The assembled immortals exclaimed in surprise, “The lowering of sea levels refers to the Sea Calamity? What year is this record from? There was no mention of the Sea Calamity at that time. What about the records before and after?”
The immortal sighed, “Ancient artifacts have long since deteriorated. I’ve gone through all the old bamboo scrolls in the library, and there’s no further mention of this event. It’s said that thousands of years ago, our sect faced a catastrophic disaster and nearly perished. I suppose most records were lost in that calamity. What a pity, what a pity indeed.”
Immortal Cui Xuan pondered, “That woman absorbing spiritual energy from mountains, rivers, and seas—it’s indeed similar to Jiang Lifei. It seems she truly is something Qing Cheng brought back from overseas. It’s a shame Qing Cheng didn’t reveal anything, even in death! If she needs to absorb spiritual energy, she must return overseas! Well, there’s no use waiting here like fools. Let’s head to the Eastern Sea immediately!”
The ten elder immortals agreed. These immortals, who had weathered countless storms, harbored both hatred and fear towards everything overseas, yet they were also filled with an unparalleled longing. If they could capture Jiang Lifei alive, it would be the greatest achievement of their lives.
Seeing that Guangwei Zhenren still looked reluctant, Immortal Cui Xuan said, “Guangwei, it’s not wrong to favor a talented disciple, but excessive favoritism is unwise. Keep the person in the Tower of Reflection. We’ll discuss everything else when we return. You are not to show any favoritism.”
He then turned to the two elders beside him, Qingle and Baifu, “Qingle, Baifu, you two will take turns guarding the Tower of Reflection. No one is to enter except to provide food and water daily!”
The three of them acknowledged in unison. Immortal Cui Xuan, still feeling uneasy, pondered for a moment before suddenly saying, “Guangwei, we owe much to someone’s assistance in the matter of Jiang Lifei. I’ve made a promise to that junior. You should make a trip to Duantu in the State of Yue. During the Sea Calamity period, we mustn’t let opportunists take advantage of the situation.”
The capital of the State of Yue? Guangwei Zhenren’s thoughts raced. Suddenly, he remembered that the disciple of Wu Zhengzi from Xingzheng Hall seemed to be from the Yue royal family. With Xuan Shanzi assassinating people for the Dragon-named Seat, the State of Yue must be on the brink of collapse… And that disciple seemed to be an old acquaintance of Jiang Lifei?
After a brief contemplation, he understood the implications and silently sighed before agreeing.
The Tower of Reflection stood in the center of the ordinary disciples’ training city below the sea of clouds. It was over ten stories tall, painted with bright, dripping cinnabar, making it extremely eye-catching. Any disciple punished to face the wall here couldn’t escape others’ gazes. Wu Yueyan’s punishments were notoriously cruel; one mistake meant never being able to hold one’s head high again.
Lei Xiuyuan was bound tightly with the Dragon-Binding Chains, surrounded by countless ordinary disciples watching him. This genius who had been the rising star of Wu Yueyan in recent years was now being ignominiously sent to the Tower of Reflection. The onlookers didn’t know whether to gloat or marvel at the strictness of the sect’s rules.
The heavy door opened, and Lei Xiuyuan was carried into a small room in the tower. Soon, the room door closed, followed by the main door, shutting out all the clamorous light. After a moment, Lei Xiuyuan could make out that the room was extremely small, barely enough for three people to stand. The door was made of dark iron, without the slightest gap, and the walls were also cast with dark iron. Being locked inside felt like being sealed in a coffin; those with weak willpower might go mad after just a few days.
He closed his eyes for a moment, and two thin horns slowly grew from the sides of his head. In an instant, he could easily detect the spiritual energy fluctuations of countless people throughout the vast Wu Yueyan sect. He could sense that higher up above the sea of clouds, there were several extremely powerful spiritual energy fluctuations. Were they the four masters of Wu Yueyan?
After an unknown period, the spiritual energy fluctuations of Immortal Cui Xuan and the ten elder immortals left Wu Yueyan and could no longer be sensed. He moved slightly, about to break the Dragon-Binding Chains, when suddenly he heard the main door of the Tower of Reflection being opened again, and a female voice seemed to be pleading for something.
“Master, we’re just here to deliver food and water. Can’t you let us go in and take a look?”
Elder Qingle, responsible for guarding the Tower of Reflection, looked helplessly at the two disciples before her. One was her beloved disciple Le Cailing, and the other was Elder Baifu’s disciple, Deng Xiguang. When Jiang Lifei’s expulsion order was issued, the entire Wu Yueyan sect was shocked, followed by Lei Xiuyuan being confined in the Tower of Reflection. The commotion above the sea of clouds was chaotic. Le Cailing’s reaction was stronger than expected; she had just cultivated the Closed Mouth Immortal Technique for less than a year, but now it was about to be broken, this time by her initiative.
“The matter of Jiang Lifei has been decided by Immortal Cui Xuan and the other elders. It’s not something we can interfere with,” Elder Qingle sighed. She naturally didn’t want to believe that the sweet little girl was some kind of vicious criminal, but Immortal Cui Xuan’s grand gesture had other intentions, leaving no room for the juniors to comment. “What use is it for you to go in and see them?”
Deng Xiguang was almost in tears, “I just want to see Junior Sister Su! I miss her so much I can’t even eat!”
Elder Qingle couldn’t help but smile bitterly. She looked at Le Cailing again. This child had never been able to escape her fear of men, yet somehow she had come with Deng Xiguang to deliver food and water, her legs trembling with fear, but still gritting her teeth to stand. She suddenly felt proud; Cailing’s willingness to do this proved that she still remembered Lifei’s kindness. People who can feel gratitude will surely achieve great things in the future.
With this thought, she waved her long sleeve, and the main door of the Tower of Reflection slowly opened.
“You’re only allowed to stay inside for two-quarters of an hour. If you don’t come out by then, I’ll have to punish you. Go on now.”
The two of them, overjoyed, rushed inside. In the Tower of Reflection, there were countless rooms. Rooms with lit lamps indicated that someone was confined inside. Deng Xiguang, unable to contain himself, quickly said, “I’m going to find Junior Sister Su!” before running off and disappearing.
Le Cailing didn’t know which rooms they were confined in, so she had to search one by one. Suddenly, she heard Lei Xiuyuan’s voice from a nearby room: “Over here.”
She took a deep breath, pressed her hand against the dagger on her chest, and quickly walked over to push open the dark iron door. Sure enough, she saw Lei Xiuyuan bound by the Dragon-Binding Chains. Before he could speak, she took out her dagger and began stabbing fiercely at the chains. However, after stabbing for a while, the seemingly delicate chains didn’t budge at all. Le Cailing grew anxious, her eyes reddening.
“Human strength cannot break these chains,” Lei Xiuyuan said calmly. “Don’t waste your effort.”
She didn’t speak, still stubbornly stabbing away. As the two-quarters of an hour were about to pass, the chains didn’t even have a small mark on them. Her trip had been in vain. Le Cailing let out a long sigh, put away her dagger, and said softly, “Wait here. I’ll come back and try again in a few days.”
Lei Xiuyuan looked at her for a moment. “You came just for this?”
Le Cailing coldly replied, “Don’t get it wrong. I’m doing this to repay Jiang Lifei’s kindness. She saved me, and now she’s killed Qin Yangling for me. By rescuing you, I’ll have repaid my debt.”
She turned to open the iron door, about to leave. “I’ll come back in a couple of days.”
Before the door could close, a hand suddenly caught the edge. Le Cailing was shocked to see Lei Xiuyuan walk out as if nothing had happened. She involuntarily gaped at him, then looked back at the Dragon-Binding Chains and the cross-shaped earthen frame in the room. The chains she couldn’t cut with her dagger had been torn into pieces at some point, scattered on the ground.
“You…” She was at a loss for words.
Lei Xiuyuan said calmly, “Consider your debt repaid. I’ll tell Lifei.”
Le Cailing felt him approach, and suddenly a strange, cold fragrance was breathed into her mouth. The fragrance entered her lungs, and she immediately felt dizzy. She collapsed softly to the ground, falling asleep.
Lei Xiuyuan quickly headed east, opening an iron door. The room behind it was slightly larger than the one he had been confined in. Two Dragon-Binding Chains were separately restraining Chongyi Zhenren and Zhaomin. Seeing Lei Xiuyuan enter, even Chongyi Zhenren couldn’t help but show an extremely surprised expression.
The chains were easily torn apart by him. Just as Zhaomin was about to speak, Lei Xiuyuan said softly, “We’ll talk later. There are still others to save.”
The three of them swiftly moved north and saw an iron door half-open. Inside, Deng Xiguang was sobbing and muttering something incoherently. Lei Xiuyuan pushed open the door to see Su Wan looking exasperated, with Deng Xiguang clutching her sleeve, his eyes brimming with tears. Lei Xiuyuan’s sudden intrusion startled Deng Xiguang, who jumped up. The next moment, his mouth was covered, and his cry of surprise caught in his throat.
After tearing apart the chains on Su Wan, Lei Xiuyuan looked around and said, “Senior Brother Deng, will you come with us, or would you prefer to sleep here like Le Cailing to clear yourself of the crime of releasing prisoners?”
Deng Xiguang was so excited he was gesticulating wildly. Although he didn’t understand how Lei Xiuyuan had suddenly become so powerful, now was not the time to ask. He repeatedly said, “Let’s go together! I can’t let Junior Sister Su fall into evil hands again!”
Chongyi Zhenren suddenly said, “This escape will only aggravate your crimes. It’s not good for you or Lifei. Don’t act rashly. Xiuyuan, how is Lifei now?”
Lei Xiuyuan said, “Your staying here is of no benefit and only brings harm. We’ll discuss everything when we see her.”
Everyone was shocked to see two slender black horns grow from the sides of his head. Chongyi Zhenren reacted the quickest, immediately stepping back several paces, his face full of astonishment. “…A Yaksha?!”
Lei Xiuyuan leaped up. Elder Qingle, who was guarding outside, only heard a tremendous crash as the iron-cast wall of the Tower of Reflection was suddenly broken open with a huge crack. In her shock, she instinctively took out her ancient zither to attack, when she suddenly saw several figures flying out of the crack. It was Chongyi, Su Wan, and the others who had been imprisoned in the tower due to Jiang Lifei’s matter. Her fingers, poised on the ancient zither, involuntarily paused for a moment.
In that brief moment, the group had already flown out of sight. Elder Qingle had never encountered such a situation and was momentarily at a loss. She looked around for a while before finally giving chase, but how could she catch up? Just as she reached the area above the sea of clouds, she heard urgent, repeated bell tolls. The disciples guarding the gate were using sound transmission techniques to shout in panic: “Someone has forcibly broken through the main gate and left Wu Yueyan!”
In the blink of an eye, countless elders and immortals who had remained in the sect gathered at the main gate of Wu Yueyan. Elder Baifu flew over, fuming with anger. Seeing Elder Qingle’s bewildered face, his booming voice immediately called out, “Didn’t Immortal Cui Xuan tell you to guard the Tower of Reflection before he left? How did you let them escape?! Where did they go? Why didn’t you chase after them?!”
Elder Qingle smiled bitterly. Chase? For some reason, the escapees hadn’t left even a trace of spiritual energy behind. How could she chase? Where could she chase to?
Seeing Elder Baifu’s loud voice rambling on endlessly, she suddenly felt annoyed. She frowned and said coldly, “They’ve left, so what? Chongyi and those disciples were merely innocent victims caught up in this. In my opinion, it’s not bad that they’ve left!”
With that, she didn’t wait for Elder Baifu to say anything more and flew directly toward the Tower of Reflection.