Chu Xingchen's Weakness

The pillar of spiritual light pierced through the heavens, its brilliance even more dazzling than the scorching sun above. The residual shockwaves were contained by the formation, though the overflowing spiritual pressure alone was enough to send chills down one's spine—yet it caused no real harm.

The situation was now clear.

Unless the Supreme Elder had decided to blow up his own stronghold for the sake of fireworks, this was most likely the work of an enemy annihilation.

But this scale of destruction was beyond the capability of any ordinary sect. Even if the Eighteen Immortal Sects weren’t directly involved, they must have sanctioned and supported it from behind the scenes.

This wasn’t just a scheme against Donggua—it was a plot against the entire Eastern Victory Divine Continent’s headquarters.

Donggua glanced at Pig Mask, noting his dazed expression.

In the past, she might have been stunned for a moment too. But perhaps after being tormented by Cui Hao and brushing with death multiple times recently, her mind was eerily calm now.

Donggua spoke up, "At this point, the two of us are probably the only ones left from the Eastern Victory Divine Continent’s headquarters. You’re stronger than me, so I’ll follow your lead. What’s your plan?"

Pig Mask’s gaze lingered on her.

The higher-ups had invested immense resources into building this headquarters, and now it had been reduced to nothing.

But as for what to do next… he truly had no idea.

He was an enforcer, not a strategist.

The headquarters’ secrecy had been compromised, and he couldn’t determine whether Donggua was trustworthy now. He couldn’t fully detect if she carried any restrictions either. What if he brought her to the main base, only for it to suffer the same fate? Who would they even complain to then?

Seeing Pig Mask silently staring at her, Donggua waited a moment before losing patience.

"If you don’t have a plan, then at least take me far away from here. Once this spiritual energy settles, the top-tier human cultivators will sweep the area with their divine senses, and we’ll be left here to accompany the fallen elders in death."

Hearing this, Pig Mask reached out and grabbed Donggua, pulling her along as they fled into the distance.

At the heart of the Hundred Miles Flowing Cloud Formation—

Xu Jin watched the rapidly retreating figures of Donggua and Pig Mask with undisguised disdain.

"Shall I pursue and eliminate them both?" a nearby elder inquired.

"No. They may still serve a purpose," Xu Jin replied with a slight shake of his head, shifting his gaze back. "Focus on the post-formation sweep. We can’t afford to let anyone escape and make fools of us in front of the other sects."

The elder observed the towering pillar of spiritual energy and remarked with mild amusement,

"Surviving that is impressive enough. I doubt anyone else has the strength left to run."

Silent Bone Forest—

The battle had long since ended.

Once it was confirmed no reinforcements would arrive, the hidden cultivators joined the fray, swiftly securing victory.

The backup forces Pig Mask had mentioned were all suppressed.

Yet not a single prisoner was taken.

Once defeat was inevitable, every last one of them chose to detonate their core spiritual energy in self-destruction.

But self-detonation wasn’t something just anyone could accomplish—it required sufficient cultivation.

At the very least, Half-Xigua wasn’t among those capable of it.

First, Li Xingtian sealed his meridians with blood qi. Then, a master cultivator locked down Xigua’s divine sea and spiritual energy entirely.

Half-Xigua didn’t struggle pointlessly. He simply waited quietly for judgment to come.

"Xigua."

Hearing the call, Xigua opened his eyes to see Cui Hao standing before him—alone, having even asked Li Xingtian to step away.

Cui Hao’s tone was calm as he asked, "Do you have anything to say?"

"Just kill me," Xigua replied with a faint smile. "I have no useful information."

"That’s not what I wanted to ask." Cui Hao crouched down, meeting Xigua’s gaze.

"I’ve always known you were clever. You had more skills than Donggua. But throughout this journey, I noticed something—you never seemed like you wanted to live."

"You didn’t even warn Donggua properly despite knowing the risks. Why?"

Xigua maintained his smile but remained silent.

"Then let’s make a deal," Cui Hao said seriously. "Tell me, and I’ll grant you death. Otherwise, you’ll live—hanging at the gates of the Taidao Sect, perfectly preserved."

Xigua’s smile finally cracked. His expression turned blank.

"You don’t strike me as that kind of person. The most jarring thing about you is that you always seem like a good man."

"Donggua sees everyone as a villain, so she never noticed the contradiction."

Cui Hao shook his head slightly, his tone earnest.

"I just prefer to be good when I can. If there’s no choice, I’ll play the villain."

"Getting hung up on righteousness makes it hard to protect those close to you."

"After all these years following my master, the one thing I’ve truly learned is his protectiveness over his own."

"Even if I’m the least of them."

Xigua studied Cui Hao’s sincere expression for a long moment before finally speaking.

"Because beyond the heavens lies the one person I care about most. Only if I die, only if my mission ends completely, will they remain untouched."

"As for where ‘beyond the heavens’ is… that’s beyond my knowledge."

"I’m just a disposable pawn. Wasting time on me is pointless."

Cui Hao nodded in understanding and stood.

"Alright. Then rest well here."

With that, he turned and walked away, giving a slight nod to the cultivator standing nearby.

He didn’t look back, heading straight for Li Xingtian and Lin Luoyu.

Lin Luoyu glanced toward Xigua but didn’t intervene, instead asking Cui Hao,

"Are you alright?"

Cui Hao grinned. "I just pulled off a major feat, Senior Sister. Why wouldn’t I be?"

Li Xingtian said nothing, merely giving Cui Hao’s shoulder a light pat.

Neither pressed him about what he’d asked or why he’d acted without consulting their master first.

Sometimes, trust answered all questions.

Chu Xingchen stood some distance away, watching his three disciples. Cui Hao had resumed his usual respectful demeanor, seemingly buttering up Li Xingtian.

Lin Luoyu looked mildly disgusted at first, but soon smiled.

Li Xingtian didn’t smile, only sighed in resignation before apparently agreeing to something.

"The world isn’t so kind. Some things must be faced sooner or later. The path ahead is theirs to walk. That Cui Hao—your fifth disciple, was it? Still too soft-hearted. He could use more tempering."

Daoist Yuyang stood beside Chu Xingchen, his gaze following the trio as he remarked,

"Your second disciple seems the most promising."

Chu Xingchen shot him a glare. "Keep talking, and I’ll have my second disciple eat you."

Daoist Yuyang shrugged, unfazed.

Chu Xingchen was definitely lashing out in embarrassment. His disciples were clearly his only weakness.