Inside the room, the woman turned to see the two of them. The slight hope in her eyes instantly faded, and a look of helplessness and disappointment appeared on her face.
Chu Xingchen's gaze fixed slightly on the woman before him. He was now somewhat certain that this woman was most likely the owner of this tomb.
But... does this count as rising from the dead?
The woman quickly withdrew her expression and asked in a slightly cold tone:
"How is the outside world?"
Chu Xingchen tentatively replied: "About the same, I suppose?"
The woman stood up, the light flowing around her dress, as if in thought for a moment, before asking:
"Have you heard of Xuanqing Tianzong?"
Chu Xingchen's gaze shifted to Xie Lingyu, his eyes asking—this is Xuanqing Tianzong's tomb? How could it be in Tianyan Sect's territory?
Xie Lingyu narrowed her eyes slightly, then gently shook her head.
Chu Xingchen nodded in understanding; he roughly understood what Xie Lingyu meant—she didn't know either, otherwise this tomb would have been demolished by Tianyan Sect long ago.
Naturally, these were just Chu Xingchen's speculations. After all, Xie Lingyu's eye language reading skills was somewhat poor.
Far inferior to his own disciple, Li Xingtian, this expressionless blockhead who wasn't good at it at first either, but after spending time together became quite perceptive.
Perhaps these days, the time spent with Xie Lingyu had indeed been too short.
The woman watched the two exchange glances and quickly deduced the answer she wanted. She sneered and spoke slowly:
"So it seems... they succeeded."
Succeeded? What succeeded?
Chu Xingchen narrowed his eyes. Could this be the preparation Xuanqing Tianzong made to ambush Tianyan Sect?
Although hope was slim, the woman asked with her last glimmer of hope:
"Were you sent by Xuanqing Tianzong for the appointment?"
Chu Xingchen lowered his sleeve, gripping Wanban which had transformed into an embroidery needle. After making preparations, he spoke slowly:
"Unfortunately... this is Tianyan Sect's territory. Xuanqing Tianzong is quite far from here. Right now, Tianyan Sect has already surrounded this place. Do you want to struggle desperately, or surrender?"
Xie Lingyu naturally knew this was Chu Xingchen's attempt to deceive, but she cooperated by putting on an expression of confidence.
She rarely made such bluffing expressions and had no experience in bullying others with power.
So her little expression was somewhat stiff, looking somewhat like she was suppressing a smile.
She looked a bit like a first-time henchman who didn't know how to show the proper expression.
But showing no expression would undermine Chu Xingchen's act.
Due to Xie Lingyu's expression being truly too... festive!
Chu Xingchen glanced at her carefully, then firmly kept his mouth shut.
No, Xie Lingyu with this expression was just too amusing.
If the situation weren't wrong, Chu Xingchen would have wanted to record it with a shadow pearl.
The woman remained silent. After waiting for a moment and confirming that the two didn't plan to exchange any more witty remarks and meaningful glances, she spoke:
"Tianyan Sect... I've heard of it. But you seem to have misunderstood something."
"I was asking whether Xuanqing Tianzong succeeded in intercepting the spirit vein. But since you still remember Xuanqing Tianzong, it seems they succeeded. Otherwise, Xuanqing Tianzong, as a failure, probably wouldn't even have traces left in history."
"So... they plan to break the appointment?"
The woman laughed softly, her expression helpless: "You humans really are good at breaking promises."
Chu Xingchen looked at the woman's helpless expression. If the woman before him wasn't lying, the matters here involved events from thousands of years ago?
Xuanqing Tianzong's interception of the spirit vein was recorded over two thousand years ago.
As the first sect to successfully tap into a spirit vein, Xuanqing Tianzong was one of the Eighteen Immortal Sects that left a significant mark in the cultivation world.
"That's too broad a generalization. It's not that humans like to break promises, but that some individuals like to break promises," Chu Xingchen said righteously. "I always keep my word."
The woman glanced at Chu Xingchen, then nodded perfunctorily before speaking:
"Since Xuanqing Tianzong broke the promise first, then I cannot be blamed for not keeping my word. I've heard of Tianyan Sect too—not weak in strength. You can summon the Tianyan Sect's sect master. I have a big deal to discuss, but I don't know if you have the nerve for it."
"My name is—Luo Yue."
Chu Xingchen looked at Luo Yue's solemn self-introduction, as if in the past she had been a quite renowned cultivator.
This name represented sufficient prestige back then.
After all, if one wasn't famous, one wouldn't dare to introduce oneself this way.
Since Chu Xingchen's knowledge of cultivation history was fragmented—in his early days he couldn't even name all the Eighteen Immortal Sects of the Central Continent, let alone figures from two thousand years ago.
So he glanced sideways at Xie Lingyu. If her expression showed shock and wariness, it meant this Luo Yue was formidable, and they should retreat first and make up some excuse to get Bai Xuanling to come.
But... Xie Lingyu's expression was still that same newly-minted henchman look.
So it seemed this Luo Yue's fame was just average—at least not famous enough for Xie Lingyu to use extra brain cells to remember the name.
As for the deal Luo Yue mentioned, it was easy to guess.
After all, since Luo Yue started speaking, she probably hadn't intended to hide anything. The so-called deal was nothing more than intercepting spirit veins.
Chu Xingchen coughed and replied: "We definitely have the courage... but the deal might need to change."
"Hah..." Luo Yue seemed to see through Chu Xingchen. "Taidao Sect occupied a spirit vein and presumably dominated one region. Doesn't your Tianyan Sect feel envious? ...Or are you afraid of Xuanqing Tianzong?"
Chu Xingchen changed the subject to another question: "Do you know how many years you've been here?"
Luo Yue thought for a moment, then said:
"A thousand years at least... but what of it? Has the outside world become Xuanqing Tianzong's dictatorship?"
Chu Xingchen spoke directly: "The eighteen spirit veins have all been divided up. Tianyan Sect now occupies one of them. If you want to discuss how to divide the spirit veins, that's not realistic anymore."
Luo Yue was stunned, her expression instantly surprised, her brows furrowing. She looked at Chu Xingchen with suspicion—was this kid talking nonsense to deceive her?
All eighteen main veins divided up.
Wouldn't that mean apart from the Central Continent, all other continents had become spirit-depleted lands?
Could humans do this to themselves?
Although she knew that back then Xuanqing Tianzong had made many preparations to be the first to monopolize a spirit vein. On the surface, it was Xuanqing Tianzong alone fighting the Eastern Divine Continent.
But actually, multiple top sects had already secretly allied.
She was even an important hidden piece prepared by Xuanqing Tianzong...
Because Xuanqing Tianzong wasn't the only sect that wanted to monopolize a spirit vein; many sects had the same idea, just no one wanted to be the first to stick their neck out.
Many sects, seeing Xuanqing Tianzong willing to be the first bird, didn't try to stop or denounce them.
Instead, they offered silent support.
And there were subsequent developments that Luo Yue didn't know about.
Why did the Eastern Divine Continent's cries for help to other continents go unanswered?
Why did the Eastern Divine Continent never unite from the start of the war to the end?
It was all because... after one sect succeeded and was accepted by the world, there could be a next one, and other sects could become the next.
There were eighteen immortal veins. Xuanqing Tianzong made a good start—it was natural to let one go.
Xuanqing Tianzong had to succeed, and succeed without controversy, without being stabbed in the back by other major sects. Only then would everyone have a chance.
After all, there were still seventeen left.
Just as Luo Yue said—who wouldn't be envious?
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