“This incident has little to do with the Yin Ruins Sect as a collective entity, and even less to do with the current war between the Righteous and Demonic paths,” Li Youci explained, her tone cool and analytical. “It is the personal scheme of a single Nascent Soul Elder from their sect. What he covets is undoubtedly the secret of the Cicada Raiment Art.”

Zhou Kai breathed a silent sigh of relief.

If this wasn’t a full-scale mobilization by the Yin Ruins Sect, then news of the Cicada Raiment Art likely hadn’t spread to the masses yet.

Gazing River City truly hid an earth-shattering secret. The value of the Cicada Raiment Art was likely far higher than he had anticipated—high enough to make a Nascent Soul monster scheme so elaborately.

A technique that could tempt a Nascent Soul cultivator!

“That Elder’s faction arrived in this region with Gazing River City as their primary target,” Li Youci continued. “They investigated for a long time but found no leads. Until…”

Her sharp gaze shifted to Zhou Kai. “Zhou Kai, you mentioned that the ancestor of the Lin family from Golden Copper Dock once fought a battle inside Gazing River City, correct?”

Zhou Kai nodded quickly. “Exactly. According to Zhiwei, her ancestor was accidentally swept into a massive battle back then. The mortals in the city were decimated, with fewer than one in ten surviving. That ancestor barely escaped with his life and brought back the Cicada Chant Art.”

“The Fu family evidently deduced the same thing from the clues they found,” Li Youci said.

“They speculated that revealing the hidden entrance required a massive catalyst of living souls and fresh blood. Thus, they occupied the city, slaughtered every living being within, and poured the harvested souls and blood into the earth.”

She paused, her expression darkening.

“As it turns out, the entire city of Gazing River is itself a massive array foundation—a key to opening the path to the ‘Forgetfulness River.’ This array usually lies dormant. Only by irrigating it with a sea of blood and souls can its stringent conditions be met.”

Li Youci pointed toward the horizon. “Three thousand miles to the west, there is a great river. Hidden at its bottom lies another array of comparable scale. These are rare ‘Twin Arrays.’ When one activates, the other manifests.

“The Yin Ruins Sect and the Fu family used this blood sacrifice to open the entrance to the ‘Forgetfulness River Secret Realm.’ They deliberately left a few low-level, ignorant trash mobs outside the city as a distraction, while their elites have already entered the Secret Realm.”

Zhou Kai felt a jolt of shock. He asked, “Grand Miss, are our Calamity Abyss Valley and the Yin Ruins Sect actually allied or not? They practically kicked down our front door, yet the Sect didn’t seem to react much before this.”

Li Youci let out a sound that was half-mockery, half-scoff.

“The Sect Master is an old fox. He is naturally cautious. With the Righteous-Demonic war on the brink of eruption, the Yin Ruins Sect’s sudden invasion of Gazing River City was suspicious. He sent people to investigate properly to avoid walking into a trap.”

“The investigation revealed that the leader of the invasion was merely at the mid-Golden Core stage. Since the Sect Master didn’t know about the secret of the Forgetfulness River hidden beneath the city, he treated it as a small-scale provocation.”

“As for an alliance…” Li Youci sneered. “Do you think that’s likely? Once the Old Man prepared himself, he naturally led his forces to settle the score.”

Zhou Kai nodded in realization.

“Then what are we waiting for!” Gao Feiyang’s eyes lit up at the mention of a Secret Realm. “Let’s charge in, turn the place upside down, and snatch the opportunities back!”

Li Youci glanced at him, her eyes dancing with amusement. “Oh? According to the intelligence I gained from Soul Searching, there are at least three Golden Core cultivators inside the Forgetfulness River Secret Realm. Two early-stage, one mid-stage. Since you possess such world-suppressing might, go ahead and retrieve the treasures. This Grand Miss will wait here for your triumphant return.”

Gao Feiyang shrank back, his bravado popping like a bubble. He laughed dryly. “Three Golden Cores… Ah, that… that requires a long-term plan. Yes, we must discuss this at length…”

Fish Baibai covered her mouth with a small hand, her big eyes curving into amused crescents as she giggled.

Li Youci ignored Gao Feiyang. With a flip of her pale hand, a communication jade slip appeared. She swiftly branded a message into it, and the slip shot into the sky as a streak of light.

“I have summoned aid. We will wait here for now,” she announced.

She turned her gaze to Zhou Kai. “Zhou Kai, your contribution in providing the clues and recommending the sword genius Shen Hanyi is the primary merit in this operation. Once this is concluded, the Li family’s reward will not be light.”

“Thank you for your cultivation, Grand Miss!” Zhou Kai bowed, inwardly delighted.

“My eldest brother needs at least three days to arrive.” Li Youci calculated the time, then turned her deep, phoenix eyes toward the silent figure of Shen Hanyi.

Sensing the gaze, Shen Hanyi nodded slightly. Her figure blurred, shooting into the sky to hover in mid-air. She looked like a banished immortal ready to ride the wind, a sharp aura of slaughter radiating from her form.

Li Youci raised her jade-like hand and waved casually.

Hum—!

Thirty-six massive, pitch-black stone pillars erupted from the ground, soaring into the sky.

Zhou Kai’s pupils contracted. He recognized this! It was the same formation used during the Calamity Abyss Valley entrance exam at Duanmu Bay.

The Pressure Array!

They were going to fight at the same cultivation level.

Li Youci commanded Zhou Kai and the others to wait inside the warship and forbade them from watching. Then, she pushed off the ground, her figure drifting gracefully into the Pressure Array to face Shen Hanyi.

In both women’s eyes, a pure, blazing battle intent ignited!

“Shen Hanyi,” Li Youci’s voice rang out, clear and melodious. “We are both at the fifth layer of the Second Realm. Today, let this Grand Miss see just how extraordinary a transformed Sword Embryo truly is!”

Inside the warship, the atmosphere was strange.

Gao Feiyang stroked his chin, putting on a profound expression. “In my analysis, the Grand Miss has profound cultivation and unpredictable methods. Her odds of winning are higher!”

Fish Baibai looked torn. She couldn’t decide whether to cheer for her invincible Grand Miss or her god-like sword-sister. She resolved the conflict by stuffing her cheeks full of spirit beast meat. She looked at Zhou Kai and mumbled through the food:

“Wh… why can’t we watch? Are they going to fight really violently?”

Zhou Kai listened, secretly amused.

Why couldn’t they watch?

Shen Hanyi was cold and direct. To her, victory and defeat were just steps in verifying her Sword Dao; she wouldn’t care about the outcome.

But Li Youci? That woman was a terminal tsundere with eyes on the top of her head. If she lost in front of her subordinates—especially the “trash” she looked down on—where would she put that arrogant, pretty face of hers?

It was about face! Purely a face-saving measure!

Zhou Kai rubbed his nose and coughed dryly.

“Don’t guess blindly,” Zhou Kai said calmly. “They are surely just comparing notes. I’ll ask Hanyi when they’re done.”

A day and a night passed in the blink of an eye.

When two figures—one in black robes, one in white—descended from the sky together, the three on the warship looked over in unison.

To their surprise, while both women’s auras were slightly unstable from exertion, they didn’t look like enemies who had just fought a life-and-death battle. Instead… they were chatting and smiling, radiating a strange sense of closeness.

Zhou Kai saw it clearly—there was a faint smile on Li Youci’s lips!

And Shen Hanyi… the frost between her brows seemed to have thawed. She still carried that air of isolation, but the sharp edges that usually kept people a thousand miles away were gone.

The sun had truly risen from the west.

Usually, Shen Hanyi treated everyone except Zhou Kai like air.

Zhou Kai’s gaze darted between Li Youci and Shen Hanyi. The atmosphere was incredibly subtle.

Li Youci gave Zhou Kai a deep, complicated look, then turned to Shen Hanyi. “We have both expended much energy. Shall we meditate and recover first?”

“Good,” Shen Hanyi nodded.

Li Youci walked straight toward a secluded chamber deep within the ship.

Zhou Kai quickly grabbed Shen Hanyi’s soft hand. He waited until Li Youci disappeared before whispering, “Hanyi, what was the result? Who won?”

Shen Hanyi let him hold her hand, answering softly, “Undecided. She has many methods and deep reserves. I also did not use my killing strikes.”

“Oh?” Zhou Kai was surprised, but it made sense. They were allies; they weren’t going to fight to the death.

“Then what is with this atmosphere between you two?”

“Youci is strong. Stronger than I expected,” Shen Hanyi deflected. “I enjoyed the battle.”

Youci?

Good lord! One fight and she’s on a first-name basis?

Zhou Kai kept his face neutral. “Naturally, she is strong. She has the resources of a great clan and a Heaven-grade Yin Spirit Root.”

“During the duel,” Shen Hanyi turned her starry eyes to Zhou Kai, “Youci stared at me several times and said: ‘Shen Hanyi, your Sword Heart is clear and dustless. But that Zhou Kai is rotten to the core, entangled with endless women. Have you truly thought this through? Don’t let him stain your sword.'”

“Ah?” Zhou Kai blinked. Li Youci was telling his wife to dump him? What kind of play was this? “Why? How did I offend her this time?”

Shen Hanyi looked at Zhou Kai’s confused face. For a rare moment, a faint, breathtaking smile bloomed on her lips.

“Husband, I quite like that duplicitous Grand Miss.”

Zhou Kai froze.

Like?

Hanyi likes Li Youci?

What kind of divine plot twist was this?

“Her feelings toward you…” Shen Hanyi paused, searching for the right words. “She holds anger and disdain, but also a concern she hasn’t even realized herself.”

“Huh?” Zhou Kai was still lost. This logic was too circular for him. He hadn’t even started his conquest yet.

Shen Hanyi dropped the bombshell.

“If you are interested in her, I will help you. I sense a familiar loneliness in her soul.”