Chapter 248: Xuan Yuan
Seeing the sudden changes in Nian Youyou's tone, Zhong Shan furrowed his brows, finding her quite peculiar. Her beauty was only one aspect; what truly made her stand out was her ever-shifting aura. It made it impossible to pin down her true nature. Such a woman, if taken as a Daoist partner, would never let one feel bored.
Princess Qianyou, standing to the side, also frowned as she looked at Nian Youyou.
At this moment, two figures in black robes suddenly appeared on a distant peak. Their sudden arrival caught everyone's attention. Zhong Shan ignored Nian Youyou by his side and looked towards the two figures.
"Xie Yan! Chu Ba Mo Luo!" Zhong Shan recognized them immediately. The last time they were together was when they broke into the Zombie Saint's tomb. Chu Ba Mo Luo had confronted the Venerable Huiguang back then, alongside Xie Yan.
"Nian Youyou, long time no see!" Xie Yan's voice rang out with a smirk.
"Xie Yan?" Nian Youyou's expression changed, her eyes showing a hint of an enigmatic glint.
"You remember me. That's good. I thought you'd forgotten." Xie Yan smiled wickedly.
"How could I forget? But I was just bullied!" Nian Youyou put on a look of grievance.
"Oh? Who's got the guts to bully you?" Xie Yan's eyes widened, his expression turning serious.
"It's him!" Nian Youyou pointed at the white-robed man on the hillside.
Everyone's gaze turned back to the white-robed man on the hillside.
"Alright, Chu Ba, kill him," Xie Yan ordered bluntly.
"Yes!" responded Chu Ba Mo Luo without hesitation. He leapt into the air, reaching the circular valley in an instant, and drew his huge sword from his back, preparing to attack the white-robed man.
Seeing this, Zhong Shan and Princess Qianyou watched intently, while Nian Youyou displayed a triumphant smile.
As Chu Ba Mo Luo flew into the air, the white-robed man on the hillside suddenly opened his eyes. His eyes slowly opened, revealing a pair of silver-gray pupils.
In that instant, Zhong Shan saw in those silver-gray pupils a profound sense of despair and desolation. That single glance seemed to infect everyone. Chu Ba Mo Luo's sword-wielding motion paused for a moment, and the others also fell into a brief daze.
Zhong Shan's heart tightened. This person is formidable; a mere glance can instill a death wish in others.
"Hiss~~" Princess Qianyou drew a sharp breath, startled by the power of the white-robed man.
A'da and A'er also tensed up, their expressions turning serious. Even Xie Yan in the distance narrowed his eyes, now truly taking the white-robed man seriously. Initially, he had only come for Nian Youyou, but now he was genuinely intrigued by this white-robed man.
Nian Youyou kept watching Zhong Shan, noticing that he was the least affected by the white-robed man's gaze among all the people present. How could this be?
"You're no match for me. Leave," the white-robed man said coldly, glancing at Chu Ba Mo Luo.
"Hmph!" Chu Ba Mo Luo snorted and swung his giant sword at the white-robed man with a fierce slash.
As the sword came down, flames seemed to erupt around Chu Ba Mo Luo, not just around him but enveloping the entire valley. That sword strike felt like the sun falling from the sky, a massive fiery ball crashing down on the white-robed man.
Despite this overwhelming attack, the white-robed man remained unperturbed, not even bothering to dodge. He flicked his whisk with his right hand, draping its tassels over his left arm, while his left hand formed a delicate orchid finger gesture, which he slowly placed on his brow.
"Boom ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"
The falling sun was caught mid-air by a white-robed figure, a single hand raised up, stopping the sun's descent. Instantly, the surrounding flames vanished, revealing that the white-robed figure had actually grasped Chu Ba Mo Luo's giant sword.
Just one hand, his left hand, had stopped Chu Ba Mo Luo's powerful strike?
Who was this? Was it the white-robed man? No, the white-robed man was still sitting on the stone stool, holding the whisk in his right hand, and his left hand, with a delicate gesture, was still at his brow. But the man catching Chu Ba Mo Luo's sword in the air looked exactly like him. Could they be twins?
The man who caught Chu Ba Mo Luo's sword gripped the blade with his left hand and struck Chu Ba Mo Luo's abdomen with his right palm.
"Boom ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"
Chu Ba Mo Luo was sent flying. He stopped himself only after being hurled ten miles away, looking at the white-robed man in the sky with a face full of fear.
At that moment, the figure in the sky began to fade, becoming more and more transparent, and then suddenly disappeared, as if he had become invisible. The only person left was the man sitting on the stone stool, who looked exactly like the one who had vanished.
The man slowly lowered his left hand from his brow and looked indifferently at Chu Ba Mo Luo in the distance.
"Thank you for your mercy, senior!" Chu Ba Mo Luo respectfully bowed to the white-robed man.
Upon hearing Chu Ba Mo Luo's words, Zhong Shan's pupils contracted. Thank him for his mercy? That means the person who blocked Chu Ba Mo Luo was indeed the sitting man? What just happened? Did he create a clone of himself to defeat his opponent? This is incredible!
"Sir, this might be related to his core divine sense," Princess Qianyou quickly explained to Zhong Shan.
"Hmm," Zhong Shan nodded in agreement.
Across from them, Chu Ba Mo Luo had already flown back to Xie Yan. Xie Yan looked at the white-robed man on the hillside with uncertainty. This white-robed man was too strong. One move, just one move, and he defeated Chu Ba Mo Luo? Chu Ba Mo Luo is a Royal Extreme Realm expert!
"Blazing Sun Blade, are you from the Underworld Heaven?" the white-robed man asked coldly.
"Yes," Chu Ba Mo Luo responded immediately.
"So, you are protecting this person, indicating that you are a demonic seed youth," the white-robed man said, looking at Xie Yan.
"Yes," Xie Yan replied, staring at the white-robed man. "Demonic seed, reincarnation of a past Demon Lord, my apologies," the white-robed man said.
Xie Yan did not respond to the white-robed man because the apology wasn't directed at his current self, but at his past life as a Demon Lord.
The white-robed man then turned his gaze to Nian Youyou. Nian Youyou frowned.
"Are you a True Person from the Eternal Life Realm?" the white-robed man asked.
"Indeed," Nian Youyou confirmed.
"You are very much like your master," the white-robed man shook his head.
"Does senior know me?" Nian Youyou asked, puzzled.
"Your lineage is passed down single-handedly. Is there any other possibility?" the white-robed man replied.
Nian Youyou frowned but did not refute him.
"The two great sanctuaries, Underworld Heaven and Eternal Life Realm, both have people here. This is the will of heaven. It seems that the seal here will not last long before being uncovered. However, I promised someone to guard this place for a thousand years. There are four months left. After four months, I will no longer care. Come back in four months," the white-robed man said indifferently.
Guarding for a thousand years? Zhong Shan felt a chill run down his spine. A thousand years? How many people have lived for a thousand years? In the entire world, the ones with the longest lifespans are the emperors of celestial dynasties, perhaps only with a lifespan of ten thousand years. This man, for a promise, sat here for a thousand years? How much lifespan does he have to spare?
Zhong Shan was shocked, and so were the others. What kind of monster was this old man?
"Yes, senior. May I ask for your esteemed name?" Nian Youyou stared at the white-robed man intently.
"My name is Xuan Yuan." With that, the white-robed man closed his eyes again and sat cross-legged in a peaceful pose.
Seeing Xuan Yuan sitting with his eyes closed, everyone frowned. However, they all understood his immense power. Four months later?
In the distance, Xie Yan squinted his eyes, staring at Xuan Yuan, his mind churning with unknown thoughts. Suddenly, with a wicked smile, he lifted his head, and with a step, he flew to a spot not far from Zhong Shan.
"Nian Youyou, I suppose you still haven't found a suitable Dao partner after all these years? I heard that your cultivation method requires you to find a compatible Dao partner to continue progressing. How about I be your Dao partner?" Xie Yan asked with a sly grin.
"How do you know about that?" Nian Youyou's expression changed, but she still smiled sweetly. That smile could easily captivate a lovestruck fool.
"Although the cultivation methods of the Eternal Life Realm are never leaked, certain characteristics can be deduced by those with keen eyes, especially your lineage, which is so unique," Xie Yan said, staring at Nian Youyou as if he wanted to devour her.
"Unfortunately, I've already found one not too long ago," Nian Youyou said with a hint of regret.
"Who?" Xie Yan raised an eyebrow.
"Him, of course," Nian Youyou suddenly pointed at Zhong Shan.
Seeing Nian Youyou point at him, Zhong Shan felt speechless. This woman was truly a troublemaker.
"Him? What kind of person is he?" Xie Yan laughed.
"And what kind of person are you?" Princess Qianyou glared at Xie Yan angrily.
Seeing the inexplicable confrontation between Xie Yan and Princess Qianyou, Zhong Shan raised an eyebrow and said, "A glorious past life, a worthless present shell."
Xie Yan looked down on him, so there was no need for Zhong Shan to show him any respect. Seeing Princess Qianyou standing up to him, Zhong Shan naturally sided with her. His words, though not vulgar, struck Xie Yan's sore spot. Insults don't need to be numerous or loud; they just need to hit hard.
Zhong Shan's words directly pointed out that Xie Yan was relying on the prestige of his past life, while his present self was nothing more than a useless shell, merely basking in the glory of his past.
"You…you…" Xie Yan's face turned red with anger, unable to retort.
Meanwhile, Princess Qianyou, hearing Zhong Shan's support, smiled knowingly.
Satisfied with the scene, Nian Youyou suddenly leaped into the air.
"Zhong Shan, I have something to attend to, so I'm leaving now. But I'll come back for you!" Nian Youyou's voice echoed provocatively as she flew away.
Hearing Nian Youyou's parting words, Xie Yan frowned, glanced at Zhong Shan, and his expression changed slightly, as if contemplating something.
"Let's go, Chu Ba," Xie Yan said as he flew away with Chu Ba in another direction.
After both groups had left, Zhong Shan frowned, looking at the directions they had taken, then at the formidable Xuan Yuan still sitting there. Zhong Shan said, "Princess, let's go back. For at least the next four months, with Xuan Yuan here, no one will be able to break the 'seal' he mentioned."
"Hmm," Princess Qianyou nodded, looking at Xuan Yuan.
Prince Han Jue must have known this as well, which is why he left confidently. But Xuan Yuan had been sitting here for a thousand years. How had the Great Light Empire not noticed him all this time?