Chapter 2
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Chapter 2: Senior Truly Sees Through Everything!
Ye Xu sat calmly with an unfathomable expression, making Qi Hongchou visibly agitated.
She had never uttered a single word about the Nine-Grade Golden Lotus, yet Ye Xu already knew her purpose. This was undoubtedly foreseeing heaven\’s secrets—truly a transcendent expert!
\"You… Senior, do you know the whereabouts of the Nine-Grade Golden Lotus?\"
Qi Hongchou changed her form of address, her breathing quickening, her eyes turning anxious.
Ye Xian\’er blinked, speaking even more respectfully, \"Senior, Shifu and I have been searching for the Nine-Grade Golden Lotus all along. Please, Senior, tell us its location.\"
The fish has taken the bait.
Ye Xu smiled inwardly.
\"There\’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world.\" Ye Xu stated impassively, \"The rules here are simple. Persuade me with something valuable, and I\’ll provide the information you seek.\"
\"Want to know the whereabouts of the Nine-Grade Golden Lotus? Then show me your sincerity.\"
\"Senior, this is a top-quality spiritual treasure. Can it find favor in Senior\’s eyes?\"
Qi Hongchou flipped her palm, revealing a small sword crafted from azure jade. It was two inches long, radiating a cool, serene spiritual light, with faint whispers of sword resonance echoing faintly.
She held it aloft respectfully with both hands.
By now,
Qi Hongchou held not a shred of contempt for Heaven\’s Secret Pavilion, only awe and reverence.
To instantly reveal their identities and divine their purpose—this was no ordinary person. Even a Saint might not possess such means.
They\’d truly encountered a mighty expert.
Ding! Discovered one top-quality spiritual treasure, convertible to thirty heavenly secrets points.
The moment Ye Xu received the jade sword, information surfaced in his mind.
System, how many heavenly secrets points are needed to locate the Nine-Grade Golden Lotus? Ye Xu inquired mentally.
Twenty points.
Query immediately.
As Ye Xu commanded, clear clues formed in his mind.
Nine-Grade Golden Lotus: a top-grade medicinal king. Location: the Canglan Great Marsh, twelve hundred li southeast of Linglong City.
A Mo Jiao, equivalent to Seven Stars of the Dao Palace, guards the marsh. Its vulnerability is a patch of white dragon scales on its belly.
Additionally, the second elder of the Tianxin Sect has sent his senior disciple, Du Jue, to secretly follow Qi Hongchou. Du Jue has a cultivation level of Eight Stars of the Dao Palace and harbors ill intentions.\"
Every detail surfaced in his mind.
Even the pursuer trailing Qi Hongchou was deduced.
However, Ye Xu didn\’t reply immediately. He idly toyed with the jade sword, remarking, \"The Nine-Grade Golden Lotus is a top-grade medicinal king. While this top-quality spiritual treasure is indeed valuable, their values seem significantly mismatched.\"
Qi Hongchou paled.
Gritting her teeth, she offered her Qian Kun Ring, erasing her Divine Sense seal as she did so. \"Senior, this junior would never dare deceive you! This spiritual treasure is genuinely the most precious item I possess.\"
\"If it\’s insufficient… please take the Qian Kun Ring too.\"
\"If I still cannot meet Senior\’s demands, then this junior is powerless.\"
\"Master, that\’s your entire fortune!\" Ye Xian\’er said with a heavy heart. Losing the top-quality spiritual treasure would make Qi Hongchou\’s strength be greatly reduced.
Once she lost the Qian Kun Ring, she would be left with nothing but a pair of bare hands.
\"So long as we find the Nine-Grade Golden Lotus to save Master, what does it matter if it costs me my own life?\" Qi Hongchou declared resolutely.
Ye Xu took the Qian Kun Ring.
The ring was now ownerless and could be opened effortlessly.
Qi Hongchou hadn\’t lied; inside the Qian Kun Ring, the most valuable item was an upper-grade spiritual treasure.
\"System, how many heavenly secrets points can all this exchange for?\"
\"Twenty points.\"
Ye Xu nodded.
Twenty heavenly secrets points – why not take it?
After a few breaths, Ye Xu looked at Qi Hongchou and said, \"What you seek is in the Canglan Great Marsh, southeast of Linglong City.\"
\"However, it is guarded by a Seven Stars of the Dao Palace realm Mo Jiao.\"
\"Seven Stars of the Dao Palace Realm?\"
Qi Hongchou\’s face paled. She herself was only at the Six Stars of the Dao Palace realm, having given her strongest spiritual treasure to Ye Xu as payment. Facing a Seven Stars Dao Palace realm Mo Jiao, she stood no chance.
\"On the belly of that Mo Jiao, there is a patch of white dragon scales; those are its vulnerabilities.\"
Qi Hongchou\’s eyes brightened.
\"Many thanks, Senior.\" Qi Hongchou bowed deeply, overwhelmed with gratitude.
This senior truly was a good person.
Not only had he revealed the location of the Nine-Grade Golden Lotus, but he\’d also told her how to slay the Mo Jiao and obtain the medicinal king. Her sacrifice was absolutely worth it!
\"Seeing how sincere and filially devoted you are, I’ll give you one more piece of news for free.\" Ye Xu said with a smile, \"Du Jue is following you.\"
\"Du Jue?\"
Qi Hongchou\’s pupils constricted sharply. This was a name she knew all too well.
Within the Tianxin Sect, Du Jue was a ruthless figure.
Qi Qingsi and the second elder had long been at odds. Du Jue tracking her – his purpose was all too clear.
\"Thank you for informing me, Senior.\"
Only now did she realize just how mysteriously powerful Ye Xu truly was.
It was fortunate Xian\’er hadn\’t listened to her and had entered Heaven\’s Secret Pavilion.
Otherwise, finding the Nine-Grade Golden Lotus might have taken untold amounts of time.
\"Xian\’er, you stay here. Wait for master to retrieve the Nine-Grade Golden Lotus, then I’ll return and meet you here,\" Qi Hongchou instructed firmly.
\"Disciple understands.\"
Ye Xian\’er was clever and perceptive. With her level of cultivation, going along would only cause trouble; staying at Heaven\’s Secret Pavilion was indeed better.
Qi Hongchou exited Heaven\’s Secret Pavilion, and the force pressing down on her instantly vanished without a trace.
\"The senior truly is a divine being.\"
Sighing in awe, she transformed into a beam of flowing light and flew southeastward.
\"Senior, will Master be alright?\" Ye Xian\’er asked with concern.
\"No.\"
Ye Xu shook his head.
Hearing this, Ye Xian\’er\’s worry dispersed like mist.
In Ye Xian\’er’s eyes, Ye Xu was already a godlike figure.
If he said everything was fine, then absolutely nothing could happen.
\"Senior, may Xian\’er learn your name?\" Ye Xian\’er obediently ran over to pour tea for Ye Xu, her eyes brimming with slyness.
\"Ye Xu.\"
\"Massage my shoulders.\"
With that, Ye Xu lay back in the armchair, enjoying Ye Xian\’er\’s services.
…
The eight-hundred-li Canglan Great Marsh stretched endlessly with green waves and rolling billows.
After two incense sticks\’ time, Qi Hongchou descended upon the great marsh.
She activated her Divine Sense, covering a thirty-mile radius. Moments later, she sensed an area rich with pure and powerful spiritual energy and immediately flew toward it.
At the marsh’s center lay a small island.
Spiritual energy condensed into mist. A golden lotus over six feet tall, its petals shaped like a lotus platform, inhaled and exhaled spiritual radiance, shimmering with golden light—a scene of breathtaking beauty.
\"The Nine-Grade Golden Lotus!\"
Qi Hongchou was overjoyed.
Roar!
A furious bellow erupted from the depths of the island. A pitch-black Mo Jiao, dozens of yards long and crowned with draconic horns, glared menacingly at the intruder.
That roar seemed like a stern warning.
Clang!
With a mere thought from Qi Hongchou, a sword ray shot from her fingertip. The sword energy swelled with the wind, stretching to several dozen yards long. With one strike, it split the lake surface and cleaved toward the Mo Jiao.
One after another, Dao Palaces materialized behind her—six Dao Palaces now fully revealed.
The Mo Jiao opened its maw and spat thunderbolts that demolished the sword ray.
Whoosh!
At that precise moment, Qi Hongchou vanished from the Mo Jiao’s sight.
The Mo Jiao instinctively sensed danger.
Its massive body writhed, unleashing surging thunder that transformed its surroundings into a tempestuous sea of lightning, almost enveloping the entire small island. The great marsh boiled, its waters evaporating violently.
At this moment, six Dao Palaces violently shattered the thunder sea. Qi Hongchou, a sword in one hand, aura sharp and fierce, charged towards Mo Jiao.
Mo Jiao manipulated thunderbolts, meeting Qi Hongchou head-on.
Shua!
Suddenly, Mo Jiao\’s immense body froze where it stood.
A wisp of cyan light, unnoticed until now, had pierced through that single white scale.
Mo Jiao was struck down instantly.
Witnessing this, Qi Hongchou grew even more awed by Ye Xu.
Had Ye Xu not guided her, she could never have slain Mo Jiao.
After all, the gap of one minor realm should never be underestimated.
A wave of joy spread across Qi Hongchou’s face. She channeled her magic power, uprooting the Nine-Grade Golden Lotus whole.
\"Hahaha…\"
At that very instant, an arrogant, insolent laughter erupted across heaven and earth.
The waters surged violently, wave towering over wave.
A man in black strode vigorously, treading the waves as he approached.
\"Qi Hongchou, I never imagined you could truly find the Nine-Grade Golden Lotus, even managing to slay Mo Jiao with a single sword strike at the Seven Stars of the Dao Palace level. Impressive,\" sneered the man in black, murderous intent churning in his eyes.
\"The Elder truly foresaw everything!\"
Qi Hongchou was prepared. Seeing Du Jue arrive, she showed no panic.
\"Elder? Which Elder?\"
Du Jue frowned.
Under normal circumstances, Qi Hongchou could never remain so composed upon seeing him.
She knew he had been following her all along?
\"Humph!\"
Du Jue let out a cold snort, his gaze burning hot. \"Junior Sister, hand over that Nine-Grade Golden Lotus. With it, our master can advance further.\"
\"Give it to me!\"
Du Jue\’s aura erupted. His magic power coalesced into a gigantic palm that blotted out the sky, descending like a canopy to seize her, engulfing the area within a hundred zhang.
Yet, as his divine power landed, Qi Hongchou burst with a \’peng\’ sound, transforming into a puff of green smoke that scattered away.
\"The Two Phases Heart of Heaven Technique?\"
Du Jue\’s eyes turned icy.
This was Tianxin Sect\’s escape secret technique. It required extracting a portion of one\’s magic power and vital essence to shape a substitute.
However, it took time.
That Qi Hongchou could deploy this secret technique proved she had long guessed he was trailing her.
\"Junior Sister, you won\’t escape!\"
Du Jue’s Divine Sense instantly locked onto Qi Hongchou\’s lingering presence. He stored Mo Jiao\’s corpse swiftly, pursuing Qi Hongchou with intense speed.
