"Hahaha, yes, Senior Brother Han only cares about the sect. Today, this disciple voluntarily left the sect right before his eyes. He must be filled with endless regret!"
Yue Qingsu brushed off the gloom and laughed heartily.
Pei Xianqiao's gaze remained fixed on the spirit realm cultivators being imprisoned one by one, a faint smile tugging at her lips.
"Father, mother, sect master, clansmen… all our enemies are dead!"
Han Huijun locked the spirit realm cultivators in the underground prison. The four ferocious beasts stood majestically in the plaza, astonishing all the cultivators present.
Yuan Kong passed through the gaze of the four beasts and approached Yao Ranran, his expression devout.
"Amitabha, when I first saw the Fairy, I knew she was extraordinary. Now, meeting again, the Fairy is the Xiānzhǔ of both Eastern Wilderness and the Western Sea!"
Yao Ranran cupped her hands humbly.
"It is only an empty title. Master need not remember it."
Yuan Kong sighed.
"Such titles are sought by countless people for years without success. Xiānzhǔ has done so much for the cultivators of Eastern Wilderness and Western Sea, protecting their lives during the spirit realm's calamity, and aiding Central Domain to resolve great disasters. The name of Xiānzhǔ should be remembered by all in this world!"
Yao Ranran waved her hands quickly.
"Master, you overstate it. My deal with Sect Master Han was simply an exchange. He entrusted Wuxiang Sect's treasure vaults to me, I helped the sect survive. It was mutually beneficial."
She feared fame, for it was dangerous to be too well-known.
The current situation meant the spirit realm could no longer ascend. She only wished to live quietly in the lower realm until her cultivation reached completion, then ascend to the Immortal Realm. She did not desire for all to remember her face.
Yuan Kong raised a hand, fingers straight, as if perceiving her thoughts.
"Amitabha, Xiānzhǔ, please do not worry. I will leave a statue of you at Guan Fan Temple. Your beauty is extraordinary, which might unsettle the disciples. When carving the statue, I will obscure your visage so that all who kneel will focus on sincere devotion rather than your appearance."
Mu Xin's eyes gleamed with skepticism.
"Sounds like a fox spirit plan. Old bald monk, are you preventing your disciples' souls from being seduced by her appearance?"
Yao Ranran's lips twitched awkwardly. Honestly, when she first heard Yuan Kong's words, she also felt like he was casting her as a fox spirit.
Was this for her own sake, or for the novices at Guan Fan Temple?
Yuan Kong joined his hands in prayer, expression gentle.
Mu Jialing regained his Buddhist power and stepped forward.
"Fairy Yao Ranran, Master did not mean to guard against you. Last time, I, a novice, received punishment in the temple. A young novice sent to me was defiled in mind, distracted by your beauty. After returning to the temple, he babbled nonsense, which caused Master to have such thoughts."
Yuan Kong silently swept his gaze over his disciple, sighing softly in his heart.
This explanation was barely an explanation at all.
Yao Ranran stared at him blankly.
"What did that young novice say last time?"
Could he have said something bad about her? she worried inwardly.
Mu Jialing blushed slightly, speaking honestly.
"He said that I wanted to become the head of Guan Fan Temple, that the temple would eventually be mine. But I truly have no such intention. Master and the Fairy must believe me!"
He earnestly conveyed his sincerity to Yao Ranran.
Yuan Kong murmured Amitabha softly, nodding slightly. He had never doubted this disciple, for the novice spoke truly—the temple would one day be under his care.
Yuan Kong's gaze swept lightly over Mu Jialing as he turned the black ebony Buddhist beads in his hand.
Yao Ranran smiled.
"Is that all? I believe you. If you really wanted to take over Guan Fan Temple, wouldn't Master have stepped aside already?"
Yuan Kong's hand froze briefly on the beads. He lifted his eyes to glance at her, thinking silently that the powerful need not conceal anything in front of others.
Mu Jialing's cheeks flushed slightly. "No, only Master can keep Guan Fan Temple safe. Fairy saved me, and I do not know how to repay her."
"There is no need to repay. We have known each other for a long time. Master said he wanted to invite me to Guan Fan Temple as a guest. Let's go see it now."
Yao Ranran smiled.
Mu Jialing stared at her, slightly stunned.
Yuan Kong immediately set down his beads.
"I will guide Xiānzhǔ!"
Yao Ranran gestured toward the flying boat behind her.
"No need. With this Xiānzhǔ's boat, we will reach Guan Fan Temple swiftly."
Yuan Kong paused, then praised,
"As expected of Xiānzhǔ's boat. I am indeed short-sighted."
He did not try to refuse Yao Ranran, and the group immediately boarded the flying boat.
The miasma around them had been completely cleared. Inside the boat, Bai Qingwu no longer appeared in pain, weakly sitting in the corner and staring at them as they boarded.
"You truly can dissipate miasma!"
Yao Ranran tilted her ear toward the faint voice.
Mu Jialing stared at Bai Qingwu in surprise.
"Isn't she the Holy Maiden of Bei Ming Holy Palace?"
"She is the Holy Maiden? No wonder she is quite pretty!" Mu Xin looked at Bai Qingwu with amusement.
A flicker of understanding crossed Yuan Kong's eyes.
"This Holy Maiden is by Xiānzhǔ's side. Several elders of Bei Ming Holy Palace have already removed her from her position. She is now an ordinary female cultivator."
"What? Why would Bei Ming Holy Palace suddenly remove the Holy Maiden? This has never happened before!"
Mu Jialing could not comprehend the decision, as the Holy Maiden held great importance to the Holy Palace.
Yuan Kong frowned slightly, his gaze resting on Bai Qingwu.
"The female lay devotee wishes to know why the Holy Palace took such action."
Bai Qingwu stubbornly bit her lower lip, scanning the three of them.
"If I tell the truth, will you save me?"
"Amitabha, it is not that this monk is unwilling, but your life is not within our control."
Yuan Kong slowly closed his eyes, shaking his head helplessly.
Mu Jialing and Mu Xin exchanged a glance, silently lowering their eyes.
"This request is truly excessive," Mu Xin murmured.
Though Mu Jialing remained silent, he strongly agreed.
Bai Qingwu clenched her lips and suddenly shut her mouth tight.
"Then I won't say anything!"
"Do not speak if you will not. Once Xiānzhǔ finishes this journey, the entire lower realm will follow her. When I wish to know about the Holy Palace, it will only take one sentence."
Mu Xin leisurely walked toward the cabin, uninterested in Bai Qingwu's matter, lying back on the boat with a piece of dry grass in his mouth.
Bai Qingwu looked at Mu Jialing and Mu Xin for help.
"I know you are both good people. You have the world in your hearts. Yao Ranran has been possessed. Please, save me!"
Yuan Kong seemed not to hear her and silently turned his back.