Fiancée (Part 2)

Fiancée (Part 2)

At the beginning, Li Qiye was still extremely awkward. Even though he understood every profound mystery of blade techniques by heart, his hands still trembled when he drew his blade, unable to meet the standard of perfection down to the finest detail.

However, Li Qiye was not discouraged. He practiced the blade technique again and again. With each round of grueling practice, he gradually became more proficient. In the span of a single night, Li Qiye practiced three hundred times. He slowly grasped the profound mysteries of this blade technique, and his strikes gradually became incomparably precise!

Although Li Qiye possessed countless memories and held innumerable heaven-shaking secrets within his heart, his incomparably steadfast Dao Heart made him understand even more clearly that if he wanted to flatten the Immortal-Demon Cave in this life, he had to put in tenfold, perhaps even a hundredfold, the effort of others. Otherwise, no matter how many resources he possessed, he would never be able to flatten the Immortal-Demon Cave. In this present age, no one understood the Immortal-Demon Cave better than he did!

For three days, Li Qiye never stepped outside. He stayed in the courtyard and trained his blade technique tirelessly. Li Qiye also understood that this trip to the Nine Sacred Demon Gate would certainly be fraught with danger, so he needed to make preparations!

Three days passed in a flash, and Li Qiye set out for the Nine Sacred Demon Gate! Aside from Nan Huairen, who had always been responsible for delivering messages for Li Qiye, Protector Mo would also accompany him.

The Washing Yan Ancient Sect had six Elders, twelve Protectors, and thirty-six Hall Masters! Yet when they were visiting such a colossal sect as the Nine Sacred Demon Gate today, only one Protector was leading the party. It truly made no sense.

"Just the three of us?" Before departing, Li Qiye looked over the shabby little group and spoke.

Protector Mo, who was leading them, was a man of few words. He was also Nan Huairen's master! Protector Mo glanced at Li Qiye, too lazy to say anything else.

Nan Huairen, on the other hand, was smooth and worldly, able to dance in every sleeve. Hearing Li Qiye's words, he gave a dry laugh and said with a smile, "Senior Brother, the Elders have recently entered seclusion to cultivate, so they do not plan to go."

Li Qiye smiled and said calmly, "Secluded cultivation? They are afraid of losing face, that is all. In any case, I have no chance of passing the assessment. If they, as Elders, personally showed up, failure would be a small matter, but they could not afford to lose that face."

With Li Qiye exposing the truth in a single breath, Nan Huairen could not help but laugh awkwardly a few times. Li Qiye had indeed hit the mark. Li Qiye had not even entered the gates of cultivation, yet he was going to take the Nine Sacred Demon Gate's assessment? By then, he would likely make a fool of himself again and again.

To the six Elders, it was certain that Li Qiye could not pass the assessment. Failure was already set in stone, but making fools of themselves and losing face was something they could not bear.

"Senior Brother, you worry too much." Nan Huairen laughed dryly, then said, "The Nine Sacred Demon Gate has never been particularly friendly toward us. The Elders do not wish to clash with them, so they will not attend this matter."

Li Qiye smiled faintly and said, "The Nine Sacred Demon Gate is nothing worth mentioning. The Washing Yan Ancient Sect is simply no longer what it was in those days. Back then, even if the Nine Sacred Great Sage had still been alive, he would only have been qualified to pay homage to the Washing Yan Ancient Sect."

Protector Mo snorted coldly at Li Qiye's wildly arrogant words. He shot Li Qiye a glance, too lazy to say anything further.

Nan Huairen merely smiled awkwardly. Afraid that Li Qiye would grow even more overbearing, he hurriedly changed the subject and introduced him, saying, "Senior Brother, this is my master, a Protector of our sect."

"Protector Mo, I hope you will look after me on this journey." Li Qiye cupped his hands in salute, his manners generous and proper, his bearing relaxed and composed.

Protector Mo glanced at Li Qiye and was too lazy to say much. "Let us depart," he said, then turned and left. As a Protector of the Washing Yan Ancient Sect, Protector Mo was actually among the older Protectors, and his cultivation was not bad. Unfortunately, he was taciturn and poor at social dealings, so his status within the Washing Yan Ancient Sect was quite ordinary and could not compare with that of the other Protectors. Otherwise, he would not have been assigned to lead such a thankless task as this mission to the Nine Sacred Demon Gate.

The upper ranks of the Washing Yan Ancient Sect all understood that this trip to the Nine Sacred Demon Gate would certainly make them a laughingstock. Li Qiye would surely make a complete fool of himself, and he might even accidentally bring about a fatal disaster. This assignment was destined to fail. Not only did the six Elders avoid it like the plague, even the other Protectors were unwilling to lead it. In the end, the task fell upon Protector Mo's shoulders.

Protector Mo also knew that this assignment would certainly end in great humiliation. How could his mood possibly be good? Thus, he became even more tight-lipped, too lazy to speak at all.

Protector Mo led Li Qiye and Nan Huairen into the Dao Platform of the Washing Yan Ancient Sect. The Dao Platform was enormous, capable of holding ten thousand people. Such a gigantic Dao Platform was truly astonishing. Looking across the Great Central Region, there were likely few sect inheritances capable of possessing one so vast.

The Dao Platform was unimaginably ancient, built from divine stone and precious pillars. It was inscribed with the writings of an Immortal Emperor, majestic and unfathomable. Every passage of those Immortal Emperor writings could grind time and space to dust! This Dao Platform alone was enough to reveal the foundations of the Washing Yan Ancient Sect!

This was the Dao Platform personally forged by Immortal Emperor Mingren in those days. Immortal Emperor Mingren had once activated it to launch expeditions across the Eight Desolations and traverse the Nine Worlds! Looking across the Great Central Region, only immortal sects with imperial lineages likely possessed such a Dao Platform!

With a buzz, as disciples of the Washing Yan Ancient Sect activated the Dao Platform, an enormous Dao Gate rose within it. The Dao Gate had been polished from divine gold and was inscribed with profoundly mysterious imperial writings! Rows of slots had been left upon the Dao Gate, meant for embedding Essence Walls.

Essence Walls were crystals condensed from Heaven and Earth Essence. They had many uses, one of which was activating Dao Gates to cross spatial domains. The more Essence Walls there were, and the higher their grade, the farther the spatial domain they could traverse.

Unfortunately, only a sparse few of the rows of slots in this Dao Gate contained Essence Walls now, and even those Essence Walls were of limited grade!

Seeing this, Li Qiye sighed softly in his heart. The Washing Yan Ancient Sect truly had declined. Back then, this Dao Gate had been filled with Essence Walls from immortal lands! This Dao Gate had once been able to cross the Nine Worlds. So long as one possessed detailed coordinates, it could take one anywhere one wished to go!

"Go—" Protector Mo led Li Qiye and Nan Huairen into the Dao Gate, and they were instantly teleported away!

The Great Central Region was vast beyond measure, spanning billions upon billions of miles. Cultivator sects within the Great Central Region were as numerous as the hairs on an ox, and there were even several dozen territorial kingdoms. Colossal powers such as territorial kingdoms, upper kingdoms, and ancient kingdoms each covered tens of millions, or even hundreds of millions, of miles.

Therefore, to cross a territorial kingdom, one had to be a True Person or Sacred Emperor. Otherwise, even mighty heroes and marquises would need to fly for a very long time. Moreover, the Great Central Region was merely one part of the Human Emperor Realm.

The Human Emperor Realm was also called the Emperor Realm or the Imperial Territory by some. Within this vast Imperial Territory lay a boundless ocean to the north, red earth to the south, a hundred cities to the east, wilderness to the west, and the Great Central Region at its center!

To cross territorial kingdoms or different regions, flying was not enough. One had to rely on Dao Gates to traverse spatial domains. Of course, not many sects possessed Dao Platforms capable of crossing between regions. Most sects with such platforms ruled over territorial kingdoms and upper kingdoms!

With a buzz, in the blink of an eye, the three of them were teleported to the Nine Sacred Demon Gate and emerged from the Dao Platform's gate within the sect.

The moment they stepped out of the Dao Gate, both Protector Mo and Li Qiye immediately felt the Heaven and Earth Essence, so dense it seemed impossible to dissolve. Looking into the distance, they saw an immortal landscape!

The sect territory of the Nine Sacred Demon Gate stretched for tens of thousands of miles. Its mountains and rivers were magnificent, with flying springs hanging in the sky, divine trees holding up the heavens, and ancient palaces and jade towers floating amid the clouds. In the deepest reaches of the sect territory, beams of divine light shot into the sky one after another. Without needing to think, one knew that peerless heavenly treasures were hidden there!

Within the Nine Sacred Demon Gate, longevity spirits came and went from rosy caves, inhaling and exhaling misty radiance. Heavenly Beasts streaked through the sky and soared across the nine heavens, their primordial auras churning the clouds and rosy vapors!

This was the grandeur of a great sect. With such splendor, it was no wonder they could hold the reins of a territorial kingdom! Compared to such an imposing sight, the Washing Yan Ancient Sect resembled an old man in his twilight years, gasping his last breath. There was simply no comparison.

At the sight of such grandeur, both Protector Mo and Nan Huairen fell into a daze for a moment. This was not their first visit to the Nine Sacred Demon Gate, yet seeing its magnificence left their hearts filled with desolation. Thinking back to those days, even a colossal power like the Nine Sacred Demon Gate had been required to pay homage to the Washing Yan Ancient Sect!

Unfortunately, the splendor of those years was gone. Today, the Washing Yan Ancient Sect had already fallen into decline and even needed to live off the breath of the Nine Sacred Demon Gate!

"So it is Brother Mo who has come in person. Brother Mo, it has been a long time." As Protector Mo and the other two descended from the Dao Platform, an old man from the Nine Sacred Demon Gate arrived to receive them, accompanied by a disciple.

The Washing Yan Ancient Sect and the Nine Sacred Demon Gate had already exchanged word regarding the assessment, so the Nine Sacred Demon Gate had long been prepared.

The man receiving them was a Hall Master of the Nine Sacred Demon Gate, surnamed Fu. Hall Master Fu's expression was grim and cold, and it was difficult for him to force even the faintest smile. Precious light surged around his entire body, while terrifying cold gleams flickered in his eyes. Every gleam seemed tangible, enough to make one shudder in fear.

"Sorry for the trouble, Brother Fu. For Brother Fu to personally receive us, Mo is deeply honored." Upon seeing Hall Master Fu, Protector Mo quickly cupped his hands in salute. Without realizing it, his bearing had already fallen far below the other man's.

There was no helping it. Although Hall Master Fu was merely a Hall Master, the precious light surging from his body made it clear that he already possessed the strength of a mighty hero. Just imagine it: in the Washing Yan Ancient Sect, only Elders had the strength to be granted the title of mighty hero, while a mere Hall Master from the other side already possessed such power.

Protector Mo said to Hall Master Fu, "Brother Fu, we have come this time for the assessment."

Hall Master Fu forced out a thirty-percent smile, one that did not reach his eyes. "The Elder has already given instructions regarding this matter." At this point, he glanced at Li Qiye, then could not be bothered to look at him again. "This must be the Chief Disciple of your sect."

"Indeed. Li Qiye is the Chief Disciple of our Washing Yan Ancient Sect." Protector Mo had no choice but to force out a smile. With aptitude like Li Qiye's, there was truly nothing to be proud of.

"The assessment is merely a friendly exchange." Hall Master Fu gave that false smile again and said, "Brother Mo need not force the matter." In his eyes, Li Qiye was nothing more than an ant.

"It is only an assessment. What is there worth mentioning?" Li Qiye could not even be bothered to give Hall Master Fu another glance as he spoke calmly.

Hall Master Fu snorted coldly and ignored Li Qiye completely. He said to Protector Mo, "Brother Mo, please follow me." To him, speaking with a junior like Li Qiye would be beneath his status.

Protector Mo could not help but glare at Li Qiye!

Thanks to reader Time Plunderer for creating the cover.

Regarding the update schedule: the first update is at nine in the morning, the second is at five in the afternoon, and if there is an extra release, it will be before ten at night.

For the fastest updates, please bookmark this site to read the latest novels!