The sky and sea stretched endlessly; the earth's dome had its limits.
Xu Linglong stood alone on a small boat, drifting across the South Sea beyond the Eastern Divine Continent.
The Eighteen Immortal Sects were no pushovers. Within the Five Continents and Myriad Regions, there was no place left for it to stay.
All it could do was ride the waves on a lone skiff. Over time, only a bright moon kept it company.
"Things keep getting worse."
At the edge of the horizon, a sigh of frustration drifted over.
Xu Linglong lowered its eyes slightly: "Better or worse—who defines that? When things go badly for us, they think things go badly for them too."
"The great struggle is just like that. We won't let them go, and they won't let us go." The sighing voice spoke again.
The words floated in. A young man in pale crimson armor, his face somewhat savage, with ox-horn-like protrusions on his head, stepped to Xu Linglong's side in a single stride.
Xu Linglong murmured: "Boluo, you're taking this well. Did you learn that from those bald donkeys?"
"Of course I learned. If they won the first round, they must have had their reasons—and whether this world helped them or not is irrelevant."
Boluo's somewhat fierce face broke into a Buddha-like smile.
Xu Linglong couldn't bear to watch, and said coldly:
"That smile is disgusting."
"Making even you sick means I've gained something."
"What exactly have you been learning from the Buddhist Sect?"
Boluo chuckled lightly: "I learned the things you disdain. So—how serious is Chu Xingchen's injury, really?"
"From what I see in Donggua and the others, his wounds haven't healed. He's just putting on a brave face. But who can tell truth from fiction?" Xu Linglong's tone carried a hint of helplessness. "He is Chu Xingchen, after…"
"This time the Heavenly Dao chose well." Boluo gazed at the sky. "Truth and lies intertwined—perhaps we should look a little more favorably upon Chu Xingchen."
"How favorably are you thinking?" Xu Linglong turned its head.
Boluo's tone remained calm:
"The day the grand formation activates—we siege Chu Xingchen. Make them powerless to interfere with the formation's activation."
"I'm willing to be the vanguard. But I have only one condition: if I don't retreat, none of you retreat. If I die, you may do as you please."
Xu Linglong was silent for a moment, then said coldly: "Is that really necessary? From what we can see, Chu Xingchen doesn't seem to know where we plan to activate the formation."
Boluo replied lightly: "He's Chu Xingchen. What if he does?"
"This is the last chance, the last window of time. The ones who can't afford to gamble are us, not him."
Xu Linglong asked the worry in its heart:
"Then what about Bai Xuanling? The living True Immortal—can we really stop her?"
Boluo answered: "I have my methods. I'm not tired of living yet, and I'm not eager to throw my life away. I have an estimate for Bai Xuanling—I believe I can handle her. That day, I'll face her."
Xu Linglong was somewhat speechless at this, but Boluo was willing to take on Bai Xuanling as the vanguard, so there was little more to say. It thought for a moment, then asked:
"The other Celestial Demons—how do they feel about this?"
Boluo looked up at the bright moon:
"They should agree. After all, who likes wearing a human face and pretending to be human?"
"So—your answer?"
Xu Linglong was silent for a moment, then nodded slightly: "I'll go."
Boluo nodded with satisfaction: "Good. See you in a few days. May we both return from this."
With that, a gentle breeze swept through.
In the vast ocean under a lone moon and drifting skiff, only Xu Linglong's silhouette remained.
It looked up at the moon again.
Humans loved gazing at the moon and thinking of someone. But in its world, this bright moon didn't belong.
This bright moon kept reminding Xu Linglong—this place wasn't its home.
But in just a little more time, this place would belong to it.
And when that day came, this bright moon would probably look a lot more pleasant.
Chu Xingchen gazed up at the bright moon while listening to Chen Baiqing's report on Donggua.
After hearing it, he asked:
"So Donggua actually doesn't know—it's possible someone was subconsciously feeding it this information, and the most likely candidate is Xu Linglong?"
Chen Baiqing nodded slightly: "So regarding the grand formation, Master should be careful. As for Donggua, it might be better to dispose of it."
"False intelligence is still intelligence." Chu Xingchen looked back at Chen Baiqing. "Some news is better than no news. Let's keep Donggua around for now."
"Yes." Chen Baiqing nodded.
"I feel like even busier days are coming." Chu Xingchen shook his head helplessly, then asked: "How is the New Policy rollout going in Southern Zhanbu Continent?"
Chen Baiqing thought for a moment, then answered:
"In Baiqing's view, it should be possible to calm things down."
"But whether this can lead to achieving Sub-Sage—I'm not particularly optimistic."
Chu Xingchen fiddled with the tea Chen Baiqing had brewed and replied softly:
"All we can do is our best. Whether it succeeds or not is in the hands of heaven."
Chen Baiqing said nothing. She just felt that Master had put in tremendous effort—having the Buddhist Sect push the Small Vehicle this way. If after all this groundwork nothing came of it, if everything was for nothing…
Chu Xingchen looked at Chen Baiqing's face and roughly understood what his grown-up third disciple was thinking, but didn't say more.
He had raised this third disciple from childhood—he could still read her.
The small courtyard fell quiet again.
Chen Baiqing periodically poured tea for her master, but didn't initiate any new conversation.
Chu Xingchen sipped his tea thoughtfully, his expression contemplative.
The bright moon shifted from half-tilted to hanging high.
Chu Xingchen's gaze drifted toward the courtyard entrance. He immediately stood up, his tone surprised:
"How did you come? Why didn't you let me know?"
Xie Lingyu wore a white battle-dress, her eyes carefully scanning Chu Xingchen up and down before answering:
"I came to see you. Besides, Master has been in Southern Zhanbu Continent watching over your disciples for you."
"I understand you were worried about my safety, so you had me do something with no risk."
"But sometimes, I think Baiqing has a point—you have to cause me a little trouble."
"Rather than worrying every day about what you're doing, I figured it's better to come see for myself."
Xie Lingyu felt she had said a lot, but hadn't quite managed to express what she truly meant.
Chen Baiqing had, of course, sent a copy of the Image-Recording Stone to Xie Lingyu as well, explaining Master's situation in a way that Shiniang could understand.
After viewing it, Xie Lingyu understood the situation. Chu Xingchen's recovery had far exceeded her expectations.
Her heart settled considerably.
But she also felt—she shouldn't just be a Dao Companion waiting at Tianyan Sect for news.
She should be a cultivator who, even if her cultivation wasn't on par with Chu Xingchen's, could still stand beside him and weather the storms together.
At the very least, she needed to see the situation for herself.
Chu Xingchen feigned ignorance: "Huh? What are you talking about?"
Xie Lingyu walked steadily up to Chu Xingchen, reached out, and grabbed his collar. Her gaze was firm as she met his eyes.
She answered in a way Chu Xingchen would absolutely understand:
"Lady Lingyu is omnipotent!"
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