Xiao Chen"s forehead furrowed in agitation. He waved a hand and said, "I don"t want to see anyone!"
Looking uncomfortable, the lady said, "I recommend that you meet your guest, Master."
"Oh?" Xiao Chen raised an eyebrow. "Tell him to come in then..." His voice hadn"t faded when an airy voice drifted to his ears. "I"m everywhere and anywhere. There"s no need to call for me for I"m here."
Before the voice faded, a woman clad in cyan appeared inside the courtyard. Her peerless face wore no emotion. Like a fairy of the Jade Platform, she stood in the slight breeze with her dress swaying in the wind.
"Oh my! I didn"t know Master Xiaoyue is here. Forgive us if we"re not courteous enough." Fengxi went over to welcome her with smiles.
As the heir of the Ancient Immortal Clan in the Thousand Feathers Sect, Xiaoyue would surely follow the many rules of etiquette to show respect before visiting a sect. While her sudden arrival this time was mannerless because she dropped by without notice. Fengxi, in fact, was commenting on her lack of manners.
Xiaoyue said lightly, "Don"t stand on courtesy, Perfected Immortal Fengxi. We both belong to cultivators" sect. There"s no need to follow the etiquette of the secular world when it is unnecessary."
Fengxi slapped on a fake smile. "You"re right, Master Xiaoyue." He couldn"t afford to slight the heir of the Ancient Immortal Clan.
Xiao Chen narrowed his eyes. This woman"s cultivation had improved again. He couldn"t even trace her in his Divine Sense now. She must have done it on purpose. Xiao Chen smiled and said, "What business do you have with me, Fairy Xiaoyue?"
Fengxi coughed once. "I"ll excuse myself and leave you two to chat."
Xiaoyue walked up to Xiao Chen and said, "I"ll be blunt. I came here to cooperate with you, Brother Xiao."
"Aha!" Xiao Chen made a lazy stretch. He never expected such words to come out of her mouth. Smiling, he replied, "Forget about cooperation. But it"s so scenic here that I don"t mind accompanying you for a tour."
His blunt refusal didn"t annoy Xiaoyue. She said emotionlessly, "I don"t suppose you know that Zuoqiu Yang is the Divine Mist Sect Leader"s Pro-disciple. Even though the Divine Mist Sect is located at the western border of the Middle Continent, no one knows just how strong they are. You have as good as offended the entire Divine Mist Sect. Right now, the He family and many young experts from other clans are also looking to trouble you."
Xiao Chen smiled lightly. "Let them be. Ling Yuxuan, Ling Yingfeng, Zuoqiu Ze, Zuoqiu Yang, and the others are their best examples." He deliberately emphasized his words as a dangerous glint flashed in his pupils.
"These people can"t be compared to the Ling or Zuoqiu family. Powerful as you may be, the power of one is still limited, Brother Xiao."
Xiao Chen chuckled. "You"re right. There"s a limit to one"s power. Still, I"m used to being by myself. There"s nothing I can do about it."
Xiaoyue stared at a puff of cloud floating on the horizon. She surely had her objective in putting so much effort into roping Xiao Chen in. Never mind his strength, the fact that he had allies in the Spirit Silence Room was enough to make her fear him. That wasn"t even the most crucial thing. More importantly, she must convince Xiao Chen to join her side before someone else succeeded.
"The Zuoqiu family has reported your name to the Immortals" League. I expect the league to send their men for you in a few days. If the Thousand Feathers Sect steps in, perhaps we can a.s.sure your safety."
Xiao Chen"s heart tightened. That was his greatest worry at the moment. He wouldn"t blink at the mention of the Divine Mist Sect, but the problem was the troublesome Immortals" League. He couldn"t very well go on the run with Xian"er.
Considering this, he stared at Murong Xian"er who was catching b.u.t.terflies in the distance. He waved his left hand, casting a soundproof barrier, and said placidly, "Tell me what you have in mind."
"You are frank enough, then allow me to be frank as well. Bloodied Fiend Sect. I want to defeat the Bloodied Fiend Sect. For thousands of years, there has been an everlasting enmity between the Thousand Feathers Sect and Bloodied Fiend Sect."
Xiao Chen sneered. "Did I hear that right? Never mind the Bloodied Fiend Sect, that Bloodied Mad Swordsman alone is a Nirvana Realm cultivator. Do you want me to dig my grave next to yours?"
Xiaoyue shook her head. "The Annihilation Times are upon us. That means our cultivation will improve by leaps and bounds. You know better than anyone that if we work together, we might not be helpless against the Bloodied Mad Swordsman."
Xiao Chen spread his hands. "Even if that"s true, why would I risk my life for you? What benefit does this bring me? Immortals" League isn"t big enough of a bargaining chip."
"Corpse Refinery Sect. I"m sure you understand where you stand with the Corpse Refinery Sect. I can work with you to defeat them."
Xiao Chen"s heart tightened. Corpse Refinery Sect was indeed a far bigger problem than the Immortals" League. Ye Wuxin wouldn"t just let him off after he destroyed his Corpse Puppet. He would even say that he would never enjoy peace as long as Corpse Refinery Sect exists. Sooner or later, a great battle with the Corpse Refinery Sect was bound to happen.
Even so, he felt that Xiaoyue was hiding too many secrets. It wasn"t just her Thousand Feathers Sect which hid countless secrets, but herself as well.
It was unlikely that her desperation to eliminate the Bloodied Fiend Sect and the Bloodied Mad Swordsman was simply to end the enmity spanning thousands of years between the two sects. Her purpose in coming to the Middle Continent as well as her desperation to team up with Xiao Chen was also unlikely to just eliminate the Bloodied Fiend Sect with Xiao Chen"s help.
In a nutsh.e.l.l, this woman hid too many secrets. Even if they were to work together, they would just end up sabotaging each other. He must find out what this woman was trying to do.
"Be it the Immortals" League or the Corpse Refinery Sect, I"ll deal with them myself. Thank you for your offer. Like I said earlier, it"s scenic atop Mount Xianyong. I can keep you company for a tour."
Xiaoyue was silent for a long time. She finally said, "Xiao Chen, I don"t understand why you bear such great grudge against me. Yes, there are things that I can"t tell you. But we"re not enemies, not in the past, present, nor future. You subconsciously treat me like your enemy since the first time we met at the Widespread Wintriness Sect. I have no idea how I managed to offend you."
Xiao Chen chuckled. "You misunderstood me, Fairy. I don"t see you as my enemy. Neither am I interested in your affairs. That"s all I have to say. Please do as you please."
Xiaoyue took a deep breath. "What"s wrong? Does your impatience in seeing me off mean that I hit it right on the mark? That"s fine too. Xiao Chen, we"re not enemies. Perhaps in the future, we..."
She trailed off. She made a slight movement with her feet amid the wind and then floated away, leaving behind a faint fragrance that permeated the small courtyard.
"If you change your mind, please meet me at the Elegant Fragrance Pavilion late afternoon tomorrow."
Xiao Chen took down the soundproof barrier and sat back down on the rattan chair. Staring at the sea of clouds that shrouded the horizon, he fell into contemplation for a long while. He wasn"t thinking about how to deal with Immortals" League or the Corpse Refinery Sect, but about Xiaoyue.
When he left the East Continent, she was in the late-stage of the Core Forming Realm. Several days ago in Canglan City, she was likely in the peak of the Core Forming Realm. Today, however, she had attained the expectant Nascent Soul Realm!
This meant that she was advancing at a far higher speed than he was. Xiao Chen understood why, as well as why his own cultivation was stagnating. It was because of Bodhicitta.
She was Qianyu Nishang"s heir. Back then, Qianyu Nishang joined the Tianxuan School, one of the seven schools of the Mystic Cyan Sect. Each school preached different mind cultivation methods. Tianxuan School"s "the highest form of good is that of water" line of thought was fitting for mind cultivation methods. It was also suitable for women.
That wasn"t to say that his Yaoguang School"s mind cultivation methods were inferior to Tianxuan"s mind cultivation method. He was simply losing his Bodhicitta with time. He was no longer the Mystic Cyan Sect disciple that was at peace with himself back then.
He heaved a deep sigh while thinking about this. Thousands of thoughts ran across his mind. He recalled Xiaoyue"s words earlier. Was she wrong? Wasn"t it him who was prejudiced against her all along?
Was it just because she was the heir of the Thousand Feathers Sect? Or, was it just because she carried the shadow of Qianyu Nishang? Perhaps, his hatred for Qianyu Nishang was too deep.
Did his deep hatred for her meant that he couldn"t forget about her? Didn"t it mean that he couldn"t forget about that his once innocent and adorable Junior Sister or her betrayal? Wasn"t this a form of obsession as well? Xiao Chen"s cultivation journey had always been a pursuit of power, and yet he wasn"t even a match for Xiaoyue"s cultivation speed now. He seemed to have forgotten the Bodhicitta that his Master once mentioned.
Thousands of years had pa.s.sed him by. Whether it was love or hatred, why not put an end to it now? If he allowed himself to keep this obsession, he would end up harboring an Inner Demon.
Inner Demon!
Xiao Chen couldn"t help breaking out in a cold sweat upon thinking of this. Hadn"t an Inner Demon already infect him? If not for an Inner Demon, his cultivation wouldn"t stagnate from time to time.
It was because of the Inner Demon that he could so easily claim lives at the Zuoqiu family estate and even entertain the thought of having the Dragon"s Wrath to exterminate the entire Zuoqiu family, not even letting off the elderly, frail, women, and children. If he hadn"t recalled his Master"s instructions in the end, the Dragon"s Wrath would have claimed more than a thousand lives.
Thinking about this caused cold sweat to soak his back. Since when did he become so terrifying? Had he really forgot the Bodhicitta that his Master told him?
"Chen"er, always remember that a cultivator"s journey is never smooth. The countless karma you will incur will bring about numerous Inner Demons in you. If you can"t shatter these restrictions by yourself, not only will your cultivation stagnate, but you"ll obsess over your failure and enter the Devil"s Practice..."
"Saints can forsake their wisdom and eliminate their three desires to become one with heaven and earth. If you fall into a trap of your own making and have trouble advancing your cultivation, you can try reflecting on matters with your heart. Discard all emotions and see yourself from an outsider"s point of view. This is what you consider as having an enlightened Bodhicitta."
Xiao Chen kept recalling his Master"s advice from before. With her profound cultivation, she could easily eliminate smaller Inner Demons. He, on the other hand, couldn"t. Neither could he be like Xiaoyue, putting good before all else and cultivate.
That meant his only choice was to follow his Master"s suggestion: reflecting on matters with his heart. If he allowed his cultivation to stagnate every so often, the talented Xiaoyue would soon surpa.s.s him.
Wouldn"t it ridiculous if Qianyu Nishang"s heir thousands of years later used the Mystic Cyan Sect"s mind cultivation method to surpa.s.s the sect"s actual disciple?