Penglai Sword Pavilion, foremost among the Nine Pavilions, was a holy land in the hearts of countless sword cultivators, both dostic and foreign. Even the top swordsmanship dojos in the Sakura Country would send their outstanding disciples to learn every few years, all of whom considered it an honor to set foot in the Penglai Sword Tomb to find a personal sword.
But now, this massive power had been annihilated overnight!
The Martial Dao World of Hua Country was in an uproar. Martial Artists below the Seventh Grade knew little of the inside story; they only knew that Penglai no longer had a Sword Pavilion, rely an island of ruins. But those at the Martial Ancestor realm and above learned of a na from the Sword Pavilion Elders who had lost their cultivation levels—Xu Lai!
***
Gao He, the president of the East Sea Martial Dao Association, hadn’t slept a wink all night. He had been the first to receive the news.
At this mont, Gao He looked at Tan Chang and Xu Wandao, a descendant of the Blade Sect’s Xu Yanyang, but said nothing for a long ti.
"Brother Gao, don’t put so much pressure on yourself. In my opinion, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing," Tan Chang said lightly, taking a sip of tea.
"Brother Tan, what do you an?" Gao He looked abruptly at his close friend, his bloodshot eyes brimming with hope.
His family has cultivated for generations, but I’ve always just been a brute. I hate having to maneuver between the various great powers.
With the demise of the Penglai Sword Pavilion, all the other factions, except for the reclusive Yunxiao Sect, had sent letters of condemnation. The Three Sects and Eight Pavilions were demanding the death of Xu Lai, the Moon Clan mber!
That’s right. Xu Lai had been labeled a mber of the Moon Clan by the Three Sects and Eight Pavilions, who demanded that the Martial Dao Association execute him. The pressure was imnse and gave Gao He a splitting headache, which was why he had invited Tan Chang and Xu Wandao to discuss a solution.
"Elder Xu is a descendant of the Blade Sect," Tan Chang said, turning to Xu Wandao. "Elder Xu, do you believe that Senior Xu Lai is a mber of the Moon Clan?"
"I do not," Xu Wandao replied, shaking his head repeatedly.
Xu Lai created the fourth Dragon Vein for Hua Country and even granted my ancestor Xu Yanyang the opportunity to reach the Nascent Soul Realm. How could he possibly be from the Moon Clan? The people saying such things have wicked intentions!
"So, Brother Tan, you an we should have Elder Xu step forward and clarify?" Gao He frowned. "But they claim Senior Xu Lai wields the demon sword Mojian Wuzheng, that he has already lost his mind and must be put down. I’m not sure that will work."
"Brother Gao, oh, Brother Gao, you can be so dense!" Tan Chang said, exasperated. "The One School, Three Sects, and Nine Pavilions have been closely allied for over a thousand years. With the Sword Pavilion destroyed, of course they’re terrified and furious."
"But so what?" he continued in a fit of righteous indignation. "Deng Shu, a Penglai disciple, tried to kill Xu Yiyi and Qian Xiao and was killed in return. It was a squabble between children, so what right did that old dog Deng Xiaoyao have to intervene? He even took the demon sword from the Sword Pavilion! Penglai Sword Pavilion bore an undeniable responsibility, and they brought about their own doom by acting with murderous intent."
Tan Chang took a sip of tea and added, "Brother Gao, you don’t even need to bring up Elder Xu Wandao. Just let those who are unconvinced take up their complaints directly with Senior Xu Lai."
"That does make sense," Gao He mused, then rembered a second issue. He turned to Xu Wandao and said, "Elder Xu, you actually tricked Senior Xu Lai’s sister-in-law into joining the Martial Dao Association and are even planning to send them to Chang’an City... This is simply outrageous!"
"President Gao, you haven’t personally witnessed the power of Ruan Lan’s Array Path," Xu Wandao said calmly. "Too many people died in Chang’an City. If Chang’an had a Defensive Array, could the Moon Clan co and go as they please?"
"Sigh," Gao He lanted. "I just hope Senior Xu Lai isn’t angry when he finds out."
It was no wonder Gao He was so worried. The battle at Penglai Sword Pavilion had made it clear that Xu Lai’s boundary was definitely above the Divine Gate. Furthermore, he was a living being who stood above the Divine Gate without relying on slumber within a Dao Endownt to prolong his life. One could even say that Xu Lai had quietly beco the number one figure in Hua Country’s Martial Dao. If such an expert were to grow to resent Hua Country and defect to another faction, it would be a catastrophic loss.
***
In the campus dical office at Dongli University, warm sunlight stread through the window.
"You’re going to Chang’an?" Xu Lai asked with a frown.
"Brother-in-law, I know you’ll be angry about this, but it was just a mont of foolishness, I swear!" Ruan Lan vowed, holding up three fingers. "I’ll set up a primary defensive Starlight Array for Old Man Xu, and then I’ll leave. I promise I won’t cause any trouble."
After leaving Haitang Court that morning, Ruan Lan had arrived at the university in high spirits, only to receive a text from Su Daiyi stating that the ten-million-yuan reward had been transferred to Ruan Tang’s bank account, according to "the rules."
Ruan Lan was devastated! She had stord over, fuming, to question Xu Lai.
Can’t a grown man keep a little spending money for himself? Why did he have to use my sister’s bank account?
But she regretted it the mont she walked in the door. Isn’t this just walking right into the lion’s den? However, she knew she couldn’t hide it forever, so she decided to confess everything.
As expected, Xu Lai flatly refused. "Absolutely not!"
"Brother-in-law, best and most handso brother-in-law in the world, please just let go. I already promised them," she pleaded. "If I don’t go, how can I show my face again? What will Old Man Xu think of ? What will Su Zi think? What will Old Man Zhang..." Ruan Lan slapped her thigh. "Oh, right, he can’t see ."
Xu Lai just shook his head. "Still no."
There was no one else in the dical office; Liu Nanwei and Zhou Feng had gone to help out in the dical research lab. Ruan Lan glanced around, then bit her lower lip and looked at him pitifully. "Brother-in-law, please? If you do this for , I’ll do one thing for you in return."
"Anything?" Xu Lai’s eyes lit up.
Ruan Lan froze, her thoughts scattering in an instant. Her face grew scorching hot, and her voice trembled with nervousness. "You rotten brother-in-law, I’m your sister-in-law! You... you aren’t even going to spare ?"
"Relax, I won’t tell your sister, but you can’t say anything either."
"..."
Ruan Lan’s eyes widened in a glare. "Xu Lai, don’t you dare go too far."
"You were the one who said if I grant your request, you’ll grant one of mine," Xu Lai said with a serious expression.
This is a disaster. Ruan Lan’s heart pounded in panic. It looks like I’m not going to escape his clutches today.
"I will not tolerate your shaless behavior, and I will never do anything to betray my sister..." she declared nervously.
Before she could finish, Xu Lai stood up and started walking toward her. Ruan Lan scrambled backward in alarm.
THUMP.
After just a few steps, her back hit the wall. She had nowhere left to run. Seeing Xu Lai just a step away, her heart hamred against her ribs as if trying to break free.
It’s all my fault for being so stunningly beautiful. Otherwise, Xu Lai would never have had such improper thoughts.
Her mind raced, but she ultimately refused. "Brother-in-law, no! What if my sister finds out?"
"Then we’d be screwed," Xu Lai said, looking genuinely worried. "If she found out I was planning on having you take Yiyi to Chang’an City with you, I’d definitely be sleeping on the sofa for a year."
"Huh?" A row of question marks seed to appear above Ruan Lan’s head.
Pointing at her own nose, she asked in disbelief, "You want to take Yiyi to Chang’an?"
"Of course. The only way to get stronger is to constantly temper yourself through battle," Xu Lai said, looking puzzled. "What else did you think I was talking about?"
"..."
In the span of three seconds, the expression on Ruan Lan’s face shifted spectacularly. A mixture of sha and fury churned within her as she glared daggers at Xu Lai.
Just then, the ringtone on Liu Nanwei’s phone piped up from the desk with a lyric: "Little friend, do you have a lot of question marks...?"
"You bet I have a lot of questions," Ruan Lan huffed. "You rotten brother-in-law, do you get a kick out of teasing ? I’m begging you, be a decent person for once!"
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