Chapter 194 Cloud-shrouded Ancient Palace

Mu Changge traversed the deep forest sea on his sword, following the vague coordinates obtained from the Yunmiao Holy Trace Disciple who had long since turned into dry bones, searching for the area deep within the forest where the "Saintess might have gone."

After traveling for about half a day, the surrounding scenery began to change. The ancient trees, which had originally been dense enough to block out the sky, gradually thinned out, while the water vapor filling the air grew increasingly heavy, eventually turning into wisps of milky white mist that curled around the trees and stones. The further he went, the thicker the mist became. Eventually, his vision was limited to just a few yards, and any attempt to extend his Divine Sense was like a clay ox entering the sea—blocked, absorbed, and distorted by this dense and peculiar mist.

"The mist here is unusual; it is not naturally formed. It contains a trace of strange Spiritual Qi that can interfere with Divine Sense... It looks more like some kind of naturally formed maze, or perhaps it was gathered here by the methods of a powerful expert."

Mu Changge slowed his sword flight and frowned slightly. He tried to make slight contact with a wisp of mist using the devouring property of the Heaven-Swallowing Demon Art, only to discover that the Spiritual Qi within was pure yet ethereal and difficult to capture; it even possessed a faint, innate quality that repelled external forces.

"This must be the place." A gleam flashed in his eyes, and he became even more cautious. The giant sword silently lowered its altitude, flying almost against the damp ground and the rocks occasionally exposed in the forest, trying his best not to disturb the dense mist surrounding him.

After traveling for another incense stick of time, the mist ahead suddenly churned, and faint human voices and fluctuations of Spiritual Qi drifted over. Mu Changge stopped immediately, retracted his giant sword into his Storage Ring, and like a ghost, slipped behind a moss-covered boulder, holding his breath and focusing his mind, restraining his aura to the extreme.

Through the layers of mist, he barely managed to see the scene ahead:

It was a valley surrounded on three sides by strange, steep, and mirror-smooth jade walls. The jade walls towered into the clouds, hidden within the thick mist, and were naturally marked with profound, cloud-like patterns, as if they were born from the same source and existed in symbiosis with the surrounding mist.

In the center of the valley stood an ancient palace constructed entirely from a strange material that was as white and lustrous as jade, yet was neither gold nor stone. The palace was not large, and its architecture was simple and ancient. Its flying eaves and brackets were carved with patterns of flowing clouds chasing the moon, and the entire structure was shrouded in a dreamlike, hazy moonlit radiance that blended with the surrounding milky white Spiritual Qi mist, yet remained distinct from it.

The palace had no doors. At the entrance was a barrier that flowed slowly like water, composed entirely of solidified moonlit radiance and mist. As the halo of light shifted, one could vaguely see that the space inside appeared vast, not as narrow as it seemed from the outside.

Outside the palace, in front of that barrier of moonlit radiance and mist, seven or eight figures were distributed in a fan shape.

These figures were all women, dressed in uniform light white gauze dresses with cloud patterns, their figures graceful. They were indeed the female Disciples of the Yunmiao Holy Trace. They stood with solemn expressions, their auras linked together, faintly forming a battle Formation, their eyes scanning the surrounding mist with electric vigilance.

Mu Changge focused his senses and felt a slight chill in his heart—these female Disciples had impressive cultivation levels. Two or three of them had profound auras that had clearly reached the Spirit Severing Realm, and the rest were all at the Peak Nascent Soul Stage. Furthermore, their Spiritual Qi was pure and refined; it was clear their Foundation was solid, and they were not comparable to ordinary Loose Cultivators.

They acted as if facing a formidable enemy, like the most loyal guards, firmly securing the only entrance to this ancient palace and forbidding any outsiders from approaching.

Seeing them ready for battle and refusing to leave their posts, they were completely different from the other Cultivators in the Secret Realm who were searching for Opportunities and constantly fighting. It seemed more like they were executing a crucial Sect mission—guarding this place, or rather, guarding the Saintess who was currently undergoing some kind of critical Breakthrough within this ancient palace, allowing no one to disturb her.

"Tsk, they are guarding it quite tightly. It seems the Yunmiao Saintess is inside..." Mu Changge hid behind the rock, thinking to himself.

Forcibly breaking through this battle Formation composed of multiple Spirit Severing Realm and Peak Nascent Soul Stage experts, and rushing straight into that obviously extraordinary ancient palace—even if he could get in, it would surely cause a huge commotion, exposing him immediately. He might even get entangled by them. He scanned the area, waiting for an Opportunity.

Just as he was observing intently—

You Li's cold voice, carrying a hint of warning, suddenly rang out deep in his mind, "Master, several auras are rapidly closing in on us from behind! It's those guys from the Xuantian Sect. It seems they are specifically coming for you!"

Mu Changge's eyes narrowed, and he turned slightly to look behind him. Despite the interference of the Spiritual Qi mist, he still vaguely caught several powerful auras approaching rapidly. Two of them were particularly striking, not at all inferior to the Spirit Severing Realm female Cultivators guarding the door! One was even much stronger than them.

"That seems to be the Xuantian Sect Saint... Could he be coming for me?" Mu Changge instantly thought of how he had been killing people to heal his wounds along the way, as well as the matter of snatching the Buddhist treasure. Could it be a Fellow Daoist who had a good relationship with Liao Chen? Or perhaps other experts attracted here?

Regardless of which it was, being trapped in this valley was by no means a good thing. Once discovered, he would be attacked from both front and back.

Just as he was in a dilemma, the mist barrier at the entrance of the "Yunmiao Ancient Hall" ahead suddenly fluctuated, seemingly due to some change inside!

A pure white beam of light, condensed as if it were solid and about a foot in diameter, silently passed through the barrier from deep within the palace and shot straight into the sky!

This beam of light was pure and flawless, radiating an indescribable sense of purification, sublimation, and even holiness. It was only weakened and masked by the dense Spiritual Qi mist in the valley and the palace's own barrier, so it did not cause an overly astonishing celestial phenomenon. However, Mu Changge, who was close at hand, could feel the massive and pure Spiritual Qi and profound fluctuations within it.

"A Legacy? Or some other Opportunity?" Mu Changge's mind raced.

Just then, perhaps because the Saintess inside had reached a critical juncture in her cultivation and the output of Spiritual Qi had changed, the mist barrier weakened ever so slightly. The female Disciples guarding outside also seemed to sense something, their attention drawn for a moment by the massive fluctuations faintly emanating from within, causing their vigilance to waver for an instant.

"Now is the time!" Mu Changge did not hesitate. His body moved like a ghost, pushing his aura-concealment technique to the limit. He seemed to transform into a true shadow, moving at an incredible speed and angle, hugging the shadows at the corner where the jade wall met the ground. In the split second that the guarding female Disciples were distracted, he slipped through the mist barrier as silently as a slippery loach!

The barrier rippled slightly, like a stone thrown into water, but quickly returned to calm. The female Disciples outside seemed to sense a slight abnormal fluctuation in the barrier, but upon careful investigation, found nothing unusual. They simply assumed it was a normal ripple caused by the Saintess's cultivation and did not pursue it further.

Upon entering the "Yunmiao Ancient Hall," Mu Changge immediately felt that the surrounding scene had changed drastically. The palace, which looked small from the outside, contained its own space inside, far more vast than he had imagined.

Under his feet were jade bricks with cloud patterns, flowing with faint moonlight. The surrounding walls and dome were not solid objects but constantly flowing and changing curtains of light, beautiful and magnificent, as if he were in a fairyland among the clouds.

In the center of the space was not a pool of water, but a huge "Moonlight Pool" condensed entirely from the purest power of moonlight. Inside the pool was not liquid, but silver halos that were as dense as substance, constantly flowing and rotating.

The entire interior of the palace was filled with an extremely pure Moonlit Spiritual Essence that made one's Soul feel comfortable, and there was also a sense of holiness and etherealness that could not be profaned.

At this moment, directly above the Moonlight Pool, in the Void Realm several feet off the ground, Saintess Ling Xiyue, the Saintess of the Yunmiao Holy Trace, was quietly floating and sitting cross-legged. Her body was enveloped in dense moonlight, and her stunningly beautiful face appeared even more holy against the backdrop of the radiance.

However, what drew all of Mu Changge's attention were the two illusory figures slowly rotating above her head, each with completely different auras. The figure on the left was as holy as the moon, with clear radiance flowing, as if it were a celestial being untainted by dust. The figure on the right was dim and hazy, with churning mist, as if it carried seven emotions, six desires, and all kinds of distracting thoughts.

Light threads were intertwined between the two, and the holy power was attempting to purify the dimness. However, the dim side resisted fiercely, causing the balance to become unstable, and blood spilled from the corners of Saintess Ling Xiyue's lips, her aura chaotic.

Just as Mu Changge snuck in and his gaze fell upon Saintess Ling Xiyue, a sudden change occurred!

It seemed that the intrusion of Mu Changge, an "outsider," brought a completely different aura, interfering with this extremely delicate and fragile purification process; or perhaps Saintess Ling Xiyue herself had reached a critical point, and the resistance of the dim illusory figure on the right had suddenly reached its peak!

"Hum—!" A sharp ringing sound that only a Soul could perceive! The dim illusory figure on the right trembled violently. Like a startled fish, or perhaps as if it had found some kind of "kindred spirit," it lunged toward the newly intruded Mu Changge in an instant, taking Saintess Ling Xiyue by surprise!

Mu Changge felt a chill at the center of his brow, and a strange energy—cold, obscure, and carrying many complex thoughts—actually ignored his Physical Body's defenses and protective Spiritual Qi, drilling directly into the depths of his body!

"What the hell is this?" Mu Changge was greatly alarmed and subconsciously wanted to look inside himself, urging the Heaven-Swallowing Demon Art to refine or expel this foreign object.

However, the moment his mind was drawn by this unexpected turn of events—in front of him, Saintess Ling Xiyue, who had originally kept her eyes tightly closed and was fully maintaining the purification, suddenly opened her eyes!

What kind of eyes were those? Clear as the cold springs of the Nine Heavens, yet at this moment, they contained monstrous anger, as well as a trace of the backlash pain caused by being forced to interrupt her critical cultivation.

She had clearly sensed the intrusion of Mu Changge, an uninvited guest, at the first moment, and even more so, she sensed that her crucial "Divided Soul" had actually left her body and entered the other person's body!

For her, who was in the middle of "Soul Purification and Mind Cleansing," attempting to sever the Impurities of mortal ties, this was simply a devastating interference and desecration! Not only could it cause her purification to fall short of success, but it also meant that her Divided Soul had fallen into the hands of this strange man! The consequences were unimaginable!

"Bastard! Die!" Saintess Ling Xiyue's voice contained extreme shame, indignation, and Killing Intent. She didn't even have time to check her own condition, nor did she care about the specific situation of her Divided Soul; there was only one thought in her mind—kill this intruder, take back the Divided Soul, and eliminate future trouble!

She raised her jade hand, and the clear, cold Spiritual Qi like moonlight gathered crazily in her palm. A palm print, condensed to the extreme and capable of easily severely injuring or even killing an ordinary Early Stage Spirit Severing Realm Cultivator, formed instantly. Carrying the dual Concepts of purification and destruction, it slapped toward Mu Changge's chest! Where the jade palm passed, even the air emitted a faint hiss as if it were being purified.

Mu Changge had just recovered from the shock of the Divided Soul entering his body when he saw this stunningly beautiful Saintess attack in anger, her power astonishing, and he felt a chill in his heart. This woman's angry strike had peerless power; she was worthy of being a Saintess of a top Sect, and her strength was probably even above that of Jian Wushuang and Liao Chen!

He dared not be negligent. The Spiritual Qi and Devilish Qi in his body ran crazily at the same time, and he was about to use his movement technique to dodge, while preparing to take the palm strike head-on.

However, just the moment before Saintess Ling Xiyue's palm, which contained terrifying Spiritual Qi, was about to land on Mu Changge's chest, another change occurred!

Saintess Ling Xiyue's delicate body shook violently. The color drained from her stunningly beautiful face instantly, the massive Spiritual Qi condensed on her striking palm receded like a tide, and that fierce and unparalleled palm momentum suddenly dissipated!

She was struck as if by lightning, let out a muffled groan, and her body swayed gently. The palm that was striking toward Mu Changge's chest finally became soft and powerless, like a push from an ordinary woman when feigning anger, and it gently "pressed" onto Mu Changge's chest. Not only did it have no force at all, but because of the backlash and the sudden, intense pain and feeling of emptiness originating from the depths of her Soul, she almost stumbled and fell.

"Ugh..." Saintess Ling Xiyue let out a painful moan and covered her forehead, feeling as if thousands of steel needles were stabbing in her Sea of Consciousness. Furthermore, a strange, uncontrollable connection was suddenly established between her and the strange man in front of her!

She clearly felt that a part of herself was currently trapped in the other person's body, and the other person seemed to only need a single thought to make that part (which was her own Divided Soul) suffer unimaginable pain, or even... be directly annihilated! That terrifying feeling of having her life and death out of her control, and her Soul being gripped, instantly overwhelmed everything.

Mu Changge was also stunned. He had been ready to take the blow head-on, but ended up waiting for such a soft, non-threatening tap, and he couldn't help but be dumbfounded.

A flash of realization first crossed Mu Changge's eyes, which was then replaced by a strange light mixed with surprise and amusement. He looked at Saintess Ling Xiyue, who was full of Killing Intent and like a female war god a moment ago, but was now frowning in pain, her aura withered, and even feeling a faint, irresistible fear toward him due to the Soul connection. The corners of Mu Changge's mouth slowly curled into an arc of wicked, awe-inspiring evil.

"Yunmiao Holy Trace Saintess Saintess Ling Xiyue? What... happened?" Mu Changge patted his chest where Saintess Ling Xiyue had "pressed" it, as if trying to brush away the pain, his tone carrying a hint of teasing, but his eyes were as sharp as knives, as if they could pierce through Saintess Ling Xiyue's clothes and see through the stormy seas and weakness in her heart at this moment.

Saintess Ling Xiyue endured the weakness of her body and the discomfort brought by that strange connection, lifting her pale face. Anger and shock were intertwined in her beautiful eyes, along with unbelievable humiliation. She tried to mobilize her Spiritual Qi, but found that as long as she harbored hostility toward the man in front of her or tried to attack by operating her Cultivation Technique, the pain in her Sea of Consciousness would suddenly intensify, and the connection with that Divided Soul would fluctuate violently, causing her Spiritual Qi to scatter and making it difficult to continue! She even vaguely felt that some of her emotions could be subtly influenced by the other party!

[part:gemini-3.0-flash]

This... this was a situation more terrifying than death! A portion of her Soul had actually become a hostage in his hands! No, it was even worse than a hostage; it had become a "handle" that he could torture at any time, or even use to influence her true self!

Mu Changge watched the various emotions flashing through Saintess Ling Xiyue's eyes, feeling even more confident. He chuckled softly and slowly took something out of his Storage Ring—a yellow rope shimmering with a faint luster, covered in dense and strange patterns. This was a trophy he had obtained after "dealing" with a certain Righteous Path Cultivator earlier, and it happened to come in handy now.

"It seems the Saintess doesn't have the strength to fight back for now." Holding the rope, Mu Changge approached step by step, his gaze sweeping unashamedly over Saintess Ling Xiyue's exquisite face and delicate body, which were trembling slightly from pain and weakness. From her slender, fragile neck to her full chest heaving with rapid breaths, down to her waist that could be held in one hand, and her long, straight, jade-like legs... he clicked his tongue in admiration. "As expected of the Saintess of the Yunmiao Holy Trace, truly peerless and pitiable. It's just that your expression is a bit too green and immature; if you had a bit more mature charm, I'm afraid even I wouldn't be able to restrain myself."

Saintess Ling Xiyue was both ashamed and furious, and a chill rose from the depths of her heart. She wanted to resist, to curse him, but the sharp pain deep in her Soul and the feeling of being controlled made it difficult for her even to mobilize the Spiritual Qi in her body. She could only watch helplessly as Mu Changge approached and, using that yellow rope, skillfully and quickly bound her wrists, ankles, and even her waist in a humiliating and awkward "S" shape. The patterns on the rope left a cool sensation on her skin and faintly sealed her already difficult-to-mobilize spiritual power.

As Saintess Ling Xiyue was completely restrained, the moon-white gauze dress she wore, which seemed to have an inherent concealment and hazy effect, also lost its power because her spiritual energy was bound. The layer of spiritual mist that had always surrounded her, making her appearance indistinct, completely dissipated, revealing her unobstructed, peerless face and graceful figure. Although her clothes were intact, the feeling of being exposed to his scrutinizing gaze without any spiritual concealment made Saintess Ling Xiyue's eyes burn with rage, wishing she could kill the lecher before her on the spot.

Mu Changge looked satisfied at his "work"—the Saintess of the Yunmiao Holy Trace, bound in a unique and seductive manner, slumped by his feet, stripped of all ability to resist, only able to glare at him with her beautiful eyes filled with shame, fear, and resentment. Mu Changge clapped his hands as if he had just finished a trivial task.

Then, with a thought, he opened the System panel.

[Name: Saintess Ling Xiyue]

[Physique: ??? (System permission Rank is low, unable to detect for now)]

[Realm: Half-step Void Refining]

[Luck Rank: Unknown (System permission Rank...)]

[Recent Opportunity: ??? (System permission...)]

Looking at the information on the System panel, the interest in Mu Changge's eyes deepened. "Unknown? Low permission Rank?" He whispered these keywords, his gaze falling once more on Saintess Ling Xiyue's pale yet still exquisite face, his smile becoming increasingly profound and inscrutable. (Besides "Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Cyan, Blue, Purple," and "Anomaly," there was actually an "Unknown" for Luck.)

"Interesting... truly interesting." He squatted down, reached out a finger, and gently tilted up Saintess Ling Xiyue's smooth yet cold chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. "The high and mighty, untainted Saintess has now fallen into my hands. Tell me, do you think this counts as... heaven's will?"

Saintess Ling Xiyue was forced to look up at Mu Changge, seeing the undisguised scrutiny, playfulness, and desire for control in his eyes. Feeling the fear her Divided Soul transmitted toward the man before her, a strong sense of humiliation and an unprecedented feeling of losing control almost overwhelmed her. She wanted to turn her face away, but she didn't even have the strength for that, only able to squeeze out a few words through her teeth: "Who... who exactly are you... what do you want?"

"Who am I?" Mu Changge released her chin, stood up, brushed off non-existent dust, and looked toward the palace gates where the faint sound of a noisy crowd was coming from. The curve of his lips held a cold mockery. "That's not important. What's important is that your dear little Junior Sisters are still in a standoff with some uninvited 'guests'!"

Hearing this, Saintess Ling Xiyue's heart sank as she also heard the faint sounds of an argument outside. She was currently imprisoned, her Soul restrained, and while her Junior Sisters were close at hand, they were unaware of the situation. Outside, unknown powerful enemies were lurking... a desperate situation, a truly desperate situation! And the mysterious, powerful man before her, with his strange methods and unpredictable mind, had become the only person she could contact, yet also the most dangerous existence.

Mu Changge paid no more attention to Saintess Ling Xiyue's complex gaze of shame, fear, and resentment. He held his breath and focused, pushing his perception to the limit to carefully capture the faint sounds and spiritual power fluctuations coming from the entrance of the "Yunmiao Ancient Hall." Because the palace was isolated by a Formation (sounds from inside couldn't be heard outside, but the opposite was true), the sounds reaching this point were somewhat blurred, but with Mu Changge's hearing and perception, he could still barely make them out.

Outside the palace, the previously solemn and silent atmosphere had already been broken, replaced by a tense, sword-drawn standoff. A clear, pleasant female voice that brooked no argument rang out; it was the leader of the female Protector Disciples:

"Fellow Daoists of the Xuantian Sect, please stop! This is the place of quiet cultivation for our Yunmiao Holy Trace Saintess. Unauthorized personnel are not allowed to intrude! Please leave immediately, and do not bring trouble upon yourselves!"

The voice was crisp and pleasant, yet it contained the unique pressure of a Soul Transformation Cultivator, clearly serving as both a warning and a statement of their position.

Immediately after, a slightly deep and urgent male voice sounded. His tone was polite enough, but it had a hidden edge. "Fairies of the Yunmiao Holy Trace, I am Zhou Tianyan, the Saint of the Xuantian Sect. I have come with my fellow Junior Brothers and Sisters to intrude out of necessity. We do not intend to disturb your Saintess's quiet cultivation, but we are tracking an extremely dangerous Devil Head with great variables to this place! Our Sect's secret treasure, the 'heavenly machine plate,' shows that the Devil Head is inside! This creature is cunning and cruel, having committed many killings along the way. He even has a grudge against Great Master Liao Chen of the Buddhist Sect and snatched a Buddhist treasure, making him the greatest harm in this Secret Realm! To prevent him from disturbing or even harming your Saintess, please grant us passage so we may enter and eliminate this future trouble!"

This Xuantian Sect Cultivator, calling himself Zhou Tianyan, described Mu Changge as a "Devil Head," a "variable," and a "great harm." He even brought up the grudge with Liao Chen of the Buddhist Sect, attempting to occupy the moral high ground while also clarifying that they had tracked him here with a clear objective.

"Absurd!" The voice of one of the Nascent Soul Stage female Disciples from the Yunmiao Holy Trace grew colder, tinged with disdain. "Xuantian Saint, this place is isolated by mist and covered by a Formation. Furthermore, we sisters are here guarding it with a Formation; not even a fly could get in. How could any Devil Head or variable have sneaked in? Your Xuantian Sect's 'heavenly machine plate' might be effective, but this is a vital place for our Saintess's secluded cultivation. How can we allow outsiders to harass her at will? You say a Devil Head has sneaked in, but do you have proof? Or perhaps... seeing that our Saintess is in seclusion, you want to find an excuse to spy on her or even commit some improper act?"

These words were quite sharp, directly speculating the worst about the other party's motives and blocking their possibility of forcing entry under the pretext of "eliminating demons and defending the Dao."

"What do you mean by that, Fairy?" another slightly impatient young male voice chimed in. "Everything our Saint says is true! That Devil Head is indeed incredibly cunning and excels at concealment; he might have slipped in while you weren't looking! If anything happens to your Yunmiao Saintess because of this, can you take responsibility?!"

"Shut up!" The Xuantian Saint's voice carried a hint of reprimand, and then he explained to the women of the Yunmiao Holy Trace, "Fairies, please calm your anger. My Junior Brother is young and impetuous, speaking without thinking. I have absolutely no intention of offending your Saintess. It's just that the heavenly machine plate is a vital treasure of our Sect, and its warnings have never been wrong. To ensure complete safety, how about this: please open the Formation and let me alone use my Divine Sense to briefly confirm that the Devil Head is not inside the palace? This way, it satisfies our desire to eliminate the demon and avoids the risk of disturbing your Saintess."

Zhou Tianyan's tone softened even more as he proposed a seemingly compromise solution, only to conduct a slight investigation with his Divine Sense, appearing to make a concession.

"Hmph, Divine Sense investigation?" The leading Disciple of the Yunmiao Holy Trace snorted coldly. "Xuantian Saint, you are a Soul Transformation Cultivator after all; you should know that when a Cultivator is in seclusion, the thing they fear most is external spying and disturbance, especially a Divine Sense investigation. Even the slightest error could trigger a backlash! Moreover, this place is an ancient palace left by our Sect's Seniors and has its own Restrictions. Do you think you can just investigate it whenever you want? How is your request any different from forcing your way in? Do you think there's no one left in the Yunmiao Holy Trace and want to challenge our authority?"

Her tone became increasingly firm, and spiritual power fluctuations faintly spread out, showing she was truly enraged. Behind her, the other female Disciples also began to release their auras, forming a battle array, looking ready to strike at the slightest provocation.

The Xuantian Sect's side also seemed to be provoked by this firm attitude. The impatient Disciple couldn't help but say, "Senior Brother, why bother talking to them! They're making all these excuses and obstructing us in every way; maybe that Devil Head is in league with them! Or maybe the Devil Head promised them some benefits, and they've hidden him away!"

"Nonsense!" A slightly youthful but angry female voice rang out; it was one of the younger Disciples guarding the gate for the Yunmiao Holy Trace. "Our Saintess is of such high status, how could she associate with a Devil Head? It's clearly you who have ill intentions... Hmph, I think you're just like those hypocritical stinking monks, talking about eliminating demons and defending the Dao, and having pure hearts, while who knows what filthy ideas you're harboring! You must have seen that our Saintess is in seclusion and want to take the Opportunity to harass her!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere instantly became even more tense, with the smell of gunpowder reaching its peak. Several angry shouts came from the Xuantian Sect's side, and spiritual power fluctuations intensified as some people seemed unable to restrain themselves from attacking.

"Enough!" Zhou Tianyan's voice suddenly rose, carrying the pressure of a Soul Transformation Cultivator, temporarily suppressing the agitation on his side. He fell silent for a moment, seemingly weighing the pros and cons, before his voice returned to calm, though it carried a persistent determination. "Fairies, I will say this one last time. Our Xuantian Sect is tracking that variable Devil Head for the peace of the Secret Realm, and we have no intention of becoming enemies with your Sect. This creature is exceptionally dangerous; if he is truly lurking nearby, he is also a huge threat to your Saintess. If you Fairies insist on obstructing us and refuse to yield even an inch... then I'm afraid I will have no choice but to offend you! If the commotion is too great and disturbs the Saintess's quiet cultivation, the consequences will likely be beyond what you or I can bear! Please, Fairies, reconsider!"

This was an ultimatum, a mix of soft and hard approaches. It both pointed out the possibility and consequences of a fight and shifted the responsibility onto the other party's lack of cooperation.

Inside the palace, Mu Changge heard everything clearly, a cold smile curling on his lips. So that was it. The Saint of the Xuantian Sect had come specifically for him, the "variable," and even had a tracking treasure called the "heavenly machine plate." Outside, one side was refusing to budge an inch to protect the Saintess's seclusion, while the other was determined to "eliminate the demon," and both seemed convinced the other had ill intentions. A conflict was imminent.

"Xuantian Sect... Zhou Tianyan... heavenly machine plate..." Mu Changge silently noted this information, a cold light flickering in his eyes.

He glanced at Saintess Ling Xiyue, who was bound beside him, also listening intently to the sounds outside, her face growing even paler. This Saintess must have realized her situation by now—surrounded by powerful enemies outside and held captive by a "Devil Head" like him inside. She herself was under someone's control, her spiritual power sealed, and her Divided Soul in his hands. She was truly in a helpless situation where no one could save her.

"Interesting..." Mu Changge whispered to himself, the light in his eyes becoming increasingly deep and unfathomable.

He looked at Saintess Ling Xiyue, who was slumped on the ground and bound so tightly she couldn't move. He leaned down slightly, bringing his mouth close to her ear, and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, with a playful smile, "Did you hear that? My dear Saintess. Your Junior Sisters are outside, confronting those 'Righteous Path' people from the Xuantian Sect to protect you, and they might even come to blows."

Saintess Ling Xiyue snapped her head around, her beautiful eyes glaring fixedly at Mu Changge, who was inches away. The fire of rage in her gaze almost erupted, but it was overshadowed by a cold sense of despair and humiliation. She knew she had completely fallen into this demon's control; not only was her body restrained, but even her fellow Junior Sisters seemed to have become pawns he could use.

Outside the valley, the standoff was in full swing. Inside the valley, between the bound Saintess and the unpredictable Devil Head, a subtle gambit concerning the Soul, life and death, and control had only just begun. And in the far distance, the roar of the Battle between Buddha and Demon added another stroke of blood and the unknown to this complex Secret Realm.