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The full moon hung high, illuminating a dazzling sea of stars.

Chu Xingchen leaned halfway against the table, his gaze drifting past it to fixate on the luminous orb above.

Whether it was the flower-laden Central Prefecture or the war-torn West Niuhezhou, if one simply looked up at the sky at this moment, the moon here was no different from the one back at Wanhua Ridge.

No wonder the world loves to entrust their nostalgia to the bright moon. Truly, this very moment mirrors those of the past.

Events still needed time to ferment. The supreme treasure of the Xuanqing Heavenly Sect was currently in his possession; it was excellent for concealing one's aura, though it placed a rather heavy burden on his divine sense.

All Wukong and the others had to do now was to do nothing at all—simply wait quietly for the opportunity to arise.

Naturally, Chu Xingchen had an optional side mission available to him here.

Donggua stood at the doorway, her gaze flickering between bewilderment and caution as she scanned her surroundings. Her fierce eyes darted repeatedly toward Chu Xingchen, seemingly calculating the success rate of an attack.

Chu Xingchen had heard the reports, but he hadn't expected his fifth disciple to have driven a demon to the brink of insanity. That, in itself, was a talent of sorts.

Without turning around, Chu Xingchen sensed Donggua's piercing stare. He spoke in a relaxed tone:

"Let me teach you your first lesson: the first thing you must do when you truly want to kill someone is... hide the killing intent in your eyes, especially when planning a stab in the back."

"We are both cultivators; we have no need for sleep. The night is long, so finding the perfect moment is far more important than striking blindly."

Donggua remained silent, deliberately stomping her feet as she gradually approached Chu Xingchen, as if trying to intimidate him.

She walked straight up to him, stopping within arm's reach.

For cultivators, this was dangerously close. Given that Cui Hao's cultivation base was a tier lower, Donggua could end his life in a split second if she attacked—provided his protective artifacts didn't trigger passively.

Chu Xingchen still didn't turn around. Instead, he gestured for Donggua to look at the moon above:

"What does that moon look like to you?"

"It looks like your head, which I'm about to slice off."

"If that's how you want to converse, I have ways to deal with you."

"You? But..."

The sneer on Donggua's face had yet to fade when she suddenly felt the world shift. Simultaneously, she felt a violent rejection from the very space around her.

A tearing sensation and a heavy dizziness flooded her body. She swayed, hurriedly reaching out to brace herself against the table.

What is this?

Donggua's expression stiffened as she shifted her gaze to the relaxed Chu Xingchen.

"How do you like this technique? If you don't care for it, I can switch to another," Chu Xingchen said with a gentle smile. "Or, you could go sit across from me right now."

Donggua felt as though she were being expelled from reality itself. Despite being a Deity Transformation cultivator, she couldn't even swallow her own saliva.

Judging by Chu Xingchen's relaxed demeanor, using this method to kill her would be effortless for him.

To continue acting tough would be laughable.

Donggua twisted her body, feeling the world spin around her, disorienting her completely.

When she finally came to her senses—she didn't know how much later—she found herself seated in a chair.

She looked out the window and noticed the moon had moved a significant distance across the sky. Time had passed.

What a bizarre technique!

Donggua was still shaken, but she kept her expression impassive. "I have nothing to discuss with you."

"Naturally, we do. Our history speaks for itself, and I consider myself somewhat familiar with you," Chu Xingchen said calmly. "If you haven't figured out the current situation yet, then I would have to question your intelligence."

"It's obvious Xu Linglong doesn't care about you anymore. You're just a minor demon who has fallen into our hands. You don't actually expect her to cross mountains and rivers, ignoring all risks, just to save you, do you?"

"Surely you aren't Xu Linglong's biological child?"

"Look at that moon. You can see it today, and you can see it tomorrow, but how much longer will you be able to see it?"

"I know you want to live more than anyone. No matter how great the hatred between us is, can it outweigh matters of life and death?"

Donggua was silent for a moment before replying with firm conviction:

"Yes, it can."

Chu Xingchen was rendered speechless. Seeing Donggua's expression—one that said trading her life for his would be a bargain—he didn't know what to say.

"Never mind, then. I hope your dream comes true."

Chu Xingchen withdrew his expression and stood up, preparing to leave:

"For the sake of our acquaintance, you can use the paper on the table to list what you want. After you pass on, I'll be sure to burn them as offerings for you. Of course, if you want to write my name, Cui Hao, that's fine too. I'll burn a life-sized effigy for you to vent your anger on in the afterlife."

"I wish you a quick and wonderful death."

With that, Chu Xingchen pushed the door open and left.

Since idle chatter was pointless, the time was simply not right.

Chu Xingchen didn't have much energy to waste on this little demon. Instead of studying her, he would rather discuss with the Great Buddha of Light how Mahayana Buddhism could cause indelible, massive repercussions for the Buddhist Sect.

After all, escaping was just the beginning; the true confrontation lay in the events to come.

Donggua watched Chu Xingchen's retreating figure. She remained silent until the door clicked shut.

Now, she was the only one left in the empty room.

Sitting in the chair, Donggua glanced sideways at the bright moon hanging high in the sky.

She made no futile attempts to escape.

A Tribulation Crossing cultivator was in the adjacent room; to such a being, these walls might as well not exist.

Cui Hao was here. If she could trade her life to alert the Buddhist cultivators and have them wipe out everyone here—herself included—that wouldn't be a bad outcome.

However... just as Cui Hao had said when they met.

He was Chu Xingchen's disciple and had the backing of a major sect.

The Buddhists would likely not kill Cui Hao; instead, they would probably send him back safely.

In such a trade, if the ringleader Cui Hao didn't die, she would still be on the losing end.

Escaping was impossible, of course...

Suddenly, Donggua shuddered as a thought struck her. She withdrew her consciousness into her spiritual sea and began to manipulate the flower Xu Linglong had left there.

However, this time, Donggua didn't simply beg for help or report her location.

Instead, she used her divine sense to endlessly repeat a single sentence—Found Chu Xingchen's disciple, Cui Hao. He is conspiring with the Buddha of Light and attempting to flee.

Donggua didn't care if the Buddha of Light detected the anomaly in her divine sense; she only cared about seizing this opportunity.

In just a moment, the flower that had previously remained unresponsive no matter what she did suddenly twitched, its petals moving ever so slightly.

Donggua's heart surged with excitement. Her divine sense scrutinized the flower and its petals as she transmitted the message again.

After a moment, the petals trembled almost imperceptibly.

Was that... a connection?

Did the Master know?!

Seeing this, Donggua ceased her actions. Sending too many messages would inevitably annoy her Master.

This was enough! This was enough!

Cui Hao's death was imminent!

Outside the room.

Chu Xingchen stood by the door, watching with a suspicious and puzzled expression as Donggua's aura drifted into the distance. He had also sensed the fluctuation in her divine sense.

Could this be how Donggua contacts Xu Linglong?

Chu Xingchen watched quietly as Donggua's divine sense departed, but once it moved beyond the detection range of the Xuanqing Heavenly Sect's treasure, he could no longer track it.

It seemed that relying on this to locate Xu Linglong would be a long shot.

Besides... that method seemed to be powered by the soul itself. Wouldn't using it too much kill her?

Did Donggua not know that? Was she really sending a telegram like that?

Soon after, Donggua sent out a second wave of divine consciousness.

Chu Xingchen did not hesitate. He decisively attempted to take control of it, and unsurprisingly, he succeeded without issue.

Furthermore... he had roughly managed to capture the frequency of the message intended for transmission.

However, since a different secret technique was employed, he would need to decrypt the signal to understand the actual content of the message.

As Chu Xingchen intercepted it, he also casually gave that wisp of divine consciousness a tug.

In an instant, Donggua's divine consciousness reacted with intense agitation.

It was as if... he had misunderstood something?

Chu Xingchen stroked his chin, his expression a mixture of sudden realization and deep contemplation.