Feng Qinxue and Fifth Sheng, who initially offered words to steady the crowd, also fell into silence later on.

It seemed that even Qin Ruqing sensed the unbearable silence, for she suddenly opened her eyes.

A ripple spread through the still waters, and in an instant, people gathered around her.

Qin Ruqing, however, did not look at them. Her eyes were focused solely on Tang Zifeng, whose palm was still pressed against hers.

His eyes remained closed, and his refined, handsome face resembled a finely crafted statue.

Qin Ruqing stared at him for a moment, her brows furrowing as she spoke. “Tang Zifeng, stop! Your mental energy is already completely depleted!”

Though Tang Zifeng’s eyes remained shut, one could see his eyeballs shifting beneath his eyelids.

“Even if you drain all your spiritual energy today, you still won’t find the Sixth Domain. Believe my words,” Qin Ruqing said, her tone calm yet detached.

Her indifference wasn’t directed solely at Tang Zifeng; it extended to the onlookers as well.

Her words carried a certain declaration—The Sixth Domain cannot be found. At least, not today.

The crowd erupted into chaos, and the golden Starfall Heaven-and-Earth Instrument gradually slowed to a halt.

The cultivators who had been channeling energy into the instrument withdrew their hands, furrowing their brows.

Some even let out heavy sighs.

Tang Zifeng finally opened his eyes, gazing at Qin Ruqing with a complicated expression.

On any other occasion, Qin Ruqing might not have fully understood the depth of his gaze, but today, after countless instances of sharing their thoughts, she knew exactly what it meant.

—The mission has failed.

—So many people are disappointed. How will you bear the consequences?

Tang Zifeng’s stubbornness stemmed from a deep concern.

It seemed he believed that if he could hold out for even one more second, the judgment Qin Ruqing would face might be delayed by that same amount of time.

In that case, his draining of his own energy would be worth it.

Qin Ruqing gave Tang Zifeng a faint smile.

Before cutting off their mental connection, she said, “Why do you think my mind is so fragile that I’d take responsibility for these people’s disappointment?”

Her voice was clear and composed, carrying an air of reassurance.

“Their disappointment is their own issue. This is not my failure alone—it’s a failure for all. If someone can’t handle it, they’re free to end their own journey. The cultivation world certainly won’t miss one less person.”

Tang Zifeng’s dark eyes shifted ever so slightly.

By then, Qin Ruqing had severed the mental connection entirely.

She stood up and leapt down from the Starfall Heaven-and-Earth Instrument.

The crowd, who had been about to question her, had no choice but to follow her lead and descend to the ground.

This brief interruption allowed their previously urgent emotions to cool somewhat.

Grand Elder Feng, who had been supplying energy to the instrument, massaged his temples and walked over to Qin Ruqing. “Girl, what’s the outcome?”

Countless pairs of eyes, filled with a burning mix of hope and anticipation, turned to her.

Qin Ruqing spread her hands and shook her head.

“We found nothing.”

“There was no trace of the Sixth Domain.”

Though many had already suspected this outcome, hearing it spoken aloud was like a drumbeat striking their hearts.

“How can this be?!”

“With a divine instrument created by pooling the resources of half the cultivation world, and we still can’t find the Sixth Domain?”

“Could it be because the artifact lacks those two final lightning strikes?”

“Or did you overlook something, miss something?”

The barrage of questions left Qin Ruqing no room to offer an explanation.

In the eyes of some, her silence was proof of guilt.

This suspicion only fueled their anger.

In their eyes, someone needed to take responsibility for the failure—someone had to answer for their rage and frustration.

It wasn’t surprising that this someone turned out to be Qin Ruqing.

Finally, a sharp voice broke out from the crowd, unable to hold back any longer, demanding answers.

“Why is the Sixth Elder silent now? You were the one who swore confidently and urged all of us to search for the Sixth Domain. We had such high hopes, and even when beast tides were frequent and manpower was tight, we didn’t dare delay the crafting of the divine artifact. But now you just dismiss us with a light remark saying you couldn’t find it? Is this how you repay everyone?”

Qin Ruqing’s gaze swept sharply towards the speaker.

She stared at the person who had spoken, her eyes narrowing, her look piercing right into their soul.

“Was it I who mobilized you to search for the Sixth Domain, or was it you who mobilized me—” Qin Ruqing emphasized the word “me” as she spoke, “the sequence of events, Elder, you’d better think clearly before speaking.”

Her light and breezy tone, paired with the lotus flame totem gradually manifesting on her forehead, sent chills down people’s spines, and her imposing presence unconsciously intimidated everyone.

“The search for the Sixth Domain is not my sole responsibility, nor is this setback mine alone. What we need to do now is find the cause, attempt to remedy it, not vent our frustrations and point fingers here.”

Her cold, clear gaze slowly swept over the crowd. “Of course, if anyone truly believes that this failure is solely my fault, I won’t argue. I will withdraw from this mission immediately and will no longer involve myself in anything related to the Sixth Domain from now on…”

These words carried grave implications.

The elder finally realized something, his face darkening as he clenched his mouth shut.

The others, who similarly harbored resentment towards Qin Ruqing over the failure but had not yet voiced their grievances, felt as though they had been doused with icy water in the dead of winter, waking up with a shiver.

…They had forgotten that whether success or failure, it was they who had sought out Qin Ruqing, not the other way around.

Who needed whom was something everyone had to weigh carefully.

Amid an awkward and uncomfortable silence, Grand Elder Feng finally spoke.

She had no reservations and held enough authority to make a decision in this dispute.

With a lightning-quick flick of her sleeve, she sent a gust of force that struck the elder who had first spoken against Qin Ruqing, sending him flying several meters away.

He landed heavily on the plaza, rolling forward and almost tumbling directly off the climbing path of Mount Buzhou.

Grand Elder Feng’s expression was stern and commanding as she shouted, “Fool! Short-sighted and disruptive—what right do you have to stand on the summit of Mount Buzhou? Get out of here at once!”

Even the usually compassionate Fifth Tai Shang, who followed the Dao of Compassion and cultivated the Path of Origin, was uncharacteristically strict, nodding slowly in agreement with Grand Elder Feng’s words. “This person’s words and actions are unbecoming of an elder. He shall leave Mount Buzhou and never return.”

With a simple and unemotional declaration, the person’s fate was sealed.

With a wave of her sleeve, the elder’s identity token was summoned into her hand and, in the next breath, reduced to ashes.

The thunderous actions of the two Grand Elder made it clear where they stood, causing everyone to fall silent, trembling in fear.

The fate of this fool served as a warning to all—no one would be reckless enough to speak carelessly now.

Once the elder, his face ashen with despair, rolled off the climbing path, the Fifth Tai Shang turned to look at Qin Ruqing.

Her gaze was deep and profound, as if containing a myriad of stars, and she asked:

“If the Sixth Domain cannot be found within the Four Domains, then what about Penglai?”

The Sixth Domain was so named because Penglai was known as the legendary Fifth Domain, the residence of Celestials.

Penglai was a mystical mountain with an expansive and extraordinary internal space.

If the conventional Four Domains didn’t hold the Sixth Domain, then what about the inside of this divine mountain?

Fifth Tai Shang’s words undoubtedly provided the group with a new perspective.

The flames of hope, once extinguished, seemed to flicker back to life.

Everyone, including the two Grand Elder, looked at Qin Ruqing with renewed anticipation.

Qin Ruqing remained silent for a long time before finally saying, “I am willing to try once more. However, my intuition tells me that the chances of finding it are slim.”

She had already had a foreboding sense of failure even before the search of the Four Domains had been completed.

She felt that this mission might end in failure.

As for the cause of this failure—it wasn’t due to her negligence, or because the artifact lacked two bolts of lightning, nor was it because the energy supplied by the great powers was insufficient.

It was simply because it couldn’t be found.

The problem had to be brought back to its most fundamental essence—

The so-called Sixth Domain, mentioned by the two Dao Sovereign and revered in cultivation lore, which had captivated everyone’s hearts and dreams—did it truly exist?