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

Meanwhile, at the Heavenly Demon Sect.

Inside the cave, the mist from the spiritual spring rose silently in a corner, and the light from the luminous pearl fell on the messy stone bed, casting two overlapping shadows on the stone wall, flickering on and off.

The night was long.

The dark red canopy of the Heavenly Demon Blood Array outside the cave changed its rhythm of light and shadow three times, and the water in the Spirit Spring Pool cooled and warmed again. Yin Yue went from being restrained and patient at the beginning to completely removing the mask of a saintess. Her long silver hair was scattered on the pillow, her veil slipped down, and the half of her face that was revealed no longer had any coldness, only the flush and dazedness after being repeatedly pounded by the waves.

The noise in the inner room didn't completely subside until late at night.

The next morning, before the first light of day shone into the cave, Li Hanshan opened his eyes.

He turned his head and saw Yin Yue lying beside him, her long, silvery-white hair spread out on the pillow, her veil having slipped down to reveal half of her fair profile. Her breathing was light, her long eyelashes drooping quietly, devoid of the coldness and sharpness of her saintly identity, as serene as a crescent moon submerged in the deep sea.

Li Hanshan didn't move, but just looked at her with great interest.

After about ten breaths, those eyes suddenly trembled and slowly opened.

The moment their eyes met, Yin Yue's pupils suddenly contracted.

She was clearly not fully awake yet, her eyes still showing the confusion of someone just waking up, which was quickly replaced by a startled awakening. Then, a blush spread from her neck down to her ears. She sat bolt upright, grabbing her slipped collar to cover herself, the movement so swift it created a gust of wind.

"Good morning." Li Hanshan propped his head up and greeted her with a smile.

Yin Yue froze. Her back to him, shoulders taut, she remained silent for several breaths before finally speaking in a forced, clear voice, "Turn around."

"What didn't I see last night?" Li Hanshan said, but still turned around as instructed.

Behind her came the rustling sound of clothes being put on, and her deliberately low, slightly rapid breathing. After a while, the sound stopped.

"alright."

Li Hanshan turned around. Yin Yue was already dressed neatly, her silver-white veil was tied back, and her long hair was tied up. Except for a trace of lingering crimson on the tips of her ears, she had returned to her cool and aloof appearance.

She stood by the stone couch, looking down at him, but her gaze never truly met his eyes.

"About last night," she began, her voice calm and steady, as if stating a business matter unrelated to herself, "it was to thank you. Thank you for risking your life to activate the teleportation array, thank you for locking the coordinates at both ends. One thing at a time, nothing more."

She paused, as if making a great decision, before saying the rest of her sentence: "Don't overthink it. I could never love you."

"Oh." Li Hanshan nodded, slowly sitting up. "Then why thank me in this way? Spirit stones, pills, cultivation techniques—as the Holy Maiden of the Heavenly Demon Sect, what can't you offer?"

Yin Yue choked for a moment.

Wasn't this something Li Hanshan made out of desperation?

"You..." Her voice cracked for the first time, then she forcefully suppressed it, "You saved not only the teleportation array, but also me. What I owe you, only I can repay."

"Oh." Li Hanshan nodded again, his smile meaningful. "I see."

Yin Yue turned her face away, no longer looking at him. She turned and walked towards the outer room, her steps quicker than usual, the hem of her silver-white skirt drawing a hurried arc in the air.

Just then—

Her steps suddenly stopped.

Li Hanshan also raised his head at the same time.

Several powerful auras were rapidly approaching the mountain from the depths of the Heavenly Demon Sect. The leading aura was sweet and ostentatious, like a dark red flame burning along the mountain ridge—Ye Feiyan. Behind her, four auras were as steady as mountains, the foremost one being unfathomable, like a moving blood-red abyss; wherever it passed, even the demonic energy in the valley retreated to the sides.

People from the Elders' Hall. Moreover, it was the elders who came, the ones ranked at the very top.

Yin Yue's expression changed.

Without any hesitation, she strode to the stone platform, took out the dark silver conch from her sleeve, and placed it in Li Hanshan's hand. The conch felt slightly heavy in his hand, and the fine silver-white patterns on the surface of the shell shimmered with a faint glow as she infused them with spiritual energy from her fingertips.

"Listen," she said in a very low voice, speaking rapidly, each word like a string snapped out of a taut bow, "I'll go out and hold them off. You wait here."

"The conch shell will ring three times," she said, staring into his eyes, "meaning the Silver Bell's side is ready. Immediately open the teleportation array and send the Immortal Alliance people over."

"What if it only rings once?" Li Hanshan asked, holding the conch shell.

"Open the teleportation array as well." Yin Yue's voice remained completely calm. "But you must escape. Once the passage opens, don't wait for the Immortal Alliance, and don't wait for me. Go straight in and leave the Heavenly Demon Sect through the teleportation array."

"And what about you?" Li Hanshan asked, looking at her.

"You're ignoring me." Yin Yue looked away. "You're just running away."

Li Hanshan glanced at her.

Then, he shook his head.

"I don't have a habit of abandoning my women."

Yin Yue's body jolted suddenly.

She turned her head, and for the first time, a turbulent, almost panicked feeling welled up in her usually calm eyes. She stared at him for a full three breaths before finally squeezing out, "...I'm not your woman."

"If I say yes, then yes," Li Hanshan said.

"You—" Yin Yue's voice suddenly rose a notch, but she forcefully suppressed it back down. She took a deep breath, and the turmoil in her eyes gradually subsided, settling back into a cold, almost cruel calm.

"If you don't escape," she said, emphasizing each word, "the consequences will be dire. Skinning and dismembering, soul-refining and lamp-lighting—the Heavenly Demon Sect has a thousand ways to make someone wish they were dead. But I will not die."

"You've already colluded with the Immortal Alliance, and you still won't die?" Li Hanshan raised an eyebrow.

"No." Yin Yue answered without the slightest hesitation, her certainty almost stiff. "After all, I am still a Holy Maiden, and I have rendered meritorious service to the sect. They won't kill me; I can be sure of that."

She paused, her voice lowering slightly: "But it's certain that my cultivation will be crippled."

Outside the cave, Ye Feiyan's voice carried from afar, sweet yet tinged with undisguised glee: "Sister! I've invited several elders from the Elder Hall! The Grand Elder himself has come; you can't possibly lock them out this time, can you?"

Immediately afterwards, an aged yet deep voice rang out. The voice wasn't loud, but it caused the spiritual mist throughout the entire mountain to buzz: "Hidden Moon, open the door. The Elder Hall has ordered an immediate inspection of the Holy Maiden's cave."

The voice of the Grand Elder.

Yin Yue's fingertips trembled slightly before clenching. She gave Li Hanshan one last look, a look that contained warning, resolve, and something suppressed deep within her, something she herself might not even acknowledge.

"Remember," she said, "the conch shell will only chime once, or I won't have enough time—then activate the teleportation array and leave."

Having said that, she gave him no further chance to speak. The silver-white figure turned and passed through the passage, the protective light membrane that had only been repaired two days prior silently spreading out behind her before slowly closing again.

Li Hanshan was left alone in the stone chamber, with the dark silver conch shell lying in his palm. The silver-white patterns on the shell flickered, like a heart waiting for the tide in the deep sea.