I gain ten years' worth of cultivation every day, and even geniuses will only see my doorstep!

"Not now." Qin Yuan pressed down on Jian Wushuang's shoulder. "I've already thought about it. The Heavenly Mystery Sect Master captured Yan Yue not simply to take revenge on me. She is the Ninth Princess of the Great Yan Dynasty, representing the power of the Eternal Heaven Domain. By using Yan Yue as a sacrifice, he can not only obtain her Holy Body Power, but also declare war on the entire Eternal Heaven Domain."

"He wants to lure us in." Su Yao immediately understood.

"That's right." Qin Yuan's gaze swept over the seven women. "We don't know what the situation is inside the sealed palace. We don't know how much of the Demon God's remnant soul has recovered. We don't know how many people are lying in ambush inside. If we rush in now, we'll be playing right into his hands."

"So what do you plan to do?" Yan Lingji clenched her fists.

Qin Yuan did not answer, but turned to look into the depths of the sea of ​​mist. The demonic energy there was even denser than it had been a few hours earlier, surging like ink, almost solidifying.

"There will be a tide in the fog sea tomorrow morning," Qin Yuan said. "When the demonic energy recedes, the array surrounding the sealed palace will weaken briefly. Entering then will allow you to avoid most of the traps."

"How did you know?" Hongyue asked.

"They found it in the mine." Qin Yuan looked at the completely dark sky. "There are still six hours until the next low tide."

Six hours, or one night.

"Everyone should get a good rest tonight," Qin Yuan said. "There might not be any time to sleep coming up."

Su Yao had already sat back down on the stone bench and lit the small stove for brewing tea.

"Since there's still one night left," she added a pinch of tea leaves to the teapot, her movements as casual as if she were in her own backyard, "let's have a cup of tea first."

The aroma of tea rose gently, seemingly out of place on the edge of the sea of ​​mist. But it was this very fragrance that instantly relaxed everyone's tense nerves.

Yan Lingji plopped down on the ground, took the teacup Su Yao handed her, and gulped it down without caring whether it was hot or not. Mu Hongyi placed her sword across her lap and sipped her tea. Bingji held her teacup, a thin layer of ice forming on the surface of the tea, but she didn't mind and drank slowly.

Hongyue planted her spear in the ground, sat cross-legged in the shadow cast by the spear shaft, and held a teacup in both hands as if it were something precious. Yueyao sat down next to Suyao, resting her head on Suyao's shoulder, her teacup swaying slightly in her hands. Jian Wushuang stood on the outermost edge, holding a cup in one hand, his gaze never leaving the direction of the misty sea.

Qin Yuan took the first cup of tea that Su Yao poured for him, but instead of drinking it, he placed it next to the bone blade.

"Yan Yue will be fine," he said.

"How did you know?" Yan Lingji asked.

"Because she's the most stubborn woman I know." Qin Yuan picked up his teacup and finally took a sip. "None of the stubborn women I know die easily."

Yan Lingji's flames surged again, but this time it wasn't anger, but some indescribable emotion. She slammed her teacup on the ground, turned her head away, and the curve of her lips disappeared into the night.

Mu Hongyi glanced at her, said nothing, and continued drinking her tea.

Late at night.

The demonic energy of the fog-shrouded sea surged even more violently in the darkness, as if something was rampaging through it. In the camp, the seven women each found a place to rest, but none of them truly fell asleep. Each gripped their weapon, ready to rise and fight at any moment.

Qin Yuan sat at the very front of the camp, with his back to everyone and his face towards the sea of ​​fog.

The bone blade was stuck in the ground beside him, its patterns shimmering faintly in the darkness, like ten thousand stars sealed within it. He placed his right hand on the hilt, closed his eyes, and focused his consciousness into the blade.

The Chaos Bone Blade is his natal weapon, forged from his own bones. Each line on the blade represents an enemy he has slain. Now, the lines have exceeded ten million, and the blade's interior is a world of its own, where chaotic power surges and churns like a boundless ocean.

But right in the middle of this ocean, a discordant black hue floats.

That was a remnant of the backlash left behind when he forcibly severed the connection between the seven women and the illusory figure in front of the sealed gate. Su Yao's treatment repaired his meridians, but this wisp of black backlash stubbornly remained deep within the bone blade, like a lurking venomous snake that could not be eliminated no matter what.

Qin Yuan mobilized the power of chaos in an attempt to force it out of the blade, but the wisp of black energy seemed to be stimulated instead, suddenly contracting and disappearing deeper into the blade.

Qin Yuan opened his eyes and looked down at the bone blade in his hand. The patterns on the blade flickered twice before returning to normal, looking no different from usual. But Qin Yuan knew that the thing was still inside.

"What did you find?"

Su Yao's voice came from behind him. She wasn't asleep; she tiptoed over and sat down beside him.

"Something got into the bone blade." Qin Yuan didn't hide it from her. "It's a remnant of the backlash. It won't affect its use for now, but it can't be completely removed."

Su Yao frowned, placed her hand on the blade, and used the power of her Chaos Saint Body to probe into the blade, carefully sensing it for a moment.

"I've sealed it deep within the blade for you." Su Yao withdrew her hand, her expression somewhat grave. "There shouldn't be any problems for a while, but if you use your full strength again, the seal might loosen."

"Let's leave it for now." Qin Yuan retracted the bone blade into his body. "We'll deal with it slowly after we rescue Yan Yue and destroy the remnant soul of the demon god."

Su Yao didn't reply. She looked at Qin Yuan's profile; in the moonlight, his expression was as calm as ever, revealing no emotion whatsoever.

"To you, Yan Yue is more than just a comrade-in-arms, right?" Su Yao suddenly said.

Qin Yuan's fingers twitched almost imperceptibly.

"When she stood in front of you atop the imperial city, I sensed it in the Goddess Palace." Su Yao's voice was soft, as if she were talking about something perfectly ordinary. "At that time, the Seventh Maiden's sacred body was not yet fully sealed, and our senses were shared. I clearly remember that your heartbeat was 20% faster than usual that day."

Qin Yuan fell silent.

After a long silence, he spoke, his voice lower than usual: "She saved my life, more than once."

"I know," Su Yao smiled gently, "so I won't be jealous."

She stood up, patted the dew off her skirt, and turned to walk towards the camp. After taking a few steps, she stopped and glanced back at Qin Yuan.

"Once you rescue her, you should explain things to her yourself. She's a princess who's been pursuing you for so long; you can't keep pretending you don't know."

After saying that, she chuckled and walked back to the camp, leaving Qin Yuan alone sitting in the moonlight.

Qin Yuan watched her figure disappear behind the tent, his lips twitched, but he ultimately remained silent.

He turned his head and looked into the depths of the sea of ​​mist. The moonlight shone above the sea of ​​mist, but it could not penetrate the thick layer of demonic energy. Only the huge outline of the sealed palace could be vaguely seen, like a giant beast lurking in the deep sea.