Time Difference

Just as Wan Ziling was about to be pulled to the other side of the door, a familiar figure suddenly appeared among the ghosts.

"Dad, what are you doing there?"

The ghost glanced at Wan Ziling, as if recalling something. Its previously Wan Yebai's appearance. It exclaimed in surprise, "Ziling, what are you... Go back quickly, don't come any closer!"

He seemed to understand something, and immediately shouted a warning to Wan Ziling to leave. He pushed aside the ghosts gathered at the edge of the doorway, then raised his hand and a sword appeared in his palm. He swung the sword and slashed, cutting the chains binding Wan Ziling.

The reminder jolted Wan Ziling awake, and she turned to flee. But then countless ghostly hands reached out from the other side of the door, grabbed her whole body, and forcibly dragged her inside.

Wan Yebai desperately swung his sword to kill the ghosts, but the enemies were endless and he could not kill them all. Their numbers were as numerous as locusts and ants, and in the blink of an eye, he was also swallowed up by the horde of ghosts.

"Father!"

Wan Ziling struggled desperately, but she couldn't break free from the boundless ghostly hands, and was about to be pulled into the doorway.

--Hey, what are you daydreaming about?

A voice, seemingly distant yet actually close, rang in her ears, followed by an overwhelming and irresistible force that forcibly pulled Wan Ziling back, causing the surrounding scenery and sounds to suddenly drift away into the distance.

The will within the Ghost Gate, still unwilling to accept defeat, stretched out a giant hand to grab Wan Ziling back, and then Wan Ziling saw—the sun!

A blazing sun blocked the Ghost Gate, its intense masculine energy like boiling magma. Anyone who dared to approach it, let alone cross it, would be burned to ashes.

"Hey, what's wrong with you? Why are you suddenly spacing out?"

A concerned inquiry reached her ears, Wan Ziling's thoughts drifted. She found herself in the midst of a bustling crowd, surrounded by a cacophony of chatter. Colors and sounds returned to her senses instantly.

"... fine."

Wan Ziling also felt somewhat puzzled. She seemed to have seen a large door and many strange things, but her memory was very vague and indistinct, as if it were just a dream. Only the coldness from the depths of her soul told her that something must have just happened.

"It's good that you're alright. The procession of a hundred ghosts has already gone far away, but there's still a temple fair here. We're going to have a blast tonight and forget all our troubles!"

A gentle force interrupted Wan Ziling's thoughts. Looking down, she saw that Si Ming had taken her hand and was pulling her forward. The warmth of the sun emanating from his palm melted away the chill in her soul.

"At least, let me forget my troubles for a while tonight..."

Stinky tofu, sugar figurines, jelly, cotton candy... Wan Ziling was forced to eat a bunch of random things, many of which were new to her. She liked some of them, and disliked others, but she ate them all.

"Hey, tossing hoops, that's my forte! Come on, boss, give me five hoops."

The hand that had been holding her loosened, and as it lost its warmth, Wan Ziling felt a sense of loss.

"Miss Qingqing, may I ask you a question?"

"Ask away."

Do you like Si Ming?

"... Um."

Wan Ziling breathed a sigh of relief, patting her chest and saying, "No wonder my heart was beating so fast and my face was so hot. It must be a reaction of your lingering consciousness in your body."

"... Let's just say that's how it is."

"I'll make myself think that way, so please lend it to me a little longer, just a few more days."

"... Um."

Chapter 603 Time Difference

Righteous Qi Palace.

"I apologize for not being able to greet the Alliance Leader's wife properly."

Wan Yebai led all the Grandmaster his sect out to greet Si Jingyu and his group, and warmly invited them to sit in his esteemed reception room, showing them the most lavish hospitality.

Standing behind Si Jingyu, Si Huaruo pouted in dissatisfaction upon hearing the way she was addressed, realizing that coming to the Barbarian Continent was a mistake; this place was practically Si Jingyu's home turf.

"Sect Leader Wan, you are too kind. We should apologize for our unannounced visit." Si Jingyu returned the greeting with grace and poise, her manners impeccable, clearly demonstrating her excellent upbringing and manners.

Of course, a martial Grandmaster like Wan Yebai, who is determined to eliminate evil, has long since transcended vulgar tastes. Although he is not so smitten by women that he turns to a skeleton, mere beauty is no longer of interest to him. The allure of a peerless martial arts manual or an unparalleled divine weapon is far greater than that of a stunningly beautiful woman.

Only Wan Ziqiu retained his youthful spirit, knowing how to appreciate beauty and admiring young women. His gaze lingered briefly on Si Jingyu and the other women, and he couldn't help but envy the Heavenly Martial Alliance's good fortune in love. He had so many Beauty women by his side, and what was even more rare was that each of them possessed martial arts skills and was both beautiful and talented. This was far more desirable than finding a delicate young lady from a wealthy family. Wasn't this precisely why the Xiaoxiang Fairy was so popular?

Suddenly, a faint burst of energy shot out and struck Wan Ziqiu's hand, making him shudder. He glanced over and saw his martial uncle Zheng Jingyuan, giving him a warning look.

Wan Ziqiu immediately realized that his actions were extremely impolite. He quickly averted his gaze, then secretly glanced at his father. Seeing that his father didn't react, he breathed a sigh of relief, but couldn't help but wonder: had his father not noticed, or was he too shy to reprimand him because of the guests?

Regardless of the reason, it was all due to bad luck. Under normal circumstances, he would definitely have received a scolding.

"Alliance Leader Sima has done our sect a great favor, and it is an honor for us that the Alliance Leader's wife is willing to grace us with her presence. The gates of the Evil-Slaying Sword School will always be open to your esteemed presence," Wan Yebai paused, then said with a smile, "In fact, our sect has recently been discussing joining the Heavenly Martial Alliance."

"If the Evil-Slaying Sword School is willing to join the Heavenly Martial Alliance, we would naturally welcome them with open arms. However, one thing must be clarified: the Heavenly Martial Alliance and your sect are not in a superior-subordinate relationship, but rather as partners. The Heavenly Martial Alliance provides the platform, and your sect provides manpower. Both sides get what they need, achieving mutual benefit and complementarity. The specific rules can be modeled after those of the Glazed Temple. I know that some in your sect must be worried that joining the Heavenly Martial Alliance will make them feel inferior. I assure you that this is absolutely not the case. For example, the Glazed Temple has already joined the Heavenly Martial Alliance, and its prestige has not declined but rather increased compared to the past. Who would think that the Glazed Temple is inferior to the Heavenly Martial Alliance?"

Seeing that Si Jingyu spoke with a relaxed and open demeanor, possessing the air of a recluse, and that her words were clear, logical, and comprehensive, clearly demonstrating her expertise and making her far from the kind of decorative woman they had been looking down on, the crowd put away their underestimation of her.

Wan Yebai solemnly said, "With the Alliance Leader's wife's guarantee, I have no more concerns. A gentleman acts according to righteousness, and I believe that no one in our sect will oppose the alliance."

After exchanging pleasantries, the two sides conducted an in-depth discussion on the cooperation between the Evil-Slaying Sword School and the Heavenly Martial Alliance. They fully exchanged opinions, gained a deeper understanding of each other's positions and demands, and pledged to respect each other's positions, seek common ground while reserving differences, and jointly maintain peace in the martial arts world. In the end, they reached five principles for peaceful coexistence.

At the end of the exchange, Wan Yebai, the leader of the Evil-Slaying Sword School, highly praised the cooperation model of the Heavenly Martial Alliance, believing that this model represents the development requirements of advanced productivity in the martial arts Barbarian Continent, the direction of advanced culture in the Barbarian Continent, and the fundamental interests of the vast majority of martial arts practitioners in the Barbarian Continent. He promised to do his utmost to promote cooperation between the Evil-Slaying Sword School and the Heavenly Martial Alliance.

After the official business was concluded, personal matters came next, which, in a sense, were also the main purpose of Si Jingyu's trip.

"Having heard that your sect has once again slain the Beast King Anye, I, on behalf of my husband, extend my congratulations."

Wan Yebai humbly replied, "To be honest, our sect was able to successfully kill the Beast King Anye thanks to the Alliance Leader. When we fought the Beast King, we discovered that he still had the Evil-Slaying Sword Intent remaining in his body. It seems that he was injured after being defeated by the Alliance Leader last time, which prevented him from exerting more than 70% of his Cultivation Body. If it weren't for this, we would not have been able to succeed either."