"Excuse me, are you Xiao Chen?"
Suddenly, a man in his thirties or forties walked over to Xiao Chen and asked for his identity in a quiet voice.
Xiao Chen looked at the man, a Foundation Building Realm cultivator, and nodded. "Correct."
"Someone told me to deliver this to you." The man retrieved a neat pile of letters from his sleeve and handed it to Xiao Chen.
Frowning, Xiao Chen opened the letter and found elegant handwriting on it. "I apologize for not being able to make it today due to some urgent matters. I have already ordered someone to have a word with the Immortals' League. Feel free to follow them when they come for you."
"I'll excuse myself then." The man saluted him and disappeared into an alley.
Xiao Chen took a deep breath. Summoning True Qi in his palm, the letter in his hand swiftly turned into ashes. He returned the same way he came, all while wondering what business Xiaoyue had to a
Qingluan raised her head. Her long years of cultivation had tempered her character to surpass that of an ordinary woman's, but there was still the slightest shift in her expression at this moment. For a long time, she didn't speak. Xiao Chen smiled upon seeing her reluctance. "It's alright if you don't wish to answer. You may leave now." "Yes, Master," Qingluan whispered and then left. The curtain of night was about to fall, bringing with it a gentle evening breeze. The wind carried the fragrance of the flowers down the mountain, refreshing one's mind and spirit. Before going down the mountain, Xiao Chen had sent Murong Xian'er to Fengxi's place. Thus, he and Ziyun'er were the only ones in the courtyard. Both of them said nothing. Even the sunset fell in silence. Ziyun'er wounded her hands into tight fists. She lowered her head, afraid to meet his eyes. Her delicate face was as red as the sun setting over the horizon.
The two people beside him were upset to see him so happy after overhearing the disciples' discussion. They sneered inwardly. "To think you can still smile at a time like this!" When they arrived at the public square, they found a massive crowd outside the Pure Harmony Hall. Xiao Chen probed the hall with his Divine Sense. Perfected Immortal Fengxi was seated in the central spot of the hall. Underneath, Perfected Immortal Qing Chen, Yu Yifeng, the Elder of the Pavilion of Thoughts, and the Elder of the Pavilion of Law were seated to his left. The only one missing was the Elder of the Pavilion of Swords. Seated opposite them were two men dressed in wide-sleeved white robes. They couldn't look any haughtier if they tried. One of them was holding a small cup to his lips, relishing in his tea. It was obvious from his expression that he held no respect for anyone here. The other looked cold and grim. He looked at Perfected Immortal F
Xiao Chen scoffed and let go of the whip. He turned around and looked at Murong Xian'er and the rest. "Just tag along with Perfected Immortal Qing Chen. There's no need to worry about me." He leaned into the tip of his toe and flew upward to the Flying-cloud Stone. The two envoys didn't tarry either. With a scoff, they flew up to the Flying-cloud Stone as well. They began their journey westward. On their way there, Xiao Chen leaned cross-legged against a cold slab of stone. He rested the back of his head on his hands and closed his eyes as he kept a stalk of grass in his mouth. He happily hummed a song, seemingly without a care in the world. His behavior only served to anger the envoys further, but they dared not do anything out of fear of the group following them. One of them said, "Xiao Chen, you better not be so proud of yourself. Do you really think your allies from the Jade Qing Sect and the Xianyong Sect are that powerful? Let me tell
The Great Immortal from Hell roared with laughter. "Hahahaha! So be it then! I'll deal with just two this time. Let me show you what the Devil's Practice is capable of!" He walked slowly, one step after another, toward the two Envoys. Once he grew close, he tore off the ears of one with his bare hands and gave the other a heavy slap on the face with another hand. Gripped by pain and panic, one of them screamed, "Master Fengxi! Master Qing Chen! Please help us!" Perfected Immortal Qing Chen frowned, "I'm afraid it would not bode well for us to have the Envoys of the Immortals' League slain before our very eyes, Master Fengxi... Should we not..." "Why should I care? Just minutes ago these two filthy animals were saying about making a complaint to their leader about me," Fengxi muttered with a steely voice. The two envoys immediately realized that Fengxi was angry at them and wished only to teach them a lesson; there was no way he
Xiao Chen scoffed and ignored them. He hopped onto his bed and sat on it and began meditating. As he channeled and built his powers, he was interrupted by the creaking of floorboards, followed by the hushed voices of two or three people passing by the room outside. "I expect a greater turnout at this year's Immortal's Sword Assembly than last year surely. I heard that the prospects from all five continents this year showed immensely promising talent." "It was the Middle Continent who had snagged the top place last time, no? Four of the strongest ten warriors were all from the Middle Continent then, with the rest – two from the South, another two from the West and the last two from the North – from the rest of the Violet Manor." "None from the East?" "The Eastern Continent? I wouldn't count on them. The East is nothing but only an impoverished land with a meager supply of talent. There's not been anyone worth mentioning since th
"Lord Adjudicator Yang!" One of the Envoys stammered, "How can we be of service?" The man in red smiled thinly, ignoring the question. He closed his paper fan and gestured at Xiao Chen with the same hand, "Is this him? The infamous Xiao Chen?" "Yes!" The other Envoy barked, trying to sound brave, although no one present could ever miss the hint of fear in his faltering voice, "We are transporting this fugitive under the orders of Adjudicator Liu! Please allow us to pass!" But the man in red simply chuckled and replied nonchalantly, "No. This business shall concern you no longer. Leave this man to me. I will take him in." The Envoys stirred, becoming terrified and tense. One of them remarked, "We've gone through great lengths to arrest this man! It's only right that we take him to Adjudicator Liu directly! Are you trying to take our credit!?" "I will repeat myself only once," said the man in red with a steely tone
Even with the pressure of being watched by everyone in and outside the hall, Xiao Chen was still able to remain a composed demeanor. Calmly, he said, "I did. I did save someone that day. But I did it to save a life; not because I know them, evil folk or not!" Another peal of murmurs and whispers from outside filled Xiao Chen's ears like the buzzing of bees. Perfected Immortal Qing Chen and the rest of his entourage were all worried, and no one else inside dared to speak, especially in the presence of the wrathful Warden. "Do you know that the person you had saved, was none other than Yu Linglong, daughter of the Princess of Fort Rakshasha!" Yu Yifeng was among the crowd outside. His forehead was creased into a frown, hoping that Xiao Chen would just respond with a simple "don't know". But his hopes were dashed when even from outside, he could hear Xiao Chen's cool voice, admitting, "I know." A huge uproar broke out between the crowds watchin
The four Stewards slowly rose from their seats, taking in everything in awe. No one in the entire League could profess of having such magic themselves. "Impossible... Only the lost magic from the former eons have such purity! But how could anyone be still in possession of it!?" The students, disciples all congregated outside the hall were all astounded; some were simply lost for words that an alleged criminal like Xiao Chen could have such magic that exceeded everyone's expectations. But some were envious, if not jealous, that the magic and martial skills that they had been learned, the work of their life which they had been so proud of, were mere child's play in contrast to Xiao Chen's skills. Xiao Chen stopped his channeling and took a deep breath. He looked up and met the eyes of the Warden, who was still caressing his beard, nodding with interest. "IMPOSSIBLE!" Zuoqiu Ping roared, "T-that day... I... W-what I saw..."