Audiance with Matriarch

In the hall, the elders quickly took their leave, spreading the news and planning their next moves. If their descendants or disciples became the heir, their status would be almost comparable to the matriarch's. It was more theoretical, as knowing the matriarch, they might wait for the opportune moment to strike, fearing to offend her.

Among them, only Bai She knew his mother didn't care about him. She hadn't given him any artifacts or placed any protectors to save him. If the elders had thought more deeply, they would know Bai She didn't even have his mother's support.

"Do you want me to prepare a room for you, stinking monk?" Sijin asked sarcastically, seeing Manesh still in the hall.

"May I have an audience with the matriarch?"

"Speak. What do you want?" She was clearly hostile, though the monk himself didn't know the reason.

"You've surely noticed your son's injury."

"Yes, and so?" I'm afraid such matters don't concern you—"

Manesh smiled: "He withstood the extreme chaotic Yin Qi with his body. You know what I think, Matriarch—"

"Manesh, don't overstep your bounds." She raised her voice, her aura violently colliding with the monk's, who still had a slight smirk.

"It reminds me of the Nirvana Constitution of the Celestial Demon from before. I suppose the mysterious identity of his father was actually— Kuh—"

Hu Sijin grabbed the monk by the throat, preventing him from speaking, her grip so strong that the space around them seemed to warp. The monk could free himself, but he had only come to confirm his suspicions, not to fight. If there was one thing this woman was unparalleled in this world, it was her speed. Even he, at the same level, couldn't see her afterimage.

"Watch your next words, Manesh. I might offend Buddha in the next few minutes. The Forbidden Cave is just a step away for me. Before you can return in time, all the disciples will be reduced to ashes."

The monk dissipated into smoke, reappearing farther away.

"Why so much violence? Amitabha, I hope to see the reincarnation of the Celestial Demon at the opening of the Abyss of Absolute Evil." He added with a sneer before disappearing.

***

Bai She sat in the lotus position on the icy jade floor, his palms turned toward the sky, burning under an artificial sun floating above. Sweat dripped down his neck as a searing fire licked his ravaged meridians. "Damn, these energy channels..." he muttered, stifling a groan.

Then an electric shiver ran down his spine. The air tore with a silken rustle behind him. Before Sijin's hair could brush his shoulder, he recognized the scent of black lilies and hot ashes that always preceded his mother.

"So, you've become diligent in your cultivation..."

Her voice flowed like a glacier grinding stone, each syllable frosting the wall frescoes. Bai She felt his intestines knot. 'Damn it...' His pectoral scar—a remnant of a previous lesson—began to pulse in sync with her footsteps.

"I just want to avenge Shen..."

Sijin looked him in the face, her expression unreadable. She stared at him for a minute before continuing.

"Then why did you give up your position? You're risking death..."

"I..."

*Splash*

The sound of a slap echoed in the room. Bai She was violently thrown backward, his once-handsome face now disfigured, his mouth and nose pumping blood. He was already in a bad state, and now it was worse.

"Did you intend to lie to your mother a second time, Bai'er?"

She asked, stepping forward.

Bai She clenched his teeth, the hatred burning in his eyes. He wanted to tear her apart, the initial instinctive fear already gone, replaced only by anger—the madness of the Devourer's massacre. But at the last moment, he calmed himself.

'Not the time, stay calm... Stay calm...' He repeated in his head.

Sijin's mouth formed an "O" at the sight of her son's expression. It was the first time she saw such a look from him. And she was rather intrigued by this drastic change.

Bai She was turbulent, causing trouble everywhere, sleeping around, bullying the weak, arrogant, vain, and lazy. And Sijin had never missed an opportunity to beat him half to death in private, which had developed a fear in her son whenever she was present. The last time she'd beaten him so badly, she thought she'd finally killed that trash. But somehow, he'd mysteriously come back to life.

"Looks like meeting the Devourer made you lose your memory!? Should I remind you of your place?"

She said to herself, then handed him a bottle of medicine before disappearing into the void.

Bai She leaned against the wall, drinking the bottle.

Immediately, restorative Yang Qi penetrated his meridians. He quickly entered meditation. This wasn't an ordinary remedy; it was top-tier. It could help him far more than just repair his meridians...

Bai She closed his eyes, letting the restorative Yang Qi circulate through his damaged meridians. Every part of his body seemed to regenerate, the pain fading slowly, replaced by a soothing warmth. He knew this elixir was a rare treasure, something even high-ranking cultivators would covet. Why had his mother given him something so precious after striking him so violently?

'Doesn't matter. No one can understand that bitch's actions.'

"This elixir was really effective... Now I've already regained the foundation of my cultivation."