Some things are simply beyond the reach of a minor Foundation Establishment cultivator like you.

"Do we have any way to deal with this?"

Su Ji looked at Su Jiu, his expression turning serious.

Su Jiu first gave a slight nod, then shook her head.

This gesture made Su Ji feel a little uneasy.

"When deducing the truth of a matter, some people are like a blind man feeling for rice. They count grain by grain until there is nothing left to touch before coming to a conclusion, and even then, they might not be right."

Su Jiu's voice was very soft.

"Others, however, can see things as clearly as a blazing fire, perceiving the roaring thunder in absolute silence."

"Senior Brother, which kind of person do you think the Sect Master is?"

Su Ji did not answer.

He knew very well that anyone who could secure the position of the Xiangsi Sect's Master could not possibly be a fool.

Su Jiu continued to explain, "She is neither of the two. She seems to have a more moderate temperament, so she must be waiting."

"Waiting for the reaction of the Kuitian Sacred Land."

Hearing the words "Kuitian Sacred Land," Su Ji's eyelids twitched again.

It was obvious that he also felt the situation had become much more thorny.

"If the Kuitian Sacred Land does not pursue the matter, then everything will be fine. The Sect Master might just turn a blind eye to us on account of our merits in Anyang City."

"But if the Kuitian Sacred Land does decide to look into it..."

Su Jiu did not finish her sentence, but her meaning was already crystal clear.

The two of them would be thrown out without hesitation to serve as scapegoats to appease the Sacred Land's wrath.

"Then, Junior Sister, do you happen to have some sort of... incredibly powerful secret technique?"

Su Ji was still a bit unwilling to resign himself to fate.

"For example, you could grow another tail, my Dao Foundation could explode one more time, and the two of us could just fight our way out?"

Su Jiu rolled her eyes at him.

"Do you think growing a tail is as easy as planting radishes?"

She sighed, her expression growing a bit more solemn.

"If we were only facing the Sect Master alone, combined with the combat strength you displayed in Anyang City, Senior Brother, we would have at least a seventy percent chance of getting away."

"But if the Sacred Land gets involved, it's hard to tell."

Su Jiu paused for a moment, seemingly weighing her words.

"Senior Brother, the Late Golden Core stage and the Peak Golden Core stage are two completely different concepts."

"A person is at the former stage because they are only capable of cultivating up to the Late Golden Core stage."

"However, a person is at the latter stage because this world only allows cultivators to reach the Peak Golden Core stage."

"The difference in combat strength between the two is like the gap between heaven and earth. It could be three times, or even five times greater!"

Su Ji's heart pounded with fear as he listened.

A Peak Golden Core Sect Master, combined with the unfathomable Kuitian Sacred Land.

No matter how he looked at it, this situation was a certain death trap.

The two of them discussed for a while longer, but they still could not come up with any foolproof plan.

Su Ji left Su Jiu's courtyard, weighed down by his heavy thoughts.

...

Time flashed by, and more than three days passed.

Within the Xiangsi Sect, that eerie calmness persisted.

Suddenly, the familiar grayish-white world descended upon Su Ji's vision.

This time, there were no dark red threads, nor were there any Y-shaped crossroads.

His consciousness was directly dragged by an irresistible force into an incredibly clear vision of the future.

...

Xiangsi Sect, the main sect hall.

The atmosphere was so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.

Su Ji and Su Jiu knelt side by side on the cold floor tiles, firmly pinned down by a powerful oppressive aura, unable to move a single muscle.

Seated at the head of the hall, the Xiangsi Sect Master looked down at them expressionlessly, her eyes icy cold.

And in the guest seat beside the Sect Master sat an unfamiliar middle-aged man.

The man was dressed in a luxurious brocade robe and had a refined and elegant appearance. He was unhurriedly holding a cup of clear tea, savoring it carefully.

It was as if the tense, volatile situation before him had absolutely nothing to do with him.

However, Su Ji's pupils suddenly shrank.

The patterns on that brocade robe...

Although they were much more intricate and exquisite than those worn by the two guys in Anyang City, he would absolutely never mistake that unique pattern of interwoven cloud motifs and gears.

Kuitian Sacred Land!

Moreover, judging by his imposing manner, his status was definitely not low.

Just as Su Ji was feeling alarmed and uncertain, the middle-aged man finally set down his teacup.

"Clack."

A soft sound echoed clearly throughout the grand hall.

"Sect Master Lin must be joking."

His voice was gentle and peaceful, devoid of any discernible joy or anger.

"The incident in Anyang City has caused quite an uproar, and my Kuitian Sacred Land has naturally investigated it."

He paused, shifting his gaze away from the Xiangsi Sect Master to slowly rest upon the two people kneeling below.

"Over a hundred cultivators perished entirely, yet only these two from your Xiangsi Sect returned safe and sound."

"What's more..."

A hint of amusement crept into the man's voice.

"Someone saw with their own eyes that this little friend here rode his flying sword high in the air above Anyang City, wiped out a horde of demons with a single strike, and saved the entire city's population."

"Sect Master Lin, tell me, does this matter have anything to do with your Xiangsi Sect?"

A dead silence filled the grand hall.

The Xiangsi Sect Master sat upright in the seat of honor, her face as dark as deep water, remaining completely silent.

The middle-aged man did not seem to mind. He slowly stood up, his exquisitely embroidered robe cascading smoothly with his movements without making a single sound.

He slowly walked over to Su Ji and looked down at him from a commanding height.

It was a look of pure scrutiny, completely devoid of any emotion.

"You are quite impressive."

"With a cultivation base merely at the first level of the Foundation Establishment stage, you managed to slay an evil cultivator at the Late Golden Core stage and save the people of an entire city."

"Such a remarkable feat is something that even the chosen geniuses of my Kuitian Sacred Land might not be able to achieve."

Su Ji cursed inwardly, "Here it comes", but he immediately put on a terrified and overwhelmed expression, his body even trembling uncontrollably.

"Se... Senior praises me too much! This junior... was just lucky, merely lucky!"

"Lucky?"

The middle-aged man chuckled softly, but his laughter lacked even the slightest trace of warmth.

"Li Xi thought the same."

Su Ji's heart skipped a beat.

"I presume you recognize her."

The middle-aged man's tone remained as flat as if he were discussing a trivial matter that had nothing to do with him.

"Li Xi was a rare genius of my Kuitian Sacred Land, the likes of which is rarely seen even in a thousand years. She reached the Late Golden Core stage at a young age and was even one of the candidate Holy Maidens."

"She carried a life-saving magical artifact bestowed by my Sacred Land. Even if she were no match for a Nascent Soul cultivator, she should have been able to escape safely."

"Yet, she died in the insignificant Anyang City."

At this point, the middle-aged man paused slightly, his gaze pressing down heavily on Su Ji like a tangible weight.

"Do you know why?"

Su Ji shook his head desperately, his face a picture of sheer bewilderment. He played the part of pure innocence to absolute perfection.

But the middle-aged man never expected him to answer anyway; this was nothing more than a trumped-up charge to begin with.

"Because she was too stupid."

The middle-aged man's voice dripped with undisguised contempt.

"That was an item belonging to our Kuitian Sacred Land. As a candidate Holy Maiden, she may have appeared cold on the outside, but she actually harbored a passionate weakness for handsome men and easily developed feelings for them."

"I suppose you used some sweet words to swindle away her life-saving trump card."

"Which ultimately led to her tragic death."

"And yet, you were able to use it to show off your prowess, basking in the worship of the entire city."

As the middle-aged man's voice slowly trailed off, the oppressive atmosphere in the grand hall reached its absolute peak.

"In the end, our Kuitian Sacred Land must be given an explanation for this matter."

He leaned down slightly, bringing his face close to Su Ji's ear, and lowered his voice to a mere whisper.

"Young man, having fortuitous encounters is a good thing."

"But that depends entirely on whether you have the life to enjoy them."

"There are some things that a lowly Foundation Establishment cultivator like you has no right to touch."

"Hand it over."

The last three words crashed down upon him like three massive mountains.

The middle-aged man's face finally lost its gentle and refined facade, replaced by a look of undisguised greed and arrogance.

"I can make the call to let you join my Kuitian Holy Land as an inner disciple, guaranteeing you a lifetime of peace and security."

Su Ji let out a long sigh.

He finally understood.

This guy was not here for some dead disciple at all.

He was here purely for the so-called fortuitous encounter Su Ji had supposedly obtained.

It made sense. Even the Golden Core prodigy meticulously nurtured by the Holy Land had suffered a disastrous fall.

Yet he, someone who had just entered Foundation Establishment, along with another who had just reached the Golden Core stage, had managed to survive unscathed and even steal the spotlight.

If someone claimed there were no earth-shattering secrets behind this, who would believe them?

But a Holy Land was still a Holy Land. They needed a justification to act, a fig leaf to cover their true intentions.

Seeking justice for a fallen disciple was the best possible excuse.

Meanwhile, the Xiangsi Sect Master merely cast a cold glance at Su Ji before lowering his eyes again, looking as though he had entered a state of deep meditation.

Su Ji's heart ran completely cold.

His mind raced.

Fighting was absolutely out of the question.

A Sect Master at the peak of the Golden Core stage, and an unfathomable envoy from a Holy Land.

How the hell was he supposed to fight that?

"My patience is limited."

The middle-aged man straightened his posture, resuming his condescending attitude.

"I will give you three breaths of time to consider."

"Either hand it over, or..."

He did not finish his sentence.

But the faint, lingering killing intent said it all.

...