Xi Yue and her two companions followed several elders into the Heaven Mending Sect, making their way through its grounds before finally stopping before a great hall.
"Honored guests from Boundless Heaven, you have come a long way. Please come inside so we can talk." An old man in gray appeared, smiling, his tone easygoing.
Inside the hall, an ancient, vast aura pervaded the air. Ancient runes flowed across the walls, profound and mysterious.
"I already know why you honored guests have come. Rest assured, here in the Three Thousand Provinces, our Heaven Mending Sect will offer whatever assistance lies within our power."
The old man smiled, careful not to promise too much. After all, these guests had extraordinary backgrounds. If they truly did something that shook the world, he might not be able to handle the consequences.
"Senior, I would like to use your sect's means to make a trip to the Lower Realm," Xi Yue said, putting on no airs.
"And I may need to make use of some of your sect's arrangements in the Lower Realm."
There were things in the Lower Realm she wanted to obtain. As for the Three Thousand Provinces, she could explore them later.
The Heaven Mending Sect's leader froze at her words. Why did he feel that the girl before him knew more about the Heaven Mending Sect than he, its leader, did?
She even knew about the sect's arrangements in the Lower Realm.
Still, he did not dwell on it, simply assuming they had done their research beforehand.
Xu Tianheng was also somewhat baffled. Hadn't they said they were coming to the Three Thousand Dao Provinces? Why were they suddenly heading to the Eight Regions of the Lower Realm?
"That would be no problem. Our sect has the means to send these two young friends to the Lower Realm, but as for this fellow Daoist..." The sect leader gave a dry cough and left the rest unsaid.
The Lower Realm was barred by powerful laws of heaven and earth. Even Heavenly Gods had difficulty descending, let alone a great Escape One Realm cultivator like Xu Tianheng.
If he forced his way down, shattering the heavens and throwing the laws into chaos, it would trigger a tremendous upheaval!
When that happened, their Heaven Mending Sect would bear a share of the karmic consequences as well. That was a burden they could not shoulder.
Xu Tianheng frowned. He knew this too, and that was precisely why he hesitated.
Only after a moment did he speak. "Then I'm sorry for the trouble, fellow Daoist, but please look after them for me."
"Rest assured, fellow Daoist. The creatures of the Lower Realm are weak, and our sect has True Gods stationed there as well. They will certainly be in no danger." The sect leader spoke with absolute conviction, immediately patting his chest in assurance.
Xu Tianheng nodded, not particularly worried that anything would go wrong.
Xi Yue carried safeguards left by elders like him, so trouble would hardly be able to arise.
Besides, his true body would remain here to oversee things. If something really did happen... at worst, he would smash the Heaven Mending Sect into the ground!
The Lower Realm, the Cosmic Domain, the Heaven Mending Sect's base.
Two figures emerged from a passage, their graceful forms swaying. They were stunningly beautiful, every frown and smile stirring the soul.
"What beautiful women! They look like immortals banished from heaven to the mortal world," someone exclaimed.
"Look at the taller one. Her eyes are so dazzling, as though they don't belong in the mortal realm!"
The Heaven Mending Sect's disciples watched the scene, their eyes lighting up as they discussed it among themselves.
"Miss, the laws here are far too sparse, and the spiritual essence is terribly thin as well." Qing Shuang frowned, unable to understand why they had come to a place like this to temper themselves.
"The laws here are incomplete, and space is unstable. Even Venerable Realm cultivators can cut down stars beyond this world. Many great sects in the Three Thousand Provinces send disciples to the Lower Realm to experience this ahead of time."
Xi Yue explained as she made her way through the surrounding disciples.
"Young friends, please follow me." An old woman appeared to guide them.
"This little sister is truly flawless. You must be the holy maiden, Yue Chan." Along the way, Xi Yue spotted an exceptionally beautiful woman wearing a veil and immediately approached to greet her.
"Yes, that's me." Yue Chan was somewhat surprised to see them.
She had heard from the sect leader that two honored guests from the Upper Realm's Heaven Mending Sect would descend today. She had assumed they would be two elders with profound cultivation, but they were actually two young women?
Moreover, the one who had spoken felt dangerous to her. Though she bore no ill intent, the aura she released inadvertently was enough to make some people fall to their knees.
This secretly startled Yue Chan. The sect praised her as a heaven-blessed prodigy, yet now she could not help feeling a little ashamed. Whether in beauty or talent, this girl seemed faintly superior to her.
She shook her head. She was only a secondary body, while this was an important figure from the Upper Realm. It was only natural that she could not compare.
Once her two bodies became one in the future, she might not necessarily be inferior.
Xi Yue had no idea what she was thinking. Seeing her standing there in a daze, she waved a hand before her face and muttered, "Why has this child frozen up?"
Yue Chan's expression immediately stiffened. Being called a little sister was one thing; she could let that pass. But now she was being called a child?
Utterly intolerable!
The old woman guiding them noticed this, and her expression changed as well. Hadn't everything been fine just a moment ago? Why had their holy maiden's expression changed in the blink of an eye?
Yue Chan said nothing more, clearly still nursing her frustration.
Xi Yue chuckled, unbothered. Yue Chan was rather amusing like this.
After making some inquiries, she had established the approximate timeline. The Hundred Broken Mountains had not yet opened, which meant she should be about the same age as Shi Hao.
"Perfect. Let's see if I can deal with that Pu Demon Tree in the Hundred Broken Mountains."
The Pu Demon King!
He was an immortal giant. Though his true body had long since perished, a wisp of his primal spirit remained, and he would return.
At the thought, Xi Yue could not help clicking her tongue.
He could arguably be called the most stubbornly reckless Immortal King in the Foreign Realm. First he had sought out the True Dragon for a fight, then battled the Immortal King of the Six Paths of Reincarnation to the death. After being gravely wounded by him, he had gone after Immortal King Wuzhong, who finally killed him.
He had practically fought every one of the Primordial Ancient Realm's strongest combatants.
She really... did not know what to say.
Beyond that, what concerned her more was the possibility that fragments of the Six Paths Reincarnation Disk lay in the Hundred Broken Mountains. They were ownerless anyway, so she might as well reap the benefit.
She also knew something about the other fragments of the Reincarnation Disk.
Two lay in forbidden zones within the Three Thousand Provinces of the Upper Realm, and the Divine Flame Man held another.
As for right now...
She would first obtain the Supreme Hall's legacies, the Six Paths of Reincarnation Heavenly Art and the Grass Character Sword Art.
To control the Reincarnation Disk, surely she would at least need to know the Six Paths of Reincarnation Heavenly Art?
Xi Yue did not linger in the Heaven Mending Sect, heading straight for the Desolate Region.
In addition, she asked several of the Heaven Mending Sect's old gods to search for traces of the Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow.
At first, the old gods were somewhat reluctant. As mighty deities, why should they let a little girl order them around?
Once Xi Yue took out several sacred medicinal herbs as payment, the Heaven Mending Sect's old gods immediately scrambled to be first,
afraid of falling behind. They even nearly came to blows, each patting their chest and promising to see the task done.
The Desolate Region, the Stone Kingdom, the Imperial Capital.
With a shift of her form, Xi Yue transformed into an elegant, handsome young man, her face like polished jade and her eyes like cold stars. Yet a trace of soft allure lingered between her brows, making it difficult to tell whether she was male or female.
"Miss, you look so lovely even dressed as a man," Qing Shuang said as she attended her at her side.
"Call me young master now." Xi Yue tapped her lightly on the head and reminded her.
"Understood, young master," Qing Shuang said glumly, looking aggrieved.
The two made their way along the streets, occasionally buying a few little trinkets. Though their quality was ordinary and Xi Yue did not think much of them, she treated the purchases as a way to amuse herself.
After all, since she was already here, she could hardly return empty-handed.
As for that Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow, who knew which ancient forest or great lake it had hidden in? It was not in its nest, so finding it in a short time would be all but impossible.