Chapter Thirty-Two: Do Not Hold Chu Lingyun Back

"What do you suggest I do?" Chen Xuan looked at Su Yu with genuine interest.

"In my opinion," Su Yu said arrogantly, "Senior should allow Fairy Lingyun to leave the sect."

"I have just invited Fairy Lingyun to join my Lingxiao Sacred Land, but she refused because she does not want to bear the stigma of betraying her master. If you voluntarily let her go, she can join the Lingxiao Sacred Land with a clear conscience. The Lingxiao Sacred Land has stood for ten thousand years and possesses immeasurable resources. Once Fairy Lingyun is there, her cultivation will surely soar; achieving the stages of Feathering and Ascension is entirely possible. I ask that you do not hold her back."

"So that is how it is." After hearing Su Yu out, Chen Xuan finally understood why Su Yu's filial piety score for him was negative. It turned out that Su Yu had set his sights on Chu Lingyun. However, because Chu Lingyun's filial piety score toward him was already at 95, she would never betray him, leading her to refuse Su Yu coldly. This was why Su Yu held a grudge against him.

"Lingyun, have I been holding you back?" Chen Xuan looked down at Chu Lingyun beside him.

"No!" Chu Lingyun shook her head hurriedly. "Master’s kindness to me is as deep as a mountain. Without you, I would have been tortured to death by the Ye family long ago. How could you possibly be a burden to me?"

"But I cannot provide you with cultivation resources. You have to rely on yourself, and even I have to rely on you," Chen Xuan continued.

"It doesn't matter," Chu Lingyun replied. "I can cultivate on my own. If Master is ever in need of anything, just tell me, and I will certainly find it for you."

"Then, are you willing to join the Lingxiao Sacred Land?" Chen Xuan asked again.

"No. Whether it is a Sacred Land or the Heavenly Court, I only want to stay with you, Master." Chu Lingyun's eyes were incredibly sincere, filled with nothing but Chen Xuan. He had been so kind to her; he was the best person in this world to her. No matter what happened, she would never abandon him.

"You see, Lingyun does not wish to join your Lingxiao Sacred Land. You may leave now." Chen Xuan fixed his gaze on Su Yu, his expression no longer as friendly as before. A Child of Destiny is only a Child of Destiny if they show filial respect toward him. Anyone who cannot bring him benefits is someone Chen Xuan has no time for. He had originally considered taking Su Yu as a disciple and bringing him into the Xuandan Sect to nurture him, but now he saw no need.

"You!" Su Yu’s face turned ugly. He truly could not understand what kind of bewitching potion Chen Xuan had fed Chu Lingyun to make her like this. Let him leave? The fan in Chu Lingyun’s hand was clearly no ordinary artifact; how could he possibly be willing to give it up so easily? However, Chen Xuan’s cultivation was formidable, and not something he, a peak Golden Core cultivator, could contend with.

Just as he was struggling with the dilemma, dozens of figures arrived from the horizon.

"There they are!"

"Chen Xuan, so you are here! And you killed my Sun-Moon Sect disciples!" Dongfang Qiu descended on a cloud, his appearance still as effeminate as before.

"Oh, it's you." Seeing Dongfang Qiu, Chen Xuan teased, "What is it? Here to bring me more gifts?"

"You!" Dongfang Qiu gnashed his teeth in anger. Last time, at the Xuandan Sect, he had been forced to have over a thousand disciples and elders hand over their storage rings to save his own life. After returning to the sect, he had to use sect resources to compensate them to appease the disciples, resulting in a massive loss. He never expected to run into him again today. Last time, he was only at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage and was no match for Chen Xuan, so he had to swallow his pride, but this time, he was not afraid.

"Ancestor, he is Chen Xuan!" Dongfang Qiu said respectfully to a short, thin, white-clad old man beside him. This was the Supreme Elder of the Sun-Moon Sect, Dongfang Bubai.

"Chen Xuan!" Dongfang Qiu sneered. "This is our Supreme Elder, Dongfang Bubai, whose cultivation has reached the peak of the Spirit Severing stage. Even if you hold a Sacred Artifact, you cannot defeat him!"

"So, you are Chen Xuan?" Dongfang Bubai assumed the posture of an otherworldly expert. "I heard you just broke through to the early stage of the Spirit Severing realm and used a Sacred Artifact to kill a fellow early-stage expert. However, you must realize that the gap between the early stage and the peak of the Spirit Severing realm is not a simple matter of two minor realms; it is a chasm that many geniuses can never cross. Even I spent five hundred years climbing from the early stage to the peak. Your Sacred Artifact might be effective against early-stage cultivators, but it will not be so useful against me."

"How about this: hand over the Sacred Artifact and merge your Xuandan Sect into the Sun-Moon Sect. You can become an Elder of Leisure in my sect. Wouldn't that be wonderful?" Dongfang Bubai offered a mix of threat and incentive.

"Did you hear that, Chen Xuan? You are only at the early stage of the Spirit Severing realm—if you don't want to die, hand over the Sacred Artifact!" Dongfang Qiu added, emboldened by his backer.

"Early Spirit Severing?" Upon hearing Chen Xuan's cultivation level, Su Yu thought even less of him. He had previously assumed Chen Xuan was at the peak of the Spirit Severing realm. Now that he was facing a true peak-stage expert, even with a Sacred Artifact, it would be difficult for Chen Xuan to win if he could not master it properly.

"Fairy Lingyun, do you see? Your master is in danger himself. Are you going to throw your life away following him?" Su Yu asked.

"That is none of your concern," Chu Lingyun retorted. "If my master dies, I will not live on!"

A flicker of gloom crossed Su Yu's eyes. If not for her beauty and the precious fan in her hands, he would never have wasted so many words on her. Usually, women were the ones circling him.

"Senior," Su Yu suddenly stepped forward and addressed Dongfang Bubai and his party. "I am Su Yu, the Holy Son of the Lingxiao Sacred Land."

"Lingxiao Sacred Land? The Holy Son?!" Ordinary cultivators knew little of the Sacred Lands, but Dongfang Bubai had traveled for a thousand years and had naturally heard of the Lingxiao Sacred Land’s reputation. It was a ten-thousand-year-old power. He had once been fortunate enough to pass by the Lingxiao Sacred Land, and even then, with only Nascent Soul cultivation, he had been stunned by its prosperity. Ever since, he had dreamed of joining it. But the requirements for talent were extremely high; perfect spirit roots were only the baseline, and one was required to reach the Nascent Soul stage before the age of two hundred. It was rumored that beings who had attained Ascension lived there—those who had stepped across the threshold into immortality.

"So it is the Holy Son. Dongfang Bubai pays his respects. I do not know what brings you here, but perhaps this old man can offer some assistance." Even though Dongfang Bubai’s cultivation was far higher than Su Yu’s, he acted like a servant in front of him.

"This fairy and I share a bond. Could you, for my sake, let them go today? Once today passes, I will no longer concern myself with any of your affairs."