During the hour that Pei Yuhang and Bai Jingjing spent on their daily bickering, the Spirit Ship they were riding accelerated, soon arriving in the skies above the Xuanyuan Dao Sect.
The normally quiet Xuanyuan Dao Sect was now bustling with extraordinary excitement. Immortal Cranes soared through the air, and Fairies played their zithers in unison. Many old seniors who had been in seclusion for years had specially emerged to participate in the welcoming ceremony for the delegation from the Yin Yang Sacred Land.
"Hmph, you of the Human Race are so hypocritical. Both sides clearly wish they could kill each other, yet you still put on fake smiles to welcome them!"
Bai Jingjing grumbled at Pei Yuhang's side, but this time, he wasn't going to indulge the bratty little Sword Spirit.
He gathered Yang Fire in his palm and slapped it hard against the body of the sword, Silence, making the Spirit Sword tremble uncontrollably as beads of melted frost-qi streamed down its blade.
At first, Bai Jingjing refused to submit, gritting her teeth and whimpering softly, but she wouldn't beg for mercy.
But under the searing heat of the Pure Yang Fire, Bai Jingjing, now flushed red all over, finally couldn't take it anymore. Her eyes welled with tears as she collapsed into Pei Yuhang's embrace, begging for mercy without end.
"Hmph! From now on, if Shang Miaoyan bullies me and you don't stand with me against her, then after she's done with me, I'll take it out on you!" Pei Yuhang said viciously.
Faced with this "villain" of a master who bullied the weak and feared the strong, Bai Jingjing cursed him under her breath. To avoid another slap, however, she didn't dare say it out loud.
After teaching the disobedient Sword Spirit a lesson, Pei Yuhang prepared to disembark. Just as he was about to leave the ship, however, he suddenly felt a resentful gaze upon him.
Turning his head, he saw Fan Ya Fairy, dressed in stately, magnificent robes, descending from a Floating Lotus Platform. She was currently exchanging pleasantries with an old Daoist from the Xuanyuan Dao Sect, a gentle smile on her face.
'Is it just my imagination? Right, I have no grudge against Fan Ya, so why would she have a problem with me?'
Pei Yuhang shook his head, not dwelling on it further.
He was in no mood to participate in the grand welcoming ceremony. He just wanted to hurry and get the drop of the Fountain of Youth that the Sect Leader had rewarded him with, then return to the Cold Palace Sword Mansion and bring it to his beloved Dao Companion.
A cluster of clouds, guided by Spiritual Qi, formed into the shape of a sword and supported Pei Yuhang's feet.
Pei Yuhang stood straight-backed atop the Cloud Sword with his hands behind him. As the Cloud Sword accelerated, his black hair and white robes streamed behind him in the wind, giving him a particularly dashing and elegant appearance.
This scene was witnessed by a group of Female Cultivators from the Yin Yang Sacred Land.
"So that's the Sword Cultivator, the Cold Sun Sword Immortal? He's not as handsome and dashing as you all made him out to be..."
"You little hussy, wipe that drool off your face before you talk!"
"Why do you think Sword Immortal Pei is in such a hurry to leave? He's the one who personally escorted us here, but he won't even show his face to meet us."
"Maybe he's in a rush to get back to his manor and see his Dao Companion," one of the Female Cultivators said sourly.
"You mean that crippled Sword Dao Fairy, Ye Liyuan?"
"Hmph, it's karma that Ye Liyuan was crippled. Many of my sisters died by her sword back in the day!
If I ever get the chance, I'll humiliate her beloved man right in front of her and make her Dao Heart completely shatter!"
"Shh! This is a critical time for the alliance between our two Sects. Don't say such things out in the open!"
The Female Cultivators of the Yin Yang Sacred Land chattered and gossiped. In an unnoticed corner, a servant disciple watched the direction of Pei Yuhang's departure by Sword Control with a meaningful gaze.
「...」
Pei Yuhang clutched the Transmission Token in his hand, his expression turning grim.
He had just received a message from an Elder. The Sect Leader had already given the drop of the Fountain of Youth to the Dan Yun Pavilion. If he wanted to get it, he would have to make a trip to the Dan Yun Pavilion.
Thinking of his eagerly-waiting Senior Sister, Pei Yuhang let out a helpless sigh.
'I'm just picking something up. It's not like she's going to "eat" me, right? Besides, Senior Sister has always been so graceful and elegant. She probably won't make things difficult for me...'
Pei Yuhang comforted himself with these thoughts as he turned his Flying Sword around and, bracing himself, headed for the Dan Yun Pavilion.
In less than the time it takes an incense stick to burn, a stretch of jade pavilions and marble palaces appeared before Pei Yuhang.
Countless Cultivators on their Flying Swords zipped back and forth among the buildings like darting fish or soaring birds.
The tallest structure among these jade pavilions and marble palaces was the Dan Yun Pavilion.
It housed the entire Alchemy Dao legacy of the Xuanyuan Dao Sect, spanning tens of thousands of years, along with countless Divine Pills and miraculous medicines. It was a sacred place that innumerable Alchemy Cultivators across the world yearned for.
And Pei Yuhang's Senior Sister, Lu Ruoxi, was the youngest Elder in the history of this Alchemy Sacred Land within the Xuanyuan Dao Sect!
For some reason, Pei Yuhang's mind drifted back to his first few years of cultivation in the Sect, to the days when Lu Ruoxi had led him and Ye Liyuan down the mountain to venture into the world.
"Junior Brother Pei, Junior Sister Ye, don't worry! I, your Senior Sister, will definitely bring you back to the Sect safely!"
"If there's danger, let your Senior Sister face it for you! I'll protect you for the rest of your lives~!"
"We three will always be family!"
...
Pei Yuhang shook his head, cutting off the strange train of thought.
The past had already vanished like smoke. What was past was past.
He flew his sword to the front of the Dan Yun Pavilion and immediately spotted a cute little girl with her hair in buns.
Pei Yuhang recognized her. This was one of Lu Ruoxi's alchemy disciples, named Chen Sixuan.
Although she looked like a cute, innocent young girl, her Cultivation was already approaching the Golden Core Stage, and she was at least over sixty years old...
Of course, because Cultivators often entered seclusion for years or even decades at a time, their psychological maturity developed much more slowly than that of mortals who were weathered by the experiences of the mortal world. Thus, a Female Cultivator in her dozens could easily be seen as a young maiden.
"Junior Martial Uncle Pei!"
Chen Sixuan waved happily upon seeing Pei Yuhang.
"Sixuan, did Senior Sister Lu ask you to wait for me here?"
"That's right! Master calculated that you would head straight for the Dan Yun Pavilion the moment you returned to the Sect, so she specifically had me wait here for you, Junior Martial Uncle Pei."
Chen Sixuan said cheerfully, as if boasting about her Master's brilliance and wisdom in front of other Cultivators brought her a sense of vicarious glory.
After all, the Cultivator she admired most was her Master, Immortal Lu Ruoxi, who, at such a young age, was already destined to leave her name in the annals of the Alchemy Dao.
Most importantly, not a single bad rumor had ever circulated about Lu Ruoxi. She was like a pure snow lotus on a high mountain, dedicated solely to pursuing the Great Dao, pure and flawless.
Thinking of this, Chen Sixuan subconsciously glanced at Pei Yuhang before her.
Without a doubt, he was the most handsome male Cultivator Chen Sixuan had ever seen, with sharp brows, starlike eyes, and a cool, ascetic air about him.
'It's just... I've always heard rumors that many of the senior women in the Sect are entangled with this Junior Martial Uncle Pei, even though he already has a Dao Companion...'
'Thankfully, Immortal Lu Ruoxi isn't one of those common, worldly women. She would never be seduced by Junior Martial Uncle Pei's looks and tarnish her reputation!'
At this thought, Chen Sixuan's heart swelled with pride once more.