"Beautiful lady, you've misunderstood me. I'm not that person from Suzhou and Hangzhou who awakened as a top-rank Spirit Envoy."
Bai Hao waved his hands hastily, looking rather flustered.
"Beautiful lady... sister?"
Zhi Youyue frowned, and the air seemed to freeze the moment he uttered that clearly presumptuous "beautiful sister."
As a renowned Spirit Emperor realm expert in the Xia Kingdom, she commanded immense respect wherever she went. Who would dare address her so casually?
The vast spiritual energy gathering at her fingertips nearly surged forth along her sword's edge.
Yet Bai Hao bore no trace of the sinister aura unique to alien races.
Suppressing the irrational anger rising within her, Zhi Youyue twisted her wrist slightly. The luminous sword resting against Bai Hao's neck hummed softly before dissolving like melting snow, leaving only a faint wisp of warm air in its wake.
"If you're not the Emperor-grade talent from Suzhou and Hangzhou, why would that Demon Spirit Clan woman target you?"
Zhi Youyue's bright, clear eyes scanned Bai Hao from head to toe, then she warned in an unyielding tone, "Also, don't call me 'sister.' I'm old enough to be your mother."
She was thirty-two years old—while not quite old enough to be his mother as she claimed, she was certainly not his elder sister.
Furthermore, Spirit Emperor realm experts boasted lifespans of over a thousand years, yet her appearance remained that of a young woman with jet-black hair, untouched by time.
Each step on the path to transcendence reshapes one's life: Great Spirit Masters live over two hundred years, Saint Spirit Realm practitioners over five hundred, and Spirit Emperors truly cross into the threshold of millennial longevity.
Lifespan extensions vary based on an individual's ability attributes and types. Typically, Spirit Emperor realm beings with special abilities live for thousands of years, while those with physical constitutions enjoy even longer lives. The current record for a Spirit Emperor's lifespan stands at 3,672 years.
Unofficial historical records claim the Xia Dynasty's two most legendary figures—Pangu and Chiyou—had lifespans of 100,000 and 30,000 years respectively, though some details may be fictional.
...
"Alright, beautiful lady."
Even though she'd told him not to address her that way, he didn't know her real name. If he called her "auntie," who knew what trouble it might cause? When dealing with women—especially powerful ones—it was best to be cautious and avoid provoking them.
Zhi Youyue felt a slight twinge at her temple and rubbed it helplessly. Never mind—arguing over titles was a waste of time right now.
The witch who'd infiltrated the secret realm was still at large; despite being severely wounded, she'd escaped into the realm and vanished without a trace. Every moment of delay risked more victims. To stop her evil deeds, Zhi Youyue had to find and eliminate her as soon as possible.
"Stay here and don't move. This secret realm..."
She'd intended to explain about the witch, but paused, not wanting to cause unnecessary panic.
"There's trouble in the secret realm—it's not safe here. If you don't want to die, stay put and behave."
"Gao Lan, you stay here to evacuate the students and keep them safe."
As soon as she finished speaking, the ancient spiritual contract mark on Zhi Youyue's ankle glowed brightly, its light flowing like stardust. A composed, dignified figure emerged from the radiance and landed between Bai Hao and Zhi Youyue.
Gao Lan was not tall, and his weathered face made him look middle-aged. Though he possessed mid-level Saint Spirit realm cultivation, his abilities were not suited for combat—in fact, he couldn't even match Li Wenxuan, a novice Saint Spirit, in a fight.
However, his enhanced stealth ability could now be used for mass invisibility. If he wished, he could render over ten thousand people undetectable simultaneously. No one could spot those under the effect of his ability unless they possessed special means or techniques. This invisibility concealed not just form, but also auras and psionic fluctuations—making it invaluable for special missions (or even crimes like murder and theft). Of course, due to his own limitations, high-level Saint Spirit experts could still detect faint traces of his work.
Earlier, when Zhi Youyue had evaded Elisa's attack, it was because she'd controlled the use of Gao Lan's ability herself. Even so, with Gao Lan's lower cultivation level, their combined invisibility could barely fool another Spirit Emperor's perception.
In a way, Gao Lan's ability seemed useless—it worked neither against strong foes nor weak ones. That said, before Zhi Youyue advanced to Spirit Emperor, his invisibility had been incredibly effective, allowing her to eliminate many Saint Spirit realm aliens and beasts with ease.
Since Elisa was already injured and had fled, Gao Lan didn't need to stay by Zhi Youyue's side. Separating would be better—with Gao Lan protecting the students taking the martial arts exam in Weeping Sky Gorge, Zhi Youyue could focus entirely on her pursuit.
Gao Lan glanced at the chaotic scene at the secret realm's entrance and nodded calmly. "Go chase her. Leave this to me."
Despite his middle-aged appearance, Gao Lan was over a hundred years old. He had signed spiritual contracts with other Spirit Masters before Zhi Youyue, and his combat experience and tactical awareness far surpassed the relatively inexperienced Zhi Youyue. Since his abilities weren't for direct combat, he was particularly skilled in escape techniques.
"By the way, find that Emperor-grade talent from Suzhou and Hangzhou and guard them closely—don't let anything happen to them."
After giving this reminder, Zhi Youyue transformed into a brilliant sphere of light and shot off into the distance, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
"Tsk tsk."
Gao Lan watched the glowing trail vanish, clicking his tongue with obvious envy. "Li Wenxuan's 'Flowing Light' ability is really something—so impressive whether fighting or traveling. When will this old man ever get such a cool ability..."
He stood there for a moment, gazing after her with envy and a sigh of self-pity. But only for a few seconds—then he walked over to Bai Hao, grabbed his arm with a slightly teasing tone, and said:
"Hold on tight, young man—otherwise you'll fall off."
Before Bai Hao could respond, his body suddenly soared into the air. The intense centrifugal force and shifting gravity made his senses feel suffocated. Looking down, he saw the landscape shrinking rapidly—Gao Lan had jumped a full hundred meters high. After soaring upward, they began to plummet, and the sudden weightlessness hit hard.
"Uncle! Won't we die if we fall like this? Don't do something so reckless!"
Even in this world of extraordinary powers, Bai Hao—who'd only been exposed to such abilities for less than a month—felt like he was jumping from a great height without a parachute. It was no laughing matter.
"Hmm? You call that girl Youyue 'beautiful older sister,' but me 'older uncle'?"
Gao Lan's teasing voice was drowned out by the howling wind in Bai Hao's ears.
"Damn it!!!"
Are all high-level superhumans in this world crazy? Do they have no sense of balance or common sense?
Even though he knew rationally that Gao Lan wouldn't let him fall to his death, he still squeezed his eyes shut instinctively. Sometimes, fear of heights is unavoidable.