Chapter 514

The 37th planetary system of Guiling, the seventh planet.

A vast dining hall, its table laden with steaming delicacies, clearly just prepared.

Chi Jiuyu hovered in the seat of honor, her serving platter nearly as large as her entire body.

To her right sat the Void-Return alien, Chang Yao.

"So you were actually tricked into coming here?"

As she spoke, Chi Jiuyu flicked her finger, sending a thread of sword qi slicing off a piece of golden roasted meat drenched in sauce.

She then used the sword thread to reel it in and shove it into her mouth.

Honestly, she quite liked the feeling of devouring meat in big bites.

"Yes, before arriving, I had no idea the Immortal Envoy was coming here on assignment..." Chang Yao smiled bitterly, "nor that this place was under investigation."

"Tsk tsk!" Chi Jiuyu nodded, grease dripping from her lips, "They really aren't decent folks!"

"Immortal Envoy, your wisdom shines!" Chang Yao grew excited, "Though our Interstellar Council was originally founded to maintain peace among all races, over the years, discord has inevitably arisen—such as that vile Hanlin, utterly despicable..."

He wouldn't miss this chance to snitch...

No!

It was an opportunity to let the Immortal Envoy's glory cleanse the Interstellar Council!

He immediately denounced every council member who had ever clashed with him.

"To be frank, our Interstellar Council desperately needs an Immortal Envoy like you—impartial, stern, utterly incorruptible, and the universe's foremost prodigy—to lead us!"

Since they'd tricked him into this predicament, he wouldn't hold back!

He was weak within the Council; if he could make this human prodigy his patron, his influence within the Council...

And perhaps he could even forge ties with the human race.

Perhaps even learn their profound, limitless divine arts and cultivation scriptures...

"Sounds decent," Chi Jiuyu mumbled through a mouthful.

Chang Yao's heart leapt—could it really be...?

But then Chi Jiuyu swallowed the meat and grinned at him again.

That familiar smile instantly cooled his enthusiasm.

"This region falls under the jurisdiction of the Tai Shang Dao Sect, and Zixuan Zhenjun himself hails from Tai Shang Dao."

Chang Yao's heart skipped—a bad premonition rose: "Immortal Envoy, you mean..."

"I already introduced myself—I'm from the Xiang Jianzong."

As she spoke, Chi Jiuyu used her sword thread to pull in a "drumstick" nearly as tall as herself and took a massive bite.

The meat was rich, the juices abundant.

"For years, Tai Shang Dao has sought to dethrone us as the top sect. Since you're willing to be inside agents..."

"Immortal Envoy, forgive me!"

Though he was a Void-Return cultivator, sweat instantly drenched him.

To meddle in the power struggle among human great sects?

That was suicide!

And Zixuan Zhenjun was their direct superior—entirely responsible for the Fuling Star System!

"This old man spoke foolishly in his confusion—Immortal Envoy, please don't take it to heart!"

Greed had harmed him...

Chang Yao deeply regretted his earlier words.

"Oh, I'm not blaming you. Why so scared? If you don't want to, that's fine."

Remembering Chang Yao had helped her earlier, Chi Jiuyu stopped her intimidation.

She'd never go meddling in a council of star-faring races—that violated Xiang Jianzong rules!

The Thunder and Fire Whips of Silutang hurt like hell; she didn't want another lash!

"Yes! Yes! Immortal Envoy, your mercy is etched in my heart!"

Not long after.

After feasting heartily, Chi Jiuyu received three reports written by alien kings.

The Royal Library.

The three alien kings stood respectfully to one side; Chang Yao stood apart.

After being put in their place, they'd accepted reality and grown obedient.

Chi Jiuyu hovered atop her True Sword, frowning as she flipped through the task reports before her.

Hss~

How to put it...

If used merely for reference, it was acceptable.

The reports detailed their initial idea, their actions, how they lured in that second-rate fool—the First Investigator—and confirmed he was utterly stupid.

Then how they easily handled the Second Investigator, and from then on, began to look down on humans.

Until they were effortlessly exposed by the wise, glorious, saintly Third Investigator of the Xiang Jianzong—the universe's foremost prodigy.

Every detail and inner thought was clearly recorded.

Especially the parts describing her wisdom and exposure of the truth—so vivid, they captured a tenth of her brilliance!

But the phrasing...

Half-ancient, not quite ancient, so it looked rather strange.

Submitting it like this would definitely not pass.

Do I really have to write my own?

Chi Jiuyu scratched his head, feeling a headache coming on.

He hated writing these mission reports more than anything—so damn troublesome!

How about…

Chi Jiuyu's peripheral vision swept toward Chang Yao beside her.

During lunch just now, she chatted with him for a bit and discovered this cat-rabbit knew quite a bit.

How about giving him a template and having him help write it for me?

"Immortal Envoy?" Chang Yao asked cautiously.

"It's nothing, nothing." Chi Jiuyu turned her gaze back to the screen.

Garlic bird! Garlic bird!

This kind of thing can't be delegated to others—I'll do it myself.

Hmm…

Chi Jiuyu's eyes darted, and suddenly she had an idea.

She immediately pulled out a device for scanning and extracting text, and recorded all the writing on the paper into it.

After simply optimizing the formatting, she left two lines at the end, then wrote—

【The above content was written in the hand of the leaders of the seventh, sixth, and fourth planetary races of the Fuling Star System, Guiling Thirty-Seventh Star System.】

【Mission Executor: Chi Jiuyu, Third Investigative Envoy of the Xiang Jianzong】

She double-checked once more, confirmed there were no issues, and selected upload!

One second later, she received a reply.

【Approved!】

A faint smile appeared on Chi Jiuyu's face; her heart swelled with pride.

Hehehe!

Our Jiuyu Laozu is so clever!

"Alright, you all carry on with your work. I'll stay two more days—if any problems arise, find me."

"…"

The three alien kings bowed deeply.

"Yes!"

…

…

The library of the Seventh Planet's palace was vast, so it took over a minute for the three alien kings to reach the library's entrance.

Along the way, they remained silent, saying not a word.

"Ah, a well frog cannot speak of the sea, a summer insect cannot speak of ice—this saying is truly correct."

The insectoid man in a proper suit, the king of the Sixth Planet, Jiu Fu, spoke coldly.

"What do you mean?" Ji Ge snapped his head toward him.

"What could I mean? Just mocking myself." Jiu Fu had no intention of arguing with him, "But you'd better face the truth—you've only just regrown your arm."

He gestured toward his newly regrown limb.

Previously, sword intent had clung to the wound; not only had it not regrown, but even avoiding further damage had been a miracle.

Only after seeing their report completed did Chi Jiuyu withdraw her sword intent.

Otherwise, with sword intent clinging to him, he would have been ground to death by that killing intent!

"You…" Ji Ge felt a surge of anger.

But before he could say anything, Jiu Fu had already walked away.

"Wu Qi, he…"

"As he said—face reality." Wu Qi spoke calmly, then walked forward.

Ji Ge froze—he never expected Wu Qi to say that.

After all, Wu Qi was the first among them to have encountered the outside…

Watching his retreating figure, Ji Ge suddenly noticed Wu Qi was no longer dressed in his usual dao robe, holding his long sword, or wearing that wig.

He was bewildered.

Suddenly!

A faint thread of purple light flickered briefly around Wu Qi's body and vanished.

Hm?

He felt dazed.

He focused again—but saw nothing, only felt a heavy dullness in his mind.

An illusion?

…

…

Central Continent, Xiang Jianzong.

Deep within the Xiang Jianzong Hall of the Xiang Jianzong's inner sect.

Flames flickered as Xu Xing sat upright in the center of the cultivation ground, with Li Ke standing behind him.

At the front of the training ground stood an old man holding a sword, his chest and abdomen carved with a grotesque wound, most of his skull crushed inward.

His eyes were clouded, his skin sagging and speckled with brown spots, emitting a foul stench from every part of his body.

It was Cheng Ding, the Master of the Shengji Sword, who had just returned to the sect and come straight to the Xiang Jianzong Hall.

"Your disciple is incompetent, forcing Master to trouble himself."

As he spoke, he trembled and began to kneel.

Xu Xing raised his hand and halted his motion.

Before Xu Xing could speak, Li Ke behind him spoke up:

"Don't waste formalities before Master—looking half-dead like this is just making him suffer!"

Xu Xing: "..."

Cheng Ding froze, then smiled bitterly: "Sister's rebuke is correct."

He would never argue with this sister—he couldn't win anyway…

"Stand still. Let your Master first examine your injuries."

Hum~

It sounded like a sword's chant—clear, high, rising and falling, echoing endlessly.

Yet only Xu Xing could hear it.

As his perception stretched infinitely, formless and ineffable, the very "Dao" took on concrete shape.

There, amidst the destruction and rebirth of stars, within the primordial void of creation, countless myriads of blade-sharp rays coiled like ouroboros, tracing back to the dawn of heaven and earth, piercing through the origin of all phenomena.

This was Cheng Ding's original Sword Dao!

Yet, the past and the primordial are the dominion of the Ancients—the Dao they wielded. As long as the Ancients had not fully perished, he could never attain enlightenment.

So…

Sssch!

Lightning flared—each ouroboros-like blade-ray now wrapped in flickering threads of electric energy.

The primordial could not be attained—so he changed his path!

And he, Cheng Ding, was the only one among Xu Xing's disciples to alter his path and reach the Void-True realm!

At this moment, flames roared, scorching the lightning weakly.

Frost and snow swirled, freezing the blade-rays solid.

The flames and frost—these were the very roots of his Dao wound!

"Go."

A blade-shadow glided, as if severing the origin of all things.

Crack!

A soft sound—and where it passed, the flames vanished, the frost ceased.

Two Void-True injuries—easy to purge for Xu Xing! (End of chapter)