158: This woman is ruthless.

He was at the eighth level of the Nascent Soul Realm, having cultivated for nearly three hundred years. He was considered a titan in the Lesser Exquisite Grotto-Heaven; wherever he went, he was usually met with reverence.

But now, under Chen Xuan's pressure, he didn't even have the strength to lift his head. His bones creaked as if they would be crushed in the next second.

It felt as if a single thought from the other party could turn him into ashes on the spot.

This feeling was just like when he was still in the Qi Refinement Stage, looking up at a Nascent Soul immortal.

"Sen... Senior, ple... please withdraw your Divine Ability," Lin Chang squeezed out the words intermittently.

Chen Xuan glanced at him and flicked his finger, slightly restraining that suffocating pressure. Lin Chang immediately felt like he had been granted a great reprieve and gasped for air.

At that moment, Qi Yue moved!

A brilliant white Sword Qi streaked across the sky like a meteor, carrying sharp killing intent as it lunged straight for the Mountain Protecting Elder's face!

The Mountain Protecting Elder's expression changed drastically. He wanted to dodge, but found the Spiritual Qi in his body still sluggish and impossible to mobilize.

Just as the Sword Qi was about to pierce his chest, a figure suddenly dashed out from the main hall of the Blood Shadow Holy Land. Moving as fast as a ghost, it abruptly intercepted the Sword Qi.

"Clang—!"

The two strands of Sword Qi collided, and a deafening sound reached the ears. Ripples of Spiritual Qi surged and scattered, making everyone's sleeves flutter.

Everyone looked closely and immediately gasped.

The figure that had suddenly appeared looked exactly like Qi Yue!

The same plain white dress, the same facial features—it was the kind of appearance that made one feel like a Fairy had descended to play in the mortal world with just one look.

Lin Chang's pupils shrank suddenly as he understood everything in an instant.

As the Sect Master of the Blood Shadow Holy Land, he could tell with just one glance that this was a Puppet.

The eyes were hollow and lifeless, the skin had a strange greenish-gray tint, and there was not a trace of vitality in the body; these were all characteristics of a Puppet!

"Fool! Fairy Qiyue is a core figure of the Profound Moon Palace. You dared to plot against her? Are you tired of living and trying to bring the Blood Shadow Holy Land down with you?!" Lin Chang scolded with a face full of rage.

If he wasn't afraid of overdoing it, he would have wanted to personally clean house right then and there.

"Fairy Qiyue, spare my life! This really has nothing to do with me! It was Fairy Youyue who harmed you; I only made a few deals with her."

Qi Yue's hand holding the sword hilt paused slightly, and she did not respond to the Mountain Protecting Elder. From the moment the Puppet that looked exactly like her appeared, an indescribable sense of discomfort welled up in her heart.

It was a psychological discomfort.

Chen Xuan caught the complexity in Qi Yue's eyes and quietly gathered strength in his fingertips.

In the next second, a crisp "bang" suddenly exploded, echoing through the clouds!

Before the Mountain Protecting Elder could even finish begging for his life, he was blown apart into a cloud of crimson blood mist. A thick smell of blood instantly filled the air and drifted with the wind, causing many people present to instinctively look away.

The Puppet, having lost its controller, instantly ceased all movement. It stood frozen in the void like a marionette with its strings cut, its hollow eyes staring straight ahead.

Witnessing this scene, Lin Chang's eyelids twitched uncontrollably, and cold sweat soaked his back. Indeed, a single thought could decide life or death. Just who was this person, and why did he possess such a Realm?

He forcibly suppressed the fear in his heart and took a deep breath, his voice still trembling: "Se... Senior, this Junior truly knew nothing about the Mountain Protecting Elder refining a Puppet! I beg Senior..."

"Ignorance is innocence?" Chen Xuan spoke indifferently, his tone giving away no emotion.

"No! Ignorance is a grave sin!"

Lin Chang blurted out almost instantly, fearing that a moment's delay would lead him to the same fate as the Mountain Protecting Elder.

He hurriedly bowed, keeping his posture extremely low. "My Blood Shadow Holy Land is willing to prepare a generous gift to apologize. I only ask Senior and Fairy Qiyue to appease your anger. Please, Senior, you must accept it!"

Chen Xuan raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.

This Lin Chang was quite sensible; he didn't waste any words and immediately backed down to apologize, which made the "excuse" Chen Xuan had prepared useless.

Forget it. Since this was about settling Qi Yue's grievances, he would leave it to her.

Qi Yue's gaze fell upon the frozen Puppet.

In an instant, she flipped her wrist, and her longsword hummed. A brilliant white Sword Qi suddenly soared into the sky like the pouring of the Heavenly River, carrying a momentum that could destroy heaven and earth as it slashed fiercely at the Puppet!

"Boom—!"

Wherever the Sword Qi passed, the Puppet didn't even have a chance to struggle. It was instantly ground into dust, with not even a scrap of its clothing remaining.

This action stunned everyone present, and they didn't even dare to breathe.

Only after finishing this did Qi Yue slowly sheathe her sword and let out a soft breath, her tense shoulders finally relaxing slightly.

A single thought popped into everyone's head at the same time: This woman is truly ruthless; she could even strike such a blow against an image of herself.

"Sister Qiyue~" Xiao Lingxian couldn't help but call out softly, her tone full of worry.

Only then did a hint of softness appear on Qi Yue's cold and gloomy face. She turned to look at Xiao Lingxian and shook her head: "I'm fine. I'm just making a clean break with the past."

Having said that, she turned around and bowed to Chen Xuan, her voice sincere:

"Thank you for your help, Sect Master."

Chen Xuan waved his hand. "It was just a small matter, no need for such formalities. In the future, just continue to serve my Dao Seeking Sect; that will be the best thanks to me."

Chen Xuan waved his hand and said, "It was just a small matter. Just continue to serve my Dao Seeking Sect in the future."

One incense stick of time later!

Lin Chang held a glowing storage ring and respectfully presented it to Qi Yue:

"I offended you earlier. I hope Fairy Qiyue is magnanimous enough not to hold it against my Blood Shadow Holy Land. Please accept the items in this storage ring as a token of apology from my Blood Shadow Holy Land."

Qi Yue raised her slender hand, and a surge of spiritual power swept up the storage ring, which she then tucked away. She scanned the items inside with her Divine Sense. Having once been the Grand Elder of the Profound Moon Palace, she knew the weight of this storage ring.

This Sect Master Lin was indeed honest; such an apology could be considered full of sincerity.

Only then did she utter a single phrase: "Let there not be a next time."

Hearing this, Lin Chang felt as if he had been granted a great reprieve and hurriedly cupped his hands again. "Yes, yes, yes. There will never be a next time!"

Not until Chen Xuan's group flew away and became small dots on the horizon did Lin Chang raise his hand to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead.

He looked in the direction the Man in White Robes had left, his heart still fluttering with fear, while his mind was filled with confusion.

He hadn't expected Fairy Qiyue to have joined the Dao Seeking Sect, and that Man in White Robes was actually the Sect Master of the Dao Seeking Sect!

He recalled the Dao Seeking Sect, the dark horse that had dominated the Heavenly Selection Grand Ceremony. All five of their Disciples had won the ceremony and even caused the various powers of the Profound Realm to compete for them.

Lin Chang muttered to himself, "Just what is the background of this Dao Seeking Sect?"

It seems that the Heavenly Secret Pavilion, the number one Sect in the Central Region, will soon be replaced.