Chapter 163: How Shameless

Beneath the draped canopy of the night sky, two Immortal Venerables of the Ethereal Sect—"Changhua Immortal Venerable" Zhu Changqing and "Tianshuang Immortal Venerable" Gu Yiqing—had just arrived right above Yan City.

Since Elder Guo of the Xuanqing Palace had been instantly obliterated by an unknown Demonic Venerable yesterday, Meng Xingmo, the master of the Xuanqing Palace, had been sitting on pins and needles. After all, the enemy was lurking in the shadows while they remained in the open, and the true intentions of the adversary were still entirely unknown. Moreover, the reinforcements sent by the four allied sects numbered only around a dozen individuals in total—a force evidently far too inadequate to offer substantial support. To ensure foolproof security, Meng Xingmo had finally swallowed his pride and cashed in every personal favor he had left, managing to invite these two Immortal Venerables from the Ethereal Sect to preside over the Xuanqing Palace for a period of time.

"Junior Sister, that is an immensely powerful demonic cultivation aura! Some demonic practitioner has laid down a formation over this entire town!"

Looking down from high above, Zhu Changqing saw what appeared to be a massive black iron bowl covering the entirety of Yan City. From the outside, it was utterly impossible to discern the scene within the dark bowl.

"Could it be that this demonic practitioner intends to refine the common folk of the entire Yan City using some malicious array to fuel their own cultivation?" Gu Yiqing’s expression revealed a trace of shock.

"Watch this Venerable shatter this formation!"

Gathering the full extent of his cultivation, Zhu Changqing condensed a blazing halberd between his hands, then thrust it directly toward the surface of the black bowl.

With a deafening crash, the fiery halberd in Zhu Changqing's grasp snapped into two distinct pieces, while the black bowl remained completely undamaged and intact. A surge of shock gripped his heart; it seemed the demonic cultivator who had set up this array possessed a cultivation level far superior to his own. It was even possible that they were an Imperial Demonic Venerable!

Although Zhu Changqing's attack had proved entirely ineffective against the colossal black bowl, it had nonetheless succeeded in alerting it.

Suddenly, two smaller black bowls flew out from the surface of the giant bowl, hurtling separately toward the two of them. In reality, these smaller black bowls were still as large as giant bells.

Sensing that something was terribly amiss, Gu Yiqing called out to Zhu Changqing, "Junior Brother, retreat quickly!"

Before her words had even faded, Zhu Changqing was already completely enveloped by the small black bowl. Meanwhile, the other bowl had arrived above Gu Yiqing at some point unknown, instantly trapping her within its interior as well. Both of these smaller black bowls harbored the exact same array-bound power as the colossal one, and consequently, both Gu Yiqing and Zhu Changqing lapsed into a deep, unconscious slumber inside them...

When Gu Yiqing and Zhu Changqing finally regained consciousness, dawn was already breaking. The small black bowls that had covered them, along with the gigantic bowl that had blanketed all of Yan City, were slowly dissolving away.

The citizens within the city were also gradually waking up.

Upon opening their eyes, the people on the streets wore looks of utter bewilderment, staring at one another in blank incomprehension. Not a single soul knew what had transpired in Yan City the previous night—save for those two individuals directly involved.

While one of those individuals, Song Ye, was still feigning sleep in bed, the other, Qin Xuanxi, had already quietly departed on her own.

By the time Qin Xuanxi left, daybreak had fully arrived. After Song Ye got up, he discovered a letter left behind for him by Qin Xuanxi. The letter read:

"As a disciple of the Solitary Jade Sect, I have my own mission to fulfill. Do not attempt to seek me out at Ink Bamboo Mountain. Should the child I bear turn out to be a daughter, she shall become the next direct successor of the Solitary Jade Sect."

Song Ye had never imagined that, even at this juncture, Qin Xuanxi would still be pretending to be a direct disciple of the Solitary Jade Sect. Everything she plotted seemed solely driven by the desire to ensure the Solitary Jade Sect had heirs to carry on its legacy. To put it bluntly, it was the quintessential act of a scumbag—she simply wanted to avoid taking responsibility for him.

Moreover, judging by the contents of the letter, Qin Xuanxi seemed capable of sensing her pregnancy beforehand. After all, she was a female fiend who had lived for over three hundred years, and her physique was vastly different from that of ordinary people.

Once Qin Xuanxi fled this time, Song Ye had no idea when she might ever show up again. Any other ordinary woman would likely find it unbearable to bring a child into the world without a father by their side. The problem, however, was that the Xuanyuan Demonic Venerable was by no means an ordinary woman.

...

After leaving Yan City, Qin Xuanxi could hardly wait to switch back to her demonic cultivation form.

Her immortal cultivation form had truly exhausted her to the bone; it had even made her movements somewhat cumbersome. She never anticipated that her immortal form would be so feeble—inferior even to Song Ye's mortal body, allowing him to gain the upper hand. It seemed she would need to properly cultivate and train her immortal body in the future. After all, she would soon need to nurture the fetus, which meant she would have to switch back to her immortal form from time to time to take fetal-calming pills. Consequently, the amount of time she spent in her immortal form would naturally increase, so she had to strengthen it slightly and ensure it wasn't too weak.

Upon returning to Xuyu Mountain, Qin Xuanxi remained somewhat uneasy, feeling as though she had committed some unspeakable wrongdoing.

At that moment, Qin Xuanxi’s disciple, Luo Yunshuang, walked into the Sect Master’s Main Hall, muttering, "It is simply too shameless!"

Hearing those words, Qin Xuanxi’s heart gave a violent start.

*Shameless? Is she talking about this Venerable? Impossible, how could Yunshuang possibly know about this...*

"Master, Junior Sister Qiuyu is simply too shameless! During our sparring match, she actually resorted to trickery! Master, you must dispense justice for me. How could anyone possibly be like Junior Sister Qiuyu, launching sneak attacks and cheating during a peer-to-peer sparring session!" Luo Yunshuang walked up before Qin Xuanxi and complained.

Qin Xuanxi instantly let out a sigh of relief. So she wasn't talking about her after all. Was she really letting her nerves become this excessively taut?

She immediately reminded herself once more in her heart that she had already switched back to her demonic form; she was now the Xuanyuan Demonic Venerable, Qin Xuanxi. There was no need to shoulder the actions committed by her immortal form as her own.

"If you failed to defend against Qiuyu's sneak attack, that simply means your skill is inferior to hers," Qin Xuanxi said to Luo Yunshuang. "A loss is a loss, you have no need to invent excuses for yourself."

"Oh, this disciple understands." Luo Yunshuang pouted her small lips, evidently still feeling unconvinced.

Suddenly, Bai Ruoling rushed into the Sect Master’s Main Hall shouting at the top of her lungs, "She's given birth, Master, she's given birth!"

Qin Xuanxi’s pupils dilated sharply and her body gave a slight tremor as she immediately bellowed at Bai Ruoling, "Bai Ruoling, do not spout nonsense here!"

Bai Ruoling froze for a moment, then hastily lowered her voice and said, "Master, this disciple is not spouting nonsense. Your demonic pet, the Glazed Cloud Fox, has truly given birth to a litter of little cubs."

Qin Xuanxi’s expression stalled, and she felt a sudden wave of awkwardness wash over her.

*So she wasn't talking about this Venerable either...*

From the side, Luo Yunshuang admonished Bai Ruoling, "Do not make a loud ruckus inside the Master's Main Hall!"

Bai Ruoling smiled, nodded, and then said, "Senior Sister, the Glazed Cloud Fox gave birth to eight little cubs in one litter, and every single one of them is adorable. Would you like to take one of the little cloud foxes back to raise yourself?"

Luo Yunshuang replied, "That would require Master's permission."

"The Glazed Cloud Foxes have always been tended to by the few of you. The offspring they produce may likewise be handed over to your care," Qin Xuanxi stated.

Bai Ruoling cheered happily, "Master has agreed—thank you for your grace, Master."

With that, she grabbed Luo Yunshuang’s hand and bolted outward, crying, "Hurry, Senior Sister, let's go pick the most adorable little cloud fox and take it back to raise!"

Once the two disciples had departed, Qin Xuanxi immediately cast a spell to seal off the entire Sect Master’s Main Hall, preventing anyone else from bursting in at a time like this. She needed to spend some time properly regulating her breath and steadying her mind, lest her thoughts run wild again the way they just had.