Rebuffed! Qiongxiao Moves Herself to Tears!

"An immortal abode where one lives forever; a Daoist household with a lifespan equal to Heaven's."

Before Five Estate Temple, Qiongxiao stared blankly at the words on either side of the gate, her eyes slightly unfocused.

The Earth Immortal Patriarch Zhenyuanzi and Daoist Hongyun—two mighty quasi-sages—both held Lingxiao in high regard. To Qiongxiao, it sounded like pure fantasy, yet that was the truth.

Her expression turning solemn, Qiongxiao clasped her hands in a Daoist salute toward the gate, then raised her voice. "This junior is Qiongxiao of the Interception Sect. By the order of my master, Lord Tongtian, I have come to pay respects to Immortal Zhenyuan and Senior Hongyun."

Her Daoist voice echoed, stirring the winds and clouds.

"Creak!"

A crisp sound rang out.

Breeze and Bright Moon opened the gates of Five Estate Temple and emerged through the immortal mist.

Breeze gave Qiongxiao a once-over, then said coolly, "Senior Brother Lingxiao does not wish to see you. Fairy Qiongxiao, please return! The two masters are drinking and discussing the Dao with Senior Brother Lingxiao, and they do not wish for you to disturb them either."

Zhenyuanzi possessed immense divine abilities, and his art of divining Heavenly secrets was exceptionally profound.

He knew a little of what had happened within Azure Roaming Palace. Moreover, as an innate divine spirit who had cultivated for countless ages, the moment Qiongxiao appeared before Five Estate Temple, Zhenyuanzi had already understood her purpose.

Lingxiao was kind-hearted, and he feared the young man would be deceived by the Interception Sect once again.

Thus, he simply decided not to allow Qiongxiao into the Daoist sanctuary.

"What? When you drove Senior Brother Lingxiao away, you did not try to keep him in the slightest. Now that you see he has reshaped his foundation and set foot on the path of cultivation, you want to trick him back? Your Interception Sect truly is insidious and deceitful!"

"I imagine that while Senior Brother Lingxiao was in the Interception Sect, he helped purify your spiritual platform and resolve the karmic debts and cause-and-effect you had incurred. Yet now, you want to push him into a pit of fire. That alone shows how malicious your intentions are."

"If you ask me, the Interception Sect is rotten from the beam at the top to the rafters below—not a single one of you is any good!"

Compared to Breeze's refined and gentle manner, Bright Moon was far more sharp-tongued.

As Zhenyuanzi's Daoist attendant, there were some things Zhenyuanzi could not say for the sake of his dignity, but Bright Moon could speak in his stead.

With only a few words, she had voiced exactly what Zhenyuanzi was thinking.

Now, through Bright Moon's mouth, he had thoroughly berated Qiongxiao and the Interception Sect, not even sparing Lord Tongtian.

"Junior Sister Bright Moon, as cultivators, we should be magnanimous. Do not entangle yourself with an ingrate like Fairy Qiongxiao, or it may affect your state of mind."

Breeze chimed in from the side, wearing an utterly harmless expression.

"Hmph!"

"Cultivators follow their Dao hearts! Let alone Qiongxiao—even if Lord Tongtian himself stood here, I would make it clear that he is unworthy of being a teacher and has acted against the principles of Heaven's Dao! I would expose his shameful side!"

"Even if I am ground to dust and my bones shattered, I will still stand up for Senior Brother Lingxiao!"

Bright Moon spoke with impassioned righteousness, her voice resounding between Heaven and Earth.

At those words, Qiongxiao's face turned unsightly. If not for Bright Moon's status, she would have made her move long ago.

After all, Bright Moon was merely at the peak of the Golden Immortal realm, while Qiongxiao had already touched the threshold of the Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal realm.

"You must not insult my master. I came here only for Lingxiao, the traitor of the Interception Sect. I have no wish to forge enmity with Five Estate Temple. Please inform Immortal Zhenyuan once more."

"Tell Lingxiao that unless he returns with me, sorts out the murderous karma entangled with the Interception Sect's fortune, and once again presides over the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation, I, Qiongxiao, will never forgive him."

Qiongxiao forcibly suppressed the fury in her heart before speaking to Breeze and Bright Moon.

The pressure and aura of a peak Primordial Unity Golden Immortal inadvertently surged forth like a raging torrent, causing the void to tremble faintly and fully revealing Qiongxiao's current mood.

"Forgive? Heh heh..."

"Fellow Daoists, let her come in!"

At that moment, a cold laugh drifted out from within Five Estate Temple.

Inside Five Estate Temple.

Lingxiao withdrew his divine sense and looked toward Immortal Zhenyuan and Daoist Hongyun. Then he said, "Seniors, there is no need to worry over this junior. I know what I am doing, and I naturally will not repeat my old mistakes."

"Letting Qiongxiao in is merely so I can watch this clown from the Interception Sect leap about like a monkey."

In his previous life!

Lingxiao had read countless Primordial World novels, so he understood the usual pattern of a God-Level Choice System.

God-Level Choices needed to be triggered!

Qiongxiao had come to Five Estate Temple to ask him to return to the Interception Sect and continue burning himself to give light to others. Perhaps under such circumstances, the God-Level Choice System could be triggered.

Therefore, Lingxiao could only suppress his disgust and meet this personal disciple of Lord Tongtian.

"Excellent!"

"The humiliation you suffered in the Interception Sect cannot simply be left at that. Since Lord Tongtian has sent a disciple here, then Qiongxiao must be prepared to bring humiliation upon herself. You need not have any reservations. Hongyun and I will stand firmly behind you."

Appreciation filled Zhenyuanzi's eyes, and he did not conceal his praise for Lingxiao in the slightest.

His Dao heart was steadfast, and he knew what mattered.

His future blessings and opportunities were boundless.

What was more, under Lingxiao's guidance, Zhenyuanzi had begun repairing the damaged Western earth veins ever since the Witch-Demon Calamity. While accumulating an ocean of merit, he had also obtained the empowerment of the Earthly Dao's will through the Earth Book.

The Heavenly Dao's restriction upon the Grandmist Purple Qi had long since been worn away completely.

With only the right opportunity, he could become a saint on the spot.

Therefore, Zhenyuanzi had no fear of Lord Tongtian. So long as Lingxiao did not kill Qiongxiao, he could do as he pleased.

Once he became a saint, even if Lingxiao wiped out several Interception Sect disciples, it would no longer be a major matter in Zhenyuanzi's eyes!

"Excellent!"

Lingxiao raised his cup and drank the spiritual wine, no longer standing on ceremony with Zhenyuanzi.

Very soon!

Breeze and Bright Moon approached, with Qiongxiao following behind them.

"Greetings, Great Immortal Zhenyuan and Senior Hongyun!"

Qiongxiao performed a Daoist salute, though her eyes drifted toward Lingxiao.

Early-stage Primordial Unity Golden Immortal—his aura was deep and robust, his Dao charm natural.

Lingxiao had truly reforged his innate foundation, and his origin had fully recovered. The Lingxiao of today was even more sacred and natural than when he had first joined the Interception Sect, as though he were about to draw close to the Great Dao itself.

Qiongxiao had seen such a sight only in the Three Pure Ones and certain peak innate divine beings.

Yet now, Lingxiao possessed such unique Dao charm and bearing.

Qiongxiao felt her Dao heart tremble. The convictions she had held for so long came crashing down at this moment.

"If you have something to say, say it to little friend Lingxiao quickly!"

"We do not welcome people of the Interception Sect here!"

Daoist Hongyun tapped the jade table and spoke listlessly. A faint trace of a quasi-saint's Dao charm spilled forth, nearly pressing Qiongxiao down until she could not lift her head.

Lingxiao sat upon his meditation cushion and had never once looked Qiongxiao straight in the eye.

Seeing this, Qiongxiao's heart calmed. Then she said, "Junior Brother Lingxiao, the Interception Sect's fortune requires your protection, and the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation has begun to stir as well."

"Return to the Interception Sect with me. I will ask Elder Sister Yunxiao, Senior Brother Duobao, and the others to speak for you. I believe Master will forgive your sins and allow you to return beneath his tutelage."

"Over countless ages, you were someone all your fellow brothers and sisters respected. Now that you have betrayed the Interception Sect, you have become the target of a thousand accusations. But so long as you admit your mistake to Master, we can all return to how things were before."

As Qiongxiao spoke, scenes surfaced in her mind.

Lingxiao formed hand seals, not even bothering to wipe the sweat from his brow as he purified the karmic sin and baleful force clinging to her. Though the expenditure of his mana was immense, he never stopped.

At that moment, a hint of longing and affection had arisen in Qiongxiao's heart.

But once Lingxiao became a cripple, everything vanished like smoke and clouds.

Thinking of this, Qiongxiao continued, "Elder Sister Yunxiao, Holy Mother Golden Spirit, and several other senior sisters all worry greatly about you. As long as you return to the Interception Sect, we can grant every request you once made."

"Even... as long as you pass my test, I can become Dao companions with you..."

As the words fell, a faint flush rose across Qiongxiao's lovely face.

It was as though saying such things was unbearably bashful and humiliating for her.

Looking at Lingxiao, whose body radiated a faint holy light, Qiongxiao felt a warm current flow through her heart. A thought suddenly emerged from nowhere.

Becoming Junior Brother Lingxiao's Dao companion seemed barely acceptable.

"I can't take this anymore!"

Upon hearing those words, Bright Moon exploded outright.

He was about to roll up his sleeves and slap Qiongxiao across the face, but fortunately Breeze covered his mouth in time and pulled him back.

Zhenyuanzi and Daoist Hongyun exchanged a glance, communicating through divine sense.

"An ordinary yet overconfident woman?"

Zhenyuanzi's brow furrowed slightly as he curled his lip.

"Lord Tongtian accepts disciples but does not teach them. Qiongxiao's character could not possibly be much better! Even if her nature is not inherently bad, she has still been negatively influenced by the mixed bag of a furnace that is the Interception Sect."

"Keep watching the show. I have never seen anyone so shameless. Does she deserve to become little friend Lingxiao's Dao companion?"

Daoist Hongyun showed no mercy whatsoever. In his eyes, Qiongxiao had already been branded shameless.

"What kind of feminist-boxing nonsense is that?"

"Testing me?"

Lingxiao was utterly astonished. This was the first time he had realized that Qiongxiao was this kind of person.

Before he could mock Qiongxiao, the system's voice appeared in his mind first...