Chapter 616 – Disappointment - Part 1

The depths of winter.

Outside the Faculty of Seduction, pale snowflakes drifted silently down, crystalline and cold, like icy needles that could pierce straight through the soul.

By the red glow of a brazier, Bai Xinxuan rubbed her hands together for warmth, her cheeks flushed pink. She looked every bit the picture of an innocent young girl.

Thanks to the secret art of Joyous Union, she could glean fragments of Li Yuan’s preferences each time they interacted. After several months of carefully adapting to his temperament, she had more or less figured out the type of woman this ancient monster liked, naive, full of life, and seemingly untouched by the shadows of the world.

People were always drawn to what they lacked.

And Li Yuan, this seemingly old monster with a mind as deep and intricate as an ocean trench, constantly spinning schemes in that unfathomable head of his, was the kind of man who yearned for simplicity. He didn’t want a partner who matched his cunning. He wanted someone who understood nothing at all.

Bai Xinxuan understood men. Even though she knew she was far from the innocent, lively girl he seemed to want, she still did her best to play the part.

At last, once the inner hall had quieted, a voice called out from outside the doors: “Requesting an audience with the Dean.”

The visitor was Bai Lianjue.

Once a formidable enchantress and Cult Leader of the White Lotus Cult who stirred up chaos across the Great Zhou, she now bore a much humbler title, personal disciple of Bai Xinxuan.

She entered the hall without daring to raise her eyes toward the elevated throne, though she could sense clearly that the one seated atop the Faculty of Seduction’s seat of power was not the Dean, but Li Yuan, or rather, the

Primordial Emperor

himself.

And the normally dignified Bai Xinxuan? She was perched on the edge of his thigh like a cat, her hips leaning against him, arms hooked gently around his neck, casting her gaze downward in tandem with his.

“Reporting to the Dean,” Bai Lianjue began, “the four clans have all agreed. They’ll provide a combined total of 80,000 mid-grade Heavenly Fire Spirit Stones and 80,000 mid-grade Earth Fog Spirit Stones for the Primordial Emperor’s cultivation.”

Even as she spoke the words, Bai Lianjue couldn’t help feeling shocked.

These particular spirit stones, especially of mid-grade quality, were incredibly rare.

In the Central Plains, even a third rank meat field would only yield a few dozen Heavenly Fire Spirit Stones every ten years.

The Eastern Sea region might have a slightly better yield, but even there, the numbers weren’t generous. These 160,000 spirit stones likely represented centuries, if not millennia, of accumulated wealth from those clans.

And even then, this wouldn’t be everything they had.

Up above, Bai Xinxuan leaned into Li Yuan and smiled.

“Primordial Emperor,” she said sweetly, “when the time comes, I’ll place all 160,000 of these stones, along with our own faculty’s supply, into the Lotus Heart Pavilion for you to cultivate with. Does that sound good?”

“That’s fine,” Li Yuan replied simply.

Only then did Bai Xinxuan tilt her almond-shaped eyes toward Bai Lianjue and say, “Well? What are you waiting for? Go.”

The former cult leader bowed and hurried out, carefully closing the doors behind her.

Inside the hall, the light had dimmed.

Li Yuan rose and walked over to the window.

Bai Xinxuan looped her arm through his, standing beside him to watch the snow fall.

The courtyard was empty.

No one was allowed near the Faculty of Seduction anymore. It was a rule meant to preserve the Dean’s dignity and mystique.

But how many truly understood? At this moment, Bai Xinxuan was genuinely smitten and had staked her future entirely on Li Yuan.

Their original plan had been for Bai Xinxuan to feign being defiled by Li Yuan, nurturing a hatred so deep it would draw out all the hidden enemies who harbored murderous intent toward him.

After that, to avoid sabotage, Li Yuan would slip into the one of the ancient halls alone.

But as his pillow-side companion, Bai Xinxuan would naturally have a

chance encounter

with his plans. And then? She would secretly unite the opposition, preparing a grand formation in advance, right outside the entrance of the ancient hall.

When Li Yuan emerged from the ancient hall, utterly exhausted, that was when the grand formation would activate, harnessing the combined strength of the assembled cultivators to strike him down.

At least, that was what everyone else believed.

In truth, Bai Xinxuan was meant to sabotage the formation from within at the critical moment. And Li Yuan, though appearing worn out, would be fully prepared. The two of them would turn the ambush on its head and wipe out every last dissenter.

That was the original plan.

But after Li Yuan witnessed the strange gray mist in Immortal Spring City, he abruptly shelved his entry into the ancient halls. He had realized something there was far more going on than he had anticipated. And laying down schemes in an already treacherous place only invited more chaos. Too many variables. Too many risks.

The truth was, exploring the ancient halls had never been his primary goal in coming to the Eastern Sea. What he truly sought was to push his Heaven, Earth, and Human Souls to their absolute limits.

Exploring the ancient halls was meant to deepen his understanding of the world.

Pushing his Three Souls beyond their boundaries, that was how he planned to face the coming era, not as a relic of the past, but as its most formidable survivor.

Now, his Human Soul had already reached the limit. Only the Heaven and Earth Souls remained.

To reach those limits, he needed two things, resources, and confrontation.

He had already demanded the resources.

And somehow, those four major clans had actually agreed to provide them.

Even now, the Faculty of Seduction was still pressuring the Arcane Supreme Sect for more spirit stones, all in the name of supporting the Primordial Emperor’s cultivation.

“Is there really no

flame

or

aqua

in the Immortal Domain?” Li Yuan asked casually.

“

Flame,

none.” Bai Xinxuan shook her head.

“The seven great nails that anchor the Yin-Yang Severing Formation, that’s where the

flame

comes from. It’s an unusual effect tied to the array itself. Normally, Yang energy alone can’t generate

flame

.

“As for the

aqua

...there are still ghost domains scattered across the Eastern Sea. But to form actual

aqua

, you’d need an incredibly dense concentration of Yin energy. I suspect the Faculty of Ghosts might have some. But if they do, they’ve hidden it well.

“Back when we arrived, we all came to the Eastern Sea from the outside and established our sects anew. The Faculty of Ghosts was the only one that migrated here as a whole. I looked into it. Their old place used to be a Buddhist temple, the Radiant Treasure Monastery, dedicated to the Radiant Treasure Buddha.”

“I see...” Li Yuan nodded slightly.

Aqua, flame,

and spiritual energy were required to reach higher cultivation stages. In the Western Extremes, there was

aqua

and

flame

, but no spiritual energy. In the Eastern Sea, there was abundant spiritual energy, but no

aqua

or

flame

. For now, he’d have to make do with spirit stones as substitutes.

As for the Faculty of Ghosts, he quietly made a mental note to keep an eye on them.

Then Li Yuan asked, “What’s the situation with the mist in Immortal Spring City?”

Bai Xinxuan replied, “It’s been reduced to ruins.”

Li Yuan asked, “Any idea what caused it?”

“Most likely something from the chaos,” she said. “Our surface world has grown too close to the chaotic realm. Some things have started slipping through, using the

reproduction

channel to cross over. But our physical forms, especially newborns, can’t contain their power. That’s what makes them go mad.

“Once they descend, they begin devouring flesh, blood, anything in sight. They’re trying to strengthen their vessels. And the stronger the flesh, the more irresistible it is. If there’s a mortal and a cultivator standing together, they’ll ignore the mortal and lunge straight for the cultivator.

“Luckily, their vessels are too fragile. The cultivators they target don’t even have to fight back. If they just hold on for a while, those things self-destruct, they tear themselves apart and vanish into ash. But even in that brief window, the damage they cause is immense. That’s what turned Immortal Spring City into a wasteland.”

Li Yuan asked, “Has the gray mist spread? What about the area beyond the mist?”

“The gray mist has spread to a certain extent,” Bai Xinxuan said, “but it’s very slow, almost as if it’s about to stop altogether. Outside the mist, life continues as usual. Reproduction, growth...nothing out of the ordinary. No signs of those creatures appearing beyond the mist.”

She paused, then added quietly, almost as if speaking to herself, “It’s just the last flicker before the end. When the tide of spiritual energy rises again, the inner world will overlap with ours once more. But over in the Central Plains, the balance of Yin and Yang has already collapsed. The tide will recede quickly. And with it, those monsters from Chaos will vanish too. Soon, we might never see them again.”

Her voice was calm, but there was a chill to it, a quiet sorrow, like frost settling on spring leaves.

“My love, I don’t think I have much time left. They’re all the same, really. Just like me. Desperate. But they all know that the more desperate you are, the more likely you are to make mistakes.”

Li Yuan suddenly said, “I could offer them a promise, let them into the Deathless Tomb. After all, that’s a last resort. A lifeline. They’ve been probing the ancient halls for decades and still haven’t found a path to the second rank.

“All they can do is throw everything they have into the pot and hope for a miracle, that somehow, one day, through sheer accumulation, they’ll leap across the boundary and step into the second rank. But deep down, they know the odds are slim. That’s why a path like the Deathless Tomb would be precious to them. If I were to offer it, we might finally form a true alliance.”

“...” Bai Xinxuan said nothing.

Li Yuan turned to her, gently brushed his hand across her flawless cheek, and smiled. “But...I don’t want to.”

Her breath caught at the touch. She had lain beside him for so long, shared warmth and secrets, yet in this moment, he felt more unknowable than ever, a shadowy force that defied comprehension, a creature cloaked in mystery.

“My lord,” she asked, unable to stop herself, “why not?”

Li Yuan’s voice was soft. “If I hand them a way out, who will stay behind to fight me?”

And just like that, Bai Xinxuan understood.

She saw something she’d never considered before. Maybe, for this man,

eliminating threats

wasn’t really the point at all. What he truly wanted...was a challenge. He wanted to use the Immortal Domain’s strongest cultivators as his whetstones, grinding himself sharper with every clash.

A bitter smile crept across her lips.

This entire game, it was like he was saying,

I’m only pressuring you because I’m setting a trap to wipe you all out in one blow.

And maybe, the others were thinking,

We know you’re trying to trick us, so we’ll pretend to take the bait, then trap you instead, so you don’t reap everything in the ancient halls.

But in truth, it was more like,

I’m just giving you all a reason to gather. So that when the time comes, you can join forces... and become my proving ground.

Snow continued to fall outside.

The brazier still radiated its steady warmth.

But Bai Xinxuan suddenly realized that she had never truly understood the man beside her. In this moment, he felt like a terrifying, inscrutable beast, one that devoured anything in its path. And she? She was just a little girl playing dress-up in a palace far beyond her depth.

The little girl turned and looked at the monster at her side.

In the monster’s eyes, there blazed an endless, fervent ambition.

And in the next instant, the monster picked up the little girl.

Soft, rustling sounds filled the air.

Within the hall, the fire burned bright, and spring returned once more.