28: Before the Dragon's Lair, each harbored their own thoughts.

This fellow is trying to tell me what to do again!

Hmph!

You Ruoli took a deep breath, her eyes glinting as she looked over Qin Tian's face. "I am only cooperating with you; I am not your subordinate."

"Rest assured, Your Majesty the Empress. The things I want you to do are very simple. Not only will they not damage the face or interests of you and Da Qian, they will even be of great benefit."

You Ruoli stared into Qin Tian's eyes for a long time before finally speaking, "In that case, it's not impossible to let you take the lead, but..."

"Everything has a purpose. What exactly do you hope to gain by targeting Xiao Chen so much?"

"That's quite a lot; I couldn't finish explaining even if I spoke for a day and a night." Qin Tian lightly flipped his palm and shook the sound transmission jade in his hand.

"Why don't we touch them together and add a sound transmission imprint so we can have a long talk through the night?"

You Ruoli was stunned.

Qin Tian was clearly avoiding the main point and trying to change the subject.

However, after thinking it over carefully, she didn't probe further.

What she wanted was the supreme treasure passed down through the Xiao Family for generations. That item was extremely useful to her, but to others, it might not even be worth a single Spirit Medicine.

The fact that Qin Tian could provide great li dragon qi showed he was definitely not of the Imperial Lineage and wouldn't be interested in that item.

You Ruoli lightly tapped with her fingertip.

Her sound transmission jade hovered and touched the one in Qin Tian's hand, their two sound transmission imprints intertwining.

"It's done!"

Qin Tian smiled slightly. "Your Majesty the Empress, the map on the table was drawn by a Senior Brother in my sect and is very detailed. After entering the Fallen Dragon Grotto, we will meet at the marked location."

"We'll discuss the specific details of our cooperation via the sound transmission jade."

"There are still important matters in the sect, so I shall take my leave first."

"See you tomorrow at the Fallen Dragon Grotto."

With those words, Qin Tian turned and left.

"Young Master Qin, wait!"

Qin Tian's footsteps paused.

"You still haven't answered me—how exactly did you discover my identity?"

Curiosity filled You Ruoli's eyes.

She really wanted to know how Qin Tian had seen through the disguise of the Illusionary Body Jade.

One must know that it was a Magic Treasure personally refined by her true body; below the Reflection Realm, no one should be able to see through it... "It's a secret."

The corners of Qin Tian's lips curled up as he left those words and vanished.

You Ruoli stared at the doorway, slightly dazed.

"This Qin Tian..."

"He really is an unfathomable person... I wonder which peak of the Dao Seeking Immortal Sect he's a Disciple of?"

"Your Majesty, are we really going to act according to what he said?" Lin Sanyue bowed as he spoke.

He had already realized that this Qin Tian was not some male favorite of the Empress at all; today was the first time the two of them had even met!

He and Mu Changfeng had been easily fooled by Qin Tian.

You Ruoli spoke quietly:

"The moment I first saw him, I had a feeling that he was destined to be on my side!"

"He is testing me, and I am likewise testing him."

"If he were truly an unrestrained and frivolous playboy, I wouldn't have chosen to cooperate with him..."

"Go and inquire about news regarding Qin Tian, the more the better."

"Yes."

Lin Sanyue and Mu Changfeng departed.

You Ruoli looked down; she could not see her toes, nor could she see the ground. All she could see were her magnificent great thunders.

"Big chest, no brains..."

"Hmph!"

"Absolute nonsense!!!"

Three thousand miles north of the Dao Seeking Immortal Sect was the entrance to the Fallen Dragon Grotto.

This place belonged to the Immortal Sect's territory, and originally, no one dared to trespass.

However, the Dao Seeking Immortal Sect would open the immortal path wide, and every time it opened, they would allow various major forces in the Canglan Domain to bring their younger generation here for tempering.

Qin Tian and his three Junior Sisters followed Yun Xi to the entrance, instantly causing a commotion.

"That's Fairy Yun Xi, ranked first on the Immortal Ancient Grace Ranking!"

"My, who is that young lad beside Fairy Yun Xi? He's so handsome!"

"They must be Fairy Yun Xi's Disciples. I heard that Divine Firmament Peak values appearance most when recruiting disciples—they won't take anyone who isn't a handsome man or a beautiful woman. Seeing them today, it's truly the case!"

Qin Tian's head was full of question marks.

"When did our Divine Firmament Peak ever have such a rule?"

Su Ningying stroked the somewhat listless Xiao Zi. "Has Senior Brother forgotten? Didn't you say that yourself during the sect entry trials three months ago?"

"Uh... alright then..."

"Then who spread it around?"

Behind them, where no one was paying attention, Bai Xiyin quietly turned her head away. (It has nothing to do with me.)

"Junior Sister, is Xiao Zi sick? Why does its aura seem so weak?"

"Senior Brother wouldn't know, but Xiao Zi has been eating random things again..."

Chiu-ya (I did not)!

Although it really wanted to say that, Xiao Zi chose to remain silent... "So, he's a Disciple of Divine Firmament Peak."

In the crowd, You Ruoli, who had transformed into a man, murmured in her heart, her gaze shifting to the right to land on Yun Xi beside Qin Tian.

"Yun Xi, the number one beauty of the Immortal Ancient, truly lives up to her reputation. Unfortunately, her figure is a bit lacking..."

You Ruoli unconsciously puffed out her chest, a hint of instinctive competitiveness flashing in her eyes.

At the same time, a woman in the crowd trembled all over, freezing in place.

Her gaze fell straight onto Su Ningying beside Qin Tian, and tears involuntarily flowed from the corners of her eyes... "Mother, why are you crying?"

Beside her, a pair of deep black, smoky eyes quietly opened.

The woman's pupils shrank, and she hurriedly withdrew her gaze.

"No... it's nothing... there are too many powerful people here, I'm just a bit uncomfortable..."

"Tsk tsk, Mother, it better be like that. If I find you making any little moves, you should understand how Father will treat you once he finds out..."

The woman's face turned pale as if she had remembered some terrifying experience, her lips trembling incessantly:

"I... I know..."

Nearby, Su Ningying looked toward the woman's direction with some confusion. "Is it an illusion? I keep feeling like someone is watching me..."

"Second Senior Sister, stop being so narcissistic. You have no chest and no butt, just like a child; no one would look at you."

"Bai! Xi! Yin!"

Su Ningying gritted her teeth, about to retort, when a boom echoed in the sky!

A golden sword light, like a soaring dragon, streaked across the horizon at extreme speed.

Everyone's attention was drawn to it.

As the Sword Qi dissipated, three figures stood suspended in the air.

They were Jian Wuhen, Jian Qi, and...

Xiao Chen!

You Ruoli's eyes flickered, locking onto him in an instant.

"He's finally here."

Qin Tian's eyes were deep as he constantly calculated everything in his mind.

Jian Qi's gaze swept over, and a look of excitement immediately appeared on his face.

He flashed over to stand before Han Qing, his face full of eagerness.

"Junior Sister Han, we're about to enter the Fallen Dragon Grotto. It's dangerous inside, so we can travel together. I will do my best to protect you and won't let you suffer a single scratch."

Han Qing stood there and thought for a good while before finally speaking.

"Who are you?"

Pfft~

Bai Xiyin couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Han Qing didn't remember him at all.

Jian Qi's face instantly turned bright red.

"Junior Sister Han, you and I once practiced swords together in the Sword Tomb and even sparred!"

Han Qing tried hard to think, then finally decided not to.

She directly ignored Jian Qi and turned to walk beside Qin Tian.

"Senior Brother."

"Together."

Jian Qi's face instantly turned from red to purple, flushing the color of pig liver.

Qin Tian, it's all your fault!

Jian Qi roared inwardly, gave Qin Tian a fierce glare, and then flew off indignantly on his sword!

Qin Tian: "..."

After Ancient Sword Peak, the various main peaks of the Dao Seeking Immortal Sect arrived one after another.

Yu Qianxun, Savage Ancient, and other new Disciples appeared one by one.

"Big Brother Qin!"

Ming Tian also flew over riding his Pill Furnace, waving constantly at Qin Tian.

A hundred breaths later, the peaks had gathered, and the young Disciples of the various major forces had also all arrived.

The chiefs of the twelve peaks acted together, their powerful spiritual energy converging to blast toward the Fallen Dragon Grotto.

Instantly, the wind and clouds surged, and the heavens and earth changed color!

A deep purple spatial vortex began to rotate!

The passage leading to the Fallen Dragon Grotto had opened!

"Revered Master, we're going."

Qin Tian bowed slightly toward Yun Xi and then submerged into the Fallen Dragon Grotto along with his three Junior Sisters.

On the other side, Xiao Chen's eyes watched the direction where Qin Tian had disappeared, his gaze flickering as a cold, conspiratorial smile curled his lips unnoticed:

"Qin Tian, this Fallen Dragon Grotto will be your burial ground!"

"That mysterious dao seed will also eventually belong to me!"

...