Chapter 409: The Opposite Party Is Unfamiliar

A petite yet voluptuous figure with a ponytail, dressed in short blue shirt and blue trousers, exuding heroic spirit, bore some resemblance to Zhi Hua; Wei Yuning looked closely and saw it was the long‑unseen Thus line: Ye Ying, but her aura now was almost a world apart from the delicate demeanor she once had.

The other was a tall young man, with a righteous expression, a full beard, clad in dark‑gold armor, his moon‑white cloak bearing a gray city under storm clouds and lightning; he was a member of the Immortal City regular army, though his exact unit was unknown.

According to Qin Wu's introduction, Immortal City is divided into the Far Guard, Outer Guard, City Guard, and Inner Guard.

When the two approached, Wei Yuning stepped forward to greet them first.

Thus line: Ye Ying looked at Wei Yuning warily, and together with the big man, steadied herself, waiting for Wei Yuning to speak first.

Wei Yuning felt uneasy; legally, Thus line: Ye Ying could be counted among his fellow Daoists, but unfortunately he could not reveal his identity now.

"Are you from the Divine Martial Gate?" Thus line: Ye Ying suddenly shouted. She instinctively stepped back, but then mustered her courage and stepped forward, angrily demanding, "What exactly have you done to Senior Brother Yuning? Yun Long died because of me; the grievance has a cause and the debt a creditor. It's bad enough you came looking for me, but you also harmed Senior Brother Yuning—I'll kill you!"

In the blink of an eye, a water arrow shot toward Wei Yuning.

The water arrow looked ordinary at first, but once it left Thus line: Ye Ying's body it immediately emitted the sound of massive waves crashing against a shore, growing larger and larger, until it turned into a water sphere about one zhang in radius. The sphere's surface was transparent, clearly revealing the scene inside: a lone white boat being tossed to the crest of a towering wave dozens of meters high, ready to plunge at any moment.

"Where did this barbaric brat come from, daring to attack the Lord of Wei City?" Shui Yong lifted his hand, and a platinum‑colored flying sword shot into the air, spiraling rapidly, ready to strike. "Release the Lord of Wei City at once, or lose your life."

The Heart Sword Sect disciples behind him saw this and immediately summoned their own flying swords; in an instant, with Shui Yong's sword leading and fellow sect brothers' swords supporting, the multitude of swords formed a gigantic flying sword.

The newly formed massive flying sword buzzed, exuding a tremendous aura that made Thus line: Ye Ying and her male companion feel a painful sting on their skin.

"Hmph, you're bold, this is Immortal City, not a place for rampaging!" The big man walking with Thus line: Ye Ying, though his expression showed some panic, raised a token firmly. "I am from the Outer Guard Investigation Office of Immortal City. I suspect you of colluding with demonic cultivators; now please come with me for questioning!"

"Pah, I even know the Great Venerable Golden Immortal of Immortal City. If you say it's related to demonic cultivators, then it is. Does Immortal City answer to you?" Zhi Hua, though young, often serves among the Heavenly Soldiers and is well aware of such bluffing tactics. "The Lord of Wei City you're provoking is a special envoy sent by the Celestial Realm to Immortal City. We are all his retainers. It's fine as long as nothing happens to him, but if trouble arises, you two won't be able to shoulder the responsibility!"

She lifted a token from the Heavenly Soldiers, waved it before the big man, then quickly sheathed it.

The big man's complexion changed; in that brief flash he had read the two characters at the front—'Heavenly Realm'. The Heavenly Realm is the Celestial Realm, and such a token is not something an ordinary cultivator would forge.

The events unfolded too quickly for Monk Cheng Xin to react; he had originally thought a brief explanation from Wei Yuning would reunite old friends, but the situation spiraled out of control.

He hurried forward, shouting, "Stop, stop, Water Daoist! It's all a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding. The Lord of Wei City is actually a friend of a friend of this Miss Thus line: Ye Ying, not an enemy. Lower your flying sword to avoid accidental injury."

"Is that really the case?" Shui Yong retracted his aura. "However, if the Lord of Wei City is drawn into her water droplets, could that be dangerous?"

"Rest assured, the Lord of Wei City is a flesh‑body cultivator, well‑versed in illusion arts, so there'll be no problem!" Cheng Xin smiled.

"Fine!" Shui Yong hesitated briefly, then sheathed his flying sword, though his expression remained vigilant.

Seeing the greatest danger removed, Monk Cheng Xin walked toward Thus line: Ye Ying with a grin, saying, "Daoist Thus line: Ye Ying, it's better to hear of you than to meet you, but today's meeting proves you are exceptionally beautiful. No wonder Daoist Yuning speaks of you so often; your sect's Yun Yan, Hai Yan, Feng Qi, and Xue Ying have all mentioned your name!"

Monk Cheng Xin was prone to tall tales. Thus line: Ye Ying's looks indeed qualified her as a beauty, though calling her 'exceptionally beautiful' was a stretch; her cute face and voluptuous figure were her hallmarks. Yet the names he mentioned threw Thus line: Ye Ying into a panic.

"You… really know them? How did you meet them?" Thus line: Ye Ying asked tremblingly.

The Outer Guard big man walking with Thus line: Ye Ying, seeing her converse with Monk Cheng Xin, relaxed a little.

"I'm a traveling monk, often doing business with the Cloud Hidden Sect. I first met Daoist Yuning; he's a wood‑root spirit cultivator, so I'd buy herbs from him. He opened a shop at Listening to the Wind Pavilion on Guest Arriving Peak, selling talismans and spirit tea, and the shopgirls are Hai Yan and Xue Ying. As for Yun Yan and Hong Zhi, that's another story!" Cheng Xin explained leisurely.

Hearing this, Thus line: Ye Ying no longer doubted; though she still worried about the identity of that Divine Martial Gate disciple, she was relieved that Yuning hadn't gotten into trouble because of the Divine Martial Gate—that was all she cared about.

"Ah, I'll release that Daoist first!" Thus line: Ye Ying suddenly realized.

Unfortunately, after several attempts the water sphere no longer obeyed her. As cold sweat formed on her forehead, a sudden surge of force pulled her involuntarily into the sphere.

Inside the water sphere and outside it were two separate worlds.

Amid waves towering dozens of meters, a tiny flat boat floated. The sea stretched boundlessly, with no horizon; overhead, black, oppressive clouds pressed down, evoking a strong sense of suffocation.

The boat would soar high one moment, then plunge heavily the next.

After entering the water sphere, Thus line: Ye Ying immediately fell onto the flat boat.

Although she had crafted this illusion herself, it was her first time stepping inside. As she had designed, anyone drawn into the illusion would first land on the boat.

"Splash," she expected to hit a hard wooden board, but instead fell into a man's embrace.

"Ah…" she didn't need to think to know who it was—it was the tall, slender, cold‑eyed man from earlier.

"Miss Thus line: Ye Ying, long time no see!" a voice called from behind her.

The voice was unmistakably familiar; Thus line: Ye Ying turned and saw an extremely familiar face—delicate features, a mischievous half‑smile—exactly Wei Yuning's original appearance!