The Arrogant Immortal
Chapter 363 - 362: Unparalleled Celestial Pride

Chapter 363: Chapter 362: Unparalleled Celestial Pride

Chaoyan led Xie Jiuniang back to the family home.

In the legends of the Cultivation World, there are many versions of what the first family in the Southern Region is like, but without exception, they all mention one thing: the wealth of the Nalan Family.

Encircling the Nalan Family were towering city walls.

Upon entering through a city gate, one would be greeted by a vast plain.

Herds of spiritual beasts grazed on the grass, the kind bred for consumption, such as spiritual pigs and cattle and sheep. A little further on, one could see an endless expanse of Spiritual Fields.

The planted Spirit Rice was a dazzling golden hue.

When the wind blew, waves of rice swayed, resembling a golden ocean.

Every so often, there would be a village, with hundreds of houses built, and groups of children playing on the open ground at the edge of the village, with the sound of joyful laughter arising from time to time.

Years of stability, serene and beautiful.

After flying for a while more, there stood another towering wall.

This was the second gate of the Nalan Family, and in front of the solid gate stood only an old man guarding it. This old man was not to be underestimated; he was a Nascent Soul.

"The Second Young Master has returned!"

The old man was initially bewildered upon seeing Chaoyan, but then suddenly rose to his feet to welcome him, "Second Young Master, is it really you? It’s been more than a hundred and sixty years since your last return to the family."

Upon hearing this, Chaoyan felt slightly uneasy, "Uncle Ji."

"It really is the Second Young Master!" Uncle Ji wiped away tears.

Xie Jiuniang pretended not to listen or look, according to the principle of ’see no evil, hear no evil,’ but in truth, she was covertly glancing at her own Master.

It had indeed been quite a long time since he had last visited the family—more than a hundred and sixty years.

Uncle Ji eventually noticed Xie Jiuniang. "Second Young Master, who is this...?"

"This is my disciple, Yuanxi."

Chaoyan then turned to Xie Jiuniang and introduced, "Disciple, this is Grandfather Ji, an elder who watched over your Master growing up."

With respect and courtesy, Xie Jiuniang greeted, "Junior Yuanxi pays respects to Grandfather Ji."

After parting ways with Uncle Ji, Chaoyan passed through several city gates with Xie Jiuniang following. According to Chaoyan, the Nalan Family’s territory forbade reckless flying; designated flight routes had been established to prevent accidental intrusion into forbidden areas or triggering mechanisms.

Along the way, the scenery was picturesque, with clear mountains and beautiful waters.

A family compound with complete facilities, akin to a large city.

Finally, they arrived before a large lake, which appeared to be made of emerald.

What shocked Xie Jiuniang the most was the sight of a Floating Island hovering above the center of the lake.

The Floating Island loomed like a colossal entity, suspended motionlessly in the air.

From the ground, one could also see the numerous intricate Array Patterns beneath the island, occasionally flickering with white streams of light. Xie Jiuniang, who had studied Formations, recognized that there were many small Spirit Gathering Arrays, which together formed one large Spirit Gathering Array, its daily condensed Spiritual Energy continuously sustaining the great Array on the island.

"Magnificent!"

Xie Jiuniang exclaimed in awe.

Chaoyan chuckled and said, "Come on, keep up."

With that, he soared into the sky, heading towards the Floating Island in the center of the lake.

The Broken Sword flew out, Xie Jiuniang mounted it, and followed behind Chaoyan.

As they approached the Floating Island, there was a Barrier around it. Chaoyan formed seals with his hands and struck the Barrier, which rippled like water, opening an entrance.

Chaoyan flew onto the island first.

Xie Jiuniang closely followed.

The view before her eyes dramatically changed; the Floating Island was much larger than Xie Jiuniang had imagined. At the heart of the island, there was a towering tower reaching into the clouds, especially eye-catching.

Chaoyan introduced, "The Ninety-Nine Layered Tongtian Tower, it is an Immortal Artifact."

Xie Jiuniang’s heart trembled slightly.

Please forgive her for her limited experiences, combining both her past and present lives.

Around the Tongtian Tower, there was a clearing paved with blue stone slabs, followed by row upon row of buildings. The layout of these buildings was quite particular.

It possessed the art of the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams.

Furthermore, it resembled a town but not quite, for it lacked the bustling atmosphere of life.

On the contrary, it seemed like a retreat path left by the Nalan Family.

"Master, this island is a flying device," marveled Jian Lingyan.

"Your master had anticipated this already, no need for your input," Xie Jiuniang thought to herself when she first saw the Floating Island, realizing that if the Nalan Family ever faced a major crisis, they could take the clan members away at any time and hide from the outside world, making them difficult to find.

"Yanyan, come to the top of the tower, and bring your disciple with you," an old, weathered voice called out from above the Tongtian Tower.

Chaoyan and Xie Jiuniang exchanged glances.

They immediately flew towards the top of the tower. The higher Chaoyan flew, the more strenuous it became until he quietly activated his cultivation technique to counter the pressure, and in an instant, the pressure dissipated entirely.

Was there anything left unclear? This was an ancestor’s test.

Just as he turned around, hoping to enjoy seeing struggling, he found that his little disciple was sitting cross-legged on the Broken Sword, her little face completely relaxed, even more at ease than him, who was at the Divinity Transformation stage.

"Disciple, didn’t you feel the pressure?"

"It’s fine."

Xie Jiuniang’s Spiritual Soul had reached the Nascent Soul level.

The pressure of the Golden Core level couldn’t affect her, let alone with the aid of the Broken Sword. So the pressure was there, but it was truly just a trace, really only a tiny bit, almost like a tickle.

Chaoyan’s mouth twitched.

Great, once again outshone by his disciple!

This was rather annoying. He hoped the ancestor wouldn’t get too irritated. So, he stopped dallying and instantly moved up.

Xie Jiuniang followed closely behind. As they ascended above the ninetieth floor, the pressure greatly increased, but as a flash of silver light passed over her body, the pressure vanished into thin air.

In the eyes of those paying close attention.

They witnessed her flying up effortlessly.

High-ranking members of the Nalan Family, watching from the shadows, wondered, "Didn’t the ancestor say he wanted to test the child? Why is there no commotion? She’s already reached the ninety-third floor!"

"That’s it, just in the blink of an eye, she climbed three more floors."

"The ancestor has made a move, there’s something extraordinary about the child."

"The sword beneath her doesn’t require her to expend effort to control it. Just now, a flash of silver light emitted from her, resembling the Power of Laws..."

"Big brother, don’t joke around. The child is so young." The person obviously didn’t believe it was the Power of Laws and suspected it was some kind of Magic Artifact instead.

Because of this, two clan elders even started arguing.

Meanwhile, someone chuckled to the side, "Elder Brother, Third Uncle, this debate of yours is pointless. Am I the only one to notice that the child has a young bone age, yet her Cultivation Base has already reached the seventh layer of Golden Core, with a well-integrated robust aura devoid of any superficiality? Looking across the entire Cultivation World, there hasn’t been anyone like her, this child can be considered an unrivaled celestial prodigy."

"The most important thing is that she’s Chaoyan’s disciple, hehe. Doesn’t that mean she’s essentially part of our family?"

"That’s a fair point," another agreed.

"I, too, support this view," another elder stated.

"Seconded!"

"I second that as well!"

Normally quarreling like cockerels, the clan elders found rare agreement on this occasion.

The Nalan Family was a large clan, functioning similarly to a Sect in its administration.

Its rules were strict and impartial.

From a young age, the clan disciples were well-taught by the elders, instilling a strong sense of family honor; even protective instincts were passed down through the generations.

Xie Jiuniang was still unaware that she had been included in the Nalan Family.

At this time, Jian Lingyan was concentrating on resisting the pressure and had no interest in paying attention to their surroundings, let alone eavesdropping on gossip.

Even if she had known, Xie Jiuniang would have been pleased.

A great backer offering support directly, to refuse would be foolishness.