The Immortal Lord and the Demon Venerable Are Both My Vests - Chapter 11

Lin Xinqiao hadn’t lost her mind to grief when she sought out Xu Rong.

On the contrary, she was so composed that even Xu Rong, who had known this young lady quite well in his previous life, was rather surprised.

“You must already know that my family was destroyed by the Seventh Venerable. I’ve lost the backing that allowed me to throw my weight around.”

The young lady was clearly aware of her past behavior. “I’ve offended quite a few people. If I said there was no one looking to kick me while I’m down or add insult to injury, you certainly wouldn’t believe me.”

“Xu Rong, I need an ally, and so do you. For both of us, we’re each other’s most suitable choice.”

Xu Rong asked calmly, “What makes you think so?”

Lin Xinqiao pulled at the corner of her mouth. “Because you didn’t close the door immediately. And… you’re also a smart person.”

Xu Rong remained unfazed and even stood up to see her out. “Miss Lin, I don’t think I need to form such a childish alliance with you. The Seventh Venerable’s ruthlessness is known throughout the entire Lantian Realm. What makes you think a few words can convince me to accompany you to your death?”

Lin Xinqiao let out a cold laugh, sharply pointing out Xu Rong’s bluff.

“Xu Rong, your current situation is only more difficult than mine. No matter what, I, Lin Xinqiao, am still a properly registered disciple of the immortal sect. They can mock me, oppress me, but they absolutely cannot expel me from Taihua Immortal Sect.”

“But you’re different. Although you’ve walked out of the Heavenly Ascension Path and have exceptional talent, with the Enforcement Elder’s blatant threats hanging over you, which elder would dare accept you? Without a concrete status, you could be expelled from Taihua Immortal Sect at any time!”

“The first immortal sect of the Lantian Realm—you went through countless hardships to enter. Are you really willing to leave just like that? Don’t forget, the enemy who destroyed your entire family is still waiting outside!”

Miss Lin truly lived up to being the daughter of a former fourth-rank sect master. With both threats and enticements, every sentence struck at Xu Rong’s most critical vulnerabilities, making the youth’s expression waver within moments.

Seeing that success was at hand, Lin Xinqiao softened her tone. “Xu Rong, I’m not so ambitious as to think I can kill the Seventh Venerable to avenge my family. I’m seeking cooperation with you only in hopes that we can both successfully establish ourselves in Taihua Immortal Sect. If we can’t even take the first step steadily, how can we talk about the future?”

Xu Rong’s expression told Lin Xinqiao that he had been persuaded.

Lin Xinqiao smiled with satisfaction. “Then the first step of our cooperation will be the hundreds of minor secret realms opening this time.”

It was like someone bringing a pillow just when you’re drowsy. Xu Rong narrowed his eyes. “Minor secret realms? You’re at Foundation Establishment stage and I’m at Qi Refining stage—our cultivation levels are different. How can we enter the same minor secret realm?”

Having established a surface-level cooperative relationship, Xu Rong no longer spoke with false courtesy.

Lin Xinqiao raised her chin slightly. “This is one of the benefits I can provide you after we cooperate. I come from a major sect and know far more than someone like you who came from the mortal realm.”

She said, “The minor secret realms within the sect are actually left behind by Taihua Immortal Sect disciples after they died. All Inner Sect disciples who die without relatives have their wealth preserved and made into minor secret realms for later new disciples to use as trials.”

“These secret realms don’t have strict entry requirements like those outside the sect. The so-called Foundation Establishment secret realms or Golden Core secret realms are merely based on the deceased’s cultivation level during life, lowered by one tier as the standard for determining what level of spirit beasts to place inside.”

“As long as participants are confident in themselves and willing to sign a life-and-death waiver, even if someone at Qi Refining stage wants to enter an Out-of-Body stage secret realm, no one will stop them!”

“The immortal sect is so generous…” Xu Rong displayed the shocked expression a newcomer learning this information should have.

When he first heard about it in his previous life, his astonishment had been genuine.

Only an immortal sect of this caliber could be wealthy enough to not even care about the substantial inheritance of Spirit Transformation stage cultivators.

Tianshu Peak.

“Junior sister has returned.”

At the sound, Ji Chang’an looked up. Halfway up the mountain, beneath a tall ancient tree, a young man leaned against the thick trunk, smiling at her.

Tianji Peak.

“How does Martial Aunt have the leisure to visit my remote territory today?”

Li Baisu’s expression wasn’t good, clearly suppressing her anger. “Nephew Tianji, what is the meaning of this?”

She ignored the teacup offered to her, strode to the stone table in two steps, and with a ‘bang’ shattered the hard Nanshan stone into powder. Shen Muxuan quickly rescued the teapot and cups that nearly fell to the ground.

Muttering quietly ‘these are good things made of Qingxin jade,’ under Li Baisu’s increasingly ugly expression, he smiled bitterly. “Martial Aunt, why such fury?”

“Heh.” Li Baisu let out a cold laugh and demanded, “What’s the matter with Xu Rong?”

Shen Muxuan’s expression changed slightly, which in Li Baisu’s eyes was proof of his guilty conscience. She spoke even more sternly, “Martial Nephew, in the past several hundred years, has Martial Aunt ever wronged you? Back when the matter between you and Qilan caused such a huge uproar, if I hadn’t suppressed Feiying, would you have today’s peaceful days?”

Yin Lang sneered inwardly, not bothering to comment on this statement.

This Enforcement Elder probably had no idea how much her precious disciple Hua Feiying had deceived her.

If Yin Lang’s understanding of that matter was ten parts, Hua Feiying’s was seven parts, Hua Qilan’s was three parts. As for this Elder Li, it was questionable whether she even had one part.

However, on the surface he still had to act as if he felt guilty toward Hua Qilan, sighing softly, “Martial Aunt, that child is also pitiable. Why must you be so aggressive?”

Li Baisu scoffed. “Being this lady’s disciple would wrong him?”

She didn’t want to explain more about this matter and said directly, “Tianji, I won’t waste words with you. I came to tell you that this disciple—this lady will definitely take him.”

“Martial Aunt is quite domineering.”

Li Baisu was as arrogant and forceful as always. Just as she flicked her sleeve to leave, a gentle male voice interjected. The familiar voice made Li Baisu’s eyebrows shoot up instantly.

She turned back with a cold look. The bamboo gate of the small courtyard was wide open, and a black-robed man covered his mouth as he coughed twice, then methodically wiped the blood from his palm with a handkerchief before slowly walking in.

Behind him followed a handsome youth whose gaze was mostly focused worriedly on Gu Fuxuan, only briefly bowing silently to Li Baisu and Yin Lang as they entered the courtyard.

Gu Fuxuan walked in two more steps, his eyes filled with anger. “Fuxuan wasn’t aware that our Taihua Immortal Sect now has elders arbitrarily appointing disciples?”

His frame was thin, and when angered, his pale cheeks would flush with an unnatural redness. He would occasionally turn his head to cough, and if he hadn’t been born in an immortal sect, he would probably have been strangled early on as a consumptive ghost who devoured money.

If Shen Muxuan was recognized as having a white lotus black heart with a good temper, skilled in social maneuvering and offending no one; then Gu Fuxuan was universally known as sharp-tongued but soft-hearted, training people mercilessly until anyone who saw him would cower.

Except for his only junior brother. Toward Shen Muxuan, Gu Fuxuan completely treated him like raising a son.

Gu Fuxuan was indeed quite angry.

His junior brother had been alone for several hundred years and finally took a liking to a disciple, willing to accept an apprentice. How could he let Li Baisu snatch him away with just one sentence?

The senior brother’s fatherly heart exploded on the spot, furiously confronting Li Baisu.

Every word was cutting, every sentence pierced the heart.

Li Baisu’s mentality exploded from being berated.

She already had an explosive temper—could she tolerate being scolded like this?

After less than three exchanges of words, she drew out her spiritual weapon.

How could Gu Fuxuan fear her?

The Sword-Wielding Lineage were basically all sword cultivators, the type with explosive combat power.

Not attacking immediately was only out of consideration for Li Baisu at least holding an elder’s status. Since she had drawn her silk ribbon, Gu Fuxuan had no reason to stand there and take a beating.

A flash between his brows, and his natal sword emerged from his upper dantian, its sword momentum brilliant and sweeping.

In an instant, above Tianji Peak, sword qi and white silk intertwined, spiritual qi surged, creating a magnificent spectacle.

Xie Lan, who had come with Gu Fuxuan, helplessly retreated, protected behind Shen Muxuan.

A battle between a Mahayana stage sword cultivator and a Tribulation stage expert, even with restraint, wasn’t something he, a newly advanced Spirit Transformation disciple, could withstand.

Xie Lan looked up at the sky, deeply worried. “Martial Uncle, Master’s health isn’t good…”

Hearing Xie Lan’s hint, Yin Lang’s hand tightened around the fan handle.

The Heaven-Concealing Stone wasn’t on him—how could he dare make a move at this level of combat?

He never expected senior brother would come at this moment…

A miscalculation, such a miscalculation.

His continued reluctance to act made Xie Lan’s gaze toward him increasingly strange.

His thoughts raced, and inspiration struck. Yin Lang imperceptibly diverted Xie Lan’s attention:

“Senior brother and Martial Aunt are at the height of their conflict. If we don’t let them vent, even stopping them would be useless. We can only wait until they’ve calmed down, then I’ll personally go ‘beg forgiveness’ from senior brother…..Who’s there!”

Shen Muxuan’s expression suddenly changed drastically. He raised his hand and a finger of spiritual qi shot out. Xie Lan’s gaze instinctively followed, but before his vision could encompass it, dense demonic qi suddenly erupted, immediately attracting everyone’s attention on the scene.

The momentum of Li Baisu and Gu Fuxuan’s battle also slowed.

“What is that!”

“It’s demonic qi!”

“A demonic cultivator has infiltrated the sect!”

…..

Like a drop of ink falling into clear water, it was so obvious that everyone in Taihua Immortal Sect above Spirit Transformation stage sensed it. The sky instantly streaked with rays of light, all speeding toward Tianji Peak!

The sect master, who was handling sect affairs, suddenly stood up, narrowing his eyes toward the direction where he sensed the demonic qi.

His hand resting on the desk rubbed the paperweight as he suddenly said, “Disciple, can you sense which direction the demonic qi appeared from?”

The sect master’s senior disciple, Lu Changfeng, who was attending at his side, though puzzled, quickly answered, “Reporting to Master, it should be Tianji Peak.”

Because Yin Lang wanted to conveniently switch identities and avoid arousing suspicion, when advancing to Spirit Transformation stage, he deliberately chose an extremely remote peak, almost at the edge of the ten-thousand-mile Taihua mountain range. This vast area only had this one peak, greatly reducing the difficulty of identification.

“So it wasn’t my imagination…” Tu Feng murmured to himself, so quietly that even Lu Changfeng beside him didn’t hear what he was saying.

“…Tianji, let me see whether you really are… or not?”

“…Master?”

“It’s nothing.” Tu Feng’s expression quickly returned to normal. He raised his hand to gather the unfinished business on the desk and stepped outside.

“Come, accompany your master to see what exactly has happened at Tianji Peak.”