Chapter Forty-Six: Conversation

Cheng Yan struck with lethal force, intent on beating Lin Fan to death. A terrifying power rampaged through the air, and Lin Fan’s expression changed drastically—he felt like a lone boat adrift on a boundless sea, threatened with capsizing at any moment.

“Cheng Yan, you deserve to die!”

Lin Fan roared in fury, eyes bloodshot. Cheng Yan’s killing move came too swiftly, without the slightest restraint; Lin Fan hardly had time to react.

“You show no respect for your elders, a rebel at heart—what use are you to me?”

Cheng Yan snorted coldly, striding forward. His voice was icy, and in that instant, snowflakes swirled in the air, strange phenomena unfolding in all directions. It seemed as though the entire world were about to be frozen, an endless murderous intent blanketing the heavens.

“I want to kill you as I would slaughter a pig or a dog.”

His chilling words cut to the bone. Cheng Yan looked down upon everything, determined to instill an invincible image of himself in Lin Fan’s heart—so that even the mention of his name would fill Lin Fan with dread.

“If I were your age, I’d kill you in less than two moves.”

Lin Fan howled, driven wild. Faced with someone who had tried to slay him multiple times, he could no longer speak humbly; he longed to gnaw his flesh and chew his bones.

“Hmph. But you’ll never have that chance.”

A cold snort resounded. Lin Fan’s whole body shuddered, as if struck by lightning. He staggered, blood oozing from his ears, nose, and mouth.

He hadn’t expected Cheng Yan to be so fearsome. Lin Fan, who feared no one below the Meridian Condensation stage, now found himself battered and helpless.

Meanwhile, the enormous hand in the distance was about to descend, unstoppable in its force.

“Cheng Yan, you’ve gone too far.”

Yun Xi’s voice suddenly turned cold. An overwhelming aura swept across the sky; at last, she was truly angry.

Rosy clouds surged, and a massive palace appeared, with sun, moon, and stars coalescing, celestial melodies ringing out, and petals fluttering in the air. This was Yun Xi’s manifestation, domineering and irresistible.

“To commit violence outside my palace—is it not you who fails to understand respect and hierarchy? Even your master, Duanmu Ci, would have to speak to me as an equal if he came here today.”

Yun Xi struck with full force, divine light blazing. She no longer held back—now was the moment to make her name resound, to establish her authority as the newly named Divine Maiden.

A thunderous explosion echoed through the clouds. Cheng Yan was forced back, struck by a jade-like hand, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

“I hadn’t expected you to have reached this stage.”

Cheng Yan’s gaze was grave, his face dark as midnight. But beneath his anger was a growing fear.

“Take this as your warning for today. My words stand: when all the disciples of Tiandu Gate arrive, they shall come to pay their respects.”

Yun Xi never once showed her face, her mystery absolute. Yet she did not forget Lin Fan—a streak of light swept out, bringing him away.

“Lucky boy—let’s see if you have such fortune next time.”

Cheng Yan’s killing intent remained undiminished. He let out a cold, almost ferocious, smile.

“If I get the chance, I’ll be sure to take your head.”

Lin Fan’s face was expressionless, but his heart seethed with murderous resolve. Anyone who knew him would recognize that he now intended to kill.

“I await that day.”

Seeing there was nothing more to be done, Cheng Yan chose not to linger. In a flash of radiance, his figure vanished from sight.

Lin Fan, meanwhile, was whisked away by Yun Xi to Lanxin Hall.

“You’re injured.”

Yun Xi’s tone was as calm as ever, as though the raging figure from moments before had been someone else entirely.

“Thank you, Senior Sister, for saving me.”

Lin Fan was a little startled, somewhat surprised at Yun Xi’s current appearance.

She still wore a white robe, but her hair, once bound, now hung loose over her shoulders, adding a touch of languor to her bearing.

“Come and sit.”

Yun Xi was making tea, white steam billowing, a rich fragrance wafting through the air. Just inhaling it brought clarity to the mind and deepened one’s understanding of the Dao.

“Thank you, Senior Sister.”

Lin Fan was utterly unabashed. He sat down boldly, picked up a cup, and drank the tea in one gulp.

“You gulp it down without savoring—do you even know what tea this is?”

Yun Xi seemed to admonish him, though there was no reproach on her face.

“I don’t, but it’s certainly fine tea.”

Lin Fan’s composure did not falter; he felt that his relationship with Yun Xi had already grown beyond the usual bounds of senior and junior, yet he thought nothing of it.

“This tea can only be found in one place on the entire Tiandu Mountain. Its annual yield is no more than half a pound in ten years. A single sip can restore all wounds and even deepen one’s understanding of the Dao. Tell me, did you not just swallow it down carelessly?”

“Even the inner disciples have never tasted this tea. The sect granted it to me especially when I became Divine Maiden. Until now, you are the first person outside the upper echelons of the sect to drink it.”

Yun Xi’s lips curved in a faint smile as she explained, but she did not seem to mind Lin Fan’s lack of ceremony.

“It is indeed good tea. But if I didn’t drink it, what use would it be to me?”

Lin Fan shook his head, not the least impressed by its rarity—though his wounds were already half-healed.

Suddenly, Yun Xi looked up, a mysterious light flickering in her eyes, faint divine patterns flashing. Lin Fan felt as if he were completely immobilized, standing before Yun Xi with nothing hidden.

“Your power has grown rapidly, but your foundation is solid—there’s no sign of demonic influence. You must have encountered some extraordinary fortune.”

After a moment, Yun Xi finished her scrutiny and returned to her usual self.

Lin Fan felt chills all over, cold sweat pouring down. Just now, he realized the shard lodged at his heart had vanished, and even the aura of Prison Heaven was completely gone.

“It’s not much of a fortune, just a few trivial things. I must say, though, I didn’t expect you, Senior Sister, to become the Divine Maiden—it took me completely by surprise.”

Lin Fan steadied himself and smiled, deftly shifting the subject.

“Divine Maiden? It’s just a title—a means to an end. As you saw today, few truly care about it.”

Yun Xi smiled faintly, as if the words “Divine Maiden” held no weight for her whatsoever.

“That’s not true. Today you’ve asserted your authority; aside from those in the Divine Son Alliance, I suspect many of the previously neutral disciples will soon seek your protection.”

Lin Fan spoke lightly, as though unconcerned, though his voice trembled ever so slightly.

“You seem to have something to say?”

Yun Xi’s gaze was piercing, her mind both keen and perceptive. Sensing Lin Fan’s unease, curiosity rose in her heart and she asked directly.

“If I may, Senior Sister—I am unworthy, but once joined with several gate scions to form a faction called the Divine Court. Now, as its leader, I solemnly invite you to join us. I would even relinquish my title of Divine Lord to you.”

Lin Fan rose and bowed, offering up both his hard-won position and status, all in hopes of persuading Yun Xi to join and secure greater support and a stronger foundation for the Divine Court.