Qi Yundan, a pill that even tribulation - crossing venerables rarely see, didn't stir up much of a wave among the disciples of the Taiqing Sect.
Although they were curious and tempted, they also knew that with their cultivation levels, it was simply impossible for them to obtain such a rare pill.
Compared to Qi Yundan, there was another thing that deserved their more attention.
Some strange rumors suddenly spread within the sect at some point.
It was said that their wise and valiant senior - brother, Chu Qingchuan, had actually discovered the trap set by the Demon Realm in Luolong City long ago.
However, he repaid kindness with enmity. From beginning to end, he never gave a warning. Instead, he watched coldly as the sect master and several elders stepped into the Demon Realm's trap. Moreover, he even let Xu Wanci, who had once saved him, be captured by the demons.
Many disciples didn't believe it at first, but as the rumors intensified, neither the sect master nor the elders stopped them.
Even Young Master Jiang, who had a deep - seated affection for Chu Qingchuan, packed up all his belongings and left Ruoxu Peak, never to return.
Now, quite a few disciples began to believe it to some extent. The disciples who had shared life - and - death experiences with Xu Wanci in the Ancient Battlefield completely cooled their attitudes towards Chu Qingchuan.
If it weren't for Xu Wanci in the Ancient Battlefield back then, they would have died there long ago.
Since then, Xu Wanci's prestige in their hearts had already faintly exceeded that of Chu Qingchuan.
Now that they knew about Chu Qingchuan's selfish nature, they directly showed their dissatisfaction openly.
Seeing Ye Yu turn around and leave without hesitation after seeing him, Chu Qingchuan could no longer maintain his gentle and kind appearance on the surface.
His face suddenly turned cold, and his eyes were filled with a vicious and angry look:
The path of cultivation has always required competition with heaven and with people.
Moreover, he didn't personally harm Xu Wanci. What was his fault?
He was just doing what all cultivators would do.
If they were in his place, they might have been even more ruthless at that time.
Gritting his teeth, he remembered everyone in the Taiqing Sect who was hostile to him, from Ning Menglan and the elders to the sect disciples.
Just then, the communication jade pendant in Chu Qingchuan's storage bag suddenly lit up.
He took out the communication jade pendant and listened to the friendly voice of the Head of the Bai Family. His gaze finally returned to calm.
After putting down the jade pendant, he looked back at the bustling Taiqing Sect, waved his sleeve, and left:
With his status as a son of good fortune, there were plenty of people who would welcome him as an honored guest.
It was just a Taiqing Sect and just a Jiang Family.
There would come a time when they would beg him!
*
In the once - empty chaos, there was now a light - blue sky.
Below the sky, there was a Huayu Canna made of spiritual energy.
It was a spiritual object that should never have existed in the void, but it was carefully protected by the power of the Heavenly Dao and was blooming wantonly and beautifully in the void.
Beside the Huayu Canna, a vague and powerful figure stood quietly there, as if it had been so since ancient times, cold and lonely.
Xiao Yuyan looked at Xu Wanci in the lower realm. His whole body seemed to be solidifying bit by bit, and his eyes also had the warmth of a human being.
He watched as Xu Wanci sat beside the dark jade table, looking at the sky silently and wearily. The power of the Heavenly Dao at his fingertips gathered and dispersed, dispersed and gathered again, but he simply didn't know what he could do to make her... happy.
In the Taiqing Sect, although she was more real than when she was in the Demon Realm, there was more of a bone - deep weariness.
Even though there were countless people around her, after the brief excitement, when she was alone, she would quietly look at the sky.
It was the same every day.
The liveliness and cheerfulness she had when she lost her memory in the Demon Realm disappeared like a flash in the pan, as if they had never existed, leaving not the slightest trace.
Xiao Yuyan placed one hand on his chest. The dull pain there made him frown imperceptibly:
But he had seen.
He had seen her bright appearance, her genuine laughter, and her pride and eagerness after defeating an enemy with a single sword.
She shouldn't be like this now.
In the void, the light - blue sky suddenly became a bit gloomier.
Xu Wanci felt that the sky had dimmed a little and blinked her eyes in confusion.
No matter what the sky was like, her gaze towards the sky never shifted the slightest bit from beginning to end.
She wasn't acting out her deep affection for Immortal Venerable Qingyan. It was just that the journey to the Demon Realm had taken a great toll on her. She just wanted to empty her mind and have a good rest for a few days without thinking about anything.
In the Demon Realm, even when she had completely lost her memory, she still remained vigilant when facing Yan Shuo from beginning to end.
In order to break free from his control, she had to force herself to stay awake at all times and even made such a life - or - death bet.
It was too tiring for her.
After returning to the sect, she could finally confirm her safety and finally quietly look at this truly blue sky.
Actually, she had always liked the boundless sky.
Moreover, for some reason, in these past few days, the sun seemed to be extraordinarily well - behaved. It only made her feel warm and never made her eyes dazzled.
So, she often lost track of time, and half a day would slip by unnoticed.
The knock on the door finally brought Xu Wanci back to her senses.
She turned her head and looked at the figure standing at the door. She stood up and bowed, saying,
"Elder Xie."
Hearing her still somewhat unfamiliar address, a flicker of faint sadness flashed across Xie Tingbai's brows.
Perhaps he had long been accustomed to her aloofness towards everyone except that one person. In just an instant, he adjusted his mood and walked unhurriedly into the small courtyard.
Looking at Xu Wanci in front of him, he reached out and handed her the Qiyun Pills in a jade bottle, his voice gentle:
"We were quite lucky. There are nine Qiyun Pills, more than expected."
Seeing her standing there without moving, he spoke in a teasing tone as if talking to an old friend:
"If it weren't for your Xuanyun Orchids, there wouldn't be these Qiyun Pills today. If you don't accept them, I'm afraid the sect master will come after me to hold me accountable."
Xu Wanci didn't decline. She took the jade bottle and thanked him softly:
"Thank you, Elder Xie."
She looked up, with a sincere expression:
"If it weren't for you, Elder Xie, these two Xuanyun Orchids would never have achieved what they have now."
Originally, she was still worried about how to distribute the two Xuanyun Orchids among everyone. Now that there were Qiyun Pills, there might even be a few left to be placed in the sect's storage.
It could at least make up for some of the losses of the Taiqing Sect.
In this way, she could finally feel a bit more at ease.
Moreover, she also needed the effects of the Qiyun Pills very much.
It could double the speed of cultivation -
She had rested enough these days. It was time to practice hard.
After seeing Xu Wanci accept the pills, the smile on Xie Tingbai's lips deepened a bit. But when he saw her much thinner figure than before, the curve of his lips gradually flattened.
Even though he wasn't in the Demon Realm at that time, he could still guess how critical the situation was.
Forcing a tribulation in the Demon Realm meant a nine - out - of - ten chance of death.
Did she really just want to get out of Yan Shuo's control, or did she know from Yan Shuo that there was no hope for the resurrection of the Immortal Venerable, so... she was bent on seeking death?
Thinking of this, Xie Tingbai averted his gaze and spoke in a flat voice, as if it were just a doctor's instruction to a patient:
"Wanci, as a doctor, I've treated too many of your injuries."
"I know that in the cultivation world, swords and blades are merciless, and no one can guarantee they'll come out unscathed."
Here, he paused for a moment and then turned to look at Xu Wanci seriously:
"I just hope you can prioritize your life."
He let out a soft laugh and took a step back to increase the distance between them:
"Just do it to make this doctor's life a bit easier."
Xu Wanci looked up slightly at the incredibly blue sky and didn't respond. Instead, she changed the topic:
"Although I wasn't injured when I returned this time, I still made you, Elder Xie, quite busy."
She waved the jade bottle in her hand and said softly:
"Thank you for your hard work, Elder Xie."
Xie Tingbai didn't let her brush the topic aside as usual. Since it was a matter of life and death, his voice couldn't help but take on a bit of seriousness:
"Wanci, you should know what the consequences of going through the tribulation in the Demon Realm are."
"With your intelligence, if you had waited a bit longer, you might not have failed to find a chance to leave the Demon Realm."
Xu Wanci explained calmly and composedly:
"I still have to thank you, Elder Xie, for that Tianling Pill you gave me. It allowed me to take a risk even in the Demon Realm."
Xie Tingbai stared fixedly at her. He suppressed the faint anger in his heart and tried to soften his voice:
"Even if you still remembered that Tianling Pill under Yan Shuo's control in the Demon Realm, and even if the Tianling Pill wasn't taken away by the demons."
"What's the probability of successfully escaping with the Tianling Pill under the thunder tribulation? Thirty percent, or twenty?"
Xu Wanci averted her gaze and didn't answer.
She would never stay by Yan Shuo's side and become a puppet. No matter what the cost, she had to leave.
Even if her chance of success was only ten percent.
Thinking of this, she lowered her eyes slightly and said casually:
"But now I'm uninjured and have successfully advanced to the God - Transformation stage.
"Isn't that right?"
Xie Tingbai's voice was tinged with uncontrollable self - mockery: "Yes."
How could he ever persuade Xu Wanci?
The only one who could move her had always been one person.
He turned around, and his voice had returned to its usual gentle and polite tone. He rationally stated the facts:
"You've sought death for him four times.
"The Broken Soul Bone, the Three - Leaf Lotus, the Wuxiang Divine Stone, and the God - Transformation Thunder Tribulation."
He knew human nature well and always knew everyone's weak points, including Xu Wanci:
"No matter what happened in the past.
"Next, try to live for him.
"Go and see the scenery he never saw, and walk the paths he never walked.
"After all, being alive can accomplish more than death."
Xie Tingbai didn't look back but walked straight away from the Ten - Thousand Sword Peak.
In the sky, Xiao Yuyan stared blankly at Xu Wanci below.
He watched as she lowered her head, tenderly and persistently looking at the three - leaf lotus at her waist; watched as she turned around and calmly walked towards the room; watched as there was not the slightest bit of regret in her eyes from beginning to end.
Whether it was the several near - death experiences or the long hundred years, she never regretted it.
She just walked forward silently.
All that he had ignored before, with Xie Tingbai's words, flooded into his mind.
For the first time, he truly realized that all of Xu Wanci's current sufferings were because of the 'him' in the past.
She loved 'him', so she was trapped for a hundred years and had several near - death experiences.
The three - leaf lotus and the thunder tribulation in the Demon Realm were just two insignificant events in these hundred years.
All that he had never cared about before now turned into sharp blades, stabbing straight into his heart.
Although there was only the eternal and unchanging nothingness around, at this moment, there was an additional sense of dead and gloomy atmosphere.
The god, experiencing the joys and sorrows of mortals, finally understood what it meant to have a fluttering heart and what... it was to feel guilt.
Below, Xu Wanci walked step by step towards the room.
The warm sunlight shone on her body. The gentle breeze blew her skirt, and the power of the Heavenly Dao gently caressed her hair.
However, the moment she closed the door, the sky outside suddenly turned overcast.
Dark clouds gathered, and all sounds ceased.
