Chapter 204: The Greatest Psychological Shadow

"What about the Alliance of Orthodox Sects?" Ming Yu also asked.

"The Alliance's calamity has been resolved, and now several elder masters are watching over it—nothing major can go wrong." Yuan replied.

Previously, under Gu's scheme, the three Dongzhen cultivators whose essences were drained needed to recuperate, so they would not leave the Alliance of Orthodox Sects in the near future.

Moreover, after this lesson, they would pay closer attention to the Alliance's internal affairs.

"Besides, I am not truly myself—even if I stayed, I could only play a negligible role."

He was no immortal, not even the true Dongzhen himself; the Alliance was now stable enough that he had no need to worry about it.

"No matter what decision you make, I will always support you," Ning Sister Sister Sister Wan Zhu whispered.

"Mm."

Yuan said no more, continuing to gaze at the bustling, lively shopping street ahead.

There, his somewhat abstract fellow villager's disciple was packing every souvenir made from snow mulberry leaves in a souvenir shop.

He was also asking the staff whether they could craft a small duck shape from snow mulberry leaves.

Hmm…

Her train of thought was too hard to understand—better not probe further.

Then again, what about the Alliance of Orthodox Sects…

Yuan recalled how, before leaving the Alliance of Orthodox Sects a few days ago, he had revealed part of the truth to the current Councilor.

As the nominal supreme leader of the Alliance of Orthodox Sects, the current Councilor had both the authority and the duty to know these things, to avoid trouble or misjudgments in future handling of issues.

But Yuan did not reveal what he shouldn't—he only disclosed that he was merely a fragment of a lingering soul, and that Mistress Friend Meng Xuan had failed her advancement.

As for his reaction…

It felt like a dream shattered, heart turned to ash.

Even when he came to Ling Yin Fang to see Yuan off before his departure, his smile remained forced.

Sigh~

Yuan sighed inwardly.

It was truly hard on him.

As he pondered, a gentle voice suddenly sounded beside his ear.

"Yuan, it's been a long time."

Though the voice was perfectly gentle, Yuan instinctively shuddered, his alarm so great he nearly reverted to his soul-form.

After a long pause, he slowly, stiffly lifted his head.

Not far away, amid the throng of people, a figure of ordinary appearance and gentle aura held a translucent snow mulberry leaf, smiling at him.

Behind him stood a young man with a chilling aura and expressionless face.

Damn it!

Yuan's scalp prickled; he nearly cursed aloud.

This figure before him was unquestionably the one person in the Xuan Realm he least wanted to see!

No exception!

At that moment, a tourist with a backpack walked past Yuan, then suddenly turned and stared fixedly at him.

His lips moved, but the voice that emerged was not his own—it was that same gentle tone.

"I heard you had returned, so I rushed back from the starry void."

After speaking these words, the backpack-toting tourist seemed completely unaware of what he had done, turned back, and continued walking.

"I barely made it to the Alliance of Orthodox Sects, only to find you had already come to Ling Yin Fang."

This time, the voice came from behind—from a woman selecting jewelry—but it was still that same gentle tone.

"And I discovered I couldn't track your whereabouts at all."

"So I came again to Ling Yin Fang."

"But this is still the Ling Ancestor's domain—I dared not overstep, so I waited outside the outer gate."

"Thankfully, I finally saw you today."

Each sentence came from a different person, yet all acted as if they noticed nothing—utterly eerie.

"This is my newly accepted disciple, Xiao Fan. I sent him into the starry void for trials."

"During this time, he has wiped out rebellious alien races on seven planets."

Without doubt, this man was Huo!

He was Yuan's greatest psychological shadow in the Xuan Realm. Yuan steadied himself.

First he glanced at Ning Sister Sister Sister Wan Zhu and Ming Yu, who had already walked some distance, then turned to Xiao Fan behind Huo.

His aura was cold and stern, his demeanor indifferent.

His realm had reached Foundation Establishment's late stage, nearly complete.

Yet his killing intent was far heavier than appropriate for his level—stunning.

Most mysterious of all was his Dao foundation, hovering between natural formation and artificial creation—strange indeed.

"You sought me out just to show me your new disciple?" he asked coolly.

"Of course," this time the voice came from Huo himself, his tone sincere and earnest, "aren't we the best of friends?"

Fuck!

Who the hell is your best friend?!

Yuan's face darkened, but Huo paid no heed, stepping forward slowly.

! 。Read

Xiao Fan followed him, step by step.

"After so long apart, shall we sit down and chat?"

Without giving him a chance to speak, Huo clapped his hands.

Clap! Clap!

Before his eyes blurred, and when clarity returned, Yuan found himself seated beside a round table.

To his right sat Ning Sister Sister Sister Wan Zhu, Ming Yu, and Chi Jiuyu in sequence; several seats away were Xiao Fan and Huo.

Circling around, Huo sat directly to his left.

Yuan: "..."

Ning Sister Sister Sister Wan Zhu and Ming Yu still looked dazed, but upon seeing the man to Yuan's left, their expressions turned grave.

Chi Jiuyu's reaction was entirely different.

"Oh! Isn't this Senior Huo? And that kid from Xuan Jian City!"

She greeted them warmly.

Then she rose from her seat, staring curiously at Huo: "By the way, we never got to ask last time—Senior Huo, which 'huo' is your name exactly?"

With Chi Jiuyu's question, the tense atmosphere instantly eased.

Huo: "..."

It had been too hasty—he shouldn't have brought this disciple of the Sword Sovereign along.

…………

Inner Sanctum of Ling Yin Fang, Main Trunk Sky Grotto of the Divine Tree.

Xu Xing and Ning Ruo both gazed in one direction.

"He's been loitering around the Outer Sect for quite some time," Ning Ruo explained.

Huo made no effort to conceal his whereabouts or purpose, so the moment he arrived at Ling Yin Fang, Ning Ruo had already noticed him.

Since he'd been relatively well-behaved and showed no intent to cause trouble, she hadn't moved to drive him away.

"He's truly relentless where Yuan is concerned," Xu Xing chuckled.

Especially seeing Huo rendered speechless by Chi Jiuyu's question, he found it amusing.

"The man beside him has Cang bloodline—he must be the one Senior Xu mentioned in the group before."

Though she didn't post in the group, she still checked it occasionally.

"Correct."

Xu Xing's gaze settled on Xiao Fan.

In such a short time, he had advanced to Foundation Establishment's later stage, and with that heavy aura of killing intent...

He must have suffered greatly.

But then again, it was only natural.

Huo was the kind of person who turned even gifted opportunities into traps—training disciples was naturally even harsher.

First chapter of the day, please subscribe!!

We hit a thousand votes, but today is the Grand Finals of the Yongjie Summer Tournament, so we'll add an extra chapter tomorrow.

(End of Chapter)