The Sovereign's Ascension

Chapter 1985 - Three Days Later

“Holy Maiden, please wait.” When Lin Yun stowed the Golden Crow Wings and was about to leave with Bai Shuying, Bai Xiao suddenly appeared before Bai Shuying.

“What is it?” Bai Shuying asked.

“Ye Qingtian is still in confinement and can’t leave just like that. Otherwise, I won’t be able to explain to the Heavenly Jade Sword Saint,” Bai Xiao said honestly.

“Do you think you can explain now?” Bai Shuying asked. “If you didn’t let him leave on purpose, would he have been able to leave Remorse Cliff?”

Bai Xiao was speechless when he heard that.

“He intruded on the Celestial Pool because of me. Since I didn’t pursue it back then, I naturally won’t pursue it now,” Bai Shuying said.

“What?” Bai Xiao was briefly stunned before he came to his senses and smiled, “Thank you, Holy Maiden.”

Bai Xiao felt relieved after hearing what Bai Shuying said because he didn’t have to be blamed now. Coincidentally, as Ye Qingtian brushed past him, he gave him a deep smile.

This made the corner of Bai Xiao’s lips twitch because he knew Ye Qingtian was showing off. At Remorse Cliff, Bai Xiao still praised Flower Burial and compared Ye Qingtian with him. But who knew that Ye Qingtian would slap his face? Who said that Ye Qingtian didn’t know music?

But Bai Xiao wasn’t bothered about it. Instead, he felt great, just like the other Heavenly Dao Sect’s disciples because Ye Qingtian maintained the glory of the Heavenly Dao Sect. He was curious, since Ye Qingtian knew how to play music and erhu.

“Thank you for taking care of me at Remorse Cliff,” Lin Yun patted Bai Xiao’s shoulder and left with Bai Shuying.

They both walked for some time, but neither of them spoke. The Nether Orchid Mountain was gorgeous, and they didn’t take long to arrive before a lake. Bai Shuying stopped and turned around, “Ye Qingtian, thank you for what you did today.”

“Senior Sister is the Nether Orchid Holy Maiden. Even without me, I believe you can easily deal with Nie Wushuang,” Lin Yun said with a hint of doubt. He didn’t expect Bai Shuying to thank him.

“The Nether Orchid Holy Maiden?” Bai Shuying smiled, “I remember telling you I was never concerned with my identity as the Nether Orchid Holy Maiden. In big clans, the identity as Holy Maiden is only to marry us off for a good price.”

“Holy Maiden must be joking,” Lin Yun replied. The reason why he came today was because of his guilt. No matter what he did, Nie Wushuang wasn’t worthy of Bai Shuying.

“I’m not joking with you. I might seem glorious as the Holy Maiden, but even my clansmen won’t be on my side at a crucial moment nor consider my opinion,” Bai Shuying sighed, turning around to look at the lake. “Just like Bai Yizhou. He might seem to be on my side most of the time, but he secretly had contact with Nie Wushuang, so I can naturally see through his disguise.”

Lin Yun was shocked because this was the first time he felt that Bai Shuying looked lonely, and it was no wonder why she had such a cold temperament. He initially thought Bai Shuying would ask why he was proficient in music, but he didn’t expect Bai Shuying to speak about everything from her heart with him.

She was furious that her clan had made this arrangement with Nie Wushuang, but she could do nothing about it.

Lin Yun kept quiet and listened to what Bai Shuying said, her life in the clan, and how lonely she was. From this lake, he could see the vague outline of the Dustless Palace when he raised his head, and many people were cleaning up the mess. The Ye Clan’s descendants had also rushed over.

After a brief chat, Bai Shuying turned to look at Ye Qingtian. “Oh, right. When did you learn music? Not to mention you even knew how to play the erhu. You have really changed my impression of you because I can’t get familiar with it after practicing for a long time.”

“Truth be told, the Azure River Sword Saint brought me to meet someone before returning to the Heavenly Dao Sect. We chatted happily, and he even taught me music. I didn’t know his identity then, but I later realized that he must be Lin Yun, Champion of the Ninth Heavenly Path.”

“What?” Bai Shuying’s eyes lit up after hearing what he said, and she said, “Now that I calculate the time, that should be the same time his identity was exposed at the Black Tortoise Void Sea and was saved by the Azure River Sword Saint. No wonder… it’s impossible for Nie Wushuang to win against you if you have Flower Burial teaching you.”

Lin Yun was surprised, and Bai Shuying seemed to have inexplicable confidence in him.

“Senior Sister also met him before?” Lin Yun asked.

Bai Shuying briefly hesitated before she replied, “I guess so. He defeated my clone when challenging the Elysium Core Ranking, but I was already in the Dragon Pulse Realm. So I invited him to the Heavenly Dao Sect to fight for real.”

“Oh?” Lin Yun casually replied but was inwardly shocked that Bai Shuying remembered that.

“Did he tell you when he’s coming to the Heavenly Dao Sect?” Bai Shuying asked in a seemingly casual tone.

Lin Yun briefly hesitated before he replied, “No. He seemed to have gone to the Heavenly Fragrance Divine Mountain.”

“Heavenly Fragrance Divine Mountain… as I’ve expected…” Bai Shuying’s face became pale, and her body trembled a little. She already had her speculation because it was best for Flower Burial to go to the Heavenly Fragrance Divine Mountain after his identity was revealed. After all, that saint elder said she would protect him, and even Tian Xuanzi didn’t dare to intrude on the Heavenly Fragrance Divine Mountain.

It was only speculation in the past, but she believed it now after hearing it from Ye Qingtian. She asked, “Have you mentioned this to anyone?”

“No one. No one knows about this besides the Azure River Sword Saint,” Lin Yun replied.

“Good. Keep it a secret because a lot of people in the world want his life,” Bai Shuying said.action

But Lin Yun was confused about why Bai Shuying wanted him to keep it a secret, and he realized he couldn’t see through her.

“Oh, right. Ye Qingtian, you’re already at the third transformation of the Nirvana Stage? Are the rumors real that you’ve refined a saint origin?”

“That’s true,” Lin Yun replied.

“Saint origin is good, but it’s an external item, and your foundation was too shallow in the past. You might be able to progress swiftly in your cultivation, but you’ll have to overcome many difficulties when reaching the Quasi-Saint Realm. So you have to be prepared for that,” Bai Shuying smiled.

“Do you want a spar?” Bai Shuying tied her hair and took out a sword.

“Sure.” Lin Yun already guessed that Bai Shuying had many things hidden in her heart.

They both distanced themselves and bowed before entering the Divine Firefly Sword’s stance. They briefly faced off before they charged at each other. Their swords clashed with various phenomena appearing around them, empowered by their martial intents.

This was a spar between the Divine Firefly Sword. Lin Yun’s Divine Firefly Sword had each the minuscule stage, but he was surprised to discover that Bai Shuying’s Divine Firefly Sword wasn’t weaker than his and was even stronger. But it wasn’t surprising because Bai Shuying practiced the Divine Firefly Sword longer than he did.

Lin Yun soon adjusted his strategy and no longer faced her head-on with the Divine Firefly Sword. Instead, he relied on his attainment in the sword. The Divine Firefly Sword dramatically relied on combining moves and forming a cycle.

After Lin Yun and Bai Shuying exchanged over ten-odd moves, he was in a disadvantageous position without using his Azure Dragon Sword Heart. Without using his sword heart, he couldn’t bring out the Astral Sword Intent, so he couldn’t gain any advantage in his fight against Bai Shuying’s Divine Firefly Sword.

Bai Shuying grasped both Ice and Fire Intents, and her Ice-Fire Sword Intent reached a perfect state. It was even more perfect than Lin Yun’s Azure Dragon Sword Intent.

This immediately baffled Lin Yun because he didn’t expect Bai Shuying’s sword intent to be so strong, and it seemed that Bai Shuying’s martial intent was higher than his. He was too obsessed with the sword and ignored his martial intent.

On the other hand, Bai Shuying had separated herself from sword intent and used a higher perspective to understand sword intent. This was a brand-new way of thinking that Lin Yun never noticed. He naturally focused more on sword intent and felt that sword intent was stronger than other martial intents.

But Bai Shuying’s perspective was above ice, fire, and sword intents. This was an interesting experience that gave Lin Yun a whole new idea. After all, martial intents were just a method to fight enemies.

As Lin Yun became determined to compete with Bai Shuying, his sword techniques suddenly changed, and his sword became pure. His sword flew out of his hand, catching Bai Shuying off guard. Her attack missed, and just when she was about to be trapped in Lin Yun’s sword rays, Bai Shuying turned around and became transparent.

The two let go of themselves and competed purely based on their understanding of the sword. One was detached from the sword, and there was a clear divide between her and her sword. On the other hand, there might be no sword in his hand, but he was actually one with the sword, and they couldn’t be separated.

“Junior Brother Ye, be careful now.” Bai Shuying no longer held back and executed a powerful sword technique. A massive power gushed out from Bai Shuying’s hand into her sword, and a massive power gathered at her sword tip, distorting the surrounding space.

“This sword is called Withered Tree Coming To Life!” Bai Shuying slashed, and her frail body seemed to be filled with lifeforce with her feet rooted in the space. She seemed to have turned into a massive tree at this moment, and Lin Yun was sent flying by this aura before he could even respond.

He instantly recognized the Wither Sword Art, the sword technique taught by the Heavenly Jade Sword Saint. But he didn’t have the time to practice it. Now that he looked at it again, the Heavenly Jade Sword Saint truly deserved her reputation. Ultimately, he was still too young, and Bai Shuying’s foundation was too strong as the Heavenly Jade Sword Saint had taught her over the years.

“Thank you for your guidance.” Lin Yun’s gaze flickered, and he began comprehending the intent behind that attack. Bai Shuying’s attack didn’t contain a hint of murderous intent, and Lin Yun knew this was her form of gratitude for his help against Nie Wushuang.

After experiencing this sword, he could save a lot of time when practicing the Wither Sword Art.

“No need to thank me. Since my master has taught you this sword technique, you’ll master it sooner or later with your talent,” Bai Shuying said, and she seemed to be in a better mood after venting her emotions.

“Senior Sister, what’s your real cultivation?” Lin Yun asked. He wanted to know how strong the golden generation geniuses were.

But Bai Shuying smiled and disappeared. When Lin Yun looked around, she was already on a rock a few hundred meters away. Before Lin Yun could speak, azure saint radiance shone on Bai Shuying.

“How dazzling!” Lin Yun squinted his pupils, but he didn’t have much shock on his face, as though he had already expected this scene. It turned out that Bai Shuying was a Quasi-Saint at the Azure Origin Phase.

“Ye Qingtian, don’t go to the Celestial Pool anymore in the future. The Solar Lunar Divine Rune isn’t there,” Bai Shuying said as she looked at Lin Yun. “I know you’re not a lecher like what others said, and you don’t have to feel guilty towards me because I was never bothered by it.”

When Bai Shuying finished, she flew away like a fairy.

“Senior Sister, your erhu.” Lin Yun quickly took out the erhu, but Bai Shuying already left before he could return it.

“You can keep it. You’re more suitable for it than me,” Bai Shuying smiled, and she left.

Lin Yun merely stood there, feeling lost. He couldn’t help feeling guilty in front of Bai Shuying for some reason. She said that she was never bothered with her status as the Nether Orchid Holy Maiden, and she didn’t want to be a holy maiden, but she was a holy maiden in Lin Yun’s eyes. She was like a hibiscus that came out of the water.

Three days later, Wang Yue told Lin Yun that Bai Shuying had left the Heavenly Dao Sect.