Xie Zhaolin exchanged a glance with Mo Yan, and they both saw the same heaviness in each other's eyes.
The Sect Master summoning them at this moment was probably tied to the recent deaths of the Elders. Something this urgent couldn't be a coincidence.
Mo Yan hesitated for a moment, then still took Xie Zhaolin along to follow the deacon disciple toward the main peak.
To their surprise, the grand hall of the Sect Master was empty except for the Sect Master himself. Judging by his expression, he didn't seem to care much about Elder Sun's death at all. He even exchanged polite greetings with Mo Yan, completely calm.
Both Xie Zhaolin and Mo Yan had prepared themselves to be interrogated about the two Elders who'd fallen. They'd barely returned to the sect before being called here, so that reason seemed the most likely.
Yet, instead—
The Sect Master's next words caught Xie Zhaolin entirely off guard.
"I summoned the two of you today mainly for one matter."
He paused, his gaze sweeping casually across Xie Zhaolin before settling on Mo Yan.
"The Tianxu Secret Realm will open as scheduled one month from now. According to tradition, our Qingxi Sect has two entry slots."
The Tianxu Secret Realm. Entry slots.
Xie Zhaolin's heart tightened, but she kept her gaze lowered and remained silent. Mo Yan also stayed quiet.
"The Elders and I have discussed this and decided to grant you one slot directly."
It wasn't about the cause of death. He didn't even mention the tense atmosphere spreading through the sect. He went straight to distributing secret realm slots. The sect had just lost two important Golden Core Elders, and yet the Sect Master was most concerned about the secret realm?
Inside, a storm surged through Xie Zhaolin, but she showed nothing.
Mo Yan bowed respectfully. "Thank you, Sect Master. I'll give everything I have and won't betray the trust the Sect Master and the sect have placed in me."
The Sect Master nodded lightly and said nothing else, as if he'd summoned them only to make this announcement. "Go prepare."
Xie Zhaolin and Mo Yan left the grand hall silently and made their way down the mountain path.
The Sect Master's attitude was truly abnormal. This move violated common logic. There had to be deeper intentions behind it. Maybe in his eyes, the secret realm concerned the sect's future greater benefits, far more urgent than pursuing an internal traitor.
Or perhaps, he'd already formed guesses about the murderer and even knew part of the truth, but for some reason couldn't act openly, so he chose to stabilize the sect first.
The thoughts churned inside Xie Zhaolin, but she quickly pushed them down. Whatever his intentions were, the outcome was beneficial to her.
The Tianxu Secret Realm slot was one of her top priorities. Now she'd obtained it without lifting a finger, saving her from exhausting competition and avoiding the risk of exposing her true strength. With access to the secret realm, all the chaos in the sect, the mysterious deaths of the Elders, and even whether Qingxi Sect prospered or collapsed no longer concerned her.
Others could live or die however they pleased. Even if they all dropped dead tomorrow, as long as they didn't block her path, she couldn't care less. Once she returned from the Tianxu Secret Realm, if anything felt off, she could disappear anytime she liked. Qingxi Sect was nothing more than a temporary resting place, a stepping stone.
Time flew during intense preparation.
The month passed in the blink of an eye.
At dawn that day, the quiet cracking of bones echoed faintly through Xie Zhaolin's body. Her figure slowly grew taller and her shoulders broadened.
At the same time, she pressed the human-skin mask onto her face, transforming completely into Mo Yan's usual appearance. Unless a Nascent Soul powerhouse deliberately examined her, the disguise was impossible to detect.
When she arrived at the sect plaza, the Sect Master was already standing ahead with his hands clasped behind his back. What tightened Xie Zhaolin's heart was the figure standing quietly near him.
Who else but Elder Chou?
She was the other chosen participant.
Xie Zhaolin's heart dropped sharply. She cursed silently, though she kept Mo Yan's usual calm expression. Wariness and disgust rushed through her chest like a wave.
Two Golden Core Elders had recently died. Among them, Sword Peak's Peak Lord and Elder Sun's deaths were most suspicious, and Elder Chou was the prime suspect. Did the Sect Master not suspect her at all? Or was this balance? A compromise? Or had Elder Chou used some hidden method to seize the slot?
Going into the secret realm together with her?
In a place isolated and filled with danger, staying beside that woman was practically suicide. She'd planned to separate from the other slot holder once they entered. Now everything was ruined.
Xie Zhaolin even wondered whether the Sect Master had given Mo Yan the slot so easily precisely to pit him against Elder Chou, hoping they'd restrain or even eliminate each other. That old fox.
Yet even with a storm raging inside her, Xie Zhaolin let none of it show. She copied Mo Yan's posture and aura perfectly as she stepped forward and bowed slightly, her voice hoarse. "Sect Master."
"Everyone's here." The Sect Master nodded. "I'll escort you to the entrance of the Tianxu Secret Realm myself. Inside, opportunity and danger coexist. I hope you two will handle yourselves well and not disappoint the sect."
He didn't mention cooperation or unity. His "handle yourselves well" carried far too much meaning.
Elder Chou bowed. "Yes, Sect Master. I'll give everything I have."
Xie Zhaolin answered in a raspy voice. "Understood."
Without another word, the Sect Master raised his sleeve, and an ancient flying ark descended from the sky, emanating an overwhelming pressure.
"Board."
All three stepped onto the ark.
It became a streak of light and sliced through the clouds, racing toward the horizon.
A few days later, a massive mountain valley came into view, overflowing with violent spatial ripples. This was the entrance to the Tianxu Secret Realm.
The surrounding valley was already packed with cultivators from all sects. The crowd was much larger than the last time the Fusang Secret Realm opened, and the average strength was significantly higher.
Golden Core cultivators made up a considerable portion, and there were several faint but terrifying Nascent Soul auras anchoring different sects.
There were also Foundation Establishment disciples, though most stood behind Golden Core Elders, clearly handpicked elites brought to gain experience and chase fortune.
Qingxi Sect's flying ark descended in a clear area.
Following the Sect Master and Elder Chou, Xie Zhaolin stepped off the ark and surveyed the crowd.
Her gaze froze on a nearby group.
There were only about a dozen of them, but every breath they released was powerful.
The one leading them was a stunning middle-aged woman with a noble aura. She didn't need to speak. Just by standing still, she radiated effortless dominance and an oppressive pressure that made one's heart tremble.
At the sight of her, Xie Zhaolin's chest tightened painfully.
"Master...
No. Hua Qiluo. It's been such a long time."