Chapter 411: Senior Brother Is Just Pretending
Outside the Royal City, at the Ascending Immortality Lake.
A petite white-haired figure stood at the very center of the lake's surface. She lifted her gaze briefly toward the darkening sky, then drew it back again.
Her small, pale hand was outstretched, a jade chain coiled around it. Upon the chain shimmered the interwoven radiance of stars and moonlight, gathering into a drifting veil of star-mist.
Yue Xuanji stared at that mist for a long time before giving a gentle wave. Instantly, the starlit haze vanished without a trace.
"So few… Back then, perhaps I should have just asked him for ten pieces of Star-Moon Jade. With that blockhead's stone-like brain, he probably would've given them. After all, I did help him quite a lot…"
She murmured to herself, then shook her head.
"Forget it. The current me can't afford to have that kind of entanglement with him."
Besides, if she really had done that, wouldn't she have taken a terrible loss? She was already losing badly on this deal as it was.
Her bare feet traced ripples across the still surface of the lake. The Tower Master of Heavenly Divination Tower seemed lost in thought—until suddenly her delicate brows pinched together, and every trace of expression disappeared from her face.
One breath. Two breaths…
Then, as though speaking to someone standing before her, she suddenly said:
"You're here?"
The moment her words left her lips, the half of the lake facing her remained outwardly calm, yet a vast black shadow spread swiftly across the water, covering exactly half the lake as if divided by her presence.
But beyond that, nothing else happened.
Yue Xuanji narrowed her bright, starry eyes.
"Not going to explain yourself? Even if you let me pass it on, interfering with something as profound as three portions of Immortal Aura would surely have a significant impact on you, right?."
There was no response. The white-haired little loli didn't mind, speaking on her own:
"Come to think of it, those three portions aren't exactly easy to produce either… I truly didn't expect the Demon Sect Master to be tied so deeply to the Ancient Heavenly Gate."
Still no reply.
Yue Xuanji rolled her eyes.
"I really am curious just how much you've prepared for him…"
Her adorable little face curved into a mischievous smile.
"For example, that marriage contract he received… the one the late Emperor of the Immortal Nation arranged with you for his sake, four years ago? You already planned that far ahead? Then what role exactly does that missing Emperor play in all of this?"
"That one truly was a peerless genius. If back then he had only steeled himself enough to slaughter that foolish fox, gather the Ancestral Netherkin Tail Essence and gather all of the fortune of the human race… perhaps he really might have had a chance to ascend to the next realm in a single step. But instead, he vanished without a trace. Even the suppressive seal he left behind was feeble, deliberately leaving loopholes for that foolish fox to escape and split off her incarnations outside… Hmph. That part, perhaps no one else ever noticed."
She paused, realizing there was still not the slightest movement. Her lips puffed into a pout.
"Tch. Still silent? How boring."
"As expected, he and that foolish fox are far more entertaining… I'm actually looking forward to the day he refines the Ancient Phoenix Essence, only to be possessed by that foolish fox. Now that would be quite a sight."
Just imagining it made her grin. Such delightful bullying potential.
Though she would have to watch out for revenge from that stupid fox who likes to pretend to be mature.
Last time that woman had practically gone mad, nearly selling her off to a brothel.
She really wanted to head to the Netherland to take her revenge right now—but thinking about it again, she was a non-combat oriented cultivator and probably couldn't beat her anyway. It would be better for her to let it go.
Standing upon the lake, the white-haired loli idly shook the Star-Moon Jade chain in her hand, letting out a clear, ringing chime.
The black shadow cloaking half the lake slowly receded.
"I only came to inform you. If you won't state your reasons, so be it. As for the remaining variables…"
She was still murmuring to herself when a voice suddenly rang out—shrouded in mist, stripped of all identifiable tones, impossible to tell who it belonged to.
[The Daoist Sect Master won't make a move regarding the upcoming problem]
The instant the words ended, the shadow vanished completely.
Yue Xuanji fell into deep thought.
After a while, her figure was wrapped in a wash of azure light—and disappeared without a trace.
. . . . .
On the Trial of Ascension Platform, amid drifting clouds of rainbow mist.
"…We're really just leaving like this?"
Two figures traveled side by side through the drifting rainbow clouds.
From the left came the hesitant voice of a young girl:
"Will he really be alright? Even if that black flood dragon wasn't at full strength, it was still at the Nascent Soul realm… And then there's the blow he took earlier…"
The indistinct figure on the right seemed to glance over at her companion.
"That was just Senior Brother putting on an act."
"…Huh?"
Lu Yuliu froze, but Bai Xiaoyao didn't stop speaking.
"First, when Senior Brother first noticed that black flood dragon—he was startled, yes, but not flustered. He came to the Royal City for matters tied to the Netherkin Race. There's no way he wouldn't know that a flood dragon equals the Nascent Soul realm cultivator. Yet even so, he remained that calm. That alone proves he already had confidence in dealing with it."
"Second, the flood dragon's first strike, even with delayed effect, shouldn't have simultaneously sent Senior Brother's true spirit flying and at the same time been blocked back as if they were evenly matched. And later, when Senior Brother spoke hurriedly with us, that flood dragon didn't make a single move—obviously it was still unsettled and doubtful."
"And third… mm, I won't tell you."
The demoness's words suddenly shifted.
The Sword Fairy was dumbfounded. Wasn't this just leaving her hanging on purpose?
As someone who, just last night, had stormed into a certain person's room with her sword because of a cliffhanger… she was about to flare up again, only for Bai Xiaoyao's next words to instantly douse her fire.
"Or—why don't you tell me first, what exactly happened in that room before I arrived?"
"Nothing, nothing at all! H-he already explained it to you, didn't he? We were just discussing the trip here, that's all…"
"But what I heard was… you were the one who went to find my Senior Brother at the inn."
"T-that— He's the one who called me over using a messaging talisman!"
"Yet, if Senior Brother had already planned to bring me along for this trip, then in his message he would've told you to bring me too."
Uh… that… did make sense?
The Sword Fairy mind began to crash.
Fortunately, being stubborn was one of the few redeeming traits of this little girl.
"H-how would I know what goes on in that guy's head? Maybe he just forgot, you know?"
This time, it was Bai Xiaoyao's turn to fall silent.
Her indistinct figure quickened its pace as they moved forward.
That was enough. Any further and she wouldn't get an answer. Though Sister Yuli was a bit naive and pure, when it came to things she truly didn't want to say, she never said them.
Even so…
The demoness seemed to think of something, and deliberately shifted the topic.
"How much do you know about the separation of the true spirit?"
"Eh? Um… That's only taught in the Sword Sect from the Golden Core realm onward. At Foundation Establishment, we're given only a surface understanding. They don't want disciples getting lofty ideas too early and clouding their Sword Hearts." Lu Yuliu was caught off guard but forced herself to answer steadily.
"Mm. I believe Senior Brother also never studied that field too deeply before. With his talent, he only learns what's necessary in the moment."
Bai Xiaoyao's tone was calm, as if she were discussing something trivial.
"But back in the Demon Sect, I had sufficient clearance. For the sake of cultivating a certain obscure secret technique, I once deliberately studied true spirits, and even attempted separating mine."
"Though I failed in the end and had to seek another path, I still recorded quite a bit of knowledge and made many attempts."
The Sword Fairy had no idea why Bai Xiaoyao suddenly brought this up.
But Bai Xiaoyao said no more. She simply pushed aside the cloud mist before them.
'A true spirit's existence cannot carry much of its original strength, and is itself quite fragile…'
Feeling the Immortal Aura entwined around her, firmly stabilizing her true spirit body and guiding her along mysterious currents, Bai Xiaoyao quietly exhaled.
"We've arrived."
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Note: Link to the character Illustration:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1lkIcPnCxeyuyZA4Kkb621dPC05UvWjhD[1]
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Tn: I updated the story daily, but if you want to see more chapter of this story ahead of time, please go to my Patreon.
Latest Chapter: Chapter 532: What On Earth Is Master Talking About?[2]
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[1] https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1lkIcPnCxeyuyZA4Kkb621dPC05UvWjhD
[2] https://www.patreon.com/posts/chapter-532-what-156146549
[3] https://www.patreon.com/posts/chapter-532-what-156146549