Chapter Thirty-Five: A Master from the Sword-Controlling Immortal Sect?

Xiao Chenxin was absolutely stunned!

"Su Yao, please let me up first. Who speaks to someone while they are face-down on the floor?"

Only when Xiao Chenxin spoke did Su Yao snap out of her daze. She hurriedly helped him up, sticking her tongue out playfully. "Did I hurt you, Grand Uncle-Master? Let me take a look."

Xiao Chenxin quickly extended a hand to stop her from doing anything further. He took a deep breath. "Su Yao, please calm down. There are disciples outside; we must maintain our dignity."

Su Yao didn't even look up. She knew full well that there were disciples stationed outside; having lived here, she was intimately familiar with the layout. There was no need for her Grand Uncle-Master to remind her. Therefore, the statement "there are disciples outside" could not be taken literally—it had to be interpreted inversely. If there were no disciples outside, she could do as she pleased. Wasn't that exactly what her Grand Uncle-Master was implying?

At this thought, Su Yao’s face was filled with anticipation. She restrained herself slightly before taking hold of Xiao Chenxin’s arm. "I understand, Grand Uncle-Master. When are we leaving?"

Xiao Chenxin rubbed his temples. He truly couldn't fathom why Su Yao, who had been so reluctant to go just moments ago, had suddenly changed her mind. But upon reflection, he realized this might actually be for the best. Without outsiders accompanying them, and given his position in Su Yao's heart, he might be able to probe her on the road and perhaps convince her to take him to see that "old farmer." He needed to evaluate the man's character, and if there was any trace of malice or baseness, he would... secretly eliminate him! Even if it meant Su Yao suffering the pain of heartbreak or bearing resentment toward him, Xiao Chenxin did not care. He could not bear to watch her walk down the same wrong path he once had.

"We leave tonight. Why don't you go handle the trivial matters of the Yaoguang Sacred Land first? I will come to call for you later."

Su Yao jumped up in excitement. "Yes! Don't worry, Grand Uncle-Master, I will ensure everything in the Sacred Land is perfectly arranged! There won't be a single issue!"

Su Yao was brimming with motivation. This was an order from her Grand Uncle-Master, and she had to do it perfectly! On the spot, she drafted five contingency plans for the highest level of disaster. Incidentally, the "highest level of disaster" she defined was: "This world suffers from an unknown external force and collapses." Having finished those five emergency plans, and seeing that there was still time, she drafted hundreds more, large and small, precisely and meticulously assigning tasks to every single disciple in the sect.

These strategies were immediately distributed, and under her urging, they began the first round of drills, then the second, then the third... Watching the disciples of the Sacred Land scurrying about, a flicker of wisdom crossed Su Yao’s eyes. "As expected, as long as you suck up to the right person, being a sycophant has its perks. I never would have bothered with these things before. Only..."

As time passed, a brilliant blue radiance suddenly shot into the sky. Ten miles outside the Yaoguang Sacred Land, thin white lines of spiritual energy began to weave together. Before long, the patterns of a teleportation array began to take shape. Bursts of lightning emerged, and sharp, biting sword light surged to guard the perimeter of the array.

*Rumble...*

With a thunderous roar, the center of the array collapsed, and a darkness that seemed to swallow everything spread across its heart. As the darkness consumed everything within the array, the sails of a spirit boat silently emerged. A man stood on the deck, dressed in white robes, looking majestic and awe-inspiring. With sword-like brows and cold eyes, he surveyed his surroundings with an air of peerless grace that seemed to look down upon the entire world.

The moment people saw him, the same thought flashed through countless minds: "Truly a unicorn of the mortal realm! A god from the heavens!"

Before anyone could marvel further, golden lotus flowers suddenly bloomed across the sky. Only then did everyone realize that, at some point, the sky had turned into a pool, rippling with every movement! Beneath this terrifying display, the man standing at the bow of the spirit boat took a step forward. Thousands of magpies, formed from coalesced spiritual energy, gathered to form a bridge, steadily supporting his feet!

What a magnificent sight!

He took another step. "I am Qiu Changsheng, the closing disciple of the Sect Master of the Imperial Sword Immortal Sect. I have come by order to escort the fellow daoists of the Yaoguang Sacred Land."

His voice blended with the resonance of the Great Dao, lingering in the sky for a long time. How imposing!

Suddenly, Qiu Changsheng’s foot slipped. To make such a blunder in front of so many onlookers! Qiu Changsheng hurriedly tried to remedy the situation. Watching this, Xiao Chenxin suddenly frowned deeply.

"This is the aura of the Heavenly Dao," he thought. "It is exactly the same as the aura on Ye Chen; I cannot be mistaken. But why is there no cultivation base on him? Could it be that there are some dregs that even the luck of the Heavenly Dao cannot save?"

Just as Xiao Chenxin was feeling perplexed, Su Yao, who had already quietly stepped away and changed into the robes of a sect disciple, returned to his side, pretending to be a subordinate. "Grand Uncle-Master, this disciple is late. Please punish me."

Xiao Chenxin turned to look at her. Having shed the stern dignity of the Sacred Land’s Master, Su Yao appeared even more charming and lovely. The twin tails she had tied her hair into made her look especially vibrant and approachable. Glancing around, he saw Ling Hu and Meng Yao were also there. Xiao Chenxin summoned a cloud, carrying the three of them to the front of the spirit boat.

Xiao Chenxin cupped his hands. "Many thanks, fellow daoist."

Qiu Changsheng smiled indifferently, drawing a chorus of gasps from the Imperial Sword Immortal Sect disciples on the spirit boat.

"The Senior Brother is so handsome!"
"Senior Brother, I want to have your babies!"
"You're a grown man, what babies are you going to have?!"

Seeing the chaos erupting on the spirit boat, Xiao Chenxin couldn't help but frown. It was indeed the treatment of a Child of Destiny; wherever they went, all things in heaven and earth were merely parts of their stage.

Qiu Changsheng cupped his hands. "Please!"

Xiao Chenxin immediately urged the cloud forward, following him onto the spirit boat. A disciple came forward to lead the four of them into the interior of the vessel, and the spirit boat sank back into the darkness. As the array dissipated, the celestial phenomena and the black hole in the sky vanished, as if they had never existed.

Inside the spirit boat, Xiao Chenxin stood behind a door, secretly listening to the lively conversation in the hallway.

"That void creature actually dared to attack us just now. Thank goodness for Senior Brother; he just drew his sword and scared the beast away."
"Indeed! It’s only because Senior Brother is always merciful, otherwise, he would have beaten it to a pulp long ago."

Hearing this, Xiao Chenxin’s frown deepened. Qiu Changsheng was clearly a Child of Destiny, yet no matter how he probed, he could not detect a shred of spiritual energy within him. He was as unremarkable as a mortal! And yet, he was the senior disciple of the Imperial Sword Immortal Sect, a personal disciple of the Sect Master! Surely the Sect Master of the Imperial Sword Immortal Sect wasn't senile?

"This shouldn't be. Did I miss something?"

A flicker of suspicion crossed his mind, and Xiao Chenxin sent a telepathic message to Su Yao. "Su Yao, can you tell what his cultivation level is? Could it be that his strength is so great that even I cannot see through it?"