Not only that…
Even the issue of identity would be resolved through the sect’s legitimacy.
No one would think that the sect master of this sect could be human!
Even if the law of the jungle still exists, the Cultivation World still has a minimal protection protocol in operation, which also means an extra layer of safety.
She wouldn’t be casually crushed like an ordinary person by other eerie creatures!
Her eyes widened, flashing with an incredulous and excited light.
Her cheeks flushed with excitement, and the corners of her mouth couldn’t help but pull upward, almost letting out a laugh!
If it weren’t for A Ran, Xiao Mu, and Jiu Baiyun being there, she would have jumped up and cheered nine times right on the spot.
‘Jackpot! This time I really hit the jackpot!’
That was the only thought frantically scrolling through her mind.
‘A legend! As expected of a legend! This was way stronger than those useless pieces of junk from before!’
“Sister Su Zhiyun?”
A Ran’s soft, sticky voice rang out with obvious confusion.
She felt Su Zhiyun’s hand suddenly tighten around hers, even trembling slightly.
“What’s wrong? Are you… are you feeling unwell?”
And Sister Su Zhiyun’s expression is so strange, as if she saw something incredible, both surprised and delighted.
Or… did she see danger again?
A Ran looked nervously at the charred black ground around her, then raised her little face and stared worriedly at Su Zhiyun’s expression, which was somewhat contorted by ecstasy.
“Ah? Oh, it’s nothing, nothing!”
Su Zhiyun quickly let go of her unconsciously clenched hand, instantly forcing a smile on her face as she tried to cover up her earlier loss of composure, and said rapidly:
“It’s just… just now I suddenly thought of a joke, and I almost couldn’t hold back from laughing! Really, it’s nothing!”
A Ran was a bit confused by Su Zhiyun’s abrupt explanation, and looked at her suspiciously twice.
Seeing that although Big Sister Su Zhiyun’s smile was a bit exaggerated and her cheeks a little red, her eyes were sparkling, and she really didn’t seem to see danger or be uncomfortable.
The little girl said “Oh,” and didn’t press further, just tightening her little hand around Su Zhiyun’s again, continuing to step unsteadily on the charred, soft ground.
Su Zhiyun followed along on the surface, but her mind was completely occupied by the [Preliminary Sect Establishment Scroll] glowing with a warm jade light in the System Space.
The words “recognized by the entire Cultivation World” echoed repeatedly in her mind like magic, stirring up an uncontrollable wave of excitement.
‘Establish a sect! The more she thought about it, the more excited she became. She felt her blood boiling, and her steps became much lighter. Although she didn’t have much goodwill for other sects, especially those so-called “Immortals,” when it actually came to the possibility of building her own sect, it was impossible not to be excited! After all, the ultimate mission the System had set for her was to cleanse all the eerie filth in this world! As long as she could build a sect, it would undoubtedly be a huge leap forward!’
Thinking this, Su Zhiyun’s gaze fell on Jiu Baiyun ahead.
“Hey! Jiu Baiyun!”
Su Zhiyun’s voice carried a hint of barely detectable joy and urgency, breaking the silence on the charred ground.
Jiu Baiyun paused mid-step and turned back in confusion.
He noticed Su Zhiyun’s eyes were startlingly bright, her cheeks flushed with excitement, and couldn’t help but be slightly stunned.
To someone who didn’t know, they might think she was lovesick.
Su Zhiyun took a deep breath, trying hard to make her tone sound less fanciful, but that excitement still seeped through her words.
“Um… how about… we stop walking? I mean, we don’t have to go back the same way. That area has been ‘cleansed’ anyway, there’s nothing left.”
“Hmm?”
Jiu Baiyun frowned, even more puzzled.
Xiao Mu also raised her little face and looked at her blankly.
A Ran tightened her grip on Su Zhiyun’s hand nervously, looked up at her, not quite understanding what Su Zhiyun wanted to do.
Meeting Jiu Baiyun’s eyes and looking at his delicate face, Su Zhiyun took a moment to compose herself before continuing:
“I mean… we… don’t have to go back the same way… change direction, find a good place… how about building a sect?”
“Ah?”
A Ran and Xiao Mu let out confused exclamations at the same time, their two little faces full of disbelief.
‘Isn’t that something only Immortals can build?’
When he heard “build a sect,” Jiu Baiyun was momentarily stunned, then a flash of understanding instantly passed through his deep blue eyes.
Su Zhiyun’s abnormally excited state, her overly bright gaze, and this completely unreasonable yet somehow certain proposal—this was definitely not something Su Zhiyun would normally think of.
‘He was almost certain that this was again due to Su Zhiyun’s “Golden Finger.” Either her “Golden Finger” had issued a mission to build a sect with extremely rich rewards, or it had given her some amazing reward that made her think of building a sect. However… building a sect in this world was not easy. Su Zhiyun, of all people, should know the difficulty. Seeing how excited she was… well, she probably had already obtained some substantial tangible reward, and it was related to building a sect. In that case, the latter possibility seemed more likely. Regardless, if she could really build a sect, it would also be beneficial to him.’
So, Jiu Baiyun nodded and said:
“I understand.”
He paused for a moment, his silver-white fox ears trembling lightly in the breeze.
His eyes swept around, taking in the charred, lifeless ground, the twisted, grotesque withered trees, and the distant forest that, while unpolluted, still looked gloomy and dark.
Then he asked:
“Then where do you plan to go?”
Su Zhiyun hesitated for a moment before saying:
“To build a sect, we need a mountain peak… but I don’t know any good place. How about we just pick a direction and look?”
Hearing Su Zhiyun’s words, Jiu Baiyun was exasperated.
But this was within expectations.
Jiu Baiyun looked at the direction the Heavenly Palace had left, then at the distance it had traveled, and sighed.
Going back the same way was indeed the most direct path, with a wide view; that charred wasteland was lifeless, and the residual pressure might even drive away some low-level evil spirits.
But that charred land route was also quite long, and it would take a considerable amount of time to walk out entirely.
After hesitating for a moment, Jiu Baiyun looked up at Su Zhiyun again and finally said:
“Then let’s change direction and head southeast.”
Far to the southeast, a series of continuous mountain ranges were clearly visible.
Compared to the other empty directions, heading southeast would give a clearer target.
Hearing Jiu Baiyun’s words, Su Zhiyun immediately turned southeast.
After seeing the faint outline of the mountains, she nodded.