CHAPTER 242: CHAPTER 211: IS HE THE BRIGHT VENERABLE FOR 10,000?

"When the Great Ming Venerate Buddha emerges, the World of Ignorance shall be illuminated."

It took Zhu E a long moment to recover from the statement, though her gaze remained fixed and unwavering.

She carefully examined the young girl standing before her.

She hadn’t been mistaken—this truly was Purity Saintess Yin Tingxue.

The girl appeared somewhat shy. She smiled faintly at the red-clad woman, pulled out a chair gently, and sat down.

Seeing Purity Saintess seated before her, Zhu E’s breathing quickened and her eyes gleamed with longing. Though there was no hierarchy of status between them, if the four Holy Sect Saintesses gathered, it would herald the day of the Bright Venerable’s emergence.

Still, she regained her composure.

On closer reflection, Yin Tingxue’s arrival carried many peculiarities.

First and foremost was the timing of her appearance, coinciding exactly with Qin Qingluo heading to Medicine Temple for a deadly clash. That alone was enough to arouse suspicion.

Even if one dismissed such peculiarity as mere coincidence, it was still curious that this young girl had chosen this specific moment to seek her out.

Yet, the Princess of Prince Xiang had been by Chen Yi’s side day and night, taken as his concubine—did she not feel even the slightest attachment?

People’s hearts are tender, after all.

Even if Chen Yi were utterly wicked and acted with impunity, oppressing and humiliating others, surely some fleeting moment of affection may have bewitched this girl.

Especially ...

Zhu E swept her gaze over Yin Tingxue from head to toe. Regardless of the angle, the Princess of Prince Xiang did not appear to have suffered mistreatment.

She pondered for a moment before speaking with a smile:

"I had many thoughts about meeting you, my sister. Now that we’re finally face-to-face, I’m unsure what to say."

Despite all the peculiarities, Purity Saintess was now seated before her. With the Bright Venerable’s emergence drawing nearer, Zhu E had no intent to reject her outright.

She held her breath and focused her senses.

In the teahouse, there was also a martial artist—merely a seventh-tier practitioner.

Zhu E cast a glance at her. She was an attractive woman dressed in practical attire, armed with a Yanling Saber, sipping tea as if oblivious to the happenings nearby.

It was the first time the red-clad woman had seen her. She reckoned this swordswoman might also be among the figures of this small world. What’s more, the practical-clothed woman seemed utterly focused, gulping down tea without pause.

She appeared rather dumb, simple-minded.

The red-clad woman felt slightly more at ease and poured a cup of tea for Yin Tingxue herself.

"Sister may not have heard of me before. My name is Zhu E, styled Liao Hao." Zhu E’s naturally soft voice carried seductive beauty.

Yin Tingxue raised her eyebrows slightly, accepted the cup softly, and said quietly:

"My surname is Yin, my name Tingxue, styled ... Yintai."

This name was bestowed upon her by Chen Yi the day she entered his household.

Zhu E nodded faintly with a smile and tenderly asked:

"I wonder why you, my sister, are here?"

"My... my husband... he’s gone to fight."

It was her first time calling him "husband" before outsiders, and Yin Tingxue’s tone faltered slightly.

Zhu E didn’t bother with formalities:

"Then I suppose he’s gone to fight with my husband.

Once this bout concludes, we can take you to the Southern Border. At the Holy Sect’s headquarters, you’ll meet the Sect Hierarch, and three of the four Saintesses will finally reunite."

Yin Tingxue blinked at her, lips quivering as though she had something to say.

Zhu E chuckled softly and asked:

"My sister isn’t still longing for that man, are you?"

Yin Tingxue flushed and nodded bashfully.

Zhu E’s smile turned cold as she remarked:

"That man forced you to be a concubine and is a disciple of the Demon Master—he deserves a thousand deaths, yet Prince has already impaled him with a spear, sparing him an easier end."

After saying this, Zhu E cast a sidelong glance at Yin Tingxue’s reaction.

Yin Tingxue’s face turned pale—far paler than Zhu E anticipated.

The red-clad woman’s brows furrowed as she thought to herself: why was Purity Saintess so deeply attached to such a man?

He had coerced her into being a concubine, repeatedly violating her principles. Logically speaking, there shouldn’t be such a connection between them. Even without deep-seated enmity, the reaction still seemed inexplicable ...

At that moment, Yin Tingxue softly spoke:

"His surname is Chen, first name Yi. ’Chen’ refers to the vast ruins of Taihao, and ’Yi’ embodies the principle of heaven and earth."

"And so...?" Zhu E was puzzled.

"Styled Zunming." Yin Tingxue said quietly.

The red-clad woman froze in surprise, as if grasping something.

"Zunming..." she murmured.

When reversed... doesn’t it spell "Bright Venerable"?!

Zhu E was suddenly struck by this earth-shattering realization. She lifted her gaze and met Yin Tingxue’s eyes.

"Sister, aren’t you curious... why I didn’t try to escape?"

Yin Tingxue asked calmly:

"I grew up studying the Holy Sect’s scriptures and was trained in the Heavenly Star Absorption Technique, yet I never left him. Have you never considered why?"

Zhu E was momentarily dumbfounded but quickly composed herself. She assumed Yin Tingxue was spouting nonsense and tested her with skepticism:

"My sister is likely just bewitched by that man—young girls are the easiest to deceive."

She was probing whether Yin Tingxue was bluffing.

But Yin Tingxue had already heard her thoughts.

"I wasn’t deceived... honestly, I can’t be entirely certain.

But... what if he truly is the Bright Venerable?"

Zhu E had no idea Yin Tingxue could hear her inner voice. She simply saw the young girl displaying a look of sincerity.

If she’d known the Princess of Prince Xiang possessed the Heavenly Ear Technique, she wouldn’t have lowered her guard—she’d have grown more cautious.

Of course, only celestial beings and immortals discerned early on that Yin Tingxue had the Heavenly Ear Technique. Even Yu Zhen Demi Immortal had informed Zhou Yitang, keeping himself apprised.

Yin Tingxue slowly lifted her tea cup and took a small sip.

Outside the teahouse, a female crown gazed out into the distance, before softly chanting a spell.

She sought to shatter the red-clad woman’s delusory ego and compel the devout Demon Sect Saintess to recognize Chen Yi’s identity as the Bright Venerable.

Inside the teahouse, Zhu E stared at the girl with shifting expressions, her tone turning heavier:

"What proof do you have?"

"He also knows the Heavenly Star Absorption Technique."

"That might be something you taught him."

"He comprehends the Holy Sect’s doctrines."

"You might have taught him those as well."

Zhu E remained unconvinced.

If this man truly were the yet-to-emerge Bright Venerable, then what had they been doing all along?

Acting as instruments of the Demon Master, doing everything possible to prevent the Bright Venerable’s emergence?

"He said one other thing..." Yin Tingxue breathed deeply.

There was one phrase Chen Yi had told her to reserve for the right moment—something even she, as Purity Saintess, didn’t understand where he’d learned.

Chen Yi had merely instructed her to build up to it and save those words until the end.

The red-clad woman leaned forward slightly.

Yin Tingxue said: "After the Heavenly Gate splits open, it shall herald the Bright Venerable’s emergence."

Zhu E’s pupils narrowed sharply.

He knew the secret of the Heavenly Gate’s splitting?!

And furthermore had declared... it marked the Bright Venerable’s emergence?

Her mind grew unsettled.

Outside the teahouse, the female crown’s spell concluded.

Zhu E’s thoughts became a chaotic mess. In her dazed state, countless clues intertwined, erratic and tangled, making it nearly impossible to discern whether Chen Yi was truly the yet-to-emerge Bright Venerable.

And meanwhile, the Donggong girl—who had been gulping tea without pause—was already on her feet without anyone noticing.

She slowly approached, regarded by Chen Yi as the second key to the entire plan.

All because she possessed,

The Heart-Piercing Betrayer-Slaying Killing Sword.

In that moment, Purity Saintess softly spoke again:

"What if he truly is Bright Venerable?"