This is the true immortal of the Taoist sect.

As expected, Xingluo was completely defeated by Nangong Yue's sword.

His spear was knocked away, and his protective aura was torn apart.

But when Nangong Yue's sword energy landed on him, a mark suddenly appeared, enveloping Xingluo's body and blocking the sword energy that was enough to kill him.

Xingluo was sent flying a great distance, crashing into a distant forest and breaking countless ancient trees.

Nangong Yue hovered in mid-air, her eyes fixed on the distant starfall, seemingly filled with resentment.

But in the end, she restrained her imposing manner, let out a long sigh, and turned to leave.

She knew that Xingluo was not dead.

Moreover, he had long anticipated that the Hongyu Imperial Clan would find a way to protect him.

Even so, she doesn't plan to take any further action.

Whether or not she seeks revenge is her attitude; whether or not she can let go of hatred is her spiritual practice.

Li Daoxuan approached Nangong Yue and asked with satisfaction:

"Have you really let go?"

Nangong Yue remained silent for a moment before nodding.

"Yes, I know... If it weren't for me, Master would have lost the will to live long ago."

"For more than twenty years, my master has lived every day as if he were completing a mission..."

"Now, she can finally rest..."

Li Daoxuan nodded, finally feeling completely relieved.

Just then, Chang Geng came to Nangong Yue, opened his hand, and a bracelet appeared in his palm.

"Miss Nangong, the blood of my Hongyu Imperial Clan flows in your veins. Although you do not wish to live in the Imperial Clan, you are still a member of my clan. This is a fact whether you acknowledge it or not."

"This bracelet contains some resources needed for cultivation, as well as the Imperial Scripture of my Hongyu Imperial Clan."

"Please accept it..."

Just as Nangong Yue was about to refuse, Li Daoxuan took the bracelet first, cupped his hands, and smiled:

"Senior Chang Geng truly lives up to his reputation as a highly accomplished master. I, on behalf of Nangong, express my gratitude."

Seeing that Li Daoxuan had overstepped his bounds and was not at all dissatisfied with Chang Geng, but instead seemed relieved, he smiled and said:

"That's only right. With Miss Nangong's talent, wouldn't it be a waste if she didn't receive good resources?"

At this point, Chang Geng hesitated for a moment and asked:

"If nothing unexpected happens, there should still be close relatives of Miss Nangong within three generations in the clan. Should we...?"

Nangong replied without hesitation:

"don't want..."

Chang Geng was taken aback, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

Li Daoxuan smoothed things over, saying:

"Little kid, are you being stubborn? Senior Chang Geng, please don't be angry..."

Chang Geng smiled and waved his hand without saying anything.

Li Daoxuan cupped his hands and said:

"In that case, we will take our leave now. If you need any help in the future, please send a message to Tianshuize in Nanli Prefecture."

Chang Geng's eyes lit up; this was exactly what he had been waiting for.

He cupped his hands and said:

"Please wait, Daoist Master. Once I have recovered from my injuries, I will certainly pay you a visit..."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Outside Tianxiang City, Nangong Yue followed behind Li Daoxuan, pouting and complaining:

"Taoist Master, why did you accept his gifts on my behalf?"

Seeing her childlike demeanor, Li Daoxuan couldn't help but laugh:

"Why not take it? The Hongyu Imperial Clan is so powerful and wealthy, this little bit of stuff is nothing to them."

"Your bloodline is awakening and you are in a critical period of fusion. You need a lot of rare and precious materials to nourish your physical body. You can never have too many good things."

Nangong Yue was still somewhat dissatisfied.

"Grandpa Heavenly Emperor has already given me so much, I don't need their things..."

Li Daoxuan sighed, took out the bracelet, and personally put it on Nangong Yue's wrist, earnestly advising her:

"Nangong, the main purpose of accepting this gift is not for this little thing. You and the Hongyu Imperial Clan are ultimately connected by an inextricable karmic bond, and they can be considered a force behind you in the future."

Upon hearing this, Nangong Yue looked up at Li Daoxuan in a daze and asked curiously:

"Master, why are you so kind to me?"

Even if Nangong Yue was naive, she could still sense that Li Daoxuan treated her differently.

Of course, this difference wasn't the kind of relationship between a man and a woman; rather, it was more like... deliberately protecting her.

Li Daoxuan smiled, offering no explanation, but instead using the words of the Heavenly Emperor and Chang Geng as his reason.

"The Heavenly Emperor and Chang Geng entrusted you to me back then, so naturally I can't abandon you..."

Nangong Yue tilted her head, frowned, and asked in confusion:

"That's all?"

"Alright, stop overthinking it. Are you going back to your sect, or are you coming with me to my Taoist training grounds?"

Nangong Yue's eyes lit up when she heard about the Daoist cultivation grounds, and she asked excitedly:

"Is Sister Jing Shu here too?"

Li Daoxuan nodded and said:

"She should be here, barring any unforeseen circumstances."

Nangong Yue immediately said:

"Then I'll go with you to the Taoist sect..."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

On Qingming Island, Wang Jingshu, who had been in seclusion for nearly half a year, finally opened the door to her meditation room.

Qingming Island is not small, covering an area of ​​several dozen miles.

The island has many mountains. Apart from Li Daoxuan's meditation room, which was specially built next to the ascension platform in the center of the island, the other disciples mostly secluded themselves on those mountains.

Wang Jingshu and Qingfeng were located on adjacent mountain peaks.

As Wang Jingshu stepped out of the quiet room, she sensed something and turned to look. Sure enough, she saw that Qingfeng had also just emerged from seclusion.

Wang Jingshu smiled sweetly, lightly touched the ground with her feet, and her figure flew like a startled swan, landing lightly in front of Qingfeng.

"Senior brother, are you coming out of seclusion?"

Wang Jingshu's tone of voice was different when she spoke to Qingfeng.

Qingfeng nodded and said gently:

"Understanding the Primordial Qi is not something that can be achieved overnight. Come out for some fresh air and relax."

Wang Jingshu echoed:

"That's right, that's what I think too. Besides, I cultivate the way of the sword, and simply sitting in seclusion would be a step down from the proper path..."

As she said this, Wang Jingshu couldn't help but steal glances at Qingfeng.

Qingfeng immediately understood and laughed loudly:

"Little girl, if you want me to go for a walk with you, just say so. Why use sword practice as an excuse..."

Wang Jingshu's cheeks flushed slightly, and she swayed gently with her hands behind her back.

"Then...would you be willing to come with me, senior brother?"

Qingfeng looked at her and smiled without saying a word.

Wang Jingshu looked up, her face full of anticipation.

Suddenly, Qingfeng turned around and went back into the house.

Wang Jingshu was stunned for a moment, not understanding why.

"Senior brother... what... what are you doing?"

Qingfeng didn't answer him, seemingly busy with something.

Wang Jingshu looked somewhat disappointed, and her lips slowly tightened.

It took a while before Qingfeng came out, and he had even changed his clothes.

Wang Jingshu looked puzzled.

"What are you doing...?"

Qingfeng smiled slightly:

"When you're going on a long trip, you always have to pack your bags."

"Huh?"

Wang Jingshu didn't react for a moment.

"Silly girl, shall we go? Where do you want to go?"

Wang Jingshu then came to her senses, overjoyed, and instinctively reached out to hug Qingfeng's arm, nestling beside him and tilting her head back to laugh:

"Senior brother is so kind. How about we go to the Hidden Sea Ruins first and see Xiao Jiu's Dragon Palace?"

"I've heard there's a sword tomb in the Desolate Region, left behind by the Sword Emperor. I'd like to go see it."

"And also, it's said that every ten years in the Western Heaven Continent, there's a rare phenomenon of two suns appearing simultaneously, which is quite interesting..."

Qingfeng listened quietly, no matter where Wang Jingshu said to go, he would just nod slightly and reply with an "okay".

At this moment, Wang Jingshu no longer possessed any of the sharpness of a peerless sword immortal; she only exuded the innocence and adoration of a young girl.

There is nothing more beautiful in the world than this.

I like you, and you happen to like me too.

You agree, right, friend...?