Chapter 1401: Sheltered Dwelling and the Great Way of the Earth Store, Pattern Fusion and New Life

Heavenly Sovereign Spiritual Palace.

In the hazy night, three figures approached from a distance by Goose Lake.

Even with their loud footsteps, none of the few Innate Spiritual Masters they passed by turned their heads to look at them.

"Brother, is this Second Elder Sang's territory?" The storyteller in red, supporting Bazun An, was moved by the quiet night, hearing the croaking of frogs and the whisper of the wind.

What a paradise! It was so peaceful and beautiful, utterly detached from worldly strife. Upon entering, even one's soul relaxed; as for the struggle for the Great Dao, the thought alone was exhausting!

"It was also where Lord Shou began his cultivation..." The old man Liu Changqing, on the other side, also let out a long sigh. At this moment, his physical will was actually dominated by Xuan Wuji.

Bazun An silently walked the path he once knew. At a certain point, he suddenly stopped, feeling a dull ache in his chest. As they passed a powerful Innate Spiritual Master of the Third Realm, who was in the midst of a breakthrough, the surging energy nearly knocked Bazun An over, sending him tumbling into Goose Lake.

"Brother!" The storyteller's vision blurred, and he rushed forward to support him. He was too weak! After Void Island, his brother's cultivation had plummeted to the First Spiritual Realm; his vital energy was like withered wood, worse than an ordinary mortal's. A strong gust of wind could literally lift him off the ground.

"Spiritual Realm, Stage Four..." Bazun An mused, glancing at the young man meditating cross-legged on the ground. He waved a hand, stopping the storyteller from clenching his fists and demanding an explanation.

Having already reached the Grand Void, how undignified would it be to contend with an Innate practitioner?

"Just wait." He shifted his gaze back to Goose Lake, resting his hands on the white jade railing, watching the plump geese splash in the water. A hint of nostalgia appeared in his eyes.

"Who dares trespass on the Spiritual Palace at night!" Just then, a startled shout echoed from mid-air. Along with it, black-clad figures, their aura fierce, landed and encircled the three of them.

These black-clad enforcers were incredibly powerful, mostly peak Innate Realm experts and Grandmasters. Zhao Xidong, who was now the Grand Elder of the Spiritual Law Pavilion, descended lightly onto the top of a weeping willow, a blade of grass in his mouth, standing aloof from the world. After a sidelong glance downwards:

"Today, at the Heavenly Sovereign Spiritual Palace, someone dares to... goose?" Zhao Xidong's words abruptly stopped, and he nearly ascended into an immortal.

Because at that moment, as his gaze settled, he recognized the Stage One Spiritual Cultivator leading the group below, and his pupils gradually widened in immense shock and terror!

"Boss?" "Boss, say it!" "Say the line, haven't you been rehearsing it for ages?" "It's been so long since anyone dared to trespass on the Spiritual Palace, today's perfect, we can finally have some fun, heh heh heh..."

The enforcers suppressed their excitement, sending private messages to their new boss. Heaven knew how terrifying the Heavenly Sovereign Spiritual Palace's reputation in the vicinity had become after the identities of Lord Shou, Sleeveless, and Dean Ye Xiaotian—the master of Spatial Dao—were exposed and they all abandoned the Palace!

Even the Holy Palace struggled to nurture such formidable individuals; yet, this small Spiritual Palace had produced three! So much time had passed that the Palace now enjoyed long-standing peace, with no scoundrels daring to lay a finger on it. This made the Spiritual Law Pavilion virtually useless.

The newly appointed enforcers longed to encounter strong enemies and severely punish them to vent their frustration. Who knew that their boss, Zhao Xidong, who usually commanded awe during their boring make-believe... *ahem*, crisis drills, was now wilting, unable to utter a single word.

Just as all the enforcers were wondering why, their new boss, Zhao Xidong, let out a piercing shriek, hysterically yelling: "Dean, save me!!!"

How was this different from their usual drills? This bloodcurdling plea tore through the outer courtyard, disturbing the inner one and startling countless disciples who were cultivating through the night.

As the disciples, each confused, looked up, they saw the palace protection array suddenly activate, realizing a formidable enemy was attacking.

"Om!" Spatial light waves rippled, and Xiao Qixiu, with a sword on his back, flashed out from the inner courtyard, instantly appearing above Goose Lake, radiating an extraordinary aura.

"Who dares..." His voice trailed off, and the movement of his hand reaching for the spirit sword behind him also ceased.

Because as he looked down, Xiao Qixiu saw the eight-fingered man below, supported by the man in red.

Bazun An? What was this guy doing at the Spiritual Palace?! Unbearable memories surged forth...

Xiao Qixiu subconsciously opened his mouth, wanting to call for Elder Sang, only to realize Elder Sang was gone; he wanted to call for Ye Xiaotian, only to realize Ye Xiaotian had also "betrayed the Palace."

"Qiao Qianzhi!" He roared, utterly lacking the confidence to face Bazun An alone, let alone the Holy Slave Storyteller and the new face with an aura seemingly at the Grand Void Realm.

Special spirit patterns appeared in the void. "Huh? You are..." Only half of Qiao Qianzhi's bewildered face appeared; his lower body was still materializing when his pupils suddenly trembled, and the special spirit patterns in the void froze. His lower body vanished, and the half-face disappeared, leaving no trace of his presence.

"Qiao Qianzhi!!!" Xiao Qixiu was so furious his liver nearly burst.

But Old Qiao had chickened out, leaving all the remaining pressure on him, the dean of the inner courtyard.

"What are you doing here?" Xiao Qixiu suppressed his anger again and again, not drawing his sword. Without drawing his sword, he felt unsafe; if he drew it, no one would be safe—it was truly frustrating!

"I... remember you." Bazun An pondered with his head raised, then smiled after a long moment. "But it's been a long time, and you haven't... hmm, made some progress?"

Hold it in, hold it in! Now that Elder Sang was gone, if he acted impulsively again, no one would clean up the mess of war for the Spiritual Palace.

Xiao Qixiu, for the sake of his disciples, suppressed his anger, not answering but instead questioning again: "What is your purpose in coming here?!"

"Hmph!" Xuan Wuji, in Liu Changqing's skin, let out a cold snort, and Xiao Qixiu and Zhao Xidong, who were hovering high above, both fell with a thud.

Only then could Bazun An look straight ahead and say, "I'm looking for Ye Xiaotian."

Ye Xiaotian? Zhao Xidong was stunned. Xiao Qixiu was also stunned. The enforcers nearby widened their eyes in surprise, then added a hint of horror. Was former Dean Ye Xiaotian also involved with the Holy Slaves?

"That scoundrel Ye Xiaotian actually betrayed the Spiritual Palace and is now wanted, to be killed by anyone who finds him. How could our Heavenly Sovereign Spiritual Palace possibly harbor such a person?" Xiao Qixiu glared, speaking with righteous indignation.

Bazun An said nothing, only glancing at Xuan Wuji.

"Hmph!" Ancestor Wuji let out another dismissive snort. Without any discernible movement, Heavenly Secret patterns appeared in the void.

The surrounding enforcers then realized they could no longer see Xiao Qixiu or the night-trespassing trio.

"I'm looking for Ye Xiaotian," Bazun An said again.

Xiao Qixiu looked up at the changing Heavenly Secrets in the void, took a long breath, and pointed behind him:

"Three esteemed guests, this way please."

The thatched hut. With a creak, Qiao Qianzhi had just opened the door, and four figures appeared in his sight.

His scalp tingled, and with a *thud*, he hastily slammed the wooden door shut.

"Xiao Qixiu, get lost!"

But the wooden door was wedged open by a sword. Xiao Qixiu pushed it open forcefully, glaring angrily at the cowardly old man inside.

"You have the gall to tell me to get lost?" "You don't even dare to show your face, you old scaredy-cat!"

Qiao Qianzhi was almost going crazy, his eyes wide in disbelief. "You brought *them* here..."

"They're looking for Ye Xiaotian." "Oh? Well, that's great, hehehe..." Qiao Qianzhi chuckled dryly twice, then quickly threw the door wide open and stepped out. "Gentlemen, please come in."

Ye Xiaotian stood bewildered in front of the wooden table, the succulent roasted goose meat held by his chopsticks dropping with a *clink*. "You two..." He was about to run.

Bazun An walked in from outside the door.

"Sang Qiye is in trouble."

Ye Xiaotian, floating mid-air, paused at the sound and turned his gaze back. "Sleeveless of the Holy Slaves, what does that have to do with me?"

"Strictly speaking, it's your friend Sang Qiye's disciple who's in trouble."

"Xu Xiaoshou? Hahaha, what does he have to do with me then?"

"Xu Xiaoshou is deeply loyal and righteous; to save his master, he's trapped in a perilous region in the Central Domain..." Bazun An sighed. "He truly is a person of deep feelings."

Ye Xiaotian's mouth twitched, listening to this emotionless lament. "What does any of that have to do with me?"

"They are in the Central Domain, and we are in the Eastern Domain. It's too late to get there now. The fastest way is you!"

"Hahaha, don't you have spirit crystals for a cross-domain teleportation array? I can sponsor you three." Ye Xiaotian laughed heartily.

"That would leave a mark."

"Hahaha, am I a teleportation array?" Ye Xiaotian guffawed.

"You are, and you are currently the only available teleportation array for us that won't be locked!" Bazun An stated with certainty, his tone filled with a hint of admiration:

"You have already reached the Grand Void, the only master of Spatial Dao in this era. You are just half a step away from becoming a Half-Saint of Dao. The Eastern and Central Domains are within a single thought of yours."

"Not only that, you've been secluded in the Spiritual Palace, yet your strength now can look down upon all others. Without a Half-Saint, who can contend with you? Once a Half-Saint appears, you can become a Saint yourself!"

Ye Xiaotian was taken aback. Such praise made him quite embarrassed, especially coming from the Eighth Sword Immortal...

Ye Xiaotian had indeed reached the Grand Void. Ever since he left the Spiritual Palace, after mastering Spatial Dao and severing his Dao, his path of spiritual cultivation had been like a broad, smooth road, with no bottlenecks whatsoever.

Or rather, that bottleneck had imprisoned him for decades in the Spiritual Palace, and now, after accumulating so much, it was time for the carp to leap and become a dragon.

Even becoming a Saint... To be honest, he already held a Half-Saint rank!

Ye Xiaotian hadn't become a Saint yet simply because, as one of the former Four Children of the Holy Palace, he knew some inside stories about sanctification and didn't want to rush it.

"I am me, and you are you." Ye Xiaotian shook his head, drawing a clear line. He absolutely did not want to get involved in the vortex between the Holy Slaves and the Holy Divine Temple.

"In the Southern Domain, there's the Darkheart Fruit Tribe, and also Half-Saint Zang Ren. He merely saw me once, before we even met, and chose to join the game. He's very wise," Bazun An said.

Ye Xiaotian fell silent for a moment. Half-Saint Zang Ren, he had heard of him. And now, he had been subdued by the Holy Slaves?

"You have acted with Xu Xiaoshou, are on good terms with Sleeveless, resigned as Dean of the Spiritual Palace to enter Yunlun Mountain, the Holy Divine Temple has a bounty on you, and today I personally met you..." Bazun An said with a half-smile. "Do you think you can still remain outside this situation?"

Ye Xiaotian opened his mouth, speechless. He thought of Elder Sang's last letter...

"Yunlun Mountain Range, Holy Source Crystals." What a load of crap Holy Source Crystals! This was a letter to drag him into trouble. He even took it seriously, painstakingly searching for that damn stone, only to be dragged into that rotten Void Island and escape death by breaking through the space-time currents himself!

Ye Xiaotian now wanted to grab Elder Sang's head and pluck out all his few annoying hairs!

After a moment of silence, he spoke calmly, showing no hint of inner turmoil: "Where is Xu Xiaoshou stirring up trouble now?"

"The Central Domain."

"His opponent..."

"Could it be a Saint Emperor?"

Ye Xiaotian also thought about it. Even a Half-Saint couldn't do anything against his Spatial Dao now.

He recalled his decades of seclusion in the Spiritual Palace, and his two battles since re-emerging: one at the Throne Realm, where he couldn't defeat Bazun An, and one at the Dao Severing Realm, where he couldn't beat Yellow Springs, almost leading to self-imposed isolation.

After such a long period of stagnation, he had now pierced the Grand Void, perfected his Dao, and his combat power could rival a Half-Saint.

He wouldn't make a sound, but when he did, he would astound everyone! As for that Abyssal Water Ghost, if he wished, they would truly be no match for him!

A thought stirred in Ye Xiaotian's mind, a subtle urge to re-enter the world.

Moreover, thinking of Yellow Springs naturally reminded him that he still owed Bazun An a favor, and he also carried the Half-Saint rank that Xu Xiaoshou had relinquished to him...

He had indeed received favors from others; the connections ran deep...

After a heavy sigh, Ye Xiaotian said:

"I refuse." Today, I'm throwing my face on the ground! No one can make me step into the Dual Saints vortex! No matter how strong you, Bazun An, are, if my Spatial Dao wants to escape, can you really catch and kill me?

Suddenly, Qiao Qianzhi walked in from outside the door and, without a word, handed him a spatial ring.

"What's this?" Ye Xiaotian was bewildered.

"Aren't you going to save Xiaoshou?" Qiao Qianzhi raised an eyebrow mysteriously. "The final step..."

What final step? Ye Xiaotian looked confused.

"The ring..." The white-haired Taoist child's face darkened on the spot after hearing that. He shoved the ring back. "When did I say I was going to see Xu Xiaoshou..."

"Are you really giving up your old reputation?"

Qiao Qianzhi's face showed disdain. He knew how Ye Xiaotian had obtained the Half-Saint rank.

Such a thing was hard to obtain even in the Holy Palace, and to become a Saint under the eyes of countless people would define one's life. Yet Xu Xiaoshou had casually transferred it. Such great kindness, to take it and then forget?

"Tsk, tsk, tsk..." Qiao Qianzhi shook his head, looking shocked, as if seeing Ye Xiaotian anew, and retreated backward until he was outside the door.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk..." Xiao Qixiu poked his head in from outside the door, also tsk'd twice, then withdrew his head.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk..." The storyteller and Ancestor Wuji didn't understand, but they were good at reading the room. If someone tsk'd, they tsk'd along, following the crowd.

Ye Xiaotian's lungs were about to explode from anger. These two old geezers wouldn't stop until they'd completely screwed someone over, would they?

He clutched the spatial ring, feeling as if he were holding a hot potato... Wait, wasn't this spatial ring shoved back earlier?

Ye Xiaotian raised his eyes in surprise. But the wooden door was ajar, and Qiao Qianzhi's old face was long gone.

Inside the thatched hut, silence reigned for a long time.

"Location," Ye Xiaotian finally looked up.

"Qilin Realm, Gongyang Mountain," Bazun An paused. "He should still be there."

"The Four Symbols Secret Realm?" Ye Xiaotian was a member of the Holy Palace and had come from the Golden Tower of the Four Symbols Secret Realm. How could he not know this coordinate?

"Precisely," Bazun An nodded.

"Xu Xiaoshou, surely he doesn't want to blow up the Four Symbols Secret Realm, does he?" Ye Xiaotian was a little panicked.

He had feelings for the Holy Palace and knew how important the Four Symbols Secret Realm was to its legacy. He quickly asked:

"When do we leave?"

"To be determined." Bazun An chuckled, then turned and walked out of the thatched hut. "If he gets into trouble, he'll naturally remember me. If not..."

Ye Xiaotian scoffed. He had already figured out Xu Xiaoshou's nature back when the latter was in the Innate Spiritual Realm. If Xu Xiaoshou was there, how could nothing major happen?

Bazun An walked out, and the Three Elders of the Spiritual Palace naturally didn't dare to fall behind, fearing that the Holy Slaves might cause some disturbance in the small Spiritual Palace. They had no choice but to follow them closely.

The group left the thatched hut and walked towards the outer courtyard of the Spiritual Palace in the night, waiting as they went.

After admiring most of the Spiritual Palace's beautiful scenery and returning to the peaceful Goose Lake.

Xuan Wuji suddenly turned his gaze to Qiao Qianzhi, saying meaningfully, "The Heavenly Sovereign Spiritual Palace, truly a place where dragons crouch and tigers hide..."

Qiao Qianzhi was startled, then chuckled dryly and said, "The dragon has been imprisoned, the tiger is about to leave the mountains. What else could this Spiritual Palace have?"

"Are you a Heavenly Secret Diviner?" At Xuan Wuji's question, even Bazun An couldn't help but turn his head, giving the unassuming Qiao Qianzhi another look.

"No..." Qiao Qianzhi was dumbfounded. "Heavenly Secret Arts, how could I possibly..."

"Then what method did you just use?" What Xuan Wuji saw, of course, were the special spirit patterns that appeared in mid-air when Qiao Qianzhi half-appeared and then retreated by Goose Lake.

And that strange trick where the man secretly slipped the spatial ring back to Ye Xiaotian without a trace.

It was somewhat similar to Heavenly Secret Arts, yet not quite... Southern Domain sorcery? Seemed unlikely too...

"The Dao of Spirit Arrays." Qiao Qianzhi chuckled twice, a very dry laugh.

"Heh heh..." Xuan Wuji's face hardened. "So you're a Saint-level Spirit Array Master?"

"How could that be? I'm just a broken Spirit Array Grandmaster..."

"That's just for show for the Holy Divine Temple, right? Something superficial?" Xuan Wuji was genuinely curious. He couldn't discern the special spirit patterns at a glance; the more he thought about it, the more intriguing it became. "What about secretly?"

Qiao Qianzhi hesitated, then, imitating a certain 'victim's' tone, said: "Spirit Array, Grandmaster?"

Xuan Wuji: "..." He gave the man a deep look. "What a Spirit Array Grandmaster indeed..."

This wait lasted an entire night. The others, incredibly patient, simply admired the geese by Goose Lake without any trace of impatience. Only one person was an exception.

Xiao Qixiu stood all night. The sword on his back trembled all night. He secretly comforted it all night.

Until dawn broke over Goose Lake, its surface shimmering, breaking the calm. His night-long hesitation and struggle shattered, transforming into absolute resolve.

"Clang!" A sword cry rang out, startling all directions.

Xiao Qixiu stood still from a distance, drawing his sword and pointing it at Bazun An. The scene of a battle in this place at that time perfectly overlapped with his current action.

His sword intent soared to the sky, no longer concealable, rising in turbulent waves, finally erupting into a battle-ready roar:

"Bazun An!!!"

To the side, Ye Xiaotian let out a long sigh, his thoughts drawn to the Half-Saint rank.

He knew that any sword cultivator, in front of this person, could hardly resist. After all, he was known as the pinnacle of swordsmanship.

He was proficient in the Nine Great Sword Arts, Eighteen Sword Streams, and Three Thousand Sword Dao. As long as one fought him, they would surely witness some of the grace and mastery they might never have the chance to learn in a lifetime.

To hear the Dao in the morning, and die in the evening, is enough. This moment was precisely that!

Not to mention Xiao Qixiu himself had some entanglement with Bazun An; his disciple, Su Qianqian, had even had her sword seized and her clan annihilated by this person.

To have endured until now showed that Old Xiao's temperament had grown. But everyone knew that Bazun An, of course, was fearless of such things, yet the consequences of challenging him... The precedents of the past were clear.

Ye Xiaotian couldn't possibly let Old Xiao get into trouble. But his limited confidence only extended to teleporting the man away at a crucial moment. Whether he could succeed, and whether Xiao Qixiu would even be willing, remained to be seen.

"Old Xiao..." A look of grief appeared on Qiao Qianzhi's face. He truly couldn't understand the temperament of these sword cultivators. Life was clearly so beautiful, and besides, they had endured all night; would enduring a little longer kill them?

"Put down your sword." Unexpectedly, Bazun An was calm and collected, seemingly not intending to accept the challenge.

He merely turned around slowly, his murky yellow eyes looking at Xiao Qixiu, shaking his head and saying:

"I can no longer make a move, nor can I draw my sword because of you." "If you truly wish to draw your sword against me, your response will only come from them."

Bazun An glanced at the storyteller and Xuan Wuji. Xuan Wuji was indifferent; he had seen too many hotheads—so many Saint Emperors on the inner island didn't want to fight Bazun An, which only showed how many talented individuals there were on the Holy Divine Continent.

The storyteller couldn't help but say, "Who are you?" He didn't even know which obscure corner this sword cultivator named Xiao Qixiu had emerged from, how could he be worthy of challenging his brother?

Xiao Qixiu paid no attention, his eyes bloodshot, his fighting spirit fierce.

Bazun An, however, saw that this person's sword Dao had indeed changed; he was truly no longer the Heavenly Sovereign sword cultivator of that time.

"If your Dao is complete and you fight for fame, I am no longer your touchstone, but the Seven Sword Immortals are."

Bazun An smiled, picked up a pebble, and tossed it into Goose Lake.

The waters of Goose Lake rippled, the blue sky and white clouds fragmented, and he softly spoke:

"Fenqin Zhuhe, who emerged from this very lake, could contend with Heaven and become a master of darkness."

"Ye Xiaotian, who also emerged from this lake, has perfected his Dao, severed his path to the Grand Void, and is only half a step away from sanctification."

"And Xu Xiaoshou, still from this lake, in just a year and a half, his achievements are already nearing yours."

Bazun An turned his gaze back to Xiao Qixiu, who appeared somewhat stunned:

"You are within the lake, while they are outside the lake." "You believe your Dao is complete, you look down on everything, but after the mirror flowers and water moon fade, this will be your fate..."

Following his finger, everyone looked towards the center of Goose Lake. A plump goose on the lake lowered its head, *splish-splosh*, and snatched a fish from the water, swallowing it whole without even chewing.

"Death upon leaving the water, unless you transform into a dragon!"

Xiao Qixiu was stunned, speechless for a long time. Unbeknownst to him, the long sword in his hand had already lowered.

Ye Xiaotian was in a daze. Weren't Bazun An's words just like Elder Sang's every time he returned from outside, telling them not to be content with staying within this small Spiritual Palace? So, he could have broken through decades ago...

Qiao Qianzhi was lost in thought; what he saw were two patterns converging at a perfect nexus, life blending, power sublimating. His eyes gleamed intensely, his scalp prickled bit by bit, and his eyes widened.

"So that's it, so that's it..."

No one paid attention to the middle-aged man who had casually entered an epiphany at the back. Xuan Wuji, however, seemed to sense something and looked at Qiao Qianzhi.

Qiao Qianzhi's body tensed, then he stroked his beard, chuckling as he brought up a certain 'victim': "So that's it! The reason goose meat is so succulent is because it eats spirit fish! I've thought of a new recipe—Dragon Transformation Goose!"

"Uh..." Everyone was pulled out of the mystical atmosphere they had just been in, their faces left with only an odd expression.

Xuan Wuji frowned, then looked away. Crazy... I must be crazy too, to have actually thought this person was extraordinary...

"Beep." A soft sound emerged. Bazun An, smiling, pulled out a communication pearl and looked at the varied expressions of the people around him.

"It's here."