In the Martial Arts Arena of Hongsheng Martial Arts Hall, Song Ciwan’s Ganlin Spell fell like a drizzling rain.

On Wangjiang Mountain, the Cultivators were making their assessments. "That young man is too reckless. He shouldn’t have spoken of ’squandering a gift from the heavens.’ Isn’t that just provoking the mortal?"

The "young man" in question was the Crane-robed Youth, and the "mortal" was Niu the Sixth.

Whether it was Niu the Sixth, the Crane-robed Youth, or the two girls from the Cyan Flower Bottle, they were all pieces on the board.

Being caught in the game, their thoughts and actions were ever-changing, a stark contrast to the unhurried observers who could calmly weigh the pros and cons.

Someone else remarked, "That young man looks familiar. Is he a disciple from the Seven Star Sect’s Zhang Family?"

An Elder from the Seven Star Sect was also present on Wangjiang Mountain. As all eyes turned to him, this Elder, Zhong Qing, stroked his short beard, let out a chuckle, and said, "He does look a bit familiar. But the sect has countless disciples, and my old eyes aren’t what they used to be. I certainly don’t know every one of them."

He was clearly reluctant to admit the Crane-robed Youth in the arena was from the Seven Star Sect’s Zhang Family, but a voice beside him piped up with a laugh. "He is indeed from the Zhang Family. I’ve seen him before. He’s the sixth son of the main lineage, already at the Innate Second Transformation stage at such a young age. I believe he’s called Zhang Tian. How is it that Elder Zhong doesn’t recognize him?"

Another person asked, "Innate Second Transformation... but how many points has he opened for his Enlightenment? Thirty-six? Seventy-two? Or a full one hundred and eight? With talent like that, why hasn’t he entered Illusory Nether City?"

Yet another asked, "Elder Xie, why are those few from your family lingering outside the Martial Arts Arena instead of going in?"

This referred to several disciples of the Xie Family who had emerged from Illusory Nether City and were now gathered at the edge of the arena. Their figures were invisible to ordinary people, but those on Wangjiang Mountain, watching everything through a screen of light, could see them clearly.

Elder Xie also stroked his short beard, chuckling. "They are different from the young man of the Zhang Family. He is a person of the Mortal World, so he can still accomplish something by entering the arena. But my young ones are on the other side of the Realm. What could they possibly do, even if they went in?"

He gestured toward the Black-clothed Blade Master, portrayed by Song Ciwan, and said, "Or should they be like this one? You can’t see a shred of their own personal skill. All they’ve done is raise a swarm of insects, relying on their pests for power..."

Before the words were even out of his mouth, Song Ciwan’s Ganlin Spell began to drizzle down upon the Snake Tail.

The raging fire on the Snake Tail was extinguished first, followed by the countless wounds that covered it.

The spell washed away the spattered blood as it seeped into the Snake Tail’s flesh. Faintly, the mangled wounds actually began showing signs of closing and healing from within!

The crowd on Wangjiang Mountain Peak was struck silent. This Black-clothed Blade Master clearly wasn’t physically in the Mortal World, and "their" Ganlin Spell had previously been ineffective on Niu the Sixth. But right now... it was actually healing the wounds of the beauties from the bottle!

While everyone on Wangjiang Mountain Peak was stunned, down in the arena, Song Ciwan herself was also rather surprised.

She was surprised, but also pleasantly so. The outcome felt both unexpected and, upon reflection, perfectly logical.

The pair of girls who had emerged from the Beauty Bottle were no longer ordinary living beings. They had taken on the characteristics of a Divine Dao Magical Artifact. Song Ciwan had tested this earlier—she was able to touch them!

And if she could touch them physically, it was no surprise that her Magic could affect them too.

As the fine rain drizzled down, Song Ciwan immediately began pouring more power into her Ganlin Spell. Her True Qi surged like an endless tide into the spell. Ahead, the writhing, struggling Snake Tail twitched a few times, then finally relaxed from its coiled-up posture, slowly uncurling.

For the first time, a hint of warmth seemed to return to the two girls’ hollow, deathly pale faces.

Niu the Sixth lay on the ground nearby. Covered in injuries, he couldn’t see Song Ciwan, but he could see a miraculous shower of Ganlin appear out of thin air and rain down upon his Niuniu.

Niu the Sixth was overjoyed and deeply moved. "Celestial Lord! Which Immortal is passing by?"

With a cry, Niu the Sixth rolled over and prostrated himself. He clasped his hands and kowtowed, his forehead hitting the ground with loud THUDS. "Thank you, Immortal! Thank you for your mercy! I beg you to grant me your honored name, so this humble man can burn three incense sticks to you every morning and night in pious worship!"

Dense plumes of an ethereal energy rose from the top of his head. The Heaven and Earth Scale appeared automatically, collecting the strange vapor.

[All things with spirit can believe. Wish Power: two catties and one tael. Eligible for trade.]

[All things with spirit can believe. Wish Power: one catty and nine taels. Eligible for trade.]

[All things with spirit can believe. Wish Power: eight taels and seven maces. Eligible for trade.]

...

Compared to when she was with Master Wu, who had used every trick in the book only to collect a few taels—or even just a few maces—of Wish Power from Niu the Sixth, the amount Song Ciwan received this time was incredibly generous.

Nearby, the Crane-robed Youth, Zhang Tian, still entangled with the Black Insects, saw this, and his eyes went bloodshot. He looked toward the source of the Ganlin spell, his face twisting with sudden, angry realization.

He roared, "Is there a fellow Daoist from Illusory Nether City present? Which clan do you belong to? If you possess the power to influence this world from the Otherworld, then you should know that this is the age of the Divine Dao!"

"This pair of beauties from the bottle cannot be saved! What is the point of what you’re doing?"

"Don’t take this too far! You should know that everything you do here is being observed on Wangjiang Mountain Peak. Aren’t you afraid that if you overstep today, you’ll be held accountable when you return to this world in the future?"

Every one of Zhang Tian’s shouts was packed with information.

The last few sentences, in particular, sent shockwaves through Song Ciwan’s mind.

Song Ciwan didn’t doubt what she’d heard. Instead, a sudden, dawning horror crept over her.

’No wonder,’ she thought. ’No wonder I felt such a strong sense of alarm right before entering Hongsheng Martial Arts Hall!’

’It wasn’t just because something truly terrifying existed inside this place. It was because the moment I stepped into Hongsheng Martial Arts Hall, everything I did would be visible to the people on Wangjiang Mountain Peak!’

In that instant, this realization sent Song Ciwan’s mind racing with other connections.

’If entering Hongsheng Martial Arts Hall meant everyone on Wangjiang Mountain Peak could see my every move, then what about before I entered?’ 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

’Could they see everything I did then, too?’

’And going back even further, when I was in Illusory Nether City... was I being watched then as well?’

’Is there some kind of "Celestial Eye" in Illusory Nether City that makes everything transparent, or do these "Celestial Eyes" only exist in certain specific locations?’

Honestly, the mere thought of a "Celestial Eye" existing was enough to inspire a profound sense of terror.

It wasn’t just a matter of privacy or personal boundaries, nor was it simply because Song Ciwan had many secrets she couldn’t afford to have exposed. More importantly, such a setup suddenly made her feel as though she were shackled inside a cage.

You are in the cage, while a group of people stands outside it.

And how could anyone in the cage be willing to be controlled and manipulated by those outside?