Volume 2: Phantom Tracks and Demonic Traces

"Huh?"

"Who is it?"

"Martial Ancestor Uncle, Martial Ancestor Uncle." He didn't even notice the group of people here; instead, he walked like a walking corpse toward a pile of inconspicuous, broken walls near the cliff edge. He picked up a sharp stone from the ground and casually drew a line on a mottled section of the wall.

Bai Qiuran asked, "It's one thing for that good-for-nothing Jueyunzi, but why are you elders neglecting your sect duties to come here? Are you here to show concern for a lonely old man?"

Tang Ruowei's face flushed slightly. Not knowing how to respond to Bai Qiuran, she shifted her eyes and raised her hand, offering a greeting in an awkward manner.

Then, in a state of panic and confusion, she blurted out something that absolutely should not have been said.

"Why wouldn't... Father Emperor was overjoyed to hear that I was coming to the Azure Nether Sword Sect."

"And then what happened?"

The Fourth Elder said leisurely, "Can the seven of us stand together or fall together just this once?"

Jueyunzi revealed a smile that could only be described as sycophantic.

Noticing Tang Ruowei's gaze, the Sixth Elder, Qing Yun, explained, "That was originally a Demon-Suppressing Pagoda. In the early years, Yao Mo were rampant. When Azure Nether disciples went down the mountain to eliminate demons, some Yao Mo had powerful Nascent Souls that were difficult to destroy. The disciples would capture their Nascent Souls and throw them into the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda, where a Azure Nether elder would be personally responsible for supervising their refinement. Later, when Martial Ancestor Uncle moved here to live and read, he would draw a line on that tower with a stone every time he broke through a level."

This smile was very familiar to Bai Qiuran; it was the same gentle and kind expression she had on her face that day when she drew her sword to hack at people.

Bai Qiuran was also surprised.

"Miss Tang, why are you here?"

"You brat, after being Sect Master for hundreds of years, your wings have hardened and you've become quite arrogant, haven't you?"

"What about your own wishes? Giving up the life of luxury and fine clothes as a princess to come to this mountain to find me—what is it for?"

Bai Qiuran felt a bit guilty inside. Although he wasn't afraid of Tang Ruowei, knowing that he was being kept in mind by someone like this was actually quite an uncomfortable feeling.

"Martial Ancestor Uncle."

Then, thinking back to the last time he parted with her, when he had touched upon a taboo by mentioning her secondary sexual characteristics...

Tang Ruowei replied, "After all, he already has an eldest legitimate son. When I grow up, I will be nothing more than a tool for political marriage. Rather than being married off to form alliances with other countries or to win over domestic ministers and clans, it would be better to let me come to the Azure Nether Sword Sect. Perhaps I can seek a transcendent immortal fate for the royal family."

Qing Yun carefully glanced at the dazed Bai Qiuran and lowered her voice, saying, "That day, Martial Ancestor Uncle's inner fire was raging, so they all became his punching bags. They died miserably."

Speaking of this, Bai Qiuran felt a secret sense of vigilance. Although he had saved Tang Ruowei, as a three-thousand-year-old virgin who had also remained in the Qi Refining Stage, he actually felt inferior regarding his own charm. He was not narcissistic enough to believe that in just a few days, Tang Ruowei would like him enough to abandon her status as a princess and chase after him to the sect.

"We meet again."

Being stared at directly by him, Tang Ruowei also felt a bit embarrassed. She lowered her head, fiddling with a strand of hair on her shoulder, and said softly, "I heard from the Imperial Advisor that you were from the Azure Nether Sword Sect, and then I heard that the Azure Nether Sword Sect's once-every-twenty-years disciple selection in Xuanjian Town had been postponed for a few months due to unforeseen circumstances, so I left the capital and participated in the selection ceremony."

"I have come to congratulate Martial Ancestor Uncle on breaking through once again, reaching a higher level of strength. May Martial Ancestor Uncle live as long as the heavens, ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand ten thousand years."

As soon as he said it, Jueyunzi covered his mouth again, his heart turning cold.

The Sixth Elder smiled helplessly.

Tang Ruowei stuck out her tongue. At this moment, the several elders of the Azure Nether Sword Sect who saw Bai Qiuran come out of seclusion were also exchanging glances. After some shilly-shallying, Sect Master Jueyunzi was kicked out of the group by someone and arrived in front of the others.

"I know you came looking for me because you are still angry about what I said that day regarding your physical flaws. I apologize for that; I was just curious, not intentional."

Bai Qiuran was stunned.

Bai Qiuran continued to ask, "You are, after all, the Grand Princess of the Shangxuan Kingdom. You must know that once you enter the Azure Nether Sword Sect, you will have no more ties to the mortal world. Can your father let go of that?"

"Ah?"

"Hmph."

"Of course I came for you."

Bai Qiuran's expression became grave.

He clutched his buttocks and glared fiercely at his junior brothers and sisters. With no other choice, he had to cautiously approach the dazed Bai Qiuran.

"Practitioners of the Dao must guard against arrogance and impetuosity. Today, Martial Ancestor Uncle will help you recall this principle."

He said this while clenching his fists, which emitted a terrifying crackling sound.

Tang Ruowei asked in a low voice.

"I have come to welcome Martial Ancestor Uncle out of seclusion."

"Then let's speak plainly; don't resort to violence first."

"You guys, what are you doing today?"

"Right here."

Bai Qiuran couldn't even be bothered to lift his eyelids now.

Tang Ruowei looked at him with a confused expression.

"Sigh, let's not talk about it for now." The youngest, the Seventh Elder Liu Yun, reminded, "Martial Ancestor Uncle is coming over."

"You Third Senior Brother, you always want to stay out of it."

Tang Ruowei asked.

Bai Qiuran responded expressionlessly, his eyes looking as dead as could be.

Could she be wanting to chase after me to hack me to death?

Everyone looked up together and found that Bai Qiuran, having finished with Jueyunzi, was already walking toward them. The young man with white hair and white eyebrows had vented his frustrations on the reckless juniors, and now that he looked to be in a better mood, he was walking over while clapping his hands.

Damn it, what kind of nonsense am I saying?

Sure enough, upon hearing Bai Qiuran's question, Tang Ruowei revealed a bright smile.

Jueyunzi had been talking happily in his own courtyard before, but as soon as he was in front of Bai Qiuran, he began to get nervous.

"Uh, ha, hello."

"It seems Martial Ancestor Uncle has failed again."

"What did you come here for, brat?"

"Later, the tower collapsed."

"What is there to welcome?"

The door opened, and the people standing at the entrance saw Bai Qiuran walk out of the courtyard looking dejected.

"Looking for me?"

Sure enough, hearing his words, Bai Qiuran's head turned, his eyes emitting a cruel, blood-red light.

"But if you want to continue, then I'm sorry, Bai Qiuran is not someone who will just let himself be slaughtered. Don't force me!"

"I'm not taking the blame for this."

"Since the tower collapsed, wouldn't the Nascent Souls of the Yao Mo inside have escaped?"

Meeting Bai Qiuran's eyes, the memory of being disciplined in his early years for his loose tongue surfaced like mist from his heart. This psychological shadow, even for a Body Integration Stage cultivator like him, caused his heart to waver, creating a flaw in his state of mind in an instant.

"You have come out of seclusion."

The Second Elder bowed and said, "Actually, it's like this: our sect has a new person who specifically asked to find you."

Then, he threw away the stone, swayed, and sat down on a large rock at the cliff edge, staring blankly at the white clouds in the sky.

"No."

"But to this day, Martial Ancestor Uncle still keeps this habit, and the traces he carved remain on the broken walls."

The Third Elder waved his hand and said, "I just said [You brought the person, you go first], and you guys kicked the Senior Disciple Brother out. I didn't lay a hand on anyone."

Bai Qiuran rolled up his sleeves.

The Second Elder looked up at Jueyunzi, who was hanging on a crooked tree nearby with a bruised face, and said to the Third Elder, who was looking uneasy, "At times like this, the outspoken Senior Disciple Brother should be the one to open the conversation."

"Then did your father agree?"

"Martial Ancestor Uncle, spare me!"

The Sixth Elder, Qing Yun, pulled Tang Ruowei and walked to the front of the elders.

"Mm."

Consequently, Bai Qiuran took a step back and said sternly, "Miss Tang, please conduct yourself with dignity."

On the Seven Star Peak of the Azure Nether Mountains, the scream of the leader of the righteous path and Sect Master of the Azure Nether Sword Sect, Jueyunzi, rang out.

"Sigh, Third Junior Brother's judgment was indeed correct."