Returning to the Sect

Xu Xian thought to himself that it seemed he would have to return to the sect and ask Li Taibai in person.

Lin Fengmian shifted the conversation, saying, "I really do not know exactly how many there are, but the one from just now can be ranked in the top three. The only ones likely above her are the North Sea Lord and that true dragon. Even the true phoenix is no match for her."

Xu Xian's interest piqued again. "In that case, she is quite formidable. It seems you are not weak either, Senior Brother, being so firm in front of her."

Lin Fengmian laughed heartily and waved his hand. "Oh, how could I possibly be her match? That was merely a spirit body just now, capable of using at most eighty percent of her true body's power. I could only barely hold my own."

"Even with the Ten Thousand Demon Banner?" Xu Xian asked curiously.

Lin Fengmian gave a bitter smile. "The Ten Thousand Demon Banner can suppress the demon race and limit the eruption of their bloodline power, but if I use it once, I need to rest for at least ten days to half a month. However, rumor has it she has nine lives. I am afraid before I could kill her nine times, I would be worn to death by her first."

"That makes sense," Xu Xian nodded in agreement.

Nine lives?

That was practically a bug in the system, a cheat code that was impossible to beat.

"Then the two above her must be even more terrifying," Xu Xian added.

"Hmm... the true dragon is rumored to be an azure dragon, the ancestor of the dragon race, who has lived for a very long time. His strength naturally goes without saying. As for the one above him, it is a phantom beast, the undisputed North Sea Lord, existing independently from the Eight Sacred Islands."

"Legend has it that this beast is unpredictable and comes and goes like the wind. Every time it appears, its physical form is different. No one knows what it actually is. They only know it possesses a divine ability called the Phantom Realm. Once the Phantom Realm opens, any living being within it will fall into an illusion and be lost for a lifetime. Therefore, it has no rivals and dominates the North Sea..."

"Of course, these are all just rumors. I do not know what is true or false," Lin Fengmian recounted leisurely.

Listening to this, Xu Xian had some thoughts. If it were truly like that, then this phantom beast's divine ability was somewhat similar to the old tortoise's Delusion.

Both created a domain world, and both were mental assaults.

His Pupil of Insight happened to be a perfect counter.

Thus, there was no need to worry.

His greatest potential threat was still that Twilight Emperor, the fellow from above the heavens, a fallen immortal emperor.

The Cloud Boat traveled slowly. As the two chatted, they eventually spoke about the Eight Sacred Islands of the North Sea.

In the North Sea region, islands were numerous. Most beast gods and demon immortals occupied an island to live and multiply. Among the thousands of islands, only eight were well-known to the mortal world.

Lin Fengmian counted them one by one.

The Qianqiu Immortal Island of the Tushan fox demon lineage.

The Canghai Immortal Island of the dragon tribe lineage.

The Fengling Immortal Island of the true phoenix tribe.

The Lingqin Immortal Island governed by the qingluan.

Then there were... Myriad Beast Mountain, Yuanzhou, Ancestral Island, and the Golden Soft-shell Turtle Immortal Island.

When the Golden Soft-shell Turtle Immortal Island was mentioned, Xu Xian actually had some recollection. Legend had it that a group of turtles lived on that island. Years ago, when Xu Xian first joined the sect and crossed the Longevity Bridge, the black beast he encountered was from that island.

This time, Xu Xian had also caught two turtles, but the one who came to redeem them was not the true body of that spirit body from back then.

It was someone else.

Lin Fengmian said that on the Eight Sacred Islands, experts at the beast god stage were as numerous as raindrops, and those comparable to saints were not few.

However, those who could be called demon immortals were extremely rare. At least on these eight islands, aside from the Canghai Immortal Island, each had only one.

The azure dragon.

The little azure dragon.

The true phoenix.

The qingluan.

The nine-tails.

A tiger beast.

A spider.

An old wolf.

Plus a turtle...

Finally, there was the phantom beast, the North Sea Lord. These ten individuals were the demon immortal experts known to all of Fanzhou.

As for whether there were other great powers hidden in the shadows, Lin Fengmian dared not say for certain.

The experts in a place like the North Sea lived for far too long, so who would dare to make such claims?

Xu Xian felt that what Lin Fengmian said was indeed reasonable. In Fanzhou, the uniqueness of the North Sea was no secret.

There were many versions of the stories.

The most popular one was that because of the existence of that boundary line, the demon immortals of the North Sea could not cross over, and therefore, could not become immortals.

Because of this, those demon immortals of the North Sea were not restricted by the laws of heaven and earth, possessing endless lifespans...

Whether it was true or false, no one knew for sure.

The two talked freely, and before they knew it, the Cloud Boat had crossed a thousand mountains and traveled ten thousand miles, arriving outside the Wendao Sword Sect.

Looking into the distance, the peaks of the Wendao Sword Sect had already appeared.

Green peaks stood tall, mountains layered upon one another, shrouded in mist. The sound of ancient bells rang out. Above were pavilions and galleries over the water, and below were intersecting paths through the fields.

It was a blessed land.

A scene of peace.

Lin Fengmian ended the topic and stood up, stretching his old bones. "We are home. I need to go back and catch up on some sleep."

Xu Xian smiled and said, "Alright! Thank you for your trouble on this trip, Senior Brother."

Lin Fengmian waved his hand. "Oh... we are fellow disciples, why be so polite? If you need anything in the future, just say the word. My fellow senior brothers and sisters and I will definitely support you with all our might."

The underlying meaning was that if his Sword Tower still needed any special materials, he could tell them.

They would help if they could.

Xu Xian offered his thanks and kept it in mind, though he did not let it weigh on his heart.

A saint soul? They could help.

An immortal soul? How could they help?

He still had to rely on himself and wait for the right opportunity...

With a few words of farewell, Lin Fengmian turned into a streak of light and returned to the Ancestral Peak. Xu Xian put away the Cloud Boat and silently returned to the sect as well.

He landed at the Zuiwan Residence.

The first person he saw was Lu Yuan. This fellow was the only one with nothing serious to do, spending all day wandering the mountains or dozing off...

"You are back?" Lu Yuan asked.

"Yes, I am back," Xu Xian replied.

"It seems things went smoothly?"

"It was fine."

Lu Yuan reached out his hand and demanded, "Where is the item?"

Xu Xian pretended to be confused. "What item?"

Lu Yuan kept his patience. "Do not play dumb. Hurry up and return it to me..."

Xu Xian did not feel like arguing with him and very reluctantly returned the Immortal King's Cloak to Lu Yuan.

"Here, take it. It is just a ragged cloak, yet you keep pestering me for it every day. How stingy..."

Lu Yuan was so angry he laughed. A ragged cloak? You call the Immortal King's Shroud a ragged cloak? Hilarious.

Still, it was enough that he got the item back.

But he did not let Xu Xian off with his words. "I am stingy? If you are not stingy, why don't you give me one of your four divine swords?"

Four swords?

It seemed that when he pulled out The Living Flora, just like the previous times, there had been an anomaly within the Wendao Sword Sect.

So Lu Yuan knew.

It did not matter. It was not something that needed to be hidden. His background had already been mostly figured out by the people in the sect.

He teased, "I cannot give you one, but I can give you a strike from one. How about it? Want to let me test my sword on you?"

Lu Yuan rolled his eyes. "Forget it then..."

Testing it would mean certain death, and Lu Yuan was not an idiot.

The young man's divine sense swept out and found that there was no one else in the Zuiwan Residence. He asked casually, "Where are the others?"

Lu Yuan toyed with the cloak and said nonchalantly, "The two little ones are cultivating at the Ancestral Mountain. Yao Xiaoxiao has not been here for several days, and the show-off seems to have gone out on a mission..."

"So, they all know?" Xu Xian asked cryptically.

Lu Yuan played dumb. "Know what?"

"What do you think?"

Lu Yuan gave an 'un' of affirmation and then complained, "Your plan was too garbage. They guessed it as soon as I came out."

Xu Xian was speechless and snapped angrily, "You have the nerve to say that? It was because your acting was terrible."

Lu Yuan felt a bit guilty but still argued back, "My acting was terrible? That was because your script was no good..."

The two bickered as they usually did.

Xu Xian went to the spirit herb field.

Lu Yuan climbed onto the roof.

They parted ways on bad terms.

Lu Yuan thought, so what if my acting was bad? Why did you ask me to perform then?

Xu Xian thought, if they know, they know. It saves me the trouble of explaining.

It could be considered a weight off his shoulders.