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

As the barrier closed behind Yin Yue, the last trace of warmth on her face vanished.

She stepped out of the passage, the morning light falling on her silver-white robe, outlining her figure as cold and straight. On the platform outside the cave, the spirit wood forest rustled in the demonic wind, and the distant valley was already filled with cultivators who had rushed over upon hearing the news. Gazes fell on her from all directions, some curious, some speculative, and some gloating.

In the center of the platform, Ye Feiyan stood with her hands behind her back.

Today she wore a bright red palace gown, the hem embroidered with mandala patterns in gold thread. Her long hair was styled in a high bun, adorned with a dark red phoenix hairpin. The handprint on her cheek had long since faded, replaced by a relieved expression of triumph after days of suppression. Upon seeing Yin Yue emerge, a sweet smile immediately spread across her lips.

"My sister has finally come out." Her voice was soft and gentle. "I thought she was going to hide inside forever."

Yin Yue didn't look at her.

Her gaze passed over Ye Feiyan and landed on the four figures behind her.

Leading the group was a gaunt old man, dressed in a wide, dark red robe with nine dark gold blood-red patterns embroidered on the sleeves. His face was as withered as tree bark that had been dried for hundreds of years, his eyes were sunken, and his pupils were an eerie dark gold. He did not emit any spiritual energy, and just stood there casually, yet the demonic energy around the platform spontaneously swirled around him, like a subject yielding to a king.

Grand Elder of the Heavenly Demon Sect, peak of the Void Refinement stage.

Standing half a step to his side was a middle-aged scholar with a fair complexion, three long wisps of beard, gentle features, and a jade scroll in his hand, looking like a clerk who handled documents. But Yin Yue recognized him—the Second Elder, the eighth level of the Void Refinement Realm, in charge of sect rules and laws in the Elder Hall. He seemed easygoing, but when he wrote down his decisions, he was never soft-hearted.

Further back were the Third Elder and the Fifth Elder, each standing with their hands behind their backs, their gazes indifferent.

Of the four elders ranked first in the Elder Hall, three are present today, along with a Grand Elder personally overseeing the gathering.

Yin Yue's gaze swept over the four people, her lips pressed into a thin line beneath her veil. She quickly went through the worst possible scenarios in her mind, then bowed slightly.

"Yinyue greets the Grand Elder and the two Elders."

"No need," the First Elder said, his voice aged and dull, like two pieces of rusted iron slowly rubbing together. "Yinyue, I listened to Ye Feiyan's report for two days and two nights in the Elder Hall. She said your cave's restrictions are connected to the Heavenly Demon Blood Array, and that you've been staying indoors since returning from the Immortal Alliance, acting suspiciously, and even bringing a demon slave from the Joyful Union Sect with you. Today, I've come for only one thing—to open the door and investigate."

He spoke the last four words slowly and heavily, each word like a hammer blow striking the hearts of everyone on the platform.

Ye Feiyan stood to the side, her eyes darting around, and added at the opportune moment, "Sister, the Grand Elder has come in person. This is a formal inspection by the Elder Hall, not something I'm doing out of foolishness. If you continue to stop me, you'll be openly defying the Elder Hall."

Yin Yue straightened up.

"Grand Elder," her voice was clear and calm, without the slightest hint of emotion, "this disciple's cave dwelling is private property personally granted by the Sect Master. According to sect rules, inspecting the Holy Maiden's private residence requires either the Sect Master's written order or a token jointly signed by the three elders of the Elder Hall. May I ask, Grand Elder, where is this token?"

The elder's deep-set eyes narrowed slightly.

"My words are my command."

"Article 371 of the Sect Rules," Yin Yue stated unequivocally, enunciating each word clearly, "The Elder Hall operates according to these rules. If the Grand Elder breaks this rule today, the Elder Hall can investigate anyone's dwelling in the future with the simple statement, 'My word is law.' Once this loophole is opened, it can never be closed again. Does the Grand Elder intend to investigate Yin Yue, or to dismantle the Elder Hall's rules?"

A buzz of discussion suddenly arose on the platform. Some cultivators exchanged glances subconsciously, while others nodded slightly. At the back of the crowd, Elder Xu of the Enforcement Hall stood at the edge of the Spirit Wood Forest, his brows twitching slightly, but he remained silent.

The Grand Elder stared at Yin Yue for two breaths, his withered face expressionless.

"Sharp-tongued," he said slowly. "You've been in the Immortal Alliance for so many years, and all you've learned is how to use rules as a shield. What a pity—"

He took a step forward.

With that step, the entire platform suddenly sank. An invisible aura spread out from his body, like a blood-red tide sweeping across the mudflats. The cultivators watching on the platform all shrank by half a head, and those with weaker cultivation levels knelt on the ground, unable to even lift their heads.

"I'm not here today to lecture you on rules." The Grand Elder's voice, though not loud, silenced the entire valley. "The Demonic Sect is preparing for war, and the Immortal Alliance could launch a massive invasion at any moment. At this critical juncture, a spy who has been lurking in the Immortal Alliance for a hundred years, along with a demon slave of unknown origin, has sealed off the sect, and the restrictions are even connected to the Blood Array. Hidden Moon, I ask you—what am I supposed to think? What is the Sect Master supposed to think? What is the entire sect supposed to think?"

Ye Feiyan lowered her eyes, unable to suppress the smile on her lips.

Yinyue stood ramrod straight amidst the crimson tide. Her silver-white robe clung to her body, her hair fluttered violently, and the edge of her veil rustled, yet her back did not bend in the slightest.

"The Grand Elder suspects me, and I have nothing to say," she said, her voice strained but still clear. "But suspicion is suspicion, and rules are rules. If the Grand Elder forced his way in without orders today, tomorrow any elder can force their way into any disciple's cave without orders. I cannot set this precedent."

"You—" The elder's eyelids suddenly twitched.

"Elder, please calm down."

A gentle voice broke in. The Second Elder had stepped forward at some point, cupped his hands in greeting, and wore a perfectly appropriate smile.

"In my opinion, Saintess Hidden Moon's words are not without merit. The sect rules are there, and forcing one's way in would certainly give others grounds for criticism." He paused, then changed the subject, "However—"

He turned to Yinyue, his smile growing even more amiable, like an elder advising a younger generation.

"Yinyue, don't be so absolute. The Grand Elder personally made this trip, in front of so many fellow disciples. If you can't even get into your cave, what will become of the Elder Hall's reputation? You keep saying you have nothing to hide, so what's wrong with taking a look? Just a quick look, we won't touch a single blade of grass in your cave, we'll leave after the investigation. If you cooperate, this whole thing will be considered a misunderstanding, and everyone's face will be saved. Don't you agree?"

What a fine example of just taking a glance.

Yin Yue's fingers, hidden in her sleeve, slowly tightened. The Second Elder's words were laced with barbs, subtly transforming "forcibly entering" into "giving her a way out." If she continued to stop him, she would be confirming her "guilty conscience" in front of the entire sect; if she didn't—

If even one of the twelve array artifacts in the stone chamber is detected by divine sense, neither she nor Li Hanshan will be able to leave today.

"Second Elder," Yin Yue began, her voice slowing slightly, "It's not that I don't want you to investigate. I simply request that the Elders follow the proper procedures—please request a warrant from the Sect Master, or a joint warrant from the three Elders. Once the document arrives, I will immediately open the door for inspection. Today, you elders have come empty-handed. If I open the door now, and anything in my cave is missing, extra, or changed in the future, who will I complain to?"

"Insolence!" The elder's voice suddenly turned stern.

He raised his hand and grabbed, and a dark red spiritual energy materialized out of thin air, like a giant palm, pressing down on Yin Yue. The silvery-white spiritual energy around Yin Yue instantly exploded, condensing into a light shield above her head. The blood-red giant palm pressed against the light shield, not shattering it, but crushing her inch by inch like a mountain pressing down.

Her knees began to tremble, and the rocks beneath her feet cracked inch by inch.

Although Yin Yue is in the late stage of Void Refinement, she has only just broken through to the seventh level of Void Refinement, and the gap between her and the Grand Elder is enormous.

As for geniuses, the Grand Elder, who was able to cultivate to the peak of the Void Refinement stage, was himself an exceptionally talented individual.

"I'll ask one last time," the Grand Elder said, looking down at her. "Open it, or not?"

A trickle of blood escaped from the corner of Yin Yue's mouth. She raised her head, and through the crimson spiritual energy, uttered each word slowly and deliberately: "No...order...to...open."

The air on the platform seemed to freeze.

A glint of wild joy flashed in Ye Feiyan's eyes. This was the moment she had been waiting for—Yin Yue had publicly defied orders and disobeyed the Elders' Hall; this crime alone was enough to remove her from her position as Holy Maiden.

The Grand Elder stared at Yin Yue for three breaths, then suddenly withdrew his hand.

The moment the blood-red giant hand dissipated, Yin Yue staggered half a step, wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth with her sleeve, and stood up straight again.

"Very well." The Grand Elder nodded slowly. "Since the Holy Maiden will not obey orders, then I will overstep my bounds today. I will go to the Sect Master to accept my punishment afterward—"

He turned around and gestured with his chin toward the Third Elder and Fifth Elder behind him.

"Break down the door."

The Third Elder and the Fifth Elder stepped forward simultaneously, unleashing two powerful auras of Void Refinement. The Third Elder condensed a ball of deep purple lightning in his palm, while the Fifth Elder unleashed nine dark golden chains from his sleeve, one on the left and one on the right, simultaneously striking the silver-white barrier at the entrance of the cave.

Yin Yue's pupils suddenly contracted.