Whoosh!

Nian Zhaoxi’s words were like a single stone stirring up a thousand waves, causing an uproar among everyone present. Even Qin Meran couldn’t help but cover her mouth as she looked at Nian Zhaoxi, her eyes filled with shock.

What was wrong with Senior Sister?

“Rebellious disciple!”

As expected, Guan Xuelan erupted in fury on the spot. “Is that what I was asking? To this day, you are still speaking up for that sect-abandoning Gu Xiu? This is outright rebellion! Outright rebellion!!!”

The pressure of a Mahayana cultivator surged forth instantly.

Nian Zhaoxi was already extremely weak. Now, struck by this force, it felt as if an iron fist had slammed into her chest. She was sent flying backward, blood spraying from her mouth.

Her white dress was stained crimson, like a flower blooming brilliantly in the snow, adding a touch of desolation to the splendor.

“Senior Sister!”

“Sister!”

Several junior sisters nearby were startled and hurried forward to help Nian Zhaoxi up. Even Guan Xuelan, who had made the move, frowned. She immediately stepped forward and placed a hand on Nian Zhaoxi’s back.

After a moment, Guan Xuelan’s heart sank. “Rebellious disciple, what have you done?”

Without waiting for Nian Zhaoxi’s answer, she channeled her Mahayana cultivation into Nian Zhaoxi’s body, continuously repairing her injuries while simultaneously trying to stabilize her rapidly depleting life essence.

But…

“What is going on?” Guan Xuelan was astonished.

She attempted to seal her eldest disciple’s draining life essence, but all she could achieve was a slight slowdown; she couldn’t stop the flood-like depletion!

Frowning deeply, Guan Xuelan immediately took out several pills from her robes and fed them to Nian Zhaoxi. However, the effects of the pills were similarly minimal.

“Master, it’s useless.”

“This disciple has performed too many divinations into the Heavenly Secrets. My lifespan has reached its end. Now, the Heavenly Dao’s cycle of reincarnation is simply this disciple’s fate. There is no need to force it.”

Nian Zhaoxi smiled faintly, her eyes filled with acceptance.

“Sister, no! You can’t be in danger!”

“That’s right, Senior Sister! This world is full of opportunities everywhere. Although lifespan ultimately has its limit, there must be a way to resolve this!”

“Senior Sister…”

A group of junior sisters spoke up one after another to comfort her, their eyes rimmed with red, saddened by their senior sister’s state.

In the past, such concern would have been immensely precious to Nian Zhaoxi.

But now, facing this concern, Nian Zhaoxi only felt that the bitterness in her heart had grown a little deeper.

“In light of your dwindling lifespan, I will not hold you accountable for this transgression,” Guan Xuelan said with a furrowed brow, ultimately sitting back down in her chair.

Nian Zhaoxi lowered her head and said nothing.

Guan Xuelan didn’t seem to mind. Suddenly, her gaze turned sharp as a blade, fixed intently on Nian Zhaoxi. “I ask you: is this talk of Providence true or false?”

As soon as this question was asked, everyone turned their eyes to Nian Zhaoxi in unison.

The events that had occurred in the sect recently were too bizarre. Even though most of those present did not believe in so-called Providence, those strange occurrences inevitably made people suspicious.

Facing everyone’s gaze, Nian Zhaoxi remained calm and directly shook her head.

“False.”

What?

False???

Everyone was stunned. Even Guan Xuelan looked at her eldest disciple with astonishment and confusion.

After all, previously this eldest disciple had exhausted herself trying to convince everyone that Providence was real. She had even once spouted nonsense about how the sect had managed to become a Sacred Land within just over five hundred years thanks to the aid of Providence.

So why now… was she denying it?

“This disciple’s skills are lacking; I mistakenly believed in that so-called Providence,” Nian Zhaoxi sighed. “But looking back now, so-called Providence is nothing but an illusion.”

“It’s false.”

“It’s all false…”

Hearing this, the group of junior sisters collectively breathed a sigh of relief.

“I told you! How could there be any so-called Providence in this world? It’s just something people with insufficient ability say to comfort themselves,” Little Junior Sister Lu Qingyao spoke first, her face beaming with delight.

The others also nodded. “It seems the troubles our sect has faced recently have nothing to do with Providence.”

“I always thought talk of Providence was pure nonsense anyway—just an astonishing scam. We’ve all been deceived since five hundred years ago!”

“If there’s no such thing as Providence… does that mean it also has nothing to do with Gu Xiu abandoning the sect?”

Someone mentioned Gu Xiu.

Nian Zhaoxi glanced at the speaker and saw it was Fourth Junior Sister Shi Siling.

But just then, someone else nearby spoke up. “Fourth Senior Sister, why bring up such a killjoy on a good day like Senior Sister’s return? What’s there to say about that sect-abandoning waste?”

These words caused Nian Zhaoxi’s gaze to shift slightly as she frowned and looked at the speaker.

“What is it, Senior Sister? You must agree with me too, right?” Lu Qingyao gave a sweet smile, revealing her newly whitened teeth. She looked quite playful and cute.

Only…

Nian Zhaoxi merely frowned. “Junior Sister, you should smile less.”

“Huh?” Lu Qingyao didn’t understand. She felt today’s senior sister seemed somewhat different from before.

A bit… harsh?

“Speaking of Gu Xiu…” It was Guan Xuelan from the main seat who now narrowed her eyes. “You were always pursuing Gu Xiu before. I want to ask: where is Gu Xiu now?”

“Master, why are you asking that? You’re not thinking of bringing that waste back, are you?” Lu Qingyao spoke up first.

The other junior sisters also found it strange.

But Guan Xuelan paid them no mind; she simply stared intently at Nian Zhaoxi, waiting for her answer.

“Junior Brother Gu…”

Nian Zhaoxi pursed her lips and remained silent for a moment before replying.

“…has returned his soul to the underworld.”

What???

Hearing this, everyone present was stunned.

“Gu Xiu is dead?”

“How did he die?”

“Where did he die?”

Everyone pressed for answers eagerly. Even Guan Xuelan looked astonished, her beautiful eyes fixed unwaveringly on Nian Zhaoxi.

This time, Nian Zhaoxi did not lower her head again. Instead, she raised it and swept her gaze over everyone present without evasion or concealment. With complete composure on her face, she said:

“Junior Brother Gu encountered his old nemesis Lv Dongshan within the Heaven-Leveling Mountains.”

“He was slain on the spot by Lv Dongshan.”

“His form and spirit were utterly annihilated!”

As the words “utterly annihilated” left her mouth, a stream of clear tears flowed from Nian Zhaoxi’s eyes.

Upon hearing this news, everyone present reacted differently.

In the main hall today, the Second Senior Sister and Third Senior Sister were absent, and Little Junior Brother Jiang Xun hadn’t come from Ink Scroll Peak either. Everyone else had gathered.

Some wore expressions of shock with furrowed brows, some covered their mouths in utter horror, some stood dumbfounded with wide eyes.

And some…

“Excellent!”

“Before this, I was troubled and saddened by the saying ‘good people die young while calamities live for a thousand years.’ Now it seems calamities don’t necessarily live for a thousand years either.”

“Hahaha! Excellent! That kind of waste and calamity dying is truly cause for celebration throughout the land! Later I’ll return to my Beast Taming Peak and celebrate properly!”

The one saying this was naturally Little Junior Sister Lu Qingyao.

She laughed brilliantly, gesturing animatedly with immense joy.

The other junior sisters frowned but ultimately said nothing.

Nian Zhaoxi simply gave Lu Qingyao a deep look.

“You’re certain… Gu Xiu is truly dead?” Guan Xuelan couldn’t help but express her surprise as well.

Facing her gaze, Nian Zhaoxi said sorrowfully, “Master… do you also wish not to believe that Junior Brother Gu is dead? This disciple… also wishes not to believe…”

Having said that, Nian Zhaoxi could no longer hold back her sobs.

She had held back all along the way, not shedding a single tear.

But now, she finally stopped forcing herself and wept bitterly and freely, letting all her remorse turn into tears.

Junior Brother Gu…

I’m sorry…

Senior Sister… failed you…

Seeing her like this, Guan Xuelan finally refrained from further questioning and instead showed concern for Nian Zhaoxi’s condition.

It was then that Nian Zhaoxi suddenly asked, “Master… if Gu Xiu died… would you be sad?”

“Hmm?”

Guan Xuelan paused briefly before nodding. “You remind me well. Although Gu Xiu has abandoned our sect, he ultimately once had ties with our Azure Mystic Sacred Land.”

“He may have been heartless, but our Azure Mystic Sacred Land cannot be without righteousness.”

“Issue an order: From today onward, the Azure Mystic Sacred Land will observe three days of abstinence from feasts.”

“As a sign of mourning.”

Meanwhile, within the Listening-to-Rain Pavilion in Cloud Firmament City.

Gu Xiu sat cross-legged with closed eyes. Suddenly, he opened them.

His eyes seemed to hold stars within them.

Above in the sky, a strange phenomenon seemed faintly discernible.

However, ultimately, that celestial phenomenon did not descend upon the world. The sense of connection within Gu Xiu’s heart gradually dissipated as well, though he wasn’t discouraged by this.

Just moments ago, he had nearly stirred heaven and earth and invoked divine descent.

This was due to his cultivation technique.

He had just completed merging all the cultivation techniques gathered during this period; the final technique floating within his dantian qi sea was one named the Harmonizing Dao Art.

This cultivation technique had already reached the half-step Heaven Tier!