Chapter 276: A Variety of Charms

The woman's voice was delicate with a hint of allure, soft with a touch of charm. At first listen, it resembled an oriole emerging from a valley or a kite crying and a phoenix singing – clear and bright, yet melodious and gentle.

It was full of temptation.

Xu Qing trembled all over, his scalp tingling, rendering him completely immobile.

He allowed the woman to lift his chin, noticing the playful glint in her eyes.

He felt a mix of bewilderment and immense nervousness, compounded by a strange fragrance that now filled the air around them.

It was the woman's body scent, causing Xu Qing's heart to pound at an unprecedented rate.

This was an experience unlike any he had ever known.

It felt like a life-or-death crisis, yet also a sensation he couldn't quite articulate—as if he were a delicious treat about to be sampled.

Her cultivation level, combined with a hunter's discerning gaze, sent overwhelming ripples through Xu Qing's mind.

Beside him, the captain gasped.

"Huang Yikun, you scoundrel, it was just a Profound Gloom Finger technique! How could you call your ancestor?!" The captain's breathing quickened, but then he reconsidered. Something was amiss. Even if Huang Yikun was a prodigy, it was highly unlikely his ancestor would personally intervene to trouble them, unless he was also a direct descendant, like Sheng Yunzi.

Yet, based on his knowledge, this was clearly not the case.

He quickly calmed down, carefully observing the stunning woman. Noticing her posture and recalling her earlier words, his eyes suddenly widened. A bold suspicion flashed through his mind, exploding like thunder.

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!" The captain quickly shut his eyes, feigning ignorance, though a tempest raged within him.

"Little Ah Qing's face... this is a fatal blow!"

Meanwhile, at the foot of the mountain, two figures were swiftly approaching. One was Huang Yikun, and the other, clearly older, bore a resemblance to him.

Moving like shooting stars, the two headed directly for their location.

"Brother, today you must help me get justice! They went too far, brutally breaking all five of my fingers. It's utterly cruel, infuriating, and outrageous!" Huang Yikun gritted his teeth as he spoke, still rushing forward.

"Don't worry, little brother, your elder brother will..." The older man beside him was his brother, Huang Lingfei, who possessed a Heavenly Palace Golden Core cultivation. As they drew closer to their destination, Huang Lingfei's words abruptly trailed off, and his eyes suddenly widened in shock.

He instantly froze, staring in disbelief at the scene unfolding in the distance. He watched as his own ancestor lifted Xu Qing's chin, seemingly flirting.

Beside them was the Great Prince of Seven Peaks, whose eyes were clearly shut, seemingly afraid to witness the ancestor's actions or Xu Qing's predicament. Yet, the shock etched on his face perfectly mirrored Huang Lingfei's own internal turmoil.

This sight made Huang Lingfei gasp. Beside him, Huang Yikun, who was clearly slower to react, was still growling.

"And that Xu Qing, brother, help me with..."

Their arrival caught the captain's attention. He opened his eyes and looked over, just as the stunning woman, having scanned Xu Qing and lowered her hand, turned her gaze towards Huang Lingfei and Huang Yikun.

With a single glance, Huang Lingfei's mind reeled. He spun around and sharply slapped his brother's head, instantly knocking out the still-speaking Huang Yikun.

"Help you with what?!" Huang Lingfei roared internally, thinking that his younger brother had always been dim-witted; otherwise, he wouldn't have been sent to the Seven Blood Eyes in the first place.

After all, no one else had gone.

Only he had foolishly gone when told.

Going was one thing, losing fingers was another, but now he had nearly gotten himself killed.

Huang Lingfei's mind trembled. He couldn't forget the scene he had just witnessed and cursed Huang Yikun inwardly, thinking, *Of all people to provoke, why did you provoke the one our ancestor fancies?*

"Why have you two come as well?" The speaker was the stunning woman who stood before Xu Qing, now turning to face Huang Lingfei.

Huang Lingfei shuddered. Without a moment's hesitation, he grabbed the unconscious Huang Yikun, swiftly approached, threw his brother to the ground, and then knelt, speaking loudly.

"Ancestor, this disciple came with Xu Qing today... Fellow Daoist! My younger brother, in his ignorance, offended Fellow Daoist Xu, so I brought him here today to apologize."

Huang Lingfei was extremely nervous. He had paused, unsure whether to address Xu Qing as junior brother or senior brother, finding neither suitable. What if the ancestor misunderstood? But he reacted quickly, swiftly settling on the term "Fellow Daoist."

After speaking, he looked at Xu Qing with a sincere expression. "Fellow Daoist Xu Qing, my younger brother isn't very bright; he's an idiot."

Beside them, Huang Yikun slowly opened his eyes, looking bewildered after the fall. He vaguely heard his brother's voice, but before he could fully awaken, Huang Lingfei instantly slapped him again, rendering him unconscious once more.

"Please, Fellow Daoist Xu Qing, don't mind him." Huang Lingfei's forehead was sweating, his heart pounding, and he dared not rise.

The stunning woman standing before Xu Qing smiled again at this. Without a word, she took a step forward and ascended into the sky.

Moonlight now fell upon her alluring form, accentuating it like a blooming violet. On her snow-white skin, it seemed to transform into a celestial veil.

This imbued the already mature and beautiful woman with an unparalleled grace. In mid-air, she paused, turned her head slightly, looked down at the ground, and chuckled softly.

"Little friend, you're welcome to visit the Profound Gloom Sect anytime."

As she hovered in the sky, with the moon behind her, shimmering light enveloped her. It was as if a violet star had risen to illuminate an orchid, her slender waist adorned with a jade belt dancing in celestial gauze. One might have suspected she was a fairy descended from the nine heavens, her backward glance and smile outshining the stars.

Her laughter lingered, though she was already far away.

As the Profound Gloom Sect's ancestor departed, Xu Qing's body instantly regained its mobility. He stumbled back, his breath coming in ragged gasps. Having heard her words and now knowing the identity of this terrifying person, his mind was in turmoil, unable to find peace.

The captain beside him was in a similar state. So was Huang Lingfei.

The three remained silent, as did the unconscious Huang Yikun.

After a long silence, the captain cleared his throat.

"So... are we still going through with the trade?"

Huang Lingfei took a deep breath, somewhat recovered from his earlier shock. He quickly shook his head, clasped his hands in greeting towards Xu Qing and the captain, then grabbed his brother and hastily departed.

He was secretly worried, wondering if he had seen something he shouldn't have, or if he had interrupted the ancestor's plans. The more he pondered, the more uneasy he felt.

As Huang Lingfei departed, Xu Qing still felt a lingering sense of dread. The captain quickly urged him to leave, and only after they had returned to the main city of the Seven Blood Eyes did the captain finally let out a long sigh of relief.

"How did we end up encountering Immortal Zixuan, the ancestor of the Profound Gloom Sect!"

Xu Qing remained silent. For some reason, the previous scene kept replaying in his mind, especially the eyes of Immortal Zixuan, which instinctively made his breathing quicken. This was a sensation he had never experienced before.

"Little Ah Qing, thank you for what happened today!" The captain sighed deeply.

"Ah, Immortal Zixuan. I know a thing or two about her. Legend has it that in her youth, she was famous throughout Yinghuang State, with countless admirers. Although she has never taken a Dao companion in her cultivation, there are countless rumors about her, though their veracity is unknown."

"She must have sensed us and taken a liking to me. She probably lifted your chin to get my attention. Little Ah Qing, you were put through a lot." The captain, completely unfazed, patted Xu Qing's shoulder.

"Senior Disciple Brother, perhaps you should eat more pomelos from now on!" Xu Qing said, glancing at the captain.

"Why?" The captain looked bewildered.

Xu Qing offered no explanation. He walked to the dock, leaped onto the magic boat, and boarded it.

The captain coughed. Seeing Xu Qing depart, the shock he had suppressed finally resurfaced. But quickly, his mind turned back to Xu Qing's parting words.

"Why eat more pomelos?"

Meanwhile, inside the magic boat, Xu Qing entered the cabin, released more poison around him, and activated several additional layers of protection. Only then did he exhale deeply. Settling into a cross-legged position, he began to analyze the day's events.

The incident was far too bizarre. Xu Qing had never encountered or even conceived of such a thing before, but his immediate thought was that something truly abnormal was afoot.

"An ancestor who has cultivated to that level must have a reason for every word and action. Did Immortal Zixuan perceive some problem with me? She and my master should be from the same era, or perhaps this incident occurred because I am my master's disciple?"

Xu Qing pondered for a long time but still couldn't find a reason. He then took out his transmission jade slip and sent a message to his master, recounting the entire incident and subtly inquiring about his master's relationship with Immortal Zixuan.

On the other end of the jade slip, Seventh Master fell silent.

After a moment, Seventh Master's voice calmly emerged.

"That Immortal Zixuan, back in the day, ardently pursued your master. I firmly rejected her over three hundred times. It's understandable she might have remembered me when she saw you. Don't spread this matter; it's all in the past now."

"Your master has other matters to attend to, so I'll stop here for now."

Xu Qing felt suspicious.

He felt his master's reply was somewhat... similar to what the captain had claimed earlier.

Meanwhile, on the summit of the Profound Gloom Sect, inside the great hall, Immortal Zixuan, having returned, sat on a meditation cushion. She lazily stretched her beautiful, slender waist, then took the cloud-snow lotus seed soup, brewed from a hundred flowers' morning dew, from an old servant. She took a small sip, then suddenly frowned and turned her head to the side.

The old servant stood motionless, as if frozen in place, her expression still. From the void behind her, a figure emerged.

The figure wore a green robe, with long hair draped over his shoulders. Appearing middle-aged, he exuded an air of scholarly elegance.

Stars seemed to revolve within his eyes. Upon closer inspection, beyond those stars were countless layers, extending deep into his gaze, numbering at least tens of thousands.

This imbued his eyes with astonishing power; anyone meeting his gaze would involuntarily feel themselves sinking into them.

It was the leader of the Eight Sect Alliance.

"Junior sister, your time is running out. Have you decided on your answer to me?" the leader of the Eight Sect Alliance calmly asked.

"You ask every month, and every month I refuse. Are you never going to stop?" Immortal Zixuan frowned, her voice cold. "Why do you keep refusing? Are you still searching for someone with light in their heart? In this chaotic world, such people don't exist. Even if they did, after a few encounters with the cannibalistic evil of the outside world, they would be changed by this cruel world until they dimmed, no longer fitting your requirements."

"You only need to agree to let me plant a divine thought within you. Then, by borrowing my power, you can complete the last missing strand of law, perfect your Shattered Void Thousand Paths, and gain hope of breaking through to the second major stage."

"If you're looking for a cultivation vessel, go find someone else. Outsiders may not know your true nature, but I am well aware of it." Immortal Zixuan spoke calmly, refusing to yield.

The leader of the Eight Sect Alliance gazed deeply at the stunning woman before him and smiled faintly.

"Junior sister, your lifespan is limited. I will return to ask you again next month." With that, the leader of the Eight Sect Alliance transformed into starlight and vanished from the hall. As he departed, the old servant beside her returned to normal, completely oblivious to what had just occurred.

Only Immortal Zixuan, setting down the lotus seed soup, remained in silent contemplation, her brow furrowed.