In the borderlands of Southern Xinjiang, far from The Blessed Place in the Cave, a young girl was adventuring with her only servant.
For a girl who hadn't left home in a long time, everything outside was novel, especially this place which even in the real world she recently learned about was considered forbidden territory.
Unfortunately, the girl was ultimately just an ordinary person who had just begun Foundation Establishment and Qi Cultivation. She couldn't see what was so mysterious about Southern Xinjiang and found herself in a place far from the true Southern Xinjiang.
"What's with the so-called Ten Thousand Great Mountains? Apart from some beasts that even you can't defeat, there's nothing interesting at all."
The girl pouted and complained with dissatisfaction.
Nearly half a month of boring adventure had nearly worn away the girl's curiosity.
If not for a compelling reason to come here, she would have left this desolate place days ago.
"Miss, Southern Xinjiang is a perilous place, even the big shots in the clan wouldn't dare to enter carelessly. If people in the clan found out that I accompanied you here, I'd surely..."
"Alright." The girl, hearing this story over and over, hurriedly interrupted to stop her servant from continuing.
"Haven't I promised I won't let you get involved? You're only here because I forced you. Be good, listen to me, and once I find my brother, who cares about those ridiculous clan rules."
The girl vowed earnestly, her eyes filled with pride and trust regarding the person she spoke of.
The maid rolled her eyes, thought for a moment, and then said, "What if that person isn't your brother, Miss? What if they just have the same name?"
"How could that be! Same name and from Lin Jiang too, how could there be such a coincidence in the world! Besides, if there's only one person named Su Chengyu who can make a name for himself, it would definitely be my brother!"
Once called Su Xiaoxiao, now renamed Qian Xiaoxiao, the girl's face was full of confidence, and her words brimmed with pride.
The maid blinked and helplessly replied, "Miss, you're being somewhat extreme."
"Nothing extreme about it, after all, that is..."
"What did you just say your brother's name was?"
An unfamiliar voice suddenly interrupted their conversation. Before Su Xiaoxiao could react, the maid became instantly alert, looking around seriously and asking.
"Who is it, where are you?"
"I wasn't asking you."
The cold voice completely ignored the maid's words, as a figure suddenly appeared in front of Su Xiaoxiao without warning and asked again.
"What did you just say your brother's name was?"
The sudden appearance of the man startled Su Xiaoxiao. Although now supported by the Qian family and having embarked on the path of cultivation, she was aware of many things unknown to ordinary people, but the person who appeared before her still completely exceeded her expectations.
"Stay away from my Miss!"
The maid spoke instantly, brandishing a bell-shaped magic artifact from behind, accompanied by ethereal Buddhist music. An invisible sound wave shot toward the handsome young man's back.
The man raised his hand, a three-inch Flying Sword intercepting the sound wave and resulting in a huge resonant noise.
The aggressive Buddhist music was completely blocked by the Flying Sword and had no effect on the man.
"The Soul Bell, who would've thought that here on the edge of Southern Xinjiang I would see such an Immortal Artifact. But unfortunately, even if you can use this Immortal Artifact, your Nascent Soul Realm isn't enough to pose any hindrance to me."
With a gesture from the man, the Flying Sword's Sword Momentum turned toward the maid, its sharp force instantly tearing through the Buddhist music, striking the maid and sending her flying several meters. Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on novᴇlfire.net
The maid crashed heavily to the ground, spitting blood yet disregarding her own consciousness, lifted her head, and glared at the man.
"Release my Miss, or the Qian family won't let you off."
The man pondered for a moment, seemingly unable to recall any relevant entities: "No one ever told me to be wary of that surname."
The maid's face looked terrible, while Su Xiaoxiao had been completely frightened by everything happening before her.
Though she had begun her cultivation, her realm was still shallow, unable to comprehend what had just transpired in that instant.
In Su Xiaoxiao's world, once the man appeared before her, in just an instant her maid Qian Xiaohua was struck and sent flying, laying there covered in blood.
And from the man's words, Su Xiaoxiao learned that the maid, whom she had always thought was just a Martial Artist, was actually a Cultivator at the Nascent Soul Realm.
"I'm sorry, Miss, I'm someone sent by the clan leader. He knew he couldn't stop you from leaving home and only let me come to ensure you wouldn't find that person."
"That person? Who are you talking about?"
The man sharply caught onto their words, raising an eyebrow and asking again.
At this moment, Su Xiaoxiao realized something was amiss but changed her previous attitude, refusing to reveal Su Chengyu's name.
The man noticed Su Xiaoxiao's reluctance and snorted lightly, "You think if you don't speak, I can't see for myself? As a Cultivator yourself, you must know about the Soul Searching Method, right?"
Qian Xiaohua burst out instantly, well aware of the side effects of the Soul Searching Method. If the user was reckless, it could lightly injure the person under the spell or severely cripple their Spiritual Platform beyond recovery.
Yet, just as she was about to rise, a massive sword pressure descended from above, forcing Qian Xiaohua to the ground, rendering her immobile despite her full effort.
Su Xiaoxiao cried out in agitation, the successive changes having left her in utter panic. The man's power was far beyond her understanding, but she would rather die than betray her brother by divulging anything about Su Chengyu.
Just as Su Xiaoxiao prepared to meet her end here, the dark bell beside Qian Xiaohua floated up once more.
This time, however, its target was not the man before them but the sky above.
The man, sensing something amiss, looked up puzzled, not grasping Qian Xiaohua's final intent.
The next moment, the bell emitted a tremendous vibration, its penetrating Buddhist chant broadcasted from Qian Xiaohua across the entire Southern Xinjiang.
"Tian Heng Saint Envoy! If you are in Southern Xinjiang, please show yourself to save us! It's a matter of life and death, a moment's delay and Su Xiaoxiao shall perish!"