After Lin Xinyi slowly entered the grotto-dwelling, she used a spell to wash away the blood on her body.
Sitting in the nearby chair, she looked at her reflection in the bronze mirror — transcendental and immortal, with spiritual energy swirling around her.
But this was not the effect she wanted.
“It seems that wanting to be a mortal is a difficult task —”
Lin Xinyi opened a long-sealed drawer.
When she took out the box inside, she revealed makeup tools used by mortal women.
Looking at the items in the box, she felt as if the day she first stepped into the world of cultivation was only yesterday.
‘Severing worldly ties, in the end, I didn’t cut them cleanly. Seeing a small trinket can still stir my thoughts. Sooner or later, I’ll probably kill myself by provoking a heart demon…’
Lin Xinyi smiled mockingly at herself, but she reached out with her fingertips to tuck her long hair behind her ear.
She applied a touch of light makeup to her reflection.
She thought the makeup might help, but she found that other than making her look more enchanting, it had no other effect.
“Sigh, natural beauty really can’t be hidden away —”
No matter how she tried to change her appearance in the mirror, her original temperament could not be concealed.
After all, the arrogance in her eyes was something she was born with.
“This won’t do. If people can tell at a single glance, how am I supposed to implement the next stage of the plan?”
Lin Xinyi reached out her fingertip and lightly tapped her reflection, magically transforming into a completely different appearance.
After observing herself for a moment, she thought that while this required constant spiritual energy to maintain, it was much better than a look that would be recognized instantly.
“It does have a bit of a pitiful look to it —”
As Lin Xinyi spoke, she squeezed a few tears from the corners of her eyes and feigned a weak, frail posture, sitting in the chair to admire herself in the mirror.
“This little woman was originally an outsider, but my parents were murdered by cultivators, and so I drifted here with no one to rely on —”
Lin Xinyi performed vividly, occasionally opening her eyes to steal a glance.
She realized it actually looked somewhat convincing.
Seeing that her disguise was adequate, she tapped her fingertip again, and her original phoenix-like eyebrows instantly became much more innocent and pure.
Lin Xinyi reverted to her original form and pushed open the door.
Looking at the dark, deep pond outside, she saw it had long been dyed red with blood.
The corpse of the Flood Dragon, with its head severed from its body, floated on the surface.
She raised her hand to open her Storage Space, and in the blink of an eye, she collected it all.
Even though she had killed it, it was still a treasure.
“Can’t kill her, can’t harm her, and can’t even let her feel aggrieved. In that case, I’ll create a gentle dream for you…”
Lin Xinyi walked outside and happened to run into Qin Huaiyin coming out of her room.
The girl was holding a pipa, clearly intending to go out and practice her music.
However, the area around the lakeside pavilion where she usually stayed was now filled with a pond of blood.
It was somewhat surprising that Qin Huaiyin still had the mood to come out and practice her melodies.
The girl clearly saw Lin Xinyi emerging from the grotto-dwelling as well.
“Is Master going on a long journey?”
“I just have some matters to attend to. Practice your Heavenly Sound Art and Heavenly Soul Art well. I will be checking your progress when I return…”
Facing Qin Huaiyin’s inquiry, Lin Xinyi gave a casual response.
She put on a bamboo hat that could hide her aura.
When she went to open the Grotto-heaven’s formation, Lin Xinyi’s finger paused for a moment.
She glanced back at Qin Huaiyin, who was standing not far away and watching her.
“I have changed the method for opening this Grotto-heaven. Don’t even think about leaving this place before I return…”
“Disciple understands…”
Leaving those words behind, Lin Xinyi stepped forward.
Along with a flash of light from the rotating formation, the entrance closed once more.
Qin Huaiyin, clutching the pipa in her arms, walked to the entrance and looked at the unfamiliar array patterns.
Although Qin Huaiyin hesitated, she still reached out her fingertip and lightly touched it.
As she channeled a bit of her technique, the rotating formation paused for a moment, but it continued to operate as usual.
“She really did change it…”
Looking at the modified formation, Qin Huaiyin could only let out a helpless sigh.
She returned to her usual spot.
Even though the surrounding pond had been dyed blood-red, it could not stop the beautiful sound of the pipa.
“The moon is a crescent… ♪”
…
After Lin Xinyi left her private Grotto-heaven, she watched the disciples passing by and directly flickered toward the sect’s protective grand array.
Lin Xinyi simply showed her token, and no one dared to stop her.
Moving so fast that she arrived in less than the time it took for a cup of tea to cool, Lin Xinyi reached the place from her memories.
But when she arrived, she was stunned.
Compared to ten years ago, the changes here were so great that she almost thought she had come to the wrong place.
“The last time I was here, I killed everyone. It seems this place is no longer that little fishing village…”
Lin Xinyi stood high in the sky, looking down at the bustling streets.
Compared to the previous village that smelled of fish, it now looked like a small port.
The pedestrians coming and going had joyful expressions on their faces.
“May I ask, Senior, what business brings you here?”
Lin Xinyi had only just arrived when a Divine Sense swept over her.
Immediately after, a figure appeared before her.
The newcomer wore a Daoist robe and had a full white beard, clearly appearing very aged.
‘A Core Formation cultivator?’
Lin Xinyi gave him a cold look and could see through his cultivation.
She could even tell his dantian was depleted; he was clearly nearing the end of his lifespan.
“It’s nothing. I’m just looking around…”
Facing the old man’s inquiry, Lin Xinyi gave an indifferent reply.
In the world of cultivation, strength was respected.
It was only natural for him to call her Senior.
However, she hadn’t expected that a poor fishing village from ten years ago would now have a cultivator stationed there and have transformed into a port.
“This place developed quite quickly…”
Though Lin Xinyi did not fear the man before her, any place with a stationed cultivator would certainly have a means of communication.
If she wasn’t careful and provoked the power behind him, the loss would outweigh the gain.
“Senior, this place is an industry under the Qinglan Sect. I hope Senior will show us some face…”
When the old man heard Lin Xinyi’s perfunctory answer, his hand moved behind his back.
He gripped a communication talisman, ready to call for reinforcements at any moment.
Fortunately, Lin Xinyi had no intention of starting a fight.
Lin Xinyi said nothing regarding his attempt to use his sect’s name for protection.
After all, if he had declared his affiliation and she still caused trouble, it would be no different from a direct provocation.
“Rest assured. If I really wanted to act, you certainly wouldn’t be standing here talking to me…”
Lin Xinyi’s icy tone made it difficult for the old man to say anything more.
He merely bowed slightly and backed away, maintaining a safe distance.
“As for who I am, you are not permitted to ask. As for what I am doing, you are not to interfere…”
After saying this, Lin Xinyi dove directly toward the ground.
The old man wanted to stop her, but facing a burst of pressure from Lin Xinyi, he was shaken back five steps.
“What a disaster. I wanted to find some peace and quiet here, so why did I have to encounter this?!”
The cultivator guarding Baijia Village could only pray that she wouldn’t cause too much of a commotion.
Perhaps if she only took the lives of a few mortals within a small area, he wouldn’t need to care too much.
‘Where is she…’
Lin Xinyi’s gaze swept across the crowd below.
This time, she did not appear ostentatiously like before.
Instead, she hid her aura and entered an alleyway.
After changing her appearance and confirming her gentle face in the mirror was flawless, she walked out.
“Now, it’s time to take good care of my dear disciple —”
As she spoke, Lin Xinyi spread her Divine Sense.
However, even after scanning all of Baijia Village and the port area, she found no trace of Bai Qianqian.
“Strange…”
Lin Xinyi was slightly confused.
According to her memory, the girl should indeed be here.
But no matter how she searched the entire town, she still hadn’t found that white figure.
Suddenly, as if sensing something, Lin Xinyi continued to project her Divine Sense.
‘Not here?’
Lin Xinyi searched for a long time with a puzzled expression, but then another Divine Sense swept past her.
Lin Xinyi frowned; that Divine Sense was clearly a warning to her.
“Arrogant —”
Lin Xinyi let out a disdainful chuckle.
Although she had been at the Nascent Soul Stage for many years without a breakthrough, she wasn’t afraid of another Divine Sense at the same level.
“Think carefully before you act. Next time, I will not spare your life…”
After retracting her Divine Sense, Lin Xinyi looked fiercely toward the sky.
Simultaneously, inside a pagoda elsewhere, another white-bearded old man suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, his face turning pale.
“Cough! This person is actually already at the Middle Stage of the Nascent Soul… how terrifying…”
The area in front of the old man was stained red.
Clearly, the clash just now had been painful.
At the same time, the old man who had tried to block her earlier saw that the Divine Sense he had called for help had been forced back.
He decided he didn’t dare to interfere any further.
Seeing no further reaction, Lin Xinyi stopped looking for trouble.
“If she’s not here, then where is she…”
After retracting her Divine Sense, Lin Xinyi suddenly expanded it once more.
This time, the range was twice as large as before.
It wasn’t until she searched a Spirit Mountain not far away that Lin Xinyi suddenly opened her eyes.
“Found you —”