Master’s Arrival and a Fateful Interruption

At this moment, only one thought occupied Lin Xingjian’s mind.

She was too powerful; her strength was utterly unconquerable!

“How can this be!”

“Why would Master come…?”

A subtle tremor crept into Zhang Jingya’s voice.

Upon hearing her words, Lin Xingjian felt a surge of both alarm and delight, yet the situation was far from resolved.

“Zhang Jingya, you mustn’t act rashly,” Lin Xingjian urged.

“You absolutely cannot escape. Your Master’s aura alone suggests she is at least at the peak of the Nascent Soul realm.”

“You are merely a Golden Core cultivator; how could you possibly escape from your Master’s grasp, let alone take me with you?”

Zhang Jingya gritted her teeth.

With her back to the depths of the grand hall, she felt an oppressive aura rolling in from the shadowy recesses, as if a primordial beast lay dormant there.

The hall was permeated by a stale, decaying scent, reminiscent of ancient tomes long sealed away, mingling with the dust of ages and the weight of history.

As the ethereal white-robed woman took each step, her soft footfalls echoed gently through the vast, empty hall.

With every step that brought her closer to the hall’s entrance, Zhang Jingya’s heart was torn by an escalating internal struggle.

A myriad of complex emotions—fear, entanglement, ferocity—gradually surfaced on her face.

Yet, her already forward-stretched leg was held captive by an unseen force, unable to take even a single step further.

“Zhang Jingya, have you heeded your Master’s words?”

Again, a cold voice resonated through the grand hall, its penetrating power no less potent than a spear, piercing straight through one’s very core.

Lin Xingjian found the oppressive aura almost unbearable, yet he was startled to notice Zhang Jingya subtly gathering Awe-Inspiring Righteousness.

“Don’t do anything foolish, Zhang Jingya!” Lin Xingjian cried out urgently.

No sooner said than done.

Just as Zhang Jingya was about to take another step, intending to break through the oppressive aura, Lin Xingjian, utilizing his Bone Shrinking Art, freed himself from his restraints and moved to stop her impulsive action.

However, it was all too late.

“Those who attempt to betray the Xuantian Dao Sect shall be punished!”

The moment Zhang Jingya moved, the white-robed woman struck abruptly.

She merely pinched her fingers together before flicking out a peculiar wisp of light.

The wisp of light appeared slow, yet Lin Xingjian and Zhang Jingya felt as if they had been struck by a Body-Binding Spell, utterly unable to move.

As the wisp of light slowly approached, they sensed within it the immense spiritual power of a thousand Golden Core cultivators compressed; a touch of which would surely bring death!

“Ya’er…!”

Zhang Jingya was utterly stunned.

For all these years, she had known her Master’s strength, but this was the first time she had faced it directly.

Lin Xingjian reacted with lightning speed, pulling Zhang Jingya’s hand forcefully and drawing her behind him.

“No, Jianlang!”

Seeing this, Zhang Jingya desperately tried to step forward.

But it was already too late; she could only barely manifest a shield of Awe-Inspiring Righteousness in front of Lin Xingjian.

Yet, what good would it do?

Her full power seemed utterly ludicrous against her Master’s casually executed move.

This strike was meant for her to bear; with her Golden Core cultivation and Righteous Body, she might have survived with severe injuries by using all her means, but Lin Xingjian was merely at the Foundation Establishment stage…

He would die!

Lin Xingjian, too, regretted his rash actions at this moment.

He had merely instinctively wanted to protect this woman to whom he felt indebted, but this time…

The wisp of light was half a meter away from him.

He could clearly sense the immense power within it, and there was still a sliver of hope to use ‘Dark Concealment’ to rapidly shrink his form and escape the blast radius with Zhang Jingya.

Just as the wisp of light was about to touch him.

Lin Xingjian felt a strange churning in his internal organs, his throat seized, and something was expelled from his mouth.

The object was small and black, resembling a hidden weapon or a tiny flying stone, and it shot rapidly towards the wisp of light.

The white-robed woman paused, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.

She had not expected this young man to spit out an indescribable Gu-worm.

The Gu-worm’s speed was astonishing, far surpassing that of the wisp of light.

After colliding with the wisp of light, it forcefully gathered the spiritual power of the wisp, pushing it several meters away before allowing it to detonate.

Boom!

Without warning, a blinding flash of light tore through everyone’s vision, and a deafening roar, like a thousand thunders, rolled forth.

As a terrifying ripple of energy dispersed, the Gu-worm was utterly shattered…

The entire world seemed to be violently shaken by a giant hand, and a powerful shockwave spread outwards with destructive force.

Without time to think, Lin Xingjian was sent flying backward by the impact of this energy.

At the epicenter of the explosion, scorching light surged like a raging tide, instantly devouring everything in its vicinity, transforming the once orderly large timbers and ancient stones into chaos.

The white-robed woman watched it all with indifference, her expression utterly unchanged.

“Jianlang!”

Zhang Jingya rejoiced inwardly.

Jianlang was safe and sound.

It was fortunate that the wisp of light had been pushed several meters away, and her own Awe-Inspiring Righteousness had shielded him from the aftershocks.

But… why would a Gu-worm of Foundation Establishment cultivation erupt from Jianlang’s body?

Could Jianlang have cultivated Gu Cultivation?

“Ugh!”

Affected by the explosion’s aftershocks, Lin Xingjian felt the world spin, and a wave of churning nausea overwhelmed him.

His features contorted into a grimace of pain due to the sudden discomfort.

A trapped beast had been in his stomach, wildly crashing and struggling before the wisp of light arrived, breaking free from the cage of his body, and then, to protect him, sacrificing itself resolutely.

“What was that just now… a Gu-worm?”

“A Gu-worm pushed away the wisp of light and saved my life?”

“This is truly too… fantastical.”

He quickly covered his mouth and nose, striving with all his might to suppress the ensuing urge to vomit.

The churning discomfort clung to him like a phantom, its intensity far surpassing the physical damage from the aftershocks.

“Jianlang, are you alright?”

Zhang Jingya rushed to Lin Xingjian, collapsing at his feet, her eyes brimming with tears.

“I’m so sorry, I’ve wronged you.”

“Ya’er, are you hurt?”

Lin Xingjian was still shaken.

The white-robed woman’s casual strike just now had possessed the power of a Nascent Soul realm cultivator.

Zhang Jingya’s Master, at a conservative estimate, was at the peak of the Nascent Soul realm, or perhaps even a grand cultivator of the Soul Detachment realm!

“I’m perfectly fine, you fool!”

Zhang Jingya suddenly burst into laughter through her tears.

Lin Xingjian’s protective action brought a small patch of warmth to her gloomy heart.

“Zhang Jingya, do you admit your guilt?”

Before the two could fully recover, the white-robed woman steadily emerged from the lingering aftershocks.

Her steps were slow, yet each one landed heavily upon their hearts.

Such was the power beyond the Golden Core realm, capable of obliterating heaven and earth with a mere flick of a finger.

“Master, Master!”

“Your disciple admits guilt, your disciple… admits guilt!”

At this moment, Zhang Jingya harbored no thoughts of rebellion.

Deeply awed by the white-robed woman’s display of power, she quickly knelt, begging for forgiveness.

“Your disciple does not ask for Master’s understanding, but I implore you to let Jianlang remain uninvolved. This matter has nothing to do with him; it was entirely your disciple’s irrational, reckless act born of wishful thinking.”

The white-robed woman’s gaze followed Zhang Jingya, settling on Lin Xingjian behind her.

Their eyes met.

Though Lin Xingjian had witnessed the woman’s power, he showed no trace of fear, his gaze firm and resolute.

“A member of the Shadow Sect?”

“Indeed.”

“You may leave now; this matter does not concern you.”

The white-robed woman said indifferently.

Lin Xingjian could not discern her features.

Her face was veiled by a thin white gauze, yet her eyes were lively, and a vermilion mark adorned her forehead, giving her an air of ethereal grace and profound wisdom.

“Jianlang, you must leave quickly.”

“Otherwise, in a moment, neither of us will be able to escape.”

Zhang Jingya whispered a reminder.

Lin Xingjian nodded slightly, but just as he began to rise, he abruptly froze.

Immediately, he stepped in front of Zhang Jingya, cupped his hands in a respectful salute towards the white-robed woman, and inquired deferentially.

“May I ask, Senior, if Ya’er returns with you, what kind of punishment will she receive?”

Zhang Jingya’s heart lurched in alarm; she had never expected Lin Xingjian to act in such a manner.