There were still two weeks left before the Immortal Alliance Conference. When the time came, various immortal cultivation sects would send out their elite talents to gather on the trial arena of Feixian Peak to compete and contend for supremacy.
In the past, when the demon race ran rampant across the mortal realm, it resulted in a horrific tragedy that left the land devastated and desolate. Consequently, the imperial families of the mortal realm also joined that particular slaughter targeted at wiping out the demon race.
Down to this very day, the imperial families of the mortal realm had specifically established a sect of their own as a means to maintain their ties with the immortal cultivation families.
“It seems this upcoming Immortal Alliance Conference is bound to be a bloodbath!”
Ye Qianjue’s eyes drooped with heavy worry. He scratched his head. “As for studying, that is completely out of the question. Even if I were to study for another ten or a hundred years, I still wouldn’t be able to reach the realm of my senior martial brothers and sisters…”
So, am I completely destined to lose during this Immortal Alliance Conference?
Instantly, Ye Qianjue’s limbs went limp, and he collapsed onto a large piece of marble amidst the bamboo grove. It felt icy and cool actually quite comfortable~
“Ao-ao!”
Ye Yuan came running from afar and threw himself straight into Ye Qianjue’s embrace.
“Ugh~ Even if you keep licking me, I still can’t play with you! Right now, I need to figure out a way to secure a rank during the Immortal Alliance Conference… I’m in no mood to keep you company…” Ye Qianjue lamented a few times, using his hands to push the large dog away.
The Immortal Alliance Conference?
Ye Yuan sat in place and pondered for a long time. Suddenly, he recalled something. That must be the Great War between Immortals and Demons from several centuries ago! It seems that back then, Gu Qingyun defeated Mo Ye single-handedly, bringing about a temporary peace across the three realms…
So this child was actually stressing over this matter.
It is nothing more than a celebratory revelry following a victory. Just as this Venerable expected, these scraps of the mortal realm are all a bunch of hypocritical, sanctimonious fellows!
Ye Yuan kept barking “ao-ao” nonstop.
So noisy…
Ye Qianjue raised his head to look at Ye Yuan. Why hadn’t he noticed before that this dog was so noisy? Was it too late to throw him away now?
Seeing Ye Qianjue’s miserable, frowning face, Ye Yuan stepped forward to comfort him: This Venerable was capable of killing even Mo Ye, so what on earth does a mere Immortal Alliance Conference amount to~
If only Ye Qianjue could hear his words right now.
Ye Yuan slowly nudged closer to Ye Qianjue, resting his head inside Ye Qianjue’s embrace. Taking a gentle sniff, a faint fragrance of blossoms wafted into his nose; it smelled exceedingly wonderful.
A look of deep satisfaction spread across Ye Yuan’s face.
“Relying on myself won’t lead to success, but” Ye Qianjue pouted, an idea popping up in his mind, “resorting to trickery and taking shortcuts is still viable!”
He abruptly sat up straight. Consequently, Ye Yuan who was inside his embrace instantly lost his cushion, and his head hit the marble slab, emitting a pathetic whimpering sound.
The corners of Ye Qianjue’s mouth curled into an arc. “Why don’t I go see what my senior brothers and sisters are practicing? If I can secretly learn some useful spells, wouldn’t that be a wonderful stroke of luck!”
“Exactly! That’s what I’ll do!”
With stars practically circling his head from the impact, Ye Yuan did not even have a brief moment to regain his clarity before he was scooped up by an invisible force and hauled along as they set off in a stumbling rush.
Without a single pause, Ye Qianjue headed straight in the direction of Baixian Peak.
As he walked along the path, his mouth kept muttering continuously: “Old Man Wu is fierce on the outside but weak on the inside. On the surface, he acts incredibly harsh toward Senior Brother, but in reality, he keeps all the good stuff hidden away for him! I’ll just go to Baixian Peak to secretly learn some skills from them!”
“Ao-wu~”
The patrols at Baixian Peak were strictly organized, and the entry and exit checks were usually incredibly rigorous. Naturally, Ye Qianjue was not going to walk through the main gates.
“If I want to get in, I still have to climb over the wall. It’s just…” He looked down at Ye Yuan in his arms, his face a knot of conflict. “How about you wait outside? Or should I just toss you over?”
Before Ye Qianjue could make a decision, Ye Yuan twisted his body forcefully within his arms, broke free from the restraint, and vanished without a trace in the literal blink of an eye.
Ye Qianjue: “…”
“I was only speaking casually. There is actually a doghole right here!” Ye Qianjue waved his hand and blew a whistle, but in the end, he never managed to get Ye Yuan to turn back.
“What a heartless and ungrateful dog… Whatever, getting inside is the most important thing!”
Ye Qianjue scanned his surroundings. Once he made certain no one was around, he pushed aside a pile of weeds at his feet, revealing a doghole that was just wide enough for a single person to squeeze through.
A sly smile appeared on the corners of his lips. He carefully lay flat on the ground and crawled inch by inch through the perimeter wall of Baixian Peak.
“Mission accomplished~ It’s nothing special after all. What ‘strictest guards among the three peaks’—it’s nothing more than this~”
Ye Qianjue clapped his palms together, brushed off the loose weeds clinging to his clothes, and then stealthily made his way toward the cultivation pool.
Bai Xiuzhu usually loved practicing his spells at the cultivation pool. Going there would definitely guarantee finding him!
Just as Ye Qianjue was slipping through the corridors, the voices of a few youths drifted over from directly ahead.
“Who was Master losing his temper at just now?”
“Who knows? Lately, because of this upcoming Immortal Alliance Conference, everyone’s morale hasn’t been very good. Master is also growing anxious and fired up over this matter…”
Two disciples clad in purple robes walked through the corridor, their voices drifting further and further away until they completely vanished at the far end.
At this moment, up on the crossbeam above, Ye Qianjue released his grip and landed smoothly on the ground.
He continued walking forward until he arrived at the cultivation pool. Just as he reached the vicinity, he heard Bai Xiuzhu’s voice, causing a broad, delighted grin to instantly spread across his face.
He murmured to himself, “Senior Brother is being so diligent; he must have learned quite a lot of good stuff!”
Taking large, swift strides, Ye Qianjue was about to head inside when an unexpected accident nearly occurred. Out of nowhere, that old fellow Wu Hengmu suddenly made an appearance.
“Who goes there?!” Wu Hengmu barked.
I’m doomed!
Ye Qianjue failed to hide away in time, and a fleeting shadow caught Wu Hengmu’s eyes.
Wu Hengmu began walking directly toward Ye Qianjue’s direction. Right at this critical juncture between life and death, a rustling sound echoed from the completely opposite side.
“Audacious fool! Who dares to recklessly trespass upon Baixian Peak?!” Wu Hengmu spun around, sending a long sword flying directly toward the other side.
At this moment, Ye Qianjue’s heart was pounding like thunder, practically leaping right out of his throat. If he had been discovered by Wu Hengmu just now, he would have found it impossible to escape alive!
Having narrowly evaded Wu Hengmu’s pursuit, Ye Qianjue looked toward the spot where the noise had originated.
What he saw left everyone utterly shocked!
A black human silhouette, whose appearance could not be discerned clearly, swiftly leaped over the outer wall, leaving the entire crowd staring in dumbfounded astonishment.
“Master! What was that?” Bai Xiuzhu looked at that black shadow with a face full of bewildered shock.
Wu Hengmu barked with a stern, harsh expression: “How should I know! It must be some lowlife scoundrel sneaking around for the sake of the Immortal Alliance Conference! Wait until this Venerable goes and captures him, then everything will become perfectly clear upon questioning!”
An eager, restless expression filled Bai Xiuzhu’s face. He drew the treasured sword from his waist and took a step forward. “I shall go as well!”
“No need. You remain inside the peak to keep watch and prevent anyone with malicious intentions from infiltrating.”
Having spoken, Wu Hengmu flew away upon his sword, leaving behind the group of anxious disciples standing in place.
At this moment, that particular “lowlife scoundrel,” Ye Qianjue, leaped out from the side while laughing uproariously. “Senior Brother!” Ye Qianjue ran right up to Bai Xiuzhu with a face full of excitement.
Bai Xiuzhu looked at the smug, gloating Ye Qianjue, and then looked back toward the top of the wall, questioning him with a hardened expression: “Was that black shadow just now your doing?”
“No, no, absolutely not!” Ye Qianjue waved his hands frantically. “You know my spellcasting abilities; I’m just a total amateur. There’s no way I could possibly manifest a black shadow capable of tricking Old Man Wu~”
That was a fair point; Bai Xiuzhu could not possibly be any clearer regarding Ye Qianjue’s actual strength.
He shifted his gaze back to Ye Qianjue, only to see that the youth was staring intently at the treasured sword held in his hands. Ye Qianjue let out a “wow” of pure admiration, his pair of fair, pale hands uncontrollably reaching out with the desire to touch his treasured sword.
“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?!”
As if guarding a precious treasure, Bai Xiuzhu tucked the sword completely behind his back, refusing to let Ye Qianjue catch even a single glimpse of it.
Ye Qianjue let out a scoff, waving his hand and shrugging his shoulders. “It’s nothing more than a lousy sword. My Master has a whole mountain of them; I don’t even care to look at it…”
Despite saying so with his mouth, Ye Qianjue still could not resist stealing glances at it.
Unable to withstand the scorching intensity of Ye Qianjue’s burning gaze any longer, Bai Xiuzhu simply pulled the sword back out, presenting it generously for Ye Qianjue to see.
“This is Longyue; that’s the name I gave it. Just like me, it is bound to make a grand name for itself in the future!”
Bai Xiuzhu cast a disdainful, downward glance at Ye Qianjue, speaking with absolute pride: “This was specifically gifted to me by my Master. For disciples of the Three Immortal Peaks, upon reaching twenty years of age, they will be granted a sword by their respective Master or an elder. As a sword cultivator, this is the supreme, ultimate honor!”
Granting a sword? And it requires turning twenty…
Ye Qianjue found himself wondering: when he turned twenty, what kind of sword would his Master gift to him?
It absolutely had to be mighty, fierce, and domineering! It also needed to be enhanced with immense magical power—preferably the type capable of splitting the heavens and parting the earth! The more he thought about it, the more filled with anticipation he became, and his entire being sank into a beautiful, idealized fantasy.
He failed to hear even a single one of Bai Xiuzhu’s shouts.
“Hey! Ye Qianjue, what on earth are you daydreaming about?!”
Bai Xiuzhu rolled his eyes, and then pinched Ye Qianjue’s cheek, finally shattering his illusion completely.
“It hurts! Senior Brother, you hurt me…”
He raised his hands to rub his cheek, which was now marked with a bright red spot. Bai Xiuzhu truly had no sense of moderation when using his hands…
Seeing Ye Qianjue’s eyes instantly well up with a flood of tears, Bai Xiuzhu panicked completely, his hands and feet flying into a frantic flurry. He stammered out a tongue-tied attempt at comfort: “Little Junior Brother… uh… you aren’t about to cry again, are you?”
Bai Xiuzhu’s facial features distorted into a grimace, looking at Ye Qianjue with extreme awkwardness.
He prayed silently in his heart: Please don’t cry. If you cry, a certain someone is bound to make an appearance again…
Ye Qianjue steadied his breathing and let out a soft huff. “I am not. Look at how old I am; I won’t cry anymore.”
Seeing the way Bai Xiuzhu let out a heavy sigh of relief, Ye Qianjue instantly felt utterly speechless. “Alright then, I came here to secretly learn spells. Senior Brother, have you learned any supreme, high-tier spells? Preferably the kind capable of taking on a hundred foes single-handedly!”
Ye Qianjue’s eyes were crystal clear, staring at Bai Xiuzhu with a face full of profound expectation at this moment.
Bai Xiuzhu mumbled out, “Taking on a hundred foes single-handedly? Uh… no.” He shook his head.
Ye Qianjue said dejectedly, “And here I thought Master Wu held you in such high regard, but in the end, he isn’t even willing to teach you a spell like that…”
The moment those words were spoken, Bai Xiuzhu became thoroughly displeased. He could criticize Wu Hengmu himself, but nobody else was allowed to criticize his Master!
Instantly, his entire face took on an arrogant expression. “Master Gu is so infinitely resourceful and omnipotent, yet how come I haven’t seen his old self nurture a single genius~” Bai Xiuzhu boasted proudly, his nose tilting straight toward the sky as he shouted loudly, “Master naturally values me immensely! In the future, this position of the Chief of Baixian Peak will belong entirely to me, Bai Xiuzhu!”
Ye Qianjue silently took a step backward, squeezing out a highly awkward smile.
He waved his hand toward the immensely proud Bai Xiuzhu. “Uh… Senior Brother, I wish you the best of luck…”
Having spoken, he turned around without a single look back and fled at lightning speed.
Generally speaking, whenever this particular scenario occurred, there was only one single possibility, and that was—
“Bai! Xiu! Zhu! I am not even dead yet! You stinky brat are already plotting to become the Chief of the Peak!”
Wu Hengmu was completely white-hot with rage. Originally, because he had failed to capture that highly suspicious black shadow, a mountain of fury had already accumulated within his heart. The moment he stepped back inside the walls, he caught his personal disciple spouting such arrogant, boastful nonsense!
The accumulated rage instantly found a perfect target to unleash itself upon.
A brief moment later, Bai Xiuzhu’s agonizing, heartbreaking screams echoed from within the walls: “Ye Qianjue!”
“Hiss~ How terrifying…” Ye Qianjue crawled out from the doghole and patted the edges of his clothes.
At this moment, Ye Yuan, who had been missing for a long time, suddenly made an appearance. With a ferocious leap, he dove straight into Ye Qianjue’s embrace, nuzzled against Ye Qianjue continuously.
“Good doggy! It seems there is nothing to be learned at Baixian Peak… Let’s head over to Wenxian Peak!”
Wenxian Peak was not strictly organized like Bai Xiuzhu’s place; it was filled entirely with sweet-smelling, beautiful, and kind-hearted senior sisters! Ye Qianjue loved going there to play the most. Every single time he visited, he could always smell the fragrant cosmetic powders blended personally by his senior sisters~
Ye Qianjue encountered absolutely no obstacles as he arrived at Wenxian Peak. Along the way, he greeted the disciples guarding the peak and bowed to the senior sisters out for a stroll. He skipped and hopped along the path, surrounded by a continuous ring of cheerful voices and laughter.
Everyone was happy, save for a single entity.
Ye Yuan was sneezing continuously, his entire face a mask of pure agony. What on earth is this scent? It’s so completely choking!
“Little Junior Brother”
Bai Fulan was clad entirely in blue robes. Her sleeves fluttered gently in the breeze, making her look precisely like a heavenly immortal. She waved her hand lightly, calling out toward Ye Qianjue, “Over here~”
Hearing the voice, Ye Qianjue turned around with a face full of smiles. “Senior”
Before his words could fully leave his mouth, he spotted the several women standing right alongside Bai Fulan. Instantly, the expression on his face completely froze. Just as Ye Qianjue spun around with the intention to flee, he was frozen in place by a swarm of blue-robed fairies behind him.
Ye Yuan: Freezing him is one thing, but what on earth is the meaning of freezing this Venerable as well?
Ye Qianjue was immobilized right on the spot. He squeezed out a sentence with immense effort: “Senior Sisters, please don’t…”
The several fellow senior sisters standing beside Bai Fulan spoke up: “Hmph~ Little Junior Brother, exactly how long has it been since you last came to Wenxian Peak to see us? Your senior sisters have specifically prepared a beautiful little dress for you~”
“And some newly blended fragrant powder!”
“And a beautiful hairpins too!”
The group of women clapped their hands in unison, directing their sinful gazes and wicked hands straight toward Ye Qianjue. “Oh~ Little Junior Brother even brought a new pet along this time. In that case, let’s just do it all together. Your senior sisters guarantee that Little Junior Brother will become the most beautiful fairy across all Three Immortal Peaks!”