My Master Disconnected Yet Again Chapter 51-60

Chapter 51: Leaving the Sect

The crowd on the lotus flower hesitated. She was the one who killed the other two elders! They looked closer at the crystal and realised that just before Qing Yin died, this woman was standing next to him. Their eyes became filled with alarm. What's worse is that they could not figure out her cultivation level.

"Hmph, this Fellow Daoist is just talking nonsense. The Thousand Leaves Vegetation Spirit is the treasure of my Xuan Yuan Family. Since when did it become yours?"

"Are you sure it belongs to your family?"

"Everyone in the Upper Azure World knows that."

"Then…" Shen Ying narrowed her eyes. "Call it and see if it responds."

The Traveling Immortals paused. What nonsense is she spouting?! "Ridiculous! The Vegetation Spirit is formed by the Spirit Qi of heaven and earth. Although it has sentience, it has always seen itself as superior. Even if it had chosen a master, it wouldn't-"

"If you won't call it, I will." He hadn't completed his sentence before Shen Ying turned around and interrupted him.  She called out, "Radish, come out here for a while."

"Ji…"

She had just completed her sentence when the crowd saw a white ray of light appear from below Lonemoon's feet. Something appeared before Shen Ying in a flash. Out of its fat, white body grew several green leaves, and between two of these leaves sprouted several dandelions. It raised the flowers up, shouting, "Ji ji ji!"

"Get away from me!" The dandelions shed their petals.

"Ji…" Radish's entire being immediately seemed dejected. "Thousand Leaves Vegetation Spirit!" The people on the lotus flower began to exclaim one after another. They  couldn't believe their eyes. That fat and white body really belonged to that of a Thousand Leaves Vegetation Spirit! Its sentience was flawless too. It was perfect. They had not thought that the mystic realm would produce such a treasure!

"Radish," Shen Ying called out again, staring at the Radish on the ground. She pointed to the people on the lotus flower and asked, "They say you belong to them?"

The Radish hesitated before it turned to look in the direction that her finger was pointing to. Then, it turned back around and made a sound:

"Pui!"

Many people yearn for my body.

The crowd: "…" Everybody who was present remained silent.

"What do you think… who does this Radish belong to?" Shen Ying turned to face the crowd.

The crowd's expressions reflected absolute confusion. The Xuan Yuan Family was clearest about what the truth was. They had originally come to give the Blackheaven Sect trouble, but they had not expected for them to have really found a Thousand Leaves Vegetation Spirit in the mystic realm. And yet, there really was one here.

"You… why do you have a Thousand Leaves Vegetation Spirit?" The Traveling Immortal turned around with a frown and continued, "This is the Thousand Leaves Vegetation Spirit that belongs to my Xuan Yuan Family. They must have cast some sort of evil spell on the Thousand Leaves Vegetation Spirit so that is no longer recalls who its real owner is. That's why it's listening to you."

He stared at the Vegetation Spirit standing on the ground. Now that he knew they had a Vegetation Spirit, he couldn't leave without it. Even if he had to snatch it from the Blackheaven Sect, he would. "Who said it has acknowledged an owner?" Shen Ying picked up the Radish and turned around in a circle, presenting the Radish. Its snow white body had no hint of a contract on it.

No… no owner!

The crowd couldn't believe their ears, and everyone's eyes widened. Was this person stupid? Anyone who found a treasure would make it acknowledge themselves as the owner. The expressions of the crowd on the lotus flower darkened. They could no longer insist that the treasure belonged to them. Who would believe that a treasure which had not acknowledged any owner belonged to the Xuan Yuan Family?

Within a moment, they were brought down from their moral high horse. Some of their expressions remained dark, while others seemed to look uncomfortable. The Xuan Yuan Family's people felt as if they had just shot themselves in the foot.

"You people… have nothing better to do," Shen Ying sighed. How good would it have been if they used their spare time to savor some delicacies? She then turned around to face the crowd from the Blackheaven Sect. She swept across them with her eyes, not resting her gaze on anyone. Turning around to Yi Qing, she said, "Chef, I'm tired of eating the food from this sect. Let's change location…"

"Master…" Yi Qing hesitated. After a moment, he understood what she meant. He gritted his teeth and turned around to glare at the crowd behind him. His master was attempting to distract the Xuan Yuan Family—she wanted to turn the attention to herself to help the Blackheaven Sect avert disaster.

How dare this bunch of cowardly, ungrateful people do something like this?

"Yes, Master!" Yi Qing clenched his fists and breathed in deep. Turning around, he said, "Hall Master Qiu, I've troubled you. Yi Qing has always been an itinerant cultivator and I have never wanted to conform to a sect's rules. I hereby ask for permission to leave this sect. May all of you have good progress toward immortality." Once the words were out of his mouth, he walked toward the exit of the hall. He handed his disciple jade token back to the people of Blackheaven Sect.

"Yi Qing!" Lonemoon's eyes widened. "What are you doing?" "Supremacy, I wish you all the best." Xi Qiu's hands trembled as he received the jade token. He suddenly felt extremely ashamed of himself. They were the most innocent people in this entire situation. Yet despite that, for the sect…

"Xi Qiu, you!" Lonemoon looked at Xi Qiu with disbelief.

Yi Qing didn't care that he had just left the sect. He had no feelings toward Blackheaven Sect in any case. He knew better than anyone else how sects worked and he knew how the people of Blackheaven Sect would react the moment he saw the image through the crystals.

The Xuan Yuan Family no longer had any reason to destroy Blackheaven Sect. However, as long as Shen Ying and Yi Qing had the Thousand Leaves Vegetation Spirit, the Xuan Yuan family would count them as one with Blackheaven Sect. The Upper World rarely had to resort to violence to deal with families from the Lower Realms. As time went by, nobody could guarantee that these sects from the Lower Realm would not hate the families of the Upper World, so it would be much more worth it for the Upper World families to make a clean break.

"Master." Yi Qing turned back, ignoring Lonemoon's call. Shen Ying nodded. She raised her head to face the people on the lotus flower and said, "Mr. Whoever… I killed your people and I picked the Radish. If you're not happy, you can settle your scores with me. This has nothing to do with anyone else."

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Yi Qing hopped onto his flying sword and flew into the horizon.

"Wait, you…" Lonemoon stepped forward, attempting to stop them.

Yu Yang stopped Lonemoon. "Junior Brother! They are doing a favour for our sect by leaving. Don't waste their efforts."

Lonemoon clenched his fists by his side. So much for doing a favor for the sect. Shen Ying cared nothing for the sect. The Xuan Yuan Family's Traveling Immortals definitely wouldn't be able to do anything to her. She brought the Thousand Leaves Vegetation Spirit away on purpose, but…. but she only did it so that Lonemoon would not be put on the spot. After all, he was Supremacy Lonemoon of the Blackheaven Sect! "My two Senior Brothers!" Lonemoon sighed. He had made up his mind. He clenched his fist and turned around to Yu Yang. "Lonemoon doesn't care about the favors that Shen Ying and Yi Qing did for this sect. They entered the mystic realm for my sake. Blackheaven Sect can't protect them and I'm not about to stand by and do nothing about it. From now on, please consider Lonemoon as separate from the Blackheaven Sect." What good would it be even if he were to remain in the sect?

"Junior Brother!"

"Uncle-Master!"

The expressions of those of the Blackheaven Sect changed. Nevertheless, he handed his jade token back to Xi Qiu, turned around and rode his sword after Yi Qing.

"Hold up, you two!"

Seeing that Yi Qing, Shen Ying and Lonemoon had taken the Thousand Leaves Vegetation Spirit with them, the people of the Xuan Yuan Family saw no point in surrounding the Blackheaven Sect.

"Since this was all a big misunderstanding, we will not impose on the Blackheaven Sect any longer." The Traveling Immortal waved his hand as the entire lotus flower left the Main Peak. The air around them twisted, creating an exit route. The great lotus flower exited from that route, but then the five Traveling Immortals atop the lotus flower suddenly disappeared.

Chapter 52: Robbery on the Road

Yi Qing headed northwest the moment he stepped out of Blackheaven Sect. He flew especially fast, perhaps because he was still feeling indignant inside. He had already flown past the Black Sea before he finally turned around.

"Master, we are at least four hours from the nearest town." He turned back to face the front and suggested, "It's getting late. Why don't we stop here for lunch before we continue on our way?"

"Sure!" Shen Ying touched her belly. She had been waiting for him to say this.

Yi Qing adjusted his sword and headed toward the ground. He cast a wind-elemental Dharma spell to sweep the area clean before landing.

"Master, please wait here. Lunch will be ready in a second." He started a fire while he took the remaining spirit beast meat out from his storage bag. "We are still in Blackheaven Sect's territory so it's unlikely we'll be able to find any spirit beasts. The town in the east has transportation arrays. As soon as we cross the transportation array, we should take no more than three days to get back to the straw cottage."

"Huh? What straw cottage?" Shen Ying asked.

"The straw cottage that you were living in." Yi Qing hesitated. "Master, are you not planning to return there?"

"Er…" Shen Ying recalled the baskets full of radishes. The corner of her mouth twisted as she smacked his shoulder and said, "Chef, actually…"

She was just about to quash his plan to return home and munch on more carrots when suddenly, a strong suppressive force came over the two of them. A wind born of Spirit Qi stirred a bunch of leaves into the air as five figures clothed in green and white suddenly descended from the sky, landing before the two of them.

"You two moved so quickly. You really made us work to find you!" one of them stepped forward and said mockingly. "They're from the Xuan Yuan Family!" Yi Qing's expression darkened as he stood up aggressively. They were the Traveling Immortals who had been standing atop the lotus flower earlier on. Yi Qing made to summon his spirit sword.

However, Shen Ying pushed down on his shoulders and said, "Carry on roasting your meat."

"… Yes, Master," Yi Qing obediently squatted back down, but he couldn't stop himself from throwing a warning glare at the five strangers standing in front of them. He had guessed that they would come to steal the Thousand Leaves Vegetation Spirit, but he didn't think they would be so fast. Could they really not wait any longer? To think that an aristocratic family from the Upper World would have such an ugly, greedy side.

"Sorry to intrude on you, Fellow Daoists." A middle-aged Traveling Immortal stepped forward and smiled, looking at Shen Ying. He sounded like he came in peace, yet he had pure greed in his eyes. "Please forgive us for following you—we really couldn't control ourselves. We have a favor to ask of you, Fellow Daoists."

Before waiting for Shen Ying to ask, he continued, "My Xuan Yuan Family has always worked hard to refine pills and elixirs. I don't think you would be able to find another family of alchemists as powerful as mine in any of the Three Azure Realms. Our family's patriarch is a tenth-stage alchemist  as well. The Thousand Leaves Vegetation Spirit that you,  my fellow Daoists, have obtained is a being useful only for refining pills and elixirs. It has absolutely no value in any other areas. You two don't look like alchemists to me. Why don't you hand the Thousand Leaves Vegetation Spirit over to my Xuan Yuan Family to put it to good use?"

Shen Ying bent over and picked up the Thousand Leaves Vegetation Spirit which had been hanging on to her leg ever since they had stepped out of the Blackheaven Sect. Lifting it up, she asked, "Are you referring to this?"

"Ji…" The Radish immediately raised its leaves.

The group's eyes lit up and the middle-aged Traveling Immortal took a few more steps forward. He couldn't hold in his excitement as he replied, "Yes, this is it."

"You want it?" Shen Ying tilted her head. The Traveling Immortal's expression shifted. His smile widened as he said, "Fellow Daoist, this Thousand Leaves Vegetation Spirit has quite a high sentience. With proper care and protection, it may manifest after a short while. Forgive me for being blunt, but apart from my Xuan Yuan Family, I don't think anyone else has the capabilities to provide the proper care and protection for it. You, my fellow Daoist, are now on your own. You don't belong to any family or sect. Why would you want to offend an aristocratic family?"

"Oh, then…" Shen Ying still appeared nonchalant.

The Traveling Immortal's expression darkened immediately. Another Traveling Immortal beside him couldn't stop himself from interrupting, "Why do you bother talking to this woman? No matter what, nobody else but the Xuan Yuan Family can possess a Thousand Leaves Vegetation Spirit. She has no choice but to hand it over!"

As soon as he had finished, he flew up, drew his sword and headed straight for Shen Ying. His surging Sword Qi whipped up a huge gust of wind. The branches and leaves on the ground flew up as the Spirit Qi in the air suddenly became dense. He was truly quick—within a second, he was right in front of Shen Ying. His sword was centimetres away from Shen Ying's head. But suddenly, Shen Ying raised her hand.

All they heard was a clinging and the Traveling Immortal's sword began to fall apart. It broke into pieces within the palm of her hand, leaving behind its hilt.

She turned her palm quickly and grabbed the Traveling Immortal's fist which had just been holding onto the sword a moment ago. At that moment, the Spirit Qi and the wind in the surroundings disappeared.

Shen Ying… didn't even move an inch.

Huh?

"You…" How was that possible? She so easily broke apart a ninth-grade spirit sword.

Before he could figure it out, however, he heard Shen Ying sigh. She lifted up her other hand. Hanging from it by the leaves was the Radish. "Actually… I'm really not interested in this type of vegetable. If you want it, ask me nicely for it and I may give it to you. But…" She narrowed her eyes and faced the five strangers in front of her. "Giving it to you is one thing. But if you want to snatch it, I'm not going to be very happy…"

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she clenched the fist that held onto the Traveling Immortal's fist.

Ah…

A strange cry cut through the air.

****

It was late in the afternoon by the time Lonemoon caught up with Shen Ying and Yi Qing. After he left Blackheaven Sect, he followed Yi Qing's aura until he found them. He had rushed all the way. In his heart, he felt a thousand different emotions: touched, guilty, worried… All he wanted was to catch up with Shen Ying and Yi Qing. When he spotted green smoke from afar, he knew that he had found the two of them.

And then…

He saw what looked like five stacked Luohans[1]—the five Traveling Immortals from before were stacked atop one another just next to Shen Ying and Yi Qing.

"Holy shit!" He slipped on his flying sword and went out of balance, nearly falling head first onto the ground. Aren't they… the five Traveling Immortals from the Xuan Yuan Family?

"Hey, Father Niu!" Shen Ying waved her greasy hands at him and made space for him out of  habit.  "It's  lunchtime,  do  you want to join us?" She pointed toward Yi Qing who was  still roasting meat. Yi Qing shot Lonemoon a dirty look. How shameless—you still want to steal my master!

The corner of Lonemoon's mouth twitched. He turned around to frown at the Luohans. "They… What happened to them?" "Oh, they came to rob us!" Shen Ying replied matter-of-factly.

Rob them?

Immediately, he understood what was going on. They had been after the Thousand Leaves Vegetation Spirit. However… it had only been awhile and the five of them were already lying motionless atop one another. It was a tragic sight. What exactly did you do to them?

"Don't worry, they'll survive. They're just unconscious for now," Shen Ying assured Lonemoon after noticing that he had been surveying the bodies. She shook her head and continued, "Today's… middle-aged men are so weak." They had done no damage at all to her—they were just like little animals to Shen Ying.

Lonemoon: "…"

"Do you want a piece?" Shen Ying handed a slab of meat over to Lonemoon. Lonemoon hesitated, received the meat and sat next to her like he always did. His heart felt heavy thinking about what happened earlier in the day. Lonemoon wanted to say something, but he didn't know where to begin.

It was only after he finished the meat that he said in a low voice, "I left Blackheaven Sect."

"Oh."

"I'm… sorry about what happened earlier."

Shen Ying paused. She turned to face him, stunned. "What?"

"I was the one who encouraged you guys to go to the ancient mystic realm with me." Lonemoon sighed. He looked at the two of them with a sombre expression and said, "It wasn't your fault that the Xuan Yuan Family came to confront the Blackheaven Sect. Yet, they… Whatever the case… this only happened because of me." "…"

[1] a type of fish

Chapter 53: Let's Talk

Shen Ying did not reply. But the more Lonemoon spoke, the more he blurted out. "I've been in Blackheaven Sect for over three hundred years and I've treated that place as home, thinking that cultivators are different from mortals. Perhaps the sect's rules were right. As a sect, everyone needs to be in the same boat and move together. But I never imagined that once the Xuan Yuan Family arrived, they wouldn't even put up a fight and immediately wave the white flag. So much for a sect's principles. It was such an eye-opening experience."

"What immortal sect cultivators. At the end of the day they are just some selfish, normal human beings." He sighed, as if letting go of something, then turned to look at the person beside him and said with a smile, "Shen Ying, thanks a lot! Since you're so loyal, from now on you're my sister!"

"Uh…" Shen Ying quivered, subconsciously stepping away. Actually, I want to be your daughter. "Father Niu, can I discuss something with you?"

"What is it? Feel free to say it!" He slapped his chest. "Can you not smile at me all of a sudden? I'll think that… you want to give me money."

"… Get lost." Who wants to give you money? Can you just forget about the Father Niu incident? "Are you really that broke? Forget it. Since you've helped me before, the next time when you're in need of spirit stones, feel free to come and find your brother. I'll take care of you." In any case, he was a Soul Formation Supremacy. He was not lacking in spirit stones.

"Thank you, Father Niu!" Shen Ying was delighted. "But, can I ask… what exactly did I do to help you?"

"Stop acting." He tapped her on the shoulders. "I know you're a loyal one. Didn't you leave Blackheaven Sect on your own accord because you were afraid that staying there would make things difficult for me?"

"Nope. I purely wanted to switch places to eat."

"If you keep acting then it won't seem real anymore." Lonemoon gave her a 'stop kidding' look. "How can you be sick of the food so soon given your foodie character? I heard that the ingredients from the Outer Affairs Hall were very abundant."

Yi Qing suddenly interrupted, "Master actually meant that the Outer Affairs Hall had informed us that the new batch of disciples have all achieved grain liberation, so there were no more ingredients to be collected anymore." Master cannot be left in hunger.

What?

"…" Took an arrow to the knee[1].

A while later…

"Then… then what's up with those people?" He pointed at the five people on the ground who were in coma. "You obviously had the ability to defeat those people from the Xuan Yuan Family, yet you didn't directly do so in the Blackheaven Sect. Wasn't it to give me face and also because you were afraid of hurting those lower level disciples?" "No!" Shen Ying shook her head.

"How is it not so?"

"Uh… there were too many people. Fighting would have been very troublesome and time consuming."

"Huh?" What did she mean?

"Moreover, it was almost noon at that time." Missing lunch would have been such a pity. "So it was all because…"

"Stop it, don't talk!" Lonemoon covered her mouth, his glass heart shattered into pieces. Can't a man dream?

(╯‵□′)╯(┻━┻

"Master, where are we going to go now?" Seeing that the both of them were almost finished with the food, Yi Qing put out the fire and habitually packed up the picnic.

Shen Ying faltered for a moment before turning to look at a certain someone's begrudging face.

"Why are you looking at me?" Lonemoon glared at her. His anger had not simmered down yet. "Whose fault is this! I also don't have a place to go now. You guys can go wherever you like. I don't care."

Shen Ying pondered for a bit, then she swept aside the stiff bodies of the five people on the ground, squinted her eyes and stood up to stretch.

"Since we have nothing to do after eating, how about… let's find someone to settle a score?"

"…"

"…" ——————

Upper Azure World, Xuan Yuan Family.

"Master…" A flustered disciple ran to the back of the main hall. "Oh no, oh no!"

"What are you blabbering about?" The man seated at a platform in the hall opened his eyes. "So disorderly. What exactly happened?"

"The front of the hall… two Soul Formation cultivators suddenly intruded into the front hall."

"Soul Formation cultivators?" The man furrowed his brows and said, "Since there are cultivators seeking refuge, you should just go and inform the five elders to make arrangements. There is no need to inform me."

"No… they are not here to seek refuge, they said… said that they are from the Lower Realm… and are here to settle scores!" "What?" The look on the patriarch of the Xuan Yuan Family became solemn. "What a grand notion. Two Soul Formation cultivators having the audacity to behave atrociously in the Xuan Yuan Family! Go inform the Disciplinary Hall Master and get people to hold those two down."

"The Disciplinary Hall Master has already… fallen."

"How is that possible?!" The man's face was filled with shock.

"They… they are Sword Cultivators. Not only the Disciplinary Hall Master, a few of the Soul Formation elders went up against them as well, but they simply could not stop those two."

"Sword Cultivators from the Lower Realm. Could it be…" Unnerved, the man's eyes widened as he paced around. "Have the five Traveling Immortal Patriarchs returned?"

"No… no…"

"Not back yet!" The man grew more impatient. "And at a time like this. Quickly inform all of our Soul Formation cultivators to come over here and stall those two Sword Cultivators."

"Yes, Master." The disciple immediately rushed out.

The man grew more anxious as he sent a few messages out, but there were no responses. "What is happening? Why are none of the five Traveling Immortals responding. Where did they go?"

"Do you mean them?" Suddenly, a girl's voice rang beside his ear.

Taken aback, the man turned his head to realize there was another person beside him. "You… who are you? Since when were you standing here!" He had not even noticed it.

"I'm Shen Ying, the one who came with that lad just now!" Shen Ying pointed in the direction that the disciple from moments ago had headed towards. Just now? How was that possible? He did not see other people coming in. His heart sank, suddenly thinking of something.

"You… you are with the two Sword Cultivators that broke in?" Alarmed, he took a step back before realizing that this girl had a rope in her hand. His gaze followed the rope to the other end that seemed to be tying something together. When the girl lightly pulled on the rope, a bunch of silhouettes appeared, all falling onto the ground.

"Uncles!" The man's eyes bulged. It was then that he realized that the few people bundled up like dumplings on the floor were the five Traveling Immortals who had not returned. "How did you all…"

"Hey… you're related to them right? Let's talk?"

"Demoness, what have you done to my uncles?" He looked at the other party in rage, summoned forth a spirit sword and slashed towards the person. "How dare you do this to the people of my Xuan Yuan Family! I am going to kill you!" "Master, no!" The five dumplings shouted in unison.

One minute later…

Shen Ying used her sleeve to wipe the half-destroyed main seat in the hall and slowly sat in it. She looked toward the back of the hall which seemed like it had been visited by a hurricane, and then conveniently stepped on the chest of the Xuan Yuan Family's patriarch whose face was swollen beyond recognition. "Now… can we talk?"

Xuan Yuan Family Patriarch: "…"

The five dumplings: "…"

[1] This is a memorable quote originating from the role- playing video game The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. An often repeated stock line throughout the game, it went on to inspire the snowclone "I used to X, then I took an arrow to the knee."

Chapter 54: A Sudden Realisation

"Actually, things are really simple. Your family goes out and steals whatever they please. That kind of behavior makes me really unhappy," Shen Ying explained. "I heard that you're Vegetable Family's parent. Let me remind you that your family members have done some really horrible things. You should educate them."

"…" What Vegetable Family? He was the patriarch of the family, not the parent. And why was she talking to  the Traveling Immortal as if he was her grandson?

"I came back to tell you guys this." Shen Ying plucked the radish from her thigh and continued, "This may be a radish, but it belongs to someone. Your family may really love vegetables, but you can't snatch it from me if I refuse to give it to you."

A Thousand Leaves Vegetation Spirit!

The Patriarch's  eyes  lit  up  as  they  widened.  Suddenly,  he

understood why his five uncles had taken so long to return. The Thousand Leaves Vegetation Spirit belongs to her! That's frightening. "I can't be bothered to deal with you guys, so I'm going to give you a stern warning right now. If anyone from the Xuan Yuan Family appears midway through my meal again… I'll hit you!"

"…" You already hit me!

┭┮_┭┮

"Do you understand?" Shen Ying raised her voice.

The people on the ground suddenly stood upright and nodded in response.

Traveling Immortal One: "Yes, Great Immortal. We understand, Great Immortal!"

Traveling Immortal Two: "I'll reflect on my actions and change as needed, Great Immortal!" Traveling Immortal Three: "I will always remember your wise words, Great Immortal!"

Traveling Immortal Four: "One sentence from you, Great Immortal, is more valuable than ten… or a thousand books!"

Traveling Immortal Five: "No one from our family will ever interrupt your training again, Great Immortal. I will personally deal with whoever who dares to do so."

Xuan Yuan Family Patriarch: "…" Were the Traveling Immortals from his family concussed?

"And you?" Shen Ying suddenly turned to look at him, full of murderous intent.

His entire body stilled and thoughts of death filled his mind as he began to break out in cold sweat.

With all the willpower he had, he stuttered, "Y-Yeth, Gray Immorer." It wasn't that he didn't want to answer her properly —he really couldn't speak. He was still in so much pain!

"Mm." Shen Ying nodded in approval. Finally, she stood up and walked toward them. "I have nothing else for you. Dismissed!"

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she headed for the exit.

"Ji ji ji ji!" The radish suddenly hopped back into the hall.

"What are you doing?" Shen Ying asked, confused. "You want to be the Vegetable Family's radish?"

"Ji ji ji…" The radish nervously bounced on the spot. It looked at something located further inside of the hall, then turned back to Shen Ying. Suddenly, it hopped up forcefully and landed on the seat atop the platform where Shen Ying had been seated just seconds ago. The radish used its leaves to reach into the wall behind the chair and a moment later, it pulled something out and lifted it up to Shen Ying. "Ji ji ji…" The six other men's expressions changed.

Shen Ying lowered her head to study the item. All she saw were dried leaves. "A pickle?"

"Ji ji."

"You want it?"

"Ji ji ji…" The radish frantically nodded with its leaves.

"Er…" Shen Ying frowned. She turned around to look at the men standing beside her and said, "Vegetable Family Patriarch, could you…"

"Yes, yes, yes!" The Master had finally regained his ability to speak. Nodding furiously, he said, "Great Immortal, it is our honor to offer to you something that you like!" "Oh, thank you then! Radish, come here!"

"Ji…" The radish hopped forward. Shen Ying reached for the huge dandelion atop the radish's head and plucked it off. She handed it to the Master and said, "This should be useful to you. Take it as an exchange! Radish, let's go."

She walked out of the door as soon as she finished speaking.

"Ji?" The radish articulated. It paused as its eyes followed Shen Ying. It then turned around to look at the dandelion in the Master's hands.

Pui!

You lucked out.

It bounced out after Shen Ying. As it bounced, it shouted continuously, "Ji… ji… ji…" Xuan Yuan Family Patriarch: "…"

He looked at the Thousand Leaves Spirit Flower in his hands, then looked up at the empty doorway.

They left… just like that?

"Un… uncle? Am… am I dreaming?" They had broken a few bones and dropped a few cultivation levels, but… they were still alive. None of them had died.

That person had the ability to wipe the entire Xuan Yuan Family off the face of the Upper Azure World, yet she let them go so easily?

"Is… is this real?" another Traveling Immortal added. He, too, looked like his mind was somewhere else.

"But, that…" He suddenly remembered the withered grass that the Vegetation Spirit took with it. "Master, let's never speak of this again!" The Traveling Immortal reminded him, his expression one of panic. "Master, you know that the Thousand Leaves Vegetation Spirit that we had has already lost its sentience a thousand years ago. Its body had already withered. It's unlikely that we would have been able to revive it anyway." That was why they had so desperately wanted to find another Vegetation Spirit. "The Great Immortal has already been so kind to give us more than ten Thousand Leaves Spirit Flowers in exchange for that withered grass. What's more…"

What's more, she had let all of them live—although she did hit their master in the face. She said she came to have a chat and that was really all she did.

The six Traveling Immortals were thoroughly confused. This Shen Ying… what kind of person was she?

"No matter who she is, we should be careful not to offend her the next time we see her. If we can… we should even avoid her two subordinates as well!"

The other five nodded in agreement. The Xuan Yuan Family definitely would not be able to withstand another blow. ————————

Something had shaken the Upper Azure World recently. Word was going around that a group of people from one of the four aristocratic families, the Xuan Yuan Family, went to the Lower Realm and offended two Sword Cultivators. The Sword Cultivators got upset and followed the group of people all the way back to the Upper Azure World. They even managed to attack the patriarch of the Xuan Yuan Family.

The Xuan Yuan Family had sent more than ten people at the Soul Formation stage to fight against them, yet not one of them could defeat the Sword Cultivators. The few  Traveling Immortal elders who were sent out earlier had also failed to return home. The Xuan Yuan Family suffered great losses—even their master was heavily injured.

The two Sword Cultivators heavily injured all the Soul Formation cultivators, then left. Nobody from the Xuan Yuan Family lost their lives, but the entire family did lose its reputation and honor in the Upper Azure World.

Sword Cultivators could challenge others regardless of their cultivation level, but it was rare to find a Sword Cultivator who would dare to travel up to the Upper Azure World and immediately take on ten Soul Formation cultivators from an aristocratic family. These two Sword Cultivators' sword techniques and cultivation levels must have been so advanced that even a Traveling Immortal could not have been confident of winning against them. This was indeed shocking.

It was a pity that they picked the wrong family to fight with. The family whose reputation was on the line was one of the four aristocratic families after all—the Xuan Yuan Family!

All of the Upper Azure World was waiting to watch a good show. They were waiting for the elders from the Xuan Yuan Family to return. They were curious to see how they would take revenge on the two Sword Cultivators. It thus came as a surprise when the Xuan Yuan Family remained quiet for the next three months. From the day their elders returned, the entire Xuan Yuan Family seemed to have gone under the radar. Even the disciple who was sent out to deliver pills and elixirs had been ordered not to stir any trouble or attract any attention to himself.

The Upper Azure World was left confused. Could it be… that the two Sword Cultivators were so capable that even a Traveling Immortal elder of an aristocratic family did not dare to provoke them?

What was even more mysterious was that just a few months ago, two Traveling Immortals from the Xuan Yuan Family had gone missing in the Middle Azure World. The reason for that remained unknown.

Suddenly, all the cultivators in the Upper Azure World were on their toes! The two Sword Cultivators from the Lower Realm became the talk of the town. Their names spread like wildfire throughout all the towns in the Upper Azure World and they were also the topic in all daily conversations.

"Fellow Daoist, have you heard of the Sword Cultivators Yi Qing and Lonemoon?"

"Yes, they were the two who almost wiped out the Xuan Yuan Family…"

"I heard that those two…" Shen Ying sat in silence at the adjacent table.

A moment later…

"I suddenly realized a serious problem!" she exclaimed as she stood up abruptly.

Lonemoon quickly picked up the cups that had been knocked over by her, saying, "Hey, hey, hey. Why did you stand up all of a sudden?"

"Master?" Yi Qing asked seriously, "What strange thing did you realize?"

Shen Ying frowned. She faced the two of them with an expression more serious than they had ever seen before.

"What's the matter?" Lonemoon's heart fell. "Did you not want to come here to eat?" "Don't you think…" Her expression became more serious as she emphasised each of the following words, "That I'm not very famous?"

Lonemoon: "…"

Yi Qing: "…"

"Look, I was the one who hit that family's parent. I was also the one who tied up the five Traveling Immortals and carried them back. Yet, on the way here, people have only been talking about the two of you. Why hasn't anyone mentioned my name? It doesn't make sense that I seem so insignificant, right?"

The two of them: "…"

How would we freaking know?

Chapter 55: The Purpose of the Withered Plant

"Master, are you saying that having presence is something very important?" Yi Qing asked with a face of seriousness.

Shen Ying hesitated before saying, "Uh… not exactly." I'm just a little indignant.

"Rest assured, Master." He stood up. "I will go and clear up the misunderstanding. It was actually Master who fought off the people from the Xuan Yuan Family, we did not even enter the back of their hall." He then turned and intended to go downstairs to explain to those people who were in the middle of discussion.

"Get back here!" Lonemoon quickly pulled him back, frowning helplessly. "You brain damaged fan, can you calm down. If you were to just go and talk like that, would people believe you?" Moreover, with Shen Ying's invisible nature, even if they believed, they might just forget it the next moment.

"Then… how about letting me go to the Xuan Yuan Family and get them to clear things up." Then people should believe in it right?

"Cheh, forget it!" Lonemoon rolled his eyes and said, "The Xuan Yuan Family has never once mentioned Shen Ying's existence, and they insist that on the day we were there, their Traveling Immortals hadn't return. Can't you see it?"  Didn't they do so out of embarrassment? The whole clan's most powerful five Traveling Immortals were beaten up so badly. If the entire Upper Azure World were to find out about it, they would not be able to survive with the reputation that would follow.

"The four aristocratic families of the Upper Azure World may seem at peace with each other, but in actual fact, there are lots of overt and covert fights amongst them. Not telling the whole truth is to protect themselves. Only an idiot would tell everyone that all their experts were defeated!"

Yi Qing furrowed his brows and said, "No, I cannot let people misunderstand my master."

"Alright, alright, keep your fan logic, your master's nature cannot be treated!" He turned and glared at Shen Ying. "Can you manage your brain damaged fan?!"

Shen Ying finally turned back and said, "Chef, let's talk after eating!"

"Okay Master!" Yi Qing sat back down.

Lonemoon's mouth twitched; despite all that he said, his words weighed less than one line from someone else.

He felt regret for the 101th time — why had he stupidly followed these two worthless creatures to the Upper World, and even rashly offended an aristocratic family? Didn't the future seem a little bleak? He sighed, and looked at the one who was distressed about her lack of presence, and the other who was unaffected and eating his meal. He suddenly recalled something. "Oh right, Shen Ying. When you went to look for the master of that family, apart from settling the score for them snatching the treasures, nothing else happened right?" He did not want to stir up any trouble.

"Nope." Shen Ying tilted her head, but suddenly thinking of something, she then raised her head and grabbed an item off her leg. " Radish took an extra pickle, do you count that?"

"Pickle… holy shit!" Lonemoon stood up abruptly. "That… that…"

In disbelief, he stretched out a hand and tried to grab the pickle that was between the leaves of Radish to have a closer look, but claws emerged out of Radish's leaves.

"Ji…"

"Oh no, you…" Lonemoon turned toward Shen Ying, and then looked around the vicinity. He lowered his voice and said, "That's not very kind. Beating them up to let off some steam was good enough, why did you snatch away the Xuan Yuan Family's Thousand Leaves Vegetation Spirit? That is their dearest possession." What exactly did you do to the Xuan Yuan Family's master?

"I wasn't the one who took it, it's Radish who wanted it." She spread her hands open, and despite Radish's objections, conveniently threw the item towards Lonemoon. "You go and check with it!"

"It?" Lonemoon looked down at the radish in his hand. "So you just took it away and the master of the Xuan Yuan Family did not fight for it desperately?"

Shen Ying recalled the stiff-as-corpse people in that hall. Fight desperately… that might have been too difficult for them. "The pickle was exchanged with my dandelion. They seemed pretty happy about it." Probably?

"How is that possible? He… huh?" He took a closer look at the Vegetation Spirit that the radish was grasping tightly onto; upon inspection with his Divine Perception, he realized that the spirit herb showed no signs of spirit perception — this vegetation spirit had already withered! Connecting the dots, he immediately understood why the Xuan Yuan Family had wanted to get their hands on Radish so badly.

"I see…" He glanced at the unwilling radish. "You little thing, you probably sensed the aura of your kind. That's why you brought the withered plant along." "Ji ji ji…" Radish squeezed its way out of his hands and tried to hang back onto Shen Ying's leg, but was glared at by the other party. Its leaves shriveled and it retracted them back in grievance.

"But what does it want to do with that withered plant?" To bury it?

Lonemoon used his Divine Perception to scan the withered Vegetation Spirit. Apart from the remnants of Spirit Qi, how could this withered plant's medicinal value not be comparable to those dandelions?

Unless…

"Can it revive this Vegetation Spirit?!" His eyes lit up. The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. They were both Vegetation Spirits, and were manifested from Spirit Qi. Being the same type of existence, being able to affect each other would also be normal.

The moment he said that, Shen Ying and Yi Qing could not help but look upon the Radish on the table.

"Ji?" The Radish tilted its body with a face of puzzlement.

"The lifeforce of Vegetation Spirits has always been resilient.

Perhaps it can really be revived."

"Really?" Shen Ying grew more curious as she moved in closer. "Go revive it."

"Ji!" The Radish replied. It raised the withered leaves on its head, looked at her again as if understanding her words, and then the shriveled leaves immediately stood up. "Ji ji ji…"

It excitedly shouted for a few times, and suddenly the entire radish began to emit a green glow.

"That's Wood Spirit aura! Seems like it's really possible." Lonemoon was delighted as he stared at the Radish on the table; it was his first time witnessing a resurrection technique. Radish's body glowed brighter and brighter; soon enough, the glow had already completely enveloped Radish. It's fat body slowly cracked open, and the leaves on its head suddenly grew longer, growing beyond its body. It then rolled up the withered plant and placed it down. After some stirring, the leaves folded the withered vegetation spirit neatly into a square, brought it near to the line, and…

With a munch, ate it!

After a while, a loud, familiar sound was heard:

Burp~~~

Lonemoon: "…"

Yi Qing: "…"

Shen Ying: "…" (╯‵□′)╯(┻━┻

So all it wanted to do was eat it up! Aren't you a Vegetation Spirit? Breathing in Spirit Qi should be sufficient, why the need to eat the withered plant? Big plant eating the small plant… you really are a foodie that Shen Ying picked up!

Lonemoon suddenly felt like turning it into a pickle!

"Cheh, forget it, I am full!" Shen Ying sighed as she was about to stand up; it was indeed a useless vegetable.

"Master!" Yi Qing suddenly let out a gasp. "Radish…"

"Huh?" She turned back to see the burping radish emitting a red glow, transforming from a white radish to a red radish. "Is it… cooked?"

"No, it is manifesting!" Lonemoon was shocked, looking around him. "The Spirit Qi here is too messy. The Wood Spirit aura is very faint, so it will affect its manifestation." "There is a forest to the east of the city!" Yi Qing reminded.

"Quick, let's go!" Lonemoon immediately grabbed the red radish from the table and the three of them summoned their spirit swords and began to fly away.

The shop owner by the door quickly walked over with a smile. "Our three…" But before he could finish, they had already disappeared into the horizon.

"…"

Hey, you guys haven't paid the spirit stones?

Chapter 56: The Radish's Manifestation

The three arrived at the forest. The moment they landed, Radish's entire body began to emit red light and elongate. The Vegetation Spirit Qi around it began to surge.  Lonemoon quickly set up a defensive array formation and a Spirit Qi condensing array formation. Radish's entire body had become red and the Vegetation Spirit Qi around it was  becoming thicker. The rich Spirit Qi had already caused the plants within a radius of several meters to mature at rapid speed, growing into a dome surrounding the radish.

The three of them were forced to retreat about ten meters. From where they stood, they could no longer see the radish's body. They could only see the plants around it forming a dome that they could not look into. The sky began to  darken, lightning flashing across it.

"It's about to transform," Lonemoon reminded the other two. He turned around and set up another array formation around the group.

In the next moment, there was a loud crack of thunder and a streak of lightning lit up the sky, striking the plants beneath it. Half of the forest seemed to have been burnt by that lightning strike. Yet bolts of lightning still continued to fall, streak after streak, each one more powerful than the last. Only several seconds had passed before they realized that the dome of plants had mostly been struck down. A cloud of dust continued to hide the radish's body from sight and the air was filled with a burnt smell.

9,981 streaks of lightning struck the ground before the clouds began to clear up. The forest now began to lighten up once more. The ground where the radish had been standing was now black and there was a big pit in its place.

"It was burnt?" Shen Ying couldn't stop herself from asking.

There were no signs of any life.

"Master, it's alright," Yi Qing answered. "Before  the Vegetation Spirit takes form, it is unaffected by anything that happens in the natural world. The Lightning Tribulation does the least harm to these spirits."

Indeed, the next moment, the once black land where Radish stood turned back to green just like in springtime. A moment later, flowers began to bloom from the grass which had sprouted, the ground becoming covered in red and purple. A figure emerged from the pit, using its hands and legs to crawl out. It looked like a fifteen to sixteen-year-old (female)? who wore a green robe, it's long hair reaching the ground. It had a gentle face and was strikingly beautiful, looking like it was a perfect creation of heaven. The flowers around her? suddenly seemed pale in comparison. Even Qi Chengyu couldn't compare to it's beauty.

The sun and moon seemed insignificant compared to this (girl)?—it was all that mattered now.

The group of three was stunned, their heavy breathing in sync. All of them were amazed at the human form that  the Spirit Qi of heaven and earth took. It's smile was sweeter than a thousand flowers and it's giggle sounded extremely pleasing to the ears.

"Little Missy, I've taken form… Aiya!" But before it could finish, it tripped. It's perfect form fell to the ground and  it began to roll toward the group of three, stopping right before their feet.

The three of them frowned: "…" Faintly, they heard sounds of that perfect image cracking.

Ah! It's indeed the radish.

-_-|||

"Little Missy…" It raised its head pitifully and hugged her thigh out of habit.

Shen Ying frowned in disgust and took a huge step back. "Get lost! You're so gay!"

"…"

"Hey." Shen Ying smacked Lonemoon's arm. "Is it a guy or a girl?"

"How would I know?" Lonemoon scanned the radish and continued, "Spirit herbs mostly don't have genders. Naturally, once it takes form, it could take on either gender." "A human demon?" Shen Ying hesitated. She took another step back in disgust.

The radish was stunned. Its entire body went limp like a shriveled eggplant and its eyes began to well up. It no longer had the glamor and beauty it had before.

The corner of Lonemoon's mouth twitched as he looked at the human-radish in front of them whose tears were now flowing. He began to explain, "It just took form and it's not used to walking, so that's why it's behaving this way. It'll be alright in a few days." He couldn't help but step forward. He offered a hand to the radish and said, "Stand up."

The radish's expression became cold. It smacked Lonemoon's hand away and shouted, "Get lost, Ugly!"

"…"

It turned back to Shen Ying and continued to cry, "Wa… wa… Radish needs Little Missy to carry it up before it can stand." Shen Ying: "…"

Yi Qing: "…"

Lonemoon's mouth twitched once again. Two seconds later…

"Damn it, I will slaughter you!" He drew his sword and charged toward the radish.

"Supremacy Niu, calm down!" Yi Qing quickly stepped forward and stopped Lonemoon. "It just took form and is still a child. It doesn't know how to interact with other humans and that's perfectly normal. Don't take it to heart."

Nonsense, the radish is doing this on purpose! And what the heck is Supremacy Niu supposed to mean?

Yi Qing turned to look at the radish and said, "Radish, you…"

"Pfft!" The radish snorted arrogantly and said, "Another shameless follower!"

Yi Qing: "…"

Shing! Another sword was drawn.

The next moment…

"What… what are you trying to do?"

"I'm Little Missy's radish!"

"Stop, help! Little Missy…"

Shen Ying: "…" Damn it!

—————— The one-sided battle between Lonemoon and  Yi  Qing  versus the radish lasted a full 15 minutes. They didn't stop until the radish's once perfect face was covered in bruises.

The radish's face swelled up and in the next second, it turned back into its true form. The once white, fat radish was now purple.

"Little Missy…" The radish refused to give up. Using its leaves, it reached out for Shen Ying.

Yi Qing raised up his sword and turned to ask Shen Ying, "Master, what do you think about having radish for dinner tonight?"

"It'll be great if you made radish soup." Lonemoon beat his fist into his palm. "Or slice it and fry it in oil. You could even steam it."

"Wa wa wa…" You are all just jealous of my beauty! "Hey, that's enough from you two." Shen Ying rolled her eyes. What's the point of bullying a vegetable? "Weren't we going to the… whatever town?"

"Upper Azure Town," Lonemoon corrected. He stepped forward and continued, "Normally, people from the Lower Realm visiting the Upper Azure World would stop by at that town first. The aristocratic families will go there to invite disciples to join their family. We've just arrived and we don't know much about the Upper Azure World. It'll be best if we head to Upper Azure Town to check things out first."

Lonemoon gestured to the right and said, "I went to ask around during lunch earlier. Upper Azure Town isn't far from here. We just have to go through this forest and we'll be there."

"Oh, let's go then!" Shen Ying waved, signalling Yi Qing to draw his spirit sword.

Their small group was just about to ride their swords when suddenly, an angry sound came from behind them. "Stop right there!"

Shen Ying paused. More than ten cultivators suddenly flew out of the forest and surrounded the three of them.

Among the strangers were two middle-aged men. One was in a blue robe while the other was in a green one. Both of their robes had a symbol of three coins. Their expressions were filled with rage as they stared at Lonemoon,  Yi  Qing  and  Shen  Ying.  The one in green pulled out an abacus. He looked familiar.

"Hmph, you really made me work hard to find you!" the green- robed middle-aged man said as he stepped toward them. He waved the abacus, turned to the man beside him and said, "Boss, these are the people who ate at our Fragrant Restaurant and didn't pay up!"

"…"

Chapter 57: Establishing a Sect

A free meal? Just now?

(⊙ o ⊙)

It was no wonder this person looked familiar—he was the owner of the restaurant they ate at earlier.

Shen Ying's expression darkened. She and Yi Qing  both turned to Lonemoon with chiding eyes.

"Holy shit, what are you looking at me for?" Lonemoon's expression also darkened. If he had not been so agitated by that stupid radish, he would not have forgotten to pay. Also… must he always be the one footing the bill?

"Owner…" Lonemoon had an awkward expression on his face as he stepped forward. He had already lived one lifetime and was on his second, but this was the first time he had been chased after for having forgotten to pay for a meal. This is so embarrassing! "Heh, this was our mistake. We were in such a rush that we forgot to pay our bill. We'll compensate you right now. How many spirit stones did our meal cost?"

"Stop acting!" The owner glared at him and shouted, "All the cultivators saw what you did earlier. The three of you ran away on purpose. If I didn't chase after you, would you have come back to foot the bill?"

"Er…" Lonemoon blushed, growing increasingly ashamed of himself. He really had not realized that they did not foot the bill.

"You expect this to be over just because you claim it was a mistake? It's not so easy! All the food you ate  earlier  on  was made from spirit herbs and spirit rice. It would cost you more than ten low-grade spirit stones."

"…"

"I've seen many people like you. You'd continue to hold out hope until you're faced with grim reality. If I don't teach you a lesson today, everybody would come to my restaurant and think they can have free meals." As soon as he had finished, he waved his hand. The crowd surrounding them began to draw their weapons.

"Wait… Owner, I can explain." We really just forgot. Lonemoon was starting to get anxious, but he knew he could not fight back because he was in the wrong. "Let's talk it out amicably! Hey, say something!" Lonemoon shouted as he turned around to look at his companions.

Shen Ying and Yi Qing kept quiet and retreated, turning away.

Holy shit, they lack loyalty.

"That…" He plucked up the nerve to ask, "What do you think about this. I'll pay you double in spirit stones for the meal we had earlier on."

"Double?" The restaurant owner's expression softened. He looked Lonemoon up and down, then signalled for the men around him to put away their weapons. "Are you serious?" "I'm serious, I'm serious," Lonemoon answered as he took his spirit stones out of his bag. "Forgive us, Owner, we really just forgot."

"Alright! Since you're so sincere about this…" The owner seemed less angry now as he continued, "My restaurant isn't unreasonable. I'll accept your spirit stones." He received the bag of spirit stones and suddenly seemed to realize something. "From your looks, you must be cultivators who have just arrived here in the Upper World. I'll let you off this time. Hmph! The next time I catch you trying to eat a free meal, it won't end this simply!"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Lonemoon nodded. This is so embarrassing!

"Oh yes, what's your name?"

Lonemoon stiffened. Was he going to add his name to the blacklist? After half a second, he said firmly, "I'm Shen Ying!"

Shen Ying: "…" Son of a b*tch! "That's S-H-E-N Y-I-N-G!" Lonemoon added.

"Shen Ying…" He turned to look at the other two. "And you guys?"

Yi Qing hesitated and replied, "Radish!"

"Why are you named after a vegetable?" The owner frowned. He turned to look at Shen Ying and said, "You… Forget it, it's not important! We'll forget about it this time. Let's head back, guys!"

He waved his hand and, together with the cultivators he had brought along, flew into the sky.

The three of them: "…"

After a moment… "What are you looking at me for? You were the one who ate the most just now." I'm only using your name. "We can't  tell him our real names, can we? Yi Qing changed his name to Radish as well."

"Don't worry, don't worry. Your presence is insignificant anyway, so they won't remember you."

Lonemoon patted his chest and made a guarantee.

However…

Three hours later, in Upper Azure Town…

At every street and alley, the shops had the same wooden signboard hanging beside their doors. The words on the wooden board were painted in gold and they were extremely eye catching:

No entry to Shen Ying and his dogs! Shen Ying: "…"

Lonemoon: "…"

Yi Qing: "…"

Son of a b*tch! Didn't he say it would be fine?

——————

Upper Azure Town was an Immortal Town in the south of the Upper Azure World. Upper Azure Town was located beside several districts where aristocratic families lived, but it did not belong to any one aristocratic family or sect. It was one of the few neutral Immortal Towns. There were many types of people in the bustling town as anyone who was a cultivator could enter. Most of them were cultivators who had just arrived at the Upper World or cultivators who were looking to join an aristocratic family.

Lonemoon and Yi Qing asked around and began to get a good picture of the situation in the Upper Azure World.

It was the same story up here as it was in the Lower Realm— the most powerful Immortal Cultivators were not in the sects but in the four aristocratic families. There were three others apart from the pill-refining Xuan Yuan Family: The Yu Family who was famous for their talisman arrays, the Yi Family who specialized in beast control and weapon refinement, and the Yin Family who was filthy rich. The Yin Family controlled more than half of the Spirit Stone mines and more than half of the shops in Upper Azure Town including the restaurant where they were accused of eating a free meal.

Shen Ying finally understood why it seemed like all the shops were hanging up the same wooden signboard.

Son of a b*tch!

The four aristocratic families each had their own strengths and their talents didn't overlap much. Apart from the main family, they also had several smaller families under them. It seemed that more than 70% of the Immortal Cultivators' resources were under their control. Although fewer and fewer people could achieve Immortal Ascension, most of the people who had achieved Immortal Ascension came from one of the four aristocratic families. Moreover, the aristocratic families were incredibly strong—they each had dozens of Soul Formation experts and four or five presiding Traveling Immortals.

The rest of the sects were regular Immortal Cultivator sects. Although they occupied a part of the spirit veins and had many disciples under them, they were still no match for the aristocratic families. The strange thing was that there were very few itinerant cultivators in the Upper Azure World. The aristocratic families often claimed all the land where danger had been expelled from or that had dense Yin Qi. Seldom would one find land with no owner. Regardless of which realm one was born in—the Upper World or the Lower Realm—people sought to join a family or sect in the Upper Azure World.

This meant that Shen Ying, Yi Qing and Lonemoon were in a very awkward situation.

"We're not suited to join any sect or family given our current situation," Lonemoon frowned. Shen Ying's reputation as a freeloader aside, Lonemoon and Yi Qing's names were spreading like wildfire because of what happened with the Xuan Yuan Family. The four aristocratic families existed as coequals; if any one of those families took Lonemoon and Yi Qing in, they would clearly be pitting themselves against the Xuan Yuan Family. As for the other sects, no one would dare to make an aristocratic family their enemy.

"It's not going to be easy for us to survive in this world unless the Xuan Yuan Family stupidly invites us back. No family or sect would dare to take us in otherwise."

"Why must we join them?" Shen Ying asked. "Why can't we work on cultivating ourselves?"

"This place is different from the Middle Azure World. The aristocratic families have never been kind to Fiendish Cultivators. If we want to find a place with thick Spirit Qi to train at, we have to go under a family or sect's name. Otherwise, we'll make ourselves out to look like Fiendish Cultivators."

"Oh." In other words, we have to hang tags around our necks or we'll look like Fiendish Cultivators? "Then let's just establish one on our own." "Establish one?" Lonemoon repeated in shock.

"Master, you're saying we should establish a sect?" Yi Qing was also startled.

"Yeah." Shen Ying nodded. All they needed to do was find a corner to train in, right? It was better to rely on themselves than on other people. Or did they have to settle administrative matters and apply for permits?

"Establish a sect with just the three of us? Don't be silly!" Lonemoon rolled his eyes. "Do you really think it's so easy to establish a sect? Do you think it's like setting up a shop and all we need is money? All else aside, we need to at least have a place! The spirit veins in the Upper Azure World are all occupied by the aristocratic families and sects. Where are we supposed to find a spirit vein for ourselves? We'd have to return to the Middle Azure World." It was not that easy to find one even in the Middle Azure World.

"If we don't have a spirit vein, we won't have Spirit Qi. Without Spirit Qi, we won't have spirit herbs and spirit beasts. Without those, how are we supposed to cultivate?" He turned to the radish beside him who had once again taken human form. "All we have is a radish. It might be valuable and it might help us find spirit herbs, but most of the land in the Upper Azure World belongs to the aristocratic families. If a spirit herb is in someone else's land, knowing where it is doesn't mean you can grab it!"

Shen Ying turned around to look at the obedient radish. "Are radishes and whatnot really so important?"

"Of course!" Lonemoon explained, "Refining pills aside, wherever herbs and spirit herbs grow, the Spirit Qi would be ten times thicker than normal. That's also how a spirit vein forms. Every cultivator needs Spirit Qi."

So that's why vegetables are important. "Any place where radishes grow would be acceptable?"

"You could put it that way."

"I know somewhere we could go," Shen Ying said seriously. "…" What?

——————

Three days later, in the Demon Palace…

The Rabbit Monarch's legs went jelly and it rolled down from its throne, unable to believe its eyes.

Was it dreaming? Was this real?

"Hey, Rabbit. Long time no see!"

Chapter 58: Choosing an Abode in the Demon Realm

"Shen… Great Shen… Great, Great…"

"Don't be nervous, I just need to discuss something with you," said Shen Ying, stroking its ear assuringly. True to its species, the rabbit was a timid animal. She quickly pointed to the chair behind it. "Come, take a seat."

The Rabbit Monarch shook even more and its ear which had been stroked by Shen Ying suddenly felt numb. It tried several times to sit back down on its throne but kept sliding down, let down by its wobbly legs. "Great… Immortal, please… please give me your orders."

Noticing the rabbit's predicament, Shen Ying  directly squatted down beside it. Chuckling, she said, "It's like this.The three of us have just been to the Upper Azure World but couldn't find a place to live. I heard that, unlike the Three Azure Realms, your Demon Realm is not partitioned into upper, middle and lower worlds, and it is also nearest to the Upper Azure Word. I'd like to ask if you have a suitable place for us?" "Great… Great Immortal is thinking of looking for a place to live?" The Rabbit Monarch heaved a sigh of relief. So she was not here to massacre its clan. All's well, all's well.

The Rabbit Monarch looked behind Shen Ying and, as expected, saw two other cultivators. One was Benefactor Yi Qing whom it was acquainted with, though it had not expected Yi Qing to already have become a Soul Formation cultivator in such a short period of time. Incredibly enough, the other one was a Soul Formation cultivator as well. The Rabbit Monarch felt more respect than ever for Shen Ying.

No wonder she was a Great Immortal—even her followers were the strongest of the strong. Even when conditions were not favorable, one had to create the conditions and emerge as the strongest.

"Yes, that's about the gist of it!" Recalling what Father Niu had said, Shen Ying asked, "I want the kind of place suitable for growing radishes. Didn't you often use to send me radishes? I imagine you should have such a place?"

"I think… so?" What radish? Can you make it clearer? "Shen Ying," said Lonemoon, his mouth twitching a little as he pulled her aside. "The place you mentioned earlier that was very suitable—is it in the Demon Realm?" Was her brain out of whack? Yes, the Demon Realm was vast and sparsely populated, not belonging to any aristocratic family, and was also close to the Upper Azure World. But they were cultivators after all.

"Don't worry. I know Rabbit very well." She patted his shoulder with a confident look on her face.

"This isn't a matter of knowing it well or not." The frown on Lonemoon's face deepened even more. "You should know that the Demon Realm is full of demonic aura. Cultivators can't practice in a place with demonic aura."

"Oh." Shen Ying pondered for a while, then turned her head and looked at the rabbit, adding, "Then in that case, Rabbit, I want a place with no demonic aura."

"How can any place in the Demon Realm have no…"

"Alright, Great  Immortal!"  The  Rabbit  Monarch nodded its head vigorously.

"…" Do you have to agree so quickly? Is there really such a place? "Even if there is such a place in the Demon Realm, surely it can't produce a spirit vein?"

"Rabbit, this place needs to have a spirit vein!" Shen Ying continued to add to her list of conditions.

"You…"

"No problem, Great Immortal!" The Rabbit Monarch nodded its head vigorously.

"…" Holy shit! Why are you agreeing to everything? "It's hard to find such a place even in the Upper Azure World. The Demon Realm is so big. Even if there were such a place, it would be very difficult to find…"

"Can you find it, Rabbit?" "Yes, I can, Great Immortal. I'll get it done immediately, Great Immortal!" The Rabbit Monarch nodded its head vigorously.

"…" Holy shit! What exactly did you do to this rabbit? "Forget it, I give up. You can all do what you like."

Lonemoon stood aside. Shen Ying and the Rabbit Monarch were already making preparations to examine the site. He had no choice but to follow them as he didn't believe that they would succeed in their quest. How could there possibly be a place within the Demon Realm which had no demonic aura yet had plenty of Spirit Qi, a spirit vein and spirit herbs…

"Here it is, Great Immortal!"

Holy shit!

There really is such a place! Do you have to be so efficient?!

Σ(°△°|||) Lonemoon was lost in awe as he looked up to see a towering, floating mountain, so high that it reached all the way to the clouds, appear before him. The mountain was bathed in a beautiful afterglow and was encircled by swirls of mist like a scene from an immortal fairyland. Spirit Qi gushed out from the peak of the mountain and one could faintly feel the aura of several spirit veins throbbing within it. These vibrant spirit veins were several times stronger than those at the Blackheaven Sect.

The strange thing was that the surrounding demonic aura seemed to be deliberately avoiding this spiritual peak, only lingering at its peripheral boundaries a few kilometers away— the demon aura showed no signs of wanting to invade. It was as if a completely different territory had been carved out of the Demon Realm.

"This place is close to the Upper Azure World and it is the mountain that is most abundant in Spirit Qi." Pointing at the floating mountain, the Rabbit Monarch explained, "It is located exactly at the point on the boundary between the Human and Demon Realm, where Yang Qi is at its highest, so demonic aura cannot get through."

So that explained why the demonic aura could only linger a few kilometers away from the mountain.

"There is ample Spirit Qi here which is absolutely ideal for Great Immortal's cultivation practice. It is also the place in the Demon Realm where spirit herbs are most abundant. The spirit herbs that I used to deliver to Great Immortal's residence were gathered from here."

The Rabbit Monarch pointed ahead. Shen Ying turned her head and saw that the whole mountain and the surrounding land were covered with radishes—it was really a radish land.

What can I say, house rabbit!

"Little Missy, I like this place!" The radish pendant hopped down from Lonemoon's leg, rolling around happily in the radish land. Being a Vegetation Spirit, it naturally liked places where Wood Spirit Qi was dense.

Shen Ying ignored it and patted the Rabbit Monarch, saying, "Rabbit, this is it. Thanks." "No need to thank me, Great Immortal. It's my duty."

"I'll be staying here from now on."

"Does Great Immortal require anything else?"

"Anything else…" Shen Ying thought over it seriously. "I still have a small request… Can you get ahold of a few household items like furniture, kitchen utensils and other such living essentials?"

"I'll go and prepare them right now."

"Oh and remember to get a table."

"OK, Great Immortal."

"Why not… build a house while you're at it? You have experience in any case." "No problem, Great Immortal. Does Great Immortal have any specific requirements for this house?"

"Doesn't need to be too big. It just needs to have a bedroom, a living room, a kitchen and a bathroom. Er… or you could build it like how you did for your demon palace, it looks great."

Yi Qing: "…"

Lonemoon: "…"

This is called a little request? You might as  well  get  him  to build you an emperor's palace. I've never met such a brazen person like you!

"OK, Great Immortal! No problem, Great Immortal!"

"…"

Why must  you  agree  so  readily?  Can't  you  show  a  little backbone?

Perplexed, Lonemoon could not help but nudge Yi Qing who was standing next to him. "Hey, how did you come to know this rabbit demon? Why is it so good to Shen Ying?" Why, it was taking orders from Shen Ying like an obedient child.

Yi Qing thought about this for a while and then replied earnestly, "Probably because… Master has not destroyed its whole clan yet?"

"…"

Destroy its clan… What the hell?! This isn't a friendly relationship… this is a bloody feud!

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———————— Three months later.

"OK, stop eating and get ready. We have to go to Upper Azure Town," instructed Lonemoon, pulling a certain foodie away from the table.

"Go to Upper Azure Town?" Looking blank, Shen Ying stuffed the last piece of cake in her hand into her mouth. "What for?"

"What for? Why, to recruit disciples of course!" Rolling his eyes at her, Lonemoon explained, "I've already inquired about it. Tomorrow is the day when the Upper Azure World's aristocratic families and major sects conduct their annual recruitment of disciples. Those who wish to practice cultivation will all head to the various towns to register and the closest town to us is Upper Azure Town."

"Why do we need to recruit disciples?" asked Shen Ying, baffled. Can't we just stick to practicing our own cultivation?

Chapter 59: Recruiting Disciples

"Didn't you say you wanted to establish a sect? If we don't recruit… Holy shit, you're not planning to recruit any disciples, are you?" Lonemoon looked Shen Ying up and down, then pointed to the palace surrounded by Immortal Qi behind him. "If we won't recruit disciples, why did you build such a freaking huge palace?"

After the Rabbit Monarch brought them to this spiritual peak, it brought a huge group of demon beasts to build the palace. Within mere months, the mountain which previously had nothing but spirit herbs suddenly had a palace built atop it. The palace looked far more magnificent than the one in which the Demon Monarch stayed.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Shen Ying commented after she turned around to look at the beautiful palace.

"Beautiful your ass!" Lonemoon was outraged. "Don't tell me that you had such a huge palace built just for the three of us?" Do you take yourself as an emperor? The palace is so huge that it'll take two days just to walk one lap around it. "It's so troublesome to recruit disciples…"

"Heh heh heh…" Lonemoon laughed mirthlessly. "Since we won't have any disciples, you'll take care of all the cleaning and sanitation in the palace, okay?"

"…"

Two seconds later…

"Father Niu, I think you're right! Shall we go and recruit some disciples now?" After saying this, she turned to glance at Yi Qing beside her, saying, "Chef, quickly pack up all of these pastries. We can have them as snacks on the way. Bring more ingredients as well so that we can have a picnic if we don't make it back here in time."

"Yes Master, no problem Master!"

"…" At the end of the day, all you're concerned about is food! Lonemoon had a clear plan in mind. It would be easy for them to nurture an entire sect using this land of spirit herbs.

Although there were only the three of them now and the road ahead looked difficult, Lonemoon had experience in managing a company of millions of workers. He was all too familiar with these matters. As for training in sorcery, both he and Yi Qing could handle it. They were Sword Cultivators after all—they could recruit disciples who were talented. While Lonemoon was proficient in array formations, Yi Qing was proficient in weapon refinement. They could pass down their skills if they found suitable disciples and they could also allow their disciples to pick up pill-refining and beast control on their own.

As for Shen Ying… she could focus on being a good lucky charm for them.

Lonemoon knew he had thought everything through. He had compiled a thick book of documents which detailed his plan. This compilation included manuals on how to train their disciples, how to improve the sect's quality as a whole and how to expand the sect's influence. In his mind, everything was in its place—it was fool-proof. All that was left was for the three of them to get to Upper Azure Town and set up their stand. The three of them proceeded to do all they needed to. Just as they were about to begin their recruitment drive, however, they met with a huge problem.

"What sect are you from?" asked a white-clothed young man innocently.

Lonemoon: "…"

Yi Qing: "…"

Shen Ying: "…"

Holy shit! We forgot to think of a name for our sect!

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After a minute… "Heh heh heh… Fellow Daoist, please give us a moment!"

Lonemoon's face lost its color. He quickly set up a soundproof array and turned to his two companions. "Why didn't you remind me that we hadn't come up with a name?"

Shen Ying's expression was one of nonchalance. "I thought you thought of one a long time ago." Weren't you the one who thought about recruiting disciples?

Yi Qing nodded in agreement. "I also thought Supremacy Niu had plans."

"What should we do now? We can't tell him that we haven't thought of our sect name, can we?" Lonemoon turned around to glance at the young man. He lowered his voice and urged Shen Ying, "Hurry, you were the one who found the land. Think of something."

"Can I just put any few words together?" "Whatever, as long as it sounds catchy and pleasing to the ears. Hurry."

"Oh…" Isn't it just a name? "Catchy and pleasing to the ears.

Bijing[1], Sponge Cake, Cheese, Fish…"

"… How about freaking braised, pan fried and deep fried!"

"That's okay too!"

"Okay your ass!" Are these pleasing to the ears or pleasing to your mouth? Lonemoon was furious. "Can you  stop  thinking about food for once? If we choose names like that, won't we be telling other sects that our disciples can easily be devoured?"

"Do we want to sound formidable?"

"Of course. We want to sound formidable and strong.  We want the kind of name that would shake the Three Azure Realms." "How about… Tsinghua and Beida[2]?"

"Master, these names are great!" Yi Qing nodded profusely. "They sound like extremely reputable names."

Lonemoon: "…" F*cking retards.

——————

There were many people in Upper Azure Town and the place where the sects recruited disciples was much more crowded. The alleys and streets were filled with mortals who were looking to join a sect or a family and the public square was simply overflowing with people. The four aristocratic families had their own designated spots in the public square where they could recruit disciples. The mortals in the public square were mostly looking to join these aristocratic families.

Since Upper Azure Town was located in a remote area, the disciples whom the various sects and families sent to recruit other disciples were less formal than those in the huge immortal cities. Most of them just held up their flags with the names of their families or sects written on them. The tests they conducted on people who approached them was simple—they tested the quality of their Spirit Roots.

The criteria to join the four aristocratic families had always been strict and they were never interested in recruiting strangers. Therefore, many people looked to join other sects instead. The queues in front of other sects were long, all except… one on the far right side from the Lower Realm which nobody cared much about.

Compared to the other sects which each had seven to eight people in front of their stands, this sect looked cold and empty. There were only three cultivators there. Their flag was being held up by someone on the extreme right and had one word written on it: Invincible!

Invincible Sect sounded formidable and powerful, but nobody had ever heard of it. Everybody could  tell  that  the  sect  was newly formed and small. Even though two out of three of the people from the sect seemed to be of a considerable cultivation level and looked like they could possibly beat everyone else around them, nobody dared to join their sect. "Father Niu…" Shen Ying yawned as the flag in her  hand began to tilt. "We've been trying to recruit disciples all day and we haven't recruited a single one. Let's take a break for lunch."

"You better freaking stand up straight!" Lonemoon turned to look at her with a death glare and adjusted the flag. He knew that it would be difficult for a new sect to recruit disciples, but he had not expected that their situation would be so bleak. There were not even many people who cared to ask about their sect and the people who did were of low-quality Spirit Roots— they were not even suited to be cultivators.

"How much longer must I stand for?" Shen Ying could not take it any longer.

Yi Qing took the flag from her hands immediately. He then reached into his storage bag and retrieved a wooden stool. "Master, why don't you sit down and take a break?"

"Alright!" Shen Ying's eyes lit up as she sat down on the stool. But suddenly, a lady in a gray robe rushed out the doors of the shop next to them which had been closed all the way up till that moment. She was not watching where she was going and before long, tripped over Shen Ying's wooden stool and fell down before the three of them. The lady's gray robe fell to the floor, revealing bright and colorful clothing beneath.

Shen Ying hesitated for a moment before moving to help her up, but she was beaten to it by someone who rushed out from inside the shop.

"Si Yu!" The woman who had rushed out quickly helped the lady on the ground up and re-tied her gray robe, hiding the bright and colorful clothing once again. "Are you okay? Are you alright?"

"Big Sister Yu Hong." The gray-robed lady shook her head, looking around her with panicked eyes. In the next moment, seven to eight other people had walked out of the shop. Each of them was dressed in a gray robe just like that lady's.

[1] A type of grain

[2] Names of top universities in China

Chapter 60: Disciples Entering the Sect

"Are you alright?" Shen Ying asked. "I'm sorry. I didn't know that you would come out from

"Sorry." Yi Qing also immediately cupped his fists. "The chair was placed there by me." Definitely cannot allow Master to be the scapegoat!

"It was just a careless mistake. It's alright." The woman named Yu Hong laughed at them. She then went ahead and began to lead those seven or eight people away. But just as she was about to turn around, she paused in her steps as if something had caught her eye and then suddenly walked back with quick steps. She glanced at the three of them and asked, "Immortal Masters, are you recruiting disciples?"

Lonemoon nodded. "Yes, our Invincible Sect has just been established and we are indeed recruiting disciples."

"What do the three of you think of us?" She pointed at the group of girls behind her who were wrapped up in plain and rustic outfits. "You guys want to join my sect?!" Lonemoon was delighted.

Finally, someone with good discernment.

"Yes, we are willing to join…" She looked up at the flag before continuing, "the Invincible Sect!"

"Great!" Lonemoon laughed joyfully. "Join us and you won't regret it. However…" He took a serious look at the group of girls. "I can see that a few of you were originally cultivators while three of you have already completed Core Formation. Are you guys really not from a sect?"

The lady named Yu Hong faltered for a moment and a tinge of panic flashed across her face before it immediately returned to normal. She smiled and said, "Immortal Master. We are all from the same village and in the village, everyone learned cultivation from young which is why it is normal for us to have cultivation. We really did not come from any sect. If you do not believe it, you may check our Divine Perception to see if there are transmission marks of other sects."

Cultivators would leave a life token in the sect they joined and the transmission mark of that sect would be imprinted in their Divine Perception. Unless one's cultivation was higher than the person who designated the life token, the transmission marks could not be removed. The people in charge of allocating life tokens were at least of Nascent Soul cultivation. Lonemoon glanced over with his Divine Perception and realized this group of people really did not have any transmission marks.

"You're sure that you want to join my Invincible Sect?" Something just felt off to him.

"Yes!" Yu Hong nodded. She looked back at her group and they all nodded in agreement as well.

"In that case, let's test their Spirit Roots." Lonemoon took out the Dharma artifact for testing Spirit Roots and got them to come forward one by one. The result was shocking, however; the even the lowest quality Spirit Root possessed amongst these people was a third-grade Wood, Water and Gold - Triple Spirit Root. With such qualifications, they were qualified to join even the aristocratic families. Why would they join a newly established sect? Were they blind?

"Immortal Master, can we join?" "Your Spirit Roots aren't bad…" Lonemoon nodded.

Yu Hong was delighted. "Then, can Immortal Master bring us back to the sect now?" But sensing suspicion from the other party, she immediately explained again, "We have spent half a month traveling to Upper Azure Town. The journey has been long and tiring, so we would like to return to the sect to rest."

"Sister Hong…" But before Lonemoon could reply, the girl beside her suddenly pulled at Yu Hong and called her name in a low voice as if wanting to say something. She did not speak further in the end, however, and her head hung even lower.

"Immortal Master, will that be convenient?" Yu Hong asked hurriedly again.

"How about I bring them back! Aren't I the sect master?" Shen Ying raised her hand in suggestion. "I'm sleepy anyway."

"Master!" Yi Qing was shocked. He was about to say something, but did not do so in the end. "Cheh!" Lonemoon responded to her suggestion with a look of disdain. "Then can this sect master find her way back?"

"Uh…" She had no rebuttal for that.

Yi Qing furrowed his brows, looked at Shen Ying and reminded, "Let the radish lead the way!"

Lonemoon frowned, looked at the two of them in surprise and hesitated for a moment before taking the radish off his leg.

"Radish, transform and take Shen Ying back!"

"Ji!" The radish's leaves were raised up. Its silhouette flashed and it transformed to take the appearance of a beautiful, gender-neutral looking individual, and then attempted to latch onto Shen Ying's leg. "I know Little Missy must still like my absolute beauty."

"Get lost!" Shen Ying stomped its face onto the ground and then turned to look at Lonemoon, saying, "Can you lend me your fan transport? There's too many people!"

"That's my intrinsic Dharma artifact. People don't just lend those out easily." Lonemoon glared at her, then took out a leaf- shaped Dharma artifact and threw it into the air. The Dharma artifact immediately became dozens of times larger upon being thrown. "Get on. Use this instead."

Shen Ying plucked the radish up from the ground and brought the newly accepted batch of female disciples up their transportation and disappeared into the horizon in a flash.

"Hey." Lonemoon sounded displeased as he looked over at Yi Qing at the side. "You knew that there was something off with this bunch of people, so why did you agree with Shen Ying to bring them back?"

"Don't worry. Master has her own plans." Yi Qing looked in the direction which Shen Ying's group had flown towards and continued, "Moreover… nothing will happen to Master."

"…" This made so much sense that Lonemoon was speechless. Indeed. No matter what happens, that cheat won't be harmed.

The radish was controlling the Dharma artifact the whole way back. Lonemoon had left some transportation arrays on their way to Upper Azure Town, hence the return journey took less than an hour and they arrived at the border between the Upper Azure World and the Demon Realm.

"Sister Yu Hong!" One person from the group suddenly let out a gasp and grabbed Yu Hong's hand. "This… this is the Demon Realm!"

Yu Hong was also wearing a face of shock. Although they knew that the location of a small sect would not be pristine, they had never imagined that the other party would bring them straight to the Demon Realm.

"Don't worry!" Shen Ying looked back at them and actually kindly explained to them, "All the animals inside are vegetarians. They won't hurt people."

As she explained, the Dharma artifact had already flown into the Demon Realm. The moment they entered the Demon Realm, an array formation lit up which encapsulated everyone on the leaf Dharma artifact, isolating them from the demonic aura of the surroundings.

"Watch and wait to see what happens," Yu Hong calmed down and instructed.

No matter where this so-called Invincible Sect was located at, with the current situation they were in, entering the Demon Realm might be beneficial instead. Moreover, this girl leading them did not seem to have any cultivation. If they were to fight, they did not need fear her. The only thing they needed to be wary of was that man going by the name of Radish who kept trying to stay by that girl's side with a fawning smile and did not even look at the rest of the people. Having witnessed his transformation, they wondered: could he also be a demon?

Everyone became alert and took note of what was happening around them. However, the scenario that came next made them all go speechless.

A sixth-stage demon went past them, saying… "Greetings, Great Immortal!"

"Greetings!"

The demon flew away.

A seventh-stage demon went past: "Good afternoon, Great Immortal!"

"Good afternoon!"

The demon flew away…

An eighth-stage demon came by: "Great… Great… Immortal."

"Hey, hello!"

The demon froze… A ninth-stage demon went past: "Great… Great Immortal, have you eaten?"

"Not yet!"

With a bang, the demon fell down…

The crowd: "…"

What was this scenario? Were… were those really demons? Why did the demons not attack them and why was it that the higher their level, the more… courteous they became?

What happened to humans and demons never coexisting?

Could this girl be special in some way?

Everyone could not help but look at this girl, but no matter how they scrutinized her, she did not show any signs of Spirit Qi and was obviously a mortal. Were their cultivation levels too low to notice anything? It was just like the two people from before whose cultivation levels even Sister Yu Hong could not detect.

Could it be… they had met an amazing, hidden immortal sect? Everyone grew excited and even Yu Hong's eyes brightened up as she began to see these two from the Invincible Sect in a new light.

"Immortal… Immortal Master!" Finally, someone could not hold back, asking "I heard… heard from the two immortal elders from before that you… you are the sect master of Invincible Sect?!"

"Yes!" Shen Ying nodded lazily in affirmation.

"Our cultivation levels are low and we can't seem to see how high your levels are. May we enquire as to the levels of your cultivations?"

"Oh, they are Soul Formation sword cultivators." "Soul Formation! Sword cultivators!" And there were two of them at that! Everyone gasped as their eyes lit up.

"Then… how about you, Senior?"

"Me?" Shen Ying paused and answered honestly, "I have no cultivation."

"Ah! Ah?" The asker was taken aback and thought that she had heard wrongly. "You… you are the sect master, right?"

"Yes!" She yawned, then said, "Isn't that because… I lost in the finger-guessing game before?"

The crowd: "…"

What the hell?

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