### Chapter 543: Imperial Uncle, Very Yellow
About four thousand Li northwest of the Tian Mo Sect.
The Star Palace, built above a giant moonstone, sailed through the winds and waves of the ink-colored sea of clouds, leisurely traveling at an altitude of nearly fifty thousand feet. It resembled an immortal mountain in the clouds, or a lone island in the sea.
The Shu Yue Pool in the rear courtyard of the Star Palace was Si Xuanji’s private bathing pool. However, she rarely enjoyed taking baths, and as a Void Realm cultivator, she did not get dirty, so the immortal pool remained virtually unused year-round.
But at this moment, the Shu Yue Pool was filled with mist. The dragon head sculptures by the pool, which hadn’t spewed water in over a decade, were now constantly spraying spiritual-rich jade liquid into the pool, as if trying to please their master.
Huala huala…
Si Xuanji floated at the edge of the pool, holding a plate of wine. Her Yin-yang eyes, visible under her wet bangs, revealed a hint of intoxication. As usual, she was thinking of her beloved.
Beside her, Pei Lianxue and Xiao Yunluo leaned against the pool’s edge, shoulder to shoulder.
Both of them wore expressions of a little resentment.
Back on the Immortal Ship, after they woke up groggily, they found Ye Anping missing and frantically searched the entire ship. Eventually, Brother Liang came over and tossed them a letter, telling them, “Third Brother has eloped with that demonic cultivator and Fairy Feng.”
Although Pei Lianxue and Xiao Yunluo understood the importance of the bigger picture after seeing their senior brother’s letter, his departure without a word left them with bitter melon faces ever since that day.
Si Xuanji looked at their two bitter melon faces and felt even more resentful.
These two girls had at least found an opportunity to be close to Ye Anping for six days, alleviating their loneliness.
What about her?
She hadn’t even seen a hair of Ye Anping in over half a year. Had she complained?
Si Xuanji shook her head slightly, nibbled on the wine plate, tilted her head back, and drank the wine in one gulp. She hoped to use the “Huan Chun Jade Brew,” rumored to allow one to see their beloved, to catch a glimpse of her lover in dreams or illusions.
Unfortunately, her cultivation was too high.
The immortal-grade wine that could make normal cultivators drunk and dream of their loved ones had no effect on her, even after drinking three jars.
These three jars of immortal-grade wine were obtained from Lei Wanjun. When Lei Wanjun gave her the wine, he was crying as if he were parting with a lover forever.
Gurgle gurgle…
The wine stirred her soft throat. Si Xuanji squinted her eyes, gathered her thoughts, and opened her lips slightly:
“Hiccup~~~”
Then, she glanced at the two beside her who were silently staring at the water. She decided to pour two cups of wine from the wine plate and push them over.
“Yunluo, Pei girl, keep me company with a drink~”
Pei Lianxue and Xiao Yunluo looked at the approaching wine plates, hesitated for a moment, then slowly picked them up and drank them all in one go.
After finishing the wine, Pei Lianxue pouted and asked:
“Sect Master Si, how long until we reach Tian Mo Sect? I need to find my senior brother.”
“Can’t you be away from your senior brother for a while? Haven’t you seen him not too long ago?”
Pei Lianxue puffed out her cheeks, expressing her slight dissatisfaction:
“Wuuu~~~”
Si Xuanji chose her words carefully and said:
“Anping didn’t bring you along because he only wanted you to stay in a safe place.”
“I’m not afraid of danger… If it’s dangerous, Senior Brother should have brought me along. I can protect him…” Pei Lianxue glanced at Si Xuanji and pouted, “Besides, it’s not safe here either.”
Si Xuanji twitched her eyebrows, unhappy, and retorted:
“You’re not safe by my side?”
“I can’t defeat you, Sect Master Si. What if you want to bite me… Ouch…”
Before she could finish, Si Xuanji flashed before Pei Lianxue and tapped her on the head. Pei Lianxue quickly shrank into the pool, covering her head.
At this moment, Xiao Yunluo nearby suddenly hiccuped. Her eyes became glazed over, and she reached out to the empty water, embracing a ball of air and pursing her lips forward as if practicing kissing alone.
“Anping~~ Wuu~~ Kiss kiss… Wuuu–”
“…”
??
Pei Lianxue and Si Xuanji turned to look, their faces showing slight bewilderment.
“No backbone… Sigh… No wonder there’s only one Black Dragon left in existence now…”
Si Xuanji sighed, but paid them no mind. Hearing footsteps from the entrance of the Shu Yue Pool, she slowly turned her head.
Qiu Shui Rou walked around the screen wall from the entrance and saw Xiao Yunluo kissing and hugging the air. She was momentarily stunned but quickly regained her composure, nodded, and said:
“Little Master, we are only four thousand Li away from Tian Mo Sect.”
“Mm…”
Si Xuanji closed her eyes and exhaled, her shoulders slumping slightly. She stopped teasing the two girls and turned to walk up the steps along the pool’s edge.
Qiu Shui Rou hurriedly took out an Immortal Robe from her Storage Bag and knelt down beside her. With a wave of Si Xuanji’s hand, the Immortal Robe was placed over her, helping her put it on.
“Where’s that big fox?”
“Senior Fox is waiting in the guest hall.”
Pei Lianxue, still soaking in the pool, carefully examined Si Xuanji’s attire. It wasn’t the purple sect uniform of the Xuan Xing Sect leader she had seen before, but a dualistic Taoist robe with the aura of the Heavenly Dao. The silk ribbon at the nape of her neck was almost transparent, yet it exuded waves of pure spiritual light.
Although Si Xuanji hadn’t said anything, Pei Lianxue could tell she was going out and quickly said:
“Sect Master Si, I want to go too!!”
“…”
Si Xuanji turned back upon hearing this and refused:
“Not allowed.”
Pei Lianxue’s eyebrows immediately knitted in displeasure:
“Why…”
Seeing her like this, Si Xuanji dropped her usual playful demeanor. Her expression became serious, and she even released a slight spiritual aura to suppress Pei Lianxue, narrowing her eyes and saying:
“Your cultivation is too low. Following me would just be a burden.”
“…”
“The aftermath of a fight between Void Realm cultivators can reach thousands of Li. Those in Deity Transformation can barely protect themselves, while Nascent Soul cultivators would turn into dust even if brushed by it.”
Si Xuanji looked at Pei Lianxue, who was stubbornly resisting her spiritual pressure, and felt a certain admiration. However, this was non-negotiable.
Although what she said was the truth, Si Xuanji actually felt that Pei Lianxue’s strength was sufficient to follow along without much issue…
Moreover, witnessing her magnificent display of immortal power firsthand would be a great fortune for Pei Lianxue.
However, Ye Anping had entrusted Pei Lianxue to her care.
She wasn’t sure if she could retreat unscathed when facing Yu Yan this time, and she certainly wouldn’t have the energy to protect Pei Lianxue. If Pei Lianxue were to get hurt, Ye Anping would surely blame her…
She could betray anyone, but Si Xuanji absolutely did not want to betray Ye Anping.
“Pei girl, you will go to the north of Tian Mo Sect with Shui Rou and meet up with Elder Qin of Tianyun Peak.”
“…”
“Your answer?”
Under Si Xuanji’s spiritual pressure, Pei Lianxue held back for a moment and finally nodded reluctantly:
“Oh…”
“Mm.”
Seeing her nod, Si Xuanji withdrew her spiritual pressure targeting Pei Lianxue and turned to look at Xiao Yunluo beside her.
She hadn’t noticed before, but Xiao Yunluo’s face was now flushed red. Her hands were gripping the air, her neck moving back and forth rhythmically, like a chicken with antlers nodding…
“Slurp~~ Suck~~~”
Seeing her like this, Si Xuanji felt a weariness and helplessness, regretting that she hadn’t listened to Qiu Shui Rou before and visited Xiao Yunluo more often. It wasn’t that this girl would have become so pathetic…
“Shui Rou, I entrust these two girls to you…”
Qiu Shui Rou looked at Xiao Yunluo’s actions, her face flushing slightly. However, she maintained her professionalism as a maid, pretending not to see anything, placed her hands on her abdomen, closed her eyes, and nodded in agreement:
“Yes, Little Master.”
After receiving her response, Si Xuanji took a step forward, but it was as if she was stepping into the void. Her figure gradually dispersed into dots of starlight with her movement.
Qiu Shui Rou let out a slight sigh of relief and asked:
“Miss Pei, what’s wrong with Young Master Xiao?”
Pei Lianxue glanced at Xiao Yunluo beside her and pouted in reply:
“Mm… I don’t know… After drinking Sect Master Si’s wine just now, she suddenly became like this…”
“I understand… In any case, please carry her out first, Miss Pei…”
…
——-
In the guest hall of the Star Palace.
The Demon Emperor Hu Mu, dressed in a black robe, sat on a chair with a stern expression. His hand rested on the tea table beside him, rhythmically tapping the surface.
Unlike his calm expression, the dark, long tail behind him trembled uncontrollably, betraying his anxiety.
From Feng Yu Die, he learned that “Yu Yan Shang Zun,” Gu Yan, was the one who had killed his wife all those years ago.
Now that his revenge was within reach, he should have been excited. However, he couldn’t help but feel uneasy due to his apprehension.
From his perspective, fighting Gu Yan in the Eastern Domain’s Tian Mo Sect was akin to fighting that old woman Dan Yue in the Western Regions. Not only was there no chance of victory, but it was also as difficult as ascending to heaven.
Moreover, if his cultivation was strictly measured, he was still one realm lower than Gu Yan, only in the Middle Void Realm.
However, Hu Mu wasn’t afraid of death. He was afraid of…
“Master, your tail is fluffed up~~”
Xue Tian Qiao sat on the other side of the tea table. She had been staring at her master’s tail for a long time and finally couldn’t help but say something.
Naturally, Hu Mu glared at her with the look of someone about to skin her, but then he let out a rare sigh.
“Sigh…”
Xue Tian Qiao was the reason for his fear.
If he died at Gu Yan’s hands, what would become of her?
The Demon Race was temporarily united because of him. But once he died, the hundreds of tribes within the Demon Race would undoubtedly descend into a free-for-all, just like in the past.
Xue Tian Qiao loved to play, and perhaps he had overprotected her. To this day, she still believed that the world was full of beautiful scenery and had not witnessed the treachery of human cultivators or the bloodiness of the Demon Race itself.
As a result, someone used his tail hair as bait and easily lured her away…
“Master, you’re sighing~~”
“Shut up, vixen.”
“Okay! Fox!”
“…”
Just as Hu Mu’s eyes twitched and veins bulged on his forehead, the light sound of a foot bell reached his ears, causing the pair of fox ears on his head to swiveling towards his back.
Whoosh—
Hu Mu immediately stood up, took three steps back.
Si Xuanji fiddled with her fingers, seemingly preparing to pull his tail. Seeing that he had reacted, she was surprised and smiled, walking a few steps to the side.
Jingle bell…
Hu Mu’s expression remained the same, but he hid his tail behind him and faced Xuan Ji.
“Dan Yue, are you ready?”
“Big fox, your tail hairs grow so fast. It’s just a little tug, it won’t kill you. Why are you so defensive? I even want to make a fox fur cloak for Tian Qiao~~”
Xue Tian Qiao’s eyes lit up upon hearing this, and she immediately replied:
“Thank you, Grandma Si!!!”
Si Xuanji walked up to Xue Tian Qiao and ruffled her head. However, her expression then turned cold and she said:
“Don’t worry, if you…”
She paused deliberately before saying:
“I will take care of Tian Qiao. The parrot at home also needs a companion.”
Hu Mu frowned and asked:
“Dan Yue, you consider her a pet?”
“Heh… If I considered her a pet, that parrot would have been stewed long ago.”
Si Xuanji glanced sideways at the birdcage. She saw A Ying staring at her intently, then flicking its tongue with its beak:
“So wicked!! So wicked!!”
Si Xuanji smiled and ignored it. However, A Ying added:
“Ye Tian Chong saves the Emperor!! Ye Tian Chong saves the Emperor!! Peck her to death!! Peck her to death!!”
Si Xuanji’s eyes twitched, but she shrugged and spread her hands, saying:
“Big fox, consider this a debt I owe you.”
“…”
This was the first time Hu Mu had heard the words “debt of gratitude” from her. Whenever this old woman came before, she would always pull out a tuft of his tail hair and order him to do things.
Seeing Si Xuanji actually compromise, he felt unaccustomed to it.
“Heh, who wants your debt?”
“You don’t? Then you owe me a debt.” Si Xuanji smiled and said, “I’ve given you a chance to avenge Hu Yu Lan…”
Hu Mu looked away indifferently, “Heh…”
“Alright, stop playing your dualistic act. It’s time to settle the score with Gu Yan.”
“Mm.” Hu Mu nodded and looked at Xue Tian Qiao, “Vixen, stay here. If you dare to run around, I’ll skin you alive when I get back…”
Xue Tian Qiao nodded and raised her paw in response:
“Okay! Fox!!”
“…”
…
