Chapter 299 The Move is Imminent (Part 1) Since you're going to gamble, I'll play along...

The gate opened again, and the two people in the courtyard turned to look. They saw Lin Feiran and their grandmaster walking out from the gate, and there were dozens of people behind the gate, quietly looking out. The gate then gradually closed.

Even in just a few breaths, Ru Xian caught a glimpse of Zhou Shushu through the closing gap. The moment their eyes met, he merely raised his eyebrows slightly in response.

Zhou Shushu coughed a few times, covered her mouth, smiled with satisfaction, said something silently, and then disappeared behind the gate.

Ru Xian paused slightly, seemingly surprised, but his lips had already curved into a smile, his eyes showing a hint of smugness. He turned his gaze to Lin Feiran, who had just walked out, and asked a question he already knew the answer to.

"How did the discussions go?"

Wei Changzai stood under a tree to the side, holding a withered leaf in his hand. He also looked in this direction, his gaze falling on Lin Feiran with an unprecedented serenity.

Lin Feiran glanced at the two of them, walked up to Ru Xian, and replied, "It's settled. I've proposed a method, which may not be perfect, but all of you seniors think it's worth a try."

Lin Feiran was always humble in his speech. When Ru Xian heard her speak like this, and recalled Zhou Shushu's words just now, he understood what was going on. He sat down at the table, looked up at her, and said directly.

"If you need anything from me, just ask. I will agree to do whatever you want."

If others wanted to ask him for help, they would always have to weigh the pros and cons, and he might not be willing to agree. But if it was Lin Feiran's plan, he would be ready to give his full support without her even having to ask.

Lin Feiran's lips curled up, clearly she had had this idea for a while, and now that it coincided with his, she was naturally happy and asked, "Really?"

Ru Xian stood up with her arms crossed, looked at her for a moment, then raised her finger and tapped her forehead, saying in a cold voice, "Why are you still reacting like this? Did you think I would refuse?"

Lin Feiran smiled and said, "If I thought you would refuse, I wouldn't have included you."

Ru Xian was finally satisfied. He sat back down in his original seat, crossed his right leg over the edge of the table, and said, "Tell me, what do you want me to do?"

Lin Feiran was about to speak, but then stopped: "The Dao Lord has the Heavenly Eye, making him difficult to guard against. This matter is of great importance, and what we need is to catch him off guard. I will convey this to you through telepathy later."

He leaned against the edge of the table, relaxed, and nodded in agreement: "Okay."

Lin Feiran couldn't help but smile. Then she turned around and saw her grandmaster standing behind her. Although his expression was not as solemn as before, his face had changed and was not as clear as usual.

Since the Eternal Night, the Grandmaster has never stopped, constantly expending spiritual energy to manifest divine power, contact others, and travel until now. Yesterday, he opened this secret realm that no one could explore. The extent of the depletion is already visible to the naked eye.

After devising a plan, he was finally able to rest for a while. He rubbed his temples, and as the secret realm completely dissipated, his figure turned into ink and gradually faded away.

"I've been too stressed these past few days, so I'll take a rest first. I'll come with you then."

Seeing his grandmaster's increasingly faint figure, Lin Feiran pursed his lips and said, "Grandmaster, I still have some of the old ink I obtained in the Pilgrimage Valley. Why don't we use it now to make up for it?"

It is unknown when the Pilgrimage Valley will reopen, and even if it does, it is unknown whether such divine ink will still be available. The master did not use it before, always saying that it was not needed for the time being.

But this time he didn't refuse. Instead, he smiled helplessly and said, "Ink will eventually run out. Let's just use up half of it this time. We can use up the rest when that time comes."

He didn't say which moment it was, but Lin Feiran knew in his heart that it might be the very last moment when facing the Dao Lord.

Lin Feiran had no choice but to agree.

The grandmaster returned to the Iron Khitan Book. Although this stone book was no longer a stone book, to the others, the pages were just a blank white space, without a trace of writing.

The grandmaster lay asleep on the last page. Against the white background, the ink lines became clearer, no longer as vivid as before. They were like ink stains that had dried after being soaked in water, now faded and with gaps of fading visible in each stroke.

Lin Feiran observed for a moment, then sat down at the nearby table and took out the old ink that Shen Qi had given him earlier.

The ink blob was still half the size of her palm. She carefully separated half of it, dipped her brush in it, and began to fill in the ink on her master's body stroke by stroke. She repeatedly sketched it, but it was like a clay ox sinking into the sea, unable to deepen the ink even a little.

She paused slightly, but said nothing. She simply dipped her brush in the remaining half of the ink and continued to paint.

Ru Xian sat beside her, glanced at her face, lowered her eyes to look at the last page of the book, and remained silent.

As she was adding ink, another figure appeared on the blank page. The plum blossom hairpin was clearly visible in the shadow. She paused in her writing, and he remained silent until she had finished dipping the brush in the ink and was about to put it down. Only then did he speak.

"What can I do to help you?"

Lin Feiran was still finishing writing and closing the blank pages when Ru Xian looked up before her.

He naturally wanted to refuse, but considering that this was Lin Feiran's plan, and he didn't know the full picture yet, he couldn't refuse rashly. Moreover, Wei Changzai was indeed a formidable fighter.

He closed his lips, his emerald eyes turning to Lin Feiran's face.

Lin Feiran received half of the items in her hands and looked up. The first thing that appeared in her clear eyes was surprise. She seemed not to have expected Wei Changzai to say such a thing.

Seeing this expression, Ru Xian's lips curled up slightly, and her gaze towards Wei Changzai became much less bothersome.

Lin Feiran's pen hadn't fallen yet when she said, "You want to make a move too?"

Wei Changzai looked down at her, his dark eyes shining slightly in the night. His hand slowly touched the edge of the table and moved a little closer.

"I will do whatever you ask me to do, no matter what it is."

Lin Feiran exhaled slightly, turned to look at Dan Shu, put down the brush, and then looked at his face: "What if I don't need it?"

Wei Changzai's eyes flashed, his lips parted, and he didn't know how to respond.

Lin Feiran said, "I thought that after Zhang Chunhe's death, you would have a different understanding. Life is your own, and everything comes from your heart."

"You used to listen to Zhang Chunhe, now you listen to me. What's the difference between that and your previous life?"

"There is a difference."

This time, Wei Changzai did not remain silent. He responded quickly, looked at Lin Feiran with a deep gaze, and repeated himself.

"...There is a difference."

This time, he knew the difference; he had come to understand his own Dao heart.

"Put me in your vision, use me, let me stand here forever, that is my 'from the heart'."

He spoke of this confession with great ease, yet the weight of his words was not to be underestimated.

Lin Feiran frowned slightly. She had indeed not taken Wei Changzai into consideration, but there was still a vacancy in the original plan. She originally wanted Xuanzhen or Biqing to fill the vacancy, but Wei Changzai was more suitable than the two of them.

It's not entirely because of ability, but because of what I've learned.

She didn't rush to refuse or nod, but instead turned to look at Ru Xian. He said casually, "I promised that I would help you no matter what, and that's not just empty talk."

The implication was that he wouldn't object to Wei Changzai intervening as long as she needed it.

Lin Feiran looked up again: "Back in Luoyang, you and I went to the Holy Palace Lady's Abyss. Do you remember a large formation there?"

Upon hearing her speak, Wei Changzai's eyebrows twitched slightly, and he was already close to the edge of the table: "I am not good at array formations. Although I do not know the meaning of array formations, I remember them."

Lin Feiran took out a piece of white paper and pushed the brush over: "Try drawing one."

Wei Changzai sat down to the side, lowered his eyes, picked up his pen, and recalled the situation at that time. He slowly outlined the magic array on the paper.

This array pattern is extremely complex, with connections and links in all directions, yet it also has several subtle breaks and numerous details. If one had not seen it before, even a cultivator who is extremely skilled in array formations would find it difficult to restore.

This formation is extremely complex; even just copying and outlining it took almost the time it takes to brew a cup of tea to complete.

He stopped writing, looked up, and his gaze fell on Lin Feiran's face. She was focused on her examination and didn't notice him. He was so close that he was almost mesmerized, yet he also felt a chill.

He turned his head slightly and met a pair of clear blue eyes. Their gazes met for a moment in the air. He paused, then slowly looked away, focusing only on the green lamp on the table.

The bright firelight reflected in his eyes and no longer went out.

Lin Feiran checked very carefully, even sketching it on the table according to his own habits. After finishing the drawing, he knew that the array pattern he drew was correct.

She wasn't too surprised. Since he was able to recreate the Infinite Ground back then, he was also capable of replicating this array pattern. If he were with her, she wouldn't need to spend time teaching others and could catch up with the others as soon as possible.

In the current situation, speed is extremely important; it all comes down to who can make the first move.

“Alright, since you remember, then come with us.” She raised her hand, and the white paper in her palm instantly turned into embers. “However, the Dao Lord has a Heavenly Eye, and perhaps he is watching this place at some point. How can I tell you…”

Ru Xian glanced at the Tieqidan book and said, "You have another Heavenly Eye. Do you have a cultivation method that would allow you to achieve what he did?"

Lin Feiran shook his head: "This sage told me that the Heavenly Eye can only see things that are invisible in the world. It originally did not have such an ability. I guess it must have been obtained by him through his own cultivation after he swallowed it."

Moreover, the Heavenly Eye will soon be within her sight; although there are methods of cultivation, none have yielded such rapid results.

She pondered for a moment, then stood up, put away the cinnabar book, looked at the night sky over the snow-capped mountain, and said softly, "If you can't say it, then don't say it. Just as you said, I will say it and you will do it, without asking why."

Wei Changzai nodded: "Okay, whatever you say, I'll do."

Lin Feiran did some mental calculations: "Go back to Ninghe Residence and get some more spirit-replenishing pills, and pack some more runes. This time the consumption will be huge. It's noon now, so we'll set off at Shenshi (3-5 PM)."

Wei Changzai stood up, and a smile involuntarily crept into his usually calm eyes. He nodded and quickly left the disciples' quarters, but instead of returning to Ninghe Residence, he went to Zhang Chunhe's furnace room.

If we're talking about elixirs, then naturally there are more of them.

Ru Xian, however, became curious: "What is your plan?"

Lin Feiran turned his head to look, a smile in his eyes, raised his hand and tapped his eyes. The yin-yang symbol in his eyes moved slightly, and a thought was transmitted to his ear.

She explained in great detail, and their conversation finally ended only after the lamp had burned out most of its flame.

She couldn't help but ask, "What do you think?"

Ru Xian looked at her, tilted her head slightly and smiled, "If you do this, you'll be standing on the opposite side of everyone again."

Lin Feiran was no longer as hesitant as before. This time, she simply raised her lips, her eyes gleaming with a light she had never seen before.

"Stand if you want. Isn't growing up about gradually realizing that you are different from others?"

“If I stand here once, they will hate me; if I stand here twice, they will be afraid of me; if I stand here three times, those with weak wills will choose to submit, and even the bold will feel numb.”

A person's mental strength is often weakened by such repeated setbacks.

Ru Xian stepped forward with her arms crossed: "You have gained a lot along the way."

Ru Xian stepped forward and stood in front of her: "But are you sure you want me to go back to the demon realm?"

Lin Feiran nodded: "Now both realms have the influence of the Secret Sect, but the Human Emperor Clan has lost its power and cannot help. However, the Demon Realm is different. Your power is still there, and with the assistance of the formation, pacification may only be a matter of days."

We only need to concern ourselves with the human realm.

Ru Xian naturally had no objection: "You're permitted."

The two had barely finished speaking when, before the hour of Shen (3-5 PM), Wei Changzai appeared in front of the dormitory. He did not approach, but simply stood in front of the door, quietly looking at the scene.

Lin Feiran looked up at the sky, and a golden light appeared on the third eye of his right eye.

"Since you're going to gamble, I'll play along to the end."

She raised her hand, and the Golden Wave Sword in the room flew out like a streak of light, landed in her hand, and was then carried behind her back.

"Let's go. The seniors should have already gone to make arrangements. Let's take this opportunity to go to the Demon Realm first."

As night deepened, Lin Feiran took to the air on his sword, and the three figures quickly disappeared into the horizon. In mid-air, a barely perceptible wisp of pale white mist dissipated, as if it had never existed.

On the spirit sword, the golden light in Lin Feiran's Heavenly Eye faded. She looked back and saw the direction where the mist had dissipated.

Author's note: I've decided to end it here. [heart emoji]