Chapter 46

The camaraderie of the academically challenged was fragile—too fragile to withstand even a hint of betrayal.
Zou Jibai’s soul had been deeply wounded. They had sworn to struggle together, yet Luo Han had secretly been studying behind his back.
Pain after pain, his heart gradually hardened into an impenetrable fortress. Zou Jibai waved his hand coldly. "Say no more. I understand now. From this point on, we go our separate ways."
"This is a misunderstanding! Just hear me out—" Luo Han protested, feeling wronged. "I really don’t know formations! I was just...giving it a try!"
For a brief moment, hope flickered in Zou Jibai’s heart—only to be ruthlessly shattered once again. He turned his face away, half of it already frozen in indifference. "I can never trust you again. From now on, I won’t believe a single word you say."
The two of them were deep in conversation when Ling Qingxiao gave a light cough.
Luo Han naturally stopped talking and turned to look at him.
Ling Qingxiao’s expression was calm as he said, “The spatial array is about to shift. Get ready.”
So soon? Luo Han nodded and quickly moved to Ling Qingxiao’s side. However, contrary to expectations, they waited for a while before a sudden wave of weightlessness swept over them.
Luo Han found it strange. The spatial shift was much later than she had expected. From the way Ling Qingxiao spoke, she had assumed it would happen immediately.
She didn’t have time to dwell on it because the next moment, their surroundings abruptly transformed into a vast desert. Worse still, they had landed right in the middle of a nest of venomous creatures.
The instant Ling Qingxiao appeared, he grabbed Luo Han and soared into the sky. Ye Zinan reacted a little slower, but he quickly relied on his avian bloodline to take flight. The only unfortunate soul was Zou Jibai, who crashed straight into the heart of the venomous den, instantly surrounded by a writhing mass of snakes, scorpions, and centipedes.
Hovering above, Luo Han shuddered at the mere sight of the swarm below. After securing Luo Han, Ling Qingxiao turned back and launched a series of spells to shield Zou Jibai as he fought his way out.
Meanwhile, Luo Han and Ye Zinan watched from a safe distance, exchanging a few words.
“Zou Jibai really has the worst luck,” Luo Han sighed. “In this entire desert, the only nest of poisonous creatures—and he just had to fall right into it.”
“No kidding. We should avoid walking near him from now on. Good thing Ling Qingxiao reacted fast, or I might have been the one facing off against a scorpion.”
The two exchanged a glance, both feeling a lingering chill at the thought. Without a word, they subtly put more distance between themselves and Zou Jibai. The camaraderie in this team was truly flimsy—neither Luo Han nor Ye Zinan had any intention of lending a hand. In the end, it was still Ling Qingxiao who covered Zou Jibai’s escape.
After struggling through countless hardships, Zou Jibai finally crawled free from the swarm of venomous creatures. At that moment, Luo Han and Ye Zinan suddenly rushed over with great enthusiasm.
“Zou Jihei, are you okay? Did you get bitten? Do the stings hurt?”
“I was just about to help,” Ye Zinan added earnestly. “But you managed to get out on your own.” Then, he turned his head and gave Luo Han a puzzled look. “Wait, why are you calling him ‘Zou Jihei’?”
“Don’t you think he’s unlucky? His face is dark, his hands are dark—wherever misfortune strikes, he’s right there.”
“…Fair point.”
Lying on the ground, utterly drained, Zou Jibai was overcome with grief. Not only had his teammates completely abandoned him just now, but they were now standing right in front of him, openly discussing his misfortune. Furious, he snapped, “Go away! I don’t want to see either of you!”
The only responsible member of the group, Ling Qingxiao, sighed helplessly. “The desert is full of venomous creatures. Everyone, stay alert. Zou Jibai, rest for a bit. We move out in one incense stick’s time.”
Zou Jibai sat on the ground, trying to recover from the trauma of being swarmed. As he gradually calmed down, his gaze drifted to Luo Han, who stood on the other side, unscathed and graceful as ever. A wave of bitterness surged within him.
“Why did Ling Qingxiao grab Luo Han but not me?” he muttered. “I was standing just as close to him.”
Ye Zinan, sipping water beside him, nearly spat it out. He wiped the corners of his mouth and gave Zou Jibai a long, incredulous look.
“What are you even thinking? Are you out of your mind?”
Zou Jibai felt deeply wronged. He didn’t expect Ling Qingxiao to treat him like Luo Han, but wasn’t it a bit unfair that he had been completely ignored?
The short break ended quickly, and the four-person team set off again. After only a few steps, Ling Qingxiao suddenly halted.
Luo Han noticed and asked, “What is it? Did you find something?”
Ling Qingxiao pointed at an inconspicuous footprint in the sand. “A Devourer Beast.”
Luo Han lowered her gaze and spotted a faint depression in the sand. She was surprised. “That’s a Devourer Beast?”
It was...smaller than she had imagined.
“There are traces of something being consumed nearby. Look here—this patch of sand is much thinner than the surrounding areas. Given the strength of the desert winds, the terrain shouldn’t naturally look like this.”
Luo Han nodded. When a genius explained something, it always sounded reasonable. She hesitated before asking, “So...we follow the tracks?”
“Exactly.”
Zou Jibai and Ye Zinan came over as well. Looking up at the vast expanse of golden sand stretching endlessly in all directions, they fell into a collective silence.
Tracking a barely visible footprint...in a desert? This seemed a bit too difficult.
Without guidance, Luo Han was utterly hopeless at navigation. In this boundless sea of sand, with no landmarks in sight, she couldn’t even tell which direction they had come from.
The desert was blisteringly hot and unbearably dry, making travel a grueling experience. To make matters worse, Luo Han was still wearing a veil, which only made her feel stifled and overheated. Sensing her discomfort, Ling Qingxiao glanced back at her and asked, “Are you too hot?”
“The heat’s not the problem,” Luo Han admitted. “It’s just hard to breathe.”
Without a word, Ling Qingxiao retrieved a veiled hat from his storage space. With a casual flick of his fingers, he inscribed an array onto it before placing it on her head. “This should help. I added a temperature-regulating formation—try it.”
The moment she put it on, it was as if a cool breeze swept past her. Compared to the stifling veil, this was infinitely more comfortable. Luo Han was amazed. “You just...inscribed this on the spot?”
“Mn. It’s a bit rough, but it’ll do for now. I’ll refine it properly tonight.”
Geniuses were terrifying when they were this modest. Luo Han didn’t know what to say, so she muttered under her breath, “This is not ‘rough’ at all…”
Nearby, Zou Jibai watched and tried to speak up. “I’m hot too—”
Before he could finish, Ye Zinan swiftly covered his mouth and dragged him away. He was deeply concerned for the younger generation of cultivators. How could someone be this lacking in awareness?
The group had briefly paused due to Luo Han’s new veil, but once she was settled, they continued their journey. Luo Han had completely given up on trying to navigate, while Ling Qingxiao, as if born with an innate compass, effortlessly led the way. Every single Devourer Beast trail they found had been uncovered by him.
Some people were an entire team on their own.
At first, Zou Jibai had been full of determination, eager to contribute. But as time passed, his fighting spirit was gradually worn away. In the end, he finally gave up and joined Luo Han and Ye Zinan’s ranks of aimless wanderers.
No more struggling—just waiting for an easy win.
Finally, at the edge of the desert, they found traces of the Devourer Beast.
The group held their breath, lowering their voices as they turned to Ling Qingxiao. “What now?”
Ling Qingxiao calmly took out a communication talisman. “Send word to the others. We’ll encircle it from the outside.”
As soon as his message was sent, everyone scattered across the Western Sea received the signal. Most cultivators immediately rushed toward the location he pinpointed. Zing Zhongyu, upon seeing the message, had a flicker of emotion flash through his eyes.
Su Yinyue, who had been following Ling Zhongyu, asked, “Cousin, is it true? Have they really found the Devourer Beast?”
She had no idea that Ling Zhongyu and Yun Menghan had already reconciled, nor did she know where he had disappeared to that night. At present, she was still following Ling Zhongyu, waiting for the day she could marry him. To ensure he wasn’t lacking in manpower, she had even handed over all the elite guards from Linshan that her parents had assigned to her.
Ling Zhongyu quickly suppressed his emotions and replied, “We’ll know soon enough. This concerns the safety of the Heavenly Realm—we can’t afford to take chances. No matter how bold Ling Qingxiao is, he wouldn’t joke about something like this.”
Su Yinyue nodded. “Alright. Since you’re going, I’ll go too.”
Scattered across the Western Sea, various teams began rushing toward the designated location. However, traversing the terrain was no simple feat. The spatial formations within the sea fragmented the land into countless floating sections—some teams would spend days traveling, only to be displaced even farther by a sudden shift in the spatial array.
In the end, only a handful of groups managed to reach the site. But without exception, those who arrived were the strongest among them.
Luo Han’s team had endured two terrain shifts but had stuck close, cautiously trailing behind the Devourer Beast without losing track of it. The afternoon breeze rustled through the leaves, casting dappled light on the ground.
Crouched behind a thicket, Ye Zinan whispered via voice transmission, “Are they here yet?”
Luo Han shook her head. “Almost.”
Ling Qingxiao was positioned at the front, his gaze sharp as he monitored their surroundings. The communication talisman in his hand flickered with various signals as messages were exchanged in tense silence.
Ye Zinan sighed in admiration. “His sense of direction is terrifying. He said it would be here, and it really is.”
At first, there had been skepticism. But after days of flawless positioning and pinpoint-accurate decisions, even the most doubtful had come to trust Ling Qingxiao’s judgment.
Today, he had confirmed that the map’s layout would remain stable and that the Devourer Beast had wandered into an ideal location for an ambush—a rare opportunity granted by fate. After a brief discussion, the cultivators agreed to lay their trap today.
Luo Han nodded in agreement, then sighed. “Why can’t I ever remember the way?”
“Maybe because he studies formations? I heard formation masters have a naturally strong sense of spatial awareness.”
“That’s not quite right.” Luo Han mercilessly shattered his illusion. “It’s because they have good spatial awareness that they can study formations. Those who are talented in one area tend to excel in others, and those who struggle...well, they struggle in everything.”
Ye Zinan clutched his chest, feeling as if he had just suffered a mortal wound. He brooded for a moment before slyly inching closer to Luo Han, eyes twinkling with mischief. “Luo Han, we’re good friends, right?”
She narrowed her eyes, instantly wary. “What do you want?”
“If things go south later, can you, uh...take me with you?”
Luo Han stared at him in exasperation, barely restraining the urge to roll her eyes. Ye Zinan refused to let up, and after a long-suffering sigh, she finally muttered, “Fine, fine.”
Their whispered conversation was cut short when Ling Qingxiao’s voice rang out from the front. “Get ready. It’s stepped into the formation.”
At once, Luo Han and Ye Zinan snapped to attention, all traces of humor vanishing.
The sound of movement came from the dense foliage beyond. Luo Han’s grip tightened around her artifact, holding her breath.
Releasing one’s divine sense in a place like this was dangerous. Immortals had divine senses—but so did beasts. A single misstep could alert the wrong creature. To a cultivator, a beast was a valuable resource. But to a beast, a cultivator was just another meal.
And this was no ordinary beast—it was a Devourer Beast. A single mistake could mean death. They couldn’t scan for it, couldn’t risk peeking through the leaves. All they had to rely on was sound.
The faint rustling of grass continued. Ling Qingxiao slowly raised his hand. Even in this tense moment, Luo Han had the absurd thought that his hands were really nice to look at.
His hand dropped in a swift motion. “Now.”
From every direction—tree branches, underbrush, even beneath the soil—countless cultivators erupted from hiding.
Zou Jibai leaped from a nearby bush, throwing his head back and unleashing a deafening lion’s roar.
This was a secret technique of the Zouyu Clan, a battle skill inherited from the ancient battlefields of the Middle Era. It could intimidate enemies before a fight, bolster allies’ morale, and—thanks to its sheer volume—even cause momentary disorientation.
The Devourer Beast was caught off guard, its mind blanking for a fraction of a second. That was all Ling Qingxiao needed.
In that fleeting moment, he activated the Binding Spirit Formation.
A dazzling glow erupted beneath the Devourer Beast’s feet—layers upon layers of intricate formations that had been inscribed into the earth a day in advance.
Lines of energy surged through the array, interweaving and connecting in a complex web.
The beast realized it had fallen into a trap. It let out a furious roar and lunged forward, trying to break free.
Only now did Luo Han see its true form—not its battle state, but its natural appearance. It was no larger than a deer, its features an eerie blend of sheep and stag. Just by looking at it, one would never expect it to be such a ferocious predator.
The cultivators surrounding it didn’t hesitate. Talismans and spells rained down like a storm, each attack aimed at forcing the beast to remain within the formation.
The array required time to fully activate. If the Devourer Beast escaped before it was complete, all their efforts would be wasted.
With that in mind, everyone unleashed their most powerful techniques, determined to ensure that the beast remained trapped.
The spells were absorbed as soon as they neared the Devourer Beast, yet the relentless barrage of attacks still managed to stall it. Some cultivators skilled in enchantment cast illusions on the beast, and under the desperate onslaught, the final line of the Binding Spirit Formation was connected.
Once activated, the formation drastically weakened the Devourer Beast. The suppressive formations already present in Western Sea, combined with the specialized Binding Spirit Formation designed for demonic beasts, created an overwhelming effect. The beast rampaged within the formation, but no matter how fiercely it struggled, it couldn’t break free.
Everyone outside the formation finally breathed a sigh of relief. Initially, some doubted Ling Qingxiao’s audacity—after all, the Binding Spirit Formation was among the top ten perplexing arrays, a feat not everyone could accomplish alone. Yet, against all expectations, he had succeeded.
With the formation in place, subduing the Devourer Beast became at least eighty percent easier. The disciples, once apprehensive, were now filled with confidence. What had started as an uncertain endeavor now felt like a guaranteed victory.
The young master of Kunshan’s Azure Dragon Clan raised his arm and called out, “Prepare the Demon-Constraining Ropes! Form the array!”
When the malevolent Yayou escaped from Zhongshan, it had ultimately been captured with the Demon-Constraining Ropes. These ropes were specially crafted to restrain ferocious beasts, but the Devourer Beast was a unique challenge—if the ropes were too loose, they couldn’t hold it, but if they were too tight, they would be devoured. Finding the perfect balance was critical.
The disciples arranged themselves in a Bagua formation, throwing out the ropes from different angles in an attempt to form an inescapable cage. Luo Han, whose spiritual control was exceptional, was assigned to control the ropes from her position.
Ling Qingxiao managed the Binding Spirit Formation, Luo Han controlled the Demon-Constraining Ropes, Zou Jibai distracted the beast from the front lines, and Ye Zinan flew above, relaying messages between them.
“The northwest section failed! Luo Han, shift eastward and connect with Kunshan’s ropes.”
Luo Han had no choice but to maneuver her ropes toward the new direction, trying to complete the enclosure. However, the Devourer Beast was too relentless, making the task incredibly difficult. In the blink of an eye, half the attempts had failed.
Seeing this, Ling Qingxiao adjusted the formation to align with Luo Han’s movements. Luo Han successfully linked to another rope, but without reinforcement from the others, her efforts crumbled quickly.
They had already spent a long time setting up the ropes. As the sun dipped westward, many disciples began running low on spiritual energy, resorting to spirit-restoring pills one after another. While daylight provided some advantage, once night fell, coordination would become even harder, making the task near impossible.
Everyone knew they were running out of time. The young master of the Azure Dragon Clan, Yi Huaxuan—who, as the future leader of the Dragon Clan, naturally took charge—issued a command via spiritual transmission: “The sun is setting. Stay sharp. We will make one final push. This time, we must succeed.”
Several teams had already rotated multiple times, but in Luo Han’s group, she remained the sole controller. Ye Zinan descended from above and whispered, “Luo Han, are you still holding up? Want me to take over for a bit?”
Luo Han shook her head. “No need. I’m fine.”
Though Luo Han didn’t suffer from spiritual depletion, prolonged high concentration was mentally exhausting. She flexed his fingers and stretched his arms before summoning a massive surge of spiritual energy in her palms.
Channeling the energy into the Demon-Constraining Ropes, she skillfully maneuvered them around the Devourer Beast, tying them together with other ropes. This time, thanks to precise coordination, four connections were successfully secured in an instant. Encouraged by the progress, everyone redoubled their efforts.
One by one, the ropes took their places, forming the skeletal structure of the cage. Luo Han remained cautious, immediately throwing out a second layer of ropes to reinforce it.
Constructing the first layer had been the hardest part. With the foundation in place, the next layers came together much faster. The second layer, then the third—each fell into place seamlessly. Now, all that remained was the final reinforcement, and the formation would be complete.
The Celestial Palace had invested significant resources in capturing the Devourer Beast and reclaiming the Demon-Sealing Stone. Even the Emperor had dispatched the palace’s sacred treasure, the Demon-Suppressing Tower, which now rested in Yi Huaxuan’s hands.
Seeing that the rope formation was nearly finished, Yi Huaxuan shifted his focus to the tower, retrieving it from his storage space and beginning its activation.
Though his cultivation was not yet sufficient to fully wield such a powerful artifact, he could still manage to seal the beast inside, given that it was already restrained. Struggling with the immense pressure, Yi Huaxuan controlled the tower, while the others held their breath in tense anticipation.
In the midst of all this, no one noticed that Ling Zhongyu was acting strangely.
Not far from the battlefield, three demons hid within a stealth artifact. Two of them grew restless, urging their superior, “Protector, now is the time! If we delay any longer, they’ll seal the Devourer Beast in the Demon-Suppressing Tower.”
The tower was the Celestial Palace’s sacred treasure, heavily protected by layers of enchantments. Even if the demons managed to steal it, they couldn’t break through its defenses. Their only chance was to intercept the beast before it was sealed.
“Wait a little longer,” the demon protector murmured, keenly observing the scene. He was a patient hunter, always striking at the perfect moment. He remained still—until the timing was just right. Then, without warning, he activated the Demon’s Lure.
For some reason, Ling Zhongyu had been unusually distracted all day, frequently making errors in restraining the beast. Yet, too proud to admit fault, he refused to relinquish control, stubbornly holding onto his role in managing the ropes.
Su Yinyue, watching from nearby, grew increasingly anxious. Fortunately, his mistakes hadn’t disrupted the battle—yet. Now that their plan was nearly complete, she unconsciously let out a sigh of relief.
At that moment, Ling Zhongyu’s eyes flickered with an eerie crimson glow. An inexplicable surge of malice overtook him, and without warning, he let go of the Demon-Constraining Rope.
At such a crucial moment, the balance of the eight-sided formation was delicate. Each corner bore an equal share of tension, keeping the ropes stable. The sudden release of force from one side threw everything off balance—some sections loosened, while others were pulled too tightly. Under the immense strain, the ropes snapped with a resounding crack.
This was a vicious cycle—once one rope snapped, the others fell like dominoes, breaking apart one after another. In the blink of an eye, the situation that had been nearly under control completely unraveled.
Everyone was caught off guard by this sudden turn of events. Even Luo Han hadn’t realized what had happened before the fractures in the ropes reached her. She felt the pressure in her hands increase drastically, nearly draining her spiritual power in an instant. She immediately drew in energy from farther away, using all her strength to stabilize the rope in her grasp.
They had fought so hard to get this far—if she failed to hold on, the rest of the ropes would meet the same fate. The others saw that the collapse had halted at Luo Han’s position and didn’t have time to think about why the formation was failing. They hurriedly pulled out new ropes, trying to reconstruct the formation and relieve some of Luo Han’s burden.
Ling Qingxiao, who had been focused on controlling the Spirit-Binding Array, sensed something and abruptly opened his eyes, turning to look at Ling Zhongyu.
Controlling a formation required an overview of the entire battlefield, and Ling Qingxiao’s spiritual sense covered everything. Ling Zhongyu’s subtle actions might have escaped the notice of others, but not him.
Su Yinyue’s eyes also widened as she turned to Ling Zhongyu in disbelief. She had been standing right beside him and had noticed his strange behavior earlier.
Why had Ling Zhongyu suddenly loosened his grip on the trapping rope?
But that wasn’t all—hidden within his sleeve, his fingers flicked, sending a blade of spiritual energy flying toward the ropes on the opposite side. That section was already at its limit; a direct attack would undoubtedly cause it to snap.
Ling Qingxiao’s expression turned ice-cold. Without hesitation, he struck out at Ling Zhongyu. To the others, it seemed like Ling Qingxiao had suddenly attacked him without reason.
Everything happened too quickly for anyone to react. In that instant, Su Yinyue instinctively rushed forward, blocking the attack for Ling Zhongyu. Ling Zhongyu took advantage of the moment to complete his spell. Su Yinyue was struck by Ling Qingxiao’s palm and spat out blood. Ling Zhongyu caught her from behind, looking at Ling Qingxiao in shock. “Ling Qingxiao, what are you doing?!”
Before his words even faded, the ropes on the opposite side snapped.
With the sudden release of pressure, the remaining ropes also tore apart in rapid succession, leaving only the one in Luo Han’s hands.
Ling Qingxiao’s face darkened instantly. He had no time to respond to Ling Zhongyu—he immediately moved to shield Luo Han.
But it was too late.
The immense spiritual energy gathered by all the celestial disciples surged violently toward the last remaining rope. Ling Qingxiao barely had time to shield Luo Han before a deafening explosion rang out. The entire formation collapsed.
Luo Han felt her blood churn violently, a metallic taste rising in her throat. Even she was in such a state—how much worse must it be for Ling Qingxiao, who had taken the full force of the impact?
Luo Han hurriedly turned to check on him. His face had turned deathly pale, his hands ice-cold.
That attack was equivalent to taking a direct hit from the full strength of all the celestial disciples present. In order to save her, Ling Qingxiao had endured it head-on.
Now Luo Han understood completely. She had been wary of the protagonist falling to demonic influence, but she had assumed, based on the story, that there were still many emotional entanglements before that happened. She had thought Ling Zhongyu had merely been tempted by the demon race and was beginning to harbor a heart demon, but that he wasn’t yet at the point of complete corruption.
She never imagined that he would betray them at such a critical moment.
In the original novel, Ling Zhongyu might have been a scumbag in relationships, but outside of that, he was respected by his subordinates and could even be called a cunning strategist.
How could he do something so utterly dishonorable?
But there was no time to dwell on the inconsistencies in the plot now. The Devourer Beast, already enraged, had been freed from its restraints. Now, invigorated, it charged forward at full force.
And its path led directly toward Luo Han and Ling Qingxiao.
But Ling Qingxiao had just suffered severe injuries, and Luo Han herself was barely holding on—how could they possibly withstand a full-force strike from the beast?
At that moment, the world seemed to fade away. The silhouette of the beast loomed larger in Luo Han’s pupils, and even the screams of the surrounding disciples blurred into the background. Ling Qingxiao, his lips pale, reached out with cold fingers to grasp Luo Han’s hand.
“Go,” he said. “I can hold it off alone.”
How could Luo Han possibly believe that? When the collapse began, she should have been the one to take the full brunt of it. It was Ling Qingxiao who had stepped in without hesitation to shield her. If not for him, she would already have scattered into nothingness, awaiting the next cycle of consciousness to form.
This was a true life-saving debt—how could she abandon him now?
The passage of time itself seemed to slow before Luo Han’s eyes. She remembered the words of the Bodhi Tree:
“You are the Heavenly Dao. You exist outside the Six Realms, beyond the cycle of reincarnation. Only you can transcend time and space, traveling freely between the past and the future.”
If she could move through time, then what about space?
The world in her vision distorted suddenly, turning into a vast expanse of white.
At that moment, the celestial disciples watching from afar saw the Devourer Beast lunging toward Luo Han and Ling Qingxiao. But before it could reach them, a flash of white light engulfed the scene—
And in the next instant, the beast, Ling Qingxiao, and Luo Han were gone.
The screams in the air had yet to fade, yet the battlefield was empty. Zhou Jibai and Ye Zinan were rushing toward them, but before they could arrive, Luo Han and Ling Qingxiao had already vanished.
Zhou Jibai and Ye Zinan looked at each other, their expressions growing grave.
“Where did they go?”