Hua Zhenlan ranted on as Hua Shiming suddenly held his head and tried to block out all the sounds. He was trying not to listen to her, but the words still penetrated through. On his knees screaming "no," as he held his head, he looked identical to the prisoner from the underground cell — just less pale and more nourished.
---
In a grand hall above the underground cell, a man who looked like he was in his fifties sat on a throne, staring earnestly with eyes that carried no emotion at a devilishly seductive woman seated in a meditative position, surrounded by maidservants feeding her pills to replenish her energy, as she constantly went pale before regaining color.
"Fuck, the geography of the crossover is very complicated. My control over Hua Shiming is weakening, and he's also trying to resist," the woman said.
"If he's trying to resist, that means he must have found his sister. But Su Xianli, I thought you said you'd have total control over him no matter the distance?" the old man said, getting a little angry, though his voice carried the same cold indifference.
"I think my lord misunderstood. I said I'd have total control over him no matter the distance as long as we're in the same realm. It's just bad luck that the girl decided to hide in the lower realm," Su Xianli explained.
Bitch just decided on the worst place to hide. It's like she wants me dead, she muttered in her head.
"What's going on there? I know you said you can't see what's happening, but it's been a few months already—they should have returned by now. I would've preferred they brought the girl back, but if she's causing too much trouble, they should just kill her," Patriarch Lin queried.
As he was talking, Su Xianli spat out a mouthful of blood. "The connection is growing weaker. I don't know what's happening."
"Use the forbidden technique—fast. I spent over five years breaking that boy. All the work I've done since the parasite informed us that Hua Shiming felt the connection to the technique cannot be undone. Do you think breaking him was easy? He's as stubborn as a bull. In fact, part of the reason he conceded was so he could see his sister again. If the connection breaks, we'll lose both of them and the technique. Use the life force of the servants around you, and if your own life force depletes, I have an Origin of Life pill," Patriarch Lin said with his usual coldness.
"If Hua Shiming breaks free from my control, he'll lose all his brain activity and become just an empty shell," Su Xianli said as she started looking at the girls, wondering which one to pick.
All the servants were already terrified, praying not to be chosen. Some tried moving back to avoid being selected, but Su Xianli chose at random, grabbing the hand of one she could reach. She began making complex hand movements, using a strange transfer technique that turned the quietly sobbing girl old before reducing her to ashes in a matter of minutes—then she selected another servant.
---
"Zhenlan... Zhenlan please, I didn't want to do it. They made me do—" Hua Shiming, on his knees crying as he begged, suddenly stopped as a purple glow flashed in his eyes before he regained his original demeanor, leaving the men behind confused as to what the drama was about.
Hua Zhenlan finally understood. She knew her brother had common sense and wouldn't throw everything away for love or fascination, even sacrificing their own parents.
Even Chi Xianyan, who was witnessing the entire series of events from a hole in the tunnel, had an idea of what might have happened to her granduncle. She already knew how everything started from her grandmother.
"I think that's enough talking. Are we going to fight or what?" one of the men said, expressing the group's frustration with how things were turning out.
"Sorry, Zhenlan, but you'll have to come with us," Hua Shiming said as he drew his weapon, the rest of the men following suit.
"I see. So that's how it is," Hua Zhenlan said, nodding continuously like she was in a state of complete understanding. "Chi Xianyan, I'm about to give you another motivation. I want you to be strong enough to destroy Su Xianli, Lin Jian, and the entire Whispering Lotus Sect. You still have a long way to go, but I know you can do it. Always remember what I said—it's time for me and my brother to rest. Avenge us."
Chi Xianyan wanted to run out to stop Hua Zhenlan from doing whatever she planned, or at least to hug her, but she froze in place, just watching.
Hua Shiming and the men were confused since they couldn't sense anyone nearby. Due to the concealment formation, they didn't know who she was talking to. The others thought she was losing her mind because she was about to die, but Hua Shiming was more suspicious.
"Be careful. My sister would've used every enhancement herb and pill this realm has to strengthen herself," Hua Shiming warned. Since she'd been standing in front of the house since the beginning of the conversation—within the formation—they couldn't sense her cultivation. But they weren't too worried because she'd been passive throughout, which meant she wasn't sure she could beat all of them together. Still, they hadn't attacked because of the numerous formations covering the place. If they could see her cultivation, they would've stormed in regardless.
"As long as she's not a Sage, we'll be fine. There's no way she's beating two Emperors," one man said.
"Dumbass, if she were a Sage, we'd all be dead by now," another replied.
A more perceptive one among them, who hadn't talked much, spoke. "Shut up. Do you sense that?"
"There's nothing to sense," one of the two arguing answered, angry at being shut down.
"Exactly. The nothingness just got smaller," the perceptive one said.
"What does that mean?" one of them asked, confused.
"It means we're in a dome," Hua Shiming answered. But that doesn't make sense. If she can't beat all of us at once, why would she trap us? Is she trying to activate another offensive formation? She does know that guy died because he was careless—we won't fall for the same trick. Hua Shiming was lost in thought but was abruptly brought back by the shout of one of the men.
"Where is she?" the man shouted.
"She was right there," another answered.
"It's because of this dome—we can't sense her movement. But we can't leave either, because there might be a trap once we step out. Hua Shiming, what is your sister thinking?" the perceptive man asked. But Hua Shiming, the one questioned, was frozen in place because the person they were looking for was hugging him—and since they were behind him, they couldn't see it.
"Brother, let me end your suffering. See you soon," Hua Zhenlan said in a low tone as the rest of the men turned toward him.
BOOOOOOOOOOOM.
Hua Zhenlan self-destructed—something only Sovereigns could normally do, though there existed an inferior version in the form of a technique. Chi Xianyan stared at the five-meter-deep crater filled with body parts, blood, and one moving figure. She knew it wasn't her grandmother or Shiming. She also knew that the blood would attract beasts and the survivor likely wouldn't live long once they came. Then she turned toward the direction of the Azure Sky Kingdom within
the tunnel and began walking silently, her eyes fixed straight ahead.