The void, in some otherworldly space.
In a waterside pavilion in the Jiangnan region, a man in white stood quietly beside a clear pond, holding a plate of fish food in his left hand, gently scattering it into the water before him.
The man in white appeared to be middle-aged, with a refined and elegant appearance, a handsome face, and three long strands of beard hanging down to his chest. His eyes and brows exuded a scholarly air, making him look more like a scholar than a cultivator.
Glug glug glug!
The pool water rippled, and several sea creatures resembling mermaids emerged from it, scrambling for the meager amount of food that wasn't even enough to fill their teeth, churning the water into a chaotic mess.
The man in white pretended not to see him and turned around to look at the man in dark green robes who was gradually emerging from his Shadow.
He spoke calmly, "How is it?"
The man in the dark green robe emerged completely from the shadows, his expression composed. He stood quietly before the man in white, nodded slightly, and said, "Everything went smoothly."
"I used the [ Heavenly Devil Arousing Emotion ] technique to stir up Hong Qing's anger, persuaded him, and handed him the token."
The man in white listened quietly, toying with the crystal-clear jade talisman in his hand, and asked softly:
"Did that old man Baishi find out?"
Never.
"It seems... that old fellow was terrified by Chen Shuangbai back then, and now he's practically in seclusion, showing absolutely no reaction to any outside noise."
"Very good!"
The man in white slipped the jade talisman into his sleeve, then looked out at the distant, gray void with his hands behind his back. "You did very well."
After a pause, Yan Nanlai asked again, "And who is that?"
"They went to Great Li Mountain, probably to hunt down Yuandu."
Yan Nanlai frowned slightly. "Is the information accurate?"
The man in the dark green robe hesitated for a moment, then said, "Not quite accurate."
"He possesses Sword Intent, especially the Moon Comet Sword Intent, which is extremely effective against my Divine Ability. He can detect me almost as soon as I get close... I found out through other means."
Not long after.
The man in dark green robes, a smile on his face, gently walked to the man in white, merged with him, and gradually became one with him.
The dazzling magical light gradually spread out from where the two were joined, and from it came a series of high-pitched noises, even mixed with rustling and unknown sounds, as if some unknown beings were watching this place from across the void, while whispering something.
The man in white was none other than Yan Nanlai.
All that has happened in the past were his incarnations; only what is before us is his true self.
The cultivator in the dark green robe was an avatar he had created by practicing the methods in the [Golden Chapter of the Transformation of Celestial Person in the Desire Realm] that he had stolen from the Jade Spring Sect.
There were originally two people.
However, there was one more... who had already perished at Chen Shuangbai's hands during the Buried Wind Ocean.
Yan Nanlai stood by the pond, looking down at the few sharks fighting for food in the water. Suddenly, he stretched out his finger, and the sharks that were churning in the water immediately disintegrated inch by inch, turning the entire clear pond into a bloody mess.
He withdrew his fingers and whispered, " Sword Intent... indeed, it cannot be confronted head-on."
"Let's wait a little longer. Once I retrieve that item from the Heavenly Star Mystic Sect, I can make up for the deficiencies in my Cultivation Method. At that time... so what if you, Chen Shuangbai, are a prodigy with Sword Intent?"
"They can't do anything to me either!"
Sword Alliance.
Ten Thousand Ren Peak.
Great Li Mountain is not far from the Sword Alliance. After leaving the Dark Crow Tribe, Chen Shuangbai came here by detour.
The Sword Alliance naturally welcomed the arrival of Far-Reaching Luminous Sword Immortal.
Every now and then, young sword cultivators from within the alliance would come to ask him for guidance on swordsmanship, Chen Shuangbai would accept all of them. After all, he was able to achieve his second Sword Intent thanks to his comprehension of the Sword Stele.
That day.
Chen Shuangbai received a message from Hong Qing.
"Sword Immortal, as you predicted, someone has contacted me!"
They've arrived!
Chen Shuangbai put away the communication jade talisman and turned to walk into the hall.
Not long after.
Old Man Fish Pillow, True Lord Suwen, and Sword Immortal Zhu Ling, the host, entered the hall one after another. To Chen Shuangbai's surprise, there was also a Nascent Soul True Lord.
"Fellow Yuan Jun?"
Sword Immortal Zhu Ling chuckled helplessly again, saying, " Xuhong, please forgive me. My junior sister insisted on coming no matter what I said, and I couldn't persuade her otherwise."
Sword Lord Yuan Jun strode up to Chen Shuangbai, bowed respectfully, and said, " Far-Reaching Luminous Sword Immortal helped our Sword Alliance slay that Nether Sparrow Demon Lord. Now that the Sword Immortal has summoned me, I, Yuan Jun, certainly cannot lag behind!"
Chen Shuangbai simply smiled and said, "If Fellow Yuan Jun has such an interest, then let's all come together."
"But your alliance..."
The Azure Cloud Sword Lord and the True Lord Qingchen have gone to find Yuandu, leaving only three Nascent Soul True Lord to guard the Sword Alliance... Apart from Zhu Ling and Yuan Jun, only the one from the Sumiao Sword Pavilion remains!
The remaining forces seem somewhat weak.
Yuan Jun simply waved her hand and said, "It's alright. There are still elders in the alliance; the two of us, senior brother and I, won't be missing."
That's a very interesting statement.
This proves that the Sword Alliance still harbors considerable power in the shadows.
However, Chen Shuangbai did not delve into the details, and instead explained the matter of the communication jade talisman, "Everyone... the fish has taken the bait, so let's go with Xuhong to the Heavenly Star Mystic Sect."
That's all.
Suddenly, a purple light flashed beside the sword immortal, and a boy stepped out.
It was none other than Haoming Boy.
"This matter is of great importance, so please allow this Spirit Treasure... to escort us on our way."
"Child!"
"Exist!"
"Open the door!"
"Yes!"
Haoming Boy stepped forward in response, and a rich purple-gold light flowed out of the hall, gradually condensing into a purple-gold gate. Countless intricate patterns were engraved on the gate, which emitted a mysterious void fluctuation.
Looking across the distance, Sword Lord Yuan Jun, saw the landscape of the Yong Kingdom reflected on the other side of the gate, and couldn't help but exclaim, "This must be the Heavenly Gate Spirit Treasure of the Sword Immortal!"
"Truly wondrous!"
The other Nascent Soul were also full of praise.
Haoming Boy was quite smug, but he didn't forget his manners and turned to stand quietly beside his master.
Chen Shuangbai stepped into the doorway first, leaving only a voice behind:
"Fellow Daoists, greetings!"
With a flash of light, the five figures, along with the portal, vanished from the hall as if they had never existed.
The Heavenly Star Mystic Sect is located in an unnamed valley outside its mountain gate.
Suddenly, ripples spread across the void, and an identical purple-gold gate appeared out of thin air, from which five figures radiating Divine Ability light emerged.
Hong Qing had been waiting there for a long time. A pearl that shone with a faint silver light floated beside him, concealing all the strange phenomena and energy in the valley.
He stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Sword Immortal!"
Chen Shuangbai nodded slightly and said softly, "Thank you for your hard work, Fellow Daoist Hong."
Hong Qing quickly shook his head and said, "I don't deserve your kind words, Sword Immortal... This is what that person gave me, saying it's a token."
In his right hand was a jade cicada.