236: Chapter 236 Even in distress, you're still worried about others; I've come to take you out.

The back mountain of the Hehuan Sect, Soul-Falling Cliff.

This was a desolate land shrouded in gray-black fog year-round, where Astral Winds were like knives, howling up from the bottomless abyss and swirling with a bone-chilling Qi that made even the Soul feel a stinging pain.

Simple caves were carved into the cliff face, each entrance flickering with dim runes; these were Restriction Formations specifically used to imprison Disciples who had committed serious crimes or needed to "cool down."

The Spiritual Qi here was so thin it was almost non-existent, the environment was harsh, and there were invisible Soul-Eroding Forces constantly harassing the mind; let alone attempting to Cultivate, even maintaining consciousness and resisting the freezing cold was exceptionally difficult.

Being cast into the Soul-Falling Cliff was often a severe punishment second only to having one's cultivation base destroyed and being thrown into Death Row.

At this moment, within several connected caves near the top of the cliff, a few figures were curled up in their respective corners, their auras withered and their appearances wretched.

In the leftmost cave, Leng Ningshuang sat cross-legged on the icy stone ground, attempting to circulate her Cultivation Technique to dispel the bone-chilling cold that had seeped into her marrow; however, with the lack of Spiritual Qi and her own injuries, the effect was negligible.

Her signature light blue dress was torn in many places, stained with dust and dark red blood; her exquisite face was as pale as death, and her lips were slightly purple from the cold, yet those eyes remained clear and cold like a snow-covered pond, showing no ripples, though deep within them hid a trace of hard-to-detect exhaustion and... worry.

She was worried about the young man she had brought into the Sect but who had been swept into a massive whirlpool—Xu Ruyu.

That day, Xiao Nianyin was in a towering rage; Leng Ningshuang did not hesitate to contradict the Sect Master to plead for him, and what she received in return was this imprisonment in the Soul-Falling Cliff.

She wondered if he was now... alive or dead?

In the neighboring cave, Qingyan hugged her knees, curling her small body into a ball in an attempt to preserve a bit of warmth.

The innocent, harmless smile on her face had long since vanished, replaced by a pale, panicked expression like that of a startled deer.

Her cultivation base was the weakest, so she suffered the most in this Soul-Falling Cliff; her entire body was involuntarily trembling slightly, and her beautiful almond eyes were misty with tears, yet she stubbornly refused to let them fall.

She would occasionally glance at the dim light of the Restriction at the cave entrance, her mind repeatedly chanting: Senior Brother Xu... Senior Brother Xu will be alright, won't he? It's all my fault...

If only I could have persuaded Senior Brother Xu to leave earlier and not participate in that bullshit Three-Month Agreement, none of this would have happened...

In a slightly larger cave further down, Zhao Yan was pacing irritably; his red clothes were torn, revealing the sturdy muscles beneath, which were covered in bruises and scratches.

He was cursing under his breath, though his voice was somewhat weak: "That damn Xiao Nianyin! Crazy woman! Completely unreasonable!

Who did Brother Xu provoke? Didn't he just tell a few truths? Why the hell did she lock us up in this ghostly place!

Just wait until I get out... just wait..."

Halfway through his threats, he was sent into a shivering fit by a gust of Bone Erosion wind; his breath hitched, he coughed a few times, and a look of pain appeared on his face.

Although he had a boisterous personality, he also knew that being cast into the Soul-Falling Cliff—without a special pardon from the Sect Master or a major upheaval—practically meant his future was ruined, and he might even be forgotten here until his life force was completely exhausted.

Brother Xu... was likely facing more bad luck than good.

At the thought of this, he felt even more stifled and irritable.

In the cave at the very edge, Ning Caihe sat silently leaning against the stone wall.

His injuries seemed to be the most severe; the cloth wrapped around his chest was soaked with dark red blood, his face was ashen, and his breathing was faint.

He was naturally a man of few words, and at this moment, he didn't say a single thing, simply closing his eyes as if enduring pain, or perhaps accumulating strength.

In the eyes he occasionally opened, what flashed through was determination and refusal to give in.

He did not regret speaking a few words of justice for Xu Ruyu beneath the Law Execution Platform that day; he only hated that his cultivation was too low and he was powerless to change anything.

Junior Brother Xu... that Junior Brother with the clear eyes who had come up with the whimsical idea of 'Air Cultivation'... what a pity.

Just as the four of them were harboring their own thoughts and struggling to endure the torture of the bone-chilling, Soul-eroding environment—

From the direction of the cliff top, an unusual noise suddenly came!

The dim runes restricting the cave entrances flickered several times without warning and then... went out!

Immediately following that, the heavy stone doors engraved with Restrictions were slowly pushed open from the outside amidst a dull sound of friction!

Blinding daylight (relative to the inside of the caves) accompanied by fresh air flooded in, causing the four people, who had grown accustomed to the darkness and foul air, to subconsciously squint their eyes while their hearts suddenly tightened!

Who was it? Were they here for an interrogation? Or an execution? Or had Xiao Nianyin changed her mind?

Under the watchful, wary, and even slightly despairing gazes of the four, several figures appeared at the cave entrance against the light.

The leader was tall and upright, wearing a simple set of cyan robes; his face was clean and handsome, his eyes were bright, and he wore a faint, relieved smile.

When they clearly saw the newcomer's face, four pairs of eyes in the four caves widened simultaneously, their pupils contracting violently as if they were seeing the most unbelievable sight in the world!

"Xu... Senior Brother Xu?!" Qingyan was the first to cry out in shock, her voice trembling with disbelief, followed by wild joy, "Senior Brother Xu! You're okay?! You're really okay?!"

She struggled to stand up, but due to her weakness and excitement, her legs gave way, and she nearly fell.

"Senior Sister Leng Ningshuang, Junior Sister Qingyan, Senior Brother Zhao, Senior Brother Ning," Xu Ruyu stepped quickly into the cave area, his gaze rapidly sweeping over the four's wretched states; especially when he saw Leng Ningshuang's pale face and the blood on Ning Caihe's chest, a trace of guilt and anger flashed in his eyes, but his tone remained gentle and firm, "It's me, Xu Ruyu.

I'm fine, I've come to take you out."

"Brother Xu! It really is you!"