On the wide road of Fusheng Pavilion, Lingyin walked forward towards the main hall.

As she approached the palace entrance, she saw Yanluo.

"Young Miss."

Despite the honorific title, Yan Luo's expression showed no respect whatsoever.

"The Lord is waiting for you in the inner hall." She waved her wooden fan, and a captivating fragrance emanated from her.

However, Lingyin found the smell extremely repulsive. She only glanced coldly at Yanluo before stepping into the inner hall.

Ji Chen, dressed in black, stood with his hands behind his back, admiring the murals on a huge wall.

Hearing footsteps, Ji Chen didn't turn around, but asked, "How is this painting?"

Lingyin looked at it and said, "Although the painting is exquisite, the content is messy and incomprehensible."

Ji Chen chuckled softly, turned to look at her, and asked, "How's the matter of the Divine Pearl going?"

Lingyin carefully examined her father's face. She wondered if it was just her imagination, but she felt that her father was different now than before. She couldn't quite put her finger on what was different.

"There's something I don't understand, and I'd like to ask Father for clarification." Instead of directly answering Ji Chen's question, she voiced her own doubts.

"Speak."

Lingyin paused for a moment, then said, "Is the Divine Pearl really effective for your illness? Why are you so determined to obtain it? And why didn't you tell me before you attacked the Floating Life Pavilion?"

Ji Chen looked at her, a cold and impatient glint in his eyes. "Are you questioning me?"

Lingyin bowed her head: "I dare not, I just want to know the reason."

After a long while, Ji Chen chuckled twice and put on a kind face. “Yin’er, you’ve grown up. There are some things I have to tell you. The matter of the Divine Pearl is no small thing. I met a fortune teller in my early years. He gave me a divination, and the result was not good.”

At this point, he revealed a sorrowful expression, and Lingyin couldn't help but ask worriedly, "What will the result be? Will it be detrimental to Father?"

Ji Chen sighed, "He said that in the near future, the five stars will be aligned in the sky, and the five major sects of the human world will gather the five divine pearls to attack my demon race. At that time, the demon race will suffer greatly and be in dire straits."

He looked at Lingyin and said, "The reason I want to obtain the Divine Pearl is to prevent the Demon Clan from suffering disaster and to give them a place in the Three Realms."

Lingyin stood there, stunned. She hadn't expected there to be this reason. "Then why did you attack Fusheng Pavilion? Was it also for the Divine Pearl?"

Ji Chen suppressed his lament and resumed his indifferent expression. "Indeed, a divine pearl is hidden in this small Floating Life Pavilion." As he spoke, he took out a round pearl that shone with golden light from his sleeve.

This must be the Mountain-Breaking Pearl. Lingyin stared at the pearl in a daze, the golden light reflecting in her eyes and emitting a dazzling fluorescence. She unconsciously raised her hand to touch it, but suddenly withdrew it when her fingertips touched it.

The divine pearl contains immense power and is a treasure that countless cultivators dream of obtaining; its allure goes far beyond this.

Very few people can maintain their original intentions in the face of divine pearls. When Qinghe and her senior sister possessed three divine pearls, they did not have any interest in them. This shows how firm their will was and how pure their spirit was. No wonder Mo Junqian liked her so much.

Thinking of this, she regretted being deceived by the divine pearl and cursed herself for her weak will.

"Now you know what to do, right? I don't need to tell you anymore, do I?"

Lingyin snapped out of her daze, a resolute glint in her eyes, and bowed, saying, "I will certainly not fail in my mission."

After Lingyin left, Yanluo walked in, fanning himself with his fan, and said, "I didn't expect this little girl to be so easy to fool. Your ability to write stories is quite good, Master."

Ji Chen looked at her with a cold and piercing gaze, but Yan Luo still had a mocking expression and was not afraid at all.

After a moment, Ji Chen withdrew his gaze, turned his back and continued to admire the mural, but his eyes revealed a bloodthirsty cruelty.

...

Above the Black Sea, where the sea and sky meet, the beautiful aurora borealis reflects on the ship flying through the air, as if welcoming it, or bidding it farewell.

Two figures stood at the bow of the boat, one dressed in a dashing red robe and the other in a flowing blue shirt.

Qinghe rested his elbows on the side of the boat, his chin supported by both hands, his head swaying back and forth, which Qi Rong found rather cute.

Yet she maintained a cool and aloof expression, making it hard to believe she would do something so adorable. This unexpected contrast only made her more endearing.

“I think I should change my clothes,” Qinghe suddenly said, the azure aurora reflected on her face, her dark eyes shining brightly.

"Then what color should we change to?" Qi Rong gently answered her question. Actually, it didn't matter what color she wore, because in his eyes, Qinghe was unique no matter what she wore.

Qinghe thought for a moment, "Let's change to white." She turned to Qirong and asked, "Do you know why?"

"Why?"

"Because red goes well with white."

Qi Rong was taken aback, her gaze softening as she looked at her, and she smiled, "Where did you hear that from?"

Qinghe turned back to look at the aurora, "I'm not telling you."

Qi Rong smiled indulgently.

"By the way, Senior Divine Tree told me before that you have an old injury on your body. What's going on?"

Qi Rong said lazily, "That happened many years ago, let's not talk about it. Anyway, I'm fine now, aren't I?"

Qinghe knew he didn't want to talk about it, so she didn't force him. Everyone has secrets. If he wanted to talk, she would be a listener. If he didn't want to talk, she would wait for him silently until the day he wanted to talk.

"Um."

The two watched the aurora together, the light shining brilliantly in the darkness, as if frozen in time.

Inside the cabin, Shen Xun lay on a chaise longue, leisurely enjoying pastries and fruit.

It must be said that Ji Xuan is not only proficient in weapon crafting, but also knows how to enjoy life. The decorations and ornaments in this empty ship are obviously very valuable and full of artistic atmosphere. There are all kinds of exquisite clothes, delicacies, and even a toy room specially set up for children. I wonder if Ji Xuan chose this ship because he saw that I was a child, or if every ship has such a feature.

Unfortunately, he is not a child anymore; he has lost his childlike innocence a long time ago.

The sweetness of the pastry melted in his mouth, and Shen Xun let out a comfortable "hmm". Suddenly, he sat up abruptly, and the familiar pain in his chest returned.

"Hmm..."

Her small hands clenched into fists, her teeth clenched so tightly they almost drew blood from her lips, and her face turned pale instantly.

He looked up at the outside of the cabin, his gaze suddenly turning cold.

...

Far away in the Floating Life Pavilion, on a cliff face, Yan Luo was performing divination. Her eyes were closed, and she was chanting incantations. In front of her, who was sitting cross-legged, a wooden fan transformed into two, forming the shape of a Bagua plate. On the Bagua plate, countless talismans rotated, alternating between black and white, and their light reached the Celestial Star in the sky.

After a long while, the light faded, the divination plate disappeared, and the wooden fan returned to Yan Luo's hands.

Ji Chen: "How is it?"

Yan Luo opened his eyes, a flash of black starlight passing through them. "He is resisting, and the surrounding spiritual energy is very strong. I can't pinpoint his exact location."

Ji Chen sneered: "He's so badly injured, he'll fall into my hands sooner or later. I've been searching for him for so many years, there's no rush. The most important thing right now is the Divine Pearl."

Yan Luo: "Didn't you send Ling Yin to retrieve the Divine Pearl?"

Ji Chen snorted coldly: "She hesitated repeatedly, was cowardly and timid, which led to the failure of the mission. I have lost patience with her."

Yan Luo smiled charmingly: "Perhaps there is another reason."

Ji Chen narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

“You don’t understand a girl’s mind.” Yan Luo gently waved her fan, a cryptic smile flashing in her eyes. “How about I lend her a hand?”

Ji Chen pondered for a moment and nodded in agreement.