The disclosure of Xie Yuan and Xiao Xue’s relationship caused quite a stir and the commotion showed no signs of abating but it does not seem to affect the two. They went about their business as if the upheaval had nothing to do with them. 

But the pandemonium reached the gates of Divine Martial Sect faster than anticipated and Xie Yuan was advised by his uncle not to return to the sect, for the time being, unless he wanted to deal with the mayhem himself. 

The situation, of course, made Xie Yuan unhappy. Staying within sect grounds was safer for Xiao Xue but considering the circumstances they have no other choice. Xie Yuan has no patience for anyone, aside from Xiao Xue, and is likely to beat up anyone who tries to disturb him. None of them thought that a simple announcement of the nuptials would create that much havoc. In order to avoid the madness, the group decided it was safer to stay in the town near the sect.  

Amidst the commotion, Zhang Lao was immediately mobilized to arrange the wedding ceremony. Xie Yuan did not want to wait more than he had to while Xiao Xue had no further objections on the subject. Aside from asking Zhang Lao not to make it too elaborate, Xiao Xue had no other preferences.

“Apprentice sister! Apprentice sister!” Yi Xin called out excitedly as he rushed to the courtyard. “Great news! Master sent word about the location of the Blister Knot Leaf!”

Along their journey, the group had not been idle and was looking for information about the possible location of the herbs that were needed for the Phoenix Revival Pill. Every trail and information was carefully explored and double-checked. Sadly, they did not have many leads and most were false trails.

Xie Yuan was lingering on the thought of asking his father for help but blessedly in his latest missive, Yi Sheng sent word that he already acquired the Silver Frost Horn and informed them of the location of the Blister Knot Leaf. If they manage to acquire the Blister Knot Leaf, the ingredients of the Phoenix Revival Pill will be complete. Once the pill is concocted, Xiao Xue’s broken dantian would be fixed and the body eroding poison would be thoroughly purged.

Yi Xin animatedly handed over the letter for Xiao Xue to read as he sat down and poured himself a cup of tea. Xiao Xue read the letter twice before carefully folding and handing it back to Yi Xin.

“We have to inform the young lord. The two of you could decide whether to postpone the ceremony to find the herb first or perform the ceremony before setting off. Senior Zhang is arranging everything so I do not think there would be a problem. But apprentice sister, I suggest we find the herb first. Curing you should be our utmost priority!” Yi Xin nattered nonstop, excited at the prospect of his junior sister fully recovering from her ailments, until he noticed Xiao Xue’s quiet reaction. Yi Xin stared at Xiao Xue and curiously asked, “Apprentice sister, is something wrong?”

Yi Xin thought Xiao Xue, of all people, would be happy to learn about the good news. But her reaction was lackluster, to say the least. Yi Xin immediately wondered if he’d been too impulsive to suggest postponing the ceremony. If Xie Yuan finds out that he uttered such words, the young lord will make him bleed for sure!

Xiao Xue shook her head and said, “It’s good that we now know where to find one of the herb.” She paused and looked worriedly at Yi Xin. “But apprentice brother, do you know what sort of place Endless Abyss is?”

Yi Xin, who was worrying about Xie Yuan’s reaction, paused. How could he not know what sort of place Endless Abyss is? Yi Xin might not be as well-travelled as their master but he knew at least that much!

Endless Abyss is one of the void zones in Lyra. Some people refer to it as Hell’s Gate. No one ventures to the place unless they are aiming to die a horrible death. Endless Abyss is, in fact, a valley within the Forgotten Forest. It’s situated within the borders of Lyra and the Infinite Sea. No one knows exactly how big or how deep Endless Abyss is because no one has been able to explore it.

According to legend, Endless Abyss is an ancient battlefield where the gods and the demons fought. It was said that a portal connected to the demon world was located there, hence the name Hell’s Gate. But no one knows for sure. A lot of cultivators have tried to investigate Endless Abyss, to explore the possibilities of an unknown land and search for godheads left from the divine war. But from the numerous groups that came to the abyss none came back to report and not even a corpse was found.

Some say that a vicious beast was sealed within the abyss and the miasma shrouding the valley was formed from the beast’s bloody breath. But no one could confirm if the story was true or false. Other speculations have been spread through the years but no one could prove its authenticity. One thing is certain, Endless Abyss was not a place where a person would want to go because the trip would be a one-way road to hell and damnation.

“Apprentice sister, you don’t need to worry too much.” Yi Xin thought that Xiao Xue was concerned about asking Xie Yuan for help especially since it involved venturing to a very dangerous place. Yi Xin believed his junior sister was thinking too much. Although he does not know much about Xie Yuan’s background, Yi Xin was aware that he’s from a prominent family from the higher realms. How prominent? Yi Xin does not know exactly. But if it was enough for Master, who’s known within the three realms, to revere then it’s reasonable to assume that Xie Yuan’s background is quite powerful. 

Then there’s Zhang Lao and the personal guards, even with the realm restriction in Lyra Yi Xin could feel through their leaking aura that all of them were experts with top notch strengths. 

“Young lord is more powerful than you think. I’m sure he would have a way to go there and acquire the herb.” Yi Xin consoled solicitously.

A distant memory flashed through Xiao Xue’s mind. She remembered the first time she saw Xie Yuan. He was lying on the ground, bleeding and heavily injured. Later Xie Yuan told her about his quest to find the dragon grass and his fight against the pair of legendary spiritual beasts that was guarding it. It was a stroke of luck that Xie Yuan managed to escape such a predicament alone. Xiao Xue lightly shivered at the thought of what could have happened if he was not able to escape.

Xiao Xue’s heart grew agitated. Xie Yuan went to tackle such a dangerous task because he was curious about the herb; she could only imagine how Xie Yuan would react if he knew where to find the Blister Knot Leaf that they’ve been pointedly searching for in order to cure her. Knowing him, Xie Yuan would not think twice about venturing to that hellish place. He would disregard his safety and Xiao Xue cannot come to terms with the fact.

“We cannot tell him,” Xiao Xue decided. They would find another way and if they cannot then she would just have to live with her choice. She was not willing to gamble with his life even if it meant she would not be cured for the rest of her life.

“Apprentice sister, what are you talking about?” Yi Xin was taken aback. “We cannot conceal this information from the young lord!”

“Please,” Xiao Xue pleaded. Xie Yuan should never know about the location of the Blister Knot Leaf. She was so shaken up that Xiao Xue unthinkingly grabbed onto Yi Xin’s hand.

“Well, well…” A woman’s seductive voice sounded out of nowhere startling the two.

Yi Xin stood up and scanned the surroundings warily. Xiao Xue slowly let go of Yi Xin’s hand as she sat up straighter. She did not show any reaction and just stared at the old tree on the other side of the yard.

The person hiding within the thick and lush branches of the tree was astounded. It didn’t take Xiao Xue a breath to make out her position. There was no energy undulation around her which means Xiao Xue did not use her spiritual energy or sense at all. Xiao Xue found the intruder purely through intuition!

“Engaged to marry one man while secretly meeting another?” The woman flashed and stood not far from where they were, her sharp gaze focused on Xiao Xue. “High Priestess, is this what they teach you at Spirit Temple?”

Yi Xin was aghast, if this slander reached the ears of the young lord he would die! It does not matter if it’s true or not, when it comes to Xiao Xue, Xie Yuan could be very unreasonable and irrational.

“Who are you?” Yi Xin snapped. The sight of the arrogant woman makes his teeth ache. Who does she think she is prancing around on someone’s courtyard, spewing slander left and right. If word of this incident gets out, he’ll be in big trouble. If Xie Yuan does not kill him, his Master surely will! If Yi Sheng finds out Yi Xin allowed an unknown person, who could be an assassin, near his precious second apprentice while Xiao Xue cannot harness spiritual energy, Yi Sheng would skin him! “What do you want?”

The woman ignored Yi Xin and kept her full attention on Xiao Xue. She released a bout of killing intent to test Xiao Xue but the latter was not moved. Xiao Xue did not even flinch! Someone who could be calm under unprecedented circumstances cannot be taken lightly. The woman had seen people who could fake calm before but Xiao Xue does not seem to be displaying false bravado. Xiao Xue’s confidence stems from the fact that she was indeed calm in the face of the woman’s aggression. And that surprised the woman, not many could remain unfazed in the face of unexpected belligerence.

“Interesting…” The woman licked her red lips and without pause took out her weapon. 

The whip was unadorned, pure black and appeared to be made from an unknown material. From the aura emanating from it, there’s no doubt that it was a high tier spiritual weapon. The woman expertly flicked her wrist and the whip lashed out like it was alive. The tip hit the stone slab not far from where Xiao Xue sat but even such a show of dominance did not make her flinch.

Yi Xin was stunned at how fast the woman acted. He immediately placed himself between the woman and Xiao Xue. Yi Xin may not be as strong as Xie Yuan and definitely not honed to fight like Zhang Lao and the others but he’s not someone to sneer at. Although he was not a talented fighter, Yi Sheng had been very strict with his lessons and he learned more than medicine and alchemy from his Master.

The woman took a step forward and began her assault. Yi Xin did not hesitate and met her head on. The two soon engaged in a heated fight. At some point between their exchange, Yi Xin took out an iron fan that shoots flying needles. 

The two fought vigorously while Xiao Xue sat on the side and continued to sip her tea. When half of the tea was consumed, she carefully placed the cup on the table and breathed in deeply.

Yi Xin and the woman were tied in regards to strength. Their techniques were on par as well. But the one thing that Yi Xin lacked and what the woman had in abundance was experience in battle. In the beginning of the fight it was not obvious. But as the two exchanged more moves it became glaringly apparent. Yi Xin would lose.

Although the woman was fighting Yi Xin, her eyes and attention kept straying towards Xiao Xue. The woman cannot believe Xiao Xue had the audacity to enjoy drinking tea and having snacks while people were fighting in front of her. Such bravery! Such carelessness! 

Xiao Xue’s casual attitude only riled up the woman. If circumstances were different, that display of boldness was something that would be lauded and admired. But not in front of her!

“Impudent!” The woman sneered viciously. She flicked her wrist in an unusual angle and the whip flew and caught Yi Xin unaware. The sharp tip of the whip tore the front of his robes and when it circled back the force of the lash sent Yi Xin flying. It did not send him far but the distance was enough for the woman to turn and direct her attacks towards Xiao Xue who was still sitting by the table, quietly watching.

The whip moved like a ferocious beast. It flew towards Xiao Xue’s direction like a violent serpent. When it landed it splintered the chair she was sitting on and further cracked the stone slabs of the floor. Xiao Xue dodged the heavy blow but without pause, the whip tore through the air once more as it chased after her.

After dodging half a dozen moves Xiao Xue sighed dejectedly. She cannot do anything aside from dodge and run away from the incoming attacks. Xiao Xue meticulously moved back and made sure the woman followed her retreat, away from Yi Xin who appeared to be injured.

The woman did not let up and continued her vicious assault. To her utter amazement, Xiao Xue, who was utilizing physical strength instead of spiritual strength, seemed to be faster than her. Every time the woman snapped her whip it would appear like the attack would pull through and land on her quarry but at the last moment, Xiao Xue would twist her body at an odd angle. Each time Xiao Xue managed to perfectly dodge the woman’s fierce attack. The woman cannot even touch the hem of Xiao Xue’s clothes! 

As the situation continued, it appeared like Xiao Xue was purposely toying with the woman and that made the woman angry. The longer the fight dragged on, the more brutal and dangerous the woman got. She continued her mindless assault, forgetting the real purpose of her visit.

Xiao Xue realized she cannot dodge and wait for the woman to use up her strength or lose the will to fight. From the fiery look on the woman’s eyes, it’s apparent that she will not stop fighting any time soon. After a short deliberation, Xiao Xue decided it was time to act. Yi Xin seemed to be struggling and the commotion would have alerted the others so Xie Yuan should be on his way over.

When the woman struck once more, Xiao Xue stopped dodging. Contrary to her previous withdrawing movements, Xiao Xue took an aggressive stance and swiftly advanced towards the woman.

“Little Xue!”

“Apprentice sister!”

“Young miss!”

Three different calls echoed through the courtyard, all somewhat terrified.

When the woman heard the voices, she snapped back to reality. It was like she woke up from a befuddled state. Unfortunately, it was too late to retract the attack. But at the last moment, the woman managed to deviate it.

Xiao Xue faced the strike and did not cower. She boldly caught the whip with her left hand and using the momentum wound it around her arm. She planted her feet firmly then forcefully tugged with her right hand. The woman was caught off guard by the sudden counter and was unceremoniously pulled towards Xiao Xue. Xiao Xue satbled her stance and used the incoming force to flip the woman over.

Even when the dust settled the woman laid, dazed, on the ground. She still could not fathom what just happened. During their short bout, she attacked Xiao Xue more than a dozen times and each time Xiao Xue dodged at the last moment, perfectly evading her strikes. 

Although the woman could not catch Xiao Xue, she thought she had the upper hand and only needed a slight opening to get through and land a hit. But when Xiao Xue made her move it was her who lost. 

The move Xiao Xue used was crude and simple, but it was swift and powerful. What’s curious was even at that moment Xiao Xue did not use spiritual energy. Xiao Xue countered the woman’s moves with only her physical strength. 

Distractedly, the woman looked up at Xiao Xue, who was being protected by Xie Yuan, and curiously asked, “How strong is she?”