133: Chapter 92 Letter from Central Plains

Half a year after the Wanyao Immortal City was built, the first merchant caravan from the Central Province crossed the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain Range.

The caravan was not large, consisting of three flying boats and over twenty Cultivators. The leader was a middle-aged man at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, surnamed Liu, named Yuanshan, who was a steward of a branch of the Central Province Liu Clan.

He brought a ship full of spiritual materials native to the Central Province, and he also brought news.

The Central Province is in chaos.

When Liu Yuanshan said this in the Inner City's council hall, Chen Xuan was standing outside the window.

He heard it very clearly.

"The Buddhist Sect and the Sword Sect have started fighting in the Central Province." Liu Yuanshan's voice was somewhat hoarse. "The cause was an ancient Immortal Cave; inside, there was a Buddha relic and a broken sword. The Buddhist Sect claimed the relic was theirs, and the Sword Sect claimed the broken sword was theirs. Neither side would yield, and they fought from Foundation Establishment to Golden Core, and from Golden Core to Nascent Soul."

Master Liu Yun sat in the main seat, his white hair disheveled, his left sleeve empty.

"Did the Nascent Soul Cultivators take action?"

"They did." Liu Yuanshan nodded. "The Buddhist Sect sent a Bodhisattva, and the Sword Sect sent a True Monarch. The two Nascent Soul Cultivators fought above the Immortal Cave for three days and three nights, shattering three mountain peaks. In the end, neither won; the Immortal Cave collapsed, and both the relic and the broken sword were buried in the ruins."

The council hall fell silent for a moment.

Chen Xuan leaned against the corridor pillar outside the window, listening to the conversation inside, his heart calm.

The Central Province is too far from the Southern Territory.

So far that it takes a Golden Core Master half a year to fly there.

The struggle over orthodoxy there cannot reach here for now.

For now.

"What about Maitreya?" Master Liu Yun asked.

Liu Yuanshan's expression darkened.

"That is exactly what I wanted to say. After the Buddhist Sect and the Sword Sect went to war, Maitreya's trail in the Southern Territory suddenly vanished. He didn't hide; he withdrew. The strongholds he had operated in the Southern Territory for many years were abandoned overnight, his followers scattered, and the Buddha statues destroyed themselves."

"It is as if someone gave him an order from behind the scenes."

Master Liu Yun frowned.

"You mean Maitreya has returned to the Central Province?"

Liu Yuanshan nodded.

"Not just Maitreya. All the Buddhist Sect's forces in the Southern Territory are contracting, including the White Lotus Sect. It seems they are concentrating their power to prepare for something major."

The council hall fell silent again.

Chen Xuan stood outside the window, tapping his fingers lightly against the pillar.

Maitreya is gone.

The White Lotus Sect is also gone.

The greatest threat to the Southern Territory vanished overnight.

But this is not a good thing.

Before a storm arrives, the sea is always at its calmest.

Master Liu Yun's voice came from inside the hall.

"Understood. You may go and rest."

Liu Yuanshan cupped his hands and exited the council hall; as he passed by Chen Xuan, he took an extra look at him.

"You are Yun Qi?"

"Yes."

Liu Yuanshan nodded, said nothing more, and turned to leave.

Chen Xuan walked into the council hall.

Master Liu Yun sat on a meditation cushion with a map of the Central Province spread out before him.

The map was huge, covering the entire table, marked with mountains, rivers, Immortal Cities, and Sects.

The area of the Central Province is more than ten times larger than the Southern Territory.

"You heard it?" Master Liu Yun did not look up.

"I did."

"What do you think?"

Chen Xuan sat down at the table, looking at the map.

"Maitreya's withdrawal is not because he fears us, but because he is needed in the Central Province. The struggle over orthodoxy between the Buddhist Sect and the Sword Sect is more intense than we imagined. Two Nascent Soul True Monarchs fought above the Immortal Cave for three days and three nights, shattering three mountain peaks; such a thing has never happened in the Southern Territory."

"This indicates that there are far more Nascent Soul True Monarchs in the Central Province than in the Southern Territory—enough that they would fight to the death over an Immortal Cave."

He paused.

"If their struggle over orthodoxy expands to the entire cultivation world, the Southern Territory will sooner or later be dragged into it."

Master Liu Yun looked up at Chen Xuan.

"Are you afraid?"

Chen Xuan shook his head.

"No."

"Why?"

"Because fear is useless." Chen Xuan's tone was calm. "What is meant to come will come. Rather than worrying about the future, it is better to do what is in front of us well."

Master Liu Yun looked at him for a long time, then smiled.

"You are right. What is meant to come will come."

He put away the map, took a Jade Slip from his Storage Pouch, and handed it to Chen Xuan.

"This is another thing brought by Liu Yuanshan. It is from the Central Province Liu Clan for you."

Chen Xuan took the Jade Slip and probed it with his Divine Sense.

There was only one sentence in the Jade Slip.

"Three years from now, at the Wanyao Immortal City, a Dao Companion Ceremony will be held for you and Liu Lili. The Central Province Liu Clan will send a Golden Core Master to observe the ceremony. — Head of the Liu Clan."

Chen Xuan fell silent.

Master Liu Yun looked at him.

"Do you not want to marry Lili?"

"I do." Chen Xuan did not hesitate.

"Then what are you hesitating about?"

Chen Xuan placed the Jade Slip on the table.

"I am thinking about three years from now. Will Maitreya return in three years? Will the struggle over orthodoxy in the Central Province spread to the Southern Territory? Can the Wanyao Immortal City hold? These questions have no answers, but I must think about them."

Master Liu Yun nodded.

"You think very far ahead. This is a good thing, but also a bad thing. If you think too far ahead, it is easy to forget the path in front of you."

He stood up, walked to the window, and turned his back to Chen Xuan.

"The matter of the Dao Companion Ceremony is settled. Three years from now, no matter what happens outside, your wedding with Lili will proceed as planned. The Central Province Liu Clan will send a Golden Core Master; this is to be shown to all Cultivators in the Southern Territory."

"The Liu Clan is telling everyone that although the Southern Territory is remote, it is not land without an owner."

"Whoever wants to reach out their hand here must first ask if the Liu Clan's Golden Core Master agrees."

Chen Xuan stood up and bowed toward Master Liu Yun's back.

"This Disciple understands."

"Go. Cultivate well and prepare well for these three years. The Dao Companion Ceremony is not just about marriage; it is also your opportunity to demonstrate your strength to the entire Southern Territory. At that time, it will not just be the Liu Clan's Golden Core Master, but also Elders from the Fusheng Sect and Qingcang Sect, as well as the heads of various Families in the Southern Territory."

"You must let them see that Liu Lili has not married the wrong person."

Chen Xuan nodded and exited the council hall.

...

When he returned to his own room, Liu Lili was sitting in the courtyard making soup.

The clay pot on the small stove was bubbling and steaming, and the fragrance of herbs filled the entire courtyard.

She saw Chen Xuan enter and looked up with a smile.

"Junior Brother, has someone come from the Central Province?"

"Yes."

"What did they say?"

Chen Xuan sat down beside her, looking at the pot of soup.

"They said that in three years, we will hold a Dao Companion Ceremony at the Wanyao Immortal City."

Liu Lili's hand paused.

She looked up at Chen Xuan, her eyes wide.

"You... what did you say?"

"A Dao Companion Ceremony." Chen Xuan repeated, "Three years from now, the Central Province Liu Clan will send a Golden Core Master to observe."

Liu Lili's face turned red instantly.

As red as the charcoal fire under the clay pot.

She lowered her head and hurriedly stirred the soup ladle, almost knocking the clay pot over.

"This... this is too sudden."

"It is not sudden." Chen Xuan's tone was very calm. "You have waited five years for me; me waiting three years is not too much."

Liu Lili's ladle fell into the clay pot.

She looked up, her eyes red.

"Junior Brother, are you speaking from your heart?"

"I am."

Liu Lili's tears fell, but the corners of her mouth were turned upward.

She reached out to wipe her face and sniffled.

"Then why aren't you going to cultivate?"

Chen Xuan was stunned for a moment.

"In three years you are to marry me, you can't still be at the Foundation Establishment Third Level, right? Go cultivate quickly; I will save the soup for you."

As she said this, she pulled Chen Xuan up from the stool and pushed him toward the meditation room.

Chen Xuan was pushed and stumbled two steps, then turned back to look at her.

Liu Lili stood in the center of the courtyard with her hands on her hips; although there were still tear stains on her face, she was smiling more brightly than the sunshine.

"What are you looking at? Go!"