Yun Xiu took the initiative to speak.
“Jialan Senior, what guidance do you have for us?”
The Jialan Fairy replied indifferently, “Azure Sky Holy Lord… or perhaps I should just call you Yun Xiu. You must be a reincarnator too. I’m relieved as an elder to see you two together with Yan’er. But let me be clear: if you ever make him that heartbroken again, I’ll be angry.”
They clearly liked each other, yet she refused to accept Yan Zhen’s feelings, leaving him to seem like a desperate suitor pestering her relentlessly.
Fortunately, the Flame Emperor’s prestige was at its peak, and people across the continent had turned the story into a romantic legend.
Yun Xiu lowered her head guiltily. “I’m sorry for worrying you, Jialan Senior. In my previous life, I got fixated on a dead end, but things are different now. I promise I won’t let him feel that way again. Please believe me.”
The Jialan Fairy nodded slightly. “I’ll not meddle too much in matters of the heart. You young people just be happy. Now, to business—are you and your disciple heading to the Evergreen Holy Land?”
“Yes, Jialan Senior. Compared to staying in the Jialan Holy Land, I can be more effective there.”
“Indeed. The position of Holy Lord in Evergreen Holy Land has been vacant for too long, and it can’t keep descending into chaos. When the two sides unite later, you’ll need to take the lead alongside Yan’er. When do you plan to set off?”
“Tomorrow.”
“You’ve clearly made up your minds, so I won’t prattle on. It’s a long journey, so you two must be extra careful. Take this with you.”
As the Jialan Fairy spoke, she turned over her jade-like hand. A pure white radiance gathered from thin air, transforming into a pristine white lotus that spun leisurely above her palm.
“Summon it in times of danger, and it will turn peril into safety.”
Yun Xiu accepted the white lotus with both hands. She watched as it gradually merged into her body, turning into a powerful yet concealed force stored within her acupoints.
“Thank you, Jialan Senior.”
“It’s just a small token. If you get the chance, please say goodbye to Qingping on my behalf.”
The Qingping Sword Saint, the only female Holy Lord of the Evergreen Holy Land, had once been both rival and friend to the Jialan Fairy. She was also something like a half-master to Yun Xiu.
At the mention of this, Yun Xiu felt a pang of sorrow. Not long after she and her disciple arrived on the Evergreen Continent, they had been caught up in the accidental opening of the Sword Saint Secret Realm. Like many other sword cultivators, they were trapped inside with no way out.
To escape the secret realm, one needed to comprehend a bizarre sword art.
Even sword cultivators at the Mystic Ancestor Realm or Mystic Venerable Realm struggled to grasp it. Yun Xiu and Huangfu Wenqing couldn’t make sense of it either, so they simply ignored it.
At that time, master and disciple were both disheartened, feeling that getting out or not hardly mattered. They found a quiet, secluded spot in the secret realm, built a small hut, and settled in for the long haul.
Aside from their daily cultivation basics, they tended flowers and vegetables, raised chickens and ducks, did laundry and cooked. Occasionally, they would glance at that bizarre sword art to see if they could understand it. If they did, they’d practice a few moves; if not, they’d head home. They lived an utterly ordinary, mortal life like that.
Until one day, while practicing swordplay, a cold little girl suddenly appeared. She bluntly pointed out their mistakes and then left.
Yun Xiu didn’t pay it much mind at first, but upon reflection, she realized there was indeed a better path for their swordsmanship.
From then on, the little girl appeared punctually every day at their practice spot, highlighting their errors in sword technique but never explaining what the “correct” way was.
Yun Xiu didn’t rush things. She simply avoided repeating the mistakes the girl pointed out.
In this way, unbeknownst to herself, she had fully mastered that bizarre sword art.
The strange sword art was none other than the Qingping Sword Saint’s unique Saint Mystic Technique, the Heaven-Piercing Jade Roaming Sword.
And that little girl was the Qingping Sword Saint herself. She tossed a sword and a token to Yun Xiu, instructed her to become the new Sword Saint, and then vanished.
Yun Xiu gathered her thoughts and said solemnly, “This time, I’ll make sure to bid her a proper farewell.”
The Jialan Fairy let out a soft sigh and continued, “There are also external avatars of the Demon Domain Lord within the Evergreen Holy Land itself. Be careful not to alert them prematurely. Until we launch the all-out assault on the Demon Domain, those avatars might as well be our own people.”
Evidently, while Yan Zhen was unaware, his Holy Lord master had already arranged everything based on memories from her previous life.
“I understand.” Yun Xiu glanced at Yan Zhen and asked, “Jialan Senior, what are your plans for dealing with the Evil Consort?”
“We can roughly pinpoint the location of the Dead City, but the Evil Consort has likely awakened by now. Dealing with her won’t be easy. To be safe, we should wait until Chen Xi breaks free and achieves sainthood. However—” The Jialan Fairy reached out and patted Yan Zhen’s head. “In the future vision you summoned earlier, Zhen’er, the Evil Consort seemed to be included among them. Perhaps there’s still a way forward.”
Eh? Yun Xiu and Huangfu Wenqing both looked at Yan Zhen in puzzlement, and Yan Zhen himself jumped in shock.
That evil black shadow was really the Evil Consort?!
He had already suspected as much from bits and pieces mentioned by the Spirit Mountain Ancestor, but he hadn’t dared believe it. Now, hearing confirmation straight from his Holy Lord master’s mouth left him no choice.
But why? How could the Evil Consort become one of his future retainers? Had Jiuyou turned the tables, successfully suppressing the Evil Consort, and then he took her under his wing?
The Evil Consort was detestable, sure, but her battle prowess was top-tier. Incorporating her to fight the Demon Domain Lord was a solid idea—if he could reliably control her. The question was, how could he control a Mystic Saint?
Perhaps with the Extreme Flame List’s fifth-ranked Primordial Injunction Flame?
The Primordial Injunction Flame was slightly less powerful than the fourth-ranked Pseudo-God Tribulation Fire, but it possessed the world’s strongest forces of order and restraint. It became his best aide in managing the Radiant Heavenly Emperor Palace later on.
In the “script” of his previous life, he had slain the Evil Consort with the Pseudo-God Tribulation Fire before acquiring the Primordial Injunction Flame, so Yan Zhen had no idea if it could fully control a High-Star Mystic Saint.
This whole thing felt rather mystical.
Yan Zhen waved his hands repeatedly. “Don’t look at me like that—I have no idea how the Evil Consort ended up mixed in there. It must have something to do with Jiuyou.”
Yun Xiu eyed him suspiciously but didn’t press further.
Huangfu Wenqing, however, couldn’t hold back. “Any recent news on Jiuyou Aunt?”
“None.” Yan Zhen shook his head. “The last time I saw her was when we were after the Rootless Earth Spirit Fire. After I advanced to Mystic King and arrived at the Holy Land, there was no contact. She appears and vanishes like a ghost, never sharing her plans in detail. Sigh.”
Among all the women, Jiu Youyue was the one he worried about most. After all, the Evil Consort could discover she was a turncoat at any moment and eliminate her.
“Worrying won’t help. We can only pray she’s safe.” Yun Xiu sounded a bit helpless herself. “No matter what, she’s a reincarnator with the advantage of foreknowledge.”
“…”
The Jialan Fairy watched Yan Zhen, his face etched with concern, and patted his head again in comfort.
Suddenly, she sensed something. Her gaze pierced through layers of spatial barriers, landing far beyond the Holy Land.
A massive surge of baleful qi was sweeping in from there.
The Jialan Fairy withdrew her sight and said to Yan Zhen, “That girl Xian’er is here too. Yan’er, go welcome her in.”
Xian’er was here? Yan Zhen’s spirits lifted instantly!
