207: Chapter 207 Again, the dark room and the relentless exploitation.

"What is going on with this Small World?"

Qing Shang looked around. "Surely you have already sensed the anomaly here. This world is already at its end."

"At its end?!"

Chi Wanhe and Xia Yingying curiously moved closer. They only felt that this space was unusually quiet, never expecting it to be a Small World on the verge of collapse.

However, when they recalled the spatial rifts they had encountered on the way, they immediately understood.

Qing Shang's gaze seemed to pierce through the spatial barrier.

"That is correct. This is a Small World within my Revered Master's body."

Qing Shang's voice carried a sense of reminiscence.

"My Revered Master was a Profound Immortal of the Immortal Realm of Rain, possessing vast Divine Abilities. She nurtured this world, moved mountains and filled seas, and guided living beings to settle here, allowing it to become a self-contained world capable of sustaining life. However..."

She paused, filled with regret.

"This world is, after all, not a true world. It cannot nurture new life, and the Spiritual Qi and Immortal Qi are water without a source."

Xia Yingying keenly captured the key point:

"Immortal Qi? Are you referring to the power I felt that is more refined than Spiritual Qi?"

Qing Shang looked at Xia Yingying, a hint of approval appearing in her eyes:

"What remains here is indeed the higher-level Immortal Qi, originating from my Revered Master's Origin. Unfortunately, ever since my Revered Master fell in a battle against a powerful enemy in ancient times, this world fell into the turbulence of time and space along with her physical body, eventually attaching itself to... outside the world you reside in."

"Erosion over the long years has caused the Immortal Qi to dissipate, the Laws to collapse, and spatial rifts to appear frequently. It is already... on the verge of collapse."

Ling Hao was thoughtful:

"So that is the case. No wonder the atmosphere of this world is so unique yet decaying. Then this zither..."

Qing Shang's gaze fell upon the floating zither.

"My Origin was also damaged in that great battle, and not even one-tenth of my power remains."

She waved her hand, and a clear radiance brushed over the zither body. The originally warm, glass-like jade zither trembled slightly, and the invisible illusion covering its surface faded away like ripples on water, revealing its true appearance.

The zither body remained ancient and simple, but upon closer inspection, several subtle yet deep cracks covered the body, one of which even extended to the zither head, as if a small piece were missing. Although the strings still shimmered, the light appeared somewhat dim.

"This is its current state, urgently in need of repair and nourishment."

Her gaze focused on Xia Yingying once more,

"With a Celestial Spirit Body and a pure Heart-Nature, you are better able to resonate the remaining Immortal Qi here with the sound of the zither... Are you willing to accept this zither, inherit the legacy of my Revered Master, the Xuansu Heavenly Maiden, and become the true Revered Master of the nine heavens ringing jade zither?"

Xia Yingying felt the weight in the zither soul's gaze, then looked at her Revered Master and Senior Sister beside her, took a deep breath, and her eyes became firm:

"This Junior is willing."

A hint of gratification flashed in Qing Shang's eyes,

"Good. Although you have gained my approval, the rules cannot be broken. You must undergo the trial of the Seven Emotions Inquiry Heart Strings to verify your true heart. This is not a test of strength, but a questioning of the purity of your heart-sound. Only with pure and transparent heart strings can you truly control this zither and perceive the emotions of all things."

She signaled for Xia Yingying to come forward, "Calm your heart and sit."

Xia Yingying followed instructions, stepped forward, and sat cross-legged before the zither. As she approached, without needing to touch it, the seven strings of clear Qi emitted a soft light on their own, producing a subtle resonant sound that faintly echoed with the Celestial Spirit Body's Qi within Xia Yingying.

Qing Shang guided her to extend her finger and gently touch the first string,

In mid-air, an image appeared.

In the Moonshadow Sect, Xia Yingying practiced sword techniques and played carefree under Ling Hao's guidance. The sun was bright, Revered Master watched her with a smile on his lips, and her heart was filled with pure happiness.

The scene changed abruptly; she "witnessed" Wan Shou Mountain and the Wutong Divine Dynasty slandering Revered Master for colluding with the True Demon Realm, and a nameless rage surged up...

The scene changed again, turning into a desolate night; she "saw" Revered Master severely injured and on the verge of death. Immense grief engulfed her, and tears fell.

Endless darkness, twisted demon shadows, evoked her fear; on the mountaintop at sunset, Senior Sister Xinxi stroked her head, Revered Master stood by, and the three of them watched the sunset together...

...And... boating on the lake, Xia Yingying herself took the initiative to ask Revered Master for tea...

Throughout the process, Xia Yingying's expression was sometimes joyful, sometimes frowning, sometimes tearful, sometimes firm, and finally returned to a state of peace and tranquility.

Chi Wanhe watched with great interest from the side, especially when she saw Xia Yingying constantly asking Revered Master for tea, smiling brightly as if recalling the happiness of that day.

While Xia Yingying was still in her state of realization, she couldn't hold back and leaned over to Qing Shang: "Senior, it looks quite interesting. May I try?"

Qing Shang glanced at her, then cast a glance at Ling Hao, and nodded: "You may. Just touch the strings."

Chi Wanhe sat down with great enthusiasm and pointed her finger at a string.

But the moment her fingertip touched the string,

seven images flashed in mid-air like a revolving lantern.

Under a sky full of falling flower petals, Revered Master revealed a gentle smile only to her.

Revered Master turned away coldly and walked towards other female cultivators; she clenched her fists in anger, her eyes turning red.

She stood alone in the distance, watching Revered Master carefully guide other Disciples in sword practice, tears in her eyes.

Revered Master's figure gradually disappeared into the thick fog, and she panicked, shouting and chasing after him.

In the warmth of the hibiscus tent, after the clouds and rain had ceased, Revered Master held her, and the two enjoyed the quiet afterglow of their intimacy.

In a dark room, her eyes were obsessive, holding a specially made chain in her hand, looking at the portrait of Ling Hao on the wall...

The last image was the two of them endlessly entangled, day or night, every inch of skin telling of desire, every breath intertwined with longing, as if to merge each other into their bones and blood.

Chi Wanhe's eyes were tightly closed, her cheeks flushed, and her breathing slightly rapid.

Qing Shang: "..."

This cold zither soul revealed a stunned expression for the first time. She turned her head and looked at Ling Hao with an extremely complex gaze:

"This Disciple of yours... appears so dignified and steady, yet the core of this Seven Emotions illusion... is actually all about you..."

She seemed unable to find the right words, eventually turning into a sigh, "...So... passionate?"

Ling Hao: "..."

Ling Hao raised his hand to touch his nose, coughed lightly, and his gaze drifted elsewhere, his tone carrying a bit of helplessness and amusement:

"Ahem... This is not my fault. It is the reflection of her own heart-sound."

Qing Shang withdrew her gaze, looking at Chi Wanhe, who was immersed in the "passionate" illusion, and remained silent.

At this moment, the Qi around Xia Yingying circulated, and she had completely awakened from her own trial.

Her expression was calm and transparent, with no more ripples. Qing Shang nodded with satisfaction and turned to her: "The heart-sound is pure, the seven emotions are transparent and not stuck in emotion. Good!"

She waved her slender hand, and the nine heavens ringing jade zither with its damaged Origin turned into a stream of light, lightly falling into Xia Yingying's arms.

The zither body shone brightly, and the seven strings played a series of clear and pleasant notes on their own. The clear radiance flowed like moonlight, gently wrapping around Xia Yingying.

A mysterious connection was formed between her and the zither, as if she had become a part of the zither, and she could clearly feel the zither's incompleteness and longing.

The light gradually faded, and the ancient zither lay quietly on Xia Yingying's lap, its brilliance contained within, connected to her Qi.

At this moment, Chi Wanhe also woke up abruptly from her "fantasy journey." Everything in the illusion was vividly before her eyes, especially those last images...

Her cheeks turned bright red instantly, like a cooked shrimp. She dared not look at Ling Hao at all, wishing she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

"M-Revered Master..." Her voice was as thin as a mosquito, her eyes drifting.

Ling Hao looked straight ahead with a straight face, his tone flat:

"Hmm? What's wrong? What happened just now? Revered Master was observing the spatial stability and saw nothing."

However, in the end, Ling Hao couldn't help but curl the corner of his mouth into an arc, whispering via sound transmission,

"...I didn't expect it, Xiao He, you with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, you have such wild thoughts? Both a dark room and day-and-night squeezing... tsk."

Chi Wanhe: "!!!"

She blushed instantly from her face to the roots of her ears, and smoke was almost coming out of the top of her head.