Let Me Explain, Fairy
Chapter 604 - 384: The Pursuer

Chapter 604: Chapter 384: The Pursuer

The setting sun receded, and the vast sky was eroded by darkness; the clear brilliance of the full moon cascaded like a waterfall upon the world.

Several figures stood suspended in the void beneath the night sky.

All of them wore uniform white robes with wide sleeves and narrow collars, adorned with embroidered Strange Beasts such as the Bai Ze and the legendary Pixiu, their divine and mystical patterns faintly glowing with a pale golden light.

Among them was a woman at the fore.

She was not dressed in white but in a black gown, the supple hem of her silk dress fluttering in the night wind, faintly outlining her curvaceous figure. Her black hair was swept up into a bun, adorned with a hairpin embedded with a red pearl; the tips of her eyebrows slightly upturned, her clear eyes revealed a cunning charm that could captivate souls.

Beneath these figures was a valley engulfed in dense fog.

The white mist under the sunlight now glowed with a fluctuating, enchanting red under the moonlight, the shadows fusing to form a vast, eerie sea in the grandiose valley floor.

Listening to the occasional strange and fierce howls coming from the fog below, a man in wide-sleeved, narrow-collared robes, holding a compass, suddenly asked in a low voice,

"Saintess, if these two have truly entered Sword Casting Valley as the Pavilion Master predicted, should we report this to the Pavilion Master first?"

Tian Ye looked at everything below with interest, her red lips slightly parted, her soft whispers contained a subtle enchanting allure,

"These two are quite interesting~ My master has never been wrong when predicting with the Celestial Fates Divine Technique, but these two seem to have some sort of foresight as well, always managing to escape our encirclement..."

As she spoke,

Tian Ye turned her head slightly, arms crossed over her chest, a smile brimming in her eyes as she looked towards the man beside her,

"Xiao Jianqing, I recall you knew these two when you were in Qionghua Sect?"

The white-robed man holding the compass was indeed Xiao Jianqing.

Having fled Qionghua Sect even before Xu Yuan and Tianyan, he had eventually managed to join Jiatiange after a series of ups and downs.

With his gaze flickering slightly, Xiao Jianqing pondered before replying softly,

"Back to the Saintess, I do know the Elder Brother Jing He and Elder Sister Tianyan. However, being of low birth, I didn’t have much interaction with them, merely acquaintances who would nod to each other when we met."

Tian Ye appeared slightly surprised at his response,

"You were all core disciples and of similar cultivation level, yet there was no friendship?"

Xiao Jianqing looked directly into the enticing golden eyes of the Saintess before him,

"Every word I utter is the truth. Jing He and the others are direct descendants of the Sect Master’s lineage and naturally wouldn’t get too close to someone of humble origin like myself. Moreover... at that time, I belonged to the Second Elder’s faction within Qionghua Sect."

Hearing this, a smile flickered in Tian Ye’s pale golden eyes,

"Internal conflict, then..."

"Yes," Xiao Jianqing bowed, his eyes falling with a hint of a sigh.

Seven years on,

Qionghua Sect was considered a first-class Sect locally, but on a larger scale, it had already become second-class.

And still,

they were continuously declining with time.

There were external factors to this decline, but more importantly, there were problems developing within the Sect.

These issues already existed during Xiao Jianqing’s time in the Sect before his defection.

The catastrophe seven years ago merely brought all these problems to the forefront.

Tian Ye’s slender fingers gently shook as she pointed towards the southern void, her tone laced with a teasing smile, yet there was a hint of mockery:

"The internal strife among the higher echelons of the Qionghua Sect is escalating. If this goes on, I’m afraid that within a hundred years, the Qionghua Secret Sect will be reduced to an insignificant sect. As a former disciple, don’t you wish to say something?"

Xiao Jianqing hung his head, his voice carrying a trace of complexity:

"Xiao has been able to embark on the path of cultivation... indeed thanks to Qionghua, but within those decades, I have already repaid this debt of gratitude."

In Tian Ye’s sparkling eyes, there was a trace of amusement:

"That’s also true. The high ranks of Qionghua only know how to pour various precious resources onto their own kin and direct descendants, while the true geniuses are kept out... Such sects are indeed unworthy of one’s life-long devotion."

"This is also the reason why Xiao is willing to serve Jiatiange," Xiao Jianqing added calmly afterward.

Upon hearing this, Tian Ye gave him a deep look and waved her hand:

"There are also struggles within Jiatiange. Those Saints, those great families are all the same, shamelessly scrabbling for power and profit..."

"At least there is the Pavilion Master."

Xiao Jianqing cut off Tian Ye’s words, his gaze sweeping across the surrounding mountains and forests: "Underneath this prosperous era lies the rotting scent of flowers, only the Pavilion Master remains pure."

"...."

Tian Ye was stunned for a moment, then let out a light giggle.

The silver bell-like laughter scattered with the wind under the bright moonlight.

The reason Jiatiange has been able to exist since ancient times is not solely due to the predictive power of the Yantian Art, but more so because each generation’s Pavilion Master has been an existence of near-heartless rationality.

Without desire, there’s no pursuit, nor will there be misuse of the immense power in their hands.

As the laughter faded, Tian Ye’s eyelids drooped halfway, and a mysterious sigh flashed through her eyes as bright as stars.

Becoming the Pavilion Master is the lifelong wish of every Saint Heir and Saintess.

But once they truly reach that position,

Will she... still be her?

Collecting her thoughts, Tian Ye’s lips curved into a half-smile:

"Alright, go and report this matter to your master."

Xiao Jianqing hesitated slightly, then said in a low voice:

"Saintess, this area is adjacent to the Ancient Abyss and it’s tens of thousands of miles from the Tian Jue Mountain Range. Arranging for a Saint to come may take a considerable amount of time."

"So what are you suggesting?"

"This region seems to be the territory of the Inviting Moon Sect. They seem to have signed a blood pact with us. Using the Heavenly Pavilion Mandate should be able to..."

"Foolish."

Tian Ye’s red lips parted to let out a single word, turning her face to the side, her peach blossom eyes losing all seductiveness, the pale gold pupils filled with indifference: "How precious is the Enchantress Divine Tree Seed, for seven years now, no one in the world has dared to covet this share. It’s just because of Jiatiange and Taiqing Tao Palace’s reputation; once we ask them for help, it gives them an excuse, and then it will be different."

Although they have already tried their best to conceal the inside story of this matter, initiating a manhunt under the accusation of murdering a Saint Heir.

But in these seven years, the news of the Enchantress Divine Tree Seed’s emergence has still managed to spread far and wide, and now the whole vast world, many powers are eyeing this juicy cake.

"Yes, Xiao will take his leave first."

Xiao Jianqing bowed respectfully.

As the words fell, he was about to transform into a beam of light and leave, but at the last moment, he paused and tentatively asked:

"Saintess, I venture to ask one question," said Xiao Jianqing hesitantly, "Why could Elder Jing He and the others predict the deductions made by the Pavilion Master?"

"If you know it’s presumptuous, why bother asking?"

"......"

Seeing this, Xiao Jianqing quickly performed a hand-over-fist salute: "It was presumptuous of me."

"Make it quick and return soon."

Tian Ye slightly raised her hand, and as her robe settled, she revealed a section of her fair and smooth forearm, waving it dismissively, "You needn’t inform my mentor, there is a Saint watching over the city of Jing’an. You should have enough time to notify him within ten days."

Humm——

A buzzing sound, followed by the noise of the air being torn apart, saw Xiao Jianqing instantaneously transform into a streak of purple light, gradually shrinking into a dot as he raced towards the firmament, disappearing from sight.....

All returned to tranquility,

Tian Ye stood aloft in the mid-air, her robes fluttering, her pale golden pupils fixed on the fog below, her gaze deep and murmuring to herself:

"Not only can they sense and predict, but they also know that the ghost mist can shield the Yantian Art. My mentor mentioned those two might have learned the Yantian Art from Tianrui using some method, but observing the traces of their cultivation techniques, they seem nothing like the Yantian Art..."

As she spoke,

Tian Ye gently pressed her brow, her eyes filled with confusion:

"There’s always a sense of discordance.... Has someone modified my consciousness?"

As she pondered in her heart,

a sudden change in heaven and earth occurred,

a dazzling red light suddenly rose from the distant fog below, almost lighting up half of the sky.

All who were present narrowed their eyes at the sight.

After a while,

a man in white standing behind Tian Ye hesitantly said:

"Saintess, this aura... seems like a Saint-level Yin Ghost?"

...

...

...

Walking through a desolate and eerie forest, Xu Yuan and Tianyan moved swiftly, covering a hundred meters in an instant.

The dangers of the ghost mist are all relative. For them, two Primordial Cultivators, there are hardly any dangers as long as they don’t come across any terrifying entities.

After half a month, they had grown used to the environment within the Sword Casting Valley, and during that time they had slain countless creatures within the ghost mist,

without exception, these little ’adorables’ had all undergone some degree of ghoulification and mutation.

They had become grotesquely deformed, somewhat similar to the nuclear radiation Xu Yuan knew from his previous life.

Beyond that, they had even encountered humans at the bottom of the valley.

Oh no, it would be more fitting to call them ghost people.

They were not fully transformed into Yin Ghosts like Ghost Seven had been before, but more like Cultivators who practiced with the aid of ghostly energies.

Their bodies withered and pale, eye sockets sunken, with pupils a ghastly green, resembling zombies.

However, they had yet to encounter anything that could pose a threat to the two of them.

The Sword Casting Valley at night was extraordinarily tranquil, with both of them silently traversing the desolate woodland.

They were searching for a suitable place to shelter, and over the past half-month, they had found several good spots, but Xu Yuan had rejected all of them.

As dignified Primordial Cultivators, even though they were in the ghost mist, life should still be embraced ceremoniously.

If not beside a mountain or near water, the very least they could do was avoid living in a forsaken cave where birds would not even care to defecate.

Advancing along the way, Xu Yuan was also operating his cultivation technique to stay alert.

The geography within the Sword Casting Valley still consisted of mountains, forests, and valleys, only the trees were somewhat uglier.

After traveling several more miles, casually slaughtering a few unseeing Yin Ghosts and deformed creatures that ran into them, the dense forest suddenly cleared.

Surrounded by ghost trees,

a waterfall cascaded from high above into an ancient pool below, splashing water droplets everywhere, mist enveloping the area and making it look like a fairyland on earth.

Peaceful

It was hard to imagine such a delightful place within the ghost mist.

Seeing this, Xu Yuan instinctively glanced sidelong at the girl beside him, only to notice she was also looking at him.

Clearly, Tianyan was quite satisfied with this location.

"This?" asked Xu Yuan.

Tianyan did not immediately reply. A radiant glow, as brilliant as the rising sun, shone from her eyes as she surveyed their surroundings before she softly responded:

"Hmm, this place is still some distance from the center of the ghost mist, and it’s quite secluded."

Upon hearing her words, Xu Yuan, half-jokingly, said:

"So this will be our home from now on?"

"....."

Tianyan ignored him, walking on her own to the riverside. When she saw Xu Yuan still standing in place, she looked back at him and scolded with a clear voice:

"What are you still standing there for? Do you want to sleep under the heavens and on the earth?"

Xu Yuan grinned and quickly followed:

"If it’s with you, Tianyan, sleeping under the heavens and on the earth wouldn’t be so bad."

A ripple spread through Tianyan’s heart, the corners of her mouth curving up unconsciously, but she quickly caught the implication of his words and glared at the scoundrel:

"Do you know how to build a house?"

Xu Yuan recalled his outdoor skills from his previous life and said in a low voice:

"I can manage a matchbox-sized one."

"That will suffice. Go and gather some timber. We’ll build a small cabin here."

"Humph, staying inside a house sounds good too. Sleeping under the heavens and on the earth is a tad too wild for me."

"We’ll build two separate ones."

"Then enjoy sleeping under the heavens and on the earth."