Demoness, where are you Fleeing to?
Chapter 349 - 296: Li Xuan, the King of Living Off Women (Seeking Monthly Tickets) _1

Chapter 349: Chapter 296: Li Xuan, the King of Living Off Women (Seeking Monthly Tickets) _1

Upon hearing Li Xuan’s words, admiration and gratitude swept over Zhang Shenye, illuminating his eyes.

In their current predicament, Li Xuan’s words were undoubtedly the strongest support for him.

"Earl Jingan, you’re too kind," Zhang Shenye responded. "Indeed, Tianshi’s mansion needs your and Immortal Master Shuide’s help today. However, we would never dare to say we are ’instructing’ you."

In the depths of Ao Shuying’s eyes too, a glimmer of cryptic emotion flashed. She was supposed to come here as a friend, with the intention to repay a favor.

But when she heard Li Xuan’s words about ’three destined lifetimes’, she felt an unexpected surge of jealousy. Did Li Xuan really like this Xue Yunrou that much?

However, she was skilled in keeping her emotions hidden, not allowing any of her internal turmoil to show on her face.

Seeing Zhang Shenye, with his keen gaze, make some room for them on his left, Li Xuan and Ao Shuying took their seats. Once they had settled, Zhang Shenye turned his gaze to the others, "Let’s continue our discussion on how to repel Zhang Guanlan."

"It is my opinion that if we are to quickly repel the two outside forces, it would undoubtedly be necessary to entrust either the ’Zhengyi Fumo Sword’ or the ’Zhengyi Talisman’ to another person,"

The speaker was a middle-aged man with a thick beard, his expression serious. "We are fortunate to have Immortal Master Shuide on our side, but it would not be right to insist that he risk his life for our cause. Even with his intervention, we are only in a stalemate. The transference of the ’Zhengyi Fumo Sword’ and the ’Zhengyi Talisman’ is inevitable."

Xue Yunrou recognized this man as ’Zhaoyuan’, her uncle by marriage, known within Tianshi’s mansion for his integrity.

However, she was unable to discern whether his words were in the public interest or driven by hidden motivations.

"Zhaoyuan has a point," proclaimed an aged Taoist with white hair and beard, seated to the right of Zhang Shenye. "The priority should be to choose a successor as quickly as possible. Our Tianshi’s Mansion possesses the Zhengyi Fomo Sword and Zhengyi Talisman, both possessing magnificently powerful magic, capable of granting any cultivator from the Third Door upwards a heavenly level combat power. With this, why should we fear Li Zhetian or Zhang Guanlan?"

Zhang Shenye stroked his beard, his face remaining composed. He knew he had eyes and ears in this Taiqing Palace who would watch and listen for him.

"What a joke! All we need do is defend the Taiqing Palace and wait for the Court’s reaction within two or three days. Zhang Guanlan and Li Zhetian are capital criminals wanted by the Court, how long can they stay here?"

"I would rather continue in a stalemate – isn’t the Zhengyi Fumo Sword a key part of our inheritance that shouldn’t be passed on lightly? What if the Sword ends up in the wrong hands?"

"With the bodies of the two lesser Heavenly Masters still cold, and the Heavenly Master severely injured, are you all insisting that the Heavenly Master hand over his immortal artifacts? What does this suggest?"

"Having been bold to ask, who among you can inherit the Zhengyi Fumo Sword? You, Zhang Zhaoyuan, or you, Zhang Yuanhua?" The divine treasure has a spirit, it needs the cultivator’s Divine Consciousness to nurture it at all times. When passed on, one should have a high hope of reaching the Heavenly Level, to prevent damage to the spirit of the divine treasure. If you hold these two immortal treasures, it would truly be a waste."

"You all make valid points." Zhang Zhaoyuan spoke with conviction, maintaining a grave expression. "We can hold out until the Court makes a decision, but have you considered this? If our noble Tianshi’s Mansion can’t even deal with two Demons, how are we qualified to govern the Three Mountains and manage all the matters of Taoism in the world?

It is true that Zhang Zhaoyuan and those in this hall are not qualified to inherit these two immortal treasures, but within our Tianshi mansion, there are three individuals of the right age and cultivation skills that are capable of handling both treasures: Zhang Xuanzhang, Zhang Xuanzhang, and Zhang Xuanbo. The Heavenly Master can choose the most outstanding among them."

Zhang Shenye’s gaze hardened slightly. Even he had to admit, Zhang Zhaoyuan made a compelling point.

He was not unwilling to transfer the ’Zhengyi Fumo Sword’ and the ’Zhengyi Talisman’ to eligible disciples in his sect, he just didn’t trust them.

Zhang Shenye was uncertain who within the sect was reliable, and who might be colluding with Zhang Guanlan.

He faced a blood feud with the Heavenly Master of the Yuan Dynasty and Li Zhetian that ran deep as oceans. How could he let his enemies have their way at such a time? He was not sure if the treasures, once transferred, would backfire.

Just then, a raspy voice echoed from below the hall.

"Brother Zhaoyuan, have you perhaps forgotten someone?"

It was Zhang Xuanzhong who had verbally clashed with the others earlier. He scoffed, "I believe there is someone more deserving here in the hall. And this person will undoubtedly walk among the Heavenly Officials in the future."

"Oh? May I ask who this is? Surely you don’t mean yourself, Zhang Xuanzhong?" Zhang Zhaoyuan initially didn’t put much stock into the statement until a sudden realization caused his expression to drastically change.

"Isn’t she right beside the Heavenly Master? Xue Yunrou from the Tianshi Mansion’s external lineage!"

Zhang Xuanzhong opened his mouth, displaying silver teeth, "Her bloodline is closer to the Heavenly Master than any other. At only sixteen, she ascended to the Third Door, isn’t she more qualified given these talents than the three you mentioned? Her maternal uncle Jiang Yunqi wields the Ice-Thunder Halberd, he is also part of our Zhengyi Sect. Who doesn’t know that Jiang Yunqi has ascended to the Heavenly Level, defeating the Nanjing Dicheng Xie Kun in a debut battle? In the future, she could become a powerful auxiliary support for our Tianshi Mansion."

The hall fell silent. Even Xue Yunrou was taken aback. She gazed with surprise at her nearly forty-year-old senior Zhang Xuanzhong.

Zhang Shenye’s eyes brightened, a flash of brilliance darted across his pupils. Yet, a moment of hesitation followed.

Li Xuan was also heartened by the turn of events. Wasn’t this great for Yunrou? She had stumbled upon such an opportunity.

He was aware that the day’s events had been a great blow for Xue Yunrou. However, Li Xuan didn’t share deep connections with the two deceased Heavenly Masters from Tianshi’s mansion. So, at the moment, his happiness for Yunrou outweighed anything else.

After all, these were heavenly treasures, an incredible fortune. Particularly the ’Zhengyi Talisman’ - it was said to have the power to elevate one’s cultivation level to nearly that of a heavenly being.

As for the "Zhengyi Fumo Sword," also known as the Unisex Evil-Killing Sword or the Dragon-Tiger Fumo Sword, it was a mighty weapon used by the first Heavenly Master, Zhang Daoling, on behalf of the Han dynasty to slay the demons in Jiangnan.

With Yunrou’s talent, with the help of these two immortal treasures, the probability of stepping into the heavenly level would nearly be one hundred percent.

At the same time, Li Xuan suddenly felt a sense of panic and his scalp was tingling.

He thought about the girls around him; Yu Hongshang—the heavenly level, Xue Yunrou—the heavenly level, Demoness Zidie Xia Nanyan—most probably would step into the heavenly level in the future, and Jiang Hanyun who had a father at the heavenly level.

Li Xuan thought to himself that his experience could be put into a book titled "How I lived through freeloading in the Jin Dynasty."

He felt a grim future ahead, a future that could be filled with peril.

However, after a moment of silence, the hall was once again filled with chatter.

"Xue Yunrou? She indeed has talent, but she’s from the Xue family. Can our holy objects of the Tianshi’s mansion be inherited by an outsider?"

"She is also a woman!"

"Exactly! This is like a hen crowing at dawn."

"The key issue is her surname. Will the Tianshi’s talisman bear the name Xue from now on?"

"Just change her surname, what’s the big deal?" Zhang Xuanzhong swung his horsetail whisk with disdain. "Is not it still the bloodline of the Zhang family? As for a woman holding the position of Heavenly Master, didn’t our ancestors also have one? Therefore, if Xue Yunrou is willing, it can be."

All eyes turned to Xue Yunrou.

Xue Yunrou appeared dazed, she glanced at the people in the room and then at Li Xuan; her hands tightly clasped together. She tried several times to speak but in the end, she couldn’t say a word.

"What do you think, Miss Xue?" Zhang Xuanzhong continued to ask: "The most suitable candidate within Tianshi’s mansion is you now. Under such circumstances, I appeal to you, dear sister."

"I... "

Xue Yunrou wanted to say ’no’, but out of the corner of her eye, she suddenly noticed the bodies laid outside the Shangqing Hall.

In the very centre, two bodies were covered with a white cloth but from their clothes, Xue Yunrou was sure these were her two cousins.

The sight made her head spin, as she remembered her father was vomiting blood until his untimely death, and her oldest brother who has been bedridden, conscious only six of ten days.

Xue Yunrou could also sense the obscure aura emanating from Zhang Shenye.

Although Zhang Shenye was trying hard to conceal it, if it weren’t a severe injury, why couldn’t he even use the ’Zhengyi Fumo sword’?

So, Xue Yunrou couldn’t speak again.

Was this really appropriate? At this moment, her family was either dying or wounded while she still only cared about herself?

"Yunrou, you don’t have to force yourself. If it’s too hard to let go, then there’s no need to let go."

Zhang Shenye expected this would be the case, shook his head and said, "The honorable Tianshi’s mansion, we will eventually find a solution... "

However, Xue Yunrou was looking at Li Xuan with a complicated expression on her face, her eyes betraying a strong sense of bitterness and regret. But without waiting for Zhang Shenye to finish speaking, she suddenly gritted her teeth and interrupted, "I didn’t say I’m unwilling, and I don’t think it’s too hard!"

Zhang Shenye froze for a moment upon hearing her words, but instead of being happy, he sighed lightly, "Then, Yunrou, do you understand the consequences? Once this immortal treasure is in your hands, it’s irreversible even if you change your mind later."

"I won’t regret it!" Xue Yunrou exhaled deeply, turned her head away, not wanting Li Xuan to see her reddened eyes, and she said firmly, with a deep hatred, "Knife Demon Li Zhetian gravely wounded my father years ago and caused his premature death. Now he conspired against my uncle, killed my cousins. This profound revenge and great hatred, isn’t it justified for Yunrou to revenge? If I don’t kill this beast, I swear not to be human."

Li Xuan listened and couldn’t help but wonder.

He wondered if inheriting this immortal treasure required paying a price that he didn’t know.

"Alright!" Zhang Shenye heard the determination in Xue Yunrou’s words, he no longer hesitated, and beckoned Li Xuan and Xue Yunrou, saying, "Starting from now, no idlers are allowed in the Ancestral Master Hall! The inheritance of the immortal treasure will take half a day. During this period, we leave the stewardship of Shangqing Palace to Immortal Master Shuide."

Ao Shuying heard it and nodded, "Sure, you go ahead."

The people in the hall looked at each other in silence.

Some of them looked coldly and remained silent.

Zhang Xuanzhong, who was positioned at the lower end of the crowd, scoffed upon seeing this.

The inheritance of the Heavenly Master was naturally decided by Zhang Shenye alone. No matter how dissatisfied these people were, no matter how much clamor they made, it was useless.