In the Main Divine Hall—
Nan Zhijin slumped on the steps. His face was dark, and there were still bloodstains on his cheeks and clothes that hadn't been cleaned yet.
He had just led his team back from the mortal world. They had released the demonic beasts in a small mountain village in the mortal world, and after more than half of the villagers had been killed or injured, he had led his men to exterminate these demonic creatures.
Watching those villagers kowtow to them gratefully, he felt an indescribable pain in his heart.
At the same time, Duan Chunyi, who had gone with them, saw that the raging demonic beasts were actually released by the Main Divine Hall. He rushed out madly to stop them but was firmly suppressed by the subordinates arranged by Immortal Huiyan.
After they returned, those people took Duan Chunyi to Immortal Huiyan. When they met again, he was already a corpse.
And the blood on Nan Zhijin's cheeks and clothes was Duan Chunyi's.
Just as he was staring blankly at the ground, a shadow suddenly fell in front of him.
Nan Zhijin looked up in surprise and found that the person coming was actually Immortal Huiyan. Without much thought, he immediately knelt on one knee and respectfully saluted Immortal Huiyan. "Your subordinate pays respects to the Immortal."
Immortal Huiyan's eyes were smiling. His face, which always seemed full of compassion, was like a mask.
"Why? Are you still sad about your friend?"
Nan Zhijin's palms instantly began to sweat, but he answered firmly, "Your subordinate is indeed sad, but not because of Duan Chunyi's death. It's because his heart was not loyal enough to the Main Divine Hall and he almost ruined our important matter."
Immortal Huiyan was a little surprised. His tone showed no emotion. "Oh, do you really think so?"
"I've heard from others that you had a good relationship with Duan Chunyi. When he died, aren't you sad?"
"Even blame us?"
Great fear welled up in Nan Zhijin's heart. He quickly knelt on the ground, kowtowed to Immortal Huiyan, and continued to show his loyalty. "When facing life and death, negative emotions are inevitable, but your subordinate dare not forget his loyalty to the Main Divine Hall and will not change his original intention because of the death of a colleague."
"Immortal Huiyan, you should know that my father was a loyal guard of the Divine Hall. I should inherit my father's will and be loyal to the Main Divine Hall for the rest of my life."
Immortal Huiyan still maintained that expression. He made no move and gave no answer.
After a moment, he slowly bent down, stretched out his hand, and helped Nan Zhijin up.
Nan Zhijin didn't dare to look into Immortal Huiyan's eyes. He clasped his fists and lowered his head, secretly gritting his teeth, hoping that Immortal Huiyan wouldn't notice the panic in his heart.
Seeing that Nan Zhijin could hardly stand still, Immortal Huiyan slowly said, "Zhijin, I naturally believe in your loyalty."
"But you should also know that our Main Divine Hall has always taken the development of the Nine Desolate Continent as our responsibility. Whether it's releasing demonic beasts or conducting experiments in the underground temple, it's all for our future."
Nan Zhijin tightly pursed his lips. On the surface, he agreed, but in his heart, he didn't believe a single word Immortal Huiyan said.
He recalled the tragic scenes of those villagers. His heart was filled with indignation. He took a deep breath and summoned the courage to ask, "Immortal Huiyan, your subordinate dares to ask. Why do we have to obtain the power of faith from the mortal world to ascend..."
After saying that, he slightly raised his head. When he saw that there was no trace of a smile in Immortal Huiyan's eyes, he quickly lowered his head again. "It was a slip of the tongue from your subordinate. Please forgive your subordinate, Immortal Huiyan!!"
Nan Zhijin's voice was filled with deep fear. When Immortal Huiyan felt this kind of fear from the bottom of his heart, the smile in his eyes grew deeper.
"Don't be so restrained. If you have doubts in your heart, just ask directly. It means you have no reservations about me. This is a sign of communication between superiors and subordinates."
"All the cultivators in our Nine Desolate Continent aim to ascend to the upper realm. But do you know why no one from the Nine Desolate Continent has been able to ascend for thousands of years? It's not that we don't work hard. It's just that the Heavenly Dao doesn't allow it."
"The power of faith comes from the awe, trust, and offerings of the mortal people to the gods. But in recent years, the people's lives have improved. They no longer go to the temples to worship, no longer believe in the gods, and no longer respect the Buddha."
"Once the people don't believe in the existence of the gods, the gods in the upper realm will disappear and return to the heaven and earth."
"Tell me, in a situation where resources are limited, can we still ascend?"
"Maybe you can't understand it now, but when the power of faith is enough and if you're lucky enough to be the first person to ascend in thousands of years, you'll understand that everything we're doing now is for the future of the cultivators."
Nan Zhijin listened, still half-believing and half-doubting in his heart.
But even though he had doubts in his heart, he didn't dare to ask anymore. "It's because your subordinate is ignorant. Thank you, Immortal Huiyan, for solving my doubts."
Immortal Huiyan smiled faintly and didn't insist on knowing whether Nan Zhijin believed him or not.
"I know that you've been feeling depressed because of the matter of your sect, and now that you've suddenly witnessed the death of your colleague, I imagine you're even more depressed. So, I've prepared a surprise for you."
Nan Zhijin was a little surprised and looked up. "Immortal Huiyan is considerate of his subordinates. Your subordinate is extremely grateful, but your subordinate is not worthy..."
Immortal Huiyan waved his hand and said, "Don't rush to refuse. See her first."
After saying that, Immortal Huiyan stepped aside. Nan Zhijin saw a woman walking slowly in the distance.
She was wearing a white dress. Half of her hair was gently draped over her shoulders, and the other half was coiled into a flying fairy bun with luxurious tassels on it. As she walked, the tassels swayed gently.
The moon-white waistband and ribbon outlined the woman's waistline, making it look extremely slender. The silver silk shawl with a gradient color was draped over the woman's hands and fluttered behind her.
As she walked, she seemed to be floating away on the wind, just like a fairy in the Heavenly Pond in the sky.
But what shocked Nan Zhijin was that as the woman got closer, her face became clearer.
Those charming eyes, filled with a gentle and innocent look, stared at Nan Zhijin. With a smile on her lips, every move of hers was just like a familiar old acquaintance.
"Junior Sister Xiaobai!!"
Nan Zhijin exclaimed and took a half step back in disbelief.
"No, no, no. You can't be Junior Sister Xiaobai. She's already... already dead!"
Seeing Nan Zhijin's panicked expression, the smile in Immortal Huiyan's eyes grew wider.
"Zhijin, watch your words. She's not Lin Yibai from your Qingyun Sword Sect. Her name is Bai Lingyi. She's from the Demon Realm, but like ordinary cultivators, she doesn't practice demonic arts."
Bai Lingyi walked in front of Immortal Huiyan and Nan Zhijin. She gracefully placed her hands in front of her body, slightly crouched down, and said softly in a voice like a lark, "Lingyi pays respects to Immortal Huiyan and Fellow Daoist Nan."
Nan Zhijin was still in a state of shock. He swallowed hard and carefully sized up Bai Lingyi in front of him.
Just now, at a glance, he had thought it was Lin Yibai herself walking towards him.
But now that Bai Lingyi was closer, he found that whether it was her appearance, temperament, or the aura on her body, she was different from Lin Yibai.
Lin Yibai gave people the feeling of a tough lotus flower, looking pitiful and making people want to protect her.
But although Bai Lingyi's eyes were very similar, the corners of her eyes were slightly raised. Her innocent eyes carried a hint of aggression.
She didn't seem like a flower that needed to be protected. Instead, she was more like a soul-snatching flower that could take people's lives.