Chapter 287 - The Return (2) (2/2)

“Is she still lost, or is she remaining in hiding?” Xiao Chen began wondering, his eyes narrowing. “Could she be hiding in the bowels of Tianyuan City? But what for? Is she trying to mislead everyone into thinking that she is missing herself for some unknown designs? But this would mean she would have nothing to do with everything that has happened in Tianyuan City until now.”

His thoughts wandered to the night in the Forest of Illusory Moon, when Qin Xinyan had spoken privately to him after his help in defeating Wan Gufeng. Qin Xinyan had led him aside to divulge to him a secret about their previous excursion to the Wuwang Wind Cloud City.

When everyone was still trapped in the illusion during their incursion into the accursed desert city, Xiaoyue was the first to free herself from the hallucinations while Qin Xinyan was the second. He woke up in time to witness Xiaoyue’s intent to murder Xiao Chen. But being weaker than the leader of the Thousand Feathers Sect, he could only remain quiet and observe while pretending to be still asleep. Fortunately for Xiao Chen, Xu Gu woke up just seconds after and Xiaoyue was forced to abandon any intents to kill Xiao Chen.

Xiao Chen felt himself slick with cold sweat on his back as Qin Xinyan revealed to him Xiaoyue’s treachery. He could fully comprehend how close he was from Death when he was still trapped in the illusory domain at that time and Xiaoyue could have easily slain him with a lift of her finger. “To think that the witch even suggested an alliance,” he reflected bitterly.

“Who is this Xiaoyue actually, Master?” Qingluan asked suddenly, interrupting his thoughts when she saw him frowning to himself.

Xiao Chen recovered just as quickly and shook his head wearily. “All of you must be wary of her. She’s a cunning and devious figure, not one you should be trifling with.”

Wearing a smug and self-satisfied grin, Zhiluan marched over. Ziyun’er looked at it and cried, “Why are you here, you scaredy-cat!”

“My name is Zhiluan!” Zhiluan thundered at the top of its voice. But it quickly collected itself and spoke imperiously to Xiao Chen, “Humph! You would have long died in the snowy mountaintop if not for me, boy! You’d do best to remember this!”

“Oh? So this cat has its uses after all!” With her psychokinesis magic, she summoned the cat up into her arms, giggling cheerfully.

“Meow! Let go! Let go of me!”

Xiao Chen looked in the direction of Tianyuan City. “Let’s go back,” he said, “But quietly. It’s best to keep low for now.”

Xiao Chen got himself informed of the happenings in Tianyuan City since his disappearance. Most of the conjurers from the rest of the other sects and schools had entered the Violet Illusory Land to train where one could enjoy improvements never before experienced outside. Thanks to this boon, Zuoqiu Yang and Ling Fei, among many others were now mere paces away from reaching Nascent Soul Realm.

That would also mean that those formerly weaker than him were now beyond him in powers and magic. Xiao Chen could not help but feel tense and uneasy by this; not only he had lost millennia of time, but he had also lost another two months and was getting left behind.

Finally, Ziyun’er had another news: a Clan of Mo had emerged from nowhere, claiming to be one of the six most ancient houses. They had appeared almost a couple of weeks after Xiao Chen’s disappearance while making no attempts to conceal their intention to challenge Xiao Chen to a duel.

“Could it be Mo Yu?” Xiao Chen wondered instinctively, thinking of the traitor whom he last encountered during his time at the Three Pure Sect. “Could it really be him?” He took a deep, melancholic breath and exhaled wearily. “The enemies just keep coming out of the woodwork and each of them is stronger than the last.”

“First, the Clans of Ling and Zuoqiu, then a heretofore-unknown school of conjurers who call themselves the Fallen Immortals Sect. Notwithstanding a Xiaoyue whose loyalties still wavers like a grass stalk in the wind. Worst, my final nemesis is still waiting—Qianyu Nishang! She who had betrayed me thousands of years ago, could already be an Immortal King of the Heavens now!”

Xiao Chen rubbed his fingers, swallowing hard before damping his lips with saliva. “The enemies will only keep on growing and I cannot suffer any more delays! POWER! POWER! That is just what I need and I need to climb as quickly as possible!”

An hour later, they reached Tianyuan City. To prevent from being noticed, Xiao Chen sent Qingluan and her sisters ahead to the Daoist League of the Five Continents to inform Zi Mo.

On the way, Xiao Chen had expressly warned Zhiluan to be careful; the perils that lurked in Tianyuan City were no lesser than the Burg of the Feral Phoenix they had just returned from and it was only prudent that Zhiluan should keep itself quiet to prevent from being abducted.

The Immortal Lingzhi was hardly pleased to hear this, but it understood fully how perilous a force that greed could be. Hence it snuck quietly in Ziyun’er’s arms, pretending to be a docile cat lest it would end up on some apothecary’s chopping board.

Xiao Chen kept himself masked all the way. Even at the steps leading up the Jade Terrace Mountain, where the citadel of the Daoist League roosted up high, he allowed Qingluan and Ziyun’er to deal with the sentries who promptly waved them through without much trouble. From there, Xiao Chen went straight to Zi Mo’s lodgings. The senior of the Jade Qing Sect was the only one he trusted the most.

“Damned boy! I was so worried that you could be dead! You’d almost cost me more than a hundred thousands of Spirit Stones!”

Zi Mo blurted when he first saw an alive Xiao Chen, although he said again, “Well, you’re back. And that’s all to it. Xian’er has been crying every day about her Big Brother Xiao Chen that I had to hide from her. The poor girl blames me for your disappearance…”

The news brought a sour knot to his stomach. It was he who had brought Xian’er from the Emerald Valley of the Three Pure Sect. But he had caused much pain and agony to her in his failure as a brother.

“All right, all right,” Zi Mo remarked suddenly, “I’ll have enough of that grouchy look of yours at least for today. I’ve sent someone to fetch her. First, tell me about your adventures in these two months. What held you from coming back sooner?”

With a heavy sigh to begin his tale, Xiao Chen embarked on a recount of his encounters in the past two months: his mysterious and mind-boggling disappearance during the tournament and his reappearance at the Thousand Summits Mountain, him being pursued by the assassins, and most importantly, the situation at the Burg of the Feral Phoenix and the infernal aura at the gorge.

Zi Mo’s face curdled into a solemn grimace. “D*mn, so it is true… Something is wrong at the Pond of Gods and Devils…”