Shixue and Liuli

On Lake Center Island, inside a bamboo pavilion. A puppet maid quietly stood guard outside the door. Inside the room, two women sat on bamboo chairs. One of them wore a half-face silver mask, her hair swept up in a high bun. Beneath the mask, a high-bridged nose and lustrous, glaze-like red lips were visible, a faint smile playing at the corners of her mouth. She wore an emerald dress of mist-fine gauze. Her shoulders were smooth as if sculpted, her waist slender as a skein of silk. Leaning slightly against the bamboo chair, she radiated an indolent grace. Her hands rested casually on the armrests, her wrists snow-white, making the strand of ice crystals around her wrist appear all the more translucent. Her almond-shaped eyes held a hint of curiosity as she gazed into the darkness outside the room. Then, raising a finger, she idly tapped her chin, looking eager to give it a try—as though she wanted to break through the restriction to see what lay outside and what tricks the Myriad Demons Assembly was playing. Sitting across from her was a woman clad in snow-white robes. This woman wore a veil and sat upright on the bamboo chair with her legs together, exuding a chilly aura, looking just like an ice sculpture. Around her wrist was a similar bracelet, but aside from that, she wore no extra adornments. The features beneath her veil were exquisite to near perfection, her lips lightly pursed, tinged with only a faint hint of color. Her eyes were closed, and a faint, cold light seemed to shroud her, isolating her from the world as if she stood aloof and untouched by mortal affairs. These two women were none other than Shixue and Liuli, whom the Xuantian Palace elders had mentioned. Shixue sized up the darkness outside, ultimately abandoning the idea of probing. She withdrew her gaze and let it settle on the motionless Liuli. The corners of her lips curled up in habitual teasing: "Junior Sister, I told you to change into that long dress, but you just wouldn't. Anyone with sharp eyes seeing this outfit of yours is bound to guess our ties to Xuantian Palace. This robe is far too rigid and conservative—it really does your beauty an injustice! Well, maybe it's for the best. It'll keep that old devil from discovering there's such a peerless beauty in the world and carrying you off to be his fortress mistress. If he did, I wouldn't get to look at you anymore." Liuli slowly opened her eyes. Her pupils were deep, as if a pool of faint blue light were brewing within them; her gaze was ethereal and tinged with a hint of loneliness. Seemingly displeased by Shixue's words, a faint ripple crossed Liuli's eyes, and her delicate brows furrowed slightly. "All right, all right..." Seeing this, Shixue quickly soothed her. "How could I ever bear to let our great beauty fall into the hands of those demons? If Master's spirit in heaven found out, she'd never forgive me!" "Master..." Liuli froze for a moment, murmuring the word under her breath. Realizing she had misspoken, Shixue hastily changed the subject. "Junior Sister, if we can buy suitable treasures at the Myriad Demons Assembly, and then stop by Ditong Island on the way back to find a way to ask for a few Ditong fruits, you can try breaking through your bottleneck. With any luck, you'll bring the Ice Soul Divine Light to great completion in one go, and then you'll meet the Holy Land's requirements." Seeing her junior sister give an imperceptible nod, Shixue secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Knowing her junior sister's cold nature and that words were like gold to her, she continued to herself, "Junior Sister, did you notice anything unusual these past two days? I seemed to spot people from the Hall of Law Enforcement in the city, maybe even an elder." Liuli seemed somewhat absentminded. It took her a moment to realize her senior sister was asking her a question. Her eyes shifted slightly, her tone flat. "Perhaps." Satisfied to get an answer from her junior sister, Shixue twirled the bracelet on her wrist and went on, "The Hall of Law Enforcement's movements wouldn't be so easy for us to detect under normal circumstances. They probably didn't bother deliberately concealing themselves because we weren't their target. Could something big be happening at the Myriad Demons Assembly? For some reason, I feel uneasy. Alas, right now the island has not only old devils, but also a demon great sage. If we run into trouble, we must ask the elders for help immediately..." Before she could finish, the bracelet suddenly gleamed with faint light. Shixue's mouth parted slightly. She rose abruptly, sweeping her spiritual sense over the bracelet. Exchanging a surprised look with Liuli, she mouthed silently, "It's Elder Mei..." Then, cautiously setting up a layer of restrictions around them, Shixue lightly tapped a crystal on the bracelet. Elder Mei's familiar voice emerged from within. "Shixue, are you and Liuli on Lake Center Island?" Shixue replied in a low voice, "Yes! Elder Mei, what happened?" ... While Shixue and Elder Mei conversed in low murmurs, Liuli rested her hands on her knees and rose from the bamboo chair as well, turning her gaze toward the darkness outside the bamboo pavilion. Gradually, her brow furrowed deeper, her lips pressed tightly together, and a flicker of doubt surfaced in the depths of her eyes. Elder Mei quickly explained the situation in brief. Shock written across her face, Shixue pressed with several questions before she could believe the news was true—Xuantian Palace's sacred relic had actually been stolen by the traitor! "Remember to keep your movements concealed. Do not let Old Man Hunmo's lackeys discover you. Elder Lan and I will wait for you outside the island." Elder Mei cut off the communication. The light on the bracelet died down. Shixue looked exceptionally grim and somewhat anxious. "Elder Mei ordered us to leave Hunmo Island right now to assist in recovering the sacred relic. What should we do?" "Leave!" Liuli withdrew her gaze, her expression returning to normal. Turning, she walked toward the door. ... Inside another bamboo pavilion. Qin Sang was entirely unaware of the undercurrents surging outside. He appeared to be resting with his eyes closed, but in reality, he was constantly keeping watch over the mysterious ice chest. Up to this point, the mysterious ice chest had shown not the slightest abnormality. As a result, Qin Sang could not easily determine whether Xuantian Palace could actually sense it or not; he could only keep an eye on his surroundings when he left. Time slipped by slowly. The mist around Lake Center Island parted again and again as Nascent Soul Patriarchs arrived on the island one after another, led into bamboo pavilions by puppet maids. Staying inside the bamboo pavilion, Qin Sang could not see what was happening outside, and thus had no way of knowing how many Nascent Souls had arrived. *Clang!* Suddenly, a bell chimed. Next, the restriction outside the door was triggered. Qin Sang called out for them to enter, and a puppet maid walked in carrying a jade plaque with both hands. Already familiar with the rules of the Myriad Demons Assembly, Qin Sang took the jade plaque and examined it. Once the trade fair began shortly, participants would take turns stating the treasures they wished to obtain or offer. When the jade plaque lit up, it would signal that it was Qin Sang's turn. Of course, there were also many who had no specific target; they could activate the restriction on the jade plaque to skip their turn. In addition, the jade plaque served as a layer of disguise, making everyone's voices sound identical. *Clang!* *Clang!* Soon, two more bell chimes sounded in succession. Three bell chimes meant the trade fair was beginning! "The hour has arrived. The Daoists who were meant to come have mostly all arrived. The trade fair begins now!" A deep, aged voice suddenly echoed outside the bamboo pavilions. Venerable Chongtai! The name flashed through Qin Sang's mind. The past two Myriad Demons Assemblies had both been hosted by this man. He was said to possess profound cultivation, merely a step away from becoming a great cultivator. "You have all heard the puppet maids introduce the procedure of the trade fair, so this old man need not waste more breath. The rules remain the same as before... I trust you will not disappoint us!" The old man's voice drifted through the air, both reminding and warning everyone on Lake Center Island.