Wait.
Not a pumpkin carriage, but an ant cart?
Many in the crowd noticed the Little Mobile Ant Car flying through the sky, wondering who was arriving.
Niu Kaitian, You Xinghun, and their companions, however, felt a surge of excitement. Then realization struck, and they narrowed their eyes at the fellow System Rank experts around them.
Even though they were merely messing around with livestreams and kissing Yu Xian's ass, to anyone paying attention, their behavior was practically writing the answer across their foreheads. Besides, Little Nora was livestreaming right now and wasn't concealing her whereabouts in the slightest...
The reason Niu Kaitian and You Xinghun had rushed over was precisely because they knew Yu Xian was coming.
So what about Dinggong Bang and the rest?
*These old bastards!*
Neither Niu Kaitian nor You Xinghun could help cursing inwardly.
Then Niu Kaitian spoke up: "Make way, everyone. An old friend of mine has arrived."
"Quite right, quite right. Please clear some space," You Xinghun said with a smile, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding System Rank experts.
There might be dimwits among the Star Ranks, but anyone at the Li Rank or above was practically guaranteed to be sharp. Realizing something was up, the onlookers cleared a space, though each person jostled for a position along the edge to catch a glimpse of the newcomer.
Sure enough, the Little Mobile Ant Car descended toward the cleared ground. Devoid of any kinetic inertia, it came to a dead stop the moment it touched down, smooth as silk.
Niu Kaitian noticed a detail: the ant car didn't actually make contact with the earth. It hovered roughly a centimeter above the ground.
The door slowly lowered, and Yu Xian ambled down the steps while yawning. Zhang Buyao hopped down next, followed by the rest of the group.
"Yo, Old Niu," Yu Xian greeted him upon spotting Niu Kaitian.
Niu Kaitian immediately beamed and bowed respectfully. "Greetings, Benefactor! Greetings to the ladies—and Duckie!"
"Benefactor this, Benefactor that—you might as well just call me the Freeloader. Relax a little. Life has a way higher tolerance for error than you think; being happy is what matters most," Yu Xian said with a chuckle as he walked up to Niu Kaitian.
Niu Kaitian smiled. "Seeing Benefactor already brings me immense joy! Besides, proper etiquette must be observed. That is Old Niu's principle!"
"Suit yourself," Yu Xian said casually.
At that moment, Dinggong Bang spoke up: "Bull God, might I ask who this friend is...?"
"Hahahaha! I, Xiao Jianxian, love making friends most of all. Old Niu, aren't you going to introduce this friend of yours?" chimed in the infant carrying the sword on his back.
Only then did Yu Xian notice the baby boy carrying a sword, seated atop a wisp of white cloud.
He strolled straight over, reached out to pat the child's head, pinched his cheeks, and finally—under the infant's completely stunned gaze—flicked his little willy.
"Hey kid, what are you doing pretending to be a grown-up? How old are you?" Yu Xian asked with a grin.
Xiao Jianxian's fury flared—only for him to swallow it right back down. He replied truthfully, "I am already two thousand years old. Your Excellency is being rather discourteous, wouldn't you say?"
"Hiss... Two thousand years old," Yu Xian inhaled sharply, subconsciously glancing down at Xiao Jianxian's little willy, then looking back at him with eyes full of pity.
The veins on Xiao Jianxian's forehead nearly bulged through his skin. That look made it blindingly obvious the man was thinking something utterly insulting. If he weren't outmatched, he would have severed Yu Xian with a single sword strike right then and there.
"I cultivate the Pure Yang Sword. This form is the manifestation of the Pure Yang Body," Xiao Jianxian explained through gritted teeth, desperately swallowing his rage—partly to prove there was nothing wrong with his body.
Yu Xian asked curiously, "What about the Pure Yin Body then? A baby girl?"
"The Pure Yin Body generally maintains the form of an elderly person," Xiao Jianxian had no choice but to explain.
Pure Yang represented the morning sun, while Pure Yin represented the setting moon. One preceded and one followed; one an infant, one an elder, thereby forming the cyclical flow of Yin and Yang.
If Xiao Jianxian could encounter a System Rank expert who had cultivated the Pure Yin Body to its absolute peak and blend their Yin and Yang together, his strength would skyrocket and his body would return to normal.
Alas, such a partner was something one could only dream of finding.
In his two thousand years of life, Xiao Jianxian had only ever met one being who had cultivated the Pure Yin Body to perfection. The problem was...
The guy was a dude!!!!
...
While Yu Xian and Xiao Jianxian were shooting the breeze, Peng Zuen, lingering at the edge of the crowd, wanted nothing more than to flee.
Using the abilities of a perfect creature, he had disguised himself as a pig-headed beastman, his mind consumed by the sole urge to get away as fast as possible. Yu Xian hadn't noticed him standing in the corner like some nameless minion, but he had seen Yu Xian at center stage and instantly recognized him.
Run!
If Yu Xian noticed him, he was done for.
He even suspected Yu Xian had come specifically to capture him. If his identity were exposed, he was a dead man.
"Hey brother, you look terrified. What are you scared of?" At that moment, a wolf-headed Transcendent next to Peng Zuen twitched his nose, eyeing him with suspicion.
Forcing down his terror, Peng Zuen put on a brave front. "Scared of what? I'm not scared of anything. Don't go making things up."
"The thing is, the scent coming off you is the stench of fear," the wolf-headed Transcendent said, leaning closer and staring at Peng Zuen. As he finished speaking, he even gave Peng Zuen's arm a lick.
*Mmh. The taste of a lie.*
The wolf-headed Transcendent grew even more suspicious.
After all, every Transcendent present had gathered to investigate the discoloration at the center of the Death Calamity Sea. Even those with grudges maintained a veneer of peace; nobody was going to start a fight at a time like this.
So that begged the question:
What was Peng Zuen afraid of?
A suspicion took shape in the wolf-headed Transcendent's mind.
*Could this pig-head be the culprit? Seeing so many System Rank experts gathered here, is he afraid they'll uncover the truth, and then... he'll be exposed?*
The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became.
The very next second, he sprang backward and pointed at Peng Zuen, shouting, "Quick, grab him! He's the culprit! He's the one behind the Death Calamity Sea changing color!"
"I'm not! Stop spouting nonsense!" Peng Zuen panicked immediately.
He hadn't expected that instead of falling into Yu Xian's hands, he would be backed into a corner by a minor extra standing beside him.
What kind of cursed plot twist was this? Why were these extras so clever? Couldn't they just stand by quietly and spectate like normal NPCs?
Peng Zuen found himself surrounded. Whether he was the true culprit or not, every eye was now locked onto him.
He noticed Yu Xian looking over as well. Cold sweat broke out all over his true body beneath six layers of perfect creature forms. He could not help groaning inwardly: *The more a man schemes and calculates, the easier it is to fall into unexpected predicaments. I never should have come!*
While everyone else was staring at Peng Zuen, Zhang Buyao sensed something amiss. She turned toward the red seawater below the cliff and saw heads slowly forming in the water, one after another.
One of the heads tilted up slightly, its crimson gaze locking right with Zhang Buyao's.
Chapter 405