Sword Out
"Has my maternal uncle arrived yet?"
The flickering firelight cast a long, voluptuous shadow beside the man. He stopped, turned to look at her, and asked in surprise, "When did he arrive?"
With a swaying waist, Lou Ji walked with a graceful, feminine air, her words flowing freely.
"I don't know exactly when, but when I found him, he was already there."
After pausing for a couple of breaths, Xu Yuan quickly caught up with Lou Ji, letting out a slightly embarrassed chuckle:
"Couldn't you have told me before you arrived? It's not like I can't tell you."
Lou Ji rolled her eyes helplessly, her expression full of allure:
"You know perfectly well that if he doesn't want to, even your father can't order your uncle around. How would I, an outsider, know his whereabouts?"
As she spoke, Lou Ji turned her face to the side, her long eyelashes drooping, her eyes half-closed, and a devilish smile playing on her lips:
"Judging from your expression back then, I thought you weren't attracted to that blonde girl at all. Why are you suddenly scared now?"
"."
Xu Yuan quickened his pace slightly, not continuing the topic, and instead asked softly:
"Sis, are we sure it's okay to walk this slowly?"
The two walked at a fairly fast pace, and in just a quarter of an hour they had already covered several miles in the corridor. However, Xu Yuan had witnessed firsthand the immense aftershocks of the Saint's battle.
He had seen it both in the Cangyuan of his past life and in the reality of this life.
The Barbarian King's momentum upon entering the realm of sainthood was already overwhelming. Although I've never seen my uncle's serious side, I could tell from the final boss battle with my father in Cangyuan.
That battle reduced the entire Di'an City to ruins.
In Cangyuan, Di'an City is not large, and there are only a few maps.
In reality, however, Di'an City is a colossal city, so vast that it stretches as far as the eye can see from the air.
Judging from the occasional glimpses of information revealed in Lou Ji's words, her maternal uncle seems to be more powerful than her father. After all, when one dedicates their life to pursuing their ideals, they will always have to give up some things.
Lou Ji's captivating and alluring eyes curved into two crescent moons:
"Are you afraid the fighting will affect you?"
Xu Yuan nodded honestly:
"I can't withstand the aftermath of a sage's actions."
"Changtian, have you forgotten?"
Lou Ji raised her snow-white, lotus-like arm and gently ruffled Xu Yuan's long hair. She narrowed her eyes and spoke softly:
"You are currently in the Prime Minister's Mansion, and today is the last day of the grand banquet."
"."
After a moment of silence, Xu Yuan let out a soft, wry laugh.
In the Cangyuan storyline, many high-ranking officials of the Prime Minister's Mansion died outside, in 1v1 duels with the main characters. If all the top bosses gathered in the Prime Minister's Estate, even players at the Saint level would be ganged up on and killed without using cheats.
"That's true, I was just overthinking it."
With his heart at ease, Xu Yuan's mind began to race, and he asked softly, "Sister, do you really think the person who was teleported here is the Emperor of Xien?"
Lou Ji did not answer but asked a question in return:
"You think that girl is lying to you?"
Xu Yuan shrugged and didn't answer, but his expression clearly showed that he didn't believe it.
Xu Yuan wouldn't believe a single word that came out of Aurenli's mouth.
As an envoy to the Great Yan, Emperor Xien must have known about Aurenli's mission. Under such circumstances, to respond to the teleportation and venture alone into the unknown heartland of the vast empire—what immense courage, or rather, what great confidence, does that require?
"I think it might be true."
Lou Ji chuckled lightly and said leisurely, "Even if it's not Emperor Xien himself, it would at least be a sage."
Xu Yuan glanced at the dark tunnel behind him and asked in a low voice:
Why would you think that?
"Of course it's a woman's intuition." Lou Ji smiled. "I think that blonde girl dared to do this because she must be confident that the other end of the teleportation array would respond to her."
Xu Yuan chuckled and shook his head:
"Sister, you work in intelligence. Trusting your intuition isn't a good habit. Besides, risking a saint's life to save a Origin Beginning? The Xien Empire is probably insane."
Lou Ji glanced at Xu Yuan, a hint of mockery in her eyes:
"Changtian, Hua Hong is also at the Origin Beginning, while Jiang He and Xu Xinyao are only at the Soul Condensation. Do you think their importance is less than that of a Saint?"
"."
"Cultivation level can indeed determine many things, but it cannot determine everything. That blonde girl probably possesses something extraordinary about the Xien Empire."
Lou Ji spoke slowly, glancing up at the narrow corridor above.
Her gaze seemed to pierce through the massive array that enveloped the entire underground, through the thick layers of soil, and into the lavish banquet taking place inside the Prime Minister's Mansion.
Lou Ji stared at the sky for a few moments, then looked away and continued walking forward.
"Besides, if they don't come, won't this plan fail? Your father is still waiting to use this opportunity you created to get rid of a group of people who are outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant."
Xu Yuan followed slowly, smiling as he said:
"If he really comes, Father, don't you have any other plans?"
Of course.
Lou Ji waved her hand gently. "If they really come, your maternal uncle should pass on some messages to that saint from Xien on behalf of your father."
"After all, given the current situation, if a deal could be struck with the higher-ups of the Xien Empire, the benefits gained from just one Realmspace Stone would far outweigh those from killing a Saint."
In the dark, cramped cell, two men, seemingly fallen from heaven, met in mid-air. The moment their eyes met, the very air between them seemed to become distinctly separate.
In the silent space, Aurenli, kneeling on the ground, unconsciously pursed her lips.
The emperor and the man in white were merely standing there, and she felt her breathing become slightly labored.
This made her very uncomfortable.
She prefers looking down to looking up.
But at this moment, she had to lower her head because the aura emanating from the two of them was too dazzling.
"Clatter"
A soft footstep echoed in the silent, empty prison, and the man hidden in the shadows of a corner took a step forward.
But even as he took a step forward, his figure remained shrouded in shadow.
The emperor's radiant, holy light seemed to be eroded, and as the man moved, darkness spread once more through the prison.
No, that's not right.
The prison had simply reverted to its original state: dark, decaying, and damp.
The man's every step was soft, yet it felt as if he were stepping on one's heart.
The emperor looked at the man with the sword. The moment the man took another step, a glittering golden hair, flowing freely from beneath the dark purple robe, moved without wind, as if in greeting or provocation.
Feng Jiuxuan stopped in his tracks.
The darkness beneath his feet was dispelled by holiness, and the light shone on his white robes, making them appear even more pristine than snow.
Rather than this dark prison, the two figures should have met atop a famous mountain or on the rushing Hailuo River, amidst wind, rain, or snow.
That scene would be beautiful.
Unfortunately, the prison was filled only with a silent and eerie atmosphere.
Feng Jiuxuan slowly drew his sword from its sheath.
A sword's cry pierced the silence, as if severing the light and dividing the prison between light and darkness.
The specially designed inner walls of the prison vibrated slightly, then the vibration turned into cracks, and spiderweb-like cracks spread across the six walls of the prison.
Without uttering a word, Feng Jiuxuan simply drew his sword in silence.
The emperor watched quietly as the man drew his sword.
A biting wind whipped up waves in the enclosed room. Aurenli's face was pale, and faint streaks of blood appeared on Aurenli delicate skin, but they healed in an instant under the surrounding light.
The sword was not drawn, yet it had already arrived.
I'm going into seclusion tomorrow and will try to write 7,000 words.