"Sister Han, we are channeling our energy to you—you must hold on!"
As the third junior sister, Jiang Wanqing, finished speaking, she and the sixth junior sister, Yu Qiuqiu, began transferring their spiritual power to Han Renxue. Han Renxue held her hands up, condensing a shimmering, illusory barrier to resist the Power of Laws within the ninth level of the training grounds.
"Crack!"
The Power of Laws grew increasingly violent. A fracture appeared in Han Renxue’s barrier; it was clear she could no longer hold out.
"Wuu wuu wuu! It’s all Chu Yuan’s fault! He used to bring us here to train every day but never told us the ninth level was this dangerous. Now we’ve ended up in this state!"
"Chu Yuan! I, Jiang Wanqing, curse you to die a wretched death! May you never enter the cycle of reincarnation, and may you never be reborn! Sooner or later, I will kill you with my own hands!"
Inside the crumbling barrier, Jiang Wanqing and Yu Qiuqiu wore expressions of pure malice as they cursed Chu Yuan. They looked at Han Renxue and said, "Sister, do you see Chu Yuan for who he really is? He is an utterly wicked, rotten villain!"
"A person like that isn’t fit to be our senior brother. He’s nothing but a monster with a human face and a beast’s heart!"
"It’s a pity you spoke up for him in the main hall before. Now it’s clear you were truly blind!"
Han Renxue shook her head, gritting her teeth. "I did misjudge him. But since it turns out he really is a demonic cultivator, there’s nothing more to say. Next time I see him, I will personally execute him!"
"Hmph! You should have killed him back then!" Jiang Wanqing snorted.
Han Renxue bowed her head slightly, recalling the incident from several months ago. At that time, Chu Yuan had accidentally fallen into the Demon Realm while on a mission. He eventually fought his way out, rescuing a princess of the Human Clan and bringing her back to the Qingyun Sect.
Han Renxue, upon seeing Chu Yuan return with a stunningly beautiful young woman, had been so enraged that she pierced Chu Yuan’s heart with her sword. Chu Yuan had already been severely wounded from the brutal battles in the Demon Realm; he had barely made it back, only to be struck down by Han Renxue, nearly losing his life. If she had struck one more blow, he might have been finished.
Recalling this, Han Renxue was filled with regret. "If I had known, I would have struck that one extra time and killed Chu Yuan right there! He’s a demonic cultivator, after all; surely no one would have blamed me!"
"Sigh, you really are just too kind-hearted," sighed the sixth junior sister, Yu Qiuqiu.
Just then, because Han Renxue was distracted, the defensive barrier collapsed completely!
*Bang!*
The Power of Laws surged in from all directions like a tidal wave, striking the three women and instantly causing them agony.
"Ah! It hurts!"
"No! It’s the Fire of Laws!" Jiang Wanqing was caught off guard as her body began to burn. Her clothing was incinerated in an instant, and deep, searing holes appeared in her flesh.
"Ah! The Law of Gravity!" Han Renxue shrieked as a crushing force pinned her to the ground. She couldn't move, and her figure was distorted under the immense weight.
"Pfft—!"
"Sizzle—!"
Yu Qiuqiu, unable to react in time, spewed a mouthful of blood. A strike from the Law of Divine Lightning hit her squarely on the head; her hair stood on end, her eyes rolled back, and she lost consciousness instantly.
At the critical moment, Xiao Junmo appeared. She whisked the three women away from the ninth level and brought them to the sixth. The Power of Laws here was sparse enough for them to withstand, though the training progress was much slower.
Half an hour later, the residual Power of Laws had been purged from the three, and under Xiao Junmo's treatment, they had recovered significantly.
"Th-thank you, Master, for saving us just in time!"
"Master, you arrived just when we needed you! Otherwise, Chu Yuan’s trap would have killed us!" Han Renxue and the others said, filled with excitement and relief.
Xiao Junmo’s brow furrowed slightly upon hearing this. "Chu Yuan trapped you to death? What do you mean?"
Xiao Junmo shook her head when they asked if she knew, so the third junior sister, Jiang Wanqing, explained. "Chu Yuan used to take us to the ninth level to train, and every time, he would take the initiative to help us resist the Power of Laws. Over time, we forgot just how dangerous the ninth level really was."
"That’s why we were so careless and just came straight up here..."
"That’s right, Master! It’s all Chu Yuan’s fault! He kept bringing us to such a dangerous place. If anything went wrong—well, he’s in the Heaven Realm, so he would be fine, but we are only in the Earth Realm! It’s very dangerous!"
"Just like a moment ago—we were almost severely injured!"
"Exactly! It’s all on Chu Yuan. Master, I suggest you issue a warrant for his arrest and hunt down that arch-fiend!" Jiang Wanqing finished, and Han Renxue and Yu Qiuqiu both chimed in in agreement.
Xiao Junmo nodded slowly. "Setting aside your own negligence, this is indeed Chu Yuan’s fault. But it matters not. His cultivation will fall sooner or later. There is no need for me to take action myself; eventually, he will come crawling to my door, begging me to lift that Ultimate Divine Light from him."
The three junior sisters’ eyes lit up, and they looked at Xiao Junmo with adoration. "Master, you are too kind!"
"Enough. Focus on your training. In a month, you will be participating in the ancient ruins expedition! Jiang Fan will lead you, and you must use your absolute strength to take first place!"
"Don't worry, Master! With our strength combined with Senior Brother Jiang Fan, we are sure to win!"
"Good."
...
Under Xiao Junmo's guidance, the three women began their training on the sixth level, no longer daring to venture higher.
Xiao Junmo returned to the spirit vein pool and saw Jiang Fan. She noticed something unusual: Jiang Fan’s body had become like a vortex, swallowing spiritual energy from all directions. More than ninety percent of the spiritual energy released by the pool was being absorbed by him alone.
"This is..." Xiao Junmo frowned, but when she sensed the fluctuations in Jiang Fan’s cultivation, her expression turned to one of delight.
"Is he about to break through to the Heaven Realm? If so, then I shall let him absorb the energy."
Muttering this to herself, she quietly left and went to the main sect hall. Many elders had gathered there, all seemingly waiting to report important matters.
"Sect Master! The spiritual energy in my Ninth Peak is thinning; many disciples are unable to cultivate!"
"Sect Master, the same is true for the Seventh Peak. The energy that used to be as thick as mist has dissipated, and now there is almost none left! Has something gone wrong at the spirit vein pool?"
"Sect Master, the source of energy for the treasure pagoda seems to have been cut off. Although there is some stored energy, it won't last long!"
"Once the energy is exhausted, the Power of Laws within the pagoda will go haywire, and the disciples inside will be in danger!"
Xiao Junmo sat on the highest throne, listening to the reports from below with growing impatience.
"So many problems!"
"I am aware. You may withdraw. The spirit vein pool is currently supporting Jiang Fan as he breaks through to the Heaven Realm, so the disciples will have to do without such dense energy for the time being."
The elders were stunned. Jiang Fan was breaking through to the Heaven Realm? They remembered that not long ago, he was only in the late Earth Realm. To break through at sixty or seventy years old—that was the mark of a peerless genius!
"Could it be true, as the Sect Master says? If the Sect Master wills it, she can turn anyone into a peerless genius?" an elder exclaimed.
"Hiss! If that’s true, then losing a Chu Yuan is nothing at all!"
"Indeed. If Jiang Fan truly succeeds, the young generation of our Qingyun Sect will remain far ahead of everyone else!"
...
With that, the elders withdrew.