Chapter 61 Seeking the Saintess

Xuandan Sect, Joyful Peak.

Ever since the Joyful Sect merged into the Xuandan Sect and established the Joyful Peak, Li Ergou visited Joyful Peak almost every single day.

"Ruyan, Master is giving a lecture today. Let's sit together."

Li Ergou looked at Ruyan with a gentle smile.

Hearing about the lecture, Ruyan's expression turned complicated, and her delicate willow-leaf brows knitted slightly.

"Brother Ergou,"

Ruyan looked at Li Ergou, "I have told you many times, there is only a sibling affection between us. It is impossible for us to be together."

"I... I know."

A bitter smile appeared on Li Ergou's face. Ruyan had told him this repeatedly during this period, but he simply could not let go. Changing the subject, he said, "Ruyan, I heard your parents haven't been feeling well lately. As your brother, I happened to bring a few Blood-Clearing Pills. Take them for your parents."

"No need, Brother Ergou."

Ruyan shook her head. "My parents aren't sick; they are cursed. Pills are completely ineffective for them. You shouldn't waste them; keep them for yourself."

"You come to Joyful Peak every day, yet your cultivation has not improved at all. If the Sect Master finds out, he will surely blame you."

"I..."

Disappointment filled Li Ergou's eyes.

"The Sect Master is here!"

Suddenly, a voice rang out. Li Ergou looked up and saw a handsome, elegant man in fluttering white robes approaching.

It was none other than Chen Xuan.

"Sect Master, the disciples from Dan Peak and Joyful Peak are all here—a full twelve hundred of them." Liyangzi hurried forward to greet him.

Chen Xuan nodded.

Ever since Joyful Peak was incorporated into the Xuandan Sect, Liyangzi had made a more precise classification of the disciples.

They were now divided into Dan Peak, Joyful Peak, and the Main Peak.

Dan Peak primarily focused on alchemy, with Liyangzi serving as the peak master.

Joyful Peak consisted of the disciples from the Joyful Sect, led by Peak Master Yaomei.

As for the Main Peak, it was the active hub for all core disciples of the Xuandan Sect. There were only a few disciples stationed there: Chu Lingrun, Hongluan, Luo Hao, Li Ergou, and Yun Yao.

Aside from Li Ergou, every single one of them was a Child of Destiny.

Chen Xuan glanced over the assembled disciples. By now, the scale of the Xuandan Sect was immense, and the average cultivation level of the disciples had already reached the standard of a first-tier sect.

Yet, Chen Xuan's brow furrowed.

"Even if the disciples' cultivation levels aren't exceptionally high, their fortune shouldn't be predominantly white."

An ordinary person's fortune was green, meaning they would neither encounter any major wondrous encounters nor suffer any catastrophic misfortunes in their lifetime.

However, white fortune was the lowest of all, representing a lifetime plagued by endless bad luck.

Li Ergou was a prime example.

Later on, when Chen Xuan met Ruyan and, subsequently, Yaomei, their fortunes had also turned white.

By now, more than half of the disciples across the entire Xuandan Sect possessed white fortune.

And according to Liyangzi, the ones suffering from inner demons during their cultivation were precisely these disciples with white fortune.

"Why?"

Deeply puzzled, Chen Xuan used his Eyes of Fortune to inspect Liyangzi.

Name: Liyangzi
Cultivation: Early Nascent Soul Stage
Fortune Value: Green
Spiritual Roots: Superior Spiritual Roots
Comprehension: Upper-Middle
Filial Piety Value: 100
Summary: Has attained the peak achievement of an ordinary mortal.

"Green?"

Chen Xuan remembered that Liyangzi's fortune used to be blue, but now it had dropped to green.

His expression turned solemn.

The fortune of these disciples in the Xuandan Sect wasn't white from the very beginning; it had degraded to white due to some underlying reason.

Their inner demons could no longer be resolved simply by him giving a lecture.

"Roar~"

Suddenly, a tiger's roar echoed through the entire Xuandan Sect, and all the disciples looked toward the outer gates in bewilderment.

That was the cry of Baimaomao, the sect-protecting sacred beast.

Has something happened?

At the gates of the Xuandan Sect:

"This is the Xuandan Sect! Outer sect cultivators are not allowed to enter! Take one more step forward, and Lord Tiger will devour you!" Baimaomao roared fiercely at a few cultivators standing outside the gates.

"To think it's a Void-Splitting Realm white tiger. This Xuandan Sect is somewhat interesting."

"Ye Ji, are you certain this is the place?"

The corners of Ye Jiang's mouth curled upward. He had originally expected the Xuandan Sect to be some third-rate sect, but he hadn't expected them to possess a Void-Splitting Realm sacred beast as a guardian. It seemed this sect wasn't entirely worthless.

Even so, this only piqued his interest further.

"This is indeed the Xuandan Sect. The Holy Maiden is a disciple here."

Ever since Ye Kaishan learned of Chu Lingrun's innate talent, he had immediately appointed Chu Lingrun—who hadn't even officially entered the family yet—as the Holy Maiden of the Ye family.

Such an honor had never occurred since the founding of the Ye family.

This showed just how much importance Ye Kaishan attached to Chu Lingrun.

"Hmph,"

Ye Jiang sneered as he looked at the white tiger before him. "Mere Void-Splitting Realm, yet you dare to block me, a cultivator of the Dao-Enlightenment Realm?"

"What? Dao-Enlightenment Realm?!"

Baimaomao, which had just been attempting to intimidate the intruder with its imposing aura, felt its heart skip a beat. Why was it so unlucky? It had just been beaten up by Chen Xuan, who was also in the Dao-Enlightenment Realm, and now it ran into another one.

If the opponent is one realm lower, you fight.
If the opponent is at the same realm, you run.
If the opponent is one realm higher, you run fast!

Baimaomao immediately turned tail and bolted.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Before it had taken more than a few steps, a familiar voice drifted over, startling Baimaomao out of its wits.

"Sect... Sect Master!"

Catching sight of Chen Xuan's figure, Baimaomao stammered nervously and quickly explained, "Some people are trying to invade the Xuandan Sect, and I was just on my way to report it to you."

"Report it to me?"

Chen Xuan sneered. "The direction you were running seemed to lead straight to the medicinal garden."

"I..."

Baimaomao felt extremely awkward. It had indeed planned to take advantage of the chaos to sneak into the medicinal garden, steal a few spiritual herbs, and make its escape, never expecting Chen Xuan to arrive so swiftly.

"I'll settle accounts with you later."

"Fellow cultivator, what brings you to my Xuandan Sect?" Chen Xuan asked indifferently, looking at Ye Jiang outside the gate. Ye Jiang looked very young, clad in crimson treasured armor and wielding a silver-fanged long spear—all of which were Saint-grade treasures.

Truly living up to the reputation of an ancient clan on par with the Sacred Lands.

"I am Ye Jiang of the ancient Ye family, here to welcome the Ye family's Holy Maiden," Ye Jiang announced, his slightly upturned brows revealing his unbridled arrogance.

"What is an ancient clan? Sounds terrifyingly powerful."

"I read about them in an ancient text. An ancient clan is a massive power, equal in strength to the Sacred Lands. Rumors say they even possess mighty figures at the Feathering Realm."

"What? On par with the Sacred Lands? To think they are this powerful!"

"They came looking for their Holy Maiden? I never imagined even a Holy Maiden from an ancient clan would join our Xuandan Sect."

"Who is their Holy Maiden?"

Chu Lingrun?

Chen Xuan recalled that Chu Lingrun had previously been an illegitimate daughter of the Ye family.

She could be considered a member of the Ye family.

It seemed Chu Lingrun's aptitude was so astonishing that even the ancient Ye family wished to recruit her.

Originally, Chen Xuan had anticipated that after Chu Lingrun killed Ye Fan, the Ye family would seek vengeance against both Chu Lingrun and himself.

He hadn't expected them to come to recruit her instead.

That worked out well, too. With his current strength, though he didn't fear the Ye family, that was largely due to the sect-guarding grand array. If he were to leave the Xuandan Sect, he would still be in danger.

"So you've come for Lingrun,"

Chen Xuan said with a faint smile, "As long as Lingrun is willing to go with you, I have no objections."

"Lingrun, do you accept?"