Rumble—
The heavy stone gate opened, long-missed daylight pouring in, bathing the man in its glow.
Chen Ye stepped out of the secret chamber and immediately saw Mao Qingzhu waiting outside.
"Brother Ye... you succeeded!"
Seeing the steady and restrained fluctuation of Chen Ye’s Spiritual Power, Mao Qingzhu finally let out a sigh of relief, her eyes slightly reddening.
This past month, she had kept watch before the Water Mirror day and night—on one hand nervously watching the three little ancestors in the Grotto Heaven overturn the seas, and on the other hand constantly monitoring the situation inside the secret chamber. One could well imagine how exhausted she was.
"I’ve made Sister Qingzhu worry."
Chen Ye smiled gently, stepped forward and pulled her into his arms, lightly patting her somewhat thin back.
"Foundation Establishment Seventh-Layer, everything went smoothly."
After a brief tender moment, Chen Ye released her and turned his gaze to the Water Mirror in the center of the hall, whose surface shimmered with images. The Water Mirror faced the distant firmament, taking in the entirety of the light screen in front of the Heaven-Suspended Tower.
"Hm? This thing... is it a telescope?"
Muttering to himself, Chen Ye walked to the Water Mirror and glanced at it, only to see the light screen casually reflecting the mountains and rivers of the Grotto Heaven, with no Cultivator inside. So he casually asked,
"During the month I was in seclusion, how were Zhiwei and the others doing in Luoxiao Grotto Heaven? I suppose aside from searching around for some opportunities, they shouldn’t have caused any big trouble, right? My three disciples are very well-behaved."
Mao Qingzhu, who was just about to pour tea, paused mid-motion, the tea nearly spilling onto the table.
Her expression turned odd as she looked at Chen Ye’s confident face, and for a moment she didn’t know where to start.
Well-behaved?
These three little ancestors had almost turned Luoxiao Grotto Heaven upside down.
They had even severely injured Zhong Yue of Huayue Mansion, and the remaining three Huayue Cultivators seemed to be searching for their whereabouts, intending to take revenge.
Indeed.
The three little girls now were powerful, and their battle achievements were impressive—they had joined forces to slay a Foundation Establishment Seventh-Layer Iron-Armored Earth Dragon.
But as for exactly how they killed it... whether it relied on their own strength, that was another question entirely.
Even if they truly killed it head-on, those three Huayue Mansion Cultivators, if they joined forces, would be even more terrifying than a Foundation Establishment Seventh-Layer Iron-Armored Earth Dragon!
"Uh... Brother Ye, when you sent them into the Grotto Heaven, did you perhaps teach them some... relatively aggressive methods?"
Mao Qingzhu probed cautiously.
"Aggressive? No."
Chen Ye shook his head and said matter-of-factly,
"I just repeatedly reminded them that if they encounter an unbeatable danger, they should use the Array Plate to retreat. If they can win, then fight; if they can’t, then run. As for any opportunities they can take, they mustn’t be soft-hearted. These are the most basic and most reliable survival principles in the Cultivation Realm."
"Besides, the opportunities in a Grotto Heaven belong to the capable... I’m worried they might be too polite, even embarrassed to seize opportunities proactively."
Chen Ye truly did have this concern.
So-called contending with heaven, contending with others—cultivation itself was a path of contention.
But his disciples had stayed in a greenhouse for too long; once they came out into the world, they might still be shy about contending with others for opportunities.
Mao Qingzhu silently covered her forehead.
Too polite?
Shy to fight for things?
She took a deep breath, raised a fair hand, and pinched a Spell, sending it into the Water Mirror.
"Brother Ye, I think... there might be a slight, tiny discrepancy in your understanding of those three ’well-behaved’ disciples of yours. Words are no proof; you’d better see for yourself."
As Mao Qingzhu injected Spiritual Power, the image on the Water Mirror rippled like water, transforming into a Spirit Qi–rich canyon in Luoxiao Grotto Heaven.
Clearly, this was a recording Mao Qingzhu had managed to preserve.
She explained, "This was seventeen days ago..."
Hands clasped behind his back, Chen Ye, with the composure of a Great Cultivator who had just stepped into the Late Period of Foundation Establishment, turned his gaze to the light screen.
In the image—
At the entrance of the canyon, five or six prodigies from other sects were lying about in disarray, their faces bruised and swollen.
Judging by their robes, they were Spirit Treasure Sect True Disciples... Though compared to other sects their True Inheritance was considered slightly less valuable, they still weren’t to be underestimated.
These True Disciples, who usually stood aloof above others, were now lined up in a row, hands on their heads, squatting on the ground and trembling.
And in front of them, a certain little silver-haired girl was standing with one foot planted on a massive boulder.
She was holding a purple-gold hammer Magical Treasure bigger than she was, yelling in a ferociously cute voice:
"Hurry up! Hand over all the Spirit Stones, Pills, and those shiny Magical Treasures from your Storage Bags! No hiding anything! Otherwise I’ll have the Burning-Heaven Demoness burn all of you!"
Burn... Burning-Heaven Demoness?
Chen Ye’s expression gradually stiffened.
Beside her, Jin’er was obediently standing there, cradling a ball of ghostly blue Divine Fire, and stammered:
"Are we... really going to burn them?"
"Mm! Jin’er, didn’t you say you’ll do whatever Senior Sister tells you to do!"
The little girl cast a dangerous look at Jin’er,
"But Qing Jun also seems to be Senior Sister... Jin’er, Jin’er, could it be that in your heart, the only Senior Sister is Eldest Senior Sister?"
"Uu..." Jin’er could only obey.
As for the eldest disciple Lu Zhiwei, the one Chen Ye felt most reassured about.
Clad in white, cradling the Canchen Sword, she stood on the treetop, cold and aloof like a flower on a high ridge.
Sword Intent surged around her; as long as those prodigies below dared show the slightest movement, what awaited them would definitely be a merciless sword strike.
"That’s the legendary Bloodless Sword Fiend!" a Spirit Treasure Sect Cultivator cried out in shock, utterly terrified.
Hearing this nickname,
The face of the white-clothed girl darkened ever so slightly as she silently glanced at the chattering little girl. The little girl, looking smug, said, "Hmph! Since you know how powerful the Bloodless Sword Fiend is, then hurry up and hand over your treasures!"
"..."
Chen Ye fell into silence.
These two nicknames—no need to think about it, they were clearly coined by Qing Jun.