93: Chapter 93 Liu Rumei forces her way into Ningyin Palace, Lady Qingli secretly intervenes.

Inside the Liufang Pavilion, the fragrance of spiritual fruits wafted through the air and the jade nectar was crystal clear, but the atmosphere was far less pure than the wine in the cups.

Liu Rurao leaned lazily against a soft couch, her fingertips absentmindedly toyed with the edge of a luminous cup. The Soul-hooking smile on her face had not faded, but the scrutiny and impatience in the depths of her eyes were quietly accumulating like an undercurrent.

The hospitality of Elder Hu and the others could not be called anything but thorough, and their words were as respectful as could be, but the more this kind of airtight 'politeness' continued, the more clouds of suspicion filled Liu Rurao's heart.

Xiao Nianyin, that woman who always had the appearance of an iceberg yet happened to be a step above her, actually didn't even show her face? In seclusion?

What kind of seclusion could make her refuse to see even when her 'good sister' personally came to the door?

And that male Disciple who popped out of thin air... Qi Refinement Stage? A personal Disciple? Who are they trying to fool!

Fairy Caidie was fiddling with the tips of her hair out of boredom. Occasionally, she glanced at Lei Xuan, who was standing below with flickering eyes, and whispered to Liu Rurao, "Revered Master, this Hehuan Sect is making all sorts of excuses; they clearly don't respect you."

"That Xiao Nianyin might be up to some shady business."

Liu Rurao's eyes rippled as she chuckled, "Little girl, what's the rush?"

She set down her wine cup and slowly stood up, her crimson palace dress rippling with seductive waves as she moved. "Since Sister Nianyin finds it 'inconvenient' to meet, as guests, it's only polite for us to proactively go and 'pay our respects,' right?"

Before her voice had even faded, the Aura around her body suddenly changed!

The lazy and charming atmosphere from moments ago vanished instantly, and a majestic, blazing Spiritual Pressure carrying endless allure and a sense of oppression erupted!

Like a dormant volcano suddenly awakening, a crimson spiritual energy halo rippled out from her. The exquisite decorations inside the Liufang Pavilion instantly creaked and groaned, and the servant girls with lower cultivation turned pale, staggering backward.

Elder Hu's expression changed drastically as she stood up abruptly. "Sect Master Liu! What is the meaning of this? This is within my Hehuan Sect..."

"This Seat only wishes to see Sister Nianyin and catch up on old times."

Liu Rurao's voice remained soft and seductive, yet it carried an unquestionable dominance. She moved with light steps, appearing slow, but with one stride, she was already outside the pavilion.

"You all are obstructing me in every way. Could it be... that there are some shameful secrets inside Ningyin Hall that you're afraid This Seat will find out?"

"Liu Rurao! How dare you!"

Elder Hu was both shocked and furious. She was only at the Golden Core Stage; how could she stop someone like Liu Rurao, a Sect Revered Master who had long since entered the Late Nascent Soul Stage and might even be touching the threshold of Soul Transformation?

She hurriedly crushed a transmission Jade Slip in her hand while shouting sternly, "Stop her!"

Several figures shot over from various parts of the Hehuan Sect. They were all Elders or elite Disciples staying behind to guard the Sect, and among them were several with the Auras of the Early and Mid-Nascent Soul Stage.

They had already received the warning. Seeing Liu Rurao indeed making trouble, they immediately formed a formation, their various Magic Treasures flashing with spiritual light as they tried to block her path.

"Hehe... Just with you lot?"

Liu Rurao giggled repeatedly, but there was no hint of a smile in her eyes, only cold mockery.

She didn't even use any Magic Treasures. With a simple wave of her sleeve, that crimson Meiying Spiritual Energy surged like a raging tide, transforming into countless pink threads invisible to the naked eye, covering the people blocking her path like a blanket.

Those pink threads looked soft, but they contained a terrifying power of erosion and bewitchment.

When the spiritual light of the Magic Treasures sacrificed by the Hehuan Sect Elders touched them, they actually made a 'sizzling' sound, and their spirituality dimmed at a visible rate.

The eyes of several Disciples with weaker cultivation became dazed, foolish smiles appeared on their faces, and their movements instantly slowed.

"Wake up!"

A Mid-Nascent Soul Stage Elder roared, his voice like a great bell, shaking some of the bewitched Disciples awake. At the same time, he sacrificed a bronze shield that grew larger in the wind, blocking the front of the group.

However, Liu Rurao's figure had already passed through the sparse defensive line like a ghost, heading straight for the main peak where Ningyin Hall was located!

Her speed was startlingly fast, leaving a series of afterimages behind her. Only her arrogant laughter remained in the air: "Sister Nianyin, your sister has come to see you, why hide and refuse to meet?"

The Hehuan Sect Elders were both anxious and angry, pushing their flight lights to pursue her. The light from various Spells and Magic Treasures intertwined behind her, but they were always unable to truly catch up or effectively intercept Liu Rurao.

The gap in strength was fully revealed at this moment.

Seeing the cold and silent outline of Ningyin Hall drawing near, a flash of triumph and deeper scrutiny appeared in Liu Rurao's eyes.

She wanted to see exactly what Xiao Nianyin was up to!

Just as her spiritual energy was about to touch the Restriction surrounding Ningyin Hall, and she could even vaguely sense that there didn't seem to be the expected powerful Saint Realm pressure within the hall—

A sudden change occurred!

Ningyin Hall itself did not radiate great light, nor did an earth-shattering Aura erupt.

But in the space ahead of Liu Rurao, it suddenly seemed to become incredibly 'viscous' and 'heavy'.

An indescribable, obscure, yet vast as an abyss, terrifying pressure descended out of thin air!

This pressure was not flamboyant or violent; instead, it carried an ancient, calm indifference and majesty that seemed to originate from the depths of one's Bloodline.

It did not target the Physical Body, but rather seemed to act directly on the Soul and the Origin of one's cultivation, causing Liu Rurao's unstoppable forward momentum to feel as if it had struck an invisible, intangible, yet indestructible Wall of Sighs!

"Hmm?!"

The charming smile on Liu Rurao's face instantly froze, and her pupils constricted.

She felt as if her spiritual energy had fallen into a deep-sea mire, its circulation suddenly becoming sluggish. That oncoming pressure caused a hint of instinctive chill and alarm to rise from the depths of her Soul.

This was definitely not something an ordinary Nascent Soul Cultivator could possess!

It even... seemed deeper and more unfathomable than the Saint Realm pressure she had perceived from Xiao Nianyin during her peak!

"Xiao Nianyin?! You..."

Liu Rurao was horrified, and her first thought was that Xiao Nianyin had made a move!

And the other party's power seemed even more profound than the rumors suggested!

Could it be that her seclusion wasn't due to weakness, but because she was cultivating some world-shaking Divine Ability?

Just as her mind was shaken and her Aura faltered, forcing her to strive to circulate her Cultivation Technique to resist this omnipresent, obscure pressure, the tightly closed doors of Ningyin Hall did not open. However, Xiao Nianyin's voice, as cold as an ice spring, clearly spread across the entire mountain peak, reaching the ears of Liu Rurao and all the pursuing Hehuan Sect members:

"Liu Rurao."

The voice was not loud, but every word was clear, containing an inviolable majesty.

"For you to disregard etiquette like this, intruding into the heart of my Hehuan Sect and threatening our Elders, is it because you think there is no one left in the Hehuan Sect, or..."

Xiao Nianyin's voice paused slightly, the chill growing even stronger.

"...do you wish to start a war with my Hehuan Sect right now?"

The moment the words fell, the obscure pressure enveloping Liu Rurao seemed to solidify by another half. Although there was no further attack, that silent warning and oppression caused Liu Rurao's blood to churn, and sweat faintly appeared on her forehead.

The Meiying Sect Disciples behind her, including Fairy Caidie, had long been awestruck by this pressure that far exceeded their level of understanding, their faces pale and unable to move.

Liu Rurao's eyes flickered rapidly as she 'looked' into the depths of Ningyin Hall with shock and uncertainty.

That pressure was indeed terrifying, and Xiao Nianyin's voice didn't sound the least bit weak... Had her judgment been wrong? Was the intelligence from that kid Lei Xuan incorrect?

Or was it that Xiao Nianyin was deliberately showing weakness to lure her in?

She quickly weighed the pros and cons.

Forcing a Breakthrough now, facing an unknown and seemingly more powerful Xiao Nianyin, coupled with the Hehuan Sect's home-field advantage, there was absolutely no chance of victory.

To some extent, the goal of today's probing had been achieved—Xiao Nianyin was not without the power to resist and might even be stronger. But at the same time, it left behind even more mysteries.

With her mind racing, Liu Rurao's face once again piled on that charming and moving smile, though it was somewhat forced. Her graceful figure retreated half a step, and her voice softened: "Sister Nianyin, please quell your anger. Your sister was just so eager to see you that I acted a bit recklessly."

"Since Sister is at a critical moment of seclusion, I naturally should not disturb you."

"I shall take my leave today and come to apologize another day."

With that, she didn't hesitate, turning into a crimson light and sweeping up her Disciples. She quickly retreated toward the mountain gate, her speed even faster than when she arrived, looking somewhat like she was fleeing in panic.

Seeing this, the Hehuan Sect Elders breathed a sigh of relief, but they didn't dare to stop her, letting her leave.

It wasn't until the Auras of the Meiying Sect crowd completely disappeared from their perception that the obscure pressure enveloping the front of Ningyin Hall quietly receded like a tide, as if it had never appeared.

Inside Ningyin Hall, Xiao Nianyin stood alone by the window, her back to the hall door. The fingers inside her sleeves were trembling slightly, and her face was even paler than when she had just transmitted her voice.

She clearly felt that at the critical moment when Liu Rurao was about to break in, a familiar and warm power had come from a hidden void somewhere in the hall, quietly propping up that 'pressure field' that had frightened Liu Rurao away.

It was Madam Qingli.

This Old Ancestor of the Taihu Clan had, in the end, chosen to strike secretly at the critical moment, resolving this crisis that had almost exposed her weakened state.

Xiao Nianyin felt little joy in her heart; instead, it grew even heavier.

She owed more and more to Madam Qingli.

And although Liu Rurao's probing had been repelled, her suspicion would never disappear; it would likely only become more persistent.

The weakness of the Hehuan Sect (or at least her, Xiao Nianyin's, weakness) had already caught the attention of their mortal enemy.

The storm really seemed to be coming.

Meanwhile, in the Hall of Power Transmission, Xu Ruyu, who was completely unaware of the brief but thrilling confrontation that had just occurred in front of Ningyin Hall, had just closed a Jade Slip. He rubbed his aching temples and sighed:

"Still haven't found a clear explanation for the Fifth Level of Qi Refinement... It seems I'll have to figure it out on my own."