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Ling Tian said, "I examined his fortune. He really doesn't have particularly strong luck."

Chi Yu didn't take this information to heart. Fortune wasn't unchanging, especially for Long Aotian.

But he asked the two of them eagerly, "You can read fortune? What about me? How's my luck?"

Ling Hezhou and Ling Tian said in unison, "Very strong."

Chi Yu: "! Wow, how strong?"

Ling Tian fell silent for a while before saying, "The demon's fortune is also extremely strong. It's blackish purple. I've never seen such powerful fortune before. Yours is red, stronger than that of many prodigies."

Ling Hezhou said, "Actually, I couldn't believe it at first either. I secretly used the Qi-Observing Technique several times, and yours was red every time. That's very rare. Most cultivators actually only have a faint crimson fortune. Mine is deep crimson, and yours is a little stronger than mine."

Chi Yu said happily, "Looks like I really do have what it takes to be an Aotian!"

As for Xie Xiyi having strong fortune, did that even need saying? His mission was to siphon off Xie Xiyi's fortune, which implied that Xie Xiyi's fortune was immense.

So Chi Yu wasn't surprised.

In any case, the male lead, Yang Min, was still around, which gave him a tremendous sense of security. If he really couldn't complete his mission, he could only hope that Yang Min, the male lead, would face off against the villain.

Chi Yu headed back in high spirits, opening the map along the way.

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Well, he'd wandered all the way to Wangxian Continent.

-Wait, what was he doing in Wangxian Continent?

Chi Yu: "..."

There was no question about it. Xie Xiyi had definitely gone to Wangxian Continent to challenge the locals.

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As the villain's personal video editor, how could he miss out on recording footage!

Without another word, Chi Yu changed direction to meet up with the villain.

If anyone asked, it was professionalism. (Not.)

Author's note:

Xie Xiyi is a lot like one of those tabby cats that rule the village, picking fights and challenging everyone everywhere, except unlike a cat, he doesn't claim territory.

Why does the villain feel like both a cat and a dog? But when he's in love, he's definitely on team cat, doing all sorts of sneaky little things to attract Little Puppy Fish's attention.

P.S. Yes, that's right, the original Long Aotian is still our Little Puppy Fish's underling. Fish has a whole bunch of underlings.

Chapter 19: Hello, air costs money.jpg

At a restaurant in Wangxian Continent.

"I heard a demon appeared over in Eastern Mirror Continent. He killed the Tianyan Sect master's own son, as well as several Nascent Soul disciples from the Xuanxiao Immortal Sect. Is that true?"

"It is. My friend is in the Xuanxiao Immortal Sect. He told me that the sect master's personal disciple led the team, with eight Nascent Souls and one Golden Core in total. Apart from him, they were all killed. What's even more shocking is that the demon was only at the Golden Core Realm."

"What? The Golden Core Realm? How is that possible! He must have used some secret treasure to conceal his cultivation!"

The cultivator whose friend belonged to the Xuanxiao Immortal Sect said firmly, "No, he really was at the Golden Core Realm. He killed eight Nascent Soul disciples of the Xuanxiao Immortal Sect and captured one Golden Core alive, all while at the Golden Core Realm."

"Maybe the Xuanxiao Immortal Sect's disciples were just too weak. They couldn't even beat someone at the Golden Core Realm! What a disgrace to us cultivators of Wangxian Continent."

"Hey, you can't just say that. The Xuanxiao Immortal Sect is one of the foremost immortal sects in Wangxian Continent. It takes enormous effort for Rogue Cultivators like us to form a Golden Core, but the Xuanxiao Immortal Sect has no shortage of Golden Core disciples. They even have one or two disciples advance to the Nascent Soul Realm every year. That sect has extraordinary reserves."

"Oh? Is the Xuanxiao Immortal Sect really that formidable?" A pleasing voice drifted over. The cultivators paused, understanding for the first time what it meant to hear celestial music and feel their ears suddenly clear. They couldn't help turning to look and saw a black-robed man in a ghost mask sitting leisurely at another table, his presence cold and oppressive.

Rumors about the Ghost-Masked Cultivator had already spread throughout Wangxian Continent alongside the news of the deaths of the Xuanxiao Immortal Sect's eight Nascent Souls, making him something of an overnight sensation. As a result, many Rogue Cultivators who admired strength had copied his attire. Walking down any street, one would see plenty of cultivators wearing ghost masks and black robes.

So when Xie Xiyi arrived in Wangxian Continent, he was actually rather inconspicuous.

Those cultivators paid no attention to his attire either. Seeing that he was also at the Golden Core Realm, they struck up a conversation with him as an equal. "Of course. The Xuanxiao Immortal Sect is the biggest immortal sect in Wangxian Continent, and its sect master, Taixuzi, is also the Immortal Alliance Leader, commanding the cultivators of three continents. If we weren't short on money, we'd have gotten ourselves positions in the Immortal Alliance too."

Xie Xiyi asked humbly, "And what is the Immortal Alliance? You have to pay to join?"

The cultivator said, "The Immortal Alliance is... ah, it's hard to explain. Anyway, Eastern Mirror Continent, Wangxian Continent, and the Wasteland are all under its jurisdiction. You know mortals, right? Mortals have dynasties and emperors, and that saying about how all land under heaven belongs to the king. We cultivators do the same thing. The Immortal Alliance Leader is the emperor of cultivators."

"As for paying, we're Rogue Cultivators. We can't join those prestigious orthodox sects, but the Immortal Alliance recruits cultivators from everywhere. You can get in as long as you pay, and every month they even distribute spirit stones, pills, and other cultivation resources. But you have to follow their orders too, so there are upsides and downsides. If someone bullies you later, you can invoke the Immortal Alliance's name to scare them. All in all, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks."

Xie Xiyi looked thoughtful, then couldn't help clapping his hands and laughing. "So he's someone with quite an establishment behind him. Both an immortal sect master and the Immortal Alliance Leader. How enviable."

"What's there to envy? Envy won't do you any good. The Xuanxiao Immortal Sect master has already reached Tribulation Transcendence. He's only half a step away from ascending to the Immortal Realm. And he's extraordinarily talented-he's only a little over six hundred!"

"Tribulation Transcendence at six hundred. I wouldn't dare dream of anything that wonderful."

"I'm over five hundred this year, and I'm only at the third stage of Golden Core. Comparing yourself to others really is infuriating!"

These cultivators all knew each other, so they were perfectly clear on one another's ages. One of them turned his gaze to Xie Xiyi and asked curiously, "Brother, how old are you this year?"

Xie Xiyi laughed. "Me? I'm twenty-six this year."

"What? Golden Core at twenty-six??"

Everyone was shocked by Xie Xiyi's words. "Seriously? There's no point lying about your age. We're all Rogue Cultivators here. Who are you fooling?"

"Even among the Immortal Second Generation, with countless heavenly treasures poured into them, very few reach Golden Core at twenty-six. Brother, that's taking your boasting too far."

Xie Xiyi said, "You can check my bone age to see whether it's true-but do you dare touch me?"

As soon as he finished speaking, black mist rose and swirled around him. The air seemed to distort for an instant, and a golden light flashed. Holding the Spine Sword, Xie Xiyi spoke again, his voice soft. "Do you dare?"

The entire restaurant fell silent. By now, the Ghost-Masked Cultivator's attire and weapon were no secret. If he had blended into the crowd before, everyone recognized him the moment his weapon appeared. This was the real one.

The cultivators immediately scrambled to flee, and Xie Xiyi actually did nothing to stop them.

In moments, he was the restaurant's only remaining customer.

Xie Xiyi poured himself some wine. The liquid in the white jade cup was golden and richly fragrant, but to his senses, it smelled unbearably foul.

He summoned the trembling restaurant owner and asked with a smile, "Is this the best wine in your establishment?"

The restaurant owner said fearfully, "My lord, yes. This is our best-selling Thousand Mountains Brew."

Xie Xiyi asked, "You brew it yourselves?"

Beads of sweat rolled down the restaurant owner's face. "People from the Immortal Alliance brew the concentrate, and we dilute it with spirit spring water in the proper proportions. Rest assured, my lord, there's absolutely nothing wrong with this wine. It can even improve a person's aptitude and constitution, though the effect is very slight. You have to drink large quantities over many years for it to work."

Xie Xiyi said, "Do you have any concentrate?"

His questioning tone was gentle, yet the restaurant owner felt chilled to the bone and stammered, "Y-yes, yes! A batch of concentrate was delivered just recently. My lord, I'll give it to you!"

Xie Xiyi smiled. "Take me to see it."

The restaurant owner immediately led him to the kitchen to see the concentrate.

It was a cauldron of golden liquid, gleaming amber in the light. Its color was exceptionally rich, somewhere between honey and aged maple syrup, and it gave off a powerful fragrance.

An intoxicated expression appeared on the owner's face. "This cauldron of concentrate is worth fifty-six Top-Grade Spirit Stones. It can make four or five hundred vats of Thousand Mountains Brew. All Eight Great Immortal Sects are our customers-"

At this point, his intoxicated expression turned to anguish again. "My lord, this cauldron of concentrate is yours."

Any restaurant that could grow large in Wangxian Continent naturally had the Immortal Alliance backing it, but the owner didn't dare invoke the alliance's name now. After all, Xie Xiyi had killed eight Nascent Souls from the Xuanxiao Immortal Sect and severely wounded the Immortal Alliance leader's personal disciple. He didn't dare presume upon anything, only hoping this cauldron of concentrate would persuade Xie Xiyi to show mercy and spare him.

Xie Xiyi reached out, black mist wrapping around his pale hand, and the small cauldron flew into his grasp. He lowered his head slightly. Although the fragrance smelled unbearably foul, he still inhaled deeply. For no reason at all, his eyes behind the mask grew wet. For an instant, a fiercely burning emotion surged up-then fell away just as quickly.

A cultivator without a heart couldn't even experience intense emotions, and Xie Xiyi had always adjusted well to this.

The Spine Sword in his hand was humming violently. Xie Xiyi laughed and asked, "Do you like it?"

The Spine Sword tugged his arm, knocking the cauldron of concentrate away. Xie Xiyi said thoughtfully, "Oh, so you don't like it."

He walked over, the Spine Sword in hand, and cleaved the little cauldron apart. The brilliant golden concentrate spilled out. The instant it touched the ground, it dissolved, vanishing without a trace within a single breath.

"My concentrate!" the owner shrieked, and Xie Xiyi swiftly severed his head as well.

Xie Xiyi whispered, "I don't like it either."

He laughed again, humming a tune he liked, and said cheerfully, "Let's do something enjoyable instead. The Xuanxiao Immortal Sect, an immortal sect's reserves, an immortal sect's grandeur. How jealous I am."

News of Xie Xiyi's arrival in Wangxian Continent soon spread.

Yan Tongchen heard the news too. He immediately went to see his martial uncle Qingxuan, but Qingxuan refused to see him.

Amid his disappointment, Yan Tongchen also knew that he had lost all face. Not only did the junior brothers under him no longer respect him, even his master avoided seeing him.