After nine lifetimes of reincarnation, the yandere villainous heroine descends.

The night was already hazy, but when illuminated by the clear moonlight, it exuded an ambiguous and unclear atmosphere.

Shen Shuchou gazed at Lu Wanheng's profile, which was flushed slightly, and his heart skipped a beat.

Having gone through several lifetimes, he had long since figured out that every female lead harbored a degree of madness and obsession deep down.

In this life, he originally thought Lu Wanheng was somewhat normal, but now he suddenly realized that this person was not easy to get along with either.

"Master, this disciple should rest now."

Shen Shuchou hesitated before speaking.

As soon as he finished speaking, the blush on Lu Wanheng's face faded at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The next moment, she looked up, her eyes almost overflowing with coldness.

Upon seeing this, Shen Shuchou felt a chill run down his spine and subconsciously shivered.

"Does your apprentice not want to stay with me?"

Lu Wanheng's voice returned to its usual coldness, devoid of any emotion, yet carrying an invisible pressure.

Shen Shuchou quickly explained, "That's not what I meant! It's just that it's really late now, and according to the rules, we should rest. I wouldn't dare trouble Master to stay any longer."

After he finished speaking, Lu Wanheng did not respond immediately. Instead, his cold eyes stared at him intently, as if he were carefully judging the truthfulness of his words.

The air in the room grew heavy again. Shen Shuchou felt extremely uncomfortable and could only brace himself to meet her gaze, trying his best to make his expression appear open and honest.

After a long while, Lu Wanheng slowly shifted his gaze, stood up, and said calmly, "In that case, let's rest."

After saying that, she turned and walked towards the door without saying another word. As she pushed the door open and left, the sound of the hinges turning was particularly clear in the quiet night.

Shen Shuchou finally breathed a long sigh of relief when the door was gently closed.

He lay back on the bed, gazing at the clear moon outside the window, his mind filled with countless thoughts.

In this life, he entered the Qingxuan Holy Land four years later. Although he successfully became a disciple of Lu Wanheng, he had little contact with his master for five whole years.

Only now did Shen Shuchou truly begin to understand Lu Wanheng.

Even though he had learned some information about her from the system, those fragmented details were far less complex than experiencing her in person.

He felt that Lu Wanheng in this life was more unpredictable than any of the female protagonists in previous lives.

After a moment, Shen Shuchou suppressed his chaotic thoughts.

The exhaustion from days of travel and his injuries left him utterly worn out, and he soon fell into a deep sleep, entering a state of rest and recuperation.

Meanwhile, just outside the window, separated by a door, Lu Wanheng remained motionless for a long time.

Through the crack in the window, her gaze was fixed on Shen Shuchou's face, her eyes filled with unfathomable emotions. Only after a long while did she quietly turn and leave.

Silent all night.

The following day, the Qingxuan Holy Land received uninvited guests—several major sects that had previously clashed with them in the desolate ancient land all came to visit.

Inside the main hall of the sacred site, Lu Wanheng appeared, catching the attention of the elders.

"Your Highness, do you not intend to give this old woman an explanation?"

Elder Ye, the white-haired old woman, looked up at Lu Wanheng, her tone icy.

Faced with the questioning, Lu Wanheng remained silent.

"You forcibly broke through the barrier just to enter and rescue your disciple. Do you really think the major sects will turn a blind eye? Your words and actions represent the Qingxuan Holy Land, not just yourself."

Elder Ye continued sternly.

She abruptly changed the subject, turning to Chen Xuanfeng beside her: "And you, Chen Xuanfeng! The sect sent you to lead the team to compete for opportunities, how could you follow the Holy Maiden's lead and act recklessly? Even if the Holy Maiden is young and naive, don't you know the rules after living most of your life?"

"This matter was decided by me alone and has nothing to do with Her Highness the Holy Maiden."

Chen Xuanfeng stepped forward, taking the blame upon himself, "Elder Ye, if you wish to punish someone, then punish me alone."

"Oh?"

Elder Ye sneered, his gaze sharp as a knife. "So, you're doing this for that brat named Shen Shuchou too?"

Facing her imposing presence, Chen Xuanfeng remained composed and said, "I simply do not wish for the sect to miss out on a promising talent."

"presumptuous!"

Elder Ye suddenly stood up from the main seat, and a terrifying pressure instantly descended upon Chen Xuanfeng like Mount Tai pressing down.

"Our Qingxuan Holy Land is teeming with geniuses; why would we need just one more? You forcibly broke through the barrier of opportunity and even engaged in battle with other sects. This is trampling on Qingxuan's reputation! Do you even have any regard for the rules of a Holy Land?"

"If that were all, it would be fine, but now all those sects have come knocking on our door, pushing all the blame onto the Qingxuan Holy Land!"

Elder Ye's tone grew increasingly stern, her piercing gaze sweeping over the two of them. "Furthermore, I've heard that you two are actually involved with the Heavenly Saint Sect?"

"That's absolutely impossible!"

Chen Xuanfeng quickly retorted, "How could I possibly have any dealings with demonic sects?"

"Then why would You Ji of the Heavenly Saint Sect intervene to help you out of a predicament, even going so far as to kill someone in public?"

Elder Ye pressed on relentlessly, clearly having heard about the intricacies of the situation beforehand.

Chen Xuanfeng then recounted in detail what had happened in the desolate ancient land.

Elder Ye's expression remained icy: "As far as I know, You Ji identified that young man as a disciple of the Heavenly Saint Sect in front of countless cultivators. How do you explain that?"

Chen Xuanfeng's expression changed slightly.

He had deliberately omitted this part, not expecting that Elder Ye already knew.

He took a deep breath: "This must be a frame-up by You Ji, intended to sow discord!"

"Sowing discord?"

Elder Ye sneered, "Was that young man traveling with the Holy Maiden of the Heavenly Saint Sect also instigated by others?"

The atmosphere inside the hall suddenly became tense.

"I told you long ago, this boy's origins are unknown and his intentions are wicked!"

Elder Chu suddenly spoke up: "Elder Ye, I implore you to immediately take this boy to the Hall of Punishments so that I may personally conduct a thorough investigation!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly felt a cold gaze fall on him.

That was the gaze of the Holy Maiden Lu Wanheng.

Her eyes held no emotion, only a bottomless chill, and a hint of undisguised killing intent.

"What is the Holy Maiden's opinion?"

Elder Ye looked at Lu Wanheng.

Lu Wanheng's tone was calm, yet every word was clear: "The fault does not lie with him. If the elders wish to punish someone, then punish me alone."

"Okay, okay, okay!"

Elder Ye was so angered by her that he exclaimed "Good!" three times in succession, his eyes instantly turning icy cold:

"Shen Shuchou will be temporarily detained in the Punishment Hall for a thorough investigation. Your Highness, please go to the Qingxin Hall for seclusion. You may emerge when you have calmed down."

"Chen Xuanfeng has violated sect rules and is hereby temporarily relieved of his post as an inner hall elder and demoted to the front gate. Before that, he will accompany me to apologize to the major sects."

Elder Ye made a decision in just a few words.

"inappropriate!"

"Who dares!"

Two voices rang out almost simultaneously.

Chen Xuanfeng glanced at Lu Wanheng beside him and spoke first: "The responsibility of breaking the formation does indeed lie with us. But the disciple is innocent, why should the elders take their anger out on him?"

"We have absolutely no connection with the Heavenly Saint Sect. The murderer was You Ji. Those sects dare not seek revenge in the Eastern Continent, but instead came to us. Although the opportunity barrier was broken, their disciples were not harmed. Why should Qingxuan compensate us?"

"Should our Qingxuan Holy Land simply keep backing down? The elders keep talking about rules and face, but now that outsiders are riding roughshod over us, where is our face if we compromise like this!"

Chen Xuanfeng spoke with fervor and righteous indignation.

Although he does bear some responsibility for the breaching of the boundary, the major sects' demand for compensation is clearly an attempt to extort money.

"Anyone who dares to harm my disciple, I will kill them."

Lu Wanheng's icy voice followed immediately.

Compared to Chen Xuanfeng's righteous indignation, her words, though only a short sentence, resounded like a thunderclap in the hall, instantly silencing everyone.

Even Chen Xuanfeng frowned slightly as he looked at her. No one expected that the Holy Maiden, who always adhered to etiquette, would say such resolute words.

"presumptuous!"

Elder Ye trembled with rage, "How dare the dignified Holy Maiden of Qingxuan utter such treasonous words!"

She took a deep breath and said sternly, "Elder Chu, go to the Holy Maiden's Palace now and take that brat to the Hall of Punishments! As for the Holy Maiden, I will personally escort her to the Hall of Tranquil Heart!"

Before the words were even finished, Elder Chu had already responded and set off, his figure flashing out of the main hall like lightning.

Upon seeing this, Lu Wanheng instinctively tried to stop him, but was firmly suppressed by the terrifying pressure suddenly released by Elder Ye, rendering him unable to move.

"I request an audience with the Holy Lord, and I beseech the Holy Lord to decide this matter!"

Seeing this, Chen Xuanfeng dared not rashly confront the elder, and could only speak in a deep voice, trying to persuade him one last time.

"The Holy Lord is in seclusion; all matters here shall be decided by my word!"

Elder Ye's tone was firm, leaving no room for negotiation.

Lu Wanheng, who was being suppressed by the oppressive aura, raised his eyes to look at Elder Ye. His eyes were as cold as an icy pool, and his eyes were filled with intense ferocity and killing intent as he stared intently at the other party.

On the other side, Elder Chu had already left the main hall and was rushing straight towards the Holy Maiden's Palace.

"You little bastard, let's see who can protect you now!"

A moment later, a furious shout suddenly rang out in the empty Saintess Temple.

"roll!"