Since the Illusion Realm mirrored reality, the Exquisite Holy Maiden was now fully clothed, leaving only the Holy Maiden Token lying forlornly on the ground beside the spirit pool.

Even so, Qi Yuan dared not relax his guard. To avoid generating the slightest ripple of magical power that might alert Shao Xuanji, he didn’t even use telekinesis. Instead, he tiptoed over like a thief and physically picked up the token.

Just because the two women were currently lost in the illusion didn’t mean he could do whatever he wanted.

Especially Shao Xuanji. As a Dao Integration realm powerhouse, the slightest external stimulation could snap her out of the trance instantly. If that happened, he wouldn’t just be in trouble; he’d be dead meat.

After a moment of contemplation, Qi Yuan quietly set up several warning wards around the perimeter of the spirit pool. These weren’t for defense, but to prevent outsiders from accidentally stumbling in and waking the duo prematurely.

This was the core restricted area of the Exquisite Sanctuary; ordinary guests attending the celebration couldn’t reach here. Furthermore, this spirit pool was a known bathing spot for the sect’s female cultivators. Any passing disciple seeing the active wards would naturally assume a senior sister was bathing and would steer clear to avoid awkwardness.

In short, he needed to buy time. Every second counted.

Only after securing the scene did Qi Yuan let out a breath of relief. Brilliant light shimmered around his body as he activated his escape technique, shooting off in the direction indicated by the compass needle.

He knew he was walking a tightrope. He had severely offended the Sect Leader of the Exquisite Sanctuary—and likely the Holy Maiden as well. If he didn’t find a way to mitigate the fallout, his future would be bleak.

Qi Yuan didn’t believe for a second that these two women were living Bodhisattvas who would repay grievances with virtue. He had taken advantage of them, and they would want blood.

Shao Xuanji might not kill him outright due to his status, but a Dao Integration cultivator had infinite ways to make his life a living hell without leaving physical marks.

Lesson learned: Never offend women. Especially powerful ones.

If the hearts of demonic women were as small as the tip of a needle, then the hearts of righteous sect women were roughly the size of a wheat awn—not much bigger.

Therefore, the key to surviving this crisis was leverage. He needed a bargaining chip big enough to make Shao Xuanji hesitate—to make her “fear breaking the vase when throwing a stone at the rat.”

The Innate Divine Beast was clearly of extraordinary significance to the Exquisite Sanctuary. If he could secretly subdue it, it would force Shao Xuanji to treat him with caution.

As the Holy Scion, Qi Yuan’s actions represented the will of the Supreme Mystery Sanctuary—at least, that’s how the world saw it.

If a random rogue cultivator had molested her disciple and tried to steal her divine beast, Shao Xuanji would have vaporized him on the spot and scattered his ashes.

But since the culprit was Qi Yuan, the calculus changed. She would instinctively suspect that his knowledge of the beast and his ability to capture it were part of a larger plot by the Supreme Mystery Sanctuary.

If she killed him, she wouldn’t just be killing a junior; she would be declaring war on a rival superpower. Worse, she would fear that other agents from Supreme Mystery might be lurking in the shadows, armed with secret Command Mantras to steal the beast anyway.

Fear of the unknown was a powerful tool.

As long as Shao Xuanji had reservations, Qi Yuan could drag her to the negotiating table.

At this point, fulfilling Stone Elder’s request was secondary. He was fighting for his own survival!

Meanwhile.

Azure Cloud Town.

Ji Chan’er strolled through the bustling market. She wore a deep purple dress that hugged her curves, her slender waist cinched tight. A dot of crimson vermilion sand flickered on her forehead, contrasting beautifully with her snow-white skin. She was a vision of enchanting, dangerous beauty.

Her aura was hazy and indistinct, dreamlike yet profound—she had clearly broken through to the mid-stage Nascent Soul realm.

Strangely, such a peerless beauty walking through a mortal market attracted no attention. The pedestrians around her seemed to look right through her, treating her as empty air, unconsciously stepping aside only when they were about to collide.

Soon, Ji Chan’er stopped outside a spacious mansion. She casually intercepted a passing constable, her voice low and commanding:

“Was this place formerly the stronghold of the Black Tiger Gang?”

The constable’s eyes went glazed and wooden. He looked at Ji Chan’er as if she were a stone statue and nodded mechanically.

“This was indeed the Black Tiger Gang’s headquarters. After a passing cultivator wiped them out, the Town Mayor sold the property to the wealthy merchant Master Li.”

Ji Chan’er frowned slightly. After a brief hesitation, she pressed on:

“Do you know the name of the cultivator who destroyed the gang?”

The constable shook his head.

“I don’t know the name. But I heard that the Black Tiger Gang’s Hall Master killed a miner named Qi. Later, that miner’s cousin came seeking revenge and slaughtered every single gang member outside of town.”

“Surnamed Qi?”

Ji Chan’er’s beautiful eyes narrowed. “Where is that miner buried now?”

“Since he was a poor miner, he would definitely be buried in the mass graves outside of town…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Ji Chan’er vanished. In the blink of an eye, she reappeared amidst a sprawling field of desolate burial mounds.

Not long later.

Beside a modest, lonely grave.

Ji Chan’er stood quietly, her expression unreadable.

The grave before her had been dug open long ago. The pit was empty, with piles of soil scattered haphazardly. A wooden marker lay crookedly in the dirt, looking utterly miserable.

The inscription read: Tomb of Brother Qi Yuan.

Ji Chan’er stared at the crude characters, a cold, appreciative sneer curling her lips.

It didn’t take long for her to deduce the “truth” of what had happened.

Truly worthy of being a born Devil Child. He played this game of ‘The Golden Cicada Sheds its Shell’ with masterful skill.

Sensing the threat from the Black Tiger Gang, he didn’t hesitate to fake his own death, moving from the light into the shadows. He waited for his enemies to lower their guard, then delivered a fatal blow.

He used a mortal identity to slay a cultivator, then invented a “cousin” to wipe out the entire organization…

To lull his opponents into a false sense of security, he didn’t even hesitate to use his own sister as bait.

What a clever move!

Ruthless, cruel, calculating, and heartless. Only a man of such caliber was worthy of her!

It was a pity he refused to join the Saint Sect. With his natural disposition, a little cultivation would turn him into a Demonic Path giant who would strike terror into the hearts of those hypocritical righteous sects.

With a faint sigh, she flicked her slender finger. A wisp of spiritual fire shot out, reducing the wooden grave marker to ash.

“Since the person is still alive, why keep a tombstone? It’s bad luck!”

Wait!

Ji Chan’er’s expression suddenly shifted. She flew into the center of the excavated pit, her face grave. She pinched a bit of soil between her fingers and examined it closely.

A shock went through her.

The soil contained traces of Corpse Qi. A dead body had been buried here not long ago.

Furthermore, judging by the regrowth of the grass on the turned earth, this grave had been dug up roughly a month ago.

At that time, Qi Yuan was still a menial laborer in Falling Cloud Valley. He couldn’t possibly have been here digging up his own grave.

This implied that a real corpse had been buried here, and someone else had dug it up.

Even more coincidentally, a month ago was exactly when the Qi family massacre occurred!

Ji Chan’er frowned, a strong sense of dissonance rising in her heart.

Something isn’t right…