Chapter 50: The Wedding

"No, Master, you are not going to die."

Yun Yao's eyes were damp with tears. "I will definitely find a way to get the Holy Qingling Fruit."

Abandoned since childhood, she had been rescued by Jian Batian, who taught her the way of the sword and raised her to become the Saintess of the Immortal Sword Sect.

She had long since regarded Jian Batian as her own biological father.

"The Holy Qingling Fruit, I have it!"

Suddenly, a voice echoed through the hall.

"Who is it?"

Jian Batian's gaze sharpened instantly as he spotted a rather handsome young man walking in from outside the hall.

The youth was dressed in brocade robes, layered with a defensive magical artifact of unknown grade underneath, gleaming brilliantly from head to toe.

His background was clearly extraordinary.

"It's you!"

Yun Yao recognized the intruder immediately. It was Ye Fan, the young master of the Ye family, who had been pestering her for several years despite her countless rejections.

She loathed Ye Fan deeply.

This was because she was somewhat aware of certain matters concerning Ye Xueyan.

Ye Xueyan had also been abandoned in her youth and raised by the master of the Profound Dan Sect, yet she proved ungrateful and unfilial, condoning the actions of the Ye family and ultimately causing the decline of the Profound Dan Sect.

Therefore, no matter how hard Ye Fan tried to curry favor with her, she looked down upon the entire Ye family.

"Yun Yao, long time no see. You've grown even more stunning." Ye Fan looked at Yun Yao with a smile. Dressed in a white gown with a purple-cyan treasured sword tucked at her waist, her spirited and heroic bearing drove him wild with yearning.

"What are you doing here? I heard the Ye family is wanted by the Profound Dan Sect. Aren't you afraid I'll report your whereabouts to them?"

Yun Yao said with disgust.

"Yun Yao, I am not who I used to be. What is the Profound Dan Sect anyway?"

Ye Fan grinned, pointing at the treasures on his body as he declared, "Look at this? This is a Saint Artifact. Wiping out the Profound Dan Sect is nothing more than a thought to me."

"A Saint Artifact?!"

Both Yun Yao and Jian Batian were dumbfounded.

They had naturally heard of the legendary Saint Artifacts—treasures so rare in this world. How could Ye Fan possibly possess one?

"How do you have a Saint Artifact?"

"My Ye family is a branch of the ancient Ye clan. Now that I have returned to my ancestors and acknowledged my lineage, I am a member of the ancient Ye clan. What is a mere Saint Artifact compared to that?" Ye Fan said triumphantly.

"What is an ancient clan?"

Yun Yao was perplexed, having never heard of such a thing.

"Ancient clans are on par with the Sacred Lands,"

Jian Batian explained, "Their strengths are evenly matched, but the difference is that Sacred Lands recruit disciples from the outside world, whereas ancient clans are much more self-contained, with their disciples consisting entirely of their own bloodline."

"I never expected Ye Fan to belong to an ancient clan."

Jian Batian was thoroughly astonished.

"Even if you are from an ancient clan, I, Yun Yao, still despise you!" Yun Yao's gaze remained filled with loathing.

"You!"

Anger flared in Ye Fan's heart, but he quickly reined in his emotions. "Yun Yao, I just heard that Sect Master Jian was ambushed by the demons and needs the Holy Qingling Fruit to heal."

"Although I don't know what the Holy Qingling Fruit is, with the influence of my ancient Ye clan, finding something like that is child's play."

Ye Fan smiled. "As long as you agree to become my cultivation partner, I will mobilize the power of the ancient Ye clan to find the Holy Qingling Fruit for you."

"Help me find the Holy Qingling Fruit?"

Yun Yao's expression grew complex.

"Yun Yao,"

Jian Batian patted Yun Yao's shoulder. "Master's lifespan is nearly exhausted; even with the Holy Qingling Fruit, I won't live much longer. You don't like him, so you don't need to bind yourself to him as a cultivation partner for my sake."

"Yun Yao, Sect Master Jian raised you with kindness. Surely you don't want to just watch him die?" Ye Fan quickly chimed in.

"Master,"

Yun Yao's eyes welled up. It was precisely because she was filial that she detested the Ye family, which made it all the more impossible for her to stand by and watch Jian Batian die.

"I will not agree to your terms." Yun Yao looked straight at Ye Fan.

"Yun Yao, you—"

Ye Fan grew anxious, but Yun Yao continued:

"However, I will proclaim to the entire world that whoever can provide me with the Holy Qingling Fruit shall win my hand in marriage."

"Ha-ha, wonderful! Yun Yao, I knew you weren't an ungrateful person." Ye Fan laughed aloud, stepping forward to wrap his arm around Yun Yao's waist.

In his eyes, Yun Yao was already his woman; besides him, no one else could possibly procure the Holy Qingling Fruit for her.

"Young Master Ye, please show some self-respect."

Ducking away from Ye Fan, Yun Yao said coldly, "You haven't found the Holy Qingling Fruit yet."

"Yes, yes, yes. I'll go get the Holy Qingling Fruit right now."

Ye Fan chuckled inwardly, thinking to himself: *Let you act arrogant for now. Once I bring back the Holy Qingling Fruit, let's see how you kneel and beg before me.*

The Immortal Sword Sect was located at the northernmost edge of the Great Xia Nation.

When Chu Lingyun arrived, half a month had already passed.

"Let's first inquire about where the entrance to the Immortal Sword Sect is." Chu Lingyun casually stepped into a shop to ask for directions.

The shop was quite bustling.

Many ceremonial wedding supplies were laid out on the ground, as if someone was preparing to get married.

"The wedding of Fairy Yun Yao is approaching, so be careful when moving these items." An Immortal Sword Sect disciple instructed.

"Fairy Yun Yao?"

Chu Lingyun paused, remembering that the Saintess of the Immortal Sword Sect was indeed named Yun Yao.

"Fellow Daoist, is the Fairy Yun Yao you speak of the Saintess of the Immortal Sword Sect?" Chu Lingyun stepped forward to inquire.

The male disciple of the Immortal Sword Sect had initially felt somewhat impatient, but upon turning his head, he discovered a breathtakingly delicate and graceful junior sister questioning him.

"That's right, Junior Sister."

The male disciple squeezed out his most radiant smile. "Half a month ago, our Saintess proclaimed to the entire realm that whoever could produce the Holy Qingling Fruit would become her cultivation partner."

"The Holy Qingling Fruit?"

Chu Lingyun's eyes lit up. She happened to have a quest related to the Holy Qingling Fruit, so she immediately asked, "Has someone produced the Holy Qingling Fruit?"

"Indeed, otherwise the Saintess wouldn't be marrying him."

"Who is that person? Is his cultivation base high?"

Chu Lingyun calculated that if the person's cultivation was too high, it might be difficult for her to snatch the Holy Qingling Fruit.

"His name seems to be Ye Fan."

The male disciple replied, "He's merely at the early Foundation Establishment stage. If not for his formidable background and his ability to procure the Holy Qingling Fruit, there's no way the Saintess would ever agree to marry him."

"You must know, our Saintess possesses a flawless Wood Spiritual Root."

"A flawless Wood Spiritual Root!"

Joy surged in Chu Lingyun's heart. She happened to have a quest to help her master recruit disciples, with the prerequisite being a flawless Wood Spiritual Root or higher.

If she could whisk Saintess Yun Yao back with her, the quest would be completed.

Kill Ye Fan, obtain the Holy Qingling Fruit, and secure a flawless Wood Spiritual Root.

"To be able to complete them all at once—this is simply too lucky." Chu Lingyun was overjoyed. She had expected it to take a long time to fulfill these requirements, yet they could all be accomplished simultaneously.

"Could it be that Master anticipated all of this long ago?"

Chu Lingyun thought to herself, *How could I possibly be this fortunate to stumble upon a flawless Wood Spiritual Root, the Holy Qingling Fruit, and Ye Fan all at once?*

Without a doubt, everything must have been prearranged by her master.

"Can you take me to attend the wedding?"