Chapter 387: Insult Him, and You're Dead!
After Dean Yu left, Lian Xi showed no intention of heading back to the Primordial Academy. She softly said, looking down, "Let's make a trip to the Sky Source Ruins."
"Sky Source Ruins?" Yun Xiao paused before asking, "You want to bring her remains back?"
"Yes," Lian Xi replied with a somber tone. "Sister Qingwei helped me a lot when I was young, but I..."
"You've got nothing to blame yourself for. The ones who deserve to die are others," Yun Xiao comforted.
Yuan Xianjun's strike had laid bare the greed and selfishness of those people, something even Yun Xiao hadn't anticipated, let alone Lian Xi. And now, the tragic end of Yuan Xianjun and his group seemed like just desserts.
"Hey, are you a Sword Cultivator?" Lian Xi inquired.
"Yes." Yun Xiao nodded.
"Can you carry me on your Sovereign Sword?" Lian Xi asked softly.
With a nod, Yun Xiao's fingertips sparked, and the Heaven Burial Sword Soul transformed into a six-foot-long Sovereign Sword, hovering at knee height. He leaped onto it and then reached out to Lian Xi, "Come here."
"Um..." As Lian Xi took a couple of steps forward, Yun Xiao swiftly grabbed her slender waist and lifted her onto the Sovereign Sword, his movements clearly practiced.
"Have many people ridden your sword?" Lian Xi, leaning against him, essentially nestled in his arms, whispered.
Yun Xiao thought of Zhao Xuanran and the War Princess, then replied solemnly, "My sword is usually for slaying."
No sooner had he spoken than he accelerated suddenly. With a flash of azure light, they shot off.
VROOOM! The wind whipped their long hair and robes. Lian Xi smelled wonderful! It was a scent identical to Chen Xi's, and as Yun Xiao held her waist, guiding the Sovereign Sword, he couldn't tell the two girls apart unless she spoke. At most, she was just a year younger.
"This way." Lian Xi directed, and Yun Xiao followed.
They rode the Sovereign Sword across the bustling streets of the Primordial Ruins, weaving through dense, golden-silver celestial mists. Like a pair of celestial beings perfectly matched, they were a sight to behold.
"Is someone protecting you?" Yun Xiao whispered in her ear.
Lian Xi slightly recoiled, her ears turning red as she softly responded, "Yes, there's always someone watching over me."
"Does that mean the Primordial Ruins are dangerous?" Yun Xiao asked.
"In the battle of Immortals, it's all about resources and gains, with Flying Swords and Life Sigils flying all over the place. It's normal for folks to harbor bad intentions," Lian Xi murmured.
"True... Expecting kindness from others is the cruelest thing you can do to yourself," Yun Xiao replied.
"Brother..." Lian Xi turned, her worried gaze meeting the side of his face, "My master says it's too dangerous around me."
"Shush." Yun Xiao reached out, pinching her cheek, turning her pout into a pink circle, and chuckled, "With me here, it's the whole Primordial Ruins that's in danger because I'm the devil of slaying."
That was the most outrageous boast Lian Xi had ever heard. She couldn't help but nod, a mix of laughter and tears, and conceded, "Alright then."
Yun Xiao continued to steer the Sovereign Sword, purposely steering the conversation elsewhere, "Lil Xi, how much do you know about me?"
"Everything from my dreams," Lian Xi said, her voice tinged with nervousness, "You remember everything from the dreams too, right?"
Yun Xiao hadn't had any such frivolous dreams! He coughed, smiling, "Prepare yourself; I'm even more ruthless than in your dreams."
"Trying to scare me, huh!" Lian Xi scoffed.
She had a rough idea of Yun Xiao's cultivation level. In her dreams, Yun Xiao had many marvelous aspects, but strength wasn't one of them. Her closeness to Yun Xiao had nothing to do with this.
It felt like fate. Yun Xiao was someone who made her feel incredibly at ease. On this Sovereign Sword ride, she pondered a lot. As they neared the Sky Source Ruins, she suddenly said, "No matter what, I'll protect you."
Yun Xiao wanted to reassure her that he wasn't just a freeloader But he ended up just smiling softly, saying, "That's nice."
He remembered in the Heavenly Realm, Chen Xi also wanted to take everything upon herself to give him peace.
And now, Lian Xi seemed to harbor the same thoughts deep down. Perhaps, it was fate! He relished the warmth this fate brought. Everything else, they'd leave to time.
The Sky Source Ruins were vast, a sprawling expanse where the Great Yuan Residence was just a tiny plot of land. As Yun Xiao and Lian Xi descended on the Sovereign Sword, the entrance buzzed with the gaze of many an immortal strong enough to bend the heavens.
"Is that Lady Lian Xi?" someone emerged from the crowd, the very same Celestial Official Qin who'd proclaimed the celestial decree previously. Yun Xiao had seen this fellow before, leading souls in ascension exercises beside the celestial temple.
"We're here for Zhang Qingwei's remains," Lian Xi stated, her demeanor icy, almost forbidding, a stark contrast to her usual lively charm. It was her shield, Yun Xiao knew, against the world that knew not of her humble beginnings.
"Her remains? I can't be sure they're still... around. But I'll guide Lady Lian Xi inside to search," Celestial Official Qin offered with a bow and a smile, ignoring Yun Xiao completely. To him, the worth of a person was clear at a glance.
They proceeded solemnly, the crowd parting for Lian Xi with bowed heads and hushed whispers. Yun Xiao's gaze drifted to a group mourning in despair.
"What's happened to them?" Lian Xi inquired.
"The Sky Source Seven of the Yuan Family have committed grave sins, now known throughout the Primordial Ruins. The Sky Source Immortal decreed their demotion... They're finished," Celestial Official Qin declared coldly.
A glance passed between Lian Xi and Yun Xiao. This was karma.
Celestial Official Qin caught the exchange, filing it away as they stepped into the golden hall.
"Where are Zhang Qingwei's remains?" he asked a guard in black armor.
"No clue," came the terse reply.
"Search the area," Celestial Official Qin ordered, then turned to Lian Xi, "The Yuan Family's fall was sudden, causing chaos here. Please, bear with us."
"We must find her," Lian Xi pressed.
"Yes!"
But when the guard returned empty-handed, Yun Xiao spoke up, "Summon Yuan Wu and Yuan Fu. They likely had a hand in this."
Lady Lian Xi's patience was thin as rice paper, her voice a frosty command that cut through the air. "Hurry!"
Celestial Official Qin, catching the urgency, barked orders at a black-armored lad, who scurried off with a squad of Primordial Guards in tow. Before long, they dragged in two young men, one with golden eyes, Yuan Wu, and the other with silver, Yuan Fu, their father Yuan Zhantian trailing with a bowed head.
Yuan Zhantian's greeting to Lian Xi was cut short by the gravity of their disgrace; their noble house had fallen, and so too must their pride.
"Kneel!" The guard, following Celestial Official Qin's silent cue, forced the brothers to the ground. Their ties to Zhang Qingwei, and by extension to Lian Xi, were well known.
"Where's her body?" Yun Xiao's gaze was icy as he addressed Yuan Wu, stirring a storm within the latter. The downfall of their grand plans, the slaughter of the Yuan eldersall fingers pointed to Yun Xiao's meddling.
"I should've ended you in the Nine Hells!" Yuan Wu spat, venom in his voice. His life had spiraled, from nobility to the gutter, a fate worse than death.
A sharp slap from Yuan Zhantian cut through the tension, his realization of the truth swelling his son's face. "Where is Zhang Qingwei?" he demanded.
"Hoh? Got yourself another lady to hide behind? I see you waste no time in making use of your looks. But what use are you besides that?" Yuan Wu sneered. His fall from grace was too great. It was no different from death!
"SHUT UP!" Yuan Zhantian, red with rage, silenced his son with another slap, desperate for an answer. "Enough nonsense! Just tell them where Zhang Qingwei's body is!"
But Yuan Wu turned to Lian Xi, his voice dripping with disdain, "You're a revered goddess in the eyes many in the Primordial Ruins, a celestial fairy sought after by countless young men. Yet, who knew your tastes would be so base, to lust after a piece of shit found in a lower world?"
The audacity of the insult left even Celestial Official Qin reeling.
"H-Have you gone mad?" Yuan Zhantian's attempt to muzzle his son came too late.
Lian Xi's fury was ignited. "Insult me all you want, but dare to slander him, and you're dead."
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