I long to return home!

The night was silent, not even birds chirped, and there was no one else on the road except for groups of patrolling guards and maids.

Walking alone in the palace at night would inevitably arouse suspicion from others. Huai Zhen placed the jade token of the Star Watching Academy in front of him, and any patrolling guards who glanced at it would no longer stop him or ask questions.

Soon, they arrived at Lei Mengying's residence. The house was rather deserted, with not even a maidservant. Moreover, the place was quite remote, located in a corner of the residential area, and there were very few guards patrolling.

Huaizhen stood at the door, looking at the tightly closed gate, unsure whether he should knock. He paced back and forth, unable to make a decision.

It is time for Lei Mengying to sleep peacefully, and it would be unwise to wake her abruptly. If Lei Mengying is not resting but cultivating, it would also be unwise to wake her directly.

Still without any clear answer, Huaizhen sat on the two-story steps in front of the door, leaning against the wooden door, gazing at the twinkling stars in the night sky with a unique and strange beauty.

A cool night breeze howled, and Huaizhen made a hand seal with one hand, exhaled lightly, and a warm current swept over his body, dispelling the cold.

Gazing at the starry sky, with the rustling of bamboo leaves in his ears, he seemed to be entering a state of tranquility, his eyes slowly closing as he sat cross-legged in front of the door.

As an hour drew to a close, even the most beautiful and serene state could not be maintained for long, and Huaizhen gradually began to feel sleepy.

Just then, the door opened slightly, and a pair of stunningly beautiful eyes peeked out from the crack, with long eyelashes and purple pupils.

The person inside the door spoke with an ambiguous tone, coldly addressing Huai Zhen, who was about to fall asleep outside, "Do you really intend to sleep in front of my courtyard?"

Huai Zhen was startled and rubbed his sleepy eyes. Hearing the voice, he perked up and quickly stood up, bowing to the person behind him and saying, "Your Highness."

Lei Mengying responded indifferently, the courtyard gate was half open as if she wanted to let him in but didn't want him to. She walked to the steps in the middle of the courtyard and sat down without any hesitation.

Looking around the courtyard, it was quite peculiar. If one were to imbue their eyes with spiritual power, they could detect subtle remnants of lightning all around.

In the very center of the courtyard was a strange pattern, which upon closer inspection resembled an open eye, upon which were placed palm-sized, jet-black ore stones.

The ore is of the same type, called calcium carbide.

The ore itself wasn't particularly unusual, but upon closer inspection, purple mineral crystals were found hidden within its dark exterior. This stone, however, had no other remarkable properties; its only unique use was its ability to store lightning.

Huai Zhen approached and saw Lei Mengying sitting alone in the center, showing no sign of offering her seat. Huai Zhen didn't think much of it, then looked at the peculiar formation. After a moment's thought, he suddenly exclaimed, "This is a Core Formation Formation?!"

"Your Highness, are you about to form your core?!"

After a long pause, Lei Mengying responded calmly and said, "I am attempting to form a core, not preparing to do so. Although my cultivation has reached the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment, I do not have the signs of forming a core. I have set up this formation to try to comprehend the bottleneck of the Foundation Establishment stage."

After speaking, a faint purple light appeared in Lei Mengying's beautiful eyes, and a purple current surged from her body and converged at her fingertips. Then, with a "whoosh," it struck the nearest relay stone.

The purple crystals inside the relay stone seemed to be fully charged, and purple light shone through the cracks in the entire outer shell. Then, current was sent to the adjacent relay stones, and so on. The pattern on the ground appeared in the lit relay stones.

A purple eye with a lightning element pattern engraved in it.

Huai Zhen immediately recognized the unusual sight: "This is the Purple Thunder True Eye?!"

"Hmm, I'm trying to form the Golden Core of Thunder." Lei Mengying waved her long sleeves, and the pattern of the Purple Thunder True Eye dimmed, and the glowing electric stone gradually went out.

Seeing this, Huai Zhen was both surprised and delighted and cupped his hands to congratulate him: "Your Highness's talent is truly outstanding." He was right to say this, as he had jumped from the late stage of Foundation Establishment to the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment in a short period of time, in less than a year, and was now preparing to break through to the Golden Core realm.

Upon hearing this, Lei Mengying couldn't help but sneer. She turned her head and looked at Huai Zhen with a cold expression, saying, "This country is rich in spiritual energy and has countless natural treasures, yet you have been stuck at the peak of Foundation Establishment for a long time. It's not that you lack talent; it's probably that you've forgotten your original intentions and spend your days indulging in pleasure."

Huai Zhen was startled when she heard this. Just as she was about to raise her head to deny it, she saw Lei Mengying stand up, her hair fluttering to one side in the whistling wind.

Her ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) fluttered, and even though it was covered by clothing, the strips of cloth binding her arms were still visible.

Huai Zhen's body stiffened slightly. Of course he knew what was going on. Earlier, he had frantically searched for Shen Lingjiao, and for a moment he thought he had to go back to Lei Mengying to demand an explanation.

The scratches on his arm were inflicted during his questioning.

"Am I wrong? It was fine when you first came, but have you forgotten why you came? You've been indulging in women, spending days having fun with them. Now that you've found her, why are you coming to find me? What, do you think I'm part of your mind? You're truly utterly depraved. I guess I misjudged you before. From now on, you can stay where you want. I won't force you anymore." Lei Mengying's words were chilling, making Huai Zhen swallow back the words he was about to say.

"Ten years from now, I will return to the Free and Unfettered Sect and tell you that you died in the course of your cultivation. You will no longer have any burden..."

Faced with Lei Mengying's piercing and icy words, Huai Zhen's expression changed drastically, and he shouted in extreme anger:

"enough!"

He gripped his face tightly, his anger surging as he recalled his past with Shen Lingjiao, the memories piercing his heart. "No, no..." he cried out in desperation, his fingertips digging into his skin, blood slowly seeping out.

Even so, Lei Mengying was only shocked for a short while before continuing, "What, the truth has been exposed, and you're furious? I have to admit your devotion to women and your willingness to risk everything, but who do you truly love!"

"Enough!!! Shut up!"

Huai Zhen's eyes were bloodshot, and she suddenly pulled out her fingertips, the scattered blood dripping onto Lei Mengying's cheek, causing her to be taken aback.

In those few moments of respite, Huai Zhen suddenly lunged forward, grabbed Lei Mengying, and pulled her backward, slamming her heavily onto the floor tiles. Her body was firmly locked in place, unable to move.

Huai Zhen's face was contorted with rage, like a mad beast, letting out a painful roar. For a moment, because of Lei Mengying's words, he realized that Shen Lingjiao was not the same person as the Lingjiao in his memory. The Lingjiao in his vague memory had never ordered him around like this.

"What... are you going to do? Let me go!" Lei Mengying struggled, her body firmly pressed down beneath Huai Zhen, their chests and abdomens pressed very close together. Her fair and long legs were unable to make any large movements, and she feared that a sudden break free would cause unnecessary harm.