Shen Xing had decided to help his Second Brother, but he chose not to act directly.

Ye Qingxian’s potential was evident, and she had recently obtained the legacy of the cave abode. No one could be sure what life-preserving methods she might possess. If he failed to kill her, he would only succeed in making an enemy of her, which would inevitably create problems for himself.

Cultivators emphasized minimizing karmic entanglements. Rashly pushing a person of extraordinary talent into opposition did not align with his interests.

Of course, the most important reason was that Shen Xing found he couldn’t quite see through this woman…

He pondered silently and decided to employ other means.

“Second Brother.” A square cyan jade array disk slid from Shen Xing’s sleeve, its star patterns subtly aligning with the cosmos. “This is the Nine Bends Star-Maze Array I obtained in my early years. It can trap even a Nascent Soul cultivator for three quarters of an hour.”

The Nine Bends Star-Maze Array was, in truth, an Illusion Heart Array he had recovered from an ancient ruin a hundred years ago. On the surface, it appeared to be a simple maze formation, but in reality, it could induce a cultivator’s deepest inner demons.

Shen Xing intended to use this array to probe her true depths while restricting her movements.

Shen Li’s breathing immediately grew heavy. “Thank you, Elder Brother.”

“Go. I believe in your methods.” Shen Xing gave a slight nod.

His Second Brother was now consumed by obsession. If this wasn’t resolved, it would ultimately affect him personally and interfere with his own grand plan of severing emotions.

He had to help.

Shen Li left joyfully, returning the Void Guiding Jade Pendant to his brother while already formulating various schemes in his heart.

On the other side, after returning to his room, Shen Xian voiced his suspicions bluntly.

“There’s something wrong with this matter involving the evil cultivators.”

Ever since leaving the Ancestral Land, he had known Shen Li would not let things rest. Now, a sudden incident was hindering his return home; there had to be a scheme behind it.

He had to be on guard.

“Mhm,” Ye Qingxian acknowledged with a noncommittal sound, not paying it much mind. Instead, she sat cross-legged on the room’s meditation platform and began cultivating with closed eyes.

To her, whatever schemes were afoot were not worth mentioning.

Shen Xian did not share this view.

He understood all too well how important the title of Family Successor was to Shen Li. Who knew what madness that guy might descend into, especially with the Fifth Elder—a Nascent Soul cultivator—firmly on his side?

Although Shen Xian possessed many treasures, if a real fight broke out, the outcome was hard to predict.

He needed another layer of insurance.

Shen Xian’s gaze fell thoughtfully on Ye Qingxian. Suddenly, he spoke up. “Do you remember that bet we made back at home?”

Ye Qingxian’s eyelashes fluttered slightly as she recalled the wager about “who would receive the First Patriarch’s blessing.”

At the time, she had found it childish and hadn’t agreed. She didn’t know why he was bringing it up now.

Shen Xian continued regardless. “I won that bet, so you need to agree to one thing for me.”

The so-called bet was just a pretext; he needed an excuse to give a gift. After all, giving gifts to this Empress wasn’t easy.

Without waiting for Ye Qingxian to speak, Shen Xian pressed on. “Now, I want you to promise me… to accept this gift.”

With that, he took out the puppet doll he had previously acquired.

Ye Qingxian opened her eyes. Her gaze was bright and clear, possessing a peculiar, piercing beauty. She instantly understood why he had suddenly brought up the matter. The corner of her mouth lifted in an almost imperceptible curve.

This little fellow goes through all sorts of trouble just to give a gift. Is he worried I won’t protect him? He really is afraid of death.

Though she thought this, Ye Qingxian didn’t find it particularly noteworthy. Fear of death was human nature; no one was an exception. On the contrary, the fact that he could “scheme meticulously” for this showed he was being quite honest with her.

“Alright.”

Ye Qingxian raised her hand and accepted the gray cloth doll.

This item had limited use for her. She would simply let the little fellow have some peace of mind.

The moment she accepted it, a system prompt appeared before Shen Xian’s eyes:

[Host has gifted Dao Companion a medium-grade spiritual curse doll. Received twenty-fold blessing return. Reward: Medium-grade Earthly Substitute Death Doll. Claim?]

The gift return was successful; objective achieved.

The corner of Shen Xian’s mouth lifted as he said lightly with a smile, “Then I won’t disturb your cultivation.”

He exited the room and began studying the Substitute Death Doll.

According to the system introduction, this puppet was called the Nine Cycles Mystic Yin Substitute Death Doll. It originated from the Mystic Yin Sect as a secret treasure from ancient times. Its bones were made of Nine Nether Mystic Yin Jade, and its blood from Supreme Yin True Water, refined for eighty-one years using the essence of the Yellow Springs’ Other Shore Flowers.

It could completely withstand any form of fatal attack from the Void Refining Realm and below. This included karma-based, soul-based, and space-time-based Dao techniques.

At the moment of substitution death, it would automatically trigger a spatial teleportation, randomly transmitting its user tens of thousands of miles away. Moreover, for twelve hours after the substitution, it shielded against all divination and deduction.

If attacked by a True Venerable-level expert at the Unity Realm or above, it could still preserve a wisp of the user’s innate soul from destruction.

However, it was a single-use consumable item.

Shen Xian looked at this introduction, his eyes lighting up.

This item suited him perfectly. With it, he wouldn’t have to worry about sudden ambushes.

Feeling more confident, he directly chose to claim it.

A doll only three inches tall appeared in his palm. Its entire body was lustrous white like jade, with a single cinnabar dot between its eyebrows. Nine chains of Netherworld patterns coiled around its body. When in danger, it would automatically transform into an exact substitute of its master, blocking fatal attacks.

Shen Xian placed it into his storage ring. His previously tense state of mind relaxed considerably, and he fell asleep peacefully.

Early the next morning, Black Rock City was anything but peaceful… sounds of conflict erupted everywhere.

The Fifth Elder led clan disciples around the city, putting out fires and exterminating evil cultivators.

“Damn it, why are these rats from the gutter coming out in broad daylight?” The Fifth Elder fumed, his beard trembling with anger.

Last night, he had clearly patrolled thoroughly and found no trace. Yet these guys seemed to have popped up overnight.

What he didn’t know was that behind all this lay Shen Li’s schemes.

At that moment, Shen Li stood on an eastern pavilion, gazing into the distance.

“Young Master, everything is arranged,” a gray-clad old servant approached, hunched over respectfully.

“Mhm.” Shen Li nodded. Suddenly, he flicked his finger, shooting out a black streak. A bloody hole instantly appeared in the old servant’s forehead, killing him on the spot.

“The show begins.” He stepped out and left the place.

In another courtyard, Shen Xian was lazily basking in the sun.

“Third Young Master, please have your morning meal.” A servant brought over food.

“Leave it there,” Shen Xian said indifferently.

However, the servant did not stop. Instead, he headed straight for Ye Qingxian’s room.

Shen Xian frowned and abruptly stood up.

But it was too late.

The servant revealed a ferocious smile, hurled an array disk forward, and then surged the spiritual power within his body, exploding violently on the spot.

At the moment of self-destruction, a tremendous shockwave erupted, blocking Shen Xian’s advance.

Meanwhile, the cyan jade array disk shattered in mid-air into countless starry motes. Those motes rapidly intertwined like living things, forming a huge star-net outside Ye Qingxian’s door.

Each star pattern flickered with an eerie purple light, wrapping the entire room airtight.

On the ground around the room, nine dark blue array patterns suddenly surfaced. Like nine chains drilling out from the underground, these patterns spun madly as they contracted toward the center. Wherever they passed, space began to warp and distort.

The carved patterns on the window lattice transformed under the array’s effect into ferocious ghost faces, emitting piercing shrieks.

Most bizarrely, the light within the array’s range was being rapidly devoured.

In just three breaths, the entire room plunged into absolute darkness. Even spiritual sense could not penetrate it.

“Third Brother, your Elder Brother is here to send you off!”

At the courtyard entrance, Shen Li quietly appeared. In his right hand, he held the Heart-Corroding Dagger.