531: Chapter 531 The Inevitable Cause

On the inner wall of the corridor, a massive portrait hung every ten feet.

The pigments on those portraits had already become somewhat mottled, but the eyes of the people in the paintings were lifelike. There were elders with eyes wide in anger and middle-aged men in deep meditation with eyes closed; each portrait radiated a unique charm.

“Those are the portraits of the past Pavilion Masters of the Tianji Pavilion,” Lin Yu explained softly from within the ring.

Immortal Master Xuan Ming ignored these portraits and walked with large strides.

Until they reached the middle section of the corridor.

Immortal Master Xuan Ming's footsteps faltered almost imperceptibly before a certain portrait.

That pause lasted absolutely no longer than half a breath; if Su Ming hadn't maintained an extremely high level of vigilance, he wouldn't have noticed it at all.

Su Ming's gaze naturally fell upon that portrait.

It was a portrait with a style starkly different from those around it. The subject was not some white-haired, youthful-faced elder, but an extremely young female cultivator.

She wore a plain white Daoist robe and did not wear any ornate Magical Artifacts. Her features were pure and ethereal, and her brow lacked the sharp calculating look of the other Pavilion Masters.

Her eyes were quietly gazing at the person outside the painting.

In that instant, Su Ming noticed that Immortal Master Xuan Ming, who was walking ahead, suddenly clenched his right hand—which was held behind his back—into a fist.

But only for a brief moment.

That hand slowly relaxed again, returning to its withered, stagnant state.

Immortal Master Xuan Ming did not look back, nor did he linger for even a moment before this portrait, continuing to walk forward.

Qing Feng was walking by Su Ming's side, and he also noticed the unique portrait of the female cultivator. The boy's curiosity made him unable to resist leaning toward the wall, wanting to see clearly what characters were written in small, regular script in the corner of the portrait.

A hand steadily grabbed Qing Feng's back collar.

Su Ming's wrist exerted a slight force, yanking Qing Feng back to the center of the path.

“Don't touch things recklessly.” Su Ming's voice was extremely low, but it carried an undeniable sternness.

What he didn't say out loud was that the Karma behind this painting was likely more lethal than any Restriction.

Qing Feng was startled and quickly retracted his neck, obediently staying close to Su Ming as they walked.

At the end of the corridor was a side hall partially suspended over the edge of a cliff.

The hall doors were wide open, with no guards and no luxurious furnishings.

Only gusts of cold wind blew through the hall.

Immortal Master Xuan Ming stopped before the hall doors and, without announcing himself, stepped directly inside.

Su Ming followed closely behind. The moment he stepped through the doors, his heartbeat slowed uncontrollably, and the Qi in his Dantian became completely silent.

The inside of the hall was empty.

In the deepest part of the side hall, on the side near the cliff, sat a simple and ancient jade desk.

Before the desk sat an elder with white hair and a youthful face.

He wore an extremely loose Daoist robe, and his silver hair cascaded over his shoulders like a waterfall. His complexion was as ruddy as a baby's, yet his eyes seemed to contain the endless birth and destruction of the galaxy.

The elder was alone, facing several scrolls on the desk.

Immortal Master Xuan Ming walked straight to the desk. Without bowing or speaking, he sat cross-legged on a prayer mat opposite the elder.

The Tianji Pavilion Master.

One of the most unfathomable figures in the Middle State sat just ten feet away from Su Ming.

The Pavilion Master put away the scrolls and slowly raised his head; his gaze did not look at Immortal Master Xuan Ming sitting opposite him.

Instead, it bypassed the jade desk and landed on Su Ming, who was standing not far away.

He paused for a full three breaths.

The corner of the elder's mouth curled slightly, revealing a peaceful smile.

“So this is the Disciple that kid Master Xuan Heng took in?”

The Pavilion Master's voice wasn't loud, sounding like casual conversation, but it made it impossible for one to even entertain the thought of resistance.

Su Ming took a deep breath, suppressing the illusion of being completely seen through.

He took a step forward, folded his hands in front of him, and bowed deeply.

“Junior Su Ming, a Disciple of the Cloud Hidden Sect's Formation Peak, greets the Pavilion Master.”

“Rise.”

The Tianji Pavilion Master raised his hand casually.

Su Ming straightened up, naturally tucked his hands into his sleeves, and took a half-step back. Standing behind and to the side of Immortal Master Xuan Ming, he focused his gaze inward, not sparing another glance at the youthful-faced elder.

Immortal Master Xuan Ming sat on the prayer mat, his withered hands resting on his knees. His tone was as calm as if he were discussing the most trivial of matters: “This boy's cultivation has run into some trouble; his dao foundation is damaged.” Immortal Master Xuan Ming got straight to the point, his raspy voice echoing in the hall. “Master Xuan Heng came to me for help. I have come to ask the Tianji Pavilion for a drop of ten-thousand-year void azure stone marrow.”

The Tianji Pavilion Master did not answer immediately. He raised his right hand and began to tap his index finger lightly on the edge of the white jade desk.

“Tap... tap... tap...”

Qing Feng and Ming Yue stood to the side, already breaking into a cold sweat from the pressure of the hall's atmosphere, their breathing becoming intermittent.

Ying moved its claws slightly on Su Ming's shoulder but was silently pressed down by Su Ming with a wisp of gentle spirit energy.

“ten-thousand-year void azure stone marrow.” The Tianji Pavilion Master finally stopped tapping, his voice becoming somewhat distant. “In the past thousand years, my Tianji Pavilion has only condensed three drops.”

He raised his eyes and looked at Immortal Master Xuan Ming.

“For a Junior from another sect, you come to ask for a foundational treasure of my pavilion.” The Tianji Pavilion Master's tone betrayed no emotion. “Xuan Ming, how do you plan to settle this account?”

Immortal Master Xuan Ming's withered face twitched slightly.

“Karma.” Immortal Master Xuan Ming coldly spat out those two words. “He owes me a favor. I will use the last of my old ties with this Tianji Pavilion to exchange for this drop of stone marrow. From now on, I will have no further connection with the Tianji Pavilion.”

Su Ming keenly caught the phrase “the last of my old ties.”

The Tianji Pavilion Master gave Immortal Master Xuan Ming a deep look.

In those eyes that seemed to contain galaxies, extremely complex emotions flashed. There was regret, helplessness, and even a trace of deep guilt.

“Fine.”

The Tianji Pavilion Master slowly nodded. “The ten-thousand-year void azure stone marrow can be given.”

Hearing this, Su Ming's breathing hitched for half a breath in an imperceptible moment.

No matter how steady his Heart-Nature was, hearing that the peerless Spirit Medicine—which concerned his path to longevity and could repair the hidden injuries of his dao foundation—was about to be obtained, waves of emotion still rose within him.

However, the Tianji Pavilion Master's tone suddenly shifted in the next moment.

“But the rules of the Tianji Pavilion cannot be broken. To take a heavy treasure, one must bear heavy Karma.”

The Pavilion Master turned his head slightly and gave an order toward the empty space outside the hall doors.

“Bring the tortoise shell.”