I'll make you the furnace and the cauldron, so you can refine Yin and Yang and prove the Great

Before the Hidden Moon Rift, the silver-white robes fluttered gently in the wind of the secret realm.

The rift she had torn open over four days and four nights was right behind her, and through it, she could vaguely see the silver-white flying boat resting on the sea and the churning spiritual mist.

But she didn't turn around. Her gaze was fixed on the valley ahead, scorched into scorched earth by the crimson-gold flames, on the purplish-gold figure and the gray figure fleeing in a disheveled state.

She imagined rushing in to find Li Hanshan struggling to stay afloat, or at least huddled in some corner. She was even prepared to drag him out of the secret realm before he died.

But what she saw was a completely different scene. Li Hanshan stood in the center of the valley, his Crimson Sun Sword pointing diagonally at the ground. The flame patterns on the sword were slowly fading, and although the purple-gold light around him was much dimmer than at its peak, it remained steady. Zhou Heng, on the other hand, was fleeing. His gray robe was covered with scorch marks and dried bloodstains, his face was as pale as paper, and his steps were so unsteady that he could barely stand. He was desperately running towards the crack she had torn open.

Yin Yue's lips parted slightly. A look she had never seen before surged in her calm eyes—a look of utter surprise, as if a whole chessboard had been overturned, replaced by a completely unfamiliar situation. She had originally planned to use Li Hanshan to lure the enemy out, but things had gone awry.

After the accident, she thought Li Hanshan would have a hard time, but now Li Hanshan had beaten the snake half to death and was chasing it all over the place.

Zhou Heng also saw her. As he staggered along, he looked up, and the moment his gaze fell upon the silver-white figure, his face lit up with joy.

He recognized Yin Yue. During his years of infiltrating the Immortal Alliance, he had met her several times and knew that she was an elder of the Immortal Alliance with a cultivation level in the late stage of the Refinement Void Realm.

"Elder Yin!" Zhou Heng's voice came from afar, carrying the gasp of someone finally seeing a way out after being driven to the brink of despair. "This boy is a spy for the Joyful Union Sect! Quick! Help me kill him! If we join forces, he will surely die!"

He shouted as he accelerated toward the crack, as if he had seen hope again. Yin Yue stood before the crack, her silver veil fluttering gently in the wind, her calm eyes fixed on him, unmoved.

When Zhou Heng reached a point about a hundred feet from the crack, he suddenly stopped. He saw Yin Yue move. She raised her right hand, and a silvery-white spiritual energy condensed at her fingertips. The energy transformed into a thin screen of light in her palm, which landed precisely on the crack, completely sealing it off.

"Elder Yin, what are you doing?!" Zhou Heng's face instantly turned from joy to ashen, and his voice changed tone. "Open the crack!"

Yin Yue stood before the light screen, her eyes, hidden beneath a silver veil, calmly fixed on his face. She didn't rush to answer, but instead tilted her head slightly, as if examining something intriguing. After a moment, she spoke, her voice clear and cold like the undercurrent at the bottom of a deep pool: "What do you think?"

Zhou Heng's expression completely changed. He stared at Yin Yue's face, which was mostly covered by a silver veil, his deep-set eyes churning with shock, anger, and disbelief: "You... which sect are you from?"

He now understood that Li Hanshan dared to step into this trap because he indeed had someone behind him.

This person was none other than Yin Yue.

He never expected that Yin Yue was also a member of the Demon Sect; she was an elder of the Immortal Alliance!

"I never expected you to be so well hidden... I've searched the Immortal Alliance for so many years and still didn't know your identity. Whose side are you on?"

Yin Yue stood before the light barrier, her silver-white robes billowing gently in the wind of the secret realm. She spoke, her voice as calm as if she were discussing something trivial: "Heavenly Demon."

Zhou Heng's pupils contracted sharply. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but the moment the word reached his ears, he was thrown into a state of confusion.

The Heavenly Demon Sect? He had been infiltrating the Immortal Alliance for a thousand years and had never heard of the Heavenly Demon Sect having such a pawn within the alliance. But the facts before him left no room for doubt; Leng Yue's presence here was the best proof.

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. Having infiltrated the Immortal Alliance for so long, his greatest skill was assessing the situation.

Yin Yue was a member of the Heavenly Demon Sect, but although the Heavenly Demon Sect and the Joyful Union Sect both belonged to the Demonic Sect camp, they were not a united front. The open and covert struggles between the sects had never stopped, a fact he knew better than anyone else.

Since Yin Yue is a member of the Heavenly Demon Sect, it means that she may not have a deep-rooted bond of interests with the Joyful Union Sect. As long as enough benefits are offered, it's not impossible to change her mind.

"Elder Yin," he spoke, his voice filled with sincerity and urgency, "we both know that the alliance between demonic sects is inherently loose. What the Heavenly Demon Sect can give you, my Joyful Union Sect can give you as well. I've been infiltrating the Immortal Alliance for a thousand years, and the intelligence and resources I possess far exceed your imagination. If you're willing to help me kill this brat, I'm willing to give you all the intelligence and resources I've accumulated over the years. You can even continue to infiltrate the Immortal Alliance; I'll help you conceal your identity and help you secure a higher position—"

His words grew faster and more frequent, like a net being spread out, attempting to envelop Yin Yue from every angle—interests, security, and future prospects.

He mentioned the Hehuan Sect's secret network within the Immortal Alliance, spirit stones, elixirs, and fragments of cultivation manuals, as well as the secrets he possessed about the Immortal Alliance's high-ranking members. He even mentioned that he could help Yin Yue gain a higher position within the Heavenly Demon Sect. His words carried the sincerity that burst forth from being driven to a dead end, with every sentence landing on the point of self-interest.

Yin Yue listened quietly. She stood in front of the light screen, her silver veil fluttering gently in the wind, her calm eyes showing no sign of being persuaded or moved.

She simply waited for him to finish speaking, for his words to gradually dissipate in the spiritual mist of the secret realm, before speaking, her tone as clear and crisp as ever, even carrying a hint of languor: "Not interested."

Zhou Heng's lips froze in a half-open arc: "Why? What exactly is your relationship with him? How long have you known each other? The terms I offered are enough to multiply everything you've gained during your years of infiltrating the Immortal Alliance! Why are you siding with him?"

Yin Yue did not answer immediately. She turned her head, her gaze passing over Zhou Heng's shoulder and landing on the purple-gold figure slowly walking towards them in the distance.

Li Hanshan had already sheathed his Crimson Sun Sword. Pure Yang energy flowed slowly around him as he walked at a leisurely pace, as if he were taking a stroll rather than chasing a cultivator in the mid-stage of the Void Refinement realm. His face was calm and composed, with even a faint smile playing on his lips.

Yin Yue withdrew her gaze and looked at Zhou Heng again. When she spoke, her voice was still that clear and lazy tone, as if she were talking about something insignificant to someone insignificant: "Because he is more handsome than you."