Are we just going to sit here helplessly?

Lin Jie and the others originally thought that Junxiao and Yu Xian would finish the transfer process within a night, but the three of them remained sealed within the blue barrier for five days, during which the entire secret realm stayed enveloped in darkness. Apart from the timer on the wooden table inside the house, everyone’s sense of time became completely distorted.

They had been so accustomed to the daily rise and fall of the sun that they barely noticed it, but now, after five days with no light except the blue barrier, they all started to feel as though they were unraveling. The plants were withering, and Aunt Pang in her “plant mode” looked droopy, like she might stumble over at any moment.

For the first two days, Lin Jie was still in shock at the realization that his close friend was actually a legendary figure. But as time went on, even the energy from that revelation faded.

Even the usually carefree Bai Zixu became unusually subdued, sometimes standing quietly by the door, staring at the blue barrier without saying a word. No one knew what he was thinking.

During such moments, Lin Jie found Bai Zixu’s profile, faintly lit by the barrier’s glow, strikingly similar to Bai Ke’s, carrying a sense of tranquility tinged with the possibility of slipping away at any moment.

As the days dragged on, their conversations grew shorter, eventually lessening to silence. They simply stared at the timer, turning it when necessary, and waited for any sign of movement from the blue barrier.

As the timer flipped once more and the sixth day approached, the blue barrier in the courtyard suddenly trembled. Like a candle flickering in the wind, the light wavered momentarily.

Initially unfazed, the group continued to stare blankly, not registering the change. Several seconds passed before it hit them.

Lin Jie, who had been leaning against the wall, idly grooming Peanut, suddenly straightened up as if he had been electrocuted, eyes wide, pointing at the blue barrier and exclaiming, "Did… did I just imagine that?"

Zongzi and the others shook their heads. "We saw it too!"

Bai Zixu yawned, stretching his neck. "Finally, some action. My neck was about to give out!"

At his words, the blue barrier began to get lighter and fade, and the figures inside grew increasingly distinct.

First came Junxiao and Yu Xian, seated cross-legged on either side, seemingly unmoved the entire time. Then they noticed the silver threads that had wrapped around Bai Ke’s body, now rapidly retracting and disappearing, one by one.

As the last silver thread pulled away, stars started to reappear in the sky, and the crescent moon’s outline became visible again, as though the veil over the sky was slowly being drawn back.

When the final silver thread lifted from Bai Ke’s body, Yu Xian, who had been floating in midair, gently descended to the ground. The array faded, and the candles in the house that had refused to light for days suddenly sparked to life, filling the room with a warm glow.

Yu Xian and Junxiao each took a deep breath, opened their eyes, and stood up.

"Master! Ancestor! Are you all right?" Now that light had returned, Lin Jie’s energy was somewhat restored. He patted Peanut, then trotted over with his furry companion to greet them.

"I’m fine. Your master, however, could use a bit of rest," Yu Xian said, waving his sleeve as he flopped onto Peanut's back, lounging comfortably, with his hand casually drawing out his ever-present jade wine flask for a sip. He pointed at Junxiao. "Go and rest up in your room!"

Junxiao glanced at him, a hint of exasperation in his gaze, then turned to Lin Jie with a reassuring nod. "I’m all right. But you all must be weary of the endless night. Go and get some rest. I’ll talk with your salted fish master ancestor  here about the next steps." He gently picked up Bai Ke, carried him inside to lay him on the bed, and carefully adjusted the blankets before heading back out to the courtyard to sit on a stone bench.

Lin Jie, energized by the return of light, plopped down on a stone stool next to him, saying, "It’s been so dull just waiting and sleeping—I'm not tired at all now!"

Before he could ask about Bai Ke’s condition, Bai Zixu beat him to it, already peeking into the room. “Why hasn’t he woken up yet?” Bai Zixu called to Junxiao and Yu Xian.

Aunt Pang joined in, “How much did you transfer to him? Did it work? Is the Seven-Star Pill close to completion?”

“Forty percent,” Junxiao replied, as if he’d handed over four apples.

Everyone drew in a sharp, silent breath.

"Actually, we haven't reached the pinnacle," Yu Xian explained. "It's just that he's already at his limit. If we push further, the Seven Star Pill will become even more volatile, and he won't be able to withstand it. But as things stand now, it’s enough. While the pill hasn’t formed its protective outer layer just yet, it’s only a matter of days. To make sure he's comfortable, I’ve let him continue sleeping. In a few days, as the pill stabilizes, he'll naturally wake up."

"So you're saying that in a few days, once the pill forms its layer, we can extract it, and Xiao Ke won’t be subject to Hengtian Sect’s control anymore?" Aunt Pang said, rustling her leaves thoughtfully.

"Eh?" A lightbulb went off over Lin Jie’s head. "Then doesn’t that mean that even without Hengtian Sect's daily pills, he’s already free from their control? I should go pack up my stuff and Xiao Bai's too!"

"Hold on," Junxiao interrupted, tapping his finger against the stone table thoughtfully. "It’s not that simple, which is exactly why I need to discuss this with our wise master ancestor."

"Huh? Not that simple?" Lin Jie’s face looked puzzled. "Isn’t it all done, just waiting for the pill to be removed? What's the issue?"

“You idiot!” Yu Xian struck the air in his direction, and Lin Jie felt an invisible tap on his head, prompting an "Ow!" as he rubbed the spot.

"Think about it! This Seven Star Pill is dangerous—it’s not something you can just pull out like a coin from your pocket. Everything might go smoothly until the last step, and if we make even the slightest mistake, it could all be for nothing. Worse yet, we could cause Xiao Ke serious harm—anyone would be furious at that."

Shaking his head, Yu Xian took a sip from his flask, considered things a moment, and then nodded toward Junxiao. "Have you noticed? The more energy this Seven Star Pill absorbs, the more active it becomes. To keep it subdued, you need stronger energy—double the spiritual power at least. Right now, it hasn't reached peak power, but even now, suppressing it isn’t easy. When it finally forms its outer layer…"

The rest went unsaid, but everyone understood.

Junxiao picked up from there. "When the layer forms, the pill reaches full potency. Its effects center on elevating the host's power to the highest levels, but then it backfires on its master. At that point, to safely extract it without harm, we'd need double—maybe more—the strength required to suppress it and leave it no chance to lash out."

"A pill that boosts you to the highest realm only to turn on you…" Lin Jie shuddered. "This cursed pill is like…fattening you up for slaughter!"

"Ah! Bright one, aren’t you," Yu Xian nodded approvingly at his analogy.

“Ugh!” Bai Zixu cringed. "Enough with the details about getting fattened up! It’s giving me the creeps and making me lose my appetite!"

Everyone: "…" How did he link that to his appetite…

“But wait,” Aunt Pang grasped the key point, turning to Junxiao. "If extracting this pill requires double the power to subdue it, and it’s already absorbed four-tenths of your spiritual energy, with its own strength and whatever it gains in the next few days, by the time the layer forms…we’d need nearly ten times that level of power?”

Junxiao shook his head. "At the rate it’s absorbing energy, I’d say it’ll need the full strength of my peak form."

"But—" Aunt Pang started, but then fell silent.

But Junxiao had already given Xiao Ke four-tenths of his power, leaving him with only six-tenths. Even if Junxiao hadn’t donated any energy, his current full strength wasn’t what it had once been.

So when it comes time to remove this Seven Star Pill… won’t it be impossible for even these two masters to contain it?

“But if neither of you can keep it subdued at that point, then who in Hengtian Sect could?” Lin Jie said anxiously. “Did they not consider that they might not be able to remove it themselves?”

"Firstly," Yu Xian raised a finger, "they never infused spiritual energy into the pill the way we did, so they haven’t experienced firsthand how much harder it is to suppress as it develops. If I hadn’t had this experience, we wouldn’t have anticipated just how tricky extracting the pill would be.”

"Secondly," Yu Xian held up a second finger, "we’re cautious and meticulous about extracting the pill because we want to keep that blockhead safe and unharmed. Hengtian Sect doesn’t have the same concerns. If they can’t control the Seven Star Pill when the time comes, the only one who’ll suffer is that poor blockhead, while Hengtian Sect just loses a reusable test subject."

Everyone’s spirits sank even further.

Lin Jie looked frustrated and a bit defeated. "So we’re just stuck, helpless here?"

"No," Junxiao suddenly spoke up. "There’s a way."

 

Translator : DarNan