Shen Qianlin unknowingly bit her lip. "What happens if she can't hold it back anymore?"0 "If the Earth Qi Seal breaks, nearly limitless primal qi will push the Small Nether Realm into the mortal world," the woman said softly. "From Mount Pingdu, all the land within three thousand li southwest would collapse. The Small Nether Realm's yin qi would then flood into this realm, shattering the balance between yin and yang and causing countless casualties."0 Shen Qianlin's fingers trembled.0 The scene before her kept changing rapidly, flooding her with information. All the events within the Small Nether Realm and around Mount Pingdu played in perfect detail before her.0 Immortal light surged again when the terrifying primal qi blasted the female corpse away. After catching her breath, she rushed back to seal the breach. By then, the Eighteen Levels of Hell had already been pushed upward to an unknown height. The seals over the first three levels also shattered, unleashing an endless swarm of vengeful ghosts toward the Nether Gate.0 They charged toward the Nether Gate for hours, only to be met with drone bombing runs and a mushroom cloud that rose from the middle section of the Yellow Springs Road. Soon after, Shen Qianlin saw twelve Golden Core Realm cultivators enter the Nether Gate. She watched the three armored vehicles race across the plains until they reached Fengdu City.0 When she saw Huai Jing behind the wheel, bringing Wang Sheng and an "astronaut" into the Nether Gate, she couldn't help but instruct, "Slow down a little."0 The scenes immediately slowed down. The woman placed her left hand on Shen Qianlin's slightly bony shoulder. "Isn't that the young man you are fond of?"0 "No…" Shen Qianlin replied reflexively. The woman didn't pry further.0 They followed Wang Sheng all the way to the third wave of immortal light. Only then did the scene shift to Fengdu City, where tens of thousands of ghost soldiers and spirits were locked in brutal combat.0 "When the two elders summoned ghost soldiers, the resulting spiritual fluctuations awakened us," the woman explained. "It took us some time to collect enough spiritual consciousness to reach you in your dreams. Unfortunately, the Treasured Robe has not yet fully recovered, which is our most urgent matter. If only we had awakened a little earlier, things wouldn't have come to this."0 The scenes sped up once more. Shen Qianlin didn't dare blink as she watched the flickering images.0 When Wang Sheng launched himself into the skies above Fengdu City on the back of a missile, she frowned and shook her head. She then saw him fighting side by side with his senior sister, making her gaze light up.0 The hand on her shoulder pulsed again, and her rising emotions were swept away.0 Wang Sheng and his companions explored the Ten Yanluo Halls, including the Hall of Reincarnation. They uncovered vital information, leaving behind only the word "Acknowledged."0 The group then entered the Eighteen Levels of Hell, found a hidden passage, and descended straight down. Meanwhile, within the Earth Qi Seal, the female corpse had nearly collapsed. No longer able to endure, the surging primal qi blew her aside.0 The scenes suddenly slowed. It was no longer a replay; Shen Qianlin was now watching the Small Nether Realm in real time.0 A massive, multicolored wave of primal qi shot into the sky, slamming into the underside of the Eighteen Levels of Hell and forcing them upward once more. A crack then opened under the Eighteen Levels of Hell. Finding an outlet, the blocked torrent of primal qi surged into the passage where Wang Sheng's group was.0 The woman frowned slightly. With a thought, more scenes formed in Shen Qianlin's mind. Within the passage, the wave of primal qi devoured everything. It swept Qing Yanzi and the others to the first level of Hell.0 The light barriers separating the passage from the Eighteen Levels of Hell shattered, and the seals across them all lost their effect. The entire structure had essentially become interconnected through the side passage.0 Shen Qianlin saw the fox fiend suddenly unleash power. Grabbing Wang Sheng and Mu Wanxuan, she barely managed to dive into the sixteenth level of Hell, dodging the surge of primal qi.0 The wave of primal qi crushed the upper levels and then turned into a dazzling pillar of light that shot toward the ten great halls suspended above. The hall in its way was immediately blasted away. Several figures were flung into its barrier and smashed into paste, their remains vanishing in an instant.0 Thankfully, the Yanluo Hall tilted to the side just in time.0 Below Hell, inside the "pyramid," the female corpse once again sealed the breach. She had now become translucent; she looked like a beautiful, delicate crystal ornament that could shatter at any moment.0 At that very moment, Qing Yanzi and the others fell from the sky to the outermost edge of Hell. Of the twenty-plus ancient cultivators whose auras had already dimmed, five to six were smashed to pieces. Sixteen to seventeen managed to maintain a seated position.0 In the Volcanic Hell, Wang Sheng's group rushed back into the passage. However, starting from the eighth level, countless fierce spirits and vengeful ghosts charged toward the vertical shaft, drawn by the aura of the trio's living souls.0 The worst was yet to come.0 Among the fierce spirits were over a dozen ancient pitch-black cultivators from the Ice-Mountain Hell and the Volcanic Hell. Considering their condition, it would be more accurate to call them ancient devils.0 "Mom, what do we do? How do we help them?"0 "Don't panic. The Treasured Robe hasn't fully reawakened. We must wait a little longer," the woman calmly and softly replied. The images around them faded. "Child, go wait before the Treasured Robe. Only we can stop this. Since the immortals have left this realm, among all the generations of our ancestors, you are the most fortunate… and also the most unfortunate. Come, I will guide you."0 Once the scenes had vanished completely, Shen Qianlin's eyes snapped open, and she leaped from her bed. Without even changing or putting on shoes, she ran out barefoot in her nightdress, heading straight for the staircase to her left.0 She ran so fast that she could hardly catch her breath. Her heart had never felt so turbulent.0 She had a vague sense of what she had to do. It suddenly made sense why her father had always kept his distance, always telling her not to return to the clan grounds without reason.0 "Young Sect Mistress!"0 "Young Sect Mistress, what's wrong?!"0 "Move aside, she might have something urgent to do!"0 The guards near the stone house quickly stepped back, letting Shen Qianlin pass unobstructed. She rushed inside and began descending the stone staircase.0 Many in the ancestral hall were still kneeling before the ancestral tablets, closely watching for any news from around the Nether Gate. Over a dozen elders also stood in the corner, staring at an ancient robe that had turned from dark blue to blood red.0 With her voice trembling, Shen Qianlin instructed, "Move aside…"0 The elders immediately turned toward her, but before they could speak, she had made her way forward and knelt before the robe. A sweep of blood-red light burst from the robe, pushing all the elders away.0 "Give the Treasured Robe your living soul…"0 "You want me to die?"0 "Yes, just like we once did. Only this time, our soul power will let you control everything that the Treasured Robe holds without you disappearing. This is the only compensation we can offer to our descendants."0 Shen Qianlin shook. The elders couldn't hear the voice in her heart, but they could hear her.0 "Young Sect Mistress, what are you doing?!"0 "How long do I have?" Shen Qianlin asked in a trembling voice.0 "Not long. Only the collar remains."0 Her hands trembling, Shen Qianlin glanced at an ancient sword in the corner. The sword rose on its own, flew toward her, and landed before her.0 She turned back. "C-can someone lend me a phone?"0 Seemingly realizing what she was trying to do, an elder immediately tossed her an old mobile phone.0 "Young Sect Mistress, please reconsider!"0 Unable to form the words to thank him, Shen Qianlin just nodded faintly. With some effort, she typed her father's number on the unfamiliar keypad before finding the green call button.0 The ringing felt endless, but thankfully, Shen Sui'an picked up.0 His voice broke her.0 "Dad…" Shen Qianlin burst into tears. "Dad… I didn't know. I didn't know. You didn't kill Mom. I'm sorry… I said so many hurtful things over the years, yet you never once scolded me."0 In the command center, Shen Sui'an frowned. 0 —Qianlin, what are you talking about all of a sudden? I—0 "Only I can suppress the Small Nether Realm, right? Dad, I'm the only one, aren't I?"0 Shen Sui'an jumped to his feet. 0 —Who told you that?! Who?! Don't do anything stupid. That robe is fake! It's fake, you hear me?! I failed to stop your mother back then!0 Shen Qianlin took a deep breath. For some reason, she suddenly felt calm. "It has already turned red. If I'm no longer myself in the future… please take care of yourself. Don't worry, I won't die. Mom told me that she will protect me."0 —Qianlin, don't! Qianlin!0 She ended the call, cutting off her panicking father. She then put the phone down and looked up at the Treasured Robe. Only a sliver of blue remained on the collar.0 She drew the ancient sword. The tip touched her chest as she quietly waited for the right moment.0 "Young Sect Mistress! Don't!" a woman cried out. 0 The other elders had already understood what was about to happen. Some had tears in their eyes, while others let out long, helpless sighs.0 A ring of cyan light surrounded Shen Qianlin, sealing off everything within ten meters and cutting off all outside interference. Her mother's voice echoed in her mind again.0 "I'm sorry, my dear daughter. As daughters, wives, and mothers, we at least had longer lives. We got to form beautiful memories and live our best years. Unlike us… you won't even get the chance to experience anything."0 "I had a good twenty years too." Shen Qianlin forced a smile and wiped her tears. "Dad's always been good to me. So has everyone else. No one's ever bullied me."0 "Do you have any regrets? Once you wear that robe, you'll lose all emotional fluctuation for a long time. Otherwise, your soul won't survive the burden of its power."0 "I had regrets, but not anymore."0 She smiled again. As the final hint of dark blue vanished, she closed her eyes. In her mind surfaced the blurred image of one afternoon, when a boy suddenly held her. A truck sped past behind him and crashed into a streetlamp.0 If she had another chance, maybe she would have let go of her pride and said what she truly felt. Maybe that summer would have become a beautiful story.0 She pulled her arm back. The ancient sword, a true artifact, passed through her frail body without resistance. She trembled and began to fall to the side.0 "Young Sect Mistress!"0 "Qianlin! Qianlin!!!"0 Before she hit the ground, the blood-red Treasured Robe released streaks of white light. It caught her and held her aloft. An aura of pure yin qi then swirled around her, forming a great tornado. 0 A gentle force pushed everyone back as lightning flickered within the vortex. The heartbeat-like beating of a drum, the faint ringing of bells, and a long, sorrowful sigh reverberated in the air. 0 Two minutes later, the plaza in front of the Hidden Earth Sect's community center collapsed into a massive crater. A cyan beam burst forth, within which was a feminine silhouette. In the blink of an eye, she flew across the sky to the southwest.0 Those who could catch a glimpse of her would see a cold, beautiful face and eyes that glowed cyan. Her hair, which had gray-white stands like those of an elder, was tied in a simple bun.0