Immortal of the Ages

Chapter 415: Back Off My Man!

"She had this?" Lian Xi\'s brows knitted together like two caterpillars in a tiff. "Guess the Temple Head sent her on an errand to some forbidden place regular people aren\'t allowed to go?"

Yun Xiao cracked a cold smile. "Hey, remember how you mentioned just before supper that the Three True Immortals banned cultivators from entering the Nine Hells? You think it\'s possible that she snagged this All-Realm Pass to enter my home realm, looking for evidence?"

Lian Xi frowned. "Likely... So, what do we do?"

"No worries. I\'ve got no kin in the Nine Hells, just friends. I\'ll tell them to lay low," Yun Xiao said, the chill in his eyes deepening as he toyed with the token in his hand.

"Hold up..." Lian Xi tilted her head, sensing something off. "How did Dharma Crown Qin\'s Mystic Zenith Command Token end up with you?"

"Just used grandma\'s Sword Heart to sort her out," Yun Xiao said as if he were talking about swatting a fly.

"What!?" Lian Xi\'s mouth fell open in shock, her expression completely dumbfounded. "You\'re joking, right?"

"Not at all." Yun Xiao pinched her nose, chuckling. "Don\'t believe me? Go have a look outside. The welcome party is probably already here."

"What???" Lian Xi was even more flabbergasted.

How could he be so calm about this!

Just then, she felt a shadow loom over Divine Dawn Pavilion.

"Divine Dawn, bring Yun Xiao out."

A voice as cold seeped through the door cracks.

"It\'s Si Qing, the Temple Head, the red-robed devil!" Lian Xi\'s face paled.

"Why\'s she calling you Divine Dawn?" Yun Xiao asked, puzzled.

"The surname of the Martial Emperor\'s Clan starts with Divine. She insists I\'m part of the Martial Emperor\'s family. This place, the Divine Dawn Pavilion, was named that before I got here. She gave it to me on purpose, and I can\'t even change the name if I wanted," Lian Xi said, pouting as if she were discussing a particularly strict dress code.

Yun Xiao just nodded. "Oh..."

Again with Divine Dawn. Coincidence? Or was there something more, something fated?

Regardless, this red-robed she-devil standing before them was shaping up to be a tougher nut to crack than Dharma Crown Qin could ever hope to be.

"Let\'s go meet her," Yun Xiao said, taking Lian Xi\'s hand. They looked into each other\'s eyes, finding no trace of fear. After all, they were at the heart of the Primordial Academy, surrounded by white-robed protectors sworn to safeguard Lian Xi.

Together, calm as the eye of a storm, they stepped outside to the front of the Divine Dawn Pavilion.

A gathering of white-robed figures stood in wait.

Opposite them, a group loomed, among them Tian Zhixiu, his face a mask of icy intent, his eyes swirling with the promise of violence. Beside him, a figure of grave danger—a woman in a red cloak, her garb as garishly red as a bride\'s wedding dress, embroidered with the sinister bloom of a red spider lily, exuding an aura of blood.

Yun Xiao caught sight of her, a shiver of unease passing through him at the sight of the blood-red Sword Aura coiling around her, symbols fluttering to the ground like bats of blood, spreading a chilling light hundreds of feet in every direction from where she stood.

Beside her and Tian Zhixiu were several venerable elders with white eyes, likely Crowns from the Mystic Zenith Temple, each having transcended the fifth decay.

"Visiting in the middle of the night… What business do you have, Temple Head?" Lian Xi, though young, positioned herself protectively in front of Yun Xiao, like a mother hen shielding her chick.

From beneath the red cloak, two beams of red light fixated on Yun Xiao.

"Take him," she commanded.

Behind her, the Crowns of the Mystic Zenith Temple nodded and advanced toward Yun Xiao.

"Hold it right there!" Lian Xi stretched out her arms and declared with an icy edge, "Even if you are the Temple Head, you\'ve got no right to forcefully kidnap people. And besides, this man is mine!"

Yun Xiao, watching her stand defiantly, couldn\'t help but be moved.

"Stop this nonsense, Lian Xi. He killed Dharma Crown Qin," Tian Zhixiu said coldly.

"What did you say?" Lian Xi was momentarily stunned.

"He says I killed Dharma Crown Qin," Yun Xiao managed to say without bursting into laughter.

Lian Xi couldn\'t help but laugh, then pointed to her head and told Tian Zhixiu, "You better go patch up your brain."

"If you\'re aiming to use your power for personal vendettas, just say it. Why make up tales? Why not accuse me of killing the Temple Head while you\'re at it? Lacking in imagination, are we?" Yun Xiao added.

The surrounding white-robed figures couldn\'t help but smirk at this exchange.

"This is absurd, Temple Head. Please, leave," one of the white-robed elders said.

Through it all, the red-robed woman watched Yun Xiao, motionless.

"Let\'s go," she suddenly said.

"Temple Head!" Tian Zhixiu clenched his teeth in frustration. He wanted to argue further, but the piercing red glare from under the cloak silenced him.

The group arrived swiftly and departed just as quickly.

Walking away, Tian Zhixiu murmured, "It\'s my fault. I should have used the Lesser Projection Art to record him the moment I found him."

"It wouldn\'t have made a difference," the red-robed woman replied.

"What do you mean?" Tian Zhixiu asked.

"Just drop it," she said.

"Does that mean we\'re going to deal with it on Three Imm..." Tian Zhixiu\'s words trailed off as he caught the crimson gaze of the red-robed woman, compelling him to silence.

"Zhixiu," the red-robed woman halted, addressing the young man, "You represent the youth of the Three Great Ruins at the Primordial Academy."

"Yes," he nodded in agreement.

"With Dharma Crown Qin\'s demise, a Crown spot has opened. We\'re inclined to elevate someone young, someone who can rival Lian Xi\'s influence, to make waves among the younger generation. The title of Crown is not just an honor; it symbolizes the rules and the law," she explained.

"I will give it my all!" Tian Zhixiu inhaled deeply and bowed profoundly.

"Promises to me mean nothing. Your battle is not with us but with winning over the disciples of the entire Primordial Academy," she stated.

"Understood!" Tian Zhixiu nodded, then inquired, "What about Lian Xi? Won\'t she compete with me for the spot?"

"Only those over 15 years old can compete. She turns 15 on the day of the Three Immortals\' birth, and we plan to hold the selection for a new Crown just before that, so she\'s out," the red-robed woman replied.

"And... Dean Yu?" Tian Zhixiu questioned.

The woman glanced at him, offering no answer but a chilling look before she departed.

"Crowns," Tian Zhixiu addressed the others.

A black-robed elder spoke indifferently, "The selection, though open to anyone in the Primordial Academy, is fundamentally an internal affair of our Mystic Zenith Temple. It doesn\'t require Dean Yu\'s approval."

"Understood!" Tian Zhixiu nodded deeply.

"Zhixiu," a Crown patted his shoulder, "Understand this. Your most crucial task now is to win the crowd!"

Tian Zhixiu nodded, his frustration alleviating as he looked towards the Divine Dawn Pavilion, even a slight smile appearing on his face. "Seems I was too hasty today, forgetting this place belongs to the Three True Immortals."

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