A gentle breeze drifted through the Clear Wind Dao Academy. The four people inside stared at Commander Yuchi Xin; for a mont, no one spoke.
The oppressive atmosphere gradually intensified, leaving Song Yunhui and his mother sowhat breathless. They quietly backed toward the house.
They saw things clearly now: the Clear Wind Dao was a demonic den. To think an expert like Commander Yuchi Xin had been surrounded, too wary to move, his expression drawn tight. Mother and son knew exactly what this ant.
What do we do now? Song Yunhui exchanged a glance with his mother.
Wait. The Mingxin Society is far too arrogant to leave this alone. Since they've provoked a mber of the Lin family, the two sides will definitely co to blows. When that happens, we'll have our chance to slip away! Song Shihan secretly transmitted.
They weren't relying on Internal Force sound transmission—those with a powerful mind-spirit easily intercepted that kind of secret art. Instead, they were communicating telepathically using a special Relic brought from the royal secret vault.
At that very mont, both of them felt an inexplicable sense of unreality.
At first, they thought they had stumbled upon a decent fellow student, only to find he possessed an extraordinarily keen perception. Then, when crisis struck, they learned this fellow student's family wielded far more influence than they'd imagined. And now, they saw it wasn't just significant—it was downright absurd.
For a mont, Song Yunhui felt the utter absurdity of casually bumping into a pedestrian on the street, only to find out they were the heir to a top-tier Federation family.
This has gone far beyond what we anticipated. Let's watch quietly and wait. His mother's voice ca through the Relic once more.
Song Yunhui gave a slight nod. The two retreated to the doorway, pressing themselves against the wall.
"Everyone, if I said this was all a misunderstanding, would you let leave?" Commander Yuchi Xin asked, his voice low and asured.
"You killed two of our disciples... and you expect to walk away just by calling it a misunderstanding?" Yun Xiazi laughed.
"There's still ti—I can revive them!" Commander Yuchi Xin said quickly. "Their hearts and brains have been stopped for less than half an hour. Reviving them won't cause lasting damage!"
Lin Hui raised an eyebrow, his mind stirring.
Imdiately, the two corpses lying in a pool of blood outside the door flew inside, landing gently in front of Commander Yuchi Xin.
"Revive them. Let see."
Without hesitation, Commander Yuchi Xin pulled a small golden bottle from his waist pouch and shook out two drops of a special liquid that resembled quicksilver. Prying open the mouths of the two corpses, he dripped one drop into each.
Next, he quickly covered their fatal throat wounds with his hands. A soft blue light flashed, and the wounds healed rapidly, leaving no trace.
The four from the Clear Wind Dao watched, inwardly stirred. It wasn't True Force, nor was it Void Force. It certainly wasn't mind-spirit power or any of the known corrupting energies. Instead, it vaguely exuded the rich essence of seawater.
Commander Yuchi Xin then delivered rapid compressions to their chests, performing resuscitation. In less than half a minute, the two corpses actually opened their eyes and stirred awake.
"Greetings to the Dao Master!" The mont they woke, they saw the four people standing in the courtyard. Lin Hui was the most eye-catching among them, and they imdiately scrambled to their feet to bow.
"No need for formalities. I have seen your resolve. Go rest—I will see you rewarded." Lin Hui spoke earnestly.
The newly evolved Eye of Life was perfectly suited for disciples who had proven their loyalty to him and to the Clear Wind Dao.
The two quickly rose, shot a hateful glare at Commander Yuchi Xin, bowed to Su Yaping and the others, and departed the courtyard.
"No thoughts of making a move?" Lin Hui glanced at Commander Yuchi Xin. The commander was bundled tightly, but the panic of the mont had let slip both her figure and the pitch of her voice. She was undoubtedly a woman.
"You carry the imposing aura of our Society Master; this subordinate wouldn't dare," Commander Yuchi Xin replied plainly, lowering her head.
"An aura? Interesting. This is the first ti I've heard soone judge another's strength purely from their aura," Lin Hui said with a smile. Since the disciples had been revived, the two sides no longer shared any substantive enmity, which ant they could now have a proper conversation.
"Yes. The essence of an aura is the natural projection of the mind-spirit combined with one's presence. According to our Society Master's research, the oppressive weight of an aura primarily stems from the integration of one's mind-spirit and vital energy into the surrounding environnt. This fusion exponentially magnifies one's sense of oppression, exerting imnse pressure on the enemy." Surprisingly, Commander Yuchi Xin offered a detailed explanation.
"Put that way, it really does make sense." Pang Jiu found himself nodding. "Fundantally, an aura is the mind-spirit and presence wrestling for dominance over the surrounding environnt. The victorious side finds its aura strengthened and magnified. Viewed in this light, a ho-field advantage is extrely important."
"Not necessarily," Yun Xiazi chid in. Everyone present was a martial arts powerhouse with years of cultivation; in fact, apart from Lin Hui, her martial realm was the highest among them. "Sotis, status, words, attire, atmosphere, deanor—or even a touch of trickery—can lead the enemy to defeat themselves, hallucinating a pressure that doesn't exist. It turns the enemy's own imagination against them, their mind-spirit crushing itself. Therefore, the essence of an aura is still an invisible clash of mind-spirits."
"That makes sense." Lin Hui nodded as he listened. This brushed against sothing deeply fundantal about psychological warfare.
"Yes. The essence of an aura hinges on many interlocking factors. A person's self-confidence, their self-perception, how they see others, and their command of and integration with their surroundings—all of these are elents that must be weighed," Commander Yuchi Xin said, voice low.
"Then, in your mind, what is my aura like?" Lin Hui grew curious, looking at her with mild interest.
"You..." Commander Yuchi Xin hesitated. "From you, I felt..."
"Feel free to speak. I won't get angry," Lin Hui said, seeing her hesitation.
Commander Yuchi Xin paused, t Lin Hui's gaze, and gritted her teeth. "Fear!"
"Fear?" Lin Hui, Pang Jiu, Yun Xiazi, and Su Yaping were all taken aback.
"Yes..." Commander Yuchi Xin nodded firmly. "Your aura is filled with fear... but it isn't directed toward outsiders or external things—it's toward yourself. Fear of yourself, emanating from the very depths of your being!"
Her words seed bizarre. How could anyone in this world be afraid of themselves?
Song Yunhui was doubtful, but seeing the expressions of the adults slowly turn solemn, he realized he might have missed sothing—or failed to grasp its weight. He turned to look at his mother.
Her expression was equally grave.
Don't rush... listen to what she says. She seed to have realized sothing.
Mother, could it be that you... have encountered this before? Song Yunhui caught on imdiately.
Song Shihan did not reply.
"Fascinating." Lin Hui clapped lightly. "Go on. Don't stop."
At that mont, the atmosphere in the courtyard turned faintly oppressive. Commander Yuchi Xin felt it too, but she didn't dare disobey. She could only complain inwardly and lower her head to continue.
"Such an aura... soone whose heart, at its very core, trembles before its own power... You are the third person I've t like this. All of you live in constant fear that your ever-growing power will consu everything around you..."
"What about her?" Lin Hui interrupted, glancing at the unconscious Xia Si on the ground.
"She's different. She is suppressed. It's also fear, but what she fears isn't herself—it's soone else. Only when one cannot find an external opponent of sufficient weight will they..." Commander Yuchi Xin replied quickly.
"An interesting theory." Lin Hui nodded. "Then, one last question. What is your purpose for coming here?"
In an instant, the air in the courtyard went perfectly still, as if frozen solid.
Cold sweat instantly poured down Commander Yuchi Xin's temples. She knew this was the question her survival hinged on.
After a mont of thought, she didn't dare delay. "To bring back Song Yunhui and his mother, and take the child with the exceptionally keen perception."
"Very good. You aren't lying." Lin Hui nodded. "For the ti being, you will stay by my side. When your master personally cos knocking, I will consider whether or not to let you go back."
"...Understood," Commander Yuchi Xin replied, lowering her head and not daring to say more.
The next instant, she sensed Lin Hui's aura had receded entirely, leaving nothing to detect—he seed no different from a common bystander. At that, she lowered her head even further.
"Now, you three—co with ." Lin Hui glanced at Yun Xiazi and the other two, then turned and vanished from the courtyard.
He didn't leave anyone to guard Commander Yuchi Xin. At such close range, if she truly dared to make a move, he could kill her in an instant.
"Yes!" The three bowed their heads in acknowledgnt.
It was ti to extend the Eye of Life throughout the Dao.
…
Inside the underground palace beneath the Moon Tower.
The Society Master was still running his hands through an unbroken sequence of seal arts, while the Fourth Princess, Song Feishi, stood behind him, receiving a stream of urgent reports from subordinates outside. The Extre Desire Heaven and the Taisu Primal Disk had already noticed sothing was wrong. They had allied with two Vice City Lords to investigate the situation.
"Society Master... the grand array within the city is activating," Song Feishi transmitted.
"Don't panic. We just need a little more ti." The Society Master's expression was calm, his hands moving steadily through one hand seal after another.
He had brought three Commanders this ti. One was sent out to capture Song Yunhui, one was guarding the warship and the array to facilitate their retreat, and the last was currently outside, responsible for interception.
With the three of them cooperating with nine Sea King General guest elders, briefly suppressing the Blood Ancestors and Vice City Lords of Black Cloud wouldn't be a problem.
Just then, the Society Master's hands suddenly paused, as if he had sensed sothing.
Even when the experts from the Extre Desire Heaven and Taisu Primal Disk arrived with the Vice City Lords, he hadn't betrayed the slightest reaction. Yet now, his hands had halted for a split second.
"What's wrong?" Song Feishi quickly asked.
"Xinyue has been captured," the Society Master replied.
"...The Clear Wind Dao?" Song Feishi instantly guessed. "I told you long ago—that Dao Master is sothing to be truly feared..."
"It's fine. It isn't a bad thing to let her suffer a bit. We've had it too easy for too long, and complacency has begun to fester within the Society," the Society Master said evenly.
Song Feishi wanted to say more, but the Society Master suddenly withdrew his hands, completing the seal.
"Let's go. It's done. We'll pick her up and leave together." The Society Master turned around, the traces of blue-black light at his fingertips dissipating.
"Yes."
The two walked out of the underground palace, but suddenly stopped in their tracks.
The Society Master's gaze instantly turned deep and dark as he stared at the three figures floating in midair beside the Moon Tower.
Xie Chang'an, Zhang Yao, and Gongsun Xinlian.
All three great City Lords had arrived. Around them, nurous Blood Ancestors drifted in and out of formation, dense green threads connecting to everyone's bodies.
"It's been many years, yet you haven't changed," Xie Chang'an said with a calm expression, greeting the Society Master.
"A re body double dares to stand in my way?" the Society Master said indifferently.
"Naturally, I can't block you—which is why I brought everyone here. If it's just a matter of stalling for a little ti, we can still give it a try," Xie Chang'an replied.
"Xie Chang'an, you've made a mistake about one thing." The Society Master reached up and lightly drew his index finger across the center of his brow. In the wake of his fingertip, a deep blue-black vertical pupil opened on his forehead.
The vertical pupil endlessly absorbed and devoured everything around it—even the air, whipping up subtle, swirling currents.
"I lured you away only because I found you annoying... not out of fear."
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