Beyond the palace walls, on the open plain, Gao Xuting stood face to face with Granny You — an Emperor Realm third-order powerhouse — with only the cultivation of a first-order Emperor Realm, yet she showed not the slightest trace of fear.
She brushed a strand of hair from behind her ear and spoke in a calm tone, "Granny, how about we let this matter end here?"
Granny You blinked at the words, then burst into loud laughter. "Little girl, do you realize who you're talking to?"
"Of course I do — I'm speaking to you, Granny." Gao Xuting remained unmoved, her expression cold and indifferent. "If you agree to let this matter rest, the Hall Master might show some leniency and not make things difficult for you. But if you insist on going your own way... Granny, I've known you for several hundred years now. You may not be one of us from the Divine Temple, but there is still some bond between us. There are things I would rather not push to the extreme."
"You're threatening me?" Granny You's face hardened, her voice turning shrill.
Gao Xuting shook her head. "You are my elder, Granny. Xuting would never dare threaten you. I have been entrusted by the Hall Master to bring several Disciples into this Divine Wanderer Mirror for their training, and I must guarantee their safety. No one is allowed to harm them — not even you, Granny."
"Heh heh heh..." Granny You let out a peal of laughter. "Little girl, your strength is lacking but your tongue is bold. What do you think you can do to this old woman? If it weren't for the fact that you've been somewhat obedient over the years, do you really think I'd bother speaking to you civilly?"
"Granny, do you remember — when I was little, I used to sneak food to you?" Gao Xuting suddenly brought up a memory from the past.
Granny You's expression turned icy cold. "What's the point of bringing that up?"
Involuntarily, a flicker of recollection passed through her eyes, and the brutal look on her face softened for just an instant.
"Xuting sincerely hopes that you will stand down, Granny." Gao Xuting let out a soft sigh.
"Impossible!" The cold light returned to Granny You's eyes. "I have waited for so many years, and I've finally seized a sliver of hope. And you think a few pretty words from you will make me give up? You must be dreaming."
Gao Xuting frowned. "I don't know what you've been waiting for, or what hope you've been clinging to, but... must it really come to this? Eight hundred years — though you never formally joined the Divine Temple, I have long regarded you as one of our own. You are my elder. I truly... do not want to raise my hand against you."
"Enough with the talk." Granny You had lost her patience. "Get out of my way now, or I will strike you down myself. Choose one."
Hearing this, Yang Kai's expression tensed. Though Gao Xuting was no weakling, he estimated that she stood no chance against someone like Granny You. If she were dragged into this because of him, he would feel the guilt deeply.
"Ah!" Gao Xuting suddenly released a long, deep sigh. She gazed steadily at Granny You. "Granny, the Hall Master has known for a long time that you bear a grudge against him — that you've never let go of that battle from back then. Yet even so, he still entrusted me to lead our Disciples into the Divine Wanderer Mirror without any fear that you might seize the opportunity to strike. Tell me — why do you think that is?"
At these words, Granny You's expression shifted slightly, and she furrowed her brow in thought.
Gao Xuting continued, "Over the years, quite a few of the Divine Temple Disciples who entered the Divine Wanderer Mirror for training have died because of you. But the Hall Master never held you accountable. He merely accepted it as another trial for the Disciples. First, because you never acted personally — even when you sent subordinates, you only sent warriors of comparable strength, which truly served as a trial for them. Second, because the Hall Master feels a debt toward you. The Divine Wanderer Mirror was discovered by you after all. Although he never seized it by force, he has indeed treated it as the Divine Temple's most precious asset — repeatedly sending Disciples here to train."
"Wen Zishan feels a debt toward me?" Granny You sneered repeatedly. "A man like him, who wouldn't hesitate to sell his own conscience to the dogs — him, feeling guilty? That's the biggest joke I've ever heard!"
Gao Xuting's expression remained indifferent. "That is precisely why the Hall Master ordered that this measure not be used unless there was absolutely no alternative. Because he genuinely hopes that the Divine Wanderer Mirror will continue to be guarded by you, Granny."
"What measure?" Granny You's face suddenly grew tense, her eyes wide as she stared at Gao Xuting.
But Gao Xuting did not answer. Instead, her hands moved swiftly through a series of seals, and she spoke, "Rest easy, Granny. I have already informed the Hall Master of everything happening here through a secret technique. He should be waiting in the cavern at this very moment. When your spirit returns to your body, you can discuss everything with him in detail."
As her words fell, her hands braced against each other at an angle, and a ring of light bloomed between her palms. She gently pushed it forward, and the light shot straight toward Granny You.
The sphere of light clearly carried no killing force whatsoever and posed no threat at all, yet the moment Granny You laid eyes on it, her face drained of color and she screamed in terror, "No!"
Even as she shouted, she spun around and bolted, desperate to flee.
But though she was fast, the light was faster still. In a single instant it struck her body and merged into her soul.
The next moment, an inexplicable force surged upward. Above Granny You's head, a vortex appeared in a bizarre manner, spinning and emitting a tremendous pulling force that threatened to drag her away.
Granny You naturally refused to submit passively. Enraged beyond measure, she let out a hysterical roar, and a burst of powerfully refined soul energy shot forth from her, hurtling straight toward Gao Xuting.
Gao Xuting's expression changed drastically.
This was the desperate strike of a cornered beast — the full eruption of Granny You's power. There was no way Gao Xuting could contend with it; her only option was to dodge.
But just as she moved to evade, a figure drifted serenely into midair. It was an old man, bearing the bearing of an immortal — hair and beard alike snow-white, his entire being exuding an air of plainness and tranquility. Had he not revealed himself of his own accord, not a single person present would have been able to detect his presence.
The moment the old man appeared, he flicked his sleeve.
A gentle force rippled outward, dissolving Granny You's soul attack into nothingness.
"You..." Granny You stared wide-eyed at the old man, her face a portrait of disbelief — as though she had seen a ghost in broad daylight.