Having cultivated myself into an immortal, all I want to do is raise female disciples.

“I think this analogy is a bit inappropriate…” Gu Wangjun chuckled bitterly, then looked at Gu Asan: “Has your young master ever given a reason for not cultivating?”

“No.” Gu Asan shook his head, also finding it hard to understand: “Every time this matter is brought up, the young master will make up all sorts of excuses, saying that he is not suitable for cultivating the Divine Eye, or that there is a problem with his Divine Eye or something like that.”

"It's like shirking responsibility."

Responsibility... huh.

A glint flashed in Gu Wangjun's eyes; he could understand Gu Tianren's thoughts.

The existence of the Divine Eye is a symbol of the next palace master. As the chief disciple of the Blue Feather Heavenly Palace, Gu Tianren will naturally take over the entire Blue Feather Heavenly Palace in the future.

Was it because he didn't want to become the Palace Master that he deliberately didn't cultivate the Divine Eye?

But if that's the case, why did he try to steal Lan Chun's Divine Eye? Isn't that redundant? Or does he have a personal grudge against Lan Chun and is using this method to get revenge?

not understand.

Gu Wangjun could not understand Gu Tianren's actions.

Gu Asan gripped the talisman in his palm tightly, a hint of reluctance appearing on his face: "This talisman has the ability to revive the Central Divine Eye. It was personally passed down by the Palace Master and is said to be made from powder taken from Lord Lan Yutianbing. It can quickly awaken the Central Divine Eye."

"So that's why you sneaked into Gu Tianren's room in the middle of the night with the talisman and used it to forcibly awaken the Divine Eye?"

Lord Gu roughly knew the ins and outs of the whole matter.

But a sharp, cold glint flashed in his eyes, as if he wanted to see through a crucial question: "Lan Chun, were you involved in this matter?"

When Lan Chun was mentioned, Gu Asan paused slightly, then said, "Yes, these talismans were given to me by Senior Brother Lan Chun. He said that the Palace Master entrusted this matter to him, and he then entrusted me with the task of affixing the talismans. This is because the young master trusts me a lot, and even if I am exposed, I can make up an excuse to get away with it."

Just like yesterday—she was able to fool Gu Tianren with the excuse of sneaking food into the kitchen, and the latter didn't suspect a thing.

Gu Asan seemed to understand something and quickly defended Lan Chun: "Please don't overthink it. Senior Brother Lan Chun doesn't actually resent the young master that much. He's just complaining... but he's still a very good person at heart. There's nothing strange in this talisman."

"Indeed, no."

After examining the talismans, Duan Xingchen concluded, just as Gu Asan had said, that there was nothing hidden inside that was related to evil or unorthodox practices.

In other words, Lan Chun did not do anything to the talisman.

This is going to be really funny.

Lan Chun and Gu Tianren's characters are completely reversed. Originally, it was thought that Lan Chun was the jealous second junior brother who was dissatisfied with Gu Tianren's position as chief, and also made sarcastic remarks about martial arts figures.

As a result, Lan Chun has now become a person who clearly distinguishes between gratitude and resentment, does not seek personal revenge, and even has a bit of a magnanimous heart, while Gu Tianren has become the chief senior brother who, after seizing the man's fortune, wants to shirk responsibility and indulges in martial arts.

What does this even mean...?

Starry Night Girl felt a headache coming on. The sudden shift between good and evil was too fast for her to accept. She covered her glowing little head and tried to calm herself down.

Meanwhile, Gu Wangjun, who was standing to the side, seemed quite puzzled, keeping his head down and pondering some strange points of doubt.

Not long after, the honest-looking King Gu looked up and asked calmly, "Speaking of which, if Palace Master Xu wasn't in such a hurry to relinquish the position of Palace Master, she wouldn't have used such coercive methods to force Gu Tianren to cultivate the Divine Eye. Palace Master Xu, is there a problem?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Asan stared at Gu Wangjun with a look of utter astonishment, as if he had seen a ghost.

He swallowed hard in disbelief, then stammered, "You...you didn't actually know all along, did you?"

"Know what?" Gu Wangjun blinked, not quite understanding Gu Asan's reaction.

Looking at Gu Wangjun, whose face was full of honesty and simple-mindedness, and who looked like he would be swindled out of his pocket by a swindler at any time, Gu Asan suddenly felt that the saying "don't judge a book by its cover" was a perfect fit for him.

On the contrary, Duan Xingchen, who seemed incredibly shrewd, actually acted rather simple-minded during the conversation, like an innocent child who had never seen the darkness of the outside world.

Gu Asan paused, and the next words he uttered were a bombshell.

"Actually... the Palace Master has already used his divination skills to calculate his fate."

"The Palace Master's time will come soon."

King Gu frowned. The art of divination was an extremely ancient and profound art, and he hadn't expected that this Palace Master Xu would also have some knowledge of it.

He took a deep breath and then asked, "Is it because Palace Master Xu's time is coming to an end that he is in such a hurry to pass on the position of Palace Master to Gu Tianren?"

“Yes.” Gu Asan licked his lips, took a sip of tea, and his complexion improved a bit: “Moreover, the Palace Master actually predicted that if no one takes charge of the overall situation, the Blue Feather Heavenly Palace may face annihilation.”

"A catastrophe...Blue Feather Heavenly Palace?"

Starry Sky Girl subconsciously felt that it was unlikely. It seemed that Blue Feather Heavenly Palace was currently the most powerful force in Kuntian Domain. This floating island alone was a headache for countless outside cultivators.

Let alone conquering the mountain gate, I reckon those who have ulterior motives towards Blue Feather Heavenly Palace won't even be able to get past the mountain gate.

"The Palace Master couldn't predict the exact cause either, but he said that in the near future, the Blue Feather Heavenly Palace would face a calamity. The source and the outcome are unknown, but a benefactor might arrive to help us turn the danger into safety."

If Yunping and the others were here at this moment, they would surely find this prophecy strangely familiar.

—Isn't this the prophecy of Xu Banxian from the Blue Feather Heavenly Palace in later generations?

The Blue Feather Heavenly Palace will face annihilation, but a benefactor will come to its aid.

Unfortunately, Gu Wangjun and his companion were unaware of Xu Banxian's prophecy, and even less aware that this matter was related to their old rogue.

So when they heard Gu Asan's words, the two of them were completely confused and their thoughts were in a state of chaos.

Leaving Duan Xingchen aside for the moment, although Gu Wangjun had a general understanding of the whole matter, the thing he couldn't understand the most was Gu Tianren.

Why did he try to steal Lan Chun's divine eye?

Is it really just a personal grudge?

Or is there another reason...?

Of course.

It was during the conversation between the three of them in the room that the light emanating from Xingchen suddenly became exceptionally bright.

At the same time, as if sensing something, the little head suddenly lifted up, its eyes shining with a brilliance like a starry river.

Upon seeing his junior sister's appearance, Gu Wangjun's expression immediately turned solemn. He rose from his seat and asked, "Again?"

"Ah."

Duan Xingchen nodded with a grim expression and turned his gaze toward the door: "They're right outside, very close, and there are two of them."

"Is it this time of year again... or is it a coincidence?"

Gu Wangjun muttered to himself, then came to the door with Duan Xingchen. Instead of rushing out, he turned around and looked at Gu Asan, who was weak in cultivation and looked completely bewildered: "You stay here and don't move. If you see anything ominous, call for help immediately."

"you……"

Before Gu Asan could react, Gu Wangjun and Duan Xingchen pushed open the door and left. Gu Wangjun, who came out last, even closed the door for Gu Asan.

In the cold, deserted room, only Gu Asan remained, blinking blankly.

What happened?

……

Of course he didn't know.

His perception was worlds apart from Duan Xingchen's; he was completely unable to detect the sudden demonic aura.

Yes.

Demonic energy.

Again.

It's this time again, and this place again.

After the two rushed out of the house, they ran about a hundred meters toward the area where the demonic aura was the strongest, and then they saw the two figures standing in the ice crystals, their bodies blurred and indistinct, as if they had been pixelated.

Unlike the novice demon I saw last time, both of them, though possessing the same Void Realm cultivation, have humanoid appearances.

They appeared to be wearing Taoist robes, but the robes were a murky, distorted black, making it impossible to discern their color; only their outlines could be vaguely made out.

"Have faith in the Holy Light."

Duan Xingchen silently recited the incantation for the magical artifact, and the coffin-shaped artifact behind him instantly transformed into a black and white sword, radiating a holy light in his hand.

It was when she and Gu Wangjun had set up their stance, preparing to exorcise the two (physical) demons.

A scene unfolded that made Duan Xingchen's beautiful eyes widen, almost instantly rendering her unable to fight—

The two humanoid demons' bodies twisted madly, making a creaking sound as their bones cracked. At the same time, a muffled sound, like sand in their mouths, reached Duan Xingchen's ears.

Even though it was broken syllables, it was a horrifyingly hoarse voice.

But the words they uttered were filled with pain, sorrow, and a desperate cry for hope amidst their dire situation.

It was only six words, but it struck Duan Xingchen's heart directly.

"Holy Maiden... save me..."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

At this point, all the clues have been provided.

Interested readers can try to guess why Gu Tianren wanted to take away Lan Chun's Divine Eye!

Even if you guess right... there's no reward. How about I give you a kiss that symbolizes the end of your life?

35. I was so scared!

"Holy Maiden... Holy Maiden..."

Like the desperate cries of a dying person begging for survival.

The black shadow, shrouded in darkness and radiating terrifying demonic energy—which should have been a demon completely devoid of reason and acting solely on its destructive instincts—was now pleading for help from Duan Xingchen in a hoarse voice.

The pure and innocent girl stared blankly at the two figures shrouded in darkness, her gaze vacant. Faced with the sorrowful and painful cries for help, she almost lost all the strength to lift her sword.

They called her a saint.

Throughout history, only the cultivators of the Holy Feather Sect have ever called her that in this world!

Although she couldn't understand why the two demons in front of her would call her that as a cultivator of the Holy Feather Sect, she remembered the scene when the Holy Feather Sect was attacked by that black tide, and a large number of Holy Feather Sect cultivators were annihilated in the black tide.

The ultimate demonic aura... could it be that it devoured the cultivators' physical bodies and reshaped their souls into the form of a demon?

If that's the case, then it would explain why the demon I killed last night had remnants of a Holy Feather Sect robe fall off after it died.

Because those she had killed were former cultivators of the Holy Feather Sect, her fellow disciples.

She killed her fellow disciple...

Just thinking about this made Duan Xingchen's brain buzz, and his consciousness was almost submerged in that pure white expanse.