Xuan Yuan Chen's trembling fingers wanted to touch his disciple, but stopped in mid-air, fearing that it was just a dream.
The grief and self-blame that had been building up over the past few days burst forth in a torrent of hot tears.
A commotion erupted in the cave. Those fellow disciples who had previously fainted awoke one by one. They were all overjoyed to see Bai Ying; some wept with joy, some murmured to themselves, and some, disregarding their injuries, tried to reach Bai Ying.
Bai Ying's return was truly wonderful news for them.
Xuan Yuan Chen was filled with excitement. Bai Ying was not only his last disciple to whom he had devoted his life, but also the last flame of the Lingxiao and Lingyin sects.
Since the day he witnessed his beloved disciple's soul dissipate, he outwardly maintained the dignity of an elder and comforted his disciples, but inwardly he was in unbearable pain. Every night he would sit alone in the forbidden area of the back mountain until dawn, letting the morning dew soak through his robes.
"Ying'er... let your teacher take a good look..." His voice was hoarse and his chest bandage was already soaked with blood, but he still stubbornly reached out to touch the figure in front of him.
When his fingertips truly felt that warm skin, and he knew he wasn't dreaming, he showed a genuine smile for the first time in a long time—a smile filled with unspeakable joy and sorrow.
At the other end of the stone chamber, the Lingyin Sect Master tapped three long and two short marks on the jade pendant with his fingers, and the Lingxiao Sect Master immediately understood and narrowed his eyes.
In a flash, the two completed a silent discussion. They had to use the forbidden technique "Shifting Stars and Changing Constellations" to reshape Bai Ying's identity, change her appearance, and even change her aura so that the Hua Yang Ancestor would not be able to detect that Bai Ying was still alive, even if it would exhaust the last of the sect's resources.
As long as this spark of Dao remains unextinguished, it will surely spread like wildfire in the future.
"Good...good..." Xuan Yuan Chen's voice choked and changed tone. His trembling fingers touched Bai Ying's smooth forehead, where there should have been a deep sword wound that exposed the bone. Now, not only was the old wound healed, but the girl was also surrounded by a mysterious aura, which surprised and delighted the old man. "Great, great!"
Bai Ying was already in tears. Looking at her fellow disciples in the cave, who were all wounded but still alive, she felt a sense of relief for the first time.
Master is still here, and my fellow disciples are still here; that's enough.
The two sect leaders exchanged a glance, their aged faces filled with solemnity. The Lingxiao Sect leader stepped forward, his sleeve already forming a hand seal: "Bai Ying, there's no time to lose. I will now use a disguise technique to change your aura. Leave this place immediately!"
"Not bad." The Lingyin Sect Master flipped his hand and produced a teleportation talisman. "This talisman can help you travel a thousand miles in an instant. We old bones will risk our lives to buy you time."
Murong Jin's longsword was already drawn, its blade carving a shimmering, spiritually lit barrier on the ground: "Junior Sister, I'm here to assist the two sect leaders in casting their spell. The Hua Yang Ancestor's pursuers could arrive at any moment; we must..."
"No need," Bai Ying's cool voice echoed in the cave. "I want to go and meet that Hua Yang Ancestor myself."
These words caused an uproar among the audience.
"Nonsense!" The Lingxiao Sect Master nearly dropped his whisk. "Ying'er, you know how powerful that Huayang Ancestor is! How could you possibly be his match now?"
Xuan Yuan Chen stamped his feet anxiously, "Good child, don't be reckless! You are our sect's last hope!"
Murong Jin grabbed Bai Ying's wrist, his usually gentle eyes now bloodshot: "Junior Sister! Even if it costs me my life, I will protect you!"
The crowd echoed his sentiments, and voices of admonition rose and fell.
Wang Qi suddenly burst out laughing, which seemed particularly abrupt in the somber atmosphere.
"You guys..." He shook his head and walked to Bai Ying's side, "Didn't you hear what I just said?"
Seeing the puzzled looks on everyone's faces, Wang Qi mysteriously raised his index finger: "Why don't you guess what realm our Junior Sister Bai is at now?"
A hush fell over the cave. The elders exchanged glances, and finally Qi Haoyuan tentatively spoke up: "Could it be... that he has already broken through to the Nascent Soul stage?"
"Nascent Soul stage?"
The cave fell into a deathly silence, and everyone's eyes were fixed on Bai Ying.
"This...how is this possible..." The Lingxiao Sect Master's lips trembled slightly. "In just over a year...from the late Nascent Soul stage to the Deity Transformation stage?"
The elders looked at each other, and they all saw disbelief in each other's eyes.
It should be understood that while it may seem that ordinary cultivators only need one realm to progress from Nascent Soul to Deity Transformation, it is actually a threshold that many people cannot reach in their entire lives.
"A prodigy... a true prodigy!" a white-haired elder murmured to himself, his voice filled with awe.
The sect leader and elders looked at Bai Ying with great joy. Bai Ying truly lived up to her reputation as a prodigy disciple whom they had only seen once in thousands of years.
Their resolve to send Bai Ying away only strengthened!
"Ying'er," Xuan Yuan Chen said earnestly, "Even though you have reached the Nascent Soul stage, that Hua Yang Ancestor is still beyond your current capabilities... Don't you know that even a Nascent Soul cultivator is still an ant before a Void Refinement cultivator? You should listen to the Sect Master and leave here quickly..."
The sect leader was also eager to send Bai Ying away, and everyone was trying to persuade her to leave.
Unexpectedly, Wang Qi suddenly jumped out at this moment, waving his arms exaggeratedly, "You really underestimate Junior Sister Bai! Nascent Soul stage? Hahaha!"
Wang Qi darted to Bai Ying's side, his face beaming as he looked around at everyone like a child showing off a treasure. "You guys have such narrow-minded views!" he deliberately drawled, "Want to guess higher?"
A series of gasps filled the cave. The elders exchanged bewildered glances, and the Lingyin Sect Master tremblingly held up three fingers: "Could it be... a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator?"
"No!" Wang Qi laughed loudly, hands on his hips, his voice echoing in the cave.
The teacup in the hands of the Lingxiao Sect Master shattered with a "crack": "It can't be...it can't be the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm, can it?" His voice trembled, as if uttering this word had exhausted all his strength.
He found it hard to believe that anyone could cultivate to such a level in such a short time.
However, Wang Qi actually said:
"Still not right!"
Wang Qi shook his head smugly, then turned to Bai Ying, his eyes sparkling: "Junior Sister, these blockheads won't figure it out. You tell them yourself!"
Bai Ying shook her head helplessly and gently raised her delicate hand.
In an instant, a vast and overwhelming pressure swept through the entire cave, and the spirit stone lamps on the rock walls shattered one after another. Several disciples with lower cultivation levels knelt down on the ground.
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