"This is a long story..."
Wanwan shook her head, her expression becoming complicated.
Bai Zihe frowned slightly.
He had a premonition that what his third senior sister was about to say would far exceed his imagination, and by a wide margin.
"Back then..."
Wanwan's eyes showed a look of recollection. "Master asked me to join the Southern Sea Divine Temple. Not long after I descended the mountain, I successfully got in."
"After getting in..."
"Because I am naturally very compatible with water elements, the Sect Master of the Southern Sea Divine Temple taught me the cultivation methods of the Southern Sea Divine Temple."
"After a few years..."
"My progress was rapid, shocking the entire Southern Sea Divine Temple. The Sect Master also placed even greater expectations on me, making me the Divine Maiden of the Southern Sea Divine Temple."
Divine Maiden?
Bai Zihe's eyebrows twitched slightly.
It should be akin to the Holy Sons of other Longevity Sects.
Bai Zihe asked curiously, "And then?"
"Then..."
"I cultivated according to the schedule every day, day after day, for about three to four years."
"My strength..."
"Rose all the way from the Grandmaster realm when I descended from Jiulong Mountain to the Integration realm!"
Integration realm!
This might not be much for the current Bai Zihe.
However, for his third senior sister to reach the Integration realm from the Grandmaster realm on her own in just three to four years, such talent...
It was likely rare even in the entire Longevity World.
It was understandable that she was valued by the Southern Sea Divine Temple.
"However..."
A hint of confusion appeared in Wanwan's clear eyes. "After I reached the Integration realm, the Sect Master moved my cultivation cave to a sea eye in the Southern Sea."
Sea eye?
Bai Zihe frowned again.
Sea eyes were not places ordinary people could go.
The immense tearing force within them meant that even a Mahayana realm expert might not be able to guarantee their safe return.
Why would they do that?
"At first, I didn't understand why."
Wanwan shook her head, but a cold glint appeared in her eyes. "But soon, I learned everything."
"It was an accident."
"One night, a great storm arose in the Southern Sea, and the waves roared in, capable of destroying the heavens and earth, striking terror into the hearts of all."
"The storm in the sea eye was even more severe."
"Therefore, I couldn't cultivate in peace."
A look of apprehension crossed Wanwan's face. "I left my cultivation place and witnessed an astonishing sight."
"What sight?"
Bai Zihe quickly pressed.
He had a feeling this was a monumental secret.
"I saw..."
"The Sect Master, in a monstrous, inhuman state, darting back and forth within the sea eye."
"His power was unprecedentedly strong, far stronger than I had ever seen him before, almost ten or a hundred times more!"
"His aura was extremely bizarre, as if it was the opposite of our auras, carrying a sense of world-destruction."
Bai Zihe's pupils suddenly contracted.
He suddenly thought of the strange black energy he had encountered on the nameless island.
"The gas he exhaled was black, giving an incredibly bizarre feeling."
These words from his third senior sister sent Bai Zihe plummeting into an ice cellar, a chill running down his spine as if he were being eyed by a great fear.
"Strange black energy!"
Bai Zihe uttered the four words with difficulty, asking solemnly, "Third Senior Sister, are you certain you saw strange black energy?"
"Yes!"
Wanwan nodded, her expression extremely serious.
Suddenly, as if remembering something, she asked, "Junior Brother, do you know what this strange black energy is?"
Bai Zihe did not know what the strange black energy truly was.
He only knew.
The strange black energy was inextricably linked to demonic energy, a presence that made one's heart palpitate upon seeing it, as if it would destroy everything.
This thing...
Seemed to be the opposite of spiritual energy.
Spiritual energy represented life, filling all things with vitality, making them strong, powerful, and full of life.
Black energy seemed to represent destruction, causing all things in the world to perish, return to nothingness, revert to chaos, and become lifeless.
Bai Zihe suppressed his thoughts and continued, "What happened next?"
"Then..."
Wanwan recalled for a moment and continued, "I realized that the Sect Master was not as simple as he appeared on the surface, and perhaps, he was no longer himself."
"So..."
"I continued to cultivate as usual and kept a close eye on the task Master had given me."
Task?
Bai Zihe asked curiously, "What task did Second Aunt give you?"
"Actually, it wasn't given by Master."
Wanwan glanced at Bai Zihe and said, "This task was told to Master by Senior Uncle, and then passed on to me."
Master?
Bai Zihe became even more curious.
"He asked me... to steal the Weak Water that the Southern Sea Divine Temple had accumulated for over a hundred years."
Weak Water!
Bai Zihe's heart trembled.
Legend had it that there was a water in the world that could destroy all things, a water that even the Samadhi True Fire could not extinguish.
This was Weak Water.
But Bai Zihe understood from the Wordless Heavenly Book.
Weak Water was actually the ultimate form of water, still water, and one could grasp and even wield it by comprehending it to a certain degree!
"Why steal that?"
Fifth Senior Sister asked curiously.
Wanwan stated directly, "To give to Junior Brother!"
This completely baffled Bai Zihe.
Stealing Weak Water to give to himself?
What did this mean?
Wanwan seemed to see Bai Zihe's confusion and said, "I didn't understand at first, but Master told me to just give the Weak Water to you."
Saying this.
Wanwan took out an exquisite jar from her storage bag.
Bai Zihe sensed the jar slightly and found that it even contained spiritual energy, indicating that it was a treasure capable of containing Weak Water.
"At first..."
Wanwan looked at the jar and shook her head. "I wondered why Master would ask me to steal something, as it seemed somewhat unethical."
"However, after discovering the Sect Master's transformation, I began to observe him in secret."
"I suspect he hasn't been human for a long time!"
"Even..."
"The entire high-ranking members of the Southern Sea Divine Temple have been infiltrated, corrupted by that strange black energy, and have become monstrous."
As these words were spoken.
Everyone in the room was once again greatly shocked.
The Southern Sea Divine Temple was a renowned Longevity Sect, yet the entire sect had been corrupted?
Was that strange black energy that powerful?
Only Bai Zihe had a solemn expression.
He had encountered the strange black energy before and knew it was difficult to deal with.
Perhaps, what his third senior sister said was true.
But if so.
The situation for Great Xia would indeed be very dire.
"Later."
Wanwan continued, "The Young Sect Master of the Tianshan Sword Sect came to propose marriage, and the Sect Master agreed without asking for my opinion."
"So, I decided to go all out, took the Weak Water accumulated by the Divine Temple over the past century, and ran away."
"Now..."
"Junior Brother, drink this Weak Water."