Chapter 489: The Demonic Path Grand Power Emerges from Seclusion

Seeing her utterly indifferent look, Zhao Ruohan didn't pursue the topic any further.

"Right, apart from the mission, did you receive any other notices?"

"Nope, why?"

A notice?

What notice?

"Nothing." Zhao Ruohan suddenly fell silent. "Just be careful, that's all."

She'd said what needed saying; she trusted Chi Jiuyu would understand.

Besides, she hadn't received any notice.

Looking at it that way, she hadn't been chosen as a second-batch Ascension Emissary…

Fair enough — after all, this selection was based on the Xian Sect Grand Tournament rankings, and she'd been eliminated early, so it made sense she wasn't picked.

With that, she ended the communication.

According to the confidentiality agreement she'd signed this time, she couldn't reveal anything to those who hadn't been selected.

Hm?

Staring at the screen showing the call had been ended, Chi Jiuyu was a bit bewildered.

Hey!

How can you just leave a sentence half-finished like that?

Just as she was about to send a message to ask, she noticed Zhao Ruohan's avatar dim and switch from online to offline.

Chi Jiuyu: "..."

Just then, the light before her was blocked by a figure walking over.

She looked up — it was Li Ke.

The current acting head of the Xiang Jianzong's Miscellaneous Affairs Hall.

"Getting ready to head out on a mission?"

After saying that, she sat down directly on the other chair at the table.

She produced a handful of sunflower seeds from who-knows-where.

Seeing this, Chi Jiuyu had no choice but to put her phone away first:

"What brings you here?"

"Knew you were here doing maintenance on your starship, came to check in." Li Ke cracked sunflower seeds as she asked, "Heard you slept for over ten days after getting drunk?"

Huh?!

Chi Jiuyu immediately grew wary.

Yue Ling couldn't have sent the video to Ye Shijie too, could she!

But after calming down and thinking it through carefully, she figured it probably wasn't that bad.

She'd checked her phone earlier and there were no related records, and besides, Ye Shijie couldn't beat Yue Ling anyway…

Her thoughts circled once, and Chi Jiuyu sat up straighter, looking at Li Ke.

"It was wine from my martial uncle, so I got drunk without meaning to."

Li Ke's hand paused: "Why on earth would Master give you wine for no reason?"

"What do you mean 'no reason'? That's my martial uncle!"

"..."

He's my master too, and I didn't get any gift either.

Li Ke suddenly recalled something.

These past few days, that internet-addicted sword spirit of her martial uncle's had been running over to Dead Fish's place constantly, and this morning she'd even inexplicably gone to buy a set of furniture…

"Did you go on a drunken rampage after getting drunk and smash up the furniture?"

"Nope." Chi Jiuyu answered crisply. "I just went straight to sleep after getting drunk that day."

"Really?"

"Why would I lie to you about something like this?" she said with great conviction.

Because this matter was currently in an 'unresolvable' state, her 'processor' had simply blocked off the related memories.

Hilarious!

She'd always been perfectly well-behaved after getting drunk.

How could she possibly go on a drunken rampage!

Life is already stressful enough — if she kept letting these embarrassing memories eat at her internally, how could she still be an 'optimistic Yu'!

Don't think about it, and naturally there'll be no worries!

Li Ke: "..."

She had a nagging feeling something was off, but couldn't pinpoint exactly what.

"Oh right, Ye Shijie, should I have received a notice besides the mission one?" Chi Jiuyu suddenly said.

"Hm?"

What kind of question is that, popping up out of nowhere?

"It's like this — I was chatting with Little Zhao earlier, so…"

Chi Jiuyu explained the whole story from beginning to end.

Her keen intuition told her that whatever Little Zhao had mentioned was definitely related to this Xian Sect Grand Tournament!

If that's the case, then Ye Shijie must know about it.

After hearing her out, Li Ke also understood the ins and outs of the matter.

She did indeed know about this matter.

"This matter..."

"It's not something I should know!" Chi Jiuyu cut in directly, then muttered, "I just guessed you'd definitely say that line again."

"You've even learned to cut in." Li Ke shook her head slightly. "Too bad you guessed wrong this time."

"Huh?"

"It's not that you shouldn't know, but that the time for you to know hasn't come yet."

Senior Chengmeng's daughter still had some sense of propriety.

Although she brought it up, she did not reveal any specific details.

"Then when will I be able to know?"

"Well, about that..." Li Ke stood up. "Just wait slowly. There will come a day when you know."

Leaving behind those words, the person had already walked far away.

Based on this dead fisher's ranking in the Bencixian Sect Grand Competition, she should be arranged in the third or fourth batch; the specific time hasn't even been decided yet.

After all, they have to wait for the first and second batches of Ascension Envoys to finish their missions, then re-debug the Immortal Net before arranging things.

"..."

Why is everyone so fond of being riddlers?!

Time came to night.

Above the sky, the moonlight was bright, stars scattered like dots.

Moonlight spilled down, like a layer of silvery-white gauze, covering the mountain peak that towered within the Xiang Jianzong's inner gate.

A lone great hall sat atop the half-chopped mountain peak, appearing especially desolate.

In front of the great hall, a figure gazed into the distant night sky.

The evening wind stirred that somewhat thin clothing, adding another measure of loneliness to this already desolate mountain summit.

This person was naturally Xu Xing.

He wasn't looking at the distant night sky to indulge in some melancholy sentimentality, but because a "traffic accident" had occurred not far away.

A heavy-sword cultivator at the Nascent Soul Realm was flying his sword and crashed into another Nascent Soul sword cultivator; the two thus got into a dispute.

The one who got hit clamored for him to give an explanation, while the heavy-sword cultivator who did the hitting insisted on going through insurance...

Later it even escalated into a physical scuffle, and they accidentally damaged a patrol magical artifact that had rushed over.

Fortunately, an executor from Silutang at the Spirit Transformation Realm arrived in time, and the situation didn't worsen further...

For a situation like this, according to the Xiang Jianzong's relevant management regulations.

The two who fought would not only be locked up for five days, but also have quite a few contribution points deducted.

"Road rage really can't be indulged."

It's just that the impact caused wasn't significant, so the punishment wouldn't be too heavy.

If they hadn't held back and damaged the surrounding buildings, that would result in confiscation of the sword-flying permit!

Moreover, for a punishment-confiscation situation like this, if one wants to retake the sword-flying permit exam, the difficulty of the test would directly skyrocket several times over!

Watching the two being escorted away like this, Xu Xing finally withdrew his gaze.

He turned instead to look downward.

In an instant, his gaze pierced through layer upon layer of obstruction, landing upon the boundless Sea of Chaos.

He saw that within the surging chaotic aura, the worlds—numberless as grains of sand—were now all in a state of complete stagnation.

These were precisely the worlds that had been halted by Xu Xing with a single command, because there was Xuan's interference within them.

"For them to come into contact with these, for them, and even for the current Immortal Net, is still too early..."

The "them" here naturally referred to the first batch of chosen Ascension Envoys.

After all, the Sea of Chaos was different from the Xian Sect Grand Competition back then; people like themselves couldn't keep watch at all times.

If Xuan suddenly exerted interference, the currently still imperfect Grand Mystery Immortal Net might really not necessarily be able to withstand it...

Since that was the case, they could only select from other unaffected worlds.

Thinking of this, Xu Xing suddenly flicked out a wisp of sword light with a bent finger.

Whoosh!

The sword light flashed and vanished, breaking through the realm and vanishing into the void, falling toward the outside of the realm.

He saw it split into a series of sword-intention spirit bodies, sweeping across the Sea of Chaos toward the distance, beginning to search for suitable worlds in farther regions.

Having done all this, Xu Xing nodded slightly in satisfaction.

"That's about right."

Then, he saw the crimson sword light transform into a rainbow, wrap around himself, and draw a red line across the night sky.

He kept his flight speed strictly within the regulated range, until reaching a high point, when he suddenly burst forth again, flying straight toward the direction of the Hehuan Sect.

Although he could arrive in an instant with a single thought.

This trip wasn't urgent, so there was no need to rush.

Late at night.

Under the jurisdiction of the Orthodox Alliance.

Mo Province.

This was a city whose overall condition was roughly similar to Xuanjian City of Sword Province, neighboring the Hehuan Sect.

The city's streets had few passing vehicles, and the sidewalks on either side were nearly empty.

The night was deep.

People were either resting or practicing breath cultivation.

Without sound or sign, a dark shadow came from outside the city, sweeping over its rooftops.

It finally halted above a dim alley.

The figure wore a wide black robe with a hood, obscuring all details of its face.

Golden threads were embroidered along the robe, making the entire figure appear profoundly mysterious.

The black-robed figure gazed down at the alley, as if observing something.

After a while, he landed silently on the rooftop, continuing to watch the alley's condition in stillness.

Inside the alley, a boy in a school uniform, his face pale as death, had a bright yellow talisman taped over his mouth—restricting his voice and suppressing the little spiritual power left in his body.

He was bound to a rusted wire mesh net, stretched into a "big" shape.

Before him stood another person, also in a school uniform, but appearing lazy and careless.

His hair was dyed in multiple colors, and he twirled a small knife glinting with cold light.

The knife danced in his hand like a butterfly among flowers.

But soon, he stopped his motion and pointed the blade's tip at the boy bound to the wire mesh.

"Kid, you're lucky," he said with a mocking smile. "I'm in a good mood today—I'll help you switch to the Heavenly Path for free."

As he spoke, the knife slowly lowered, aiming at the boy's crotch, moving back and forth.

Instantly, the wire mesh rattled with a clatter, and the fear in the boy's eyes became almost tangible.

Seeing that terrified gaze, the knife-wielder felt his blood surge faster, an inexplicable thrill surging uncontrollably within him.

"Relax! Just once, I swear just once! If you tell anyone, I'll kill you!"

A thin layer of magic power coated the blade.

Then he hurled it with full force at the boy's crotch!

Crack!

The small knife effortlessly sliced through the rusted wire mesh and embedded itself into the ground, sinking several inches.

Huh?

Missed?

Just as he wondered how he could have missed, a black-robed figure suddenly appeared before him.

His face was hidden beneath the hood, completely obscured.

"You—"

Before he could finish, a pale, delicate hand emerged from beneath the robe and gently tapped his forehead.

A faint, nearly imperceptible thread of magic power instantly invaded his mind-sea, reading every memory from his birth until now.

This man had often bullied the boy tied up here, simply for amusement.

He'd originally thought there was some conflict of interest…

But it was just because he found it fun?

The Righteous Alliance, Shenlan City, bordering the Joyful Sect—one of the Qidaxian Sect…

Hm?

One of the Qidaxian Sect? The Joyful Sect?

Upon reading this, a flicker of confusion passed through his mind.

What was the Righteous Alliance?

This information didn't resolve his confusion—it deepened it.

What had happened during my seclusion?

'I must be even more careful…'

He withdrew his finger; as the thread of magic power retreated from the mind-sea, the man trembled uncontrollably, and red blotches appeared beneath his skin.

In the next instant!

Boom!

The man exploded into fragments, but with a flick of his sleeve, the mist of blood was drawn into a crimson bead at his waist.

Better to be cautious.

Then the black-robed figure turned toward the bound boy, ready to erase him too…

"Since you've struggled so hard to attain Dao, why not stop now?"

The sudden voice behind him sent a chill through the black-robed figure's spine, freezing him in place.

Who?!

How could someone have approached silently from behind?

In that instant, he mentally rehearsed many escape plans:

Pretend to surrender, then strike back unexpectedly; or attack the side to provoke a reaction, then flee…

But every time he entertained even the thought of acting, his spiritual sense screamed a warning.

He would die!

If he did any of that, he would absolutely die!

After a long standoff, he ultimately trusted the spiritual instinct forged through countless brushes with death…

Slowly, he turned around.

When he finally saw the person standing at the alley's mouth, his pupils shrank—and he felt overwhelming relief that he had not made a single unnecessary move.

"..." A two-second silence. "This junior is Huan Xiao, paying respects to Xiang Jianzong."

The voice layered upon itself, carrying both the clear, soaring quality of strings and bamboo flutes and the deep, weighty resonance of a great bell.

Clearly, this too was a Heavenly Being cultivator.

Moreover, one who had just ascended — a Dao-Unifying Heavenly Being who had not long since emerged from seclusion.

As the hood was lowered, one could see that Huan Xiao had already completely erased all acquired gender characteristics: a Taiji mark between the brows, hair strands of silvery white, skin like glazed crystal.

"Behead the Red Dragon at the Bubbling Spring, lock the White Tiger at the Hundred Meetings, draw from Kan to fill Li and refine Chaos — only then does one glimpse the true Qi of the Pre-Heaven."

Xu Xing directly named the cultivation art.

"If I am not mistaken, the art you cultivate should be the Mo Sect's 'Record of Ten Thousand Aspects Returning to One and Shedding Form.'"

A grand power of the demonic path at the Dao-Unifying level was a being who could be called a 'Demonic Lord.'

Such beings were now exceedingly rare. Apart from the very first one he had encountered, this was the second he had met since emerging from seclusion.

"The Ancestor's holy insight is profound." Demonic Lord Huan Xiao's voice trembled slightly. "This junior once served as the Wanxiang Saint... Mo Sect's seventh Sect Master."

He could not help but be afraid.

After all, the one standing before him had once nearly single-handedly slaughtered the demonic path to extinction!

Fortunately, the Wanxiang Saint Sect he belonged to had been relatively fortunate.

The Xiang Jianzong was stopped by the Demon Ancestor, and with the various sects' ancestors also stepping forward to counsel, no purge was carried out, and by sheer luck the sect survived. (End of chapter)