The Heavenly Beauty Summit was to be held in Wan Yun Mountain, home of the Wanxiang Pavilion.
Not too far, but not too close, either.
For ordinary people, the journey would take at least half a year.
But for cultivators, it was only a journey of three to five days.
Wan Yun Mountain lay in the central part of the continent, near the Tian Tu mountain range—a renowned dangerous region. Even powerful cultivators at the Great Purity Realm dared not venture into its core.
Yet, the well-funded Wanxiang Pavilion had claimed an entire mountain at the entrance of this perilous region as its base.
Secure and impressive.
At the foot of Wan Yun Mountain, there was a town called Xiang City, a bustling spot for merchants and a rest point for those heading to Wan Yun Mountain.
Chen Yin and Yu Xiang took their time enjoying the scenery along the way, leisurely wandering for seven or eight days before finally arriving in Xiang City.
With two or three days left before the festival began, they found an inn to stay at.
In the inn, Chen Yin requested two rooms. The innkeeper went upstairs cheerfully to prepare them, prompting a sigh from Chen Yin.
"Ah. That innkeeper truly lacks insight."
"Why?" Yu Xiang asked curiously.
"Seeing a man and a woman come to stay, getting two rooms, and not even sparing a thought for the situation?" Chen Yin lamented, "If he'd said they were full and only had one room left, then I could have justified sharing a bed with you."
Yu Xiang's face flushed as she pinched Chen Yin's arm. "Trying to take advantage of me again!"
"Naughty senior brother! Bad senior brother!"
Chen Yin, long accustomed to teasing, just chuckled and took it in stride.
"However..." Yu Xiang's tone shifted, tinged with shyness. "If senior brother really wants to sleep with Xiang'er…"
"... it's not entirely out of the question."
Chen Yin's eyes lit up. "Really?"
Giggle "Of course I'm just teasing you, senior brother!"
Yu Xiang laughed and dashed upstairs.
Chen Yin could only sigh helplessly.
Once they'd settled in, Xiang'er was eager to go out and explore the town. Just as Chen Yin was about to tag along, she blushed and declined.
"Actually, senior brother, Xiang'er… Xiang'er wants to go buy some private things for girls... it wouldn't be proper for you to tag along."
"Private things? You've only made me more curious!"
Chen Yin insisted, "What if someone sells you something fake or defective? Let your senior brother go along and inspect it first—"
"No way! Get out, senior brother!"
In the end, he was pushed out of the inn.
Standing outside, Chen Yin shrugged and strolled leisurely out of the city. The moment he was away, he dropped the relaxed act, put on his mask, and sped far away from Xiang City.
Once he'd reached the secluded woods at a safe distance, he finally stopped.
—If Xiang'er was deliberately avoiding him, there could only be one reason.
He took out the communication jade Yu Xiang had given him back at the demonic faction's branch.
Sure enough, after a moment, the stone glowed, and Xiang'er's calm voice came through:
"I've arrived in Xiang City."
"Then, may I wish the Saintess success in winning the title," he replied smoothly.
On the other end, Xiang'er sounded slightly surprised. "The headquarters is quite confident in me, I see."
"Haha, the Saintess is undoubtedly prepared. The headquarters merely awaits the good news," Chen Yin said evasively.
After a pause, Xiang'er replied, "Tell the elders of the headquarters that I'll proceed cautiously during this festival and will not reveal my identity."
"In return, they should refrain from contacting me during this time. My senior brother is close by, and approaching me recklessly may risk exposing my identity."
Chen Yin, eyes twinkling, asked:
"If this senior brother of yours is such a nuisance, why doesn't the headquarters simply remove this eyesore for you—"
Before he could finish, her voice came back urgently.
"Don't you dare!"
This was the first time Chen Yin had heard Xiang'er sound so panicked.
But after a moment, she seemed to realize her slip and quickly regained her cold tone.
"If anyone dares harm my senior brother, I'll go down fighting. I guarantee you'll all accompany him to the grave."
"Of course, Saintess, no need for anger—I was merely speaking offhand," Chen Yin replied in a low, raspy voice. "Since the Saintess has made her decision, we await her success."
"I'll contact you next time." With that, Xiang'er hung up coldly.
Staring at the transmission stone, Chen Yin couldn't help but chuckle softly.
—What an adorably foolish girl.
If she cherishes her senior brother so much, why push herself so hard?
Her directive to avoid contact was perfect for his plans.
How could they refrain from contact? He was hoping they'd approach her.
That way, he'd be able to trace any suspicious contacts back to the demonic faction members plotting against her.
Chen Yin's plan from the start had been to use the demonic faction's interest in Xiang'er to his advantage. Since the branch in Liuyun City was destroyed and the headquarters had lost a direct link to Xiang'er,
her presence at the festival would inevitably attract the demonic faction's attention.
Then, all he had to do was watch for anyone suspicious who tried to approach her to track down members of the demonic faction.
—This time, he'd see who dared to threaten Xiang'er.
<+>
Checking the time, Chen Yin figured Xiang'er would be back soon and began his leisurely stroll back to the city.
But as he was passing through the woods, his eyes narrowed. Moving quietly, he concealed himself among the trees.
He could hear faint arguing nearby.
Deep in the forest by a creek, several women clad in jade robes and holding weapons stood back-to-back, their wary eyes fixed on the figures before them.
All of them bore injuries, and their clothes were torn in several places.
In front of them stood a group of bandits in dark, sinister robes, leering at them with malicious grins.
"Do you… do you even know who you're messing with?" one of the women cried out, gritting her teeth, her voice fierce despite her fear. "We're disciples of the Tianluo Sect!"
"Do you think you'll get away with this after provoking our sect?"
"Get away? Pfft!" One of the bandits sneered, "If we were afraid of death, we wouldn't be in this line of work!"
"Stop trying to scare us, little girl," another bandit chuckled darkly. "We're rogue cultivators who live with our lives on the line. We're here specifically to ambush you young ladies headed for the Heavenly Beauty Summit."
"Bad luck running into us. Heh heh."
The malicious expressions and murderous aura of these rogue cultivators visibly shook the young disciples. They seemed to be hardened killers, carrying the lives of many cultivators on their hands.
The inexperienced women stood there, stunned.
"What do we do?" one of them whispered fearfully. "They're stronger than us—we can't fight them."
"Don't worry. Our senior sister will be here to save us soon," another disciple tried to reassure her with forced calm.
"When she arrives, none of them will escape!"
"Hah! Still waiting for backup?" One of the bandits laughed. "You think we're fools?"
"As long as we work quickly and get you tied up and out of here, the Tianluo Sect won't bother to pursue a few low-level disciples like you."
"Heh heh, boss, no more chit-chat. I can't wait to try out these fresh beauties!"
Just as the bandits moved closer, grinning wickedly, ready to strike, a faint sigh echoed through the forest.
"Sigh."
"Master really wasn't lying."
"So there really are rogue bandits out here."
In the next moment, the young women's eyes widened in shock.
A flash of white light sliced through the ground, carving a deep, perfectly straight trench that extended into darkness.
The bandits who had been standing there vanished, with no trace of their presence left—not even their aura.
"This… this is…" The disciples looked at each other, too stunned to speak.
Not far away, Chen Yin's figure gradually appeared, scratching his head sheepishly as he looked at the trench.
...He'd really tried to hold back.
But it seemed the power was still a bit too much.
These bandits were only in the early Chengmen realm.
Using a sword technique that could obliterate even peak Unrestricted stage elders on mere beginner-level cultivators felt like overkill.
After all, the six stages of cultivation—Qi Gathering, Cloud, Chengmen, Unrestricted, Upper Clarity, and Great Purity—were like vast chasms apart.
Using a sword powerful enough to slay an Unrestricted stage elder against a few early Chengmen cultivators was truly excessive.
But Chen Yin didn't have much choice. Among the three sword techniques he'd learned, this was the least powerful one.
This was as restrained as he could be.
At that moment, the young women seemed to notice him and asked cautiously:
"Excuse me… did you save us?"
"Oh, no," Chen Yin thought for a moment, deciding to keep things vague. "It was my master who helped.
"My master prefers to remain hidden, though, and has already left."
The disciples breathed a sigh of relief, patting their chests in relief. "Thank goodness."
"Thank you, and please thank your master for us."
"May we know which sect you belong to? Are you also attending the Heavenly Beauty Summit?"
Chen Yin bowed politely. "My name is Chen Yin, a disciple of the Misty Spirit Sect."
"A friend from the Misty Spirit Sect, then."
Relaxing, the disciples began to chat and laugh with him. "Thank goodness for you and your master today."
"Haha, don't mention it, lovely sisters!" Chen Yin said proudly, "With such beautiful, graceful ladies like yourselves, Heaven itself couldn't bear to let these vile men harm you."
"Even if my master wasn't around, I would've stepped in for you all, no matter the cost!"
As usual, Chen Yin's flattery brought delighted smiles to the disciples.
"Hehe, little brother, you're quite the smooth talker."
"Yes, look at this cute little brother. How about coming to our Tianluo Sect and cultivating alongside us?"
Chen Yin said sheepishly, "That… might not be appropriate. I already have a sect."
"Oh? Are you turning us down?"
"No, no, no! I just mean that we could start by getting to know each other better. Like finding a place to… thoroughly understand each other's… anatomy~"
"Oh my! You naughty thing! Acting all proper, yet having such impure thoughts."
"Sigh, what can I say? With such charming sisters, it's hard for a gentleman like me to resist~"
After some lighthearted banter, Chen Yin grew closer with the disciples, and they revealed that they, too, were heading for Xiang City.
"Our senior sister is already in the city, little brother—you're in for a treat!"
Chen Yin's smile froze.
"...Just to be safe, let me ask."
He swallowed and asked quietly, "Your senior sister… she wouldn't happen to be the famous Luo Shang Fairy, Luo Qiaoqiao, would she?"
"Of course!" the disciples replied with curiosity. "Why?"
The instant he heard the name, a chill ran down Chen Yin's spine, and cold sweat broke out.
"Ah, well, haha, I, um… just remembered I have some urgent business to attend to, so I'll just be off."
Under the disciples' puzzled gazes, Chen Yin laughed nervously and prepared to leave.
But in the next moment, a sweet, teasing voice, so alluring that it made his spine tingle, called out:
"Oh, we haven't seen each other in ages, and you're leaving so soon?"
"Why the rush?"
At that moment—
Chen Yin felt his heart skip a beat.
<+>
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