There Is Something I Don't Know If I Should Say

Xia Ningxue's information appeared in the Apprentice-Teaching Simulator.

[Xia Ningxue]

[Talents: Spirit Wa Saint Body, Innate Spirit Vein, Water Spirit Root, Turning Misfortune into Fortune, Virtuous Wife and Good Mother]

[Cultivation: Dao Palace Realm, First Layer]

[Dao Bone: 20 years]

A Dao bone of 20 years?!!

"Could the system be broken?"

Seeing that Xia Ningxue's Dao bone was only 20 years old, yet her cultivation had reached the Dao Palace Realm, First Layer, Lu Changsheng wondered for a moment if the Apprentice-Teaching Simulator had made a mistake.

If the information the system displayed was absolutely accurate, then Xia Ningxue's aptitude was terrifying.

A 20-year-old in the Dao Palace Realm was even more monstrous than Li Changye. With her Spirit Wa Saint Body, which he had never heard of, and her Turning Misfortune into Fortune destiny, she was undoubtedly a cultivation genius seen only once in ten thousand years.

No wonder the system had prompted him to take Xia Ningxue as his disciple.

The problem was that Xia Ningxue was the personal disciple of the Pavilion Master of Ask Immortal Pavilion.

Leaving aside whether Xia Ningxue would agree, if he succeeded in taking her as his disciple, the master of the Ask Immortal Pavilion might personally come after him with a sword.

As for the Virtuous Wife and Good Mother destiny, he didn't know what use it had for cultivation.

"Fairy Xia, there is something I don't know if I should say."

Though Lu Changsheng held out little hope, missing out on such a cultivation genius would leave a regret in his Dao heart.

"Please, speak."

Xia Ningxue was somewhat puzzled. What did this elder from the Shushan Sect intend to do?

"Would Fairy Xia be willing to do me the honor of becoming my disciple?"

Lu Changsheng thickened his skin and said it anyway.

"Huh?"

Xia Ningxue froze.

Had she heard him right?

Lu Changsheng, who was in the "Nascent Soul Realm," wanted to take her as his disciple?

It wasn't just Xia Ningxue. Kumu, Luo Feng, and the others were also dumbfounded.

It would have been one thing if Shushan's Taiyuan True Person had come to the Ask Immortal Pavilion to snatch a disciple, but an ordinary Shushan elder actually wanted to take an elder of the Ask Immortal Pavilion as his disciple?

Besides, Xia Ningxue's standing in the Ask Immortal Pavilion was far more important than that of the vast majority of its elders.

"Elder Lu, you have quite a sense of humor. Unfortunately, I already have a master."

As expected of a personal disciple from a great sect, Xia Ningxue did not reject him outright, instead giving Lu Changsheng a way to save face.

"What a pity."

Lu Changsheng had been serious.

If he hadn't feared offending the Ask Immortal Pavilion, Lu Changsheng would have found a way to make Xia Ningxue acknowledge him as her master.

The disciple-teaching system was good in every way, except that when it automatically searched for prospective disciples, it gave no thought to their backgrounds.

"Little Friend Lu, stop joking. This matter is urgent. Let us head to the Great Wilderness Frontier and investigate as soon as possible."

Elder Kumu also took Lu Changsheng's words as a joke and thought nothing of them.

More than twenty streaks of light set out from Southguard Pass, flying toward the mountains to the south.

"What was the purpose of the branch hall the Ask Immortal Pavilion established in Desolate Province?"

"It's simple. First, to keep an eye on developments in Desolate Province, and second, to recruit members of the Wilderness Tribe with better aptitude. We suspect the Demon Race massacred everyone in our branch hall. The Demon Race in Desolate Province may be no weaker than your Shushan. We must be extremely cautious on this trip."

Elder Kumu's expression grew grave as he spoke of the matter.

Lu Changsheng had learned from Shushan's records that the so-called Wilderness Tribe were survivors from High Antiquity who had ended up scattered among the mountains of Desolate Province.

The Wilderness Tribe were also humans, but they had always lived in tribes.

Though the Wilderness Tribe were few in number, as survivors from High Antiquity, they had formidable physiques. Thus, the Ask Immortal Pavilion occasionally recruited disciples from the tribe to strengthen the sect.

Desolate Province had also been named after the Wilderness Tribe.

South of Southguard Pass lay endless mountains. Lu Changsheng and his companions flew on their swords for two days before reaching the branch hall the Ask Immortal Pavilion had established there.

The branch hall had been established in a Wilderness Tribe settlement. When Lu Changsheng and his companions arrived, the entire settlement was in ruins, with corpses strewn everywhere. Shattered stone houses, dried-up rivers of blood, and cracked stone axes could be seen all around.

"As expected, the Demon Race did this."

Xia Ningxue gazed at the enormous claw marks below, traces left by a great demon in battle.

Traces of the Demon Race's presence still lingered in the valley where the Wilderness Tribe settlement stood.

"Not just the Demon Race. There are traces of the Demon Sects here too."

Elder Kumu's expression darkened further. He had detected signs of the Demon Sects.

Lu Changsheng's expression gradually grew serious as well.

In Xiazhou, although the Six Great Orthodox Sects competed with one another, they joined forces to suppress the Four Great Demonic Sects. For every foot the devil rose, the Dao rose ten.

But if the Four Great Demonic Sects joined forces with the Demon Race of Desolate Province, that balance would be broken.

The waters ran deep.

No wonder his eldest senior brother was so worried about what was happening here.

"Split up and search. See if anyone is still alive."

"Yes."

The Ask Immortal Pavilion group scattered to search for survivors.

The four Dao Palace Realm experts stood on flying swords above the Wilderness Tribe settlement.

"Most likely, no one survived. Did the Demon Race come to wipe out this Wilderness Tribe and destroy our branch hall along the way, or was our branch hall their target all along?"

Luo Feng's expression was grim.

"That's exactly what worries me. Only by finding a survivor can we catch a glimpse of the truth."

Elder Kumu's face was as wrinkled as tree bark, and he was full of worry.

Xia Ningxue's willow-like brows furrowed slightly, and she said nothing.

A Wilderness Tribe settlement of tens of thousands had actually been wiped out overnight.

"Elders, we found nothing on our side."

"Neither did we."

"Aaaah!!!"

The screams of several Ask Immortal Pavilion disciples searching the nearby mountain forests rang out.

Lu Changsheng, Elder Kumu, Luo Feng, and Xia Ningxue all turned toward the south. A hundred-zhang-wide Beast Claw appeared, swatting down at a Golden Core Realm disciple of the Ask Immortal Pavilion.

The Golden Core Realm disciple flew on his sword, trying to escape the Beast Claw's reach. "Elders, save me!"

Boom!

The Beast Claw came down without mercy, smashing the Golden Core Realm disciple into the ground and killing him in a single blow!

The earth shook, and sand and stones flew!

"Not good! It's an ambush!"

Lu Changsheng immediately held his breath and calmed his mind, concentrating all his attention.

This assessment mission was fraught with danger!

"Hahahaha! We didn't expect to find you here while we were waiting for that person. Since you're here, we'll wipe you out while we're at it!"

Hundreds of figures appeared around the valley. At their head was a man with a sword scar on his face, dressed in black Sword Attire, his sharp edge on full display.

The twenty-odd members of the Ask Immortal Pavilion looked around in terror. They were surrounded by layers of Demon Sects disciples.

"Evil Sword, an elder of the Reincarnation Hall, is at the fourth layer of the Dao Palace Realm, just like me. I'll hold him off. You lead the others and fight your way out."

Elder Kumu secretly transmitted his voice to Lu Changsheng, Luo Feng, and Xia Ningxue.

"But Elder, what will you do?"

"When the time comes, I'll have my own way to escape. But you absolutely must not die here, or I won't be able to answer to the pavilion master."

Elder Kumu's expression was resolute. No matter what, he had to protect the disciple the pavilion master valued most.

"Kumu, you have two Dao Palace Realm helpers, and I have two Dao Palace Realm elders here as well. But I've also invited Black Tiger Dao Lord of the Demon Race. Today, all of you will be buried here! Hahahaha!!!"

Evil Sword laughed wildly. With four Dao Palace Realm experts and hundreds of Demon Sects disciples against the Ask Immortal Pavilion group, which had only three Dao Palace Realm experts, victory was all but assured.

Lu Changsheng noticed that Evil Sword seemed to have left him, another Dao Palace Realm expert, out of his count.