Chapter 198: The Great Divine Art of

Du Ruoheng turned back and saw a brilliant golden light shining at Zhang Yunlu's forehead.

The Seal of the Sword Sovereign's Protection.

What you saw today only reached the Return to Void realm; when you ascend to the Union with Dao realm, you must come to the Hall of All Sages again—only then will you see its full form.

As Du Ruoheng spoke again, the golden light on the jade tablet inscribed with the Sword Sovereign's name faded, and Zhang Yunlu rose to her feet.

The golden light at her forehead vanished, gone without a trace.

The small boat stirred the water, drifting farther away.

"After leaving the Hall, you may proceed to the Sword Sovereign's Hall—your junior uncle will take you there," Du Ruoheng began outlining the next steps.

"The Sword Sovereign Ancestor dislikes elaborate rituals, so everything will be kept simple."

"Moreover, your identity is known only to the Two Ancestors—the Xiang Jianzong and Sword Sovereign—the Sword Lords, the Grand Elders, your junior uncle, and me."

"Of course, the specifics will depend on how the Sword Sovereign Ancestor arranges things."

Zhang Yunlu bowed deeply.

"Thank you, Sect Master."

Once all matters were settled, she finally exited the Hall of All Sages alongside Du Ruoheng.

Outside the hall.

Chi Jiuyu, who had been idly scanning the surroundings, immediately resumed his solemn, meticulous demeanor upon seeing them emerge.

"All matters are concluded; the rest is now in your hands, Junior Uncle."

"Rest assured, Sect Master," Chi Jiuyu replied with rigid formality.

Du Ruoheng: "..."

If only Junior Uncle could always be like this, how wonderful.

He sighed inwardly, then turned to Zhang Yunlu.

But judging by what he's seen so far, this junior uncle doesn't seem to have any major flaws.

I hope she stays normal and doesn't get corrupted by Chi Jiuyu...

Soon.

As the teleportation array flared to life, Chi Jiuyu and Zhang Yunlu vanished once more.

A towering peak.

A straight staircase of green stone ascended upward, vanishing into misty clouds.

At its summit lay the legendary Sword Sovereign's Hall.

"So, what did you see inside the Hall of All Sages? Did your master grant you a protective divine art?"

Two figures had already reached the mid-slope.

It was Chi Jiuyu and Zhang Yunlu—after leaving the Hall of All Sages, Chi Jiuyu had reverted to her usual carefree, jocular self, pressing for details about what had just happened.

She mainly wanted to know if Zhang Yunlu's experience matched her own.

Protective divine art...

Zhang Yunlu touched her forehead, recalling the information that had flowed through her mind as the golden light sank in—she felt a strange unease.

"It should be there, but I'm not sure if this counts."

"What do you mean, what do you mean?!"

"..."

What she received was not a specific technique or divine scripture, but...

A thread of attention.

In simple terms, if she encountered an opponent two full realms above her who sought to bully her with overwhelming power, all she needed to do was shout, "Master, save me!"—and Bie Xuening's attention would be stirred.

Sometimes, she wouldn't even need to shout; the Sword Sovereign's Protection Seal would activate automatically upon sensing higher-level forces.

In a sense, this might be called the Great Divine Art of "Master, Save Me!" "So it's this!" Chi Jiuyu clapped her hands excitedly, beaming. "I'll tell you, this is incredibly useful—some ancient monsters are just shameless..."

She launched into a flood of stories from her own past, leaving Zhang Yunlu increasingly silent.

Though she was only at the Nascent Soul peak, she had slain nearly a dozen Return to Void cultivators, even a couple of Union with Dao ones.

By the end, Zhang Yunlu couldn't help thinking:

This divine art is wasted on me—it should've been given to Chi Jiuyu!

She kept talking all the way up—from her master, to her junior uncles, senior brothers and sisters, even her grand ambitions since becoming Sect Master.

When they reached the staircase's end and the Sword Sovereign's Hall loomed before them, she finally fell silent, reluctant to stop.

Looking out, the Sword Sovereign's Hall was grand indeed, but still pale beside the Hall of All Sages—and not a wisp of mist could be seen.

Golden sunlight poured down, revealing several figures standing before the hall.

One was the elder, and the Hall of Miscellaneous Affairs' chief who had been with him just days ago.

The Star Domain Warden, Li Ke, Sword Lord of the Hidden Blade, whom she had met aboard the starship; the elder who had once guided her in the Transmission Tower.

And several others she had seen in television documentaries and history books—the Xiang Jianzong's Grand Elders and the Four Senior Elders.

The rest were strangers to her.

But anyone standing here today clearly held great status.

At the center stood a woman clad in pale moon-white robes, serene and unadorned.

Chi Jiuyu stepped forward: "Master."

Master?

So this woman is...

"Mm."

The woman's light, clear voice responded, then she lifted her gaze toward him.

Zhang Yunlu felt the surroundings darken.

She realized she had somehow arrived in a quiet bamboo grove.

A delicate bamboo hut stood silently; beside it was a small pond, its water impossibly clear, with a few spirit fish drifting lazily.

Where is this?

"Follow me."

Hearing this, Zhang Yunlu turned her gaze away and followed Bie Xuening into the bamboo hut.

They entered the innermost room.

On an altar stood an incense burner and various offerings; on either side, candle stands burned with eternal flames, their thin smoke curling upward.

A painting hung on the wall.

It depicted a slender old man clad in a plain long robe.

"This is the founder of our Xiang Jianzong and of the human cultivation system—my master, and my younger brother's master."

Hearing this, Zhang Yunlu recalled the flawless jade wall she had seen earlier in the Hall of the Sacred Ones.

"Zhang Yunlu."

Bie Xuening looked at her.

"Disciple is here."

Zhang Yunlu knelt on the mat before her.

"To join my lineage, you must honor your master and uphold all the Xiang Jianzong's rules."

"Disciple remembers."

After paying respects to the ancestral master and performing a simple kowtow to Bie Xuening, Zhang Yunlu followed her back outside.

"From now on, you are my disciple, Bie Xuening's disciple."

…This was absurdly simple.

"Hand me your phone."

Zhang Yunlu didn't understand, but still took out her phone, unlocked it, and handed it over.

"If anything comes up, send me a message."

As she spoke, Bie Xuening returned the phone to her.

She glanced at it and found she now had a new friend, labeled 'My Most Revered Master My Lord,' with a profile picture of a yellow duck holding a sword.

"..."

For a moment, she had no idea how to describe her feelings.

"Yes, Master."

Bie Xuening nodded in satisfaction—finally, she had a somewhat normal disciple.

…………

Outside the Sword Lord's Hall, the group who had seen them vanish remained unmoved.

"Jiu Yu, come here." Xu Xing called out Chi Jiu Yu.

"What is it, Uncle Xu?"

Chi Jiu Yu looked puzzled but walked over to Xu Xing's side.

"We should leave now."

"Huh?" Chi Jiu Yu blinked in surprise. "Leave now?"

"What else?"

We stayed in the Xiang Jianzong these few days just to see Zhang Yunlu enter Sister's lineage.

Now that this chapter of our reunion after her emergence from seclusion is complete, it's time to go.

First chapter, request subscription

(End of chapter)