Three Immortals Island.
Mist drifted through the clouds, and Immortal Qi hung thick in the air.
Unlike the boiling uproar of the outside world, this place remained as tranquil and peaceful as ever.
But that tranquility was soon shattered by two urgent, excited voices.
"Big Sister! You heard what Eldest Brother said, didn't you? That Senior Qin Feng from Azure Stone Palace is simply incredible!"
Bi Xiao, the most hot-tempered of the sisters, burst into Yun Xiao's meditation chamber like a gust of wind, her pretty face flushed red with excitement.
Behind her, Qiong Xiao wore a look of yearning and admiration, nodding repeatedly in agreement.
"Yes, yes! He alone beat the Chan Sect's Twelve Golden Immortals until they were utterly defeated, and even forced Yuanshi Tianzun's decree to retreat! This is more thrilling than any storybook tale! This is the bearing that we immortals of the Interception Sect should have!"
For a long time, the disciples of the Interception Sect had endured far too much from the Chan Sect.
Qin Feng's sudden rise was like a thunderclap exploding through a stifling summer day, filling everyone with heartfelt exhilaration.
Bi Xiao was especially unable to sit still. Tugging at Yun Xiao's sleeve, she chattered away excitedly.
"Big Sister, let's go visit this senior! He stood up for Senior Sister Shi Ji, which means he stood up for our Interception Sect! As direct disciples of Tongtian Saint, we should personally thank him and show him our support!"
"That's right! Let those Chan Sect fellows see that this senior isn't alone! The entire Interception Sect stands behind him!" Qiong Xiao cracked her knuckles, wishing she could mount a cloud and set off immediately.
Yet faced with her two younger sisters' blazing enthusiasm, Yun Xiao, seated upon her cloud bed, merely slowly opened her eyes.
There was not the slightest ripple in her cool, waterlike gaze as she calmly spoke a single word.
"Improper."
Her voice was not loud, yet it was like a basin of cold water that instantly extinguished Qiong Xiao and Bi Xiao's excitement.
"Huh? Why is that improper?" Bi Xiao pouted, utterly confused. "He helped us so much. What could be improper about going to thank him?"
"Exactly, Big Sister. Don't you always teach us that even a drop of kindness should be repaid with a gushing spring?" Qiong Xiao could not understand either.
Looking at her pure-hearted younger sisters, Yun Xiao shook her head helplessly and raised a delicate hand, signaling them to calm down.
Her gaze was distant, as though it had pierced through endless void and fallen upon the newly established Azure Stone Palace.
"You only saw that he stood up for Junior Sister Shi Ji, and that he forcefully confronted the Chan Sect. What you did not see was what lay behind that dominance."
Yun Xiao's voice was measured, carrying the wisdom of one who could see through people's hearts.
"His actions may seem arrogant, but his thoughts are meticulous. He warned the Chan Sect while still leaving them a way out. He took only possessions and spared lives. That was deterrence, not the forging of an irreconcilable blood feud."
"The fact that he was willing to go so far for Junior Sister Shi Ji shows that he is a man who values loyalty and affection, and is fiercely protective of his own."
"Most importantly," Yun Xiao slightly emphasized her tone, "he even dared to stand against a Saint's decree. What does that tell you?"
Qiong Xiao and Bi Xiao exchanged looks, then instinctively shook their heads.
A meaningful curve appeared at the corner of Yun Xiao's lips.
"It tells us that, in his eyes, our status as direct disciples of the Interception Sect and the title of Saint's disciples carry no weight at all. He acts solely according to his own heart and does not care about external things."
The moment those words were spoken, Qiong Xiao and Bi Xiao froze.
Only then did they realize it. Yes, would a formidable figure who dared disregard even a Saint care whether they were direct disciples of a Saint?
Perhaps, in his eyes, their little bit of status was no different from stray cats and dogs by the roadside.
"The greater the expert, the prouder they are," Yun Xiao continued. "If we were to noisily show up at his door now under the banner of thanking him and supporting him, he might not see it as goodwill. He might instead find it presumptuous and offensive."
"He may even think that we want to borrow his prestige and draw him into the Interception Sect's camp, making him dislike us for no reason."
Her words left Qiong Xiao and Bi Xiao speechless, cold sweat breaking out across their backs.
Only then did they understand just how vast the gap between themselves and their eldest sister truly was.
They had seen only the surface excitement, while their eldest sister had already clearly deduced that senior's thoughts, temperament, and even every possible future development.
"Then... what should we do?" Bi Xiao had completely run out of ideas. Like a child who had made a mistake, she looked at Yun Xiao expectantly.
Yun Xiao smiled faintly, completely confident.
"We will not go to his door, but we can invite him to ours."
As she spoke, she flipped her delicate hand, and a jade slip appeared out of thin air in her palm. It was pure white throughout and emitted a soft immortal glow.
This jade slip was made from high-grade Immortal Jade gathered from the depths of the Eastern Sea. Warm, translucent, and brimming with spiritual energy, this single piece of material alone would be enough to make ordinary Golden Immortals fight over it.
Qiong Xiao and Bi Xiao stared wide-eyed.
This was one of their eldest sister's most treasured possessions. Usually, she would not even let them touch it, yet now she had taken it out.
Yun Xiao brought two jade-like fingers together. A strand of profound Dao rhythm curled around her fingertips as she began slowly inscribing the jade slip.
She did not use any Magic Power. Instead, she relied entirely on her own comprehension of the Great Dao to imprint each message within it.
There were no earthshaking phenomena during the process, yet a Dao rhythm of returning to simplicity flowed through the air.
A moment later, Yun Xiao withdrew her fingers and handed over the jade slip.
"Send Caiyun to Azure Stone Palace and have her deliver this invitation."
Bi Xiao curiously leaned closer and sent her Spiritual Sense into the jade slip, then let out a cry of surprise.
Not a single word inside mentioned the Interception Sect, nor was there any language flaunting status.
The entire invitation addressed the other party as "Fellow Daoist Azure Stone Palace Lord" in an equal, even slightly humble tone. It sincerely invited him to visit Three Immortals Island three months later to discuss the mysteries of the Great Dao.
The wording was earnest, and the posture was exceedingly low, giving the other party ample respect.
"Big Sister, isn't this... a little too polite?" Bi Xiao clicked her tongue.
"This is not politeness. This is respect," Yun Xiao said calmly. "It is both an invitation and a test. If he comes, it means he bears us no ill will, and we may befriend him. If he does not, then our fate has not yet arrived, and there will be no need to disturb him again in the future."
"Brilliant! Truly brilliant!"
Qiong Xiao and Bi Xiao looked at one another, each seeing deep admiration in the other's eyes.
What methods, what breadth of mind, what vision!
As expected of their eldest sister!
Azure Stone Palace.
Outside the mountain gate, an Auspicious Cloud slowly descended, revealing a beautiful fairy clad in colorful robes.
She was Fairy Caiyun, Yun Xiao's attendant girl.
Yet at this moment, this fairy, who was usually considered quite notable even on Golden Ao Island, stood blankly staring at the sight before her, her beautiful little mouth wide enough to fit an egg.
Before coming here, she had thought Skeleton Mountain would be some gloomy, terrifying place.
But what was this before her... what kind of immortal paradise was this?
The spiritual energy was so dense it seemed ready to drip from the air. Exotic flowers and rare herbs grew everywhere, any one of which could rival an immortal pill. Immortal birds and auspicious beasts roamed the mountains, each possessing a bloodline aura more noble than the last...
Fairy Caiyun felt as though her mind could no longer process what she was seeing.
Was this really Skeleton Mountain? Had she come to the wrong place?
Even her mistresses' Three Immortals Island seemed to pale somewhat in comparison...
She could even sense terrifying traces of formations lurking deep within the immortal mountain, their presence enough to make her soul tremble.
Just as her shock reached an indescribable height, the mountain-protecting grand formation shrouding the gate silently opened a passage.
A cool and confident figure slowly stepped out.
The woman wore a plain dress and possessed a graceful figure. It was Shi Ji.
At this moment, none of her former inferiority or timidity remained. In its place was the composure and bearing of a mistress of a Daoist sanctuary.
"Are you a fellow Daoist from Three Immortals Island?" Shi Ji asked calmly, neither servile nor overbearing.
Fairy Caiyun jolted and instantly came back to her senses. She hurriedly bowed, her attitude becoming respectful to the extreme.
"Caiyun of Three Immortals Island has come by my Empress's command to pay respects to Empress Shi Ji and deliver an invitation to the Azure Stone Palace Lord."
She did not dare show the slightest neglect as she respectfully held the Immortal Jade invitation aloft with both hands.
A trace of surprise flashed through Shi Ji's eyes.
Three Immortals Island? A personal invitation from Empress Yun Xiao?
The Three Virtuous Goddesses held a position in the Interception Sect second only to a handful of people such as Daoist Duobao. They were true core direct disciples, and their standards had always been exceedingly high.
Yet now, they had actually taken the initiative to send someone to deliver an invitation to her—no, to her Daoist brother?
An indescribable sense of honor and pride instantly welled up within her.
All of this was because of her Daoist brother.
Because of his strength, because of the dignity he had brought her, those beings she had once needed to look up to had taken the initiative to lower themselves and seek friendship.
Shi Ji took a deep breath, solemnly accepted the jade slip, and gave Fairy Caiyun a slight nod.
"Thank you for the trouble, Fellow Daoist. My Daoist brother is currently in seclusion. Once he emerges, Shi Ji will certainly deliver the Empress's invitation to him at once."
Her voice was steady and clear, and she spoke the words "my Daoist brother" as naturally as could be.
Hearing this, Fairy Caiyun's heart tightened once more, and her awe for the mysterious Azure Stone Palace Lord deepened further.
For Empress Shi Ji to willingly refer to herself as "my" in such a devoted manner, the relationship between the two was already self-evident.
After seeing Fairy Caiyun off, Shi Ji held the warm jade slip in her hand and remained silent for a long time.
She could feel the weight represented by this small jade slip.
It was not merely an invitation, but also recognition from the upper ranks of the Interception Sect.
She raised her head and looked toward the tightly shut meditation chamber deep within the palace. Light flickered in her beautiful phoenix eyes.
Daoist brother, did you see it?
Because of you, Shi Ji was no longer the lonely woman whom anyone could bully.
At last, there was a place for us in this prehistoric world.
Before you continue