The female immortal truly possessed peerless grace and bearing. Even when angry, she remained exceptionally striking; despite her arrogant and harsh demeanor, she carried an unusual charm.
Judging by looks alone, she was fully on par with Zhang Sheng, Consort Yuan, and Bao Yun. Moreover, she was an immortal, radiating an ethereal glow from head to toe, giving her an aura and presence entirely different from mortal women.
Still, Zhang Sheng, Bao Yun, and even Ji Liuli, Feng Tingyu, and Consort Yuan each possessed qualities that looked down upon the world, conceding nothing to an immortal in elegance and majesty.
Wei Yuan's mindset was vastly different from what it used to be. Sizing up the female immortal from head to toe, he felt she was riddled with openings. His gaze gradually turned strange as he began tallying the benefits of slaying an immortal.
The fury on the immortal's face was unmistakable, impossible to conceal. She snapped, "Audacious rogue! How dare you show such insolence before a True Immortal?"
Wei Yuan chuckled. "Isn't there already a True Immortal down there who gets cursed daily by tens of millions of people? If you're envious, Senior, I can arrange for people to chant your venerable title every day too."
The female immortal gritted her teeth in fury. Even the composure of an immortal could hardly withstand such an in-your-face verbal barrage. Her expression turned frosty as she said chillingly, "Are you determined to make an enemy of my Xu family?"
Wei Yuan replied calmly, "Senior's words miss the mark. I have no intention of opposing the Xu family. Besides, Brother Henshui and I have been friends for years..."
Before he could finish, a sinister clump of dark light flew up from below at staggering speed. From far off, a scorched stench assailed their noses. The dark light was so monstrous that even the female immortal felt an inward shock at its rank, her heart tightening slightly.
Waving dozens of tentacles, the dark light reached them in the blink of an eye. The gloom then dispersed, revealing what faintly looked like a charcoal beauty nestled within a cluster of scorched leaves.
Xu Henshui emerged in his blue robes. The moment he caught sight of the female immortal, he hurriedly bowed and greeted her as Immortal Ancestor.
This female immortal was none other than the Xu family's Immortal Ancestor, Xu Youyi, long renowned for her bad temper and difficult personality. Yet the Xu family possessed a unique bloodline, routinely producing geniuses in alchemy and herb cultivation, which earned them exceptionally high standing in the cultivation world. Moreover, a supreme lifespan-extending immortal pill could only be refined by those of Xu blood.
Seeing that it was Xu Henshui, Xu Youyi's expression softened slightly. "What are you doing here? I have instructions for Wei Yuan. Go down and wait for me. And what on earth is going on with your dharma idol? Once I've handled matters here, I'll come find you."
Xu Henshui opened his mouth, but in the end could only say, "Yes."
Just as he turned to leave, Wei Yuan caught his arm. Wei Yuan smiled. "Don't rush off, Senior Brother. What we're discussing right now concerns you greatly!"
Xu Henshui froze. He had rushed over upon receiving Wei Yuan's summons, only to find his own family's Immortal Ancestor present. How could he not know her temper? Seeing Xu Youyi in such an aggressive state, he knew things were bad.
In an instant, thoughts raced through his mind. He was an exceedingly sharp man, and two choices immediately laid themselves out before him. Without much hesitation, he made his decision.
Xu Henshui straightened his posture, his aura steadily rising. Gone was his timid, subservient demeanor as he stood quietly beside Wei Yuan.
Wei Yuan turned back to Xu Youyi. "May I ask what brings Senior here today?"
Xu Youyi shot Xu Henshui a sharp glare, but Xu Henshui stood silently, acting as though he hadn't noticed. Her face darkened, and she said coldly, "What, your wings have grown strong, so you have no regard for me anymore? Return to the ancestral lands this instant, shut yourself away, and reflect on your faults. I will deal with you when I return!"
Wei Yuan took a step forward, blocking Xu Youyi's line of sight, and said placidly, "Senior Brother Xu is a disciple of our Palace of Grand Beginning and currently holds a crucial post in Qingming. If Senior wishes to send him home without cause and subject him to punishment, I fear you will have to consult Palace Master Yanshi—and you will also have to consult me."
Xu Youyi's phoenix brows shot up, her eyes turning sharp as knives. Staring at Wei Yuan, she enunciated each word, "I. Need. To. Consult. You?"
Wei Yuan's smile never wavered. "Naturally."
"Fine! And what if I take this unfilial junior away right now?"
Wei Yuan's smile remained just as steady. "You may not."
Xu Youyi had never imagined Wei Yuan would deny her even the slightest shred of face, leaving her no way to step down gracefully. With her phoenix brows raised like swords and eyes radiating authority, she said coldly, "Junior, do you court death?"
Wei Yuan gave a faint smile and pointed at the ground beneath them. "This is Qingming. The blessing it confers upon me is likely beyond Senior's imagination. Furthermore, since I do not fear Lu Changhe, and Senior is not that much stronger than him, I fear you are overthinking things if you believe you can kill me."
Xu Youyi's fury flared immensely. Several times she nearly struck, but Wei Yuan was no ordinary junior; he was the undisputed choice for the next palace master of the Palace of Grand Beginning. If she truly injured him, she would immediately forge a blood feud with the palace, and Yanshi would never let the matter rest.
With a glacial expression, Xu Youyi said, "Are you determined to make an enemy of my Xu family?"
Wei Yuan did not answer right away. Instead, he summoned a map and said, "Look here, Senior. It took me three months to cripple the Lu clan and wipe out their main force. If the Xu family insists on being my enemy, my army can wheel eastward. It isn't all that far from Eastern Jin, after all. When that happens, we can test our strength against the Xu family's forces.
"Senior possesses peerless grace, so presumably the Xu family's army isn't weak either. Perhaps they could hold out for two months more—the roads on the way are rather difficult to traverse, after all."
Xu Youyi's face shifted between green and red. Leaving all else aside, in her boiling rage, she was indeed strikingly beautiful.
Yet anger aside, as a dignified immortal, she could not simply throw a tantrum. In her heart, she knew well that the Lu clan's private army was considered strong among the great families. If their million-strong force had been swept aside and shattered like dried twigs by Wei Yuan, the Xu family's private army stood no chance against Qingming.
Nowadays, the world rarely spoke of Great Tang's Nine Armies anymore. Everyone understood that the mightiest force under heaven belonged solely to Qingming.
Thus, Wei Yuan's words admitted no rebuttal—though listening to them certainly made one itch to cut him down.
Forcing down the rage in her heart, Xu Youyi said coldly, "I came here to tell you that the Seven Clans and Thirteen Prominent Families share common roots and cannot be lightly insulted. Moreover, like the Nine States, the Seven Clans and Thirteen Prominent Families carry special significance and cannot easily be added to or diminished. Take the Cui family of Ji and Zhao: their Immortal Ancestor perished unexpectedly, yet the various families united to protect them, ensuring the Cui family's line continued uninterrupted.
"It is the same with Lu Changhe. He specifically came to me to plead his case, expressing willingness to be on friendly terms with Qingming, to share resources and never again become enemies. In addition, the direct line of the Lu clan has a pair of twin sisters, exceptionally gifted and remarkably beautiful, who can be gifted to you. That is the equivalent of handing you two future Scenery Commands!"
"So Senior came here to plead for Lu Changhe?" Wei Yuan asked.
"Naturally." Xu Youyi's expression was somewhat unnatural. She had issued several threats in a row, only to strike an iron wall each time, and being unable to act had cost her immense face. Now, forcing herself to broach the main subject felt utterly humiliating.
Wei Yuan's smile finally grew a touch more sincere. "Since Senior has condescended to make such a request, this junior naturally has no reason not to comply..."
Just as Xu Youyi's expression began to clear, Wei Yuan uttered one more word: "However..."
As expected, nothing good ever followed a 'however.' Wei Yuan continued, "...Senior's weight alone falls a bit short. How about this: Senior can find another highly respected True Immortal to plead the case, and then you can throw yourself in as an accessory bonus. Perhaps then it might work."
Unable to contain herself any longer, Xu Youyi smashed a beam of azure light straight down at Wei Yuan's head!
Chapter 1131