As the Lord of the Wuwei Tower Immortal Sect, Zhuo Lanqing had been racking her brains lately over how to expand her sect’s territory.
In theory, expansion was simple: find a patch of land and fuse it with one’s sect using immortal techniques. After all, the Heavenly Realm was littered with abandoned sect ruins—any one would do, and with enough speed, it could be completed in half a day.
But imagination and reality were two things. If it was one’s own sect, one couldn’t just grab the first ruin one saw. In choosing new land, one had to consider feng shui, compatibility, the density of immortal aura—countless factors to weigh. It was no easy task.
What made it worse was that the Heavenly Realm’s immortal aura had fully restored; all living immortals had awakened, breathing new life into the realm. The better ruins were already claimed as personal dojos by other immortals, shrinking Zhuo Lanqing’s options further.
Was she truly forced to settle for any old site to merge with Wuwei Tower? She couldn’t bring herself to compromise! Again she scratched her head in desperation.
Just then a communication stone rang. It was Shangguan Jiujiu.
“Lanqing, hurry over! I’ve discovered a sect ruin about three thousand li east of Wuwei Tower. It looks perfect—let’s claim it!”
Zhuo Lanqing’s eyes lit up. Everyone knew Shangguan Jiujiu favored Ye Yu—and Zhuo Lanqing did too—so they shared the same taste. If Jiujiu said it was good, it must be. Without hesitation, Zhuo Lanqing shot eastward at top speed.
Soon they reunited and began scrutinizing the ruin beneath them. Though a {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} bit dilapidated, its immortal aura was rich, several formations still functioned, and, most importantly, the terrain matched Wuwei Tower’s periphery perfectly. The merge would be effortless. A bright turn of fortune!
Zhuo Lanqing and Shangguan Jiujiu agreed at once to claim it—but before they could act, a robed immortal in blue barred their path.
“What are you doing here?” he demanded.
Zhuo Lanqing and Shangguan Jiujiu exchanged puzzled glances. “We are immortals of Wuwei Tower, here to claim this ruin to expand our sect. Who are you, fellow immortal?”
“I, Ma Lin of the Niepan Tower, have business here. This ruin belongs to the Luo Yue Sect—it was founded by our senior elder and divine partner, Zhai Yibing. Though now in ruins, our elder often comes to reminisce. You two will not take it—best be on your way!”
The blue-robed immortal sneered. Niepan Tower in the central Heavenly Realm was a first-rate sect; Wuwei Tower? He’d never heard of it. They should be grateful he even explained, let alone showed them respect.
Zhuo Lanqing frowned. If it truly belonged to someone else’s sect, she would have left—but before she could bow and depart, Shangguan Jiujiu stepped forward.
“What nonsense are you spouting? This is clearly the Nine Heavens Institute—when did it become Luo Yue Sect? Have you mistaken the place? Or are you just looking for an excuse to seize it?”
Ma Lin’s smug expression froze. In truth, Luo Yue Sect and that elder Zhai Yibing were pure fabrications. His real goal was to trick Zhuo Lanqing and Shangguan Jiujiu into leaving so he could keep the site for himself.
Half a month ago, he and his master had slain a “treasure-bearer” from the Three Corpses Hall and buried the corpse beneath this ruin. Treasure-bearers transported seized goods back to the Three Corpses Hall’s headquarters. Fearing the storage ring might reveal its location, they waited two weeks: if the body remained undisturbed, the ring was safe to raid later. Now, with two weeks up, he hadn’t expected these two fairies to show up.
Realizing his lie was exposed, Ma Lin snapped, “I don’t care what you call it—you’ll not take this ruin. Leave it be, or don’t blame me when I get rough. In the Heavenly Realm, immortals fall all the time!”
At his threat, Shangguan Jiujiu’s phoenix-shaped birthmark flared brilliantly on the back of her neck. Having once in her dreams reached Peak Immortal King, she was the one to threaten others, yet none had dared threaten her. Though now only at Peak Earth Immortal, she was in no way intimidated by this Celestial Immortal.
If he wanted to fight, they’d see who fell first!
At that moment, a cold voice rang out. “Jiujiu, what’s happening here?”
High above, Jiang Yumo appeared in midair! Zhuo Lanqing had called in every capable sister to scout expansion sites—including Jiang Yumo, a bona fide Peak Immortal King. Curious to see the situation firsthand, she’d arrived.
Her aura flared fully, and in an instant Ma Lin collapsed onto his auspicious cloud, gasping for breath beneath the weight of her presence.
