Chapter 44: Master of the Five Luminaries Palace? Tell Him to Come Here

Before the youth's body could even regain its warmth, that figure suddenly surged toward him.

The two guardian protectors immediately made their move, five-colored radiance flashing around their bodies.

The light of the Five Elements, belonging to the Five Astral Luminaries!

However, with a single, chilling utterance of the word "Suppress," the spiritual power of the two was not entirely halted, but its circulation visibly slowed by a fraction.

And it was precisely this imperceptible delay that allowed that Asura-like shadow to sweep past them in an instant.

"How dare you!"

The two shouted in fury, but it was already too late; they could only watch helplessly as he charged straight at the youth.

"How dare you! I am—Ah!"

The youth let out a delicate, shrill scream quite unlike that of a male, nearly frightened to the point of fainting by that terrifying, Asura-like visage.

The next instant, the screaming ceased.

Xiao Lin grabbed the youth by the throat, hoisting him up in his hand.

Given the latter's Qi Condensation physique, there was no need to hold back his strength.

The two middle-aged men were both shocked and furious.

What shocked them was that they, cultivators at the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment, had actually been affected in their spiritual power circulation for a split second by someone in the early stage of Foundation Establishment.

What infuriated them was that the youth had fallen into Xiao Lin's grasp, which was an unforgivable dereliction of duty.

Yet, matters having reached this point, and fearing harm to the hostage, the two men forcibly suppressed their anger and spoke the latter half of the sentence on the youth's behalf.

"Fellow Daoist, calm your anger! He is the direct son of the Five Astral Luminaries Palace Master!"

Huo Yuanzhou arrived fashionably late, landing upon the small boat, and upon hearing this, his expression and Xiao Lin's changed simultaneously.

Xiao Lin gazed deeply into the delicate face before him. "The Young Master of the Five Astral Luminaries Palace? What a formidable background..."

No wonder it was they who had arrived and launched a sudden ambush.

The Five Astral Luminaries Palace cultivated the *Five Astral Emperor Scripture*, and naturally possessed the means to seek out spiritual treasures of various attributes.

Two guardians at the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment were no small matter.

Unless a Golden Core expert stepped forward, who could rival them?

Moreover, even a Golden Core powerhouse, upon learning of their background, would not rashly make a move.

Who wouldn't want to secure a position as an esteemed guest elder in the Five Astral Luminaries Palace?

It went without saying where the youth's arrogant and tyrannical temperament came from.

The youth observed the flicker in Xiao Lin's eyes, mistaking it for fear. The dread of that Asura-like visage instantly receded by three parts, and he regained his haughty demeanor. "Since you know this young master is the Young Master of the Five Astral Luminaries Palace, why don't you let me go at once!"

Xiao Lin said calmly, "Young master? Hiding your head and tail, concealing your true self—whether true or false is hard to say..."

Before the youth could react, Xiao Lin dissipated the Asura armor, and a wisp of righteous energy penetrated into the youth's body, breaking the extremely delicate balance of yin and yang.

"Reveal."

The next moment, the youth's body underwent an immediate transformation. The black hair grew soft and long, the chest swelled slightly, and the ambiguous face lost a hint of masculine vigor, growing three parts radiant, transforming utterly into a breathtaking and peerless young lady.

"Yargh!"

The youth—no, Wang Xi, who had been overwhelmingly arrogant just a moment before, instantly panicked. Another shrill scream escaped her lips as her hands instinctively shielded her chest, her small face turning beet red. "Vile miscreant, let me go! Otherwise, this young master will definitely make my father kill you!"

The two guardians grew anxious as well. Being captured in the guise of a male versus being captured in her true female form were two entirely different matters.

"Fellow Daoist, release her immediately! As long as you let the young master go, this Eight-Petalled Golden Lotus shall be yours. Do not be foolish and bring about the personal arrival of the Palace Master!"

Xiao Lin remained unmoving, his expression instead sinking bit by bit.

"The Five Astral Luminaries Palace Master in person...?"

"Let him come."

Wang Xi and the other two froze at these words.

Xiao Lin spoke slowly, "Opportunities belong to no one; they abide only by the rule of first come, first served. Yet in this vast world of cultivation, you and I are both crossing the bitter sea; how could everyone treat each other with the courtesy of gentlemen? Contention and plunder are the norm; otherwise, why would there be the three distinctions of ants, fellow Daoists, and seniors?"

"Even in a world where the weak are prey to the strong and might makes right, disputes should be settled in an upright and open battle. Even if one relies on superior numbers to launch a collective assault, it can only be blamed on insufficient fortune and a lack of affinity with me."

"However!" Xiao Lin's tone grew frigid, "What kind of behavior is launching a sneak attack out of nowhere? If it were for killing enemies or saving lives, then using poison or curses would be entirely justified. But to resort to lethal force against fellow practitioners simply for the sake of a mere spiritual treasure—how does that differ from demonic cultivators?"

"It is all for the better if the Five Astral Luminaries Palace Master comes. Only then can Xiao properly ask him..."

"Whether the present Five Astral Luminaries Palace..."

"Is righteous or demonic!"

Xiao Lin furrowed his brow tightly.

It wasn't just that even Huo Yuanzhou, a cultivator of the demonic path, seemed more like a righteous practitioner than Wang Xi and her companions.

It was also because he had already foreseen why the future would descend into such turmoil.

To see a leopard by a single spot is to see the whole; if the biological daughter of the Five Astral Luminaries Palace Master acted in such a manner, what of the other disciples, or even other sects?

If Shen Wuya were still alive, he could naturally suppress all dissension.

Yet he was dead now...

If any major righteous sect were to suddenly suffer some mishap, it would inevitably trigger a chain reaction affecting the whole body. Suffering a severe blow would be a minor concern; his greatest fear was that the demonic path would seize the opportunity to ignite a war of sects.

After a long silence, Xiao Lin murmured softly, "It seems the Five Astral Luminaries Palace Master will not be descending after all."

"Since that is the case, today I shall boldly stand in for Senior Wang..."

"And discipline his descendant."

"Stop..."

*Slap!*

A crisp sound rang out.

Wang Xi's head whipped to the side, strands of long hair dancing in disarray, as a heavy blow landed squarely on her cheek.

Yet Xiao Lin did not channel any spiritual power.

Though it looked forceful, when struck against a Qi Condensation physique, it would not even leave a trace for long; it was meant primarily as a lesson.

Still, it was enough.

The pupils within Wang Xi's beautiful eyes trembled, filled with utter disbelief.

*『Opening thunder strike.』*
*『What the heck, so she wasn't a trap after all...』*
*『What are you feeling disappointed for, hey!』*
*『Lolis are great, lolis are wonderful.』*
*『Lightning Boy: You know what I'm going to say.』*
*『As expected of Brother Lin; if it were me, I really couldn't bring myself to strike that face.』*
*『Male or female, in Brother Lin's eyes there are only the good and the bad.』*
*『I was so infuriated by that sneak attack, but after this slap, I feel refreshed~』*
【Popularity +1...】
【Popularity +1...】

Xiao Lin had expected Wang Xi to utter that classic line, "How dare you hit me?", but instead, she remained completely silent, her entire person subdued.

The two guardians couldn't help but breathe sighs of relief.

They had feared just moments earlier that Xiao Lin intended to deal a fatal blow.

Fortunately, it was merely a minor lesson dealt to Wang Xi.

Presumably, this was done out of regard for their shared status within the righteous path.

Yet the technique Xiao Lin had just employed bore no resemblance to the teachings of any major righteous sect...

It wasn't until they caught sight of the Immortal Annihilation sword resting behind Xiao Lin that they tentatively asked, "Are you two disciples of Sword Mountain?"

"My master is Shen Wuya," Xiao Lin replied calmly.

The two instantly drew in a sharp breath of cold air.

Wang Xi was accustomed to acting arrogantly, but this time she had truly kicked the hardest iron plate imaginable!

However, after the shock passed, they actually felt increasingly relieved.

Since he was a disciple of Shen Wuya, it was all the less likely that he would harm Wang Xi.

"No wonder Fellow Daoist's words were so forceful and resounding, enough to awaken the deaf—so you are the personal disciple of the Prime Leader Shen," one of them sighed, then bowed in salute. "Fellow Daoist's words are entirely correct; launching a sudden sneak attack was indeed our wrongdoing."

Such an attitude was barely acceptable.

At that moment, however, Wang Xi suddenly blurted out, "You're the disciple of the Sword Immortal Shen? You're the Little Qilin?!"

Xiao Lin's eyelids involuntarily twitched.

"How do you know that?"