Gentlemen, it's time to enter the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls.

Chapter 427 Revisiting the Ruins
The White Whale ship from Tianxin Island once again set sail for Guixu.

This time, there was an extra guest on the Beluga.

Chen Guang was dressed in a cool white robe, his eyes lowered.

The cultivators from Tianxin Island on the ship couldn't help but cast curious glances at her.

This person is like an exquisite and perfect phantom.

From any angle, her appearance was no different from that of an ordinary person, even somewhat unrealistically beautiful. But if one tried to sense her with divine sense, one could only perceive emptiness.

She was clearly standing there, breathing steadily, her heart beating strongly, yet to everyone else, she seemed not to exist. Because her breathing and heartbeat were merely illusions.

The City God is not human; the deity only conjured this appearance and details to make himself look like a human.

Having lived overseas for a long time, Tianxin Island's disciples knew little about the Huangquan Sect. Most of them had only heard rumors and had never actually met any of the sect's cultivators.

The woman named Chenguang became the first impression many cultivators of Tianxin Island had of the Huangquan Sect.

Mysterious, aloof, powerful, and... a captivating sense of detachment.

The rules of Tianxin Island are not strict; in fact, they can be described as quite open. The sect has never prohibited romantic relationships between its disciples. On the contrary, it encourages cultivators to follow their hearts and enjoy life to the fullest, as long as they do not forget that their goal in this life is the path to immortality.

As a result, many cultivators on Tianxin Island began to have their own ideas.

Of course, now is not the time. The Ruins of Return have undergone an upheaval, and the Demonic Sect has produced a powerful Dao-Merging expert; a storm is brewing over the world. This person is an elder representing the Yellow Springs Sect to discuss serious matters; for him to harbor improper thoughts at this time would be somewhat inappropriate.

However, not everyone is afraid. Some people feel that life is too short to miss out on opportunities.

The White Whale Ship was still diving downwards, and there was still some time before it reached the Ruins of Return. A daring cultivator from Tianxin Island walked up to Chenguang.

As this person took a step, the other cultivators from Tianxin Island watched with expressions of amusement.

Simply because she was also a graceful and beautiful woman.

The newcomer was named Fu Lian, one of the five Nascent Soul elders accompanying the group. Not only was her cultivation profound, but she was also strikingly beautiful.

What's even more remarkable is that she perfectly blends the bloodlines of merfolk and humans, possessing both the merfolk's innate affinity for water and the flaws of incomplete transformation, making every move she makes exude natural charm.

But Fu Lian wasn't jealous or trying to outdo Chen Guang; she was just like the other cultivators on Tianxin Island, wanting to "get closer" to Chen Guang.

This is what makes this woman unique; like other men, she also loves beautiful women.

Many women on Tianxin Island were captivated by Fu Lian, and many male disciples on Tianxin Island hated her to the core, but were helpless to do anything about it.

You've already lost to a woman, what else is there to say? You can only shut yourself in and laugh at yourself, swallowing this humiliation.

Fu Lian was absolutely confident in her charm. Now, seeing Chen Guang, such a cool and unique presence, she could no longer suppress her competitive spirit and curiosity.

"This young lady is so beautiful that she could shame the moon and flowers; she is truly the envy of everyone."

Fu Lian stopped beside Chen Guang, her voice clear and melodious, carrying a perfectly appropriate hint of intimacy. This was a tried-and-true method; women were always wary of frivolous men, but they would mostly lower their guard around a beautiful girl.

However, the morning light did not...
Chenguang did not turn his head, but only uttered a very soft syllable from his throat.

"Ah."

Fu Lian's smile faltered slightly.

She had anticipated the other person's indifference, but she hadn't expected such complete disregard. However, it was precisely this kind of indifference that made the challenge all the more interesting.

She didn't seem to care and continued to actively seek out topics to talk about.

"I was a bit presumptuous, Sister Chenguang. My name is Fu Lian. We Tianxin Island have lived overseas for a long time and rarely have the opportunity to see cultivators from the Northern Frontier. Today, seeing your beauty, I suddenly realize that the beauty nurtured by the ice and snow of the North is the purest beauty in this world."

As she spoke, a gentle, approachable aura emanated from her, like a soft sea breeze caressing the morning light.

This is an innate talent of the merfolk, which makes the creatures around her unconsciously lower their guard and feel close to her.

This trick has always worked.

The silent morning light finally turned half its face, and for the first time, its clear but emotionless eyes fell on her.

"Mermaids?" she asked, her voice as cold and gentle as jade in a spring.

Fu Lian was overjoyed.

It really works!

She covered her mouth and chuckled softly, her tone tinged with pride: "Sister, you have a good eye. I do indeed have half mermaid blood..." Before she could finish speaking, Chen Guang calmly interrupted her.

"I know. But I'm a vegetarian, I don't eat merfolk."

Fu Lian's smile froze completely.

Don't...eat...mermaids?
This... what does this mean?
The Tianxin Island disciples around them, who were pretending to be doing their respective duties but actually focusing all their attention on this place, were already unable to control their trembling shoulders and letting out suppressed laughter.

Fu Lian usually used his advantages to flirt with women, and it almost always worked. But this time, he ran into an iceberg.

Her mind went blank; she couldn't understand the meaning of those words at all. Was this a way of rejecting her affections in a way she couldn't comprehend?
She had never encountered such a... inexplicable situation.

Fu Lian took a deep breath, her brain racing, trying to come up with a sentence that would both save face and showcase her wit.

However, before she could speak, Elder Qinglin from Tianxin Island had already come out of the cabin.

He glanced at Fu Lian, who was frozen in place, with a mixture of amusement and helplessness in his eyes, but he didn't say anything. He simply walked quickly to Chen Guang and politely cupped his hands in greeting.

"Elder Chenguang, we have arrived."

"it is good."

Chen Guang nodded and followed Elder Qing Lin to the bow of the ship. He didn't look at Fu Lian again from beginning to end, leaving her alone in the same place, facing the complicated gazes of her fellow disciples, some with sympathy and others with schadenfreude.

It wasn't until Elder Qinglin began casting the spell and reopening the Water Mirror Technique that Fu Lian had a sudden flash of inspiration and came up with a self-righteous explanation.

Did she mean that I don't suit her taste?

Such a perceptive girl, she guessed her thoughts so easily? In the past, when Fu Lian was intimate with other women, they would only know what kind of "intimacy" it was after he truly revealed his true colors.

But the girl in front of her, Chenguang, seemed to have seen through her thoughts from the very beginning.

She's a truly unique woman.

Fu Lian wasn't angry at all; on the contrary, she found it amusing. Once the matter of Guixu was resolved, she would definitely go to Huangquan Sect to get closer to her.

However, Fu Lian was unaware that Chen Guang was actually the same towards men and women and had no interest in them whatsoever.

Mirage demons don't distinguish between male and female; humans are a completely different race to them, and they have no feelings of love or hate for them. Even their current appearance was created by Chen Ye; they themselves can't distinguish between beauty and ugliness. This isn't the outer shell of a mirage demon, so there are no patterns or colors to appreciate.

Chen Guang's only thought was to contact his people and find out what was happening inside the Ruins.

Now that the Water Mirror Technique has been activated, she has finally seen her people.

It was still that dimly lit, dark region, where countless enormous mirages were only blurry shadows, indistinct and impossible to see clearly.

But Chenguang recognized his people at a glance; they were exhaling mirages and transforming into various shapes.

Upon seeing the water mirror open, the mirage demons were startled. Countless phantoms surged and transformed into the shapes of many sea beasts, crashing towards the water mirror.

These timid mirage demons still cannot accept outside prying, and last time they also violently shattered the water mirror, unwilling to have any communication.

But this time, Chenguang was there.

Chen Guang stood before the shattering water mirror, her figure blurring as if shrouded in mist. Then, a strange silhouette formed of pure light and shadow replaced her human form—a mirage radiating seven-colored light.

A deep syllable spread out from the core of the light and shadow outline.

No one could understand the meaning of the sound, but when the light and sound reached the Ruins of Return, the frightened mirages quieted down.

The violent illusions ceased their attack and slowly floated to the front of the light and shadow formed by the morning light. They transformed from ferocious sea beasts into blurry shadows, excitedly and curiously gathering around.

Countless tiny points of light emerge from the outlines of the morning light, shimmering and changing in a unique way.

This is the unique way the mirage demons communicate. No one knows what Chenguang and his people talked about; they can only watch the silent shifting of light and shadow.

When the morning light returned to its human form, the mirages on the shore of the water mirror began to spew out streams of air, which converged into a huge phantom—the phantom of a dragon.

Seeing this, Elder Qinglin hurriedly asked, "Elder Chenguang, what is the reason for this? Have you inquired about the situation in Guixu?"

Chen Guang explained, "All we know is that there was a violent earthquake in Guixu some time ago, and then my people gradually developed sentience. They don't know the specifics of what happened. However, we can go and investigate now."

After Chen Guang finished speaking, the dragon formed from the mirage swayed its body and swam away to another place.

(End of this chapter)