Obedient, Hui closed his eyes. Chen Wuya fluttered off his shoulder and landed on his head. Raven claws bit into his scalp ever so slightly.

Hui winced. Lowering my cultivation realm makes this whole situation very uncomfortable. Just as uncomfortable as it used to be!

“Cut off your perception. All of it. I’m going to extend my perception to you, so I don’t want you being distracted by your own perception,” Chen Wuya ordered.

Mmm… I’m not quite comfortable with that. Hui hesitated a moment, then activated a mental clone. This time, let’s rely on Sectgoer. I remember him being relatively stable.

Sectgoer emerged. He gave Hui a silent salute, instantly falling in.

You handle my perception. If anything goes awry, wake me up!

Understood.

Hui took a deep breath. He passed his perception to Sectgoer, then released all his hold on his perception. Without being able to see or hear, he couldn’t speak, so he passed a mental message to Chen Wuya. Senior, I’m ready.

You’re cheating a bit, but it shouldn’t matter. Focus on what I focus on!

Abruptly, Hui’s senses returned. The world appeared before him from a slightly different perspective. For a moment, he froze, simply taking everything in. With a glance, he made out the individual hairs on the stem of a nearby flower. From across the garden, he caught sight of a tiny glittering black beetle as it fluttered off a flower petal, able to make out its wings in crisp detail. The beat of the wings sounded loud in his ears. A wind brushed his feathers, tingling every single fiber in each feather. Thousands of scents burned in his nose, distractingly tantalizing. Hui wobbled in place, lost.

Haaa. I forgot my senses would be so much stronger than yours. Ignore that.

As if a television screen had been shut off, all the senses vanished. Hui jolted. Eh? Why?

You’d never notice the power of time with that much distraction. I’ll share my divine sense with you, and no more. This time, don’t get distracted!

My apologies, Senior, Hui said, bowing.

Chen Wuya snorted. Never mind all that. Focus.

Once more, Hui’s senses expanded—or rather, his sense. Chen Wuya’s divine sense spread over the garden. He, Xi Sanji, and even the reaper stood out as bright spots of energy. All around them, slightly duller spots blurred, the qi of all the plants around them concentrated into various parts of them. A low background hum of energy permeated the air and the plants all around them, even glowing in the soil.

Whoa. Does the world always look like this in Chen Wuya’s divine sense? Hui wondered.

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Don’t get distracted. And no. Most places are not this saturated with qi.

Narrowing the range of his divine sense, Chen Wuya focused on the garden in the distance. Hui focused as well, paying close attention to everything within the narrower span of Chen Wuya’s divine sense. Er, the sky, and, uh… no, that’s mostly the sky. I’m missing it. I don’t know what I’m missing, but I’m definitely missing it!

Fool. Do I have to hold your hand? Here. Right here! Chen Wuya focused on a narrow stream of qi in the distance.

Squinting, Hui focused on it as well. There’s something strange about that… but what? Is the power of time simply too far beyond my current comprehension?

Ah! It doesn’t matter. If I can’t understand, record! Just like I did with the pill library, I’ll absorb every iota of information about this qi, then review it later to gain comprehension! Even if later is eighth, ninth, tenth, or Immortal realm, as long as I capture it now, I’ll have ‘later’ to study it!

Moving quickly, Hui called up the rest of the mental clones. Even Mortal came out quietly, all of them instantly focused on the strand of qi. Without understanding how or what, they all watched it intently and took in every bit of anything they perceived.

Startled, Chen Wuya let out a snort. That’s one way to handle it. Ha! You always surprise me.

Er, my apologies… Hui said.

On the other hand, your over-the-top deference never surprises me. Ah, since you don’t know, I’m trampling your head right now.

Hui winced. That’s going to hurt later. My apologies, Sectgoer.

Even as he desperately recorded it, the strand of qi faded away. One after another, the piece of the qi the clones were recording vanished, and as they vanished, the clones dismissed themselves, leaving behind only their knowledge. At last, the final clone vanished, and Hui stood alone, watching the sky where the qi had been.

Abruptly, the strange world of Chen Wuya’s divine sense cut off. Hui paused a moment, startled, then returned to his own perceptions. Relieved, Sectgoer vanished, and strong pain lashed into Hui from the top of his head.

“Ow!” He grabbed his scalp, baring his teeth in pain.

Serves you right.” Chen Wuya harrumphed.

Senior, does it? Do I really deserve this for apologizing? You know, most people like being apologized to! I’m just being polite!

Demonic cultivators really are—

“Really are?” Chen Wuya asked. His head tilted, and a dangerous light flashed in the depths of his raven eyes.

—very handsome and mentally stable, Hui finished, nodding to himself.

Chen Wuya snorted. He patted Hui on the shoulder with one claw. “That one was funny, so I’ll let you off.”

Hui let out a relieved breath. My scalp is already tender. I don’t need another trampling!

Xi Sanji returned, her eyes alight. “I’ve seen what I need to. We must return to the Green River Sect. I—” Her eyes landed on Hui, and she paused. A thoughtful look crossed her face.

Hui hunkered, covering his head. Is she thinking of killing me to prevent me from spreading information of this to Tseng Caihong? After all, this is tantamount to a rebellion. An inheritance sealed away from the rest of the sect, hidden out of everyone’s view, and then… well, her calling the pill cultivation tier the Green River Sect rather than the Second Tier tells me everything I need to know! Eight Tiers Palace will not be informed of this finding, but it may yield a great advancement for the Green River Sect!

Wait, hold on. Tseng Caihong… one of her strengths is the ability to pierce all with her eyes. Could it be? Are these layers here to hide this place from Tseng Caihong’s eyes? And the void gap between this world and the secret realm… is that, likewise, meant to protect this space from Tseng Caihong’s gaze? Hmm… this is a perfect place to launch a rebellion from! And… if I’m not wrong, that might be explicitly what the Matriarch intended it for!

“Elder Sister, spare me! I’m but a small cultivator, a helpless child. There’s no need, no need! Ah, I heard nothing, saw nothing!” Hui cried pitifully.

Xi Sanji raised her hand. A sword appeared in it. “Even so…”

Hui cowered, preparing to play dead. Elder Sister, be gentle.

Wait. What if I reveal myself instead?