Chapter 965 - I Became a Villainess and Was Pestered by Beautiful Girls

Knowing that the eldest apprentice sister desired the Heart of Darkness, the Guang Clan did a favor, facilitating contact with the An Clan for her. After waiting for a while, the mysterious An Clan finally sent someone. From the outside, members of the An Clan looked exactly like humans, indistinguishable in appearance. "Is it her who wants the Heart of Darkness?" The envoy of the An Clan asked. "Yes," Elder Guang Meng nodded, "And she has already acquired the Heart of Light. By all accounts, she should not pose much of a problem." "Hmm... Allow me to report back on this matter." Ordinarily, if an outsider approached the An Clan wishing to obtain the Heart of Darkness, the clan would likely not bother to respond. But with the Guang Clan's guaranty, the situation was different. A nefarious person cannot gain the approval of the Heart of Light. In a sense, the "danger coefficient" associated with the eldest apprentice sister had significantly decreased. However, whether they were willing to extend this favor, similar to the Guang Clan, the An Clan also needed the decision of the elder council through voting. During the waiting period, the broom underwent purification within the Heart of Light. "It doesn't seem to have changed much?" Tang Xin waved it a couple of times, curiously stating. "The evolution of a divine weapon isn't instantaneous," Guang Meng explained, "You need to communicate more with it, enabling it to unearth its potential." Divine and immortal weapons, despite being extremely rare in the continents of Jiuzhou and the Void Realm, are not entirely unseen. Clans like the Guang and An, as well as some of the super sects and immortal families, might just be concealing some. After a patient wait, the An Clan envoy provided a response. "You’re permitted to come, but we hope you’ll comply with our arrangements." "Arrangements?" "Sealing all five senses, cutting off any information that could potentially reveal our location." The An Clan, being even more cautious than the Guang Clan, insisted on a stricter method, not even trusting spatial transfers to ensure their safety. Sealing the five senses meant, should the An Clan harbor ill intentions, resisting would be nearly impossible. For the eldest apprentice sister, since the An Clan were also strangers, proposing such terms upfront was naturally cause for hesitation. "I'll go with her," Elder Guang Meng said, "I'm quite interested in this young lady." Fortunately, the kind elder promptly resolved the situation. The Guang Clan's elder wasn’t visiting the An Clan for the first time, and the latter had no special reason to refuse. With Guang Meng accompanying her, Tang Xin had no more concerns. Then, the An Clan envoy used a secret technique, and the eldest apprentice sister felt her consciousness completely detached from the external world, unable to perceive anything. After an unknown period, her senses gradually returned. When she opened her eyes, she found herself in an unfamiliar space. Unlike the Guang Clan, the buildings of the An Clan were all made of a pitch-black stone, devoid of any brightness, which could evoke a sense of oppression if looked at for too long. She and Guang Meng were received by an expressionless young girl, who appeared about twelve or thirteen years old. Tang Xin had learned her lesson this time, knowing not to judge a book by its cover. The person in front of her was definitely not just a child. "Um... have we met the Elder of the An Clan?" She tentatively asked. "So this is the foolish young lady you’re interested in?" The girl looked at her with a stern face, speaking to Guang Meng, "Look at how silly she appears, what’s so special about her?" "You're still as unpleasant in speech as ever..." Guang Meng retorted. It seemed the two were acquaintances, sharing a good relationship, and they exchanged a few pleasantries. "This is the Great Elder of the An Clan, An Ruo," Guang Meng introduced, "She has a sharp tongue and is ruthless in her actions; I recommend you be careful around her." "Don't tarnish my reputation in front of outsiders." An Ruo rolled her eyes at him, then turned to look at the eldest apprentice sister. "I’m not like the Guang Clan, beating around the bush. Let's get straight to the point; you first use your 'divine skill' to benefit the An Clan, and then I’ll ask the elder council to vote on the Heart of Darkness test." "Deal." Being straightforward was better than beating around the bush. Rather than haggling, directly making an impression was more appealing. Tang Xin was taken away, about to “display her divine prowess” in front of the An Clan members. "Can you discern anything unusual?" An Ruo looked at the young girl’s silhouette, asking the Guang Clan’s elder elder by her side. Guang Meng did not answer immediately, seemingly deep in thought. "As you know, our Guang and An clans have long been in close contact with world-force level powers, which has granted us the ability to observe the 'essence of life' in beings," the An Clan’s great elder continued. "This 'Tang Xin,' who has recently become quite active in the cultivation world, seems to have an abnormal essence of life, doesn’t she?" "Hmm," Guang Meng responded, "Her essence of life is divided into several parts, clearly not the state of a normal creature..." "What's your speculation? A second attempt at cultivation? A vessel? An incomplete entity?" An Ruo asked solemnly. "None of the above," Guang Meng slowly shook his head, "Her essence of life is complex, and its power level may surpass that of world forces like the Heart of Light and the Heart of Darkness. I can't understand what kind of high-level being is behind this, nor their purpose." "Enough with the pointless talk, can you give a useful summary?" "I have high hopes for her," Guang Meng thought for a moment, then leisurely replied, "As you know, both the flesh and the essence of life can be manipulated given sufficient power, but not the 'soul.' A soul is unique and cannot be artificially created." "Why are you optimistic about her?" An Ruo inquired. "Because... she's quite interesting." The eldest apprentice sister's divine skill, without a doubt, received unanimous praise from the An Clan elders. To be honest, since mastering this skill, she has never received negative feedback. A divine skill is not something mundane, after all! After some discussion and voting by the An Clan elder council, they agreed to let Tang Xin undergo the "Heart of Darkness test." "I'm not as kind-hearted as she is; I won't offer any assistance," An Ruo said with a stern face, "The content of the Heart of Darkness test is quite simple, called 'Utter Silence.'" She took the eldest apprentice sister up into the sky. Only then did Tang Xin realize that the An Clan's city was floating in the air. Below the city was a huge, dark, energy orb, presumably the "Heart of Darkness." It didn’t exude an astonishing energy like the Heart of Light, but looking at it always gave a feeling of falling into an abyss. "Upon approaching the test area of the Heart of Darkness, your perception of the outside world will be completely stripped away, and your sense of the flow of time will be greatly weakened," An Ruo explained. "Simply put, you'll feel as if you have stayed there for ten thousand years, whereas only a few moments would have passed outside. Additionally, your consciousness will be very alert and active, unable to enter a state of closed-door meditation, which means, you have to endure this 'loneliness.'" "Is that what 'Silence' means... How does one pass the test?" Tang Xin inquired. "When the Heart of Darkness accepts you, you will exit the state of 'Utter Silence,' and that would mean you have passed... However, the passage time varies for everyone. Many people, under such conditions, will have their souls worn away and die outright."