Roughly three days later, Xia Li and Qiu Fu were ditating inside the palace when a deep bell tolled. At the sa ti, soone knocked on the door outside.Xia Li withdrew from cultivation, went to the door, and pulled it open. Kang Renquan stood there."Your Highness, Holy Son, we've arrived at the Holy Land."Kang Renquan stepped aside, bent his waist and lowered his head toward Xia Li and Qiu Fu, offering a perfectly standard attendant's bow. This forr Holy Son, perhaps because the pressure on him had been too great for too long, seed to have developed a slightly warped psyche of late. He was getting oddly addicted to humiliating himself and thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of being ordered around."Good attitude. Reward him."Before Xia Li could say anything, Qiu Fu flicked out a high-grade spirit stone. Kang Renquan imdiately picked it up, then looked at Qiu Fu with a full smile."Thank you for the reward, Holy Pet!"Since it was Kang Renquan's first ti being an attendant, his attitude was there, but he was inexperienced in many other respects. Over the past three days, Qiu Fu had given him thorough training. At that mont, there was no trace left of his forr Holy Son bearing. Even his expression had taken on a hint of fawning.This was Qiu Fu's requirent. How could an attendant stand out more than Xia Li, his master?"Qiu Fu, that's enough. Stop ssing with Brother Kang."Xia Li could not quite bear to watch any longer. Qiu Fu was playing around, and Kang Renquan clearly had issues too, since he was fully cooperating."It's fine. I should be doing this. I'm still too immature as an attendant, and Holy Pet is only looking out for .""That's enough out of you too."Xia Li rolled his eyes at Kang Renquan and could not be bothered to say more. All he could say was that the Holy Land's pressure on its disciples really could drive them mad, especially soone like Kang Renquan, the forr Ninth Holy Son whose abilities had beco more and more diocre.He was the sort who could be replaced at any mont. Now that he had suddenly relaxed, the taut string inside him had snapped, and the poor man had practically developed a condition on the spot.After that, under Kang Renquan's guidance, Xia Li arrived at the sa high platform where he had viewed the night sky before. The other accompanying disciples and attendants were already there, along with Seventh Elder and Lingying.At that mont, the people of the Holy Land aboard the sky palace did little more than glance twice at the suddenly appeared Qiu Fu beside Xia Li. No one said much. Seventh Elder, however, took the initiative to walk up to her."An orphan of the demon race's White Tiger Division? You're quite promising. If you're willing to join the Holy Land, I can, on the Holy Land's behalf, ask Holy Son Xia Li to dissolve your blood contract and return your freedom."It was hard to tell what Seventh Elder was thinking, but he was actually indicating that the Holy Land could cultivate Qiu Fu as one of its own."Thank you, Elder, but I'd rather not. I'm afraid... I've already endured too much. To , the blood contract is both a restraint and a form of protection."Qiu Fu kept her place very low, looking thoroughly worn out, with not the slightest sign of ambition.Seventh Elder rely sighed in regret when he saw that."What a pity. Our Taiyi Holy Land possesses White Tiger Sacred Blood.""This little demon would never dare refine the blood of her ancestors. Please do not bring it up again, Elder. I am only Holy Son Xia Li's beast pet."After saying that, Qiu Fu lowered her head and walked straight toward where the attendants were standing. Seventh Elder kept a kindly smile on his face. He stopped looking at her and turned his gaze toward Xia Li instead."Our Taiyi Holy Land has never had a demon Holy Maiden. To be honest, I'd quite like to see one. This is an age in change, and our relationship with the demon race ought to ease sowhat as well.""What do you say, Holy Son Xia Li?"Both inside and outside his words, Seventh Elder was expressing a desire to support Qiu Fu. How could Xia Li fail to grasp the Holy Land's deeper aning? The Holy Land intended to turn Qiu Fu into one of its true own as well.It seed Qiu Fu had concealed herself just right, showing enough potential to attract notice without being so outstanding as to draw excessive scrutiny."That depends on what she wants for herself.""Fair enough. So things can't be rushed. There's plenty of ti ahead."After saying that, Seventh Elder no longer paid attention to Qiu Fu, but his attitude put Xia Li at ease. At the very least, Qiu Fu probably would not be bullied in the Holy Land from this point on. She might even be lifted up and praised from every direction.Xia Li only hoped Qiu Fu would be able to withstand the temptations of worldly splendor and fa. For her, this would also be a trial of growth.
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Xia Li understood very well...what Qiu Fu lacked was experience. After all, she had even lost her chance to avenge her great hatred with her own hands. She had never been able to personally kill that owl demon.With Seventh Elder having made his stance clear, the attendants around Qiu Fu imdiately began flattering her in low voices. It left Qiu Fu flattered and alard, unsure how to respond. Every now and then, she would sneak a glance at Xia Li.Before long, as the sky palace descended from the clouds, the view ahead opened fully once the cloud cover was gone.A mountain range rose from the earth like a dragon's spine, facing the newborn sunlight of the east in proud silence. There were no other mountains around it. Only that range, with rises and dips laid out in perfect order, cut across the land like a straight line.That was the Taiyi Mountain Range, seat of a province's dragon vein, where the fortune of heaven and earth gathered, and the site of Taiyi Holy Land itself.At the scale of a Holy Land, powers of this kind instead did not move their sects into secret realms and carve out worlds of their own. They beca one with the greater world outside, enduring the washing of heaven's wind and rain, basking in the radiance of sun and moon, fearing no external attack and setting up no obvious defenses. Only so could they display the weight that had accumulated across long ages.The entire Taiyi Mountain Range was Taiyi Holy Land. There was no clearly defined mountain gate. One could enter from anywhere.The sky palace slowly flew toward one of the peaks and then descended, settling there completely. The high platform lowered as well. Once it reached the ground, a broad mountain road appeared before Xia Li.Lingying moved close at once and took Xia Li's arm. With the attendants following behind like stars around the moon, they slowly walked down the mountain road.By then, many disciples had already gathered on both sides of the path. Even the lowliest nial of the Holy Land carried an air of nobility that seed innate. As they ca to witness the procession, they did not chatter or whisper among themselves. Even their posture was uniform and solemn. They rely smiled and inclined their heads in salute as Xia Li and Lingying passed.No doubts, no rumors, no contempt.It was as though Xia Li's appearance here were only natural, as though everything about it were completely justified.And yet Xia Li found it unnatural.It lacked vitality. It lacked the sort of disorder human beings ought to possess. Life should, to so degree, produce chaos. After all, the only things unchanged through the ages were dead things.The golden clouds overhead were dazzling, and so invisible pressure nearly suffocated Xia Li.What was it?Order...Yes.Order. Rules.The Holy Land was the order governing this stretch of heaven and earth. It was the rule written into countless hearts. The disciples did not feel like living people. They felt more like artificial intelligences driven by algorithmic code.Xia Li had the feeling that even taking one wrong step here would be a grave sin, as though failing to keep the smile on his face would itself be an original sin.Every word and action of his had to be flawless. He knew that even if he made a mistake, it would not actually matter, yet the pressure of feeling that he could not make one was enormous.This was clearly another display of power for soone newly arrived at the Holy Land. Xia Li felt his blood and qi growing stagnant, his spiritual energy obstructed, even his Divine Soul trembling.Lingying, however, had long since grown used to this feeling. She rely held Xia Li's arm and helped him move slowly, letting him acclimate to it.But then...she suddenly sensed sothing strange. Xia Li's unsteady pace abruptly beca firm. His body, which had been trembling faintly from tension, also smoothed out completely. Even under the gaze of countless disciples, he was able to return their greetings with calm courtesy.Only...she noticed that Xia Li's left eye seed slightly unfocused and dilated. If one did not look closely, it would be impossible to tell.After they went a little farther...Xia Li had already grown even more accustod to it than she had, even more than the gathered disciples. He now seed more like a walker of order than any of them, absolute reason, absolute "Taiyi."[Stride synchronization: maximum][Breathing interval: precise cycle][Facial muscle control: enabled][Emotion suppression: in effect] If you'd like to support the translation and read 10 chapters ahead,[/PoppingDino]
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