Chapter 773: Zi Yuexi's Feeling

Seeing Shen Haoran slump to the ground, Shui Ruolan rushed to his side and caught him. A wave of belated fear washed over her, and her legs were trembling uncontrollably. Just moments before, a massive fissure had split the earth right at her feet. She could clearly see the violent Spiritual Power churning within the subterranean Spirit Vein, and for an instant, she truly believed Shen Haoran was about to detonate it.

“That was far too reckless!” Shui Ruolan couldn’t help but chide softly.

Shen Haoran gave a wry smile at her words. ‘How could I not be reckless? In the eyes of the Southern Domain powers, the Five Elements Sect is a cake ripe for the carving, and they could divide it up at any moment. Add the threat of the Blood Evil Alliance, and we’re besieged on all sides. The only way to dissuade them is to turn the Five Elements Sect back into a fierce tiger with sharp fangs and claws. That’s how we’ll buy ourselves some breathing room. As long as we have time, I know the Five Elements Sect can restore its former glory!’

“Now that we’ve driven them back, we should have some breathing room. You and Sect Master Chen Yu need to coordinate. Use this time to increase the Sect’s strength as much as possible. The faster, the better!” Shen Haoran said, pushing himself to his feet.

Shui Ruolan nodded. Shen Haoran had managed to extort a great deal of Elemental Stones, Elixirs, and Martial Arts Techniques from the Southern Domain powers. With these resources, the Five Elements Sect could recover a good portion of its strength. It wouldn’t be back to its peak, but it would be enough to make other powers wary and give the sect the ability to protect itself. After all, the disciples’ Talent and strength were not lacking; they just needed resources. They had all been forged in the crucible of life and death, so with sufficient support, their growth would certainly outpace that of disciples from any other power.

“‘Death before dishonor!’ A magnificent display,” Zi Yuexi couldn’t help but exclaim, clapping her hands in approval as Shen Haoran and Shui Ruolan were talking. Her purple eyes, fixed on Shen Haoran, were filled with admiration.

“Miss Zi, you’re still here?” Shen Haoran said, turning to face her. Beside him, Shui Ruolan’s brow furrowed, her gaze filled with hostility toward Zi Yuexi.

A light purple, gossamer veil covered Zi Yuexi’s face. One could just make out her exquisite features through the sheer fabric, and it was easy to imagine that without it, her beauty would be nothing short of divine. From the look in her eyes, she seemed to have taken an interest in Shen Haoran, which was precisely why Shui Ruolan was so hostile.

“Zi Yuexi, why are you still here!” Shui Ruolan said coldly. Before the Five Elements Sect’s decline, Shui Ruolan had been its shining prodigy, while Zi Yuexi was a leading figure in the Purple Luo Palace. When two such prodigies met, sparks were bound to fly.

“Shui Ruolan, let’s not forget that the Purple Luo Palace stood with your Five Elements Sect today. You could at least be a little more courteous to an ally, don’t you think?” Zi Yuexi replied lightly.

“Hmph! The Five Elements Sect doesn’t need help from the Purple Luo Palace!” Shui Ruolan retorted, turning her head away.

This time, uncharacteristically, Zi Yuexi didn’t argue with Shui Ruolan. Instead, she took a step forward to stand before Shen Haoran, her purple eyes sparkling. She smiled and said, “You’re right. With him here, the Five Elements Sect really doesn’t need my help. It seems I acted unnecessarily.”

Shui Ruolan was left speechless by Zi Yuexi’s agreement. Shen Haoran, catching the light fragrance wafting from Zi Yuexi, simply smiled. “Regardless, thank you for being willing to stand with us, Miss Zi.”

“I’m very curious. If any of them had refused your conditions, would you really have detonated the millennium-old Spirit Vein beneath our feet?” Zi Yuexi asked, taking another step closer and staring intently into Shen Haoran’s eyes.

“They were always going to agree,” Shen Haoran said, a confident smile playing on his lips. He met her gaze directly, without a hint of evasion.

“You were that confident?” Zi Yuexi asked again, her brow furrowed slightly.

“Everyone invited here was either the leader of their faction or their second-in-command. People in such lofty positions cherish their lives above all else,” Shen Haoran explained calmly. “Given the Five Elements Sect’s current state, they would never risk their own lives to be buried alongside us. They’d all decide it wasn’t worth the price. So, to save their own skins, they were bound to agree.”

Zi Yuexi was inwardly shocked to hear his explanation. Shen Haoran’s grasp of the human heart was simply too precise; it was as if he could read their very thoughts. She couldn’t help but take a step back, putting some distance between them, afraid he might glean the secrets of her own heart as well.

If anyone knew what Zi Yuexi was thinking right now, their jaws would drop. The Purple Luo Palace specialized in intelligence gathering and preternaturally accurate divination arts. When it came to understanding the human heart, if the Purple Luo Palace claimed to be second in the Southern Domain, no one would dare claim to be first. As the next Palace Master, Zi Yuexi was a master of these skills. It was rumored her purple eyes could see through anything, and no one ever dared to meet her gaze. But just now, Shen Haoran had not only met her gaze, but had seemingly turned the tables, as if trying to read something from *her*. This left Zi Yuexi stunned. She couldn’t see through him at all. The young man before her was completely shrouded in mist.

“But weren’t you afraid someone might call your bluff? If they had, would you really have detonated the Spirit Vein?” Zi Yuexi quickly changed the subject.

Shen Haoran just chuckled. “A truly clever person never puts themselves in a position of true danger,” he said. “How do you know I didn’t have a backup plan?”

Seeing the smile on his face, Zi Yuexi froze. Based on his actions earlier, she had assumed that threatening to detonate the millennium-old Spirit Vein was his only option—an all-or-nothing gamble to secure a slim chance of survival. But now he was claiming to have had a backup plan. She found it hard to believe, yet seeing the confident gleam in his eyes, she had no choice but to accept it.

“I suppose I should be glad I didn’t make an enemy of you,” Zi Yuexi said with a wry smile. The reason she had sided with the Five Elements Sect was that she couldn’t see through Shen Haoran. As the heir to the Purple Luo Palace, she was frustrated that she couldn’t read an ordinary disciple, and so, on impulse, she had chosen to stand with him. She never expected that impulse to lead to such an unexpected and rewarding outcome.

“You should be,” Shen Haoran said with a light laugh, his tone blunt. He then made a gesture for her to enter.

At that, Zi Yuexi shook her head with a resigned smile and followed Shen Haoran into the sect.