Breaking Ground

Tianyan was not surprised that Tianye would turn against her. In this world, malice might arise without cause, but kindness never did. Even though the two had shared adversity and cooperated for a time to rescue Xu Yuan, a friendship built on less than half a month of acquaintance was barely worth a few taels of silver. Not to mention that this wanton vixen, Tianye, was a selfish egoist through and through. Yes, an egoist. Tianyan understood very well what kind of person Tianye was. No matter how well or how uniquely Tianye treated Xu Yuan, it was merely because doing so pleased herself; even if that pleasure meant her already illusory life would perish once more, she would not hesitate in the slightest. Negotiating deals, feelings, or cooperation with such a mad fox spirit was akin to walking a frayed, snapping tightrope. After all, For a woman who would disregard even her own life just to entertain herself, whether she went back on her word or broke an agreement depended entirely on a passing whim. Previously, Tianye’s way of pleasing herself had centered on Xu Yuan, but now, that method seemed to have undergone a shift. It had fallen upon Tianyan. The moment the thought arose, Tianyan slowly turned her eyes toward Tianye. "..." The moment their eyes met, Tianye, who had been pondering the feasibility of possession, let out a soft sigh as a trace of helplessness rose in her heart. The Heaven-Deducing Art could bypass another's shielding on sound transmissions. Even Saints were no exception. It seemed her recent conversation with Luo Zhiyuan had been overheard by this woman. As a beneficiary of the Heaven-Deducing Art, Tianye suddenly found herself disliking it just a little at this moment. As an enemy, the Heaven-Deducing Art was truly troublesome. She had originally planned to placate this woman with gentle means and then make her move gradually, but now it seemed force was the only option. Having been discovered, Tianye made no attempt to conceal it. She simply stared smilingly at the young woman before her, even offering a provocative wink. In contrast to Tianye’s reaction, Tianyan’s expression remained unchanged. She quietly watched the dangerous gleam in Tianye’s eyes, her own gaze entirely unruffled. Watching her, Tianyan circulated the Heaven-Deducing Art, transmitting her voice via intent-soul. Her cool, calm tone laid bare Tianye’s thoughts: "It seems you want to possess me?" "Naturally. After all, if I can borrow a body to return my soul to life, the future where this false illusion world inevitably perishes won't be so hopeless for me." Tianye did not deny it. She stared intently at Tianyan, sweeping her gaze up and down as if inspecting her new body: "This mortal shell of yours looks quite nice; I certainly don't dislike it. "Besides, if it truly succeeds, I won't have to fear the Pavilion Master of your generation noticing any flaws and bringing down punishment. After all, whatever you can do, I can do as well." "..." Having listened quietly, Tianyan’s response remained cold: "Indeed. Even if you were to tell Master directly about the possession, she would most likely not pursue it." Given Master Tianyuan’s absolute rationality, even if she knew Tianyan had died from possession, she would never punish Tianye. After all, Who "Tianyan" was did not matter; what mattered was that "Tianyan" existed. After a brief pause, Tianyan asked softly: "So, do you have a way to possess a Heavenly Yan divine soul?" Those who forged a Heavenly Yan divine soul could not be possessed; this was an explicit rule written in white characters upon the blue brick in the Divine Soul Chapter of the Heaven-Deducing Stele. Tianye did not mind this in the least and smiled radiantly: "Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Given enough time, perhaps I can break that rule." "So, you don't plan to act just yet." Tianyan seemed to feel a trace of boredom. She glanced toward the subterranean depths where the ghost willow lay and urged, "Then you had best tell this Holy Venerable to hurry. If something happens to Xu Yuan and you turn into an imbecile, I'm afraid you won't have the ability to possess me anymore. Of course, you could also choose to undo that Lock of Shared Life." "Tee-hee~ The Lock of Shared Life isn't so easily undone." With a silvery laugh, Tianye shook with amusement, her lovely eyes curving into crescents. "Though you really do care about him. Even when trapped in a dead end yourself, you still have the leisure to think of him." Now that the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion's Holy Venerable had arrived, In the face of absolute power, all schemes were futile. Regardless of whether Xu Yuan was ultimately rescued, the ending of the woman before her was already sealed. Though her lips spoke of sweet intimacy, at the end of the day, he was merely someone to keep her amused. Once she found a new fascination, she would not care about an old flame's wishes, let alone heed his pleas. Even if Xu Yuan knelt down and begged her, Tianyan would die; only the manner of death might differ. She would either be refined into a Meishen tree spirit as in history, or become a vessel for her possession. Sweeping a divine gaze devoid of emotion across her, Tianyan’s voice was like a tranquil pool: "Perhaps so..." While the two women conversed, the old man beside them seemed to have finished surveying the situation below. He glanced at the two girls communicating via an unknown secret voice-transmission art and said in a deep voice: "Saintess, I have temporarily ascertained the situation below." Saying this, His sharp, glittering aged eyes betrayed a trace of killing intent as he looked at Tianyan nearby: "Before I head down, does Saintess require this Luo to first cripple this Tianyan?" "No need." Tianye flatly rejected the suggestion; after all, if she were crippled, it was hard to say whether complications might arise during future possession. Yet not crippling her did not mean other measures could not be taken. Under Luo Zhiyuan’s slightly hesitant gaze, Tianye smiled faintly: "This woman is very strong. Before you head down, help me suppress her first, and I will seal her cultivation using the Heaven-Deducing Art." Hearing this, Luo Zhiyuan breathed a slight sigh of relief. He could tell that the Saintess before him was not in good condition. If the girl named Tianyan suddenly lashed out violently, it was hard to say whether an accident might occur. As these thoughts crossed his mind, Luo Zhiyuan raised his hand casually. Around his index finger, speckled with age spots, wisps of cloud vapor and arcs of lightning immediately coiled. Tianye’s qi dynamic burst forth simultaneously, her form-fitting black dress fluttering noisily in the fierce wind. A scattering of profound golden runes materialized in the air—the very Four Symbols God-Sealing Seal Tianyan had previously used to seal her. Seeing this, Tianyan frowned slightly. Noticing her expression, Tianye gave a soft chuckle: "If you don't want anything to happen to Xu Yuan, you'd best not resist. After all, for a Saint Tier yin ghost to possess an Origin Realm cultivator hardly takes any time at all." "If Xu Yuan dies, you yourself—" "Doesn't matter. I've already been dead for twenty thousand years anyway~" "..." Tianyan looked at Tianye before her, her palms clenching slightly. A slight irritation, perhaps even anger, stirred in her heart, yet she was powerless to resist. Relying on the arts of the Heaven-Deducing Art and the cognitive blind spots caused by the illusion world modifying perceptions, she could likely hold out for a time under a Saint. Tianye was well aware of this too. Yet this madwoman was deliberately gambling that she wouldn't dare delay time, willing to take the gamble even at her own risk. Because with every second delayed, the risk of Xu Yuan dying to possession increased by another fraction... After several breaths of silence, Under their watching eyes, Tianyan slowly closed her radiant golden pupils. "..." Seeing this, Luo Zhiyuan cast a somewhat strange look at the two girls. Though he couldn't hear what the Saintess had said to this girl, for her to make the girl surrender without resistance, the Saintess must have held some critical leverage over her... Just as he was thinking this, Luo Zhiyuan’s expression changed drastically. *Rumble!!!* An earth-shattering roar abruptly surged from deep underground. And the moment the sound rang out, countless thick willow branches burst through the soil like colossal dragons surging out of the sea. In an instant, Mud churned across the entire swamp as toxic gas billowed, and innumerable withered trees were uprooted and flung away by the whipping willow branches. When all returned to calm, A towering ghost willow, hung with countless corpses within a shroud of black mist, stood revealed upon the surface. Its towering crown had even breached the boundless mist of Zhujian Valley, exposed directly to the sunlight beneath the vault of heaven. And upon one of the thick branches of that towering ghost willow, a man clad in white robes sat in quiet repose. As their gazes met, Those narrow, phoenix-like eyes were shimmering with an intensely bewitching fluorescent pink glow...