"It's yours, all yours. He can give it to you too!"
Han Huijun weakly tugged at Shen Yuefu's sleeve.
Yao Ranran met Shen Yuefu's gaze and shook her head.
"Forget him. The spirit stones are better."
"Good. If the Xiānzhǔ likes spirit stones, then it's fine. Junior Brother Shen simply doesn't have that fortune; he's not worthy of you!"
Han Huijun immediately fawned, following Yao Ranran's words.
Shen Yuefu's hands stiffened as he held Han Huijun, his eyes widening in disbelief.
"Sect Master, what are you talking about?"
"I'm telling you, you don't have that fortune. Back when she wanted to form a taoist bond with you, I should have done everything to secure that marriage for you. Now? She no longer even looks at you!" Han Huijun let out a heavy sigh, pounding his chest in regret.
Shen Yuefu stiffly pulled away. "Sect Master, the ally you mentioned… is it her?"
"Ahem, who else could it be? The Ancestor are all dead!"
Han Huijun coughed up two drops of blood, sitting cross-legged on the ground to regulate his chaotic qi.
Across from him, the neglected Ancestor Yuchi stared, utterly dumbfounded.
"You're insane. You'd put your life in the hands of a little girl?"
Yao Ranran's voice rang out loud and clear.
"A little girl can have great power. Don't underestimate me. I can handle two of you at once with no trouble."
Ancestor Yuchi spun sharply to face her. The moment he saw her face, his expression changed dramatically.
"Your name… is Yao Ranran?"
He shouted in astonishment.
Yao Ranran nodded truthfully.
"Correct. One does not change name or surname. I am the Ran Ran Xiānzhǔ."
Ancestor Yuchi furrowed his brows, then a smile suddenly spread across his face.
"Suicidal! With a supreme spiritual vein in hand, you dare come to Central Domain. You've come here to personally offer the Wu family's prime spirit stones to us, haven't you!"
"Is that so? Perhaps you've got it backward. Aren't you the ones supposed to give me the spirit stones?"
Yao Ranran toyed with her Nine Lotus Ring, her face innocent as she blinked at him.
Ancestor Yuchi lifted surrounding boulders, uprooting a mid-sized hall and flinging it toward Yao Ranran.
"You little girl, I'll smash you into minced meat. Then you won't talk nonsense anymore!"
Yao Ranran spun her Nine Lotus Ring and launched an Azure Lotus.
In the instant of Ancestor Yuchi's shock, the floating Azure Lotus landed beneath the hall, bouncing it back onto Ancestor Yuchi's head, burying him beneath the building and into the earth.
Han Huijun stared in disbelief.
"Junior Brother, see? This ally I brought is good, right? Even if Ancestor Mo Rui were here, he couldn't defeat her in a single move!"
Shen Yuefu's expression was complex as he silently nodded.
Han Huijun continued, ignoring him.
"She is just a little expensive…"
"How expensive?" Shen Yuefu asked calmly.
Han Huijun held a pile of broken stones.
"Once she's done here, all of Wuxiang Sect will be hers…"
Shen Yuefu: "…"
"Sect Master, you're treating Wuxiang Sect as a reward?"
"What else in this world could possibly move her?"
Han Huijun stared intently at Shen Yuefu's face.
Shen Yuefu averted his gaze.
"The meaning of Wuxiang Sect is different to you. It has stood in Central Domain for tens of thousands of years."
"Yes, Wuxiang Sect is my life," Han Huijun said, looking fondly at the pile of stones in his hand. "Even if I could trade you for it, I could never bear to give it up!"
Shen Yuefu rose coldly, leaving Han Huijun half-fallen and unsupported.
"Ah, Junior Brother, I was just joking. If I had known you were this useful back then, I wouldn't have hesitated to send you to her!"
Han Huijun dusted himself off, shamelessly speaking his heart.
Shen Yuefu looked skyward, quietly saying:
"I think that's a good idea too."
Han Huijun froze, then looked up.
"Junior Brother, what did you just say?"
"Nothing. I cannot leave all the responsibility on her alone."
Shen Yuefu lightly tapped his toes and leapt onto the misty surface of the flying boat.
Han Huijun watched his elegant form and murmured,
"He clearly didn't just say that… it sounded like he agreed with my idea…"
Mu Xin leaned against the flying boat, his gaze flicking toward Shen Yuefu.
"Someone's coming up. Is he from Wuxiang Sect?"
Yao Ranran replied calmly, "Yes. Don't worry about him."
Mu Xin crossed his arms, resting one foot against a ship post. His ears twitched as he smiled.
"He actually wants to help you!"
Yao Ranran glanced briefly at Shen Yuefu's position, then withdrew her gaze.
"I don't need it."
She did not try to prove herself; she simply stated a fact.
Mu Xin chuckled.
"Then I'll go tell him, Xiānzhǔ, could you make a path for me?"
He had grown used to Yao Ranran's identity. A cultivator who could dispel miasma—if he stayed entangled with her, he would never have to endure its torment again!
Yao Ranran was slightly puzzled by Mu Xin's changed attitude, but with their master-servant contract, she did not overthink it.
"Alright."
She raised her hand, sweeping aside the miasma. A clear, wide path appeared before them.
Mu Xin saw Shen Yuefu's astonished expression.
In an instant, he moved in front of Shen Yuefu.
"Do you know the strength of Ran Ran Xiānzhǔ? Going up there would only make things worse."
Shen Yuefu froze, pressing his lips together.
"On what basis do you say that?"
He did not know Mu Xin, but the aura Mu Xin deliberately radiated spoke of his extraordinary power.
Mu Xin feigned nonchalance, producing an immortal artifact.
"See this artifact? She has plenty more in her hands!"
Shen Yuefu calmly watched the artifact.
"Having artifacts with her reduces the risk, which is good. But that does not conflict with my decision to help her. Please, Daoyou, make way."
Mu Xin looked at her directly, then suddenly smiled.
"You're not telling me you've fallen for her beauty, are you?"
Shen Yuefu tightened his hands inside his sleeves and replied,
"I do not want her to die. If she dies, no one will be worthy of facing me."
Mu Xin smiled,
"I used to be like you, arrogant, thinking no one could match me, neither in this lower realm nor in the spirit realm. Until I met her…
Only then did I realize that invincible days are the happiest. Monsters like these should be destroyed when they are young, or else when they grow, they will take away your title as the best in the world!"
Shen Yuefu: "…Daoyou is honest, but only an opponent can help you grow."
Mu Xin chuckled lightly, spreading his hands.
"Innocent! You think I improved? She is not an opponent… she is total domination!"
As Mu Xin's words landed, the air exploded violently.
Shen Yuefu and Mu Xin looked up together.
From the ground, the bodies of Ancestor Yuchi and the former sect master of Miaoyun Sect burst apart, flesh and stone flying, scattering across Wuxiang Sect's plaza.