Lin Yinyin ultimately decided to reveal everything about Zhao Chengyue, including their entire plan.

Zhang Xian listened silently, lost in thought. He had anticipated being targeted, but never imagined it would happen so soon.

Having spent some time in the cultivation world, he knew that every cultivation city in the Southern Region was protected by a Zhou Tian Protective Formation, one that only Nascent Soul cultivators could breach. Yet absolute safety was an illusion, for even the creators of these formations were human—and humans could always be bribed.

Zhao Chengyue had been entrenched in Shuiyun City for years; it was impossible to rule out the possibility that he possessed methods to disable the Zhou Tian Formation.

“Why did you choose me?” Zhang Xian asked.

Lin Yinyin shook her head. “It wasn’t that I chose you—it was that I didn’t trust the Zhao family. Their reputation is terrible. Zhao Chengyue speaks grandly of righteousness, but everyone in Shuiyun City knows where his seventy concubines came from, and about his shadowy enterprises.”

“Evidence can be fabricated, and his reasons for demanding a face-to-face confrontation were equally unreliable. As long as he lured me to the mine, neither of us would have any say in the matter afterward. When I asked him to swear a Heavenly Oath, it was merely to stall him.”

A clever little girl, Zhang Xian thought, a hint of admiration crossing his face. Originally, he had regarded her merely as a walking ATM, but now he had to revise his assessment upward.

“I come from a Small World, rich in spiritual energy and abundant resources. But it has its flaws, and the reason lies in a Heavenly Oath—I cannot disclose it.”

“And if our world’s cultivation levels are too high, we cannot easily pass through the world’s barriers. For now, only I have come here first,” Zhang Xian explained slowly, deciding to create a plausible identity in the cultivation world.

“So your actual cultivation level wasn’t Qi Refining—it was only lowered artificially to allow you to enter this world, right?” Lin Yinyin’s eyes lit up.

“Yes, exactly.”

“No wonder when I first saw you, your bone structure and age seemed over a hundred, yet your cultivation level was only Qi Refining! I wondered who this wandering cultivator was, older than my grandfather yet lower in cultivation than I was!” Lin Yinyin murmured softly. “And then you cultivated so rapidly afterward—your talent must be extraordinary, Brother Zhang Xian!”

Zhang Xian remained silent.

Lin Yinyin’s heart raced. She never imagined that behind Brother Zhang Xian lay the power of an entire Small World! Oh, I must hold onto this powerful ally tightly!

There were over three thousand Small Worlds discovered in the Southern Region, ranging in size from a single mountain range to vast expanses spanning tens of thousands of square li, even reaching thirty percent of the Southern Region’s area. Legend had it that the Southern Region’s top sect, Lingxu Sect, originated from one such Small World.

“To put it simply, your brother’s family owns a mine. So don’t feel burdened when accepting gifts from me. You are my guide in this world, and these gifts are rightfully yours,” Zhang Xian continued.

“Mn!” Lin Yinyin nodded, then grew troubled again. “But what about Zhao Chengyue?”

For several days, Zhao Jia had been restless, patiently coaxing Lin Yinyin with kind words. Finally, he received a message:

“Meet at the mine tomorrow afternoon.”

Success! Zhao Jia was overcome with excitement and immediately reported to his ancestor.

The next day, at noon.

“Registered Disciples Lu Ren and Long Tao, heading to Langshan to gather Ghost Spirit Grass. Requesting mission execution.” Two cultivators entered the Shuiyun Sect’s Steward Hall.

The steward examined their tokens, verified the mission list, and nodded. “Take the teleportation array, pay ten low-grade Spirit Stones, and arrive directly at the foot of Langshan.” He checked their cultivation levels—both were only at mid-stage Qi Refining—and added a warning: “Langshan is infested with spider swarms, some of which are poisonous. Be careful!”

A dark-skinned male cultivator handed over the Spirit Stones and said awkwardly, “Thank you, Senior Brother.”

The steward accepted the stones, and the two stepped into one of the teleportation arrays. Light rippled, and their figures vanished in an instant.

Swish! In another flash, the two appeared at the foot of a mountain range.

Langshan, two thousand li from Shuiyun City.

The nearest cultivation city to Langshan was Yiyang, approximately nine hundred li away.

Upon landing, the two exchanged smiles and immediately set off toward Yiyang. As they quickened their pace, their cultivation levels gradually rose, eventually reaching Foundation Establishment, and their appearances transformed into those of Zhang Xian and Lin Yinyin.

Lin Yinyin secretly rejoiced. Registered disciples of the Shuiyun Sect had virtually no entry barriers, making it easy to purchase their identities on the black market and then obtain a corresponding mission. Using the sect’s teleportation array to leave the city was the fastest method!

She had pretended to send Zhao Jia a false message, then slipped away ahead of time—likely while Zhao Jia was busy setting up at the mine…

Suddenly, the sun disappeared. The moon emerged, and the stars reversed their course.

The space around Zhang Xian and Lin Yinyin seemed to freeze, instantly shifting from day to night, with a bright moon hanging high in the sky.

“Surprise or not?”

Zhao Jia stood atop a nearby rock, clad in white, hands clasped behind his back.

“This is the Star River Divine Lock Formation! Zhao has been waiting for you both for a long time! Hahaha!” Zhao Jia laughed heartily, feeling more handsome than ever before.

At the same moment, behind Zhao Jia appeared a figure in a green robe, a middle-aged male cultivator with a long beard, carrying a broad sword case on his back.

“Elder Song!” Lin Yinyin gasped in horror. It was none other than Elder Song, the Outer Gate Grand Elder of the Shuiyun Sect, whose cultivation had reached the Eighth Level of Foundation Establishment.

“You wretched woman! The ancestor was right—you really ran off with this dog of a man! You thought you were clever, didn’t you? Ha! Those two identities you bought on the black market were deliberately sold to you by our Elder Song!”

Elder Song spoke sternly, “Lin Yinyin, we were fellow disciples once. I don’t wish to harm you. Step aside!”

With that, he snapped his fingers, and the sword case behind him sprang open, releasing five long swords in rapid succession, hovering motionless in mid-air.

Lin Yinyin’s eyes filled with tears, while Zhao Jia felt an unparalleled sense of delight. Now, he wanted nothing more than to utterly humiliate Lin Yinyin right before Zhang Xian’s eyes.

He grinned wickedly, “Yinyin, it’s not too late to regret it! Just return to my side!”

“Really?” Lin Yinyin’s voice trembled with despair.

“Of course!” Zhao Jia’s heart leapt with joy. As expected, at the brink of life and death, Lin Yinyin would still change her mind.

Lin Yinyin immediately released Zhang Xian’s hand, murmuring apologetically, “I’m sorry,” and stepping aside.

Zhang Xian merely sighed deeply, refusing to look at her!

Zhao Jia laughed even more gleefully. “Lin Yinyin, you are mine!”

“Elder Song, destroy him!” Zhao Jia commanded coldly, then lightly leaped toward Lin Yinyin, intending to embrace her and watch Zhang Xian die with his own eyes.

In mid-air, he saw Lin Yinyin waving to him.

Oh? Yinyin is being so proactive?

“Beware!” Elder Song bellowed.

But before Zhao Jia could react, a silver python shot forth from Lin Yinyin’s hand, swiftly wrapping itself around him several times, binding him like a rice dumpling.

Zhao Jia’s spiritual energy was sealed by the silver python artifact, causing him to plummet from mid-air, landing face-first on the ground.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Zhang Xian struck first, unexpectedly unleashing a Spirit Talisman. A bolt of thunder crashed down from beneath the moon, instantly shattering Elder Song’s sword formation.

An Exquisite-Grade Spirit Talisman! Elder Song was utterly terrified.

Exquisite-grade talismans were extraordinarily rare, equivalent to the full-force attack of a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. Elder Song was nearly frightened out of his wits—how could a mere second-level Foundation Establishment cultivator possess such a talisman? How could he possibly refine it?

Fortunately, Elder Song reacted swiftly, letting out a strange cry and leaping into the air.

In mid-air, he glimpsed a streak of azure light faster than any artifact he had ever seen, followed by a dizzying sensation. His vision spun wildly until the scene finally froze on the sight of his own headless body.

What was that? I’ve been beheaded by a single sword strike?!

Another bolt of thunder descended, obliterating Elder Song’s head and consciousness along with it.

All of this transpired in the blink of an eye. Zhao Jia, his face smeared with blood, was still struggling to rise when he saw Zhang Xian’s smiling face.

“Surprise or not?”