Chapter 171

Outside the Ice Heart Cave, Lingxiao, Luo Changfeng, Xiao Muyu, and the startled Mu Cangming and Yunyin, who had rushed over instantly, all felt the surging, strange aura rising from within the cave—a mixture of destruction and rebirth!

"This is……" Elder Yunyin's eyes burst forth with an unprecedented gleam, filled with incredulous delight: "She…… she actually did it?! She has initially mastered these three powers?! This…… what astonishing talent and willpower!"

Lingxiao felt that aura, which shared his origin yet was utterly different, and trembled with excitement: "Raner Ran…… she succeeded!"

Mu Cangming's icy face also showed a hint of emotion: "Such an aura…… unheard of! Perhaps, my Xuantian Sect will indeed produce someone extraordinary."

At this moment, the stone door of the Ice Heart Cave, with a soft sound, slowly opened.

A figure emerged, step by step, from the lingering chill and the still-unsettled energy fluctuations.

Still wearing that blood-stained dress, her face still somewhat pale, but her gaze was no longer the previous confusion or pain, but the calm and profundity of one who has endured countless ages; deep in her eyes, pale flames and dark gold glimmers flickered briefly.

She looked toward the anxious crowd outside the cave, her gaze finally settling on Lingxiao, whose eye sockets were slightly red, and the corner of her mouth twitched into a weak yet resolute smile.

"Master, senior brother, senior sister…… Master Mu, Elder Yunyin……"

"I have returned."

Her voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable power.

Shi Ran, reborn in extremity, renewed in annihilation, took the first step toward controlling her own destiny. And the path she chose—fusing annihilation, demonic intent, and rebirth—will surely bring unprecedented variables to this turbulent cultivation world.

As Shi Ran stepped out of the Ice Heart Cave, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth seemed to pause slightly. The strange aura surrounding her body was no longer the previous chaotic, conflicting, perilous state, but had formed an inward, stable cycle.

The cold of annihilation, the subtlety of demonic intent, and the vitality of rebirth were not simply superimposed, but fused in a mysterious, ineffable way, forming a unique Dao rhythm belonging solely to her—unprecedented.

Standing there, though her cultivation realm appeared not to have undergone earth-shaking advancement, she gave the impression of unfathomable depth, as if within her body lay a microcosm suspended between eternal birth and death.

"Ranran!" Lingxiao was the first to rush forward, his hands supporting her shoulders, examining her up and down, his voice filled with uncontrollable excitement and lingering fear: "How do you feel? Any discomfort?" He could sense the powerful, strange energy within her, and worried whether this was drinking poison to quench thirst.

Shi Ran felt the warmth and slight tremor from Lingxiao's palms, a warm current surged in her heart, and the newborn power seemed to grow somewhat obedient. She gently shook her head, her smile carrying a hint of fatigue yet shining brightly: "Master, I am fine. Just…… I feel somewhat different."

She raised her hand; a wisp of moon-white flame danced at her fingertip, the surrounding space slightly distorted, as if even light were to be devoured by it, yet at the flame's core, a faint yet tenacious golden gleam appeared, giving it a strange "sense of existence."

"Is this…… the legendary Azure Heaven Flame…… that you have controlled?" Mu Cangming stepped forward, his icy gaze filled with scrutiny and awe. He could feel that this flame was more condensed than when she was in the Flame-Scorching Valley, and also…… more dangerous, yet no longer bore the indiscriminate, frenzied destruction of all things, but carried the imprint of Shi Ran's own will.

"Not quite full control," Shi Ran admitted, extinguishing the flame at her fingertip, "more like…… reaching a consensus. It acknowledges the meaning of my existence, and I, understand the principle of 'termination' it represents." Her words were calm, yet the content was earth-shattering. Reaching consensus with heavenly laws? This is simply unheard of!

Elder Yunyin stroked his beard and smiled, his eyes full of delight and inquiry: "Marvelous! Using one's own will as a bridge to harmonize utterly opposing forces and make them one's own. Child, you have embarked on an unprecedented path, fraught with peril, yet brimming with potential."

He gazed deeply at the red silk cord on Shi Ran's wrist, now altered in hue (dark red threaded with gold), and said: "This red silk cord was originally the poisonous gu meant to kill you, but after this incident, it seems to have undergone an unexpected transformation, turning misfortune into blessing—girl, you are blessed with deep fortune."

Luo Changfeng, Qiu Chengshuang, Xiao Muyu, Wei Yuzhu, and Ruan Xinli also gathered around then, both delighted and worried.

"Shi Ran, you scared us to death!" Wei Yuzhu grabbed Shi Ran's hand, her eye sockets reddened.

"Just come back, just come back!" Qiu Chengshuang's honest face was full of excitement, wanting to pat Shi Ran's shoulder, but mindful of her just awakening, his hand hovered in midair, somewhat at a loss.

Luo Changfeng wanted to chew on dogtail grass, but ultimately gave up, embarrassed, saying: "You finally woke up, not in vain did I accompany you through wind and rain!"

Shi Ran looked at the caring elders and senior brothers and sisters, her heart filled with warmth. It is precisely these bonds that supported her struggle out of that desperate darkness.

"Master, Elder Yunyin, Master Mu," Shi Ran's expression turned serious as she looked toward the several seniors: "During my coma, what was the situation outside? The alliance……" Although her consciousness had sunk, she occasionally caught fragments of external information, knowing the sect had endured great pressure to protect her.

Mu Cangming snorted coldly: "Those old charlatans of the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion insist you are too deeply involved with the Demon Abyss, a potential disaster, and have repeatedly tried to intervene. I have blocked them all! However, after Zhang Ziling returned, the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion indeed intensified its deductions, though disturbed by Elder Yunyin's uncle and the sect's grand formation, unable to pinpoint your exact state, but the talk of 'variables' and 'anomalies' is rampant, and voices within the alliance demanding strict investigation are not small."

Lingxiao looked at Shi Ran, his eyes inquiring: "Now, which path do you feel suits your current condition better?"

Shi Ran pondered for a moment, feeling the threefold power system within her—though initially stable, yet still harboring great risk and unknown—then said slowly: "Buddhist salvation or the Chaos Source Pool are both external forces, encounterable but not seekable. For now, consolidating oneself and fully mastering this power is fundamental. I feel…… this path may very well be my opportunity, though each step is startling, yet each advance brings great gain."

She raised her hand, palm upward, intent stirring. A wisp of dark gold aura coiled forth like a spiritual serpent, carrying invasive demonic intent, yet upon careful sensing, one could find this demonic intent bound by a colder, vaster will (the Dao of Annihilation), its core drive still the vitality brought by the Nirvana flame. The three achieved a delicate balance.

"I can feel that this balance is still very fragile, requiring much time and resources to consolidate and enhance. Moreover, my use of these three powers remains at the most rudimentary stage." Shi Ran said frankly: "I need to enter seclusion, systematically organize and cultivate."

Yunyin nodded: "Exactly so. Your current state is special; ordinary methods no longer apply, you must comprehend the path yourself. The Ice Heart Cave's environment is special and can continue as your seclusion site. Sect resources will be tilted toward you."

"Thank you, Elder Yunyin, thank you, the sect." Shi Ran bowed deeply. She knew the sect had borne too much for her.

At this moment, a transmission jade talisman flew as a stream of light into Mu Cangming's hand. His divine sense swept over it, and his face instantly darkened.

"Hmph, truly relentless!" Mu Cangming crushed the talisman, his voice cold: "The alliance has sent an inspector, already arrived outside the mountain gate, demanding to see Shi Ran and examine her condition. Leading them is…… the Deputy City Lord of Si Shu City, Situ Hao!"

Situ Hao! This person's cultivation is profound, already at the late stage of Refining Void, a powerful figure in Tiānshū City, and moreover one of the representatives in the alliance advocating hardline measures against the "Demon Abyss hidden danger." His personal arrival shows clearly that the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion's deductions have exerted considerable pressure on the alliance's high echelons.

Lingxiao's face changed: "Situ Hao? He actually came in person! It seems the alliance this time is determined to succeed!"

Elder Yunyin slightly furrowed his brows: "Young Situ…… has a foul and stubborn temper, not easy to deal with."

Upon hearing this, Shi Ran's eyes flashed with a strange light. Having just initially mastered her power, she needed to test its might, and also needed an opportunity to show the world, and those with ill intentions, her "condition."

"Master, Master Mu, Elder Yunyin," Shi Ran spoke, her voice calm yet carrying an undeniable confidence: "Since the inspector has arrived, then let us meet."

"Impossible!" Lingxiao immediately objected: "You have just awakened, your condition unstable, Situ Hao's cultivation is profound; if he forcibly probes, trouble may arise!"

"Master, rest assured," Shi Ran smiled faintly, that smile actually bearing a hint of the "Annihilation" indifference and the "Demonic Intent" subtlety: "Let him probe if he wishes. I also need someone to help me 'verify' whether I am still what they call the 'Demon Abyss hidden danger.'"

The strange aura around her body rippled outward, no longer inward, but now carrying an active, deterrent force mixed with termination and rebirth.

"Moreover, constant avoidance would only show I am guilty. Better to face them openly, let them see clearly. I, Shi Ran, am a disciple of the Seven Sects' Floating Dream Sect, a meritorious figure who suffered injury to quell the Annihilation Flame, not a prisoner needing interrogation!"

Mu Cangming looked at Shi Ran, his icy eyes flashing with appreciation: "Good! You have spirit! Then let us go meet this Deputy City Lord Situ! This seat wishes to see who dares, on my Xuantian's turf, to move my sect's meritorious figure!"

Yunyin pondered a moment, then also nodded: "A young eagle must eventually face the wind and spread its wings. Go, child, with me here, none can harm your foundation."

The decision made, the crowd hesitated no longer.

Xuantian Sect, Purple Cloud Peak, Council Hall.

The atmosphere was heavy and solemn. The sect master sat in the main seat, face calm. Mu Cangming and Lingxiao sat on either side, expressions stern. Elder Yunyin did not appear in person, but his divine sense enveloped the entire hall, like a divine needle stabilizing the sea.

In the center of the hall stood several people, led by a middle-aged man wearing a dark brocade robe, stern countenance, eyes like lightning—exactly that Situ Hao. Behind him followed several alliance stewards, and an old man in a Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion robe, holding a compass, clearly the one responsible for verification.

"Sect Master Xuancheng, Elder Mu, Lord Wanshan," Situ Hao's voice was loud, carrying the pressure of long-held authority: "I come by alliance order to inspect the condition of your sect's disciple Shi Ran. Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion's deductions show this woman is deeply involved with the Demon Abyss, possesses great strangeness and great obscurity, and is a potential source of great calamity for the cultivation world. For the sake of all under heaven, please do not show favoritism, hand her over, and let the alliance take her back for detailed examination!"

His words were harsh, unyielding, directly labeling Shi Ran as a "source of great calamity."

Lingxiao's face turned cold, about to speak, but was stopped by the sect master's gaze.

The sect master said lightly: "Sect Master Situ, you speak too heavily. The Seven Sects' disciple Shi Ran, to quell the Annihilation Flame in the Flame-Scorching Valley, spared no effort, risking herself, exhausted and gravely wounded, is my Xuantian Sect's meritorious figure, a righteous person of the cultivation world. Her injuries are due to bodily anomaly, with no substantial relation to the Demon Abyss. The sect is now fully devoted to her healing, not convenient to disturb."

"Bodily anomaly?" The Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion old man beside Situ Hao snorted coldly, the needle of his compass spinning wildly, pointing toward the rear of the hall: "Sect Master Xuantian, why deceive yourself and others! This old man's 'Default-Detecting Plate' is most sensitive to demonic qi and ill omen; at present, the plate's movement is intense, clearly pointing to that so-called 'meritorious figure'! Such murderous baleful aura—how could it be explained by mere bodily anomaly?"

At this moment, a calm female voice came from outside the hall:

"Oh? Does the baleful aura on this junior's body compare stronger or weaker to the Annihilation Flame of the Flame-Scorching Valley that could scorch a domain?"

The voice fell, and a figure slowly stepped into the hall.

It was Shi Ran.

She had changed into a light pink dress, her expression calm, her steps unhurried. Yet the moment she stepped into the hall, everyone felt an invisible pressure spreading out. It was not the suppression of cultivation, but a strange oppression arising from the level of life, from the level of the Dao.

Cold, deathly still, uncanny, vitality... all kinds of contradictory auras coexisted in harmony on her.

The needle of the Ding'e Plate in the hand of the elder of the Tianji Pavilion trembled more violently, emitting a piercing hum, but the direction it pointed to was no longer stable, sometimes pointing to Shi Ran, sometimes spinning wildly, as if suffering great interference.

Situ Hao's pupils contracted slightly, his sharp gaze falling like substance upon Shi Ran, trying to see through her reality and illusion. Yet what he saw was a profound chaos, three utterly different Daoist forces perfectly intertwined, forming an impenetrable mist. His spiritual sense probed forward, only to be instantly dissolved by a cold intent of extinction, simultaneously entangled by a thread of uncanny demonic intent, and finally pushed back by a surge of vibrant vitality, returning empty-handed!

This... what power is this?! Situ Hao's heart shuddered violently. He had never felt such a strange and powerful combination of aura! Though he sensed no overwhelming magical power, it gave him an extremely dangerous feeling!

"Are you Shi Ran?" Situ Hao asked in a deep voice, his tone unconsciously gaining a hint of gravity.

"Junior Shi Ran, pays respects to Deputy City Lord Situ, and to all the seniors." Shi Ran bowed slightly, her manners complete, but her spine remained ramrod straight.

"What did you mean by what you just said?" Situ Hao stared at her.