67: The Holy Land bows down! A saintess becomes a concubine?

In the Void Realm, the Great Saint Might ebbed and flowed like the tide, yet it bore no Killing Intent; instead, it exuded a warmth as refreshing as a spring breeze.

The phantom of the Taishi Sect Old Ancestor stood with hands behind his back, his white beard fluttering, resembling an old man from next door.

"A misunderstanding?"

Su Xuanchen held the blood-dripping seven star dragon abyss and smiled playfully. He didn't sheath the sword; instead, he lightly flicked the blade with his finger.

"Clang—!"

A clear sword hum resonated, and that terrifying Evil Qi, which had just slain a Half-step Great Sage, surged unabashedly toward the Old Ancestor's phantom.

"Old man, your junior brought a Saint King Weapon and a warship, aggressively charging to my doorstep and scaring my family witless."

Su Xuanchen pointed at the members of the Su Family below, who, though unharmed, were startled by the battle just now.

"And now you want to brush it off with a single 'misunderstanding'?"

"Do you think I, Su Xuanchen, can no longer wield a blade, or do you think the neck of your Taishi Sect is tougher than that fool Crimson Venerable's?"

Arrogant!

Simply lawless!

Nearby, Taixu's scalp tingled as he listened. He was about to rebuke this fellow for not knowing the heights of heaven and depths of the earth, but he was glared back into silence by the Old Ancestor.

Looking at Su Xuanchen, the Old Ancestor showed no anger in his eyes; instead, they were filled with admiration.

If it were anyone else facing the arrival of a Great Saint, they would have knelt and begged for mercy long ago. This youth, however, dared to draw his sword to his face. Such Heart-Nature meant he was either a madman or... he possessed absolute confidence.

Someone who could kill Crimson Venerable in a single strike was definitely not a madman.

"Young friend Su, you must be joking."

The Old Ancestor's phantom stroked his beard and smiled, adopting a very humble posture.

"Since mistakes were made, punishment must be accepted. My Taishi Sect has a Legacy of ten thousand years, and what we value most is 'reason'."

With a wave of his sleeve, a golden scroll appeared out of thin air and slowly drifted toward Su Xuanchen.

"This is a small token of my appreciation, meant to soothe the Su Family's nerves."

Su Xuanchen reached out to take it and scanned it with his Divine Thought.

Even with his current high standards, he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

"Thirty top-tier source mines, three thousand supreme-grade spirit mines, ten of the Taishi Sect's exclusive training Secret Realms... Oh? Even opening half of the Scripture Pavilion and Medicinal Pill Hall?"

This gesture could be described as a massive hemorrhage.

One could even say it was cutting off their own flesh.

"Not only that."

The Old Ancestor pointed with a smile at Lin Miao, who stood nearby with a look of infatuation.

"If Young Friend Su doesn't mind, let her stay with the Su Family."

"Whether it's serving tea and water, or making the bed—even if she's to be a... bedchamber maid, it's all up to you."

"Pfft—!"

Taixu, who had just caught his breath, heard the words "bedchamber maid," and his eyes rolled back, nearly causing him to faint on the spot.

The Saintess!

She was the face of the Taishi Sect!

To actually give her away as a bedchamber maid? Has the Old Ancestor gone mad?!

Su Xuanchen was also stunned for a moment.

He glanced at Lin Miao.

The girl was blinking her big eyes, looking at him with expectation, and even subtly puffed out her chest, as if saying: "Pick me! Pick me! I'm super sweet!"

"..."

Su Xuanchen's mouth twitched.

This Taishi Sect, from top to bottom, had quite peculiar ways of thinking.

"Fine."

Su Xuanchen put away the scroll and nodded reluctantly.

"I'll take the things, and the person... can stay too."

"It just so happens my daughter needs a nanny to play the zither and coax her to sleep; she'll do."

"In three days, I want to see the resources delivered to Wanbao City. If there's even one Spirit Stone missing..."

Su Xuanchen's gaze turned cold, and his broken sword pointed toward the heavens.

"I will personally go to the Taishi Sect to collect them."

The Old Ancestor's phantom maintained his smile and cupped his hands in a salute.

"It's a deal."

"Additionally..."

Su Xuanchen sheathed his sword, his tone becoming meaningful.

"In the future, this Sacred Ruins Continent can only have one voice."

"I wonder how the Taishi Sect plans to position itself?"

This was a direct challenge.

Crimson Venerable was dead, and the Heavenly Kingdom and Heavenly Demon Palace were crippled. Now, the only variable in the Sacred Ruins Continent was this aloof Taishi Sect.

The Old Ancestor fell silent for a moment.

Then, he took a deep look at Su Xuanchen and gave a soft sigh.

"Every generation brings forth new talents."

"From this day forward, the Taishi Sect will seal its mountains for a hundred years, leaving only the ancestral grounds."

"The overlord of this Sacred Ruins Continent..."

The Old Ancestor bowed slightly toward Su Xuanchen.

"...is your Su Family."

...The white jade warship slowly turned around and disappeared into the depths of the sea of clouds.

On the deck, Taixu finally couldn't hold it back anymore, his face flushed red with grief and indignation.

"Old Ancestor! Why did we do this?!"

"Although Su Xuanchen is strong, he is but one man! Our Taishi Sect has deep foundations, and even a Quasi-Emperor Old Ancestor in slumber. Why should we fear an upstart like him?!"

"Giving money and land is one thing, but even the Saintess was given away! If word gets out, how will our Taishi Sect have any face left?!"

The Old Ancestor's phantom gradually dissipated, leaving only an aged voice echoing in Taixu's ears.

"Fool."

"You only see his current arrogance, but you fail to see his potential."

"Reaching the Half-step Great Sage realm in just a few years—across the entire history of the Yongyao Heaven Realm, no second person with such talent can be found."

"Moreover, that sword strike of his..."

The voice trembled slightly.

"It invoked the Nine Heavens' astral river and ignored the Laws of space."

"That is not a power a Great Saint can master."

"This youth possesses a great terror within him."

"As for that girl Lin Miao..."

The Old Ancestor's voice suddenly gained a hint of playfulness.

"Didn't you see her expression? If I hadn't spoken up, she would have packed herself up and delivered herself to his door."

"Following a future Great Emperor like him, she won't lose out."

"In fact... this is the greatest Opportunity for my Taishi Sect in ten thousand years."

Taixu was stunned.

He looked back toward Wanbao City, the resentment in his heart gradually turning into a deep sense of powerlessness.

A future... Great Emperor?

...At the same time.

On the edge of the Sacred Ruins Continent, there was a forbidden land shrouded in mist all year round.

"Crack."

A black Jade Slip was crushed to pieces.

The Heavenly Azure King was completely shrouded in a black robe, revealing only a pair of crimson eyes staring intently toward Wanbao City.

His body trembled.

It was anger, and also fear.

Having witnessed the scene of Su Xuanchen slaying Crimson Venerable with a single strike, his last bit of hope was completely shattered.

Revenge?

With what would he seek revenge?

Even Crimson Venerable, who held a great sage weapon, had been slain.

"Su, Xuan, Chen..."

The Heavenly Azure King ground his teeth until they shattered, black blood seeping from the corners of his mouth.

"You killed my only son; if I do not avenge this, I swear I am no demon!"

"Since I cannot kill you..."

"Then I shall invite the strongest person in the world to kill you!"

Thud!

He knelt on the ground and kowtowed heavily toward the depths of the void.

"This sinful subject, Tiancang, humbly requests the Sovereign Lord to emerge from seclusion!"

"I am willing to offer the hundred-thousand-year accumulation of the Heavenly Demon Palace, only requesting the Sovereign Lord to strike and execute this fellow!"

Boom!

In the depths of the void, a pair of indifferent eyes slowly opened.

A terrifying aura that surpassed the Great Saint and touched upon that supreme realm flashed and vanished.

Quasi-Emperor!

...In Wanbao City, the night was as dark as ink.

The bustle of the day had long since dispersed, but the excitement within the Su Family had not yet faded.

Slaying Crimson Venerable, forcing back the Taishi Sect, and establishing their status as overlord.

What happened today was enough for every member of the Su Family to boast about for a lifetime.

Inside the sleeping hall of the Purple Heaven Palace.

Red candles flickered, and a warm fragrance drifted.

An Wanrou wore an extremely thin Jiao-silk nightgown and stood barefoot by the bed, looking slightly uneasy.

The Jiao-silk was translucent, vaguely revealing the skin beneath, as delicate as mutton-fat jade, and the exquisite curves that could cause a Saint's Dao Heart to falter.

She was the Saintess of the Demon Palace, and usually, she was an enchantress who could steal one's soul.

But tonight, she was like an innocent young girl, her palms sweating from nervousness.

Because the man sitting by the bed, currently wiping his sword,

Was her everything.

"Why are you still standing there?"

Su Xuanchen put away the seven star dragon abyss and looked up, his gaze falling upon An Wanrou.

In those ink-colored eyes, the sharpness and slaughter of the day were gone, replaced only by the most primal and direct aggressiveness.

"Come here."

Two simple words, yet they held a certain magic.

An Wanrou's body trembled slightly as she obediently walked over and knelt submissively at his feet, resting her head gently on his knees.

"Husband Su..."

She looked up, her peach-blossom eyes misty with moisture, containing both the relief of surviving a disaster and unreserved love.

"Thank you."

"Crimson Venerable is dead... my nightmare has finally ended."

Su Xuanchen reached out, his thumb gently stroking that exquisite face.

"Thanking me?"

"Just saying it isn't enough."

He leaned down, his warm breath hitting her ear, his voice low and raspy.

"I am a businessman."

"Killing a Half-step Great Sage doesn't come cheap."

"Have you thought about how to pay me back?"

An Wanrou's cheeks flushed red, all the way down to her neck.

She bit her red lips, her eyes containing a shy charm.

She reached out her arms, wrapping them around Su Xuanchen's neck, and pressed her entire body against him.

"I..."

"Am willing to serve Husband Su for the rest of my life."

"Tonight... I am yours to take."

Su Xuanchen smiled.

He scooped up the beauty in his arms and strode toward the large jade bed.

"You said it yourself."

"If you dare to beg for mercy tonight, I'll punish you according to the family rules."

The red curtains fell.

The Jiao-silk slipped off, and the room was filled with spring light.

Outside the window, the moonlight was at its peak.

Inside the room, a storm raged.