Chapter 137 - 112: The Spirit Out of the Netherworld

Chapter 137: Chapter 112: The Spirit Out of the Netherworld

Long Mountain lies beyond the Northwest Sea.

The mountain rises from the surface of the sea, perpetually hazy. The surrounding mists veiled Long Mountain as if with a layer of gauze.

Gazing out from the mainland coast, it was impossible to tell how far Long Mountain was from the shore. Everything seemed to be hidden within the shimmering haze.

A small palanquin of white gauze suddenly appeared in the sky, then stopped outside the Array.

The outskirts of Long Mountain were protected by a Spirit Race Array. Ordinary people could not enter, and even an expert of the Sixth Realm Kai Yang would be stopped outside of it.

Of course, the Little Fairy inside the palanquin was no ordinary person.

Her voice drifted out. It was soft and gentle, yet everyone on all of Long Mountain heard it with perfect clarity.

"Miao Yu Palace is here to discuss a matter with the Spirit Race."

There was no response from Long Mountain.

Xia Lianxue frowned. When members of the Nine Gates and Twelve Palaces visited the territories of other races, they usually just barged straight in. By comparison, she was being quite polite.

And yet, not a single person from the Spirit Race had answered.

Xia Lianxue stood in the sky, her expression growing colder and colder.

She waited for a full ten breaths.

The Little Fairy in a White Skirt raised a slender hand and said nonchalantly, "Since they won’t open the gate, we’ll just let ourselves in."

"Junior Sister?"

As she spoke, the barrier of mist shattered into pieces.

Although the Little Fairy was only at the Sixth Realm, she had fallen from the Seventh Realm. She was no ordinary Sixth Realm cultivator, and to her, the Spirit Race’s Array was no different than paper-mache.

Kabeng! The Grand Array shattered instantly.

Qiu Yuehan stared, dumbfounded, at the overbearing Xia Lianxue.

"Isn’t this a little..."

"If anything, I was too polite." Xia Lianxue’s expression was unchanged. "I came in person. The entire Spirit Race should have been on their knees at the gate to welcome me."

The Miao Yu Palace Master had come in person. It would have been one thing for the Spirit Race not to be overcome with gratitude, but they had simply ignored her.

The two of them slowly descended to the foot of Long Mountain.

As far as the eye could see, there were many houses built on stilts. The Spirit Race lived in these stilt houses.

With the Grand Array now shattered, numerous blue-haired members of the Spirit Race emerged from the forest behind the stilt houses. They carried weapons, their expressions solemn as they watched Xia Lianxue and Qiu Yuehan.

For some reason, Qiu Yuehan found the scene strangely familiar. She felt a sudden urge to attack the members of the Spirit Race.

"A misunderstanding! It’s all a misunderstanding!" Someone hastily flew down from Long Mountain. It was an ancient-looking old man, and he approached with a placating smile. "An Immortal Master from Miao Yu Palace! I wonder which Venerable has graced us with her presence?"

The Little Fairy said coolly, "Xia Yutang of Miao Yu Palace."

The old man turned pale with shock.

The news of the Miao Yu Palace Master’s return to Miao Yu Palace was known to all, so the Little Fairy’s name had naturally reappeared on the stage of the Cultivation Realm.

"So it is the Palace Master in person..."

The man gave a fawning smile. "I am the current Clan Leader. You may call me Lan Xi. I wonder what brings the Palace Master to our humble backwater..."

Xia Lianxue’s expression was unchanged. "Why was there no response just now?"

It wasn’t that Xia Lianxue was determined to dwell on the matter.

Rather, if the Spirit Race dared to ignore Miao Yu Palace’s call today, they would dare to ignore the Daoist Sect’s decrees tomorrow, and the day after that, they would dare to raise the banners of rebellion.

What was this?

’Are they planning to rebel?’

Xia Lianxue’s gaze was dangerous, and the sight of it made Lan Xi’s heart pound with terror.

He said hurriedly, "Please do not be angry, Palace Master. The timing is simply inopportune today. There is an important matter within the clan, and we didn’t clearly hear that you had arrived."

Xia Lianxue pressed her, "What matter? If you don’t give me an explanation today, then you can take a trip to the Daoist Sect with me."

He might be Lan Xi on his way to the Daoist Sect, but there was no telling what he would be upon his return.

A few years ago, after the Clan Leader of the Dream Demon Race entered the Daoist Sect, he only returned a year later. When he came back, he was completely mad, shouting "Long live the Chang’an Daoist! Long live world peace!" from morning till night. It was horrifying.

Lan Xi did not want to end up like that.

So he said hastily, "A sacrificial rite! We’re making a sacrifice to our ancestors. It’s held once every ten years, a very important festival for our clan."

Xia Lianxue retracted her dangerous gaze. "Take me to see it."

’If there’s a sacrificial rite, there must be a place for it.’

’If I don’t see a sacrificial site, it means he’s lying. And if I discover that the Spirit Race has been lying... well, today will become very interesting.’

Lan Xi said hastily, "Please, follow me."

The Little Fairy, along with the Moon Fairy, followed Lan Xi up the mountain.

Sure enough, sacrificial implements had already been set up on Long Mountain Peak. A tall Sun, Moon, and Stars Jade Cauldron, stood upon a platform, surrounded by ritual tools. Torches had also been lit.

Intricate runes on the steps extended all the way to the Little Fairy in a White Skirt’s Embroidered Moon Slippers.

Lan Xi wiped the cold sweat from his brow. "I wasn’t lying. Today really is for the sacrificial rite. It’s very important, and most of our people are climbing the mountain for it."

Xia Lianxue narrowed her eyes slightly—a gesture she had learned from Lu Changyuan that looked incredibly unnerving.

"Very well."

Only then did Lan Xi let out a sigh of relief.

But Xia Lianxue quickly spoke again. "Several hundred years ago, did my master visit this place?"

"Your master?" Lan Xi looked confused.

"The previous Master of Miao Yu Palace." Xia Lianxue took out a scroll. The portrait on it was of Feng Xianlong.

Lan Xi nodded. "Yes, she came. She stole our clan’s Holy Bead. Then, many years later, she sent a little girl here and told us to raise her for a few years before sending her to Miao Yu Palace for Cultivation."

Qiu Yuehan, who had been looking around Long Mountain and finding it strangely familiar—reminiscent of her childhood—whipped her head around at his words.

She asked, "Who is my father?"

Only then did Lan Xi notice the resemblance between Qiu Yuehan and the little girl from his memories, and he suddenly realized who she was.

"We don’t know. The current Palace Master’s master was the one who brought you here. At the time, she never told us where to find your father."

A storm of complicated emotions churned within Qiu Yuehan.

’My mother is dead, and I don’t even know where my father is.’