Chapter 628 - The Depths, A Painting - Part 2

Several days later.

Li Yuan sat in a room with the six women closest to him, discussing what lay ahead.

Cui Huayin had solid talent. Thanks to both that and a steady stream of resources, she’d just broken through to the first stage of the third rank Human Soul Realm two months ago.

Jing Shuixiang had already reached that same stage last year.

Yao Jue was stuck at the fourth rank.

Xie Wei was also at the fourth rank.

Ying Zhuoyao didn’t cultivate, but her terrifying ability to drain life force meant that as long as she stayed close to Li Yuan, she was practically unkillable.

Then there was Bai Xinxuan, still stuck at the peak of the fifth stage of the third rank. But now, she was visibly unraveling. Li Yuan could sense her growing restlessness, like she was about to snap.

He understood that feeling all too well.

It was like she was handed an exam that determined her survival. She’d already answered 99% of the questions. But that last 1%, she just couldn’t finish. No matter how hard she tried.

Li Yuan thought for a moment.

“Huayin, Shuixiang, Yao Jue, and Sister-in-law, just in case, I want you all to head to the Deathless Tomb early. It’s still over a year’s journey from here to the Western Extreme. When the great shift comes, if something goes wrong, I might not be able to protect you.”

Xie Wei rolled her eyes and gave him a light kick under the table, as if to say, “Why are you calling me Sister-in-law now?”

Yao Jue smiled gently. “You’re just worried for us, I get it. But...I really haven’t lived up to anything. My Lady and Shuixiang are way stronger.”

Xie Wei laughed. “That’s because you and I think too much. We understand people, we see through things, and that makes our hearts...flawed. With flaws in the heart, your cultivation suffers.”

“That’s not fair. Look at Sister Xinxuan, beautiful, wise, and powerful. She’s right at the pinnacle.” Yao Jue replied.

Xie Wei chuckled. “And yet, in thousands of years, how many like her have ever appeared?”

Her smile lingered for a moment, then suddenly faded. A thought struck her.

She remembered Xie Yu. She’d asked Sheng'er about her. Found out her little sister now roamed the mortal world, clad in red, sword in hand, delivering justice wherever she went.

A soft sigh rose in her heart.

Her little sister had always been meant for the path of cultivation. So pure, so painfully straightforward. So pure, in fact, that it almost made her inflexible, like she couldn’t walk around an obstacle even if it meant crashing into it headfirst.

If she had her mind set, she would never change it. That was the kind of person her little sister was.

Xie Wei was different. She could let things sit quietly in a corner of her heart, and over time, they’d fade.

Take Li Yuan, for instance. She could see things from his perspective. She could recognize his kindness, the benefits, immeasurable, really, that he’d brought to the Xie Clan.

But her little sister couldn’t. She’d rather stick by some penniless blademaster, rather wait in loneliness for a man shut in cultivation, than forgive a peerless powerhouse who had once hurt her pride.

When Xie Yu first arrived here, she had no idea Li Yuan had orchestrated it all behind the scenes. Didn’t know her entry into Skygale Sect at Jade Cloud Mountain was entirely thanks to his help.

It was almost painfully stupid.

And once Xie Yu did find out, she left not long after. She could’ve accepted that help. It would’ve been a real opportunity to grow stronger. But she refused. She walked away, alone.

Xie Wei had never been able to understand her little sister.

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

By the time she came back to her senses, Li Yuan was speaking with Bai Xinxuan.

“Is Ping’an investigating something?” Bai Xinxuan asked.

“Yes,” Li Yuan replied, and then explained about the Radiant Treasure Buddha.

“I want everyone to focus all their efforts on exploring that place.” Bai Xinxuan said after a moment of silence. She looked at him, eyes steady. “It’s my last hope.”

“No,” Li Yuan said quietly. “That’s not your last hope. That’s grasping at straws. You’ve lived for over 4,000 years. You know what kind of creatures survived from the Age of the Ancient Gods. If someone like that left something behind, it’s far more likely to be a trap than a gift.”

“But even if it

is

a trap,” Bai Xinxuan argued, “all the ancient gods are extinct. Whatever ambush they set, those gods are gone now. So what danger could remain? And if they really did leave something behind in the ancient halls, then it means they might’ve reached second rank...or higher. That’s the hope I’m clinging to.”

She clenched her fists. “I just can’t accept this. I can’t. Don’t you feel anything, My Lord? The end is coming, and you’re not the least bit anxious?”

“Life Star Art,” Li Yuan suddenly said.

There wasn’t much point in keeping it a secret anymore.

He explained the skill again.

Bai Xinxuan looked at him. “Are you planning to reincarnate?”

It wasn’t that simple. Li Yuan didn’t intend to enter the cycle of reincarnation. This was just a backup plan. Insurance.

Besides, the Life Star could store power. If the world began to collapse and everyone’s cultivation levels plummeted, he could at least stash his strength away.

Seeing him fall silent, Bai Xinxuan said softly, “Then let me do this, please.”

“I still think it’s better if you go to the Western Extremes with Huayin and the others.” Li Yuan sighed.

Bai Xinxuan gave a bitter smile. “Meng Xingxian, Han Feng, those two came from the Deathless Tomb. Even

they

refuse to go back. Do you really think I want to return there? Everyone knows it’s a place of endless darkness. Rather than wait there in vain for a miracle that may never come...I’d rather take what little time we have left, and fight for a chance.”

“Fine.” Li Yuan relented with a slow nod.

“Thank you,” Bai Xinxuan said, her pretty face lighting up with joy. Her body shifted subtly, drawing even closer to him.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

The red candle flickered.

Another wild and reckless night began.

Li Yuan pulled Bai Xinxuan into his arms, then reached for Xie Wei. As he lifted his gaze, his eyes fell on Ying Zhuoyao in the distance. With green silk dress tied neatly and radiant features, her beauty now rivaled even Bai Xinxuan.

Sensing his gaze, Ying Zhuoyao smiled coyly and slowly moved toward him, settling onto the soft bed.

The candles went out.

Spring warmth filled the chamber.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

The next day.

Bai Xinxuan discreetly shared news of Ping'an’s expedition into the depths of the Hall of Life with the Gold Hall Master, Wood Hall Master, Puppetry Dean, and the others.

They had all been cultivating within the hall, and while they could feel themselves improving each time, it was never quite enough, never enough to push them into the next rank.

And now, with only two years left, the appearance of a map linked to the Radiant Treasure Buddha seemed like a final, desperate offering from the heavens.

These were all old monsters, seasoned and wise beyond their years. But no amount of wisdom could shield them from the lure of that map.

A thousand years ago, not a single one of them would’ve taken such a risk.

But now...they had no other choice.

Even if the path led straight to hell, they’d walk it.

And it wasn’t just them. The same desperation burned in Ping'an’s heart.

His soul was still fractured. Yet the

innate energy

hidden within the Hall of Life just happened to be the kind of essence that could nourish and mend a damaged soul.

He

had

to dive deeper into the hall’s mysteries.

After entrusting a few of his closest descendants and his direct children to Li Yuan’s care, Ping'an devoted himself entirely to exploring the Hall of Life.

Those children, along with Cui Huayin, Xie Wei, and the others, would soon return to the Central Plains or enter the Deathless Tomb.

This time, Li Yuan didn’t knock his son unconscious like he had done with Cui Huayin and the others to force them toward safety.

Because the Deathless Tomb wasn’t a sanctuary. It wasn’t salvation. It was a resignation, a place people went only after giving up.

In the Central Plains, Yin and Yang had nearly vanished. And due to the previous Grand Union of Yin-Yang, the Deathless Tomb had been pushed so far it was now nearly at the edge of the Outer Region.

No one believed sunlight would ever reach it again.

And even if it did, it would be just that, sunlight. Not a true restoration of Yin and Yang. Not proof that the Grand Formation of Severance had finally worked.

So what difference did it make? None of the people slumbering in the Deathless Tomb would truly awaken.

That was why Li Yuan didn’t stop his son this time.

Even if this path led straight into the abyss, he had no choice but to let him walk it.

This was Ping'an’s decision.

All Li Yuan could do now was refine the Life Star Art in the back of his mind, while using his strength to accompany Ping’an and Bai Xinxuan as they ventured deeper into the Hall of Life.