"A dignified Great Luo Golden Immortal, actually striking at a junior. The Cloud Sage's disciples grow more worthless by the day..."
A voice came from within the clouds, seemingly distant beyond measure, a thousand miles away. Yet as it rang out, crimson light suddenly blazed through the void. The hill-sized shuttle swelled violently, forcing the clouds apart until it blotted out the sky.
"It was only a joke, Heavenly Venerable of the Ji Household... why take it so seriously..."
The man beyond the highest heavens gave a cold laugh. His voice faded, and the overwhelming pressure dispersed with it.
The beautiful woman beckoned with a slender hand. The Red Shuttle in the void shrank and flew back on its own, becoming a red Jade Pendant that hung at her waist.
"Xiang Shou... how are you?"
Her lustrous hair swayed in a phoenix coiffure, with soft locks exposed at her temples. A curtain of glass pendants hung from beneath her hair ornament across her forehead, lending her an even more enchanting, graceful air.
She held Bai Xiang Shou's arm and lifted her lovely face, gazing at him with boundless tenderness.
"Just a minor injury. Nothing to worry about!"
Bai Xiang Shou smiled calmly and unobtrusively withdrew his arm, cupping his fists. "Thank you for your assistance, Miss Ji."
"Oh, come on... why all this politeness!"
Ao Tian wriggled between them like a loach, puffed out his chest, and poked Bai Xiang Shou's forehead, looking exasperated that iron would not turn to steel. "Miss Ling'er has adored you for ages. If you two became Dao companions sooner, I could cadge a few cups of wedding wine brewed by that old rascal Du Kang... you're a block of elm wood! Why won't anything get through that thick head?"
Ao Tian's booming voice shook