464: Chapter 464 Yan Xueyuan

In front of the courtyard.

Just as Ling Hao stepped through the courtyard gate, he saw Shi Qingxuan walking toward him. He was about to call out to her, but she shot him a fierce glare and brushed past him huffily, walking away without looking back.

Stunned, Ling Hao turned to look at Shi Yunyu.

"What... happened?"

Shi Yunyu gave a light cough, her expression complicated. "She found out. About that night... and the fact that Lu Yao and Zhou Zhi were also in the courtyard."

Ling Hao froze for a moment, then burst into a chuckle.

So it was that.

"I'll go coax her."

He winked at Shi Yunyu and turned to give chase.

Shi Yunyu watched his back and gave a soft "mm."

Ling Hao's figure soon disappeared outside the gate.

Shi Yunyu stood alone in front of the courtyard, her gaze fixed in the direction he had left, not looking away for a long time. She reached out and unconsciously placed her hand on her chest, pressing lightly against her soft bosom through the fabric.

Only four days left... and then he would be gone.

She couldn't follow him.

"Should I... give myself..."

The mountain breeze blew past, fluttering the stray hairs at her temples. Shi Yunyu's fingertips on her chest tightened slightly.

...

Tianyuan Immortal Dynasty, Tianyuan Palace, Moon Shadow Palace.

Inside the Hall of Diligent Governance, Gu Qingyao sat behind her desk and casually put away the last batch of Jade Slips.

Steady, light footsteps echoed from the hall entrance. She looked up at the woman walking in.

"Sisi, are the people from the Golden Crow Holy Land behaving themselves?"

Liu Sisi, wearing a long dress with a cyan-to-red gradient, possessed a cold and elegant aura. She stepped up to the desk and gave a slight bow.

"News has come from the Diting Bureau; they haven't done anything out of line during this time."

Gu Qingyao put down her brush and rubbed her brow.

"I had you send a message to Ling Shuang earlier to ask about the visitors from the Golden Crow Holy Land. Has she replied?"

Liu Sisi took a Jade Slip from her sleeve and presented it with both hands.

Gu Qingyao took it, held it to her forehead, and probed it with her Divine Sense.

The information in the Jade Slip was short and clear: "If they want to come to the Moonshadow Sect, let them come."

She pondered for a moment, tucked the Jade Slip into her sleeve, and said slowly:

"As long as the Golden Crow Holy Land does nothing wrong, we'll let them be for now. In the Tianyuan Capital City and Cangwu Prefecture, they won't be able to stir up any significant trouble."

—

Tianyuan Capital City, Nine-Story Tower.

This was the largest inn in the Tianyuan Capital City. The building was nine stories high, featuring upturned eaves and bracket sets, carved beams and painted rafters, with two majestic stone lions standing guard at the entrance.

Spiritual Qi misted within the tower, and the scent of spiritual tea wafted through the air. The Cultivators coming and going were either wealthy or noble; ordinary people couldn't even touch the threshold.

On a high floor, a woman stood with her hands behind her back, gazing at the towering glazed pagoda in the center from afar.

The central tower was a thousand zhang tall, piercing the clouds, its body shimmering with flowing light. It stood in resonance with four slightly smaller auxiliary towers at the city's corners.

Atop the four city walls stood four ancient, vast, and massive stone monuments. Their surfaces were covered in profound Formation patterns, with faint spiritual light circulating. There was not a trace of erosion qi in the city; even breathing felt exceptionally sweet and clean.

She wore a long dress of overlapping fiery red and snowy white—red like a blazing flame and white like frost. The hem was embroidered with subtle patterns of the Golden Crow spreading its wings.

A black silk sash was tied around her waist, outlining her slender figure. Her dark hair was piled high, held by a red-gold phoenix-head hairpins, with a few stray strands falling by her cheeks. Her fair face was cold and glamorous.

Her features were exquisite and sharp, and her brow carried a natural arrogance. She was like a roaring fire that made people hesitate to approach.

"Elder Zhu, isn't the Sect very interested in this resonance dao tower and the world-suppressing monuments?"

Saintess Yan Xueyuan heard footsteps behind her and withdrew her gaze, her tone indifferent.

"The resonance dao tower in the Tianyuan Capital City is guarded by the Tianyuan Immortal Guard; it's difficult for us to get close. Why not send people to check other prefectural cities?"

"If we can obtain any information, it would be a great achievement!"

Zhu Rongyang's figure appeared not far behind her. His red robes were embroidered with the pattern of a Golden Crow flapping its wings. His face was ancient and simple. Hearing the woman's words, a wave of annoyance rose in his heart, and his brow furrowed slightly.

He cupped his hands and said patiently:

"Saintess, that would be improper. We are here to apologize this time, not to cause trouble."

Saintess Yan Xueyuan gave a disdainful chuckle.

"The Saint said that the destruction of the Linglong Blessed Land was caused by a mole planted by the Niding Alliance in our Golden Crow Holy Land. The mole has already been killed."

She paused, her face full of arrogance.

"As fellow Grade-Nine Holy Lands, I don't believe the Moon Shadow Holy Land would become enemies with a Holy Land of the same level over a Grade-Seven Sect. In my view, the Moonshadow Sect just wants to extort us. However, in this matter, our Golden Crow Holy Land is indeed in the wrong, so we'll just prepare some gifts to show our magnanimity."

Zhu Rongyang looked at the arrogant woman before him, a trace of contempt flashing in his eyes.

She was only at the Soul Transformation Stage—Cultivators of such a Realm were a dime a dozen in the Golden Crow Holy Land. If the Saint hadn't ordered it, he would have slapped her long ago for daring to speak to him like that.

Saintess? Historically, the Golden Crow Holy Land only had a Saint; there had never been a 'Saintess'.

In Zhu Rongyang's eyes, this Saintess was merely a vase whose decorative value far outweighed her utility.

After all, this position of Saintess only existed because the Saint had proposed it to the Old Ancestor. This Saintess was simply an appendage of the Saint.

He was truly unlucky.

Last time he came, he was sent to investigate the truth about the wu tripod. After attending the Dingding Ceremony, he was 'invited' by Supreme Moonshadow to bring a message back—the Moonshadow Sect would settle the debt for the destruction of the Linglong Blessed Land.

Because of that failure, and because he was relatively familiar with the Cangwu Prefecture, he was assigned to this apology party.

"Half a year ago, the resonance dao tower in Hong Prefecture (formerly the Hong State) was attacked. Several Void Tempering Cultivators were killed on the spot by the Zhenjie Bureau Cultivators of the Tianyuan Immortal Dynasty."

"Three months ago, the world-suppressing monument in Caomu Prefecture (formerly the Cao State) was attacked. The attacking Undergoing Tribulation Cultivator was slapped to death by the Tianyuan Empress."

Zhu Rongyang looked at Saintess Yan Xueyuan.

"We aren't the only ones coveting the resonance dao tower and the world-suppressing monument. According to reports, those Void Tempering and Tribulation Transcendence Cultivators were likely from the Holy Lands of the Central Continent. If it's like this outside the Tianyuan Capital City, then inside the capital, I cannot investigate without alerting anyone."

"Not to mention the Tianyuan Empress, the Diting Bureau is not to be trifled with either."

Saintess Yan Xueyuan curled her lip.

"It seems the strength of this Moon Shadow Holy Land isn't bad either."

Zhu Rongyang shook his head.

It was more than just 'not bad'. When he came last time for the Dingding Ceremony, he felt that the Moonshadow Sect wasn't this powerful. Back then, if he had wanted to investigate the resonance dao tower and the world-suppressing monument, he probably could have managed it.

But in just a few years, the Moonshadow Sect's strength seemed to have undergone a heaven-flipping change. Inside this Tianyuan Capital City, he could clearly feel the pressure emanating from the central Tianyuan Palace.

Moreover, the Zhenjie Bureau Cultivators guarding the resonance dao tower and world-suppressing monuments were at least at the Void Tempering stage! And there were an unknown number of Undergoing Tribulation Cultivators patrolling back and forth.

The resonance dao towers could teleport to one another. As long as they held out for a moment, they could fully reinforce each other.

With the dao tower's buffs and the Formation's enhancements, these towers and monuments cannot be broken by anyone below the Mahayana Stage!

He sighed and looked into the distance.

He hoped nothing would go wrong with this apology. As long as this Saintess could stay quiet...

Zhu Rongyang glanced at Saintess Yan Xueyuan. This 'vase' was indeed very beautiful, but that personality...

A strange thought suddenly occurred to him.

Has the Saint recently started becoming interested in women?

First it was that Hibiscus Tree Spirit, and then it was this direct daughter of the Yan Family...