Chapter Ninety-Nine: The Heavenly Eye Opens

Helping her disciple, who had fainted from shock, to the bed, Lin Shanshan turned her head and met the gaze of those bright, watery eyes in the shadows. Zhou Yu peeked out from behind the tall cabinet and followed his mother with small, quick steps. Lin Shanshan lowered her eyelashes and chuckled softly, lifting Zhou Yu from the ground and holding him in her arms. She gently stroked her son's soft hair, her voice exceptionally gentle, "Mother, shall we take A-Yu to find the other older brothers and sisters now?"

Under Ye Chi's cover, the mortals imprisoned within the fenced area have now shifted their positions to the location of the other mortals. That place, a melting pot of all sorts, is currently the safest hiding place for them. She clutched the talisman Ya Feiyu had given her. According to Ya Feiyu, it was for survival; crushing it at a critical moment would allow her to use the spiritual power contained within. With one arm around Zhou Yu, she stealthily moved through the overlapping shadows of the buildings, carefully concealing herself. She knew all too well what would happen if she were discovered at this crucial moment.

But tonight, things seem to be different from what she expected.

Lin Shanshan initially thought that this night should be turbulent. The cooperation that Ya Feiyu told her was quite extensive. If they were to act on this quiet night, it should alert some people. At least Qing Shen Pavilion should not be so quiet at night. Not to mention any human voices, she didn't even see a single disciple walking on the road. It was as if they had mysteriously vanished into thin air without making a sound.

As she was feeling confused, she lifted her eyelids and glanced into the distance. Her pupils suddenly contracted, and she abruptly stopped—

The sky seemed to have cracked open.

On ordinary nights, the sky should be a silent and even inky black, but tonight, a huge, eerie crack appeared in the middle of the sky. Upon closer inspection, the crack was a blood-red color, like flesh and blood, with a white ball of light hidden in the center, like a giant eye hanging in the sky. The "giant eye" in the sky seemed to sense her presence and moved towards her. In an instant, Lin Shanshan felt as if her blood had flowed backward, her mind was a blank, her consciousness was unable to focus, she could not think, and even forming a relatively complete sentence seemed as difficult as ascending to heaven for her at this moment.

She swallowed hard, and only when those eyes, slightly bored, shifted their gaze away from her did she seem to finally come back to her senses. She staggered, and when she came to her senses, she was soaked in cold sweat. Zhou Yu in her arms was extremely anxious, clutching her clothes tightly and calling out "Mother" several times in a clear voice, asking what she was looking at and why she wasn't paying attention to him.

Lin Shanshan finally gave her a look, unaware of how haggard and weak she looked. She forced a pale smile and said, "It's nothing, Mother was just lost in thought..."

As she spoke, she lifted her eyelids again, wanting to catch another glimpse of the true face of the Heavenly Eye. But this time, the sky no longer had any deep cracks or eerie eyes. It was as if, during the time she looked down and up, the sky had closed its eyes, pretending that nothing had happened.

But that intense feeling of unease and panic in that instant was impossible to fake...

She frowned slightly, her ominous premonition growing stronger. She dared not think any further, and quickly left the place while holding Zhou Yu tightly in her arms, who seemed to still want to ask questions.

What Ya Feiyu said... is absolutely right.

This night was destined to be a sleepless one.

...

Golden light rippled before the Demon-Suppressing Tower.

It was a huge barrier formed by the spiritual power left by our ancestors over hundreds of years, like a protective shield, resolutely guarding this tall tower.

It is said that even if the Heavenly Emperor himself descended to the mortal realm, breaking through the barrier in front of the Demon Suppression Tower would not be an easy task. Looking at the current cultivation world, almost no one can break through it.

But today, the golden light that had been protecting the Demon-Suppressing Tower dissipated, almost unable to coalesce again due to the impact of the overlapping demonic energy and spiritual power. This force was so powerful that everyone's heart tightened involuntarily, and the ground seemed to tremble in fear as a result. Countless sharp sword lights swept across the horizon. The commotion caused by the destruction of the Demon-Suppressing Tower's barrier was so great that almost the entire mountain was about to collapse. Not only the people in Qing Shen Pavilion were affected, but even the surrounding small sects and towns were also affected.

Just then, a golden wave rippled outwards, and with a tremendous roar, the barrier that had sealed the Demon-Suppressing Tower for thousands of years was completely destroyed.

When Tantai Yue rushed over, he only caught a glimpse of a snow-white figure in the air.

The moment their eyes met, he shouted, "—It's Ya Feiyu, grab him!!!"

Countless sword lights attacked from all directions, but Ya Feiyu's eyes remained cool. He wielded his light sword with ease, easily dodging the chaotic assault. Tantai Yue's eyes blazed with fury, his hands clenched tightly at his sides. He hadn't expected Ya Feiyu to have disappeared for so long only to prepare to attack Qing Shen Pavilion. Catching sight of the demonic energy surrounding him, his anger intensified, and he roared, "Ya Feiyu has fallen to demonic possession! Whoever captures him will be richly rewarded!"

Ya Feiyu dodged the spells that brushed past him, completely unaffected by the outside world. He raised his hand, gathered a ball of demonic energy, broke through the restrictions in front of the Demon Suppression Tower, and easily entered.

Tantai Yue's pursuit suddenly came to a halt.

As the most important facility passed down through generations of Qing Shen Pavilion, the Demon Suppression Tower has been a source of great importance for Tantai Yue since childhood. Now that he has become the Pavilion Master, he knows exactly what kind of demons are suppressed and what kind of evil spirits are guarded inside the Demon Suppression Tower.

Ya Feiyu's rash intrusion is already a very dangerous move, so Tantai Yue must not act rashly.

If the demons and evil spirits guarded by the Demon Suppression Tower were to emerge due to today's turmoil, given the current spiritually barren cultivation world, there would certainly be few who could subdue these dangerous monsters, plunging the cultivation world into chaos.

He focused his mind, raised his hand, and shouted at his restless disciples and subordinates behind him: "Don't come any closer. Let me go in by myself!"

Tantai Wushuang was among them. Hearing this, he was taken aback, and the hand gripping the sword tightened even more. He said, "Father, why can't we go in to make the arrest?"

"Nonsense!" Tantai Yue seemed to be provoked, and with a flick of his sleeve, he unleashed a surge of spiritual power, causing Tantai Wushuang to stumble. He looked up in a disheveled state and saw his father standing with his back to the wide-open door, his back as straight as a towering pine tree. Tantai Yue said sternly, "Don't you know what the Demon-Suppressing Tower is to the Qing Shen Pavilion? You are not allowed to follow me!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he ignored everyone's attempts to stop him and resolutely stepped into the Demon-Suppressing Tower. Immediately, a gust of demonic wind swept in, forcing the wide-open doors to slam shut. Tantai Wushuang, who had just taken a step forward, had to stop in his tracks. He stared blankly at the heavy door, his hand raised in mid-air as if trying to grasp something, but ultimately fell futilely to his sides, looking utterly powerless and helpless.

The disciples around him couldn't bear to see their senior brother looking so dejected, so they all went forward to comfort him. Tantai Wushuang responded casually, but his gaze remained fixed on the door. Everyone was moved by Tantai Wushuang's filial piety, and for a moment no one spoke. Only Tantai Wushuang knew that his insistence on entering the Demon Suppression Tower was not because of filial piety, nor because he wanted to fight alongside his father, but because—he wanted to personally kill Ya Feiyu.

He lowered his head, his bangs, slightly disheveled by the wind, obscuring the gloomy expression in his eyes and hiding the deep resentment within them.

...

From the outside, the Demon-Suppressing Tower may appear to be a somewhat magnificent building, but only by entering can one glimpse its true mysteries. The tower is so tall that the dome is invisible at a glance. When Ya Feiyu looked up, all he could see were endless spiral staircases. The only path here was also an upward staircase, supported by a wooden pillar. The walls were also endless, filled with countless bookshelves, some containing ancient books, some containing forbidden cultivation techniques, and some containing treasures passed down from the Qing Shen Pavilion over the years.

There were also narrow cages suspended in the air, imprisoning various spirits—some filled with malice, some on the verge of collapse, some filled with regret, and some filled with resentment. But as Ya Feiyu approached with lowered eyelashes, all those spirits simultaneously showed fear. In their lives, they were nothing more than the remnants of harming their communities, but they seemed to see something in the thin figure before them, and they all felt fear and retreated.

Ya Feiyu scoffed softly, reaching a finger into the cage to poke the helpless soul. The tiny spirit let out a tiny, almost imperceptible scream. Ya Feiyu paused, then heard the heavy slam of the door closing behind him. Only then did he release the terrified and uneasy soul, a cold indifference flashing in his eyes.

“Ya Feiyu,” Tantai Yue slowly approached him, his steps deliberate, his gaze fixed intently on Ya Feiyu as if trying to tame a tiger. He said, “Elder Tianxue of the Qinglian Immortal Sect, known as the Heavenly Snow Immortal Venerable, the number one person in the world, a genius in swordsmanship…”

As he counted Ya Feiyu's titles, he approached him, a hint of amusement in his eyes: "You are clearly the most promising genius to ascend in this cultivation world. What made you abandon such a glorious path and turn to darkness to cultivate this mortal path of no return?"

Others didn't see it, but he had clearly witnessed Ya Feiyu controlling demonic energy, which confirmed the rumors circulating that Ya Feiyu was "colluding with the demons." Tantai Yue stared intently at Ya Feiyu, trying to discern even the slightest extra emotion from that face that was always etched with indifference.

But he failed.

His silver eyes remained cold and indifferent throughout.

There was no regret, no guilt, no anger or sadness.

It was just that kind of calm.