Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

As they talked, Ye Xuan sensed something amiss.

Why did Gu Li keep shooting him meaningful looks? Surely the brat wasn’t so impatient that he was already angling for gifts?

Without betraying anything, Ye Xuan sent him a voice transmission. “You little rascal... Are you already after the gifts—“

Before he could finish, Gu Li winked at him. “Uncle Ye, what are you thinking? Would your nephew care about something as trivial as gifts?”

The corner of Ye Xuan’s mouth twitched almost imperceptibly. His lowered gaze said everything. If it’s not you, then who?

Gu Li coughed softly and sent another transmission. “Uncle Ye, this would be the perfect time to bring out the gifts. Also... doesn’t your Nine Dragon Immortal Sect have a female ink jiao dragon that hasn’t conceived yet? Think about it. Dragons are lustful by nature. Are you really going to let an opportunity like this slip away? Besides those nine, your sect must have other female ink jiao dragons, right? Don’t tell me they’re the only ones.”

Ye Xuan’s eyes shone brighter with every word. He looked at Gu Li with newfound admiration. He had misjudged the young man. Gu Li had been thinking of him all along.

What foresight. Truly farsighted.

Ye Xuan cleared his throat, rose, and said graciously, “Since Young Friend Li is also here, allow me to present the modest gifts the Nine Dragon Immortal Sect prepared some time ago.”

Six plain, ancient-looking storage rings floated into the air. Gu Li, Gu Changsheng, Meng Jiangchu, and Meng Wanshu each received one, while Li Guanqi received two.With a sweep of his divine consciousness, Li Guanqi found over thirty million spirit stones inside his rings, along with more than a thousand rare spirit herbs.

Ye Xuan smiled. “Without your generosity, Young Friend Li, the Nine Dragon Immortal Sect would never have obtained true dragon offspring. The ink jiao dragons will soon transform into true dragons, and our sect will never forget this kindness. If you or the Daxia Sword Sect ever need assistance, please do not hesitate to ask.”

He then turned to Gu Changsheng and Meng Jiangchu with a smile. “I have long heard of you both, but I never had the pleasure of meeting you. Thanks to the younger generation, I finally have that honor today. I hope you will remain at the Nine Dragon Immortal Sect for a few more days so we can drink and talk.”

Meng Jiangchu accepted the offer without standing on ceremony. Mere spirit stones held no appeal for him, but the Nine Dragon Immortal Sect’s influence could not be underestimated.

The sect’s ancestor was an old monster at the Tribulation Realm. Since Meng Jiangchu was now a member of the Seventh Territory, he would inevitably have dealings with the old ancestor in the future. Moreover, Xiang Huaizhi had said that he would bring Ye Xuan to the Seventh Territory when the time was right.

As a tier-eight alchemist, Gu Changsheng was accustomed to people currying favor with him. Yet, if he remembered correctly, the Nine Dragon Immortal Sect had a tier-eight alchemist of its own. The courtesy they showed him was mainly due to Li Guanqi.

Gu Changsheng, Meng Jiangchu, and Ye Xuan had all lived for thousands of years. With no enmity between them, they were naturally willing to remain on good terms.

The group chatted and bantered, and everyone accepted Ye Xuan’s goodwill.

By now, Li Guanqi had figured out what was going on. Gu Li had been winking at him so insistently that his eyes were almost watering.

Laughing, Li Guanqi spoke openly. “Uncle Ye, Nine Heavens’ strength hasn’t stabilized yet. Would it be all right to let him spend some time with the ink jiao dragons?”

Ye Xuan’s grin nearly split his face, and he nodded eagerly. “Of course! Old Zhao, personally escort the true dragon to the rear mountain and take him to the ink jiao dragons. Focus on the fourth one. Understood?”

The old man stationed at the gate was quite shrewd. How could he fail to grasp the situation? He bowed respectfully. “Rest assured, Sect Master. And you too, Young Friend Li. I’ll ensure everything is perfectly arranged.”

Li Guanqi wasn’t worried about anyone taking advantage of Nine Heavens. If anything, they should’ve been the ones worried about Nine Heavens exploiting them.

Nine Heavens left Li Guanqi’s wrist and turned back into a dragon, his eyes gleaming with barely contained delight. He then shrank into a miniature dragon, nuzzled Li Guanqi, and followed Old Zhao into the sky.

More than once, Ye Xuan seemed to be on the verge of saying something to Meng Jiangchu, but he held back, as though too many people were present.

The group continued making small talk. Eventually, Gu Changsheng asked, “Sect Master Ye, your sect has been rooted in the Ethereal Immortal Territory for many years. Have you heard any news of the Qilin soul or the Seven-Colored Glass Flower?”

Ye Xuan furrowed his brow, his resolute face turning thoughtful. “I’ve never heard of a spirit plant called the Seven-Colored Glass Flower. But the Qilin soul… When I traveled through the Ethereal Immortal Territory in my youth, I think I heard some rumors about it in the southern region. That was a very long time ago, however, and I no longer remember the details.”

Even an old rumor was good news. It meant that the Qilin soul was not merely a baseless legend and might truly exist within the Ethereal Immortal Territory.

Gu Changsheng’s face lit up with excitement. Meng Jiangchu said gravely, “Then I’ll have to trouble you to keep an eye out for any news of either one. They are both extremely important to my son-in-law.”

Ye Xuan gave Li Guanqi a thoughtful look. Although he had his guesses, he did not pry. He merely nodded. “Understood. I’ll make a note of it and have my people investigate. I’ll let you know if they discover anything.”

Ye Xuan continued discussing matters with Gu Changsheng and Meng Jiangchu, and the three tentatively agreed to cooperate in alchemy and artifact-smithing in the future.

After all, alchemy was the Gu clan’s heritage, and its ranks included a vast number of alchemists. Countless sects coveted the chance to work with the Gu clan.

Meanwhile, Meng Wanshu had begun cultivating. She drew on the medicinal power of the pills Xiang Huaizhi had given her to refine the energy within her and suppress her cultivation, holding it at the lower end of the mid Combined Body Realm.

Tremors rippled outward from the rear mountain. Everyone immediately understood what was happening, but no one said a word. Ye Xuan grinned from ear to ear.

Suddenly, Gu Changsheng’s and Gu Li’s expressions changed almost simultaneously.

“No! Something’s happened!”

Everyone in the hall shot to their feet. Gu Li clamped several silver-white talismans between his fingers, and violent spatial force erupted. Silver light surged, but an invisible power suppressed the twisting space, preventing it from opening.

Gu Changsheng snorted coldly. A tide of mind power poured into Gu Li, and the silver light blazed.

Boom!

Thunder cracked. The blast wave from the shattering silver radiance nearly leveled the Nine Dragon Immortal Sect’s main hall. The tables and chairs turned to ash, and every window was blown apart.

Ye Xuan stepped forward and dispersed the blast wave with a raised hand. He frowned. “What happened?”

Gu Changsheng’s voice was icy. “Someone has infiltrated the Gu clan domain and sealed it from within! Hmph! They dare treat my Gu clan with such contempt!”

Everyone considered the implications. Even with Han Yuan away, the clan still had at least three tier-eight alchemists and should hardly have been defenseless.

Li Guanqi, however, looked grim. He lowered the jade pendant in his hand.

Gu Li frowned. “What’s wrong?”

Li Guanqi replied heavily, “I can’t reach Tang Ru. We need to go back. Now.”

Hum!

At that moment, two massive cloud boats tore through the sky above the Gu clan’s domain.

A terrifying aura swept across heaven and earth. Three figures stood suspended in the air, suppressing the entire domain.

They were Lu Hengtian of the Lu clan, Zhu Ying of the Zhu clan, and a man virtually unknown to the outside world. The third man was handsome, with long, flowing hair and a subtly androgynous air. He wore a crimson robe and held a folding fan. His eyes were fox-like, and his pupils were a dim red.

His red-painted lips curved upward at the corners.