DDT - Chapter 160
Chapter 160: Immortal Venerable × Meow Meow Cat (15)
For the past few days, Immortal Venerable Qingyun had been rushing between the mortal and cultivation realms. Initially, she had only planned to have some well-fitting black robes custom-made, but the term "psychological trauma" that had popped into her mind while flying on her sword left her unable to rest easy. Psychological trauma and inner demons were the most difficult things to eradicate; otherwise, so many human cultivators wouldn't have perished at the hands of their inner demons.
While she couldn't make everyone in the world stop wearing white robes—a symbol of noble character and ethereal grace—perhaps she could change the world her little disciple saw through her own eyes?
Immortal Venerable Qingyun's proficiency with arrays was extraordinary. To alter what her little disciple could see, the first thing that came to her mind was an illusion array. A successful illusion array could make a person trapped within it see whatever the caster wished. All she needed to do was transform the white her disciple saw into another color. Designing illusion arrays was one of the most difficult tasks in the study of arrays. Wanting to interfere with nothing but the color white would seem like a gross misuse of talent to any other cultivator—exaggerated and pointless. But in Immortal Venerable Qingyun's view, if a small illusion array could bring great convenience to her disciple's life, why wouldn't she do it?
Thus, for the next dozen or so days, Immortal Venerable Qingyun immersed herself in modifying and designing the illusion array, barely finding time to instruct her two young disciples. Fortunately, her disciples were very self-sufficient. Her eldest, Yun Qian, played the role of senior brother to perfection. Under his expert guidance, Chi Junluo's cultivation progressed by leaps and bounds, breaking through to the eighth layer of Qi Refining in just a few short days. This jaw-dropping rate of improvement amazed even Yun Qian, a cultivation genius himself. He thought to himself that his master had an excellent eye for talent. Both disciples she had picked up possessed outstanding innate talent and exceptional aptitude.
On the mountaintop training ground, Yun Qian stood a short distance away, quietly watching his junior sister. A faint smile touched his lips. It probably wouldn't be long before this genius junior sister, provided with sufficient cultivation resources, would dazzle the cultivation world and perhaps even become the human race's hope for the next generation of ascenders.
Chi Junluo couldn't read minds, so naturally, she was oblivious to the inner thoughts of her heroine and her convenient senior brother. The process of cultivating diligently was quite pleasant, and as her cultivation soared, time flew by unnoticed.
Soon, less than ten days remained until the next full moon. Chi Junluo finished a set of sword forms, smoothly circulating her spiritual energy through a major cycle before exhaling a breath of turbid air. She felt a slight anxiety. Her convenient senior brother, Yun Qian, had just contacted the heroine. If nothing unexpected happened, she would see her in an hour—the first time in over ten days.
Chi Junluo always felt that this world's heroine was particularly busy. Ever since Immortal Venerable Qingyun had found this body, the bits and pieces of time they had spent together amounted to very little. Then there was the vexing full moon, during which she would not only revert to her true form but also generate intense spiritual energy fluctuations. Fortunately, she had managed to squeeze in some time at the library pavilion recently, learning two arrays that could conceal such fluctuations. This upcoming full moon might be the perfect opportunity to test them.
Lost in thought, Chi Junluo continued to practice her sword forms mechanically. She definitely couldn't stay on Qingyun Peak for the coming full moon. With the heroine presiding over the peak as its master, any unusual activity from her would surely lead to trouble. She still hadn't decided whether to reveal her true form to the Immortal Venerable. Soon, she made up her mind: until she was powerful enough to maintain her human form during the full moon, she had to find a way to leave Qingyun Peak temporarily and get through the night safely. Feeling the spiritual energy surging inside her, she could clearly sense that as her cultivation improved, the hidden injuries this body once had were gradually healing. Perhaps, after being cleansed by the moon's essence and spiritual energy, she might even recover this body's full strength. Regardless, she had to try.
The Xianyuan Sect was one of the top sects in the cultivation world. It must have a hall dedicated to assigning missions for disciples to venture out and gain experience, right?
Chi Junluo executed her final move. The sword qi, infused with spiritual energy, swept into the forest, sending a shower of leaves to the ground. Yun Qian applauded, a gentle smile on his face conveying his sense of shared pride. Looking at his harmless expression, Chi Junluo found it difficult to associate him with the male lead from the original timeline, who had a vast harem. She wondered if her and the Heavenly Dao's secret meddling had triggered a butterfly effect, altering the male lead's original story arc. After all, the senior brother before her seemed utterly innocent.
Dismissing the baseless speculation, Chi Junluo decided not to investigate further. Her priority now was to avoid the heroine and everyone else in the Xianyuan Sect during the full moon while working hard to increase her strength. As for Yun Qian, this timeline's male lead, it didn't matter if he was as he seemed. Once she, Chi Junluo, possessed power that no one could match, he wouldn't be able to stir up much trouble, no matter what his true intentions were.
Masking her thoughts, Chi Junluo put away her sword. Following the fine custom of Qingyun Peak, she cast a dust-removing spell on herself, cleansing the dirt she had accumulated from an afternoon of training. Instantly, she was a clean and adorable child once more.
The dust-removing spell was truly an essential technique for life in the cultivation world!
While Immortal Venerable Qingyun was still away, Chi Junluo followed Yun Qian back toward the small wooden house on the mountainside. Along the way, she smoothly managed to get him to tell her about the Xianyuan Sect's institution for assigning training missions—Heiyun Hall—and even got directions.
Chi Junluo claimed she was just curious and wanted to have a look when she was free. For a rare moment, Yun Qian grew serious, carefully explaining to his junior sister that her cultivation level was still too low to take on missions.
Chi Junluo nodded obediently on the surface but didn't really listen. She returned half-heartedly to the small wooden house on the mountainside and sat at the round wooden table. The senior brother and junior sister waited in rare silence, resting as they awaited their master's return.
As dusk began to fall, a gust of wind swept by, lifting the long hair of the two disciples. A black shadow flickered before them, rapidly solidifying into a figure.
It was Immortal Venerable Qingyun, dressed entirely in black, who had rushed back.
For the sake of her little disciple who feared white robes, Immortal Venerable Qingyun had traveled thousands of miles to the Dragon Kingdom in the northwest of the Nine Nether Profound Sky, where she had paid a great sum to purchase a roll of golden Dragon Scale Silk.
The northwestern Dragon Kingdom lay across the sea from Dragon Island, the habitat of the Dragon Race. The cunning people of the Dragon Kingdom were often able to trap lone dragons. Dragon Scale Silk was a treasure for artifact refinement that, in all of the Nine Nether Profound Sky, could only be purchased in the Dragon Kingdom. It was exceedingly rare, as even the crafty Dragon Kingdom could capture very few live dragons. To produce top-quality Dragon Scale Silk, one had to take the scales of a live dragon. Before its blood dried and its bloodline faded, the blood threads at the base of the scales had to be drawn out. These threads were then nurtured with dense spiritual energy and forged using a unique draconic method, combining the threads from multiple scales into the beautiful final product. Though a material for refining artifacts, a strand of Dragon Scale Silk was a spiritual treasure in its own right. This time, to help her beloved disciple avoid the influence of inner demons, Immortal Venerable Qingyun had spent a fortune to acquire the even rarer golden Dragon Scale Silk.
The Dragon Scale Silk, exclusively refined by the Dragon Kingdom, was so durable that even a sharp sword brimming with spiritual energy could scarcely scratch it. It was also impervious to corrosion from any kind of spiritual energy. If not for the prohibitively extravagant cost of crafting a set of light armor from it, what cultivator wouldn't covet it?
Although Immortal Venerable Qingyun had only purchased a single roll of Dragon Scale Silk, it was more than enough to fashion a blindfold.
The eyes, nose, and mouth were vulnerabilities for a cultivator. As Immortal Venerable Qingyun envisioned it, a blindfold was the perfect medium for the illusion array she planned to cast on her disciple. Refining the array, purchasing the Dragon Scale Silk, and infusing the array into it hadn't taken much time. Most of her trip was spent on the journey itself. After all, only a cultivator of her immense power could traverse the entire Nine Nether Profound Sky and return in just over a dozen days.
Seeing the Immortal Venerable return looking travel-worn, Yun Qian rose and bowed, offering a few considerate words of welcome. After accepting the storage bag she had brought back especially for him, he quietly excused himself, leaving his junior sister and master alone.
Immortal Venerable Qingyun had only been gone for a dozen days, yet upon seeing her little disciple again, she noticed subtle signs of growth. Suppressing an inexplicable sense of anticipation, she smoothed out her robes, which were slightly disheveled from her hasty travels.
The two sat at the round wooden table. Immortal Venerable Qingyun briefly probed the spiritual energy within Chi Junluo and was very pleased with her little disciple's cultivation progress.
Without further pleasantries, Immortal Venerable Qingyun took a neatly folded, golden Dragon Scale Silk blindfold from her storage bag. The beautiful, pale gold ribbon was so light and thin it seemed weightless, and it felt cool to the touch. Its texture was soft, yet when Chi Junluo applied a bit of pressure, it didn't deform at all. As if sensing her disciple's confusion, the Immortal Venerable produced a small black dagger with a flick of her wrist. A deep blue spiritual energy—the formidable power of a Nascent Soul cultivator—surged from her hand and enveloped the blade. She then stabbed viciously at the ribbon. The pale gold silk remained completely unscathed, leaving Chi Junluo secretly astonished.
"Sit up straight and don't move," Immortal Venerable Qingyun instructed as she rose and walked slowly behind Chi Junluo.
"Close your eyes." The heroine's gentle, mature voice sounded from behind. Chi Junluo's heart skipped a beat. Her small hands, resting on her lap, tightened, wrinkling the black fabric of her robes.
She obediently closed her eyes. As darkness enveloped her vision, her other senses sharpened. Chi Junluo detected a faint, fleeting fragrance, and every sound around her seemed magnified—the rustle of her master's robes, the soft whisper of the wind passing through the room, and, most distinctly, the frantic pounding of her own heart.
Sensing her own agitation, Chi Junluo gently bit her lower lip, silently reciting the classic adages: see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil, do no evil. If the cultivator heroine heard her heart thumping like a frightened deer, this cat would be mortified.
As Chi Junluo's thoughts ran wild, a thin, cool object was gently laid across her eyes. With her eyes closed, her attention was completely captivated by the cool, elegant hands that brushed past her ears. Her body tensed slightly at the touch on her earlobes, and her knuckles turned white as she gripped her knees. She let the hands move behind her head, feeling the cool ribbon being fastened. A faint pulse of spiritual energy emanated from behind her, and the golden Dragon Scale Silk was secured firmly around her head.
"You can open your eyes now," came the Immortal Venerable's confident voice from behind her.
Chi Junluo opened her eyes. Contrary to the hazy golden view she expected, it was as if the thin ribbon wasn't there at all. Her vision was exactly the same as before. She blinked, sensing nothing out of the ordinary; there wasn't even the physical sensation of something covering her eyes. She raised a hand to her face and could still feel the soft, delicate texture of the Dragon Scale Silk.
Her mind filled with questions, Chi Junluo turned to the heroine to understand what was happening, only to freeze in shock. Before her stood Immortal Venerable Qingyun, clad in a shimmering, grass-green robe.
The heroine was still the same person. A gentle breeze stirred her dark hair, and she still possessed that transcendent, fairy-like temperament. Her beautiful face still carried its usual trace of aloofness. Yet, no matter how hard Chi Junluo stared, the Immortal Venerable's dazzling green robe did not change.
Chi: ????
Since when did the heroine's taste become so... unique?
This was, after all, her beloved from several worlds. Chi Junluo found it genuinely difficult to criticize the sight before her.
Immortal Venerable Qingyun saw the astonishment and unconcealed disbelief in her disciple's eyes and a hint of pride crossed her face. A Qingyun original is always of the highest quality!
Look at my little disciple, completely mesmerized by my superb array design!
As a veteran of many worlds, Chi Junluo quickly recovered from her initial shock and slipped back into her role as a disciple. The Immortal Venerable, still in her vibrant green robe, placed a hand on Chi Junluo's shoulder, turned her to face the table again, and then returned to her own seat. Ever the teacher, she began to explain in detail how she had designed and crafted the array on the golden Dragon Scale Silk blindfold.
Chi Junluo knew this body had a powerful aversion to white robes. Hearing that her heroine had created this blindfold to eliminate white robes from her sight, thus preventing unnecessary distress and the potential formation of an inner demon, she couldn't help but feel deeply moved. However, when the Immortal Venerable explained her choice of replacement color, even the unflappable Heavenly Dao, E Feng, would have felt a sweat drop forming.
"This Deity has heard that in the mortal realm, experts claim that looking at the color green can help with eye ailments, protect one's vision, and relax the mind," Immortal Venerable Qingyun said, gazing softly into her little disciple's eyes. "Therefore, This Deity specifically chose the tender green of new spring grass as the replacement color. It should be both soothing for your eyes and help lift your spirits."
Chi Junluo nodded in a daze, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
Seeing her little disciple nod in agreement, the Immortal Venerable couldn't help but add with admiration, "Whoever discovered this was truly brilliant."
Chi Junluo had been wondering how she would get to Heiyun Hall to accept a mission without having to see all the disciples in white robes. Now, the problem was solved. The heroine's blindfold had arrived at the perfect moment. It was perfect in every way—except for being a little hard on the eyes.
The next day, master and disciple rose at dawn. After checking the assignments she had previously given her little disciple, Immortal Venerable Qingyun took several ancient tomes from her storage bag. She instructed Chi Junluo to read through them on her own, take note of anything she didn't understand, and then ask her all at once.
She then took advantage of the cool morning air to guide her two disciples in their practice on the training ground for two hours. Afterward, Immortal Venerable Qingyun received a sound transmission from the sect master. After giving a few hurried instructions, she confidently entrusted Chi Junluo to Yun Qian's care and flew on her sword toward the sect master's Tianluan Peak.
During lunch, Chi Junluo told her seemingly naive, convenient senior brother that she planned to spend the afternoon reading the tomes her master had left and wouldn't be going to the training ground. Yun Qian smiled gently, reminding her not to overexert herself and to take breaks. The two then parted ways on the summit.
Chi Junluo skipped down the mountain path to the small wooden house. Seeing that Yun Qian hadn't followed, she felt relieved, mounted her sword, and flew from the mountainside toward Heiyun Hall.
Having already returned to his own cave residence, Yun Qian sat down cross-legged. A moment later, with a flick of his palm, a small paper crane for sound transmission flew out of the cave.
Chi Junluo flew high in the sky on her sword. She didn't encounter any disciples in white robes, as most were likely cultivating or eating lunch at this hour.
She had a smooth journey to Heiyun Peak, the location of Heiyun Hall. Chi Junluo leaped off her sword, stored it away, and headed for the main hall. It was her first time truly seeing disciples from other peaks of the Xianyuan Sect. Contrary to the blinding sea of tender green she had braced herself for, the robes of the disciples bustling about were mostly dark or grayish-green. Not a single one wore the vibrant grass-green her heroine had sported the day before.
Chi Junluo quickly realized the array her heroine had set on the blindfold could even perceive the strength of others.
Eager to find a suitable mission, Chi Junluo paid little attention to the drab-looking disciples and stepped into the main hall of Heiyun Hall, which was relatively quiet at this hour.
The mission hall was lined with spirit stone walls, all covered in characters inscribed with spiritual energy by those posting tasks.
This was Chi Junluo's first time in a major sect's mission hall, so she was unfamiliar with the proceedings. She hastily scanned a dozen mission walls, only to find that nearly every task, whether external or internal, had already been claimed. Most were marked with the word "Assigned."
Unaware of the reason, Chi Junluo simply assumed that with a sect as large and populous as Xianyuan, missions were just highly sought after.
After circling the hall twice, Chi Junluo finally found a team-based external mission on an inconspicuous wall in the northwest corner.
In the top-left corner of the posting was a silver insignia. The mission was to team up with inner-sect disciples and travel to the Southern Xuan Kingdom to eliminate mountain bandits.
The Southern Xuan Kingdom was situated in the southeastern part of the Nine Nether Profound Sky. The nation's geography was unique, containing several ominous forbidden lands thick with a strange miasma. Citizens who accidentally entered rarely returned. For thousands of years, disciples of the Xianyuan Sect had guarded these forbidden lands, preventing mortals from wandering in and strange entities from escaping.
After a quick read of the mission background, Chi Junluo decided it was quite suitable. Most of the remaining unclaimed tasks were internal sect missions, and she needed to leave the sect grounds. The treacherous terrain of the Southern Xuan Kingdom was the perfect place for her to "get lost" during the full moon.
The mission only required eliminating mountain bandits, and to a cultivator, ordinary human bandits were no more threatening than ants. Chi Junluo didn't dwell on it; she just needed to leave the Xianyuan Sect before the Immortal Venerable returned.
Chi Junluo briskly verified her identity at the mission counter, accepting the silver-insignia mission as a personal disciple of Qingyun Peak. The disciple in charge seemed lethargic; without even looking up, he repeatedly asked if she understood the mission's requirements. Chi Junluo affirmed each point and finally received the mission scroll. The disciple handed it over, instructing her to assemble at the sect's Dengxian Terrace in an hour. The team now had enough members to set out.
Chi Junluo carefully stored the mission scroll, exited Heiyun Hall, and flew on her sword toward Dengxian Terrace.
When Immortal Venerable Qingyun returned to Qingyun Peak, it was already evening, the sunset dyeing half the sky red. The sect master had urgently summoned the elders at noon. Nearly all of the Xianyuan Sect's prominent elders had attended the meeting to discuss the unusual activity in the Demon Realm and the strange celestial phenomena that had been reported by all the major sects.
The meeting had lasted all afternoon, after which the elders received their assignments and departed. This disturbance from the Demon Realm was highly unusual; the slightest misstep could spell disaster for the entire Nine Nether Profound Sky.
After listening to the elders and the sect master debate all afternoon in the council hall, all Immortal Venerable Qingyun wanted was to return to her little wooden house for some quiet time with her disciple.
To her surprise, however, when she returned to Qingyun Peak, her little disciple was nowhere to be seen—not in the wooden house on the mountainside, nor on the training ground at the summit.
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