The great doors of Tianyan Hall opened again three days later.
Lu Xuan led the way, a warm smile on his face, standing at the hall's entrance and giving a slight bow to bid farewell to the Tribulation Transcendence cultivators from each sect.
Every meeting naturally brought differing voices, but ultimately, everything was compromised to a level everyone could accept.
After all, none of those who had come to attend were here to make trouble.
This gathering was only an agreement on general direction. Many fine details couldn't be finalized at this moment—most would need to be determined during actual cooperation.
But at least the outcome was satisfactory.
The Xiaoyun Hall contingent bid farewell to Lu Xuan and prepared to set off back to Xiaoyun Hall.
As the group left Tianyan Peak, Zheng Zhaoling's gaze turned to Cui Hao beside her:
"I thought you'd ask me to wait."
Cui Hao replied: "Wait for what?"
"For you, of course. You're always telling me how well your Master treats you and how you worship him." Zheng Zhaoling slowed her pace slightly. "Anyway, the big picture can't be rushed. If you want to chat with your Master, we can wait for you."
Cui Hao's expression was calm, his tone indifferent: "No need. A disciple as beloved as I am always waits for the Master to miss me so desperately that he comes to find me himself."
Zheng Zhaoling hesitated: "You're sure?"
Cui Hao nodded with certainty: "Of course. Didn't you see the doting look in Master's eyes?"
Zheng Zhaoling scrutinized Cui Hao's head very carefully.
Cui Hao felt uncomfortable under her gaze and looked at her with distaste:
"I know I'm handsome and dashing, but I don't think you're that shallow."
Hearing this, Zheng Zhaoling's face lit up with affirmation:
"It seems the problem isn't with your eyes—it's with your head."
Cui Hao chuckled and ran a hand through his hair:
"Good. I like that you'd rather question my intelligence than my handsomeness."
Zheng Zhaoling was momentarily speechless, finally understanding that Cui Hao was a thoroughly well-rounded talent—high offense and high defense. His silver tongue was probably something she couldn't beat.
Cui Hao didn't actually go back to find his Master. He followed Zheng Zhaoling as they were about to exit Tianyan Sect.
But just at the sect entrance, Zheng Zhaoling suddenly raised her hand and slapped Cui Hao's arm.
Cui Hao rubbed his arm and glared at her:
"Easy! What's your cultivation and what's mine? If you accidentally slap me to death, whose fault is that?"
Zheng Zhaoling looked helpless, raising an eyebrow toward Cui Hao's line of sight: "His fault."
Cui Hao's gaze followed—and there was Chu Xingchen standing at Tianyan Sect's main gate, arms folded, smiling up at them.
This time, Cui Hao didn't wait for Zheng Zhaoling to speak again.
His body transformed into a rainbow streak, shooting straight down to Chu Xingchen's front.
Zheng Zhaoling watched from a distance as Cui Hao stood properly before Chu Xingchen, his face beaming with joy—though after barely two words, he was punched by Chu Xingchen.
Seeing this, Zheng Zhaoling had expected a scene of master-disciple harmony, but soon she regretted not averting her eyes immediately.
The punched Cui Hao performed an exaggerated, dramatically weak pirouette to the ground, looking for all the world like a lover betrayed.
Chu Xingchen clearly couldn't hold back either—stepping forward with a feigned kick, he sent Cui Hao back to his feet.
Zheng Zhaoling bowed to the accompanying Tribulation Transcendence elders:
"I'll trouble you all, Martial Uncles. Let's wait outside."
The accompanying Tribulation Transcendence cultivators smiled and nodded, then exited Tianyan Sect first.
Zheng Zhaoling followed, but cast one final glance back. She saw Cui Hao beaming and chattering with Chu Xingchen, at the same time reaching out as if to hug him.
In any case, the deep bond between master and disciple was plain to see.
After all, Zheng Zhaoling wouldn't imagine that her own Master would ever stand at a gate specifically just to meet her.
Chu Xingchen watched Zheng Zhaoling's group depart, then turned to the misty-eyed Cui Hao:
"Although I know you never come out short, as your Master, I still have to ask—were you wronged?"
"Come on, would I ever embarrass Master?" Cui Hao thumped his chest. "If I'd been bullied, I wouldn't dare say I was your disciple when I walked out the door."
Chu Xingchen laughed softly and draped an arm over Cui Hao's shoulder:
"Embarrassment doesn't matter. If you're wronged, tell whoever you want to go to hell and come find your Master."
"Right now, your Master can actually count as having some backing."
Cui Hao felt the familiar weight on his shoulder and smiled:
"Disciple understands. Sect rule number nineteen: if wronged, report to Master. Violators get served a Ten-Complete Great Tonifying Pill."
Chu Xingchen tried to recall for a moment but couldn't remember if sect rule nineteen actually existed.
Most of these rules had been written by Li Yingling—he had only skimmed through them.
Especially since Li Yingling would sometimes bring revised versions for his review.
Seeing the added and modified rules, Chu Xingchen roughly understood: the original rules had been exploited, or his eldest senior sister had been angered by some junior brother again.
The punishments, changed and revised, always came back to the Ten-Complete Great Tonifying Pill.
The specific details of the sect rules had been rewritten several times—Chu Xingchen genuinely couldn't remember them all.
Honestly, only Li Yingling knew the exact details. Whatever had been serious enough to make her spend time revising the rules would probably stay in her memory for quite a while.
But even if such a rule hadn't existed before, it did now.
At least this particular rule Chu Xingchen was serious about.
Cui Hao took a deep breath and spoke:
"Disciple understands that Master must be even busier than I am these days, so I won't take up more of your time. I'll complete the task Master gave me as best I can."
"Yunmeng Pavilion's side has been cooperative enough. I also understand Master's good intentions."
"As Master's disciple, being able to share Master's burden is the greatest fortune this disciple could ask for."
Chu Xingchen reached out and rapped Cui Hao on the head:
"Your greatest fortune is that you don't have to do anything. Same for mine."
Cui Hao laughed freely but said nothing.
Huanglian River. Lotus Boat. Lotus Root.
Boluo wore a white kasaya robe, a gentle smile on his face as he looked at one of the Heavenly Demons seated before him—Mei Yu.
Mei Yu's eyes were soft as warm breezes, her figure clad in a light-purple long skirt. Her face wasn't particularly stunning, but her speech carried a unique rhythm:
"Linglong is dead. The East Sea churns with unceasing wish-power."
Boluo didn't respond to this. Instead, he spoke on his own:
"The kindred who descended through Divine Descent have been captured. Mahayana realm. They didn't even get a single move off before being seized—they couldn't even perform self-destruction."
"Those who came must have been Tribulation Transcendence cultivators, and definitely more than one."
"We were likely ambushed. Our methods appear to have been seen through. They've figured out the mechanism."
Mei Yu similarly didn't respond to his words. She shifted her posture and continued:
"Regarding this level of overwhelming wish-power, only the Dao Authority you wield could accomplish it. Before this, Linglong said you might have issues."
"But now, at this critical juncture—a Heavenly Demon of that magnitude, gone just like that."
Boluo sighed softly: "Those spirit energy supplies alone aren't enough to provide sufficient power to anchor the two realms. We need to be greedier. A great battle can't be avoided."
Mei Yu's soft gaze rested on Boluo:
"You owe me an explanation."
Boluo's tone was calm:
"What I just said was the explanation."