From behind the thick morning mist, the figure in the black and white robe appeared like a creeping shadow. Zhi Xuan manifested before the three figures on the dock; his tall fra montarily blocked the light from the sky as he stood in silence.
"Senior!" Ji Yuanyi exclaid softly, her face brightening instantly, though she quickly restrained herself and bowed politely.
Ji Haoxuan and Wei Tianfeng imdiately bowed in respect. "The ship is ready, Senior. We have prepared a private pavilion on the upper deck so that Senior will not be disturbed by the commotion of the journey."
Zhi Xuan rely gave a thin nod. His eyes swept toward the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets ship next to them, where hundreds of eyes were now fixed upon him. He could feel stares of hatred, fear, and envy mixed into one. The four of them stepped onto the gangplank toward the Ji Clan’s private vessel. When they reached the main deck, Lu Qingyan and the Wu siblings imdiately greeted them with a very humble attitude.
"Senior Gu," Lu Qingyan closed her fan and bowed. "It is an honor to share the deck with you."
Wu Xinghan could only look down with a pale face. Zhi Xuan rely gave a vague nod. He continued walking toward the upper pavilion pointed out by Ji Haoxuan. However, just before he entered the room, he stopped and turned toward the horizon.
There, Elder Xuan Ji along with other elders held a disc. From that disc, a spiritual energy so powerful exploded out, piercing the horizon, and from there, a circular void gate appeared.
"Seven days of waiting, seven days of travel," Elder Xuan Ji’s voice thundered as he returned to his ship. "Everyone prepare; we are crossing the void between Plains!"
The roar from the void gate was like that of an ancient dragon awakening from a thousand year sleep. The Chi Di sky seed to be forcibly torn apart, revealing an eternal darkness glittering with wild spatial energy currents.
"The void between Plains..." Wu Xinghan murmured, his face turning pale as he saw the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets ship begin to move slowly into the pulsating mouth of the gate. "I always heard that only Divine Transformation practitioners are able to survive without protection there."
The two giant ships slowly moved, entering the void gate within a few breaths, and it closed behind them. In the void between plains, the two ships moved side by side, following the void path that connected the nine great plains.
Zhi Xuan stood on the balcony of the upper pavilion, his hands resting on the jade railing that felt warm from the formation energy. On his shoulder, Ao Sheng perched with his golden eyes staring wildly at the passing void currents.
"This void... I am returning to Huang Tu," Zhi Xuan murmured lowly. "Long ago, I crossed this void with the Divine Cauldron and experienced misfortune. But now, Huang Tu will be a land I recognize."
"Senior, do you feel sothing?" Ji Haoxuan approached with cautious steps, standing a few paces behind Zhi Xuan. "Elder Xuan Ji said that the journey through this rift will take seven days, but... the aura ahead feels increasingly heavy."
"Huang Tu is in turmoil; the void naturally feels heavy," Zhi Xuan replied. "Know that the only life there consists of the Black Corpse Sect and the barbarians."
"The Black Corpse Sect and the barbarians..." Ji Haoxuan repeated the words in a tone filled with dread. "I know of them, but for soone like who has never set foot in Huang Tu, this actually makes curious."
The silence on the pavilion balcony was suddenly broken by a subtle thud coming from the ship's core. The Ji Clan ship's protective formation, which usually glowed a soft silver, now flared brighter, trying to withstand the increasingly fierce void currents.
From the void, a silhouette of a giant heavenly leaf suddenly appeared, slicing through the darkness and speeding past the two flying ships. The flying treasure with the green glow appeared familiar in Zhi Xuan's eyes.
"The Heavenly Leaf Sacred Pavilion..." Zhi Xuan murmured, yet his heart did not tremble. "Xishui... she is not there; rather, those are the elite disciples."
"The Heavenly Leaf Sacred Pavilion from the holy land of Yao Gu?!" Ji Yuanyi shrieked from below. "This... an entity capable of standing equal to the Ancient Clans!"
Zhi Xuan only watched with a flat gaze. To him, the grandeur of the Heavenly Leaf Sacred Pavilion was rely a small ripple in the middle of an ocean of coming events. However, for the Young Kings around him, the sight was a strike to their Dao Hearts.
Atop that heavenly leaf, elite disciples led by three Weaver Transformation experts stood gracefully, their eyes staring straight at the void ahead. Yet, as if sensing the presence of sothing that had once co to their land, dozens of pairs of eyes turned toward the Ji Clan ship.
"A ship from the Chi Di region?" a young man murmured, his voice traveling through soul transmission and vibrating in the ears of every practitioner on the Ji Clan ship. "Hmph, just a bunch of ants trying to seek fortune in the land of death. A truly pathetic sight."
"So arrogant..." Ji Yuanyi whispered in an annoyed tone, though her eyes flashed with intimidation. "Does everyone from the holy lands always look down on others like that?"
Zhi Xuan, who was still standing calmly on the upper balcony, did not shift his gaze. He instead closed his eyes, visualizing the heavenly leaf floating in the void, causing the image of Holy Maiden Ye to creep into his mind.
The aura from a distance crept like a sharp silk thread, trying to investigate every corner of the Ji Clan ship. However, when the spiritual senses of the Heavenly Leaf Sacred Pavilion disciples touched the upper pavilion where Zhi Xuan stood, they seed to hit an invisible wall of void.
Zhi Xuan opened his eyes slowly. His sapphire pupils flashed coldly, sending a wave of subtle back pressure that was enough to make the young man atop the heavenly leaf flinch and step back.
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"Those eyes... this aura of existence..." whispered one of the won who was a Weaver expert, suddenly bowing deeply. "Su Ling offers greetings to the Dao Protector of Holy Maiden Ye!"
Instantly, the atmosphere atop the heavenly leaf, which was previously filled with arrogance, turned into a haunting silence. The woman nad Su Ling remained in a bowing position, her face deathly pale, while the young man who had just insulted them—now known to be nad Wei Shuo—stood frozen with cold sweat pouring down his temples.
"Dao Protector... of Holy Maiden Ye?" whispered Wei Tianfeng, his wine jar nearly slipping from his grasp. "Holy Maiden Ye Xishui of Yao Gu? So the news about a mortal becoming the protector of that celestial being... it truly belongs to Senior Gu?!"
Zhi Xuan did not give a verbal answer. He just stood there, letting his black and white robe flutter in the void wind filtered by the formation. His gaze remained as deep as a death chasm, staring at Su Ling in recognition.
"Su Ling..." Zhi Xuan murmured, speaking the na. "So you are the outer disciple who obtained the Heavenly Ascension Fruit back then; you have reached Weaver Transformation quite quickly."
"I did not expect... did not dare to dream of eting Senior again in this void rift," Su Ling’s voice trembled, echoing through soul transmission now filled with fear and respect. "Thanks to Senior's generosity and Holy Maiden Ye's guidance, I was able to wash my Divine Wheel."
"Forgive... forgive my stupidity, Senior!" Wei Shuo exclaid, bowing deeply. "I had eyes but did not see Mount Tai! I had ears but did not hear the echo of a God's footsteps!"
Zhi Xuan did not respond, only moving his fingers as if allowing them to stop the fear and trembling on their faces. Zhi Xuan turned, his robe rustling as he walked toward the pavilion atop the ship.
On the deck of the Ji Clan ship, silence enveloped the Young Kings. Lu Qingyan slowly closed her fan, yet her hand was still trembling slightly. Wei Tianfeng downed his wine harshly, but this ti the liquid felt tasteless.
"The Dao Protector from the Holy Land of Yao Gu..." Ji Haoxuan murmured, his voice containing deep respect. "Hearing it from rumors felt like a toss up between belief and disbelief, but hearing it directly from the mouth of the Sacred Pavilion..."
"Brother... does that an Senior Gu is actually more majestic than the Holy Land Elders?" Ji Yuanyi asked in a small voice, her eyes staring at the tightly closed upper pavilion door.
"Stupid of ," said Wu Xinghan, who had been frozen in silence until now. "I almost kept and pointed my weapon at a figure that high. ng Zhan and Shi Jing, wouldn't they cut off their own tongues after hearing the voice of that elite Sacred Pavilion disciple?"
"Obviously, Brother," Wu Xingyan answered. "The figure called a Holy Maiden is not soone with a mortal face; rather, that is a celestial being who happens to be in the lower realm like us! Moreover, the Heavenly Leaf Sacred Pavilion has three Holy Maidens!"
anwhile, inside the quiet upper pavilion, Zhi Xuan sat cross-legged on a silk cushion on the floor. His eyes stared straight at the pavilion door, as if looking far across the ship and the surrounding void.
"Dao Protector..." Ruo Xianxue spoke in his sea of consciousness, her lodious and cynical laugh echoing. "The label you earned because of the karmic attachnt to that little girl Ye. Well, well, those mortals are like withered flowers that will dissolve after hearing that."
"I do not care about the perceptions out there," Zhi Xuan replied. "I am instead curious why Xishui sent her disciples. That Su Ling, the girl who gained an opportunity from the Heavenly Ascension Fruit back then; if she is on that heavenly leaf, it ans Xishui is aware of the journey of those elite disciples."
"Hmm... that might be because there is sothing bigger in Huang Tu, Master," Yuyan Die’s soft humming voice appeared at his robe collar. "The Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets might only know that the Ancient Chen Clan is in Huang Tu based on Holy Maiden Shen's statent. But look now, a heavenly leaf suddenly appears; it doesn't an Ancient Clan movents are always hidden."
"We do not know who else will be involved," Zhi Xuan said. "Besides, those Holy Sons and Maidens haven't arrived there; that also says they do not move when mortals move. Ancient Clans always have endless guile."
Zhi Xuan looked down for a mont, his heart vibrating as images of Ye Xishui flooded his mind, his soul churning as if his karmic bonds longed to see that holy figure.
"Xishui..." Zhi Xuan thought, closing his eyes for a mont. "Just seeing that heavenly leaf, these mories seem to surface and make my Dao Heart ripple. The Heavenly Silk Leaf that washed my Dao Heart indeed ca from the place where that holy figure resides."
"Senior," Ao Sheng opened his golden eyes, snorting softly. "You feel the vibration on that thread of fate, don't you? Just by seeing a single leaf from a distance, your Dao Heart ripples like a lake struck by a stone. Why don't you just admit that half of your soul is left in that Holy Maiden’s grasp?"
"Hmph, you only know about arrogant dragon auras, Rotten Golden Dragon!" Xiao Die countered. "Senior isn't longing; it is a long and heavy karmic bond. Soul left behind? This is more like Senior having an anchor in his heart that does not restrain him!"
"An anchor... it is indeed true if put that way," Ao Sheng agreed. "Besides, how can a karmic bond be severed? Hmm... if I rember Holy Maiden Ye’s sorrowful yet..."
Ao Sheng squird for a mont, as if a shiver ran down his dragon back. "Never mind, I don't want to say anything more about holy won who can pluck my scales before I even realize it."
"Hmph, indeed a dragon who knows nothing besides those annoying golden eyes," Xiao Die snorted, turning her tiny head toward Zhi Xuan’s face. "Senior, that Sacred Bell of Heaven’s Creation... surely that will be the main treasure that will cause turmoil in Huang Tu later!"
Zhi Xuan opened his eyes, straightening his head again and staring straight at the pavilion gap showing the void outside.
"One of the Ten Mysterious Treasures..." Zhi Xuan murmured lowly. "That object will not appear on the surface; rather, it is buried beneath the monsters crawling from the deepest darkness of the underworld."
"Those monsters, huh," Xiao Die buzzed. "The barbarians said the ground down there brings forth Underworld Crystals which possess Extre Yin energy; that alone shows that in the underworld, the aura of death will be very thick and difficult. And we also don't know what those monsters look like; oh, or like that six legged runner from back then, simply disgusting."
"Xiao Die, do you rember the taste of the law nails attached to Senior Jian Dao so ti ago?" Ao Sheng asked, his voice turning full of excitent. "Now, perhaps I can also bite a treasure of heaven and earth, or swallow it in Huang Tu later. Hmm... it would feel quite delicious to be able to bite the law that might be left in that treasure."
"Swallowing laws? Do you think your teeth are made of heavenly steel that can chew the order of nature?" Xiao Die mocked while fluttering her wings irritably. "The last ti you swallowed that law nail essence, you just curled up like a gorged worm!"
"But what if that bell isn't the real one?" Yuyan Die interjected. "Look at the Great Saint, and Master also didn't say whether that bell was real or not, only guessing and stating the bell fell from the immortal world."
"Real or fake?" Xiao Die said, the antennae on her head tightening slightly. "Hmm... they have always talked about that bell since it was ntioned by Holy Maiden Shen, but no one has spoken about whether it is real or not. Only saying an ancient king's corpse and nine thousand years ago; who can guess if it is real or fake without seeing it for themselves?"
Zhi Xuan rose from his seat, walking slowly and stopping in front of the pavilion window. Outside, the Heavenly Leaf from the Heavenly Leaf Sacred Pavilion had sped far ahead, leaving a ripple of green light that slowly faded in the thickness of the void.
"Life and Death this ti is uncertain..." Zhi Xuan thought, standing still before the window. "If I have the chance to leave the underworld alive, I will return to see her."
He raised one hand, opening his palm, and there appeared sothing like a dark circle with cracks on its surface. Yet from that cracked circle alone, the aura radiated seed capable of slashing death and forcing everything to live.
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