The two of them teleported back to the courtyard of Mingzhao Residence, only to suddenly spot a long-haired woman in red standing right in front of the courtyard gate.
Xue Mingzhao and Su Ye shuddered in fright, nearly jumping out of their skins. For a moment, they thought they had run into a ghost.
Squinting to get a closer look, Xue Mingzhao offered an awkward, apologetic smile. “E-Eldest Senior Sister, good evening.”
Qi Wuyang's expression was gentle, and her tone betrayed no hint of anger or joy. “You're back so late, Junior Sister. Where did you go wandering off to?”
Xue Mingzhao replied guiltily, “I went to check out the market with Sixth Senior Brother.”
Qi Wuyang's smile deepened, her voice growing even gentler. “Lying is not what good children do.”
Su Ye felt his skin crawl at his senior sister's sweet demeanor. Steeling himself, he defended, “We really did go to a market.”
It just wasn't the one in Dongcang Heavenly Capital.
Seeing how stubbornly the two of them refused to admit the truth, Qi Wuyang raised her hand and tossed something. A massive crab claw crashed onto the ground.
Xue Mingzhao's eyes widened. Isn't that the right claw of the fifth-tier Black-Armored Ao?!
Her senior sister was only at the great perfection of Foundation Establishment, yet she had personally slain a fifth-tier demon beast?!
Xue Mingzhao carefully examined Qi Wuyang's dantian—mid-grade wood and fire double spiritual roots, Foundation Establishment great perfection.
A Foundation Establishment cultivator had actually beaten a fifth-tier demon beast to death?
Before Xue Mingzhao could wrap her head around it, Qi Wuyang put away the claw, grabbed the two of them—one in each hand—and sped off toward the sect's main hall.
The main hall was brightly lit.
Su Mingyuan, Wen Shuxian, and the other elders were all seated.
Li Buqi sat with his legs crossed, looking like he was about to watch a good show the moment he saw them enter.
There was also a man Xue Mingzhao had never seen before, who possessed gentle, refined features.
She scanned him with her divine sense and discovered that he had mid-grade gold, wood, and water triple spiritual roots, and was at the seventh level of Foundation Establishment.
The man cast a cool glance at Li Buqi, who reluctantly uncrossed his legs and sat up straight.
Su Mingyuan set up a barrier to seal off any sound from leaving the hall.
“Confess! Where on earth did you two go today?!”
Wen Shuxian's angry shout made both of them shudder.
Xue Mingzhao said weakly, “First, we took a stroll along the seabed...”
Su Ye added in a low voice, “And then we visited a market tonight.”
Li Buqi sneered. “I saw it with my own eyes. You two sneaked onto the small island in the restricted area of the back mountain.”
Xue Mingzhao and Su Ye exchanged a look, completely bewildered.
Restricted area?
That unremarkable island they passed by was actually a restricted area?
When they had first joined the sect, Martial Uncle Wen did seem to have mentioned it in passing.
Qi Wuyang glared at Li Buqi, signaling him to keep his mouth shut. “Martial Uncle, let me explain.”
“Today, Third Junior Brother came to tell me that Junior Brother and Junior Sister had gone to the back mountain's restricted area. I rushed over immediately, but couldn't find any trace of them. I figured you had gone into the sea. Since the seabed is crawling with demon beasts, I immediately dove into the deep sea. When I finally found you two, I saw Junior Sister provoking a fifth-tier Black-Armored Ao.
“I quickly went back to land to seek help from Martial Uncle Wen. By the time we returned to the deep sea, you were already long gone. Martial Uncle Wen followed the traces to an underwater cliff. He searched for a long time but found nothing, and even diving to the deepest part of the ocean yielded no results.
“Martial Uncle Wen thought you had fallen victim to the Black-Armored Ao, so in his rage, he slew the beast. However, he found absolutely none of your scent on it. The entire sect has been searching for you all night—”
Qi Wuyang's smile grew even more tender. “And now, you're telling me you were just wandering around a market?”
Xue Mingzhao understood now.
They had used the black market teleportation talisman right around that time. No wonder their senior sister had missed them.
With everyone's eyes locked onto them, lying was no longer an option. She might as well come clean.
Xue Mingzhao laid out the entire story of the underground dragon bones and the spatial crack.
Wen Shuxian looked thoroughly skeptical, waving his hand in dismissal. “Utter nonsense! I went down there myself. There is no such thing as an underground space or a crack.”
Su Ye spoke up, unconvinced. “Martial Uncle, we're telling the truth. That giant dragon is massive. You might not even be as large as one of its scales.”
Furious, Wen Shuxian slammed his palm onto the table. “If you two continue to spout lies, do not blame this old man for showing no mercy!”
“The spiritual energy in the Eastern Territory has been growing scarcer by the day precisely because it is all leaking out through that spatial crack,” Xue Mingzhao explained seriously.
The silent Mu Tianqing raised a hand to stop the fuming Wen Shuxian, his expression solemn. “You are saying that the root cause of the depleting spiritual energy across the entire Eastern Territory is this spatial crack?”
Xue Mingzhao nodded vigorously.
Mu Tianqing pondered for a moment. “Tomorrow, you will lead us there to check. If it is true, we will find a way to temporarily seal the crack. That might just improve the spiritual energy shortage in the Eastern Territory.”
Wen Shuxian was still highly skeptical, but out of respect for Mu Tianqing, he refrained from arguing further.
However, still believing the two were talking nonsense, he pressed on, “Then where did you go tonight?”
Unable to withstand the pressure exuded by the elders, Su Ye confessed honestly, “We went to the market in Yunque Heavenly Capital to sell some things.”
Xue Mingzhao chimed in, “And we bought some things along the way.”
Hearing this, Su Mingyuan gave his instructions. “Shihuai, stay. Wuyang, take your Third Junior Brother back.”
Hearing this, Li Buqi was displeased. “Why must the two of us leave when there are so many people here? You're isolating us.”
He turned to Qi Wuyang. “Senior Sister, I didn't really want to stay anyway, but I just can't stand them isolating you.”
Qi Wuyang grabbed Li Buqi by the back of his collar and dragged him out of the main hall.
While her expression remained unchanged, she was grumbling inwardly.
If I didn't have to keep an eye on you, would I even need to leave?
Master definitely has something important to say. Third Junior Brother has a mouth looser than a pair of baggy pants. If he hears it, the entire world will know by tomorrow.
Right now, countless cultivators have their eyes on the Grand Primordium Sect. We absolutely cannot let any word slip out.
Su Mingyuan pointed at the refined-looking man and introduced him. “This is your Second Senior Brother, An Shihuai. He has been out earning spirit stones and only rushed back yesterday.”
Wen Shuxian cut off the introduction to steer them back to the topic. “No more digressions. Continue with what happened tonight.”
Without a word, Xue Mingzhao took a jade box out of her storage ring and flipped the lid open.
“A Ten-Thousand-Year Bodhi Seed?!” Xu Qingyan couldn't help but raise her voice.
Wen Shuxian quickly stepped forward. “Where did you get this?”
The two of them gave a detailed account of their trip to the black market tonight.
Everyone was too shocked to speak. Only Su Mingyuan was both angry and worried. “I've warned you before to keep your wealth hidden! If someone with ill intentions targets you, the consequences will be unimaginable!”
Xue Mingzhao explained earnestly, “Master, this is all for our sect's Mahayana Pill.”
Hearing this, Xu Qingyan's heart stirred. Did this child actually trust her so much?
Rate on N.U.
