Violet Heaven Palace.

“Fairy, please announce me. Servant Disciple Han Lie from the Servant Department requests an audience with the Saintess,” Han Lie said to the maid standing guard at the entrance of the Violet Heaven Palace.

“Wait a moment.”

Not long after, Bai Ling emerged, dressed in a layer of cyan gauze with a pure white sheer outer robe draped over it. A touch of an innocent, radiant smile graced her face, making her appear like a celestial maiden descending to the mortal realm.

Although they had just clashed a few nights ago, meeting now, Han Lie and Bai Ling seemed to share a tacit understanding, acting as if that night’s events had never occurred.

“Old Man Han, what brings you to me?” Bai Ling spoke first.

Han Lie chuckled. “Didn’t the Saintess say before that if the Sect Leader ever returned, I should inform you? The Sect Leader has returned. She wishes to see you and requests your presence at the Violet Heaven Palace.”

“Really? That’s wonderful!” Upon hearing this, Bai Ling’s beautiful eyes lit up, seeming genuinely happy.

On the way to the Violet Heaven Palace, Bai Ling asked seemingly casually, “By the way, Old Man Han, I heard you were attacked a few days ago. Are you alright?”

“Thanks to the Saintess’s blessings, This Senior is unharmed.” Han Lie frowned, looking deeply puzzled. “However, This Senior cannot understand. The person who attacked me that night was a Golden Core Stage expert.”

“Aside from Zhui Ming of the Law Enforcement Hall’s Azure Dragon Squad, This Senior doesn’t recall offending any other Golden Core Stage experts. Moreover, that person dared to attack me within the Violet Heaven Palace itself. Truly audacious!”

After saying this, Han Lie deliberately glanced at Bai Ling beside him. He noticed Bai Ling’s eyelid twitch almost imperceptibly before she feigned nonchalance.

“How would I know about your affairs? That said, the person who attacked you was indeed rather bold. So, Old Man Han, you must be more careful in the future. That person might very well have been sent by Zhui Ming from the Law Enforcement Hall.”

“Heh, perhaps.” Han Lie gave an ambiguous smile. “Thank you for the reminder, Saintess. This Senior will be more cautious from now on.”

“Mhm, mhm. If I have time, I’ll also help investigate to see who was so bold!”

“This Senior thanks the Saintess in advance.”

Upon returning to the entrance of the Violet Heaven Palace, Han Lie bid farewell to Bai Ling.

Back in his wooden hut, Han Lie didn’t dwell too much on matters concerning Bai Ling. Instead, he took out the second form of the Soul Devouring Saber Art to begin comprehending it.

The second form of the Soul Devouring Saber Art was named ‘Severing the Soul’.

Unlike the first form, ‘Hooking Souls’, ‘Severing the Soul’ leaned more towards being a powerful large-scale offensive technique. At full power, a single strike of ‘Severing the Soul’ could unleash terrifying destructive force several times to even a hundred times stronger than one’s own cultivation level!

How powerful a ‘Severing the Soul’ strike was depended on how deeply one comprehended the technique oneself, as well as the grade of the magical treasure used when executing it.

“Holy crap! If I comprehend this ‘Severing the Soul’ to its extreme, with one strike, even Golden Core Stage experts might have to temporarily avoid its edge!”

After understanding the basic information of the second form of the Soul Devouring Saber Art, Han Lie was stunned.

Han Lie clearly remembered that night. He was practically suppressed and beaten throughout by Bai Ling at the early Golden Core Stage, without even a chance to fight back. If he had possessed this ‘Severing the Soul’ technique back then, he wouldn’t have been in such a wretched state.

Immediately, without another word, Han Lie entered a state of meditative cultivation. He began comprehending and practicing the second form of the Soul Devouring Saber Art: Severing the Soul.

Inside the Violet Heaven Palace.

Bai Ling arrived to pay her respects to Ye Qingxuan with immense trepidation. She had thought she was already exposed, but the facts seemed to prove she had overthought it.

Ye Qingxuan merely chatted with her about cultivation matters, asking if she had any areas she didn’t understand. Bai Ling also presented several questions she had prepared in advance for Ye Qingxuan’s guidance.

Ye Qingxuan patiently answered them one by one.

Finally, at the very end, after Bai Ling returned the parchment scroll recording the cultivation method of the Ten Thousand Blood Floating Slaughter Technique to Ye Qingxuan and was about to leave, Ye Qingxuan suddenly spoke.

“Bai Ling, it has been over six years since you became my disciple. How have I treated you?”

“For this disciple to gain Master’s appreciation is a fortune cultivated over three lifetimes,” Bai Ling knelt on both knees, speaking with sincere fear and respect. “After coming to the Heavenly Void Sect, Master has consistently nurtured this disciple with great effort. Whenever lost on the path of cultivation, Master has always guided this disciple through the maze. This disciple being able to break through to the Golden Core at this age is largely due to Master’s credit.”

“Mmm…” Ye Qingxuan nodded thoughtfully. “Return and cultivate diligently. Do not slack off. If there is anything you don’t understand, come ask me. With your aptitude and comprehension, my position in the future could very well be yours.”

“Yes, Master! This disciple will remember!”

“Mmm, you may go now.”

After turning and leaving, two clear streams of tears uncontrollably welled up and spilled over, dampening Bai Ling’s cheeks. Bai Ling dared not look back, afraid Ye Qingxuan might see.

Ye Qingxuan watched Bai Ling’s seemingly somewhat desolate retreating figure, her beautiful eyes gradually deepening.

After a long while, Ye Qingxuan spoke towards empty space. “Chi Lian.”

Whoosh!

A few breaths later, a red silhouette suddenly flashed into appearance.

“Oh, our Sect Leader has returned,” Chi Lian couldn’t resist teasing as soon as she appeared.

Ye Qingxuan rolled her eyes, too lazy to acknowledge her teasing, and got straight to business. “I heard you teamed up with that old servant Han Lie to root out ghosts lurking within our sect?”

Chi Lian raised an eyebrow. “You know about it. But… if you’re asking about progress, I don’t know. You should ask that Han Lie.”

However, Ye Qingxuan said, “I called you here not to ask about ghost-catching progress, but about matters concerning Han Lie. You’ve been in contact with him. Did you notice anything unusual about him?”

Chi Lian thought pensively. “Ah, now that you mention it, I do recall something. Not long ago, he got into a conflict with a Law Enforcement Hall disciple and was severely injured. I intervened and saved him. I gave him a Qingling Pill for internal injuries. But strangely, his recovery speed far exceeded what that pill’s efficacy should provide. And his rate of cultivation advancement is somewhat beyond ordinary people.”

“Combining all these points, I became curious about him personally. Logically speaking, someone like him shouldn’t possess such strong self-healing ability or such astonishing cultivation progress. So, I checked some books and came to a startling conclusion…”

Here, Chi Lian suddenly paused.

“What conclusion?” Ye Qingxuan’s beautiful eyes narrowed dangerously.

“How about you guess first? It will definitely exceed your imagination,” Chi Lian said with a beaming smile.

“Three…”

“Two…”

…