The trio seemed tense and in a hurry, all unleashing their offensive artifacts to try breaking through Lin Yu’s bone net shield.
Lin Yu’s face was pale as paper, his figure swaying unsteadily. The Green Crystal hanging from his ear had turned into two bone beasts, supporting the shield from below on left and right.
He said calmly, “If you truly cared about White Bone Sect, you wouldn’t have schemed against me back then. Without the Palace Lord, I would have perished long ago. No need for more words—I won’t step aside.”
“Becoming blood food for Silent Night Palace is your honor, and you’ve already reaped benefits.”
The sinister-voiced Soul Transformation Cultivator said coldly, “You’re a True Transmission Disciple now. You should understand that no matter who becomes Palace Lord, it won’t harm your interests. Why play the scapegoat for him?”
As the Soul Transformation Cultivator spoke, the pressure intensified. A trickle of blood fell from Lin Yu’s lips, his voice faint and breathless, as if he could not hold on much longer.
“…The one who doesn’t understand is you. If not for the Palace Lord striking first, you would have become the previous Palace Lord’s sacrifice too. You cloak yourself in vengeance for your Shizun, but in truth, you covet the merits accumulated by Silent Night Palace over ten thousand years. You dream of ascending in broad daylight with them—what pipe dream is that?”
“That merit includes a share for this old man. As Silent Night Palace’s Direct Lineage Disciple and the next Palace Lord in the bag, why can’t I use it?”
The Soul Transformation Cultivator let out a short laugh, his tone thick with hatred. “We Demonic Cultivators are meant to have the strong devour the weak. Offer up those merits to this old man, and when I ascend to immortality, I’ll naturally take you all to the Immortal Realm. But who knew some wild chicken would pop up and dare steal this old man’s opportunity?!”
“Opportunity? You actually think this is an opportunity?”
Lin Yu seemed incredulous. He stared intently at the cultivator before him, then burst into maniacal laughter after a long pause.
“Hahahahaha, opportunity?! I get it now—you don’t know! You know nothing! And yet you dare come here without knowing anything…”
He laughed so hard he could barely straighten up.
The Soul Transformation Cultivator’s expression shifted slightly. The two Nascent Soul Cultivators sensed something and glanced at him.
The Soul Transformation Cultivator said firmly, “Don’t let him shake you—he’s just trying to rattle your resolve!”
He roared, “Push harder! He’s just a Nascent Soul Cultivator—he can’t hold out much longer!!”
As Lin Yu seemed on the verge of collapse, Xie Linlang frowned slightly. Where was the Silent Night Demon Lord? Just watching coldly?
Xie Linlang was full of questions. This Soul Transformation Cultivator wanted to take down the Silent Night Demon Lord? With what? The immortal sects had failed to besiege him back then—why did this Soul Transformation Cultivator dare challenge him?
At that moment, the door behind Lin Yu was opened from within.
A youth in a black robe walked out slowly.
The youth’s long hair cascaded like a waterfall, adorned with an ink-green hairnet between the strands. Tiny ink-green crystal drills flowed among the tips. His black robe was embroidered with subtle patterns of sun, moon, and stars flickering within.
His face was as fair as jade, his long brows like swords. A pair of golden vertical pupils stared coldly at the people before him, as indifferent as if regarding a door, a window, a table, or a chair.
Xie Linlang had quickly sidestepped behind the door, but even so, he felt a gaze linger on him for a few seconds.
Xie Linlang’s mind went blank.
That was the Silent Night Demon Lord?
At first glance, Xie Linlang felt an uncanny familiarity—the contours of that face, the wide spacing between those brows and eyes, remarkably like Pei Ji.
But it was not him.
Especially those icy golden vertical pupils—ancient, primal, exuding aloof detachment and indifference from on high, overlooking all beings. That was absolutely not Pei Ji’s gaze.
Lin Yu was delighted at first when he noticed the door behind him open.
“You’ve refined it… uh…”
Halfway through his words, Lin Yu felt sweat bead on his forehead, a chill rising in his heart.
This was not Pei Jiye.
“Greetings, Palace Lord.”
Lin Yu dropped to his knees without another word.
“Hahaha, you wild chicken finally came out!”
The Soul Transformation Cultivator laughed heartily, glee filling his features. He raised his hand and produced a pitch-black token.
“I am Silent Night Palace’s true Direct Lineage Disciple. Silent Night Palace is mine. You…”
Before he finished, the Golden Vertical-Pupil Youth pointed remotely. The pitch-black token erupted in black smoke, which devoured the Soul Transformation Cultivator in the blink of an eye.
Instantly, the palace filled with the sound of bones being crunched—crack, crack.
The two Nascent Soul Cultivators’ faces changed drastically. They turned and fled toward the door.
But it was too late.
After devouring the Soul Transformation Cultivator, the black smoke extended tentacles, mercilessly enveloping the two Nascent Soul Cultivators.
The two Nascent Soul Cultivators offered no resistance, emitting shrill screams. Not even their Nascent Souls escaped as they were swallowed by the black mist.
The black mist greedily surged forward. Just as it was about to burst through the palace doors and toward Xie Linlang, it was blocked by a light, thin veil of soft gauze.
Xie Linlang nearly unleashed the magic formula he had prepared.
Dreamlike sky-blue butterfly wings flowed gently, soon condensing and gathering into a hazy female figure.
She stood at the palace door, her voice drifting as if from the distant horizon: “It’s you.”
The Golden Vertical-Pupil Youth did not reply. He simply watched the hazy woman silently.
“It’s me.”
The hazy woman drew closer, as if wanting to touch the youth’s cheek.
“…Your Dream of Past Lives technique has grown even more refined.”
The youth evaded her fingers and said coldly, “You’ve slumbered in past life dreams for so long—unexpected that you’d awaken.”
The hazy woman seemed to smile: “Your junior woke me. Always dreaming, but waking occasionally isn’t bad.”
The youth’s voice was cold and hard: “The dream should end.”
The woman sighed softly: “But I can only exist in dreams…”
With that wistful sigh, the woman dissipated like smoke. The pure white illusory barrier was swept away as if by a seal.
Thud. The Golden Vertical-Pupil Youth’s eyes closed, and he collapsed to the ground.
Lin Yu rushed forward to catch the youth. Meanwhile, his cultivation regressed from Nascent Soul to Foundation Establishment, then reverted to Nascent Soul after the woman departed.
At the same time, Xie Linlang, behind the door—from Soul Transformation Stage’s Linlang Dao Lord—reverted to Foundation Establishment Stage’s Xie Yu.
Xie Linlang boldly peeked around the door edge. He saw that three Black-Armored Cultivators had appeared in the palace at some point.
