"Did you take care of them?" Xue Ling suddenly appeared beside Bai Qiuran, asking casually.
"Here you go." Bai Qiuran pulled out the Soul Capture Stone given to him by Li Jinyao and showcased the Spirit Extracting Knife in front of Xue Ling.
"Alright, Elder Xu, don't be angry anymore." Bai Qiuran let out a sigh of relief. Xue Ling leaned her head up to look at Bai Qiuran and encouraged, "In the realm of cultivation, one must have companions, fortune, and a solid foundation. This saying is not just empty words. Perhaps if you find a sister, you might get inspired and break through the Foundation Establishment stage."
A few disciples fumbled with their words, unable to express themselves clearly.
"Two."
"We don't know. We just felt a cold wind blow by, and then everything changed."
"What happened?" Bai Qiuran said, "There are still plenty of things in this ancient city for you all to figure out. It'll keep you busy for quite some time." He once again showed the Soul Capture Stone and the Spirit Extracting Knife to Xue Ling.
Xue Ling reached out her hand. "But if you truly want to find out, go look for it yourself. The secret you seek is within the cave of the Wise Immortal... if you're lucky, you might even find the way to break through the Qi Refining stage."
"And you can find the rest on your own. I'm afraid everything is in that ancient city." Bai Qiuran breathed a sigh of relief.
Su Xiangxue rolled her eyes.
After a moment of silence, Xue Ling responded, "But the organization has confidentiality regulations. I can't tell you. Otherwise, not just me, but even Moya and my subordinates would face consequences."
"Yeah."
"Yes, I didn't leave behind the soul of the Earth Immortal, to avoid causing him trouble."
"Right."
"Of course not." Bai Qiuran displayed the items before Xue Ling once more.
"If you want to know the answer, go find it yourself."
"Is it about the Sword Ancestor?" Xue Ling pondered for a moment.
Bai Qiuran tossed the Soul Capture Stone and the Spirit Extracting Knife to Xue Ling. A soul reaping envoy took them and pulled out a paper lantern from the void. They waved it in front of the two treasures, and two green lights were immediately absorbed, entering the lantern.
Bai Qiuran frowned and asked, "What are you trying to do?"
"Here, take it." Xue Ling pointed towards the distant sky. Bai Qiuran looked up and saw the magnificent mountain peak hanging down from the skies.
Su Xiangxue spoke softly, "That's good."
Xue Ling thought for a moment. The disciples from the Xuanshu Academy on guard here kept their heads down, not daring to speak. Xue Ling pondered again. "Wait a minute." She reached out her hand.
He asked, "We don't need you anymore, you can leave."
"I can't say."
"Yes, I didn't leave behind the soul of the Earth Immortal, to avoid causing him trouble." Bai Qiuran replied, "There are still many things to investigate in this ancient city. It will keep you busy for quite some time."
Bai Qiuran suddenly retracted what he was holding, looking at Xue Ling and asking, "Can you tell me about these Earth Immortals and what they refer to as the 'Holy Dynasty'? In the past, you said you were unsure, but after this incident, I believe you must have investigated it in the Underworld, right?"
"Well..." He thought for a moment. Xu Elder went to check, discovering that the fine sand no longer reacted, he said irritably, "The previous broken prism was the same; these too! These involve precious research materials related to the secrets of the Earth Immortals. And now they're just gone?"
"Of course not." He turned and exited the tomb, looking up at the mountain peak above. After a moment, Su Xiangxue walked over next to him, both gazing at the sky, asking, "The souls of the Earth Immortals have all been taken by the soul reapers?"
A biting wind blew, chilling them to the bone. Even though they had trained to withstand cold, they felt a deep chill from their spine, as if they had fallen into an ice cave, briefly entering a state of numbness.
Once the wind passed, the disciples from the Xuanshu Academy regained their composure, only to find that the prisms stored in the underground tomb had shattered into pieces, turning into heaps of black sand.
Xue Ling did not get angry and turned towards the ancient city, slowly fading into the wind. “Though their sentencing is at a delicate position—able to go or not—I'm guessing they will ultimately go.”
"…I indeed have investigated and learned many things." The disciples on guard lowered their heads, not daring to say a word.
She looked up at Bai Qiuran and encouraged, "In cultivation, you need companions, wealth, and land; this is no empty saying. Maybe if you find a girl, you'll get inspired and finally break through the Foundation Establishment stage!”
Bai Qiuran frowned again, "You mean related to the Immortal Realm?"
"Of course not." He asked.
Xue Ling didn’t get angry, but walked towards the ancient city, her form gradually becoming ethereal, disappearing into the wind.
The disciples quickly reported to the upper levels, and soon Elder Xu also came over, watching the scene in shock. A few students stammered out responses but couldn’t articulate it properly.
Bai Qiuran looked towards the sky, pointing at the mountain peak, explaining, “Someone told me clearly that I might find clues to breaking through the Foundation Establishment stage there. I think I should at least check it out.”
Xue Ling took a breath before asking, “What will happen to these Earth Immortals you took to the Underworld?”
"Know that, if they haven’t significantly erred, they ought to be reincarnated. Yet these two both led to countless lives lost in the human realm—what should happen to them?"
If you wish to know the truth, go seek it out for yourself.