NOVPUBThe two found a pavilion and sat down slowly.
The lake in front of them was clear and green, with a few plants floating near the shore.
"The Eternal Ancient Continent you mentioned, how should one go there?" Xu Zimei looked at Demon Thirteen and asked casually as they chatted.
There were many exotic fruits on the table in the pavilion, and Xu Zimei casually picked one up and started eating.
"The Eternal Ancient Continent is part of a small world; its spatial walls are very strong and not something you can traverse at will."
Demon Thirteen shook his head and said, "Unless you encounter a Void Storm in the Void Valley, there’s a certain chance to reach there.
Otherwise, you would have to go to Heaven Beyond Heavens to find a way."
"Do you know about the Void Spirit Monkey?" Zimo asked.
"I haven’t heard of it," Demon Thirteen shook his head.
Zimo didn’t get any useful information, and after they chatted for a bit, a fragrance suddenly wafted over from a distance.
Soon after, Qingmu Xuan, the Saintess from the Nine States Immortal Palace, descended the Stairway to Heaven and arrived at the second floor.
Eventually, she slowly sat down in a pavilion next to Xu Zimei.
Two women followed her as well, one with a round face and the other in red.
"Mu Xuan, don’t take it seriously, Nanmen Tianhong and the others might just be joking," Ying Yuanyuan, the woman with the round face, consoled.
"If it weren’t for my master’s request, I wouldn’t have come," Qingmu Xuan said with a cool voice.
"How many men of this mundane world can compare to our ancestor master?"
"Not to say, on the path of cultivation, wealth, companions, and Dharma land are all indispensable.
The Great Dao is long and winding; you always need someone to accompany you, don’t you? I think Nanmen Tianhong would make a fine Dao companion," the woman in red laughed lightly.
Her makeup was thick, and she wore a fiery red dress, making her look very flirtatious.
"Hong Rong, please speak less of such things. If you like him, feel free to pursue him yourself," Qingmu Xuan replied indifferently, then sat and enjoyed the scenery in the pavilion.
"I would if I could, but unfortunately, the Saint Heir Nanmen Tianhong does not fancy me," the woman in red giggled, covering her mouth.
After a while, there was silence all around.
The woman in red seemed to find it a bit boring, and she scanned the surroundings. Her gaze finally settled on Xu Zimei in the nearby pavilion.
She swayed her enchanting figure and stepped into the pavilion where Xu Zimei was,
leaning on the chair where Xu Zimei was seated and chuckled, "This gentleman looks quite unfamiliar. May I ask where you are from?"
"From Heaven Edge, to the ends of the sea, a traveler," Zimo replied.
"If the gentleman is unwilling to reveal his origins, Hong’er won’t press the matter. But aren’t you even willing to tell Hong’er your name?"
The woman in red looked aggrieved, her expression pitiable.
At such a display, most people would likely feel a sense of pity, an irresistible urge to possess and protect her.
The number of people in the second-floor pavilion was increasing, and most of the pavilions around were already occupied.
A youth carrying a black sword slowly approached the pavilion where Xu Zimei was seated.
This youth was none other than Yue Yi, known as the Heavenly Sword, whom the crowd had discussed outside the Vast Expanse Building earlier.
He had a detached expression all the way until he entered the pavilion, and then he looked at the woman in red.
Showing a shy smile, he called out, "Hong’er."
"Yue Heir, is there something you need?" The woman in red immediately curbed her look and asked indifferently.
"Nothing much, just heard you were here and thought I’d come to see," Yue Yi said with a naive smile.
"If there’s nothing else, I would ask that Yue Heir please leave," the woman in red turned away, her smile blossoming, and addressed Zimo.
"Don’t disturb my conversation with this gentleman."
Yue Yi’s expression changed slightly, he glanced at Xu Zimei and then asked, "You like him?"
"Don’t talk nonsense," the lady in red said, her complexion turning frantic in an instant.
Then, with a blush on her face, she looked at Xu Zimei and whispered, "I just felt a natural affinity for this gentleman, but the gentleman has not yet agreed to my request."
After she finished speaking, she ran off shyly and returned to her own pavilion.
Yue Yi was left behind, his expression changing unpredictably.
"Was that a confession?" Xu Zimei was momentarily astonished, then chuckled.
"It appears so," Demon Thirteen nodded in agreement.
Yue Yi remained silent for a while, his facial expression mixed, before finally sighing deeply.
"I hope you’ll treat her well," he said to Xu Zimei.
"Rest assured, I definitely will," Xu Zimei replied with a smile, nodding.
In the nearby pavilion, Qingmu Xuan frowned slightly and said, "Hong Rong, you’re teasing someone again.
That Young Master Yue is also romantically obsessed; why did you entice him in the first place if you didn’t love him?"
"Don’t you think it’s interesting, two men fighting over you?
It’s just a pity that Yue Yi is a weakling, falsely claiming the title of Heavenly Sword, to give up just like that."
The lady in red shook her head and laughed, "With looks like ours, aren’t they meant for men to admire?
I am not like my senior sister, devoid of desires."
...
Seeing Yue Yi disheartened, Xu Zimei turned to look at Demon Thirteen.
"What are you waiting for?
Since the lady in red likes me so much, we can’t ignore her kind intentions.
Look, it’s getting dark soon, hurry and find a room to invite the lady in.
Come evening, I shall have a good talk with her about life’s ambitions, and discuss poetry and prose."
"Yes, young master," Demon Thirteen nodded, stood up, and walked toward the pavilion.
Though it was still early outside, the Vast Expanse Building was brightly lit.
Large red lanterns hung outside the pavilion.
A bright moon slowly pierced through the fog above, illuminating everything below.
Relaxing music drifted from around.
Demon Thirteen entered the adjacent pavilion and said to the lady in red, "My young master invites you.">
The lady in red laughed smugly, then shook her head and said, "Go back and tell your young master that I am feeling unwell today, let’s talk another day."
"That won’t do, what our young master says, I must do. Miss, please come with me," Demon Thirteen replied, shaking his head.
"What if I don’t go?" the lady in red asked, her eyes narrowing.
Demon Thirteen did not speak; dark Demonic Qi swirled around him and he suddenly reached towards the lady in red.
The lady in red’s gaze hardened, her red dress wrapped in countless red ribbons.
At that moment, these red ribbons, infused with Spiritual Energy, intertwined and snaked towards Demon Thirteen’s right hand.
Demonic Qi surged in Demon Thirteen’s right hand, and flames of Samadhi Flame erupted fiercely.
He burned all the ribbons to ash, and his large hand struck down once more.
"Yue Yi, save me," the lady in red’s complexion changed to one of panic, and she shouted for help.
Just as Demon Thirteen’s hand was about to land, a sudden "clang" of a sword being drawn rang out from nearby.
Then, a streak of sword light, as fast as lightning, slashed towards Demon Thirteen.
