Each of the nine dragon maidens possesses extraordinary abilities.

Every disciple who breaks the precepts will be sent here. No one knows what they will go through, but there is no doubt that they will become good children who abide by the rules after they come out.

Legend has it that the Netherworld Prison is the embodiment of Mo Zhiyan's power, and even the sect leader cannot break through it.

Mo Zhiyan herself is an extremely reclusive person. She does not like to interact with other guardians, nor does she want to see the people of the Four Gods. She prefers to stay here most of the time.

This is the kind of person who has been mobilized for a grand plan. Currently, Mo Zhiyan's true form is stationed in Youzhou, while the one guarding Zhiyan Hall is merely her avatar.

Even as an avatar, combined with the architecture of the Hall of Words, she could fully display her power in this area. Theoretically, starting a war with Mo Zhiyan here would be suicidal.

Su Zhaoran certainly didn't want to come, but she had no choice; Lu Yueyuan had caused a huge disaster.

The large white bird transformed into a small white bird, perched on Su Zhaoran's shoulder, and accompanied her into the Hall of Words.

The Hall of Words was deserted today. Entering through the main entrance, one could only hear the screams of disciples coming from the darkness.

A disciple of the Speech Clan greeted Su Zhaoran. She was dressed in black with a veil covering her face and invited Su Zhaoran to the back of the main hall.

Behind the main hall is a garden with a huge lake. In the center of the lake stands a large tree, under which sits the incarnation of Mo Zhiyan.

The disciple explained that Mo Zhiyan was currently cultivating and seeking enlightenment, and asked Su Zhaoran to wait in the side hall for a moment.

At the same time, she showed Su Zhaoran the relevant rules for being a guest and warned her not to violate them.

Su Zhaoran read through them one by one.

1. As a guest, one should patiently wait for the host to summon you.

2. As a guest, you should suggest staying for dinner.

3. As a guest, you should give the host face.

.........

There are countless examples of such unreasonable rules.

After explaining the various rules, the disciple left, leaving tea and snacks for Su Zhaoran.

Su Zhaoran could wait patiently, but that little white bird had little patience.

It felt that the guardians were incredibly arrogant. Before Su Zhaoran was not the sect leader, it was understandable that they looked down on her, but now that Su Zhaoran had become the sect leader, they still didn't take her seriously.

Humans can tolerate it, but even birds can't.

And then there were these tea snacks. A white bird came over and pecked at them, almost making it faint.

What era is this food from, and how long has it been stored?

Arrogant, truly arrogant! The protector of the seventh meridian is so arrogant that he doesn't even bother with appearances.

Su Zhaoran smiled and stroked the little white bird's feathers, reassuring it through telepathy: "Alright, alright, you don't understand Mo Zhiyan. That guy is a bit withdrawn, and he really hates me."

The little white bird snorted and transmitted its voice: "Master, I just can't stand her attitude. What kind of person is she? She was ostracized by the other guardians before, and you were the one who spoke up for her. And that girl is also... tsk, disgusting."

Haha, that's true, there are quite a few disgusting guys these days.

The little white bird asked, "My lord, do we really want to win her over? Putting aside her twisted thoughts about Lu Yueyuan, the Four Gods are now launching their grand plan, and all the guardians are choosing sides. Although we don't know who she will choose, she has already gone to Youzhou, which means she has a bias in her heart. If we do this, will she really..."

Su Zhaoran shrugged: "Give it a try, it doesn't cost anything anyway."

Ah, what you're saying...

The little white bird transmitted its voice: "My lord, Lu Yueyuan killed the Heavenly Venerable's proxy, which is tantamount to starting a war with the Four Gods. At this critical juncture, even if we don't stop him, we can't support him either. What about Mo Zhiyan..."

The little white bird still felt that Su Zhaoran's behavior was too risky.

By attacking the guardian of the Jiuyi Sect and killing the four agents of the gods, Lu Yueyuan's actions were no different from betraying the sect.

It's only because things are turbulent right now and everyone is watching and waiting that, normally, Lu Yueyuan would have been captured by the nine guardians immediately.

It doesn't matter which lineage you belong to. The Four Gods have supreme authority in the Nine Peaks Sect. Before they enter the Netherworld Sea and keep their eyes on the mortal world, even the nine guardians have to bow down to them. The Four Gods' representatives are equivalent to the highest supervisory body of the Nine Peaks Sect.

Now that the inspector has been killed, isn't this tantamount to rebellion?

Now that Su Zhaoran is the sect leader, the correct course of action is to uphold justice even at the cost of family ties, just like when her master kicked her out. Even if she doesn't issue a kill order, she can't openly protect her; she should at least turn a blind eye.

But she didn't want to; she wanted to do it, so she did.

Su Zhaoran picked up a piece of pastry and put it in her mouth. It had a crumbly texture and a musty taste. It was awful.

She's quite picky about food, but she has no choice. In order to see Mo Zhiyan, she has to eat. Didn't you see the rules over there? Guests have to give face to the host.

Sure enough, after she had her tea and snacks, the door opened and the disciple who protected her pulse walked in again.

"Sect Master, my master invites you over. This way, please."

Su Zhaoran smiled and nodded, patted the angry little white bird, and got up to follow the disciple of the guardian meridian out.

Walking across the wooden bridge over the lake, we arrived at the large tree on the central island, where Mo Zhiyan's avatar, dressed in a Taoist robe, sat calmly.

The lake here is called Enlightenment Lake, which is said to enhance one's comprehension and increase one's understanding of the Great Dao. Mo Zhiyan likes to stay here very much. Now that her physical body is gone, her avatar must stay as well.

The moment Su Zhaoran stepped onto the central island, she felt as if she had entered a special space. The surrounding scenery suddenly darkened, the sky turned into a starry night sky, and some kind of bell sound echoed above the starry sky.

Wow, it's a secret treasure that can enhance comprehension, and it's an extremely rare one at that: [Deep Space Listening].

These treasures are born from secret realms of heaven and earth, and each one has a different function. Among them, those that can improve comprehension are extremely rare, and each one has a name.

With Mo Zhiyan's Deep Space Listening ability combined with the Enlightenment Lake, one's comprehension can be improved by more than just a little; even a fool could become a genius.

The disciple respectfully withdrew, and Su Zhaoran looked around. There was nowhere to sit, so she casually sat down opposite Mo Zhiyan's avatar.

Sensing someone sitting opposite him, Mo Zhiyan slowly opened his eyes. His head was covered with a thick, hand-woven braid, adorned with a headband-like decoration. His eyes emitted a white light, clearly indicating that he had just emerged from enlightenment mode.

"...Su Zhaoran, did you come here because of Lu Yueyuan?"

The voice of Mo Zhiyan's avatar was devoid of any emotion:

"Don't tell me you're here to plead for him. He killed the Heavenly Venerable's representative, committing an absolutely unforgivable crime. According to the rules of the Hall of Words, he must return to face punishment now. You absolutely mustn't say you're here to plead for him. You are the sect leader now; you can't be willful anymore."

Su Zhaoran smiled and said generously, "I'm here to plead for him. It's just killing someone. In the world of immortals, it's either you kill me or I kill you. We've all killed people before, so what's the big deal? Besides, Yan Qianjie is a show-off, and everyone hates him. Aren't you the same? I heard you went to Youzhou, and Fairy Miaoyin offered you very generous terms."

"Heh... You know quite a lot. It seems you've come here to threaten me today."

Mo Zhiyan, in his avatar, said, "But based on this alone, you can't do anything to me. Our Zhiyan Hall still holds the power of conviction within the Jiuyi Sect. If I say Lu Yueyuan is guilty, then he must be guilty."

Su Zhaoran said, "So, I'm not here to threaten you today. I'm here to make a deal with you. Times have changed. We can discuss things and not be so rigid."

Mo Zhiyan, in his avatar, said, "What good deal do I have with you? Su Zhaoran, how dare you show your face in front of me? I wish I could kill you."

Su Zhaoran asked, "Just because I accidentally stepped on your shoes?"

Mo Zhiyan, in his avatar, suddenly erupted in fury: "Those are my favorite shoes, my absolute favorite!!!"

He transformed into a tirade of curses, insulting Su Zhaoran's ancestors for eighteen generations.

Su Zhaoran could only smile helplessly. There was nothing she could do about it. It was a sect training session that day, and all the disciples were in the square, including Lu Yueyuan. Su Zhaoran originally wanted to sneak out to play with Lu Yueyuan, but there were too many people, and she stepped on a disciple's foot.

Who knows that the disciple was actually Mo Zhiyan in disguise who sneaked in to play? From that moment on, Mo Zhiyan hated Su Zhaoran and would cause her trouble whenever he had nothing to do.

Su Zhaoran was certainly not someone to be trifled with. She didn't care whether the other party was a guardian or not; if you dared to mess with her, you were dead.

So Su Zhaoran launched a counterattack, and as a result, she learned a secret about Mo Zhiyan.

This secret nearly led to a life-or-death feud between the two.

After finishing his tirade, Mo Zhiyan calmed down slightly and said, "Lu Yueyuan's actions weren't as simple as just killing Yan Qianjie. Ming Huaiwei's disappearance severed her blood ties with us, and he can't escape responsibility for that. Besides, I already spoke with Qing Zaishan yesterday. It's true that Yan Qianjie attacked her first, but Lu Yueyuan was allied with the reclusive hermits of Qingzhou and appeared in the earth's veins. So, can I understand that after killing Yan Qianjie, his next target would be Qing Zaishan?"

After a pause, Mo Zhiyan's avatar continued, "And the most outrageous thing is that the reclusive hermit of Qingzhou actually received a blessing from that forbidden god. He has been suppressed all along, so why did he suddenly decide to bestow blessings?"

Su Zhaoran smiled helplessly: "Even if you ask me, I don't know."

"Do you really not know?" Mo Zhiyan said in his disguise. "Whether you really know or not is not a problem. You just want me not to convict Lu Yueyuan, right? Fine, but I have a condition."

Su Zhaoran said, "Go ahead."

Mo Zhiyan, in his avatar, said, "I need to search your soul."

Su Zhaoran was even more helpless: "...Just how petty are you? All I saw was one of your secrets, and you have to retaliate?"

Mo Zhiyan's avatar erupted in fury once more: "That's my cave dwelling, mine!! You sneaked in without my permission, what do you take me for? Ever since you went in, I haven't been able to eat or sleep properly, I can't cultivate, and I have to rely on the Enlightenment Lake and Deep Space Listening to maintain my peace every day, and all of this is because of you, because you sneaked into my cave dwelling!!!"

Su Zhaoran said, "...I swore to the Great Dao that I wouldn't tell anyone, but you don't believe me..."

Mo Zhiyan roared, "This isn't about trust at all! I want to see it all again! I want to see your deepest secrets!!"

Su Zhaoran said, "I don't really care. You can search my soul if you want, or look at it if you want, but I personally don't recommend it. I'm afraid you won't be able to go back."

Mo Zhiyan transformed into: "Soul Search! I'll let Lu Yueyuan go, or you'll get lost!"

Su Zhaoran sighed and raised her hands in surrender: "Okay, okay, I'm scared of you. Come on, search me then."

Mo Zhiyan, with a cold face, casually tossed it aside.

A ray of starlight shone down, and Su Zhaoran's soul flew out of her body and landed in the hand of Mo Zhiyan's avatar.

As if she had gotten her revenge, she forcefully stuffed Su Zhaoran's soul into her mouth and chewed it vigorously.

Su Zhaoran said, "Let me warn you first, don't throw up."

"........What?"

Mo Zhiyan's avatar was stunned.

What does "vomit" mean?

She had no time to react. As Mo Zhiyan transformed into a miniature version of Su Zhaoran's soul, a vast amount of memories flooded into her mind.

Youzhou, a certain underground palace.

Mo Zhiyan suddenly opened his eyes and vomited.

Meanwhile, the avatar opposite Su Zhaoran screamed in agony.

"Aa ...

The avatar collapsed to the ground, tears streaming down its face, overwhelmed by a torrent of emotions that nearly tore the avatar apart.

"What is this? What is this?! You, you, you... How is this possible?! How could this happen?! You... And then again, and then again! You... Ahh ...

"What are these images? This is... Aa ...

"Our bloodline is actually... Ahhhhhh, the truth of ancient times, the truth, ahh ...

Mo Zhiyan's avatar rolled on the ground, wishing he could tear his own head apart.

It was an extremely terrifying horror, an unbearable horror, and a myriad of complex emotions—sadness, anger, regret... too many to count, enough to tear Mo Zhiyan's soul apart.

She forced herself to look up and saw Su Zhaoran's expression, which showed no sign of a smile.

She finally understood what the other person meant.

She didn't know if her body could withstand it, but she was about to die.

In reality, Mo Zhiyan's true form couldn't withstand it at all. After vomiting until he was almost exhausted, his true form started to breakdance on the ground, twisting like a maggot.

"Waaaaaahhhhhh, fuck your mother Su Zhaoran, fuck your mother, it hurts so much, it hurts so much, ahh ...

Su Zhaoran sat there leisurely, waiting for Mo Zhiyan's avatar to recover.

She had long guessed that Mo Zhiyan might make this request. In fact, whether she came or not, Mo Zhiyan would not have made a move against Lu Yueyuan. But she insisted on coming to be scolded in order to satisfy Mo Zhiyan and send her memories away.

She had received news that Qing Zaishan had not fled to Yanzhou, where the Sixth Guardian was located, but had instead fled to Youzhou, where Mo Zhiyan was stationed. She didn't understand why Qing Zaishan would do this, since she clearly had a better relationship with the Sixth Guardian. But it didn't matter; it wouldn't stop Su Zhaoran from carrying out her own plan.

"Keep it up, recover quickly." Su Zhaoran gave Mo Zhiyan's avatar a thumbs-up, then sat down cross-legged to meditate. There were so many good things here, she had to take advantage of them.

After a full hour, the screams of Mo Zhiyan's avatar finally stopped.

She collapsed to the ground, her eyes completely lifeless, looking as if she were dead.

Su Zhaoran opened her eyes, got up and walked to her side, kicking her with her foot: "Are you still alive? Can you still use this avatar?"

“It’s useless, she’s already ruined.” Another voice rang out from the side, and another avatar of Mo Zhiyan walked out. Like the avatar lying on the ground, she was wearing a Taoist robe, with a thick, hand-woven braid on her head and a headband-like decoration on her head. The only difference was that this one did not have white light in her eyes.

The new Mo Zhiyan avatar waved, and the broken avatar turned into starlight and went to the starry sky above.

Now they can finally sit down and have a proper chat, but this avatar no longer looks at Su Zhaoran with hatred, only fear.

She took a deep breath and said, "If most of it hadn't been absorbed by the avatar, I might have died."

Su Zhaoran shook his head with a smile: "Forget it, you are a guardian of the pulse, inheriting the bloodline of the ancient dragon god. If that's enough to kill you, then I'll let you search my soul every day. Time is limited, let's get straight to the point."

Mo Zhiyan, in his avatar, said, "You came here today to show me your memories, right? So what do you want to do? Or rather, what do you want me to do?"

Su Zhaoran said frankly, "I don't want you to do anything, and my memories don't represent the answers. The answers are to be found. So you can choose whichever side you want to take, even if you firmly take the side of Fairy Miaoyin, that's fine too."

Mo Zhiyan's eyes trembled slightly: "And you... I... I simply can't believe that this is actually the secret of your sect's lineage. What do you plan to do? Will you submit or rebel? No, neither submission nor rebellion is meaningful. Such a hopeless future... Su Zhaoran, what exactly do you want to do?"

Su Zhaoran said lazily, "Do I really need a reason? Just think of it as something for fun. But this is the last time, so I'm going to go with the flow. Whatever happens, happens. I don't care."