Proud Goddess Falls in Love with Me
Chapter 1406: 1365: Vice Sect Leader Emerges from Seclusion

Chapter 1406: Chapter 1365: Vice Sect Leader Emerges from Seclusion

“You stink! Go take a shower!”

Mu Nanqing stepped back a few paces, pinched her nose, and complained, “Why are you so messy?”

“It’s not messiness, it’s the impurities in my body being expelled. Though, yeah, it does smell bad…”

Lu Chuan chuckled awkwardly as he struggled to climb off the bed and head toward the bathroom. Meanwhile, Mu Nanqing threw away the bedding and sheets, which Lu Chuan promptly incinerated before replacing them with a fresh set and spraying some perfume to mask the odor.

After busying herself until around 4 o’clock, Lu Chuan finally stepped out of the bathtub, stark naked, the foul smell having dissipated at last. Draped in a bath towel, he returned to the room.

Their eyes met, and though no words were exchanged, their tacit understanding meant that none were necessary. A single glance sufficed to convey their thoughts.

Entwined in intimacy, heat and passion filled the night.

“I want a baby too.”

Mu Nanqing lay against Lu Chuan’s shoulder, sighing lightly. “Jiaxin only needed a few tries, and now she’s pregnant. We’ve been together so long and there’s still no sign of anything. Is it your problem or mine?”

“Don’t talk nonsense. There’s nothing wrong with either of us. We’re perfectly healthy. It’s just that the timing isn’t right.”

“No way, you’ve got to try harder!”

“Alright, alright, whatever you say.”

…

At this moment, in Penglai Fairyland.

The mountains layered in deep green, mist coiling around them.

On Zhaixing Peak!

The protective formation of Zhaixing Peak suddenly ceased its operation, leaving the menial workers stationed there bewildered.

After all, the formation on Zhaixing Peak hadn’t stopped functioning for more than twenty years. Rumor had it the formation was protecting a pivotal individual in closed-door cultivation. But as years ticked by, twenty passed in the blink of an eye, and that so-called individual hadn’t emerged. The menial workers living here grew lax in their duties.

As long as they finished cleaning daily and avoided tampering with the Zhaixing Peak formation, their lives were fairly leisurely.

But on this day, the formation abruptly halted. On the summit, a powerful energy soared into the heavens, roaring through the clouds and dispersing them effortlessly. Within a hundred-mile radius, everyone could feel the chilling pressure exuding from the peak.

“That’s… the Vice Sect Leader’s aura!”

Finally, an elder recognized the energy’s owner, his eyes lighting up with excitement.

“The Vice Sect Leader has emerged from retreat! Judging from this overwhelming aura, it seems he’s succeeded!”

Twenty years ago, the Vice Sect Leader, having long reached the pinnacle of the Nine Layers of Nascent Soul, resolved to break into the Spirit Splitting Realm, and thus secluded himself in grueling closed-door training. Throughout those years, he vanished completely, leading many to believe he had met his end within Zhaixing Peak. Who would have thought he had actually succeeded!

Of course, most elders had considered the Vice Sect Leader gone; however, a small inner circle of his trusted confidants knew the truth—that he had briefly emerged from retreat during this period and had issued an assassination order targeting Lu Chuan.

Unfortunately, the attempt had failed. The Vice Sect Leader had to return to isolation, leaving the matter unresolved.

At the same time, all elders gathered at Zhaixing Peak to welcome the Vice Sect Leader’s emergence.

Feeling the overwhelming aura emanating from Zhaixing Peak, the crowd shuddered in fear, not daring to act rashly, lowering their heads in reverence and waiting silently for the Vice Sect Leader to appear.

Finally, a faint sigh broke the silence, and a figure stepped out of Zhaixing Peak. Even from a distance, the oppressive might emanating from him could be clearly felt.

“Welcome back, Vice Sect Leader!”

“Where is Sect Master?”

“Reporting to the Vice Sect Leader, the Sect Master is not currently within Penglai Immortal Domain. He has ventured out to explore the world and his whereabouts are currently unknown.”

“Summon all the elders. I need to convene a meeting to announce an important matter.”

Soon after, Vice Sect Leader Fan Qingyun arrived at Tianzhu Peak, where all the elders were already assembled, awaiting his arrival.

“It seems everyone is here.”

“Indeed. After twenty-odd years, it appears I still hold sway within Penglai Immortal Domain.”

Fan Qingyun ascended the ridge, climbed the steps, and entered the grand hall of Tianzhu Peak, taking his position as Vice Sect Leader. His voice was solemn as he asked, “Can we contact Sect Master?”

“It’s difficult. The Sect Master’s movements are unpredictable, traveling thousands of miles daily. Unless he chooses to reach out himself, it’s nearly impossible to determine his location.”

“So be it. I’ll decide this matter alone. How many Nascent Soul cultivators remain in Penglai Immortal Domain?”

“Reporting to the Vice Sect Leader, there are currently 739 Nascent Soul cultivators within Penglai Immortal Domain, of which 131 are in the late stage of Nascent Soul, while the rest are in mid or early stages.”

“After all these years, how is it that Penglai Immortal Domain still has such a stagnant number of Nascent Soul cultivators? You’ve all grown complacent!”

Fan Qingyun’s face darkened as his gaze swept across each elder’s face, silence weighing heavy in the hall until he exhaled deeply.

“Gather ten late Nascent Soul cultivators and thirty mid Nascent Soul cultivators—forty in total. Leave Penglai Immortal Domain and head to the secular world to locate a man named Lu Chuan. Then… kill him!”

In today’s era, with only Penglai Immortal Domain possessing a completed Immortal Cultivation Method, the sects and families in the secular world all defer to Penglai Immortal Domain in exchange for cultivation methods.

Yet this Lu Chuan had repeatedly challenged Penglai Immortal Domain, blatantly crossing the line, and this had evidently provoked Fan Qingyun’s limits.

If this man remained, where would Penglai Immortal Domain’s dignity lie?

“But… Vice Sect Leader, Penglai Immortal Domain hasn’t ventured into the secular world in many years. We’ve previously signed agreements, and rashly sending people to the secular world could incite dissatisfaction among the martial artists…”

“A mere gang of ants. What does their dissatisfaction matter? Kill until rivers run red—do they dare resist?”

Fan Qingyun’s attitude echoed the prevailing mindset of most cultivators in Penglai Immortal Domain: disdain for the martial artists of the secular world, whom they deemed untalented and foolish.

Indeed, this was largely the case. At the same realm, martial artists were rarely the match of cultivators. Only in cases of overwhelming disparity in realm might there be a contest; otherwise, the cultivators overwhelmingly dominated.

Yet martial artists weren’t entirely without advantages.

Their negligible entry barriers and well-defined advancement pathways gave martial artists a numerical edge far surpassing cultivators. One-on-one, they might struggle against a cultivator, but their sheer numbers ensured Penglai Immortal Domain couldn’t act recklessly.

And now, Fan Qingyun was willingly stoking conflict, dispatching people to breach the secular world, which could spark displeasure among martial artists and lead to a calamity!

“Do as I instructed. Bring back Lu Chuan’s head for me. I don’t want to hear a single objection. Understood?”

“Yes!”

With the Sect Master absent, Vice Sect Leader Fan Qingyun wielded absolute authority within Penglai Immortal Domain. His orders, no matter how unreasonable, were imperative.

Thus, in less than one Shi Chen, forty Nascent Soul cultivators gathered together and left Penglai Immortal Domain for the secular world.