"How could this be?" Pei Xianqiao's face showed astonishment.
Her sword had clearly not even reached the heart, yet how could the heart have ruptured?
Mu Jialing watched the evil creature before him suddenly turn and flee. His eyes momentarily widened in shock, then lit with joy as he looked at Pei Xianqiao.
"Pei Daoyou, you did it… cough, cough!"
Mu Jialing half-kneeling on the ground, looked pale as paper.
Pei Xianqiao had no time to explain. Seeing Mu Jialing's ashen face, her eyes flickered with concern, and she hurried toward him.
Before her delicate hands could even touch his body, the ground beneath her feet suddenly dissolved into smoke.
…
Yao Ranran held the palm-sized Shu Xi Palace in her arms. Tang Xiangyin leapt onto her shoulder and, staring at the object in her hands, felt a sudden sense of familiarity.
This treasure… hadn't she seen it somewhere before?
"My obedient disciple, this world is collapsing. You said they are not evil, and I will believe they are not evil."
An Xiaolin's brow was soft, his words carried a calm grace, and his robes, motionless in the wind, seemed like a streak of colorful clouds, floating toward the vast sky.
"Master is leaving again?" Amid the collapsing world, Yao Ranran felt as if her body were supported by a light cloud.
An Xiaolin's lips were pale, but the corners lifted gently, "I am not leaving, but fulfilling your wish… and your master has always been by your side."
With those words, his figure gradually receded into the distance until it became a tiny speck. That speck suddenly expanded rapidly, transforming into countless white lights that filled the sky.
Everyone in Yan Family Fort walked dazedly toward the white light. The light touched their shoulders, feet, and cheeks, carrying them along as they transformed into luminous energy.
"Oh… I forgot to mention, fulfilling your wish requires borrowing the power of your faith… I am useless, so please don't mind, my obedient disciple…"
A smile lingered on An Xiaolin's brow.
As they say, a well-trained disciple keeps the master free of worries. After tens of thousands of years of waiting, it had all been worth it.
Yao Ranran could not hear his inner thoughts. White light poured from her body, merging with the lights from Yan Family Fort.
This master… was far too casual! She could only blame the way Nie Rong and Li Luoqi described Shu Xi Palace as miraculous, making her think she had stumbled upon a great opportunity. Without thinking, she had agreed to become his disciple…
In the end, this master seemed even less competent than herself!
Yao Ranran sighed deeply.
If only the pure spiritual energy gifted by the evil creatures could remain in her body—but alas, it had been a one-time thing.
Her thoughts drifted. Slowly, white appeared in her eyes, forming uneven arcs and curves.
Tang Xiangyin had somehow taken human form and wrapped her arms around Yao Ranran, curiously looking around, "Fairy Yao Ranran, it seems we're back!"
Snowflakes drifted into Tang Xiangyin's outstretched hands. Yao Ranran lifted her head as the sky released clusters of willow catkins, floating down to cover the barren mountains in silver.
Ding-ling! A delicate jade pendant fell to the ground.
Yao Ranran bent down to pick it up. The pendant Mu Jialing had given her had developed a crack from the fall.
"We… we're out!"
"Is this real?"
On the snow-white mountains, cultivators kept falling from the top of the Buddha statues.
These loose cultivators stared in astonishment at the surrounding scenery, their excitement beyond words.
The disciples guarding the statues at Guan Fan Temple were awakened by the cries.
It was no illusion. The most beautiful woman in Central Continent had truly emerged from the black pearl!
"Quick, report to the Abbot!"
The shouts of Guan Fan disciples and the relieved cries of the cultivators mixed together. Yao Ranran nervously tucked away the pendant as a clear male voice reached her ears.
"Amitabha, Fairy Ranran, we could not have returned alive without your help." Mu Jialing's thin lips pressed into a line, his amber eyes gazing seriously at her.
Yao Ranran froze. How did he know it was her doing?
"Without Fairy Ranran guiding me, I could never have found the heart, let alone known it existed…"
Mu Jialing paused for a second. Looking into Yao Ranran's bewildered eyes, a sense of fear stirred in his heart.
He could not speak of what he had done…
A mere Buddhist monk, secretly listening to a woman's thoughts in the dark corridor…
Even if his intent was to save her… once a mistake happened, it had happened. He deserved to bear the punishment brought by violating his oath.
"Fairy Ranran…" Mu Jialing's voice was soft and weighty at once.
"She saved us?" A loose cultivator pointed at Yao Ranran in disbelief, interrupting Mu Jialing.
Yao Ranran and Mu Jialing turned. Pei Xianqiao stood to their left. The cultivator's finger landed on her.
He Huatao nodded, "Yes, it was Sister Qiao Qiao who destroyed the evil heart hidden in the Divine Tree Jianmu. That's why we were saved!"
Pei Xianqiao stood silently. Her gaze swept over the crowd. Their eyes of doubt and disdain gradually shifted to trust and admiration.
A loose cultivator stepped forward, bowing, "Thank you, Pei Daoyou, for saving us. We misunderstood you before!"
"Yes, yes! I always said Pei Daoyou is good. The matter in front of Elder Yang was just a misunderstanding!"
Pei Xianqiao enjoyed the gratitude. She liked being watched and adored.
Even though her Sword of Cang Ling Snow had not struck the glowing heart directly, her frigid sword aura alone could have shattered it!
A sweet smile blossomed on Pei Xianqiao's lips, "I'm glad everyone is safe."
"Hahaha, in the end, we had to rely on Sister Qiao Qiao! If I hadn't entered the passage at the last moment and seen you destroy the heart, would you have kept this secret forever?"
He Hua Tao pretended to glare at her.
Pei Xianqiao lowered her head shyly, "There's no need to tell everyone. As long as people survive, that's enough."
Mu Jialing frowned slightly at their conversation. For the first time, he felt a trace of displeasure toward Pei Xianqiao.
"Fairy Ranran, please wait."
He spoke softly to Yao Ranran and strode to Pei Xianqiao's side, hands clasped together.
"Amitabha, Pei Daoyou indeed contributed much power in the Black Pearl World. But we were not saved by her alone."
Everyone froze.
No one expected the usually detached Buddhist monk to speak so urgently.
He Huatao furrowed his brow, wanting to mock him.
Pei Xianqiao, however, spoke first, soft and apologetic, "I overlooked it. The noise earlier prevented me from explaining. That evil heart was handled by me and the monk…"
"Not quite." Mu Jialing knew what she intended to say. What she was about to say was not the truth.
Pei Xianqiao frowned slightly, surprised by being interrupted for the first time since meeting him.