Swoosh!
Ripples arose in space while Chen Xi's figure had vanished from West Radiance Peak.
"Little Junior Brother has left?"
"Yes."
"Even though I knew since the beginning that he would do this, that feeling of being left behind still makes me irritated."
"There's nothing you can do about it even if you're irritated. Ling Bai, Master has already clearly instructed us to work hard and cultivate because so long as we're all safe, only then would he have no worries."
"Alas, I know. Wasn't he like exactly like this when we fought our way from the Darchu Dynasty to the Dark Reverie? I'm just slightly displeased. I'll surely have a nice fight with him if he dares to do this again!"
"The crux is whether you're able to defeat Master?"
"Err… Mu Kui! I'll beat you up first!"
"Stop arguing, I'm hungry."
At the peak of West Radiance Peak, Huo Molei, Ling Bai, Mu Kui, A'Man, Bai Kui, Chen Yan, and the others stared blankly at the place Chen Xi left from, and they revealed complicated expressions.
"I'll go cook." Suddenly, Mortis spoke, and he turned and left as soon as he finished. Moreover, his bearing was cold and murderous, and he didn't seem like he was going to cook but as if he was rushing to the battlefield.
Everyone couldn't help but feel a slightly strange feeling when they saw this.
Before he left, Chen Xi had instructed Mortis to take good care of everyone, and everyone hadn't taken this seriously, yet they never expected that Mortis would actually start carrying out his duty.
But this disturbance caused their displeasure towards Chen Xi to reduce greatly.
In the quiet and beautiful courtyard at the bank of Sword Purification Pool.
This was the residence of Chen Xi, and it ought to be empty upon Chen Xi's departure. Yet now, a tall figure in an apricot yellow robe suddenly appeared within it.
Surprisingly, it was Chen Xi's clone.
Looks like there's no need for me to make an appearance. They won't be leaving West Radiance Peak… As he muttered, Chen Xi's clone vanished once more.
…
Beneath the clear and bright sky, there was a treasured vessel crushing the layer of clouds as it flew with extreme speed.
"You left your clone and the Star Manor behind because you're worried you might perish this time?" The tiny cauldron asked abruptly.
"If I lose the bet, then I have to kill myself." At the stern of the vessel, Chen Xi crossed his arms before his chest while he lay there lazily, and he said casually, "Doing this can be considered to be leaving a way out for myself."
"Then you're worried your woman will marry Bing Shitian?" The tiny cauldron continued.
"I've never stopped believing in Xiuyi, but I just don't believe Bing Shitian. He's someone that'll stop at nothing to get what he wants, and I can't trust him." Chen Xi replied calmly.
The tiny cauldron didn't say anything further.
Chen Xi asked curiously instead. "Senior, around what realm is your current strength at?"
"It's at least enough to save your life." The tiny cauldron replied very vaguely, but Chen Xi was already extremely satisfied.
Three months later.
The treasured vessel slowly stopped outside Autumn Sun City.
…
Autumn Sun City was an ancient city with a history that could be traced back to the primeval times, and it was practically constructed during the same period as the Heavenflow Dao Sect.
At the side of this ancient city was one of the 10 great immortal sects that were renowned throughout the world — the Heavenflow Dao Sect.
Autumn Sun City was very prosperous. Its straight streets led in all directions within the sky while row upon row of pavilions stood within the city like trees in a forest. Merely the cultivators that lived here permanently were over a million in number, causing it to be densely populated and extremely prosperous.
Presently, the Heavenflow Dao Sect was already the leading power amongst the 10 great immortal sects, and its possessed monstrous might, whereas Autumn Sun City that neighbored the Heavenflow Dao Sect became renowned along with it, causing Autumn Sun City to become a cultivation paradise for those cultivators wished to pay their respects to the Heavenflow Dao Sect.
When Chen Xi put away the treasured vessel and entered into Autumn Sun City, the first feeling he had was that it was densely populated. Everywhere that met his eyes was a dense mass of people that flowed endlessly like a stream, and waves of clamorous noise assaulted his face, causing the city to seem extremely bustling.
"Haha! Brother Yun, I didn't expect you to actually come here as well."
"Oh, how could I miss such a grand event? Bing Shitian and Qing Xiuyi were renowned throughout the world a few thousands of years ago, and they're going to be united as Dao Companions now. If such a rare opportunity is missed, then I would regret it my entire lifetime."
"You're right. I heard that not only would the great figures of the 10 great immortal sects be gathered for this grand event, there'll even be distinguished guests coming from the mysterious Unknown Lands and the Saintly Land of Ascension."
"Yes, it's precisely because of this that I came a year earlier, yet I never expected that there would actually be so many Fellow Daoists that had the same thought as me and came so early."
"Actually, it's the same. Without an invitation personally written by Lord Bing Shitian, no one has the qualification to head to the Heavenflow Dao Sect and observe the grand ceremony. Do you know? A single invitation has been raised to the point of costing 1,000 Immortal Stones in the black market!"
"Hiss! It can't be, right?"
"Why not? Even at such a price, there're still many people that are unable to get one even if they wanted to."
Chen Xi had his hands behind his back as he strolled through the bustling streams of people, and his expression was tranquil and composed as he listened to the topics the crowd discussed.
Three days later.
Within a restaurant in Autumn Sun City.
Chen Xi sat near the window while he drank wine with a carefree bearing.
During these past three days, he'd roughly found out that the Heavenflow Dao Sect would be holding a grand ceremony to unite Bing Shitian and Qing Xiuyi as Dao Companions in around a year from now.
At that time, only those that possessed an invitation had the qualifications to enter the Heavenflow Dao Sect and personally watch the ceremony. Only great figures that were renowned in the world were capable of possessing an invitation, and as for ordinary people, they didn't have the slightest qualifications to participate in this grand event.
But even then, it still drew countless cultivators to come over from far and wide. Even though they were unable to participate in it, these cultivators weren't willing to miss such a grand event.
"Hey, did you hear? That Qing Xiuyi had a son for the Nine Radiance Sword Sect's Chen Xi many years ago! I have a feeling that the grand event this time will probably be unusual." Suddenly, a cultivator within the restaurant spoke in a low voice, and he spoke secretively.
"You only found out about it now? Most of the cultivators that came to Autumn Sun City this time know about it already." Another person grunted with indifference, and he seemed as if he knew everything in the world.
"Oh? Then do you know that Chen Xi made a bet with Bing Shitian all those years ago?" The person that spoke earlier spoke once more with displeasure.
The second person was stunned and said, "What bet?"
"Yeah, what bet?" The others present here spoke in unison and with extreme curiosity.
The person that spoke first earlier smiled mysteriously and intentionally coughed dryly before he said, "The bet between the two of them is extremely simple. If Qing Xiuyi becomes Dao Companions with Bing Shitian, then Chen Xi will cripple his own cultivation before committing suicide, whereas if Bing Shitian loses, then he'll reduce himself to an ordinary person and leave himself to Chen Xi's will!"
"What!?"
"Is this true?"
"If it's really like that, then wouldn't they be deciding on a victor during the grand event this time?"
"My god! Isn't this too astounding? One of them is an Immortal that descended from the Immortal Dimension, whereas the other is a peerless genius that's renowned throughout the world, yet they actually made such a heavy vow because of a woman?"
Everyone was in an uproar, and all of them didn't dare believe it.
Amongst the people present, only Chen Xi had a calm expression.
Discussions like this were practically occurring all over Autumn Sun City at every single moment, and he'd already become used to it a long time ago, so he couldn't be said to feel anything from it. He was only able to faintly determine that such rumors were probably spread by those cultivators that had arrived at the Dark Reverie from the Primeval Battlefield along with him.
Because this bet was formed all those years ago in the Primeval Battlefield, and there were numerous witnesses at that time, so it was impossible to conceal it from everyone.
Chen Xi even knew that instead of desiring to observe the ceremony of Bing Shitian and Qing Xiuyi being united as Dao Companions, all of these people that had arrived at Autumn Sun City desired to see exactly who won the bet between him and Bing Shitian.
Or perhaps, both of these formed their reasons for coming here to Autumn Sun City.
But Chen Xi didn't care any longer. His objective was just to take Qing Xiuyi back, and anything else was utterly incapable of affecting his state of mind.
"Eh, that person looks like Chen Xi. I once saw him from afar in Blaze City all those years ago…" Right at this moment, a voice of surprise sounded out, and then Chen Xi felt a gaze descend onto him.
"What! Chen Xi?"
"Where?"
"He actually came early as well?"
Instantly, everyone was in an uproar. But when they looked towards the place where Chen Xi sat earlier, they noticed it was already empty.
On this day, the entire Autumn Sun City was madly spreading the news that Chen Xi had appeared here, and it caused the entire city to be stirred.
Unfortunately, when the cultivators in the city wanted to search for Chen Xi, they were utterly incapable of finding any trace of him, and he was like a flash of lightning that vanished without leaving anything behind.
One year later.
The Heavenflow Dao Sect opened its doors and started welcoming the distinguished guests in.
For a time, the entire Autumn Sun City was seething with excitement. Unfortunately, most of the people didn't possess invitations, so they could only move about within Autumn Sun City and wait for the Heavenflow Dao Sect to spread the news.
On the other hand, those great figures that possessed invitations had arrived successively at the Heavenflow Dao Sect in the last year.
Within a secluded and quiet little courtyard, a young man pushed the door open and looked up to inspect the weather before swiftly walking into the bustling streets.
His figure was tall, his expression tranquil, and he wore green robes. He was like a scholar that had left home to travel the world, and his bearing was peaceful and indifferent. He didn't possess any imposing aura, so he naturally didn't draw the attention of others.
Or perhaps, it could be said that others were utterly incapable of noticing his existence because even though his footsteps seemed to be neither fast nor slow, it was like he was teleporting, causing others to be unable to lock onto his tracks.
This person was naturally Chen Xi.
During this past year, he hadn't cultivated and had just silently lived within Autumn Sun City like an extremely ordinary mortal. He only did two things every single day — stroll through the streets at night and return at dusk to sleep.
The muddy waves of the mortal world cleansed the Dao Heart, and his heart was already completely clear and tranquil.
Heavenflow Mountain Range. It really deserves to be an Immortal Paradise. After a short moment, Chen Xi stood before an expanse of luxuriant mountains. He looked at it from afar and saw that the mountain was imposing like a tiger. The sky was coiled with clear clouds of Immortal Energy and white cranes fluttered about within it; the ground was covered in spirit veins that emanated mists of spirit energy, causing it to be grand, magnificent, majestic, and lofty.
At the depths of this group of mountains was numerous peerlessly formidable auras that shot into the sky, and these auras formed into a variety of awe-inspiring imposing auras that enveloped the surroundings of the mountains.
Chen Xi knew that it was the place the Heavenflow Dao Sect resided.
Without any hesitation, Chen Xi strode forward.
His expression didn't carry any solemness, indignation, or resolution, nor did he reveal delight, an unrestrained bearing, or roar with laughter. There was only calmness, calmness that came from inside out.