CHAPTER 568: CHAPTER 006: THE SAINT APOLOGIZES

Zhou Yan was very moved in his heart.

Afterward, he bid farewell to all the friends at the 15294th Secondary Main Peak one by one, until almost everyone from the Secondary Main Peak had left, leaving only Feng Jiu Xian, Hou Ling’er, and Hou Chen.

"Master."

Hou Chen called out.

"Let’s go to Nirvana Ancestor Star. What about you, Hou Ling’er?"

"I’ve said I would go with you. With the power of Emperor Sword Wujikun unified, it wouldn’t be good for me to face anyone if I went to Yuan Ci Secret Realm, especially since they already know that I eradicated Zhou Lingyi’s Spiritual Wisdom. Besides, I’ve also been chosen by Nine Origin Heavenly City and will go with you to Nine Origin Heavenly City," Hou Ling’er said with a wry smile.

Zhou Yan looked at her, and she was gazing at Zhou Yan, infatuated. When Zhou Yan’s gaze met hers, she immediately withdrew the obsession from her eyes and kept her composure, her eyes flashing with slight panic.

"Ling Yi, we—"

"Zhou Yan, Zhou Lingyi made many mistakes in the past that she regrets, and Zhou Lingyi no longer exists, right? Now I only want to follow you as Hou Ling’er, this entirely new identity. Being able to help you a little is a happiness. Don’t tell me... you wouldn’t want that either?"

Hou Ling’er interrupted Zhou Yan, not allowing him to say anything that might sound like drawing a clear line between them.

She feared seeing the same outcome as with Huangfu Jing.

She was smart; knowing that, because of the matter with the Holy Daughter, Zhou Yan had almost completely detached himself from emotions, she hoped to stay by Zhou Yan’s side.

Zhou Yan looked deeply at her, seeing endless longing in her gaze which hid unspeakable sorrow beneath. He thought of the white dress floating above the yellow springs within the Ancient Ruins and the loneliness and solitude from those scenes, feeling somewhat uneasy in his heart.

He nodded and said, "Hmm, it’s just that, it’s tough on you."

"No, this is my happiness. Actually, I..."

Hou Ling’er blushed slightly, thought for a moment, but the embarrassing words ultimately remained unspoken.

However, her intentions were clear to everyone present, even to the child, Hou Chen.

Feng Jiu Xian envied them inwardly but did not show it, simply saying with a smile, "Alright, both lover and loved have mutual feelings, so there’s no need for so much fuss. Given the circumstances, isn’t it better to follow one’s heart? Why concern ourselves so much?"

"Yes, Master, just follow your heart, free from restraint and bondage, right? Master, you’ve been too persistent. Didn’t you say ’When life is satisfying, one should enjoy to the fullest’?"

Hou Chen said with a grin.

Zhou Yan took heart, thinking had he let emotions grind him down to the point of self-restriction?

The words of Feng Jiu Xian and Hou Chen were like a wake-up call to Zhou Yan, who immediately became open-minded.

"Hahaha, absolutely, Chenchen is right, the Master is indeed obsessed. Ling’er, let’s go."

Zhou Yan laughed heartily, finally letting go of all his apprehensions.

...

In Guanghan South Mansion, at the 15294th Secondary Main Peak.

"Zi Chen, is this the genius you spoke of? Why is he only living at the 15294th-ranked Secondary Main Peak? And about this enigmatic Holy Daughter’s marriage event, no one seems to know the details after inquiries; it’s as though no one knows the inside story of the Holy Daughter’s marriage. Could it be that Zhou Yan actually wasn’t qualified to attend? Why else would we not find anyone else who knows about him after asking a few people?"

A yellow-robed youth asked the green-clad woman beside him with a frown.

"It must be because something embarrassing or serious happened during the Holy Daughter’s marriage event, and it was affected by the rules, being shielded from them."

The green-clad woman hadn’t spoken when the white-bearded elder beside her said.

"Elder Wan, are you suggesting that a significant individual might have appeared during the Holy Daughter’s marriage event?" The yellow-robed youth was startled, then exclaimed in surprise.

"Indeed, you know as well that our Land of Chaos is very close to the Northern Prefecture, and this time I heard that the number one man from the Northern Prefecture, Jiang Wannian, that True Sword Tribulation went."

"Whoa—"

At the mention of this name, both the yellow-robed youth and the green-clad woman were shocked, their eyes filled with endless fervor and admiration.

"What? Did Wannian, the True Man of Tribulation Realm, also come? Then it seems... Zhou Yan Spirit doesn’t stand a chance. When he left Thunder Flame Breaking Path Mountain, he hadn’t even reached the Sword Spirit Realm. How could he compare to Wannian True Man in the First Refining Sword Tribulation Realm? What a pity."

The green-clad woman said.

"Yes, but seeing that he ranks in the 15294th place in the Southern Mansion, his strength must also be somewhat significant, perhaps now close to a combat power of seven. By the way, did he really refine the Middle-Grade Soul Device by himself?"

The elder asked.

"Definitely, it’s absolutely true. Moreover, his refining speed is extremely impressive. Zi Chen has seen it with her own eyes!"

The green-clad woman, Wan Zichen, said.

"It’s a pity that this time, I said I would watch him participate in the Holy Daughter’s marriage event. It seems I’ve arrived too late; he must think I’m not a woman of my word."

Wan Zichen felt somewhat guilty inside.

"Hmph, arrived too late? Giving face to a True Spirit Level Cultivator like him who hasn’t even reached the Void Realm, especially me coming as a genius capable of the Sword Void Three Changes with combat power of Break Eight is already giving him enough respect. Plus, the Elder has come, and the Elder is a First Refining Sword Tribulation Expert. That should be honor enough for him, right?"

The yellow-robed youth spoke with unparalleled arrogance.

"He saved my life! Big brother, please speak politely!"

The green-clad lady, Wan Zichen, spoke resentfully.

"Hmph, if it weren’t for him saving you, I wouldn’t even bother coming! This time, our Wannian clan is reopening the mountain and re-emerging to accomplish great deeds. Thus, we’re recruiting powerful Artifact Sword Cultivators. If he has the capabilities, we’ll recruit him to our Wan Family to become a renowned Artifact Refining Master. At that time, we can talk about any resources; this is considering your face.

If he doesn’t accept and doesn’t know what’s good for him, hmph, don’t say that big brother didn’t give you face,"

The yellow-robed youth said arrogantly.

"Big brother, how can you be like this?! When inviting someone to be an Artifact Refining Master, you should at least be polite! How can you have such an arrogant attitude—"

Wan Zichen spoke in annoyance.

"Zichen, you’re wrong about this one. For small characters from native lands like this, you need to mix kindness with authority; otherwise, they will become too presumptuous. You don’t need to interfere in this matter. It’s still unknown whether he can pass the test set by this Elder. If he fails, we’ll gift him a top-grade Soul Device to compensate for saving your life. That will be more than enough,"

Said the white-bearded elder, stroking his beard.

While they were talking, four people were seen descending from the Main Peak, with the person leading them being none other than Zhou Yan.

Seeing Zhou Yan, Wan Zichen’s eyes immediately lit up, and she said excitedly, "Zhou Lingzhe, it really is you, it’s great to see you! I’m sorry for arriving late and not being able to witness your challenge for the Holy Daughter’s hand."

"Wan Zichen? I didn’t expect you to actually keep your promise. Hmm, if you and your two companions don’t mind, you might as well visit my Secondary Main Peak. Later, I’ll call Bai Ying over, and we can catch up properly."

Zhou Yan was in a good mood and, seeing an old friend, thought of the Thunder Flame Breaking Path Mountain trip, and of Huang FuZhan, Yang Liufeng, and others who had supported him. Thus, he became even friendlier towards his friends.

Before Wan Zichen could respond, the yellow-robed youth stared at Hou Ling’er and Feng Jiu Xian, his eyes clearly filled with amazement, and then, he arrogantly said, "No need to go. I came here with Elder Wan and my sister this time, primarily to repay the life-saving debt to my sister by gifting you a high-grade Soul Device.

What do you say, a high-grade Soul Device is much stronger in every aspect compared to that middle-grade Soul Device you refined.

Second, our Wan Family is now emerging, and we hold you in high esteem. Therefore, we want to recruit you as our Wan Family’s Artifact Refining Master. As for your compensation, with the abundance of talents and resources of our family, it’s not difficult at all to train you into a Prohibition Genius."

Feeling good about himself, the yellow-robed youth gestured grandly as he spoke.

After finishing, he narrowed his eyes seductively, scrutinizing Hou Ling’er and Feng Jiu Xian, seemingly looking for a look of shock and admiration from the two female fairies.

However, although the two fairies were surprised, they did not show any admiration. Not only that, they both looked at him with strange and surprised expressions.

Clearly, they were shocked by his words.

The white-bearded Elder Wan then coughed softly and said, "Ahem, this person here is our greatest talent from the Wan Family and ranks at three hundred and seventy in the Northern Prefecture—Wan Ziqing. Although he speaks unpleasantly, we are indeed sincere. Zhou Lingzhe, how about you give it some thought? With Miss Zichen’s high regard for you, you are bound to stand out; you won’t be left at the rank of 15,294 among the natives of the Southern Mansion."

After Elder Wan spoke, Hou Chen’s eyes widened in disbelief at these people, touching his nose and saying incredulously, "Are you... are you talking to my master? Are you sure everything you’re saying is true?"

Not just Hou Chen, but Zhou Yan also couldn’t help but feel amused.

Could it be that his major battle with Ji Wu, the breaking of Heaven and Earth, and threatening Saints were still unknown?

Thinking of this, and considering what Zhuge Wuwei had said about erasing some geniuses’ memories, and the abilities of the Thunder Origin Sword God’s avatar and this world’s prison rules, he suddenly understood that these critical details were either completely erased or that the Wan Family had just emerged and was still relying on outdated information.

Realizing this, he felt no anger.

"How is it, Elder speaking, have you not heard? You’re really quite bold!"

As Zhou Yan pondered, the yellow-robed youth, Wan Ziqing, began to raise his voice angrily.

And just then, the Yaochi Saint arrived with the number one person of the Northern Prefecture, Jiang Wannian, and the Palace Master of Cold Ice Palace, Jiang Yushuang, suddenly appearing through the Void.

"Sai... Saint..."

"Wannian, Wannian, a true Sword Tribulation man!"

Seeing this scene, Elder Wan, Wan Ziqing, and Wan Zichen were all shocked and immediately knelt down in reverence to the Yaochi Saint.

Unlike Zhou Yan’s group of four, none of them knelt!

"This... this is arrogance... simply courting death! It’s a Saint, a Saint’s dignity is inviolable! They don’t kneel before a Saint! It’s good that we didn’t invite him into our family, otherwise, it would have brought disaster!"

The yellow-robed youth muttered to himself. Then, he witnessed a scene that nearly made his eyes pop out.

The Yaochi Saint landed and, without glancing at them, bowed deeply to Zhou Yan, saying respectfully, "Zhou Yanxuan, Yaochi is here to apologize."

"This?"

Zhou Yan was stunned, completely unaware of what was happening.

"Previously, I, Jiang Yaoshi, wronged you. This time, I sincerely apologize to you. Up until this day, it was my own fault for my failure, and failure has nothing to do with status. The smooth journey of cultivation created my arrogance, and my contempt for Zhou Yanxuan led to the destruction of today’s Holy Land, family ruin, and loss. I am willing to take responsibility for everything. Actually, I am grateful to you for letting me fall today, and not in the future when I could have been a ’fat seed’ for enemies. I must reexamine myself, face the truth, and sincerely apologize..."

The Yaochi Saint admitted her faults with a genuine attitude of repentance and sincerity.

"Yaochi Saint, there’s no need for such gestures. You really flatter me too much."

Zhou Yan smiled wryly, yet did not return the bow.