“Hehehe, calm on the surface, but you’re probably fuming inside, aren’t you?”
Ever since she had known Gu Qinghan, the other woman had always maintained that same expressionless visage.
No matter what happened, she acted as if she didn’t care, maintaining a facade of aloofness.
Nalan Yunyan found this extremely irritating, yet she had always been helpless against it.
But just now, she had clearly sensed a shift in Gu Qinghan’s aura; the woman’s composure had wavered because of her appearance.
If she wasn’t fuming over Qian Yu’s betrayal, then what else could it be?
Heh, she had certainly made the right choice in taking that little brother under her wing.
Giving Gu Qinghan another provocative look and seeing that she was still “feigning ignorance,” Nalan Yunyan smugly pulled out a Sound Recording Stone.
She intended to play back the words Qian Yu had said back then, exposing Gu Qinghan’s disguise right to her face.
“Yunyan, Qinghan, you’ve arrived? Come in.”
Before she could act, the tightly closed doors ahead swung open abruptly, and a physical wave of Daoist resonance rushed toward them.
The scenery before Gu Qinghan and Nalan Yunyan shifted instantly.
When they reappeared, they were already standing amidst a sea of clouds and a river of stars high in the sky.
This was not merely a change in scenery; it was a literal displacement of space.
This was… Manifestation of Word. It was a technique that could only be wielded by those in the Venerable Realm.
Sensing the power that could transform heaven and earth in an instant, even someone of Nalan Yunyan’s high birth could not help but become a bit more cautious, losing the urge to continue provoking Gu Qinghan.
It was true that her family accounted for half of all the Venerables in the world, but she herself was not in the Venerable Realm.
Moreover, among the dozen or so Venerables in existence, the woman before them was one of the strongest.
As a former Venerable herself, Gu Qinghan’s perception was naturally deeper than Nalan Yunyan’s.
She looked at the beautiful woman standing in the Sea of Clouds, who was watching them with a faint smile, and a few ripples silently crossed her heart.
This Sect Master, titled the Cloud-Weave Star Venerable, was one of the seniors who had shown her much kindness in her previous life.
According to her understanding, the woman was likely no longer just a Venerable, but had already stepped into the higher level of a Semi-Saint.
The reason she remained hidden and did not announce it was probably because…
Gu Qinghan silently glanced at Nalan Yunyan beside her.
“Yunyan, Qinghan, I assume you both know why I have called you here this time.”
As the Sect Master of the Luoxia Immortal Sect, the Cloud-Weave Star Venerable did not carry even a hint of a senior’s aloofness or arrogance when she spoke.
She was gentle and warm, yet she did not lack solemnity or elegance.
Gu Qinghan and Nalan Yunyan nodded simultaneously.
Before coming, a Daoist page had already explained the situation to them in detail.
The current landscape of the Cultivation World was a standoff between the Human Race and the Demon Race, each occupying their own domains.
Meanwhile, the Mara Clan was growing stronger in the shadows, watching like a tiger stalking its prey. Precisely because of the threat posed by the Mara Clan, the Human Race and the Demon Race, who had previously been locked in endless blood feuds, had suddenly begun to reconcile.
This Year-end Examination was the beginning of a diplomatic trial between the Human Race and the Demon Race—an opportunity to spar and understand one another.
However, the true purpose was likely to flex their muscles so that they could gain an advantage in the upcoming alliance meetings.
“We will handle the exchanges above the level of a Venerable ourselves. The sparring and communication between disciples, however, can only be left to you.”
The Cloud-Weave Star Venerable sighed, her gaze turning warm as she looked at Nalan Yunyan and Gu Qinghan.
“The representatives of the Demon Race have already visited other Sacred Lands. To be honest, our responses haven’t been great. After all, two Sacred Bodies have emerged among the younger generation of the Demon Race in this era.”
“Oh?” Nalan Yunyan’s interest was piqued instantly.
As one of the strongest tiers among the countless constitutions in the world, the rarity of a Sacred Body was such that one might not appear even across several Great Eras. This time, the Demon Race had produced two at once?
Was the Cloud-Weave Star Venerable calling them here so that she and Gu Qinghan could each deal with one?
Nalan Yunyan acknowledged Gu Qinghan’s strength.
Although the other woman did not possess a Sacred Body, her comprehension of divine abilities and Daoist methods far exceeded that of ordinary people.
Even without a special constitution, she could display extraordinary combat power.
“No.”
The Cloud-Weave Star Venerable negated Nalan Yunyan’s assumption.
“Of the two Demon Sacred Bodies, one has a cultivation level equal to yours, but the other is barely in the Second Realm due to their age. I called you here today to ask: which of you wishes to face the other Demon Sacred Body in the Fourth Realm?”
It was starting.
Gu Qinghan’s eyes flickered slightly.
The strength and background of that Fourth Realm Demon Sacred Body were far from as simple as they appeared on the surface.
In her previous life, it was after Nalan Yunyan lost to that individual—and then she had easily defeated them—that Nalan Yunyan’s resentment toward her deepened, eventually leading her down an evil path.
That wouldn’t have mattered much; she didn’t care what happened to Nalan Yunyan in the end.
But the problem was that the Demon Sacred Body seemed to have lost to her on purpose.
To be more precise, they had lost so pathetically and so easily on purpose. At the time, Gu Qinghan felt it was strange but didn’t overthink it. Looking back now, there was probably some underlying intent to sow discord.
She did not want to be that blade.
Gu Qinghan gave the Cloud-Weave Star Venerable a meaningful, silent look.
Just as she was about to speak, Nalan Yunyan stepped forward.
“Let me go first. The so-called Demon Race is nothing more than a bunch of savages who drink blood and eat raw meat. Even if they have obtained some fortune and gained intelligence, they are no match for me.”
This was an open scheme.
Nalan Yunyan’s personality dictated that she would absolutely demand to go first.
Once she lost, Gu Qinghan, who had enjoyed the Sect’s benefits and resources, would not be able to stand idly by at such a critical moment involving the honor of the entire Sect.
“And when the time comes… that fox demon will probably lose to me on purpose again, and the trap will be set.”
Gu Qinghan sighed in her heart.
She knew that on the arena meant for lower-level cultivators, when facing the Second Realm Sacred Body, the prodigy sent by the Nalan Family would also be unable to win.
In the end, it would be the junior sister from Gu Qinghan’s own lineage who would step up.
That junior sister was just like her—both had been scouted by the “keen eye” of the Cloud-Weave Star Venerable, the true Sect Master of the Luoxia Immortal Sect, who had ordered them to be nurtured…
Back then, while she was part of the game, she hadn’t felt anything was wrong.
Now it seemed that this respectable senior who had helped her so much had likely been using her from the very beginning as a sharp blade to point at the Nalan Family, forcing them to be the first to lose their cool.
Gu Qinghan didn’t want to be caught in the middle of a power struggle between two great factions, but it was a fact that the Cloud-Weave Star Venerable had nurtured her, and it was a fact that the Luoxia Immortal Sect had invested in her.
She couldn’t take their resources and then, when the time came, accuse them of having hidden motives and refuse to act.
This tribulation had to be faced by the Nalan Family and Nalan Yunyan personally.
The best solution would be for them to win both matches, giving her no chance to appear.
Unfortunately… she suspected that Nalan Yunyan would be unable to defeat those two Demon Sacred Bodies.
Sighing again in her heart, she watched as the Cloud-Weave Star Venerable finished her instructions and, with a warm, encouraging gaze, finalized the decision for Nalan Yunyan to lead the charge.
As a reward for her courage, she even smilingly gifted her several spirit tools and Elixirs.
Nalan Yunyan naturally didn’t lack such trifles, but based on the principle that if she had them and Gu Qinghan didn’t, she was winning, she decided to accept them.
Afterward, she gave the other woman a haughty glance.
Gu Qinghan remained silent, somewhat understanding why Qian Yu, before his death in her previous life, had accused her and Nalan Yunyan of being two children who refused to grow up, relying only on their talent or family status.
She herself was certainly not a child who hadn’t grown up, but Nalan Yunyan did indeed act a bit like one.
Hmm…
Speaking of Qian Yu, Gu Qinghan suddenly remembered that among the spirit tools the Cloud-Weave Star Venerable had just bestowed, there seemed to be one that was very suitable for him.
In the next instant, the gazes of the two women converged on a single object.
Upon realizing it, they looked at each other, sensing mutual confusion.
Why was this woman looking at that Fox-Tail Short Sword too?