“Wow! Are we almost there?”
After half a month of long-distance flight, Hua Xiangrong and her parents arrived on the deck of the Flower Boat early that morning.
As soon as the pink-haired girl stepped out, she felt the salty, damp breath of the sea breeze.
On this day, Hua Xiangrong wore a cream-colored silk jacket embroidered with light purple floral patterns.
Below, she wore a lotus-colored skirt paired with small pink-and-white court boots, her braids tied with purple velvet knots and pink-and-white flowers pinned to her temples.
The warm light of the South Sea’s early spring fell upon her, making the girl’s rosy face look even more adorable, like a delicate flower in first bloom.
She suddenly lunged toward the railing at the edge of the deck, standing on her tiptoes to peer down.
Below the Spirit Boat was a vast, boundless expanse of deep blue sea.
Layers upon layers of waves gently slapped against the clean, white sand, producing a lazy and rhythmic sound.
Splash… splash…
Coconut groves stretched along the coast, their large fronds swaying in the warm wind and casting dappled shadows.
In the distance, countless emerald islands were scattered like jade across the glass-like sea.
Occasionally, white seabirds swept past, their wingtips grazing the water and sending out ripples.
“To be precise, we have just reached the coastline and are about to enter the South Sea—which is a region composed of numerous island chains.”
Hua Yan walked out of the cabin with her hands behind her back.
She had naturally changed into early spring attire: a vermilion gauze robe over a matching bodice, with dark patterns embroidered on the collar and black gauze lace on the sleeves.
Several red-beaded flowers were pinned in her hair, accompanied by gold chain tassels.
A few strands of her red hair were braided and draped over her shoulders, making her face glow like the dawn.
She squinted her beautiful pale gold eyes at the warm sun and nodded with satisfaction.
“Mmh, as expected, the South Sea territory is quite warm.”
And it truly was—the South Sea islands lay across the vast green waves southeast of Shenzhou, bathed year-round in temperate sea breezes and warm sunshine.
Even in February, there wasn’t a hint of bleakness; instead, it felt as warm as spring.
Flying from the Xiaoyao Sword Sect all the way to the South Sea felt like traveling from a snowy winter into a season of blooming flowers.
The salty scent of the tide grew stronger, and the sun spilled through the thin clouds.
It felt warm and cozy against the skin, lacking winter’s chill and feeling more like the pleasant March or April weather in the Central Plains.
“Yes, Yan’er is right. The South Sea is full of islands. The sea-faring cultivators, the Merfolk, and the sea beasts there collectively form the Tinghai Pavilion.”
Yun Xuechang walked forward to stand beside Hua Yan and explained softly.
“Our destination is a barren island in the South Sea. It isn’t too deep in. It was said to be uninhabited, but someone sensed Spiritual Qi fluctuations recently.”
“After the Tinghai Pavilion sent people to investigate, they discovered news regarding a Secret Realm.”
Today, she wore a moon-white soft satin dress under a pea-green gauze shirt with sleeves as wide as blooming lotus petals.
An ancient longsword was strapped to her back, and a plain silk ribbon was pinned in her white hair.
The outfit complemented her cold eyes, making them look like dark ink and mist.
“Mmh, not bad.”
Hua Yan turned to look at her and nodded with satisfaction.
It was hard to tell if that “not bad” meant she agreed with the explanation or was praising her own choice of outfit for Yun Xuechang.
“Anyway, girl,” she turned to Hua Xiangrong, “if you’ve seen enough of the sea, go wait in the cabin. It will take some time to reach the destination.”
“I know, Mother.”
Hua Xiangrong remained sprawled against the railing, staring at the waves below without looking back, merely nodding her head slightly.
*
“Um… Mother, is this the… ‘barren island’ you mentioned?”
At noon, after finishing lunch, the family of three returned to the deck.
Hua Xiangrong blinked as she looked down at the destination island beneath the Spirit Boat.
The island was shaped roughly like a heart, resembling a piece of green jade polished smooth by the seawater, floating quietly on the azure surface.
However, no matter how she looked at it, it did not seem like a so-called “barren island.”
On the contrary, a sizable city for cultivators stood right in the center of the island.
The city was built according to the island’s terrain, with walls made of bluish-gray Spirit Stones that shimmered faintly in the sun.
Buildings and pavilions were scattered throughout the city, with the occasional cultivator flying to and fro.
Dense vegetation surrounded the city, with a small path winding its way toward the white sandy beach.
“What… what is going on?”
Yun Xuechang was also stunned by the sight.
The Sect Master had clearly stated this was a barren island, so why…
At that moment, two streaks of light flew out from the sizable city and stopped in front of the Xiaoyao Sword Sect’s fleet.
One was a petite girl with black hair, carrying a massive wooden box on her back that was completely disproportionate to her size.
She wore a stone-blue satin robe with gold-woven floral patterns.
The other was a tall girl with long, wavy, deep-sea blue hair that shimmered with a faint water-blue luster at the tips.
She wore a deep-sea blue bodice dress under a semi-transparent ice-blue gauze shirt.
Notably, she had transparent, fin-like ears behind her earlobes that were as thin as a cicada’s wings, their edges glowing with a faint pearly pink.
The black-haired girl was Qu Linglong, whom they hadn’t seen in several months.
As she approached the somewhat unfamiliar fleet, her sharp eyes immediately spotted the Flower Boat with the elegant character ‘Rong’ carved on it.
She instantly determined the identity of the visitors and greeted them with a smile and cupped hands.
“Haha, so it’s our friends from the Xiaoyao Sword Sect! I am Qu Linglong of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion, and this is the Young Master of the Tinghai Pavilion, Lan Cangyue. Forgive us for the lack of a proper welcome!”
“Cardinal Qu, no need for such formalities. We have come from afar; if anything, we are the ones disturbing you and Young Pavilion Master Lan.”
Ji Ling, dressed in a black robe, flew out from her own Spirit Boat and returned the gesture.
Another figure swept out from a different Spirit Boat to stand beside her—it was Yue Jue.
To suit the warm weather of the South Sea, she had changed into a red and gold Qipao.
“Long time no see, Daoist Friend Qu.”
Yun Xuechang and Hua Yan also flew out from their Flower Boat.
Hua Yan smiled and greeted Qu Linglong, whom she hadn’t seen for several months.
“It has been a long time, Daoist Friend Qu, Daoist Friend Lan.”
Yun Xuechang nodded politely to the two of them before asking with a hint of confusion.
“Friends, I heard that this new Secret Realm in the South Sea was located on an uninhabited barren island. Why is it that now…”
“Oh, oh! Are you asking about this city, Daoist Friend Yun?”
“Our Heavenly Mystery Pavilion took a commission from the Tinghai Pavilion to build this thing quickly! What do you think? Not bad, right?”
As soon as Qu Linglong heard the question, the smile on her face grew even more radiant.
Clearly, these wealthy cultivators of the South Sea had allowed this money-grubbing Cardinal to earn quite a lot of Spirit Stones.
“Because the opening of a Secret Realm is unpredictable—the fluctuations suggest it could be months, but maybe it’ll open tomorrow.”
“The friends at Tinghai Pavilion also felt the location of this island was decent—oh, it has a name now: Yuxin Island. They figured they might develop it in the future.”
“Even if they don’t, leaving this city for the mortals of the South Sea would be good. So, they commissioned our Heavenly Mystery Pavilion to build this city immediately.”
Just because they had to wait for the Secret Realm to open and “felt the location was decent,” they hired the profiteers of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion to build an entire city?
‘As expected of the South Sea’s Tinghai Pavilion, they have more Spirit Stones than they know what to do with.’
Hua Yan grumbled inwardly as she listened to the explanation.
“By the way, almost all the sects investigating the Secret Realm have arrived,” Qu Linglong continued with a chuckle.
“From your Righteous Path, there’s Haoran Academy, the Xuanyuan Dao Sect, the Three Buddhist Sects, the Shenhuo Sect, the Shenxiao Palace, and even people from the Ice Lotus Pool in the north.”
“Most of our neutral sects have arrived as well—though, the friends from the Xiaoyao Sword Sect are a bit late.”
“How about it? Why don’t you all leave your Spirit Boats and follow us to Yuxin City to greet the members of the other sects?”
Wait… the neutral sects have all arrived…?
Hearing this, the smile on Hua Yan’s face shifted slightly, and a trace of gritted teeth appeared on her beautiful features.
“Daoist Friend Qu, did you say… all your neutral sects have arrived?”
“Uh… yeah,” Qu Linglong said hesitantly, scratching her head as she noticed Hua Yan’s expression.
“Our Heavenly Mystery Pavilion, as well as Yaowang Valley and the Hehuan Sect, are all here.”
The Hehuan Sect!!!
That means… that bastard Su Feiyao, as the Saintess of Hehuan Sect, must also be here!
Hua Yan’s beautiful pale gold eyes seemed to spark with fire as she gritted her teeth.
“Very well. Then I certainly need to pay a proper visit to our fellow Daoist Friends!”