helplessly as this female cultivator approached him. When she drew near, her eyes even revealed undisguised disgust.

Then, the palm that had been virtually grasping him pressed firmly onto his head!

At that instant, Hongren only felt pain at the top of his head.

It was as if the fingers pressing on his head had all transformed into sharp long needles, piercing his entire brain. His originally clear spiritual platform instantly collapsed, becoming chaotic.

All confusion and fear, like the chaotic thoughts and memories in his mind, were stirred to pieces.

—Soul searching!

Soul searching with only two minor realms of difference!

This move of Jian Chou’s was extremely risky!

Because the actual realm of the soul-searched target wasn’t much lower than hers, if the other party had achieved success in soul cultivation, the chance of backlash against her was very high.

But she still did it.

Her powerful spiritual consciousness, like a giant hand, forcibly probed into Master Hongren’s mind, stirring chaotically and searching through everything in his life.

Soon, she obtained what she needed.

Then, she finally released her palm.

At this moment, a wild joy of surviving a catastrophe immediately arose in Hongren’s heart. He thought Jian Chou was going to show mercy and not kill him, but unfortunately…

Before the relief and gratitude in his heart could reach his eyes, several wisps of strange black qi appeared out of nowhere, striking toward his face!

This black qi!

The moment he saw it clearly, the fear that arose in his heart was no less than when he had been controlled and soul-searched by Jian Chou earlier. His mouth opened wide as he immediately tried to get up and flee!

But how swift was the speed of that black qi? Just as he was getting up, it had already directly entered his eyes!

Three wisps of black qi, just like three poisonous snakes!

In the blink of an eye, they disappeared without a trace, invading through Hongren’s eyes and transforming into a massive devouring force that tore at Hongren’s soul.

His eyes showed infinite pain, but only a moment later, it transformed into blank emptiness.

“Thud.”

In eyes that still held lingering terror, the last trace of spirit was lost.

Hongren’s body softly collapsed to the ground, no longer feeling the slightest breath of a living person. Only those three wisps of black qi, like poisonous snakes, after devouring all the power in his body, quietly floated up and hovered over his body’s surface as if completely harmless.

Just like the disciples of Kunwu and Yashan who had perished in the valley before.

Jian Chou stood beside Hongren’s corpse, holding in her fingers a small azure-colored narrow-necked bottle. Under the contrast of her fair and slender fingers, one could vaguely see the dense black qi continuously swirling and flowing inside.

Undoubtedly, those three wisps of black qi had been released by her.

But the shock and horror in her heart was no less than that of Hongren, who had already perished beneath them.

Her palm lightly turned, and the small bottle lay flat in her palm.

Jian Chou looked down at it, thinking of the danger and embarrassment when she first encountered this wisp of black qi in the valley. The coldness in her heart grew even stronger. Thinking again of Hongren’s terrified expression before death, she knew he must have recognized the origin of this black qi…

Only Fu Chaosheng could have collected such a powerful thing into this bottle when gathering the bodies of the Yashan disciples.

He was a Nascent Soul stage cultivator after all!

Under the gnawing and erosion of this thing, he only lasted less than a moment!

How could Jian Chou, who witnessed all this with her own eyes, not feel horrified?

If just the aura remaining after killing was so powerful, then what kind of terror would the true Great Venerable Shaoji, the deity itself, possess?

Her five fingers were ice-cold as they slowly closed, finally grasping the bottle again.

She turned around to see Xie Buchen, who had somehow silently entered the room.

His dark and calm gaze swept over Hongren’s gradually cooling corpse, then fell on the rolling black qi in the bottle in her palm. He didn’t even need to ask much—with just those two glances, he had already understood her scheme.

His pupils contracted slightly, and he actually smiled.

“Killing two birds with one stone, a very interesting scheme.”

Just imagine—when the New Tantric sect of the Snow Region discovered that their own Master had died under the assault of this black qi, what would their reaction be?

Jian Chou had already put away the narrow-necked bottle containing the black qi. She showed no response or reaction to Xie Buchen’s words that seemed to reveal some appreciation. She only glanced at the four unconscious women in the room and said: “Being a person to your extent—looking human but lacking any of the emotions and reactions a person should have—is truly boring.”

This was a roundabout way of cursing him as inhuman.

If judging only by the literal meaning, Xie Buchen admitted that most of what she said was correct, except for one point—he could achieve complete rationality and could also eliminate all other emotions.

But this didn’t include her.

But there was still no need to argue about these words.

Xie Buchen said nothing more, only placing his gaze on Master Hongren who had died at Jian Chou’s hands, while his mind contemplated the strange black qi he had also secretly expended great effort to collect…

Jian Chou also said nothing more.

She only looked around in a circle, wanting to do something, but ultimately couldn’t do much more. With a single instantaneous movement, she left this place and reappeared outside the room.

Xie Buchen followed her out the next moment.

“I soul-searched him earlier. The New Tantric sect seems to have major movements planned for the near future. But this Hongren only recently became a Master and doesn’t know the details. The news was told to him by Master Hongren, who has a close relationship with Dharma King Baojing and should know more clearly.”

Jian Chou didn’t linger here much, walking while speaking to Xie Buchen.

Xie Buchen heard some implications: “Master Hongren happens to be Mojia’s master and will hold the initiation ceremony for ‘me’ tomorrow evening. Do you have an idea?”

“This person’s cultivation isn’t high either—just mid-Nascent Soul stage. If you and I join forces to kill him and obtain the New Tantric sect’s movements and plans, we’ll immediately leave the Sacred Temple and return to the Central Region.”

Jian Chou’s plan was simple and clear.

They had already acted tonight. Although they wouldn’t be exposed immediately, they couldn’t stay long.

No one knew if there would be variables after some time. Now that Shaoji was absent, but if He were present, He might not be unable to see through their concealed auras.

When that time came, whether it was her or Xie Buchen, they would both have to answer for it here.

Xie Buchen expressed no opposition to her plan.

He also knew that since Jian Chou had soul-searched Hongren, she must now have an extremely thorough understanding of the Snow Region, especially the Sacred Temple and the hidden secrets within.

But she wouldn’t tell, and he wouldn’t ask. He only said: “Then we’ll act according to circumstances tomorrow.”

Jian Chou nodded and paid him no more attention.

Both knew that although tonight’s investigation was brief, they had already found leads on everything they wanted to investigate. Moreover, tomorrow’s initiation ceremony for “Huaijie” would be an excellent opportunity for them.

After this ordeal, they could return to the Central Region.

Neither needed to waste words with the other. Without even a polite farewell between them, Jian Chou’s figure flashed and she directly disappeared from the spot.

This was teleportation.

But Xie Buchen, who should have also left after Jian Chou’s departure to return to his room, looked up at the crescent moon hanging in the sky. After contemplating for a moment with lowered eyes, he didn’t return to his room but instead passed through this vast monastery and headed toward the sacred lake behind.

Jian Chou could use instantaneous movement because she had concealed her aura.

But in this Sacred Temple, she hadn’t reached the level of supernatural power where she dared to constantly cover and monitor Xie Buchen with her spiritual consciousness, so she naturally knew nothing about his current direction.

When her ethereal form re-solidified and landed, the magnificent Sacred Temple had been left behind her.

Before her was the sacred lake she had come to see during the day.

The lake at night gave a feeling slightly different from what it looked like under the bright sunny sky of daytime.

The frost-white moonlight was somewhat dim. The ink-blue night sky was scattered with bright stars. The faint starlight, together with the somewhat brighter moonlight, spread down, enveloping this vast and calm lake surface in a layer of soft, pale light.

The endless ice plains stretched out in the deep night, actually glowing faintly with azure light.

During the day, when she was far away, she hadn’t felt anything real.

But today, being close, that sense of vastness that almost encompassed one’s entire being came washing over her. Though it clearly looked like a lake, it had the breadth and grandeur of an ocean.

Jian Chou was completely immersed in it, taking a long time to come back to her senses.

She naturally hadn’t come here for no reason.

She came tonight only to fulfill the wish of that old woman she had encountered during the Extreme Region tripod competition—taking out the bundle of blue jade sparrows she had hidden in her sleeve earlier, Jian Chou walked forward, quietly bowed, and placed them on the shore before the sacred lake.

The lake water gently caressed the shoreline, as if whispering, as if confiding.

At this moment, Jian Chou felt her state of mind become peaceful to the extreme.

Even though she had just witnessed scenes of filth and had even personally killed someone, she was surprisingly unaffected. It seemed that merely standing by this lakeside, she could forget all suffering and troubles, allowing body and mind to reach a state of clear emptiness.

It was a place very suitable for cultivation.

Unfortunately, she didn’t dare linger here long.

After standing for about half a moment, Jian Chou took one last look at the bundle of blue jade sparrows on the ground, then turned back toward the path she came from. Her figure gradually receded, slowly disappearing into the corridor lined with prayer wheels beside the Hall of Saints.

On the lake surface, a clear breeze began to blow.

The withered yellow grass stems on the shore all trembled lightly in the wind, and it also made tremble that bundle of blue jade sparrows lying by the lakeside, like little birds…

A hand then reached out in the clear wind and gentle waves, picking them up.

At that instant, the entire heaven and earth fell silent!

It was a palm beautiful to the extreme, a figure graceful and moving to the extreme, like the flying celestial maidens carefully depicted by craftsmen on murals.

But even the most skillful craftsmen in the world couldn’t capture the feeling in her eyes and brows.

Long and narrow eyebrows, bright and lovely eyes, red lips and white teeth; her entire body was as white as if washed in milk, yet had the charm of flowing water.

She wore no clothes, only her silky, waterfall-like long hair scattered down, making her body appear even more snow-white.

But just as she bent down to pick up that bundle of blue jade sparrows, the vast lake of ten thousand acres behind her actually poured out entirely, rising and rolling from the flat ground—

Sacred Lake Qielan, the lake in the sky!

Just like that, obediently and docilely, it transformed into a deep blue piece of silk-like flowing water, draping over her rounded shoulders and hanging down in smooth, gentle lines.

Behind her, only a huge deep pit remained.

It was the bottom of the sacred lake.

Without the obstruction of lake water, the silent moonlight and starlight fell straight down, illuminating a magnificent ruin and countless scattered bones among the ruins. It looked exactly the same as the vast Sacred Temple complex ahead.

But this woman paid no attention to what was behind her, not even glancing back.

Her slender fingers had already touched that bundle of blue jade sparrows, gently picking them up and holding them between her fingers. When she lowered her head to smell them, her eyes and brows immediately softened.

Perhaps seeing this bundle of flowers reminded her of someone?

Her eyes faintly revealed traces of reminiscence, but her lips held a gentle and soft smile, exactly like the wind blowing at this moment, exactly like the starlight and moonlight in the sky, and exactly like the small blue jade sparrow in her hand…

Was she a lake demon?

One should clearly think so, but Jian Chou, hidden in the darkness of the corridor, watching from afar, only felt this figure was beautiful to the extreme.

There was no demonic nature at all; instead, she was extremely like a deity.

When lowering her head to smell gently, that spiritual posture seemed not to be in the human world, but in heaven.