Bai Ying shook her head helplessly, a mischievous smile flashing in her eyes. She slowly raised her right hand, her slender fingers lightly touching the air.

"boom!"

In an instant, an immense, abyss-like pressure erupted! The entire cave trembled violently, the spirit stone lamps on the rock walls shattered one after another, and tiny crystal fragments fell like snowflakes. The ground began to crack, and spiderweb-like fissures spread outwards from Bai Ying's center.

"This...this is..." The Lingyin Sect Master suddenly stood up, and the black jade chair behind him shattered into dust with a "bang". His old face was filled with disbelief, his cloudy eyes were wide open, and his lips trembled uncontrollably.

The sect leader of Lingxiao Sect staggered back several steps until his back hit the cold stone wall before he could barely stand.

"No...impossible..." a white-haired elder muttered to himself, his whisk snapping in two with a "crack." His legs went weak, and he knelt down on the ground, his wrinkled face filled with shock.

Murong Jin's sword clattered to the ground. He stared intently at Bai Ying, his usually steady hands trembling slightly. His Adam's apple bobbed a few times, but he couldn't utter a single word.

Several disciples with lower cultivation levels knelt directly on the ground, their foreheads pressed against the cold earth, unable even to lift their heads. They felt as if a mountain was pressing down on their chests, making each breath extremely difficult.

The spiritual energy within the cave began to surge wildly, forming small vortexes around Bai Ying. Her robes fluttered, her hair moved without wind, and the white lotus mark between her brows shone brightly, illuminating the entire cave as if it were daytime.

"Refinement Void... This is definitely the pressure of a Refinement Void stage cultivator!" The Lingyin Sect Master's voice was hoarse, and his old eyes glistened with excited tears.

"Oh my god..."

Qi Haoyuan gasped in shock, his face drained of all color. "A realm I've spent my entire life, exhausting countless efforts, yet I couldn't break through, and this girl has already done it just like that..."

Several elderly elders were already sobbing uncontrollably. Their hands trembled, and cloudy tears rolled down their wrinkled cheeks. These old cultivators, who had lived for hundreds of years and experienced countless storms, were now as excited as children.

"Our...our ancestors have shown themselves!" An elderly man with white hair knelt on the ground, his forehead pressed against the cold earth, his voice choked with sobs and almost inaudible. "Our Lingyin Sect...finally...finally..."

Murong Jin finally found his voice, but it was so hoarse it was unrecognizable: "Junior sister... you... are truly amazing."

At this moment, no one could find the words to describe Bai Ying. Those so-called prodigies and geniuses they had previously praised were not even worthy of carrying her shoes compared to her.

That's really terrifying, that's outrageous.

Bai Ying gently withdrew her oppressive aura, and the tense atmosphere in the cave immediately eased. She glanced around at everyone, a faint smile playing on her lips: "Now, is there anyone still trying to persuade me to leave?"

A deeper silence met her response. The Lingyin Sect Master trembled as he raised his hand, as if to say something. His lips moved slightly, but in the end, he simply straightened his clothes solemnly and bowed deeply to Bai Ying. This usually dignified sect master now had tears of emotion glistening in his eyes.

The other elders were even more heartbroken, tears streaming down their faces. They had already given up hope, knowing that hiding here was merely a delaying tactic, and that they would eventually be found by Patriarch Huayang and meet a gruesome end. But they never expected that Heaven would send such a monstrous talent to the Lingyin Sect!

"Junior Nephew Bai..." The Lingxiao Sect Master finally found his voice, but it was hoarse beyond recognition. "This old woman...this old woman..."

Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly bowed deeply, performing a grand salute to Bai Ying. Bai Ying reacted swiftly, using her spiritual power to support his arm: "Sect Master, you mustn't."

The atmosphere inside the cave gradually warmed up. The disciples whispered among themselves, their eyes filled with awe and worship as they looked at Bai Ying. Several elders paced back and forth excitedly, wiping away tears every now and then.

Xuan Yuan Chen took a deep breath and stepped forward: "Ying'er..." His voice was still trembling slightly, "As for Ancestor Hua Yang... are you confident?"

Bai Ying's eyes turned cold, and her body temperature plummeted: "Master, rest assured. I received a legacy from an ancient secret treasure. Even though my cultivation is not as high as that Hua Yang Ancestor's, killing him will not be difficult."

She lightly touched the two tokens at her waist, the tokens of the Lingyin Sect and the Lingxiao Sect. "This blood debt must be repaid."

Sunlight streamed in through the cracks in the cave entrance, falling on her plain white robes and casting a soft halo around them. At that moment, everyone seemed to see hope for the Lingyin Sect to regain its former glory.

—

At this moment, in a dense forest not far from the cave, several figures lay silently in ambush. Their robes were tattered, and each of them wore an expression of disbelief, yet their eyes gleamed with wild joy.

"Junior sister...it really is junior sister..." He covered his mouth tightly, but tears streamed down his face uncontrollably. His shoulder was badly injured, and blood had soaked half of his robe.

The man at the head of the group leaned against an ancient tree, blood still seeping from a gruesome wound on his chest. Hearing the conversation coming from inside the cave, a long-lost smile appeared on his pale face. His slender fingers unconsciously traced a shallow scratch on the hilt of his sword, a mark accidentally left by Bai Ying when she was practicing her swordsmanship years ago.

"She's still alive..." he murmured, his voice so soft it was almost inaudible.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on his handsome face. For the first time in three years, a spark of hope rekindled in those eyes that had always been clouded with gloom.

The disciples beside them supported each other, and some couldn't help but sob softly.

"Senior brother..." a disciple called softly, his eyes red-rimmed, "Should we..."

The leading man's body trembled violently, and his eyes flashed with an astonishing light, like stars suddenly ignited in the night sky. But in an instant, the light dimmed again, like moonlight obscured by dark clouds. He slowly shook his head, a bitter smile curving his lips:

"Never mind." His voice was so soft it was almost inaudible. "I think...she doesn't want to see me..."