Just like that, the Tang Clan ancestor and Tie Wu were killed. The flower fairy patriarch, the elder, and Lu Xiaoqing were incomparably shocked. The previous battle was something they weren't even qualified to get involved in. They were too weak to even approach the battlefield. Just like that, two top experts were killed by Xiang Shaoyun. They even wondered if they were dreaming.
After putting the two weapons away, Xiang Shaoyun approached them and said, "Done. However, you flower fairies are truly too weak. Sooner or later, something bad will happen."
"Thank you for your help, Young Master Xiang," said the elder and patriarch courteously.
The patriarch said, "Young Master Xiang, do you have a way of ensuring our safety? We will be forever grateful to you."
As she said that, she signaled to Lu Xiaoqing with her eyes, hinting that she should say something as well.
Before Lu Xiaoqing could speak, Xiang Shaoyun said, "I can destroy both the Tang Clan and the ironwing race, but that is merely a temporary solution. Chaotic times are coming. The devils are knocking at our doors while the aliens might show up as well. At that time, I'm afraid you will be hard-pressed to protect yourself. I plan to establish a teleportation formation between your place and the Ziling Sect. For Lu Xiaoqing's sake, we will protect the flower fairies. Of course, you will be required to offer us some of your harvests as tribute every year. What do you think?"
If this was any other time, they would be greatly against his proposal. After all, Xiang Shaoyun was basically telling them to submit to the Ziling Sect. They even needed to offer the sect yearly tributes! Nobody would easily agree to something like that. Alas, times had changed. The flower fairies were too weak to remain independent.
"Since Young Master Xiang has made things so clear, it would be unbecoming of us to be stubborn. However, can the tributes be smaller? The flower fairies have always distanced ourselves from the affairs of the world, so we're really not that wealthy," said the flower fairy elder.
"Yes, Shaoyun. The sisters of the flower fairies don't even leave this place much. Apart from cultivating some spiritual plants, we don't have much income," said Lu Xiaoqing.
"You underestimate yourself too much. Your ability to cultivate plants alone is a great advantage over many others. These plants' value can't be underestimated!" said Xiang Shaoyun with a smile. "If you agree, there will be no other issues. Xiaoqing is my woman, so I naturally won't mistreat you. We'll think of a plan that will benefit both parties."
Xiang Shaoyun then released his soul clone and sent it toward the Tang Clan and the ironwings. He aimed to eliminate every single Saint they had. That day, one Saint after another perished from those two organizations. The entire Getian City was shocked.
Nobody in the city knew who the culprit was, but they could guess that the two organizations must have offended someone they couldn't afford to. How would they have invited such a calamity upon themselves otherwise? Fortunately, the culprit did not intend to completely eliminate the two organizations. Otherwise, they would suffer even more.
Xiang Shaoyun was not a homicidal maniac. Thus, he held back against the two organizations. Even so, the two organizations were greatly frightened. They did not dare to remain in Getian City and had escaped overnight.
One could say that the crisis looming over the flower fairies had been erased. After accepting the materials for the teleportation formation, Xiang Shaoyun started working on the formation.
In fact, Xiang Shaoyun was able to construct the formation while simultaneously accompanying Lu Xiaoqing. His clone was in charge of the formation while his main body stayed by Lu Xiaoqing's side, enjoying a silent and blissful life with her.
Because Xiang Shaoyun had gathered quite a lot of treasures in his adventures, he gave some to Lu Xiaoqing to help her advance quicker. After spending several days with Lu Xiaoqing, the teleportation formation was completed. His clone started connecting the spatial nodes to finalize the completion.
After about a month, the clone arrived at the Ziling Sect. There, the clone constructed another formation and fully connected the two long-distance teleportation formations. For teleportation over such a long distance, each teleportation would exhaust a large amount of saint crystals. Thus, even with the formations in place, they wouldn't be casually used.
With the completion of the formations, Xiang Shaoyun brought Lu Xiaoqing, the elder, and the patriarch back to the Ziling Sect. They were there as guests to know the sect better. The Ziling Sect had formed its own tier-8 incorporeal power. The auspicious aura of the incorporeal power covered the sky, causing all visitors to raise their eyebrows.
The aura was imposing, and it was something anyone would yearn for. This incorporeal power could only take form through a great concentration of martial prowess. The Nine Star Pagodas were akin to nine dazzling stars that constantly gathered astral energy, benefiting all Ziling Sect members.
Lu Xiaoqing, the elder, and the patriarch were greatly shocked by what they saw. They had long known that the Ziling Sect was strong, but they had not expected to see a sight so magical. In fact, the Ziling Sect seemed like they could even advance into a tier-9 organization before long. When they advanced, they would become one of the most powerful organizations in the entirety of the dominion.
Xiang Shaoyun personally showed them around the sect before throwing them a banquet of spiritual fruits and spring water. Only then did he bring Lu Xiaoqing to meet Gong Qinyin.
In recent years, Gong Qinyin had mainly kept to herself, cultivating her dao of the zither. She would frequently contact her master. Together, the two had grown by leaps and bounds. Unfortunately, they were limited by their physique and talent and had been stuck in the Sovereign Realm.
As Xiang Shaoyun grew stronger and stronger, Gong Qinyin started feeling inferior to him. She was afraid that she would slowly age due to her low cultivation while Xiang Shaoyun still maintained his youth. That would be extremely cruel to her. Thus, she had been trying her best to enter the Saint Realm and even the Rebirth Realm.
A beautiful tune could be heard from Gong Qinyin's courtyard. The spiritual birds fluttering about above the courtyard, the leaves and swaying petals in the air, and the woman in white playing the zither before a stone table came together to form a picturesque scene.
When the song ended, Lu Xiaoqing couldn't help but praise, "Senior Qinyin's zither skills are unrivaled. Even I found myself bewitched by her earlier."
At that, Gong Qinyin looked up in astonishment and asked, "You are?"
It had been years since the two had last seen each other. The two had changed greatly, and it wasn't surprising that Gong Qinyin wouldn't recognize Lu Xiaoqing. However, Lu Xiaoqing still gave Gong Qinyin a sense of familiarity.
"Senior Qinyin, I'm Lu Xiaoqing. Do you still remember me?" asked Lu Xiaoqing with a smile.
"Y-you're Lu Xiaoqing?" asked Gong Qinyin as she stood up in astonishment.
Xiang Shaoyun walked over hand-in-hand with Lu Xiaoqing and said, "That's right. She's the same Lu Xiaoqing who had also come from the Martial Hall Palace like us."