CHAPTER 672: CHAPTER 102 MU QINGYAN

A gust after gust of cold wind swept by, bringing along the earthy fragrance of soil and fresh grass from the barren land.

Although the surroundings were pleasant, Princess Yilan, Qianhe, and Cheng’er had no mood to appreciate them.

Because from afar, they saw a misty luminous sphere enveloping two women and a man. Among them, a woman clad in black was looking over with icy cold eyes, not bothering to hide the intense murderous intent within.

As for the man in white, he seemed to be completely captivated by the purple-clothed woman, with no attention to spare for anyone else.

"Master, we have arrived. The woman in black should be Lady Lilith. That white-clad youngster is Hou Tianjian of the True Illusion Spirit, and the extraordinary purple-clothed woman is the Netherworld Goddess," Yilan whispered in transmission.

Zhou Yan nodded lightly and, following Yilan, approached this desolate land.

The moment they arrived, the woman in black’s face grew even chillier, her mockery piercing as she stared at Yilan’s trio. Suddenly, she stirred a powerful aura, attempting to suppress the three with her might.

Just then, Zhou Yan’s figure shifted, he employed the Void Sword Body’s mastery over the Void, activating the art of Void Dao. He made the Void ripple like the surface of a serene lake, reflecting back the onslaught of the aura.

Waves of Void undulated as if a large stone had been cast into a calm pond. Aside from the ripples caused by the woman in black’s intimidating aura, tranquility returned.

The woman in black’s pressuring force was nullified in a moment.

Her expression darkened, ready to unleash a stronger killing intent, but Zhou Yan suddenly spoke, "Fairy, your mistress hasn’t even lost her temper; why the rush to violence? Moreover, have you never considered that our tardiness might have a reason behind it?"

Zhou Yan regarded the woman in black with a similarly haughty glance.

"Hm? And who might you be?"

Lilith, the woman in black, seeing this newcomer daring to resist her, felt her killing intent intensified. She thought it necessary to ’make an example’ to demonstrate her authority.

Now, it seemed that even the lowly natives from inferior planes dared to question her majesty.

"Who am I? I am here to fetch Princess Yilan, her Master. I hail from the Lee Clan of the Silent Annihilation Ancestor Star, possessing divine bloodline," Zhou Yan proclaimed arrogantly.

He sensed that both Mu Qingyan and Chen Tianjian were observing him, seemingly noticing something peculiar about him.

Despite this, Zhou Yan was quite confident that even if they noticed his uniqueness, they couldn’t possibly discern his true identity.

"Hmph, with such heritage, you think you’re impressive? If you’re so presumptuous as to act so superior, then prepare for disappointment. Offending the dignity of a Goddess—if you still harbor any illusions of luck—your end will surely be tragic," Lilith mocked coldly.

"Goddess, Lady Lilith, our delay is indeed our fault, but it was due to unavoidable reasons. We hope you will not take offense. On our way here, we came under a series of attacks from the disciples of the Heavenly Soul Hall. They have destroyed the Transmission Array leading to Ye Sha Ancestor Star and have obliterated the palace you had established in the Beixue Heavenly Palace. We’ve been through many battles mid-journey; had it not been for our Master, we would likely have fallen long ago," Yilan hurriedly interjected, fearing the situation was worsening.

Surely enough, Lilith, who was about to engage in combat, took on a more solemn expression and somewhat reined in her murderous aura after hearing this.

"Are your words the truth? Has the Heavenly Soul Hall truly been so audacious?" Lilith questioned with some disbelief.

"I dare not conceal a single detail. Goddess, Lady Lilith, once you visit the Transmission Array to Luo Shi Ancestor Star later, all will be clear. Because the array is destroyed," replied Yilan.

Seeing Lilith’s expression softening, Yilan finally let out a sigh of relief.

She was now somewhat clear about her master’s character and was slightly worried about a potential clash with Lady Lilith.

Now that Lady Lilith had withdrawn her killing intent, Yilan couldn’t help but feel relieved.

"The Transmission Array is destroyed?"

Lilith was taken aback, then pressed, "Really destroyed?"

Seeing that Yilan didn’t appear to be lying, and noting the exceptionally respectful attitude of Yilan and her companions towards them, Lilith believed Yilan’s words.

As for the attitude of Yilan’s master, Lilith didn’t care much because the bloodline from the Silent Annihilation Ancestor Star of the Heavenly Emperor Universe was indeed a Near-God Bloodline, not from an inferior plane, and belonged to an ancient force.

Even in the Shura Plane, the power behind this force was not trivial. Since Lilith’s realm far surpassed that of Yilan’s Master, she didn’t take the slight to heart.

"If the Ancient Transmission Array on Luo Shi Ancestor Star is ruined, this mission will be difficult. It seems we might be trapped on this planet for a short while," Lilith mused.

There are naturally more than one way to leave Luo Shi Ancestor Star, but regardless, the Transmission Array leading to Ye Sha Ancestor Star was like a portal out from this semi-sealed planet. It was the most stable spatial point. If the ancient array was destroyed and this spatial point became chaotic, even traversing the stars without this stable point would be challenging to leave.

Luo Stone Ancestor Star is different from other ancestor stars in that it’s a whole entity, almost a closed entirety.

Coming down from the Upper Realm Plane to this place, one can directly descend, but to return, that kind of reverse space node can only be accessed through the ancient transmission array of Luo Stone Ancestor Star. If this transmission array is destroyed, even divinities can’t leave without opening a new space node.

All of this is also related to the ’rules’ set by the breeding ground.

Of course, if one is a Void Sword Body, there will naturally be some exceptions.

"Lady Lillith, you needn’t worry about this, my master Wei Li Zhou Yan comes from the ancient Desolate Land, possesses a divine bloodline, and is also a Void Sword Body, highly skilled in ancient arrays, capable of repairing ancient arrays. Originally, we planned to repair the ancient array before coming here, but my master was worried that coming late would cause dissatisfaction, so we hurried over to meet the Goddess and both Lady Lillith and Lord Heavenly Sword," explained Yilan.

At this moment, she softly alluded to Zhou Yan’s status and capabilities.

And it was indeed the most crucial capability.

"Hmm? Your master is a Void Sword Body and can repair such an old transmission array?" Lillith said somewhat surprised.

Yilan nodded affirmatively: "Absolutely no problem, rest assured Lady Lillith."

The attitude of Yilan, as well as the confident expressions of Qian He and Cheng’er at this moment, suddenly settled Lillith’s heart.

Originally she had been worried about complications arising and delaying their departure, but unexpectedly, there was also a cultivator in this place who understood ancient arrays. Doesn’t this mean that this person is extremely proficient in Tai Chu Runes?

With this thought, Lillith really began to feel astounded.

She suddenly looked up at Zhou Yan, and at that moment, she realized that this man truly was different.

Because facing the Netherworld Goddess, even Yilan and her maid Cheng’er, in Lillith’s view, couldn’t resist the charm of the Netherworld Goddess, and the old man seemed to struggle to even glance at the Goddess.

But this young man in front of her appeared very calm, as if the Goddess in his eyes, was no different from any other woman.

Lillith wanted to ask something, but suddenly, the Netherworld Goddess turned around. She wore a purple veil, making her appear extremely noble and mysterious.

Under the veil, there seemed to be a pair of exceptionally lively eyes looking at Zhou Yan.

The young man Hou Tianjian by her side also inexplicably looked at Zhou Yan, his eyes seemed to be filled with an unknowable brilliance.

That was an indescribable aura of Dao halo circulating, deep and immeasurable, compelling one to avert their gaze.

Zhou Yan also noticed this scene. From the moment he first saw Hou Tianjian, he knew that this person was the same Hou Tianjian from the Emperor Sword Lineage who had once appeared as ’Chen Tianjian’, and had entered Ancient Tomb Mountain together.

Zhou Yan remembered that it was this person who had helped him condense a hundred thousand Ancient Essence Blood, opening the difficult doorway to being a Sword Cultivator. Strictly speaking, this person owed Zhou Yan a favor.

However, seeing Hou Tianjian now, Zhou Yan felt strange. Because he felt that Hou Tianjian seemed like he existed within an illusion.

Reality was real, but this Chen Tianjian seemed like an illusion within reality. And perhaps in Hou Tianjian’s own consciousness, he himself was real, while the Goddess and the others were illusions.

This feeling was incredibly strange, but Zhou Yan knew that his perception wasn’t unfounded; there must surely be such a situation. The power of the Nine Orifice Exquisite Heart wasn’t for show; since it was sensed, it must be true.

"Have we met before, young master?"

As Zhou Yan pondered, the Netherworld Goddess Mu Qingyan suddenly spoke.

This was so similar to the questions raised by Yilan and Song Xiaoxiao when they first saw Zhou Yan!

It was like a cycle, and Zhou Yan suddenly felt very familiar with the scene, as if he had truly experienced such a moment.

In an instant, a flash of lightning bolted through his mind, and Zhou Yan saw a scene: A black-robed youth, with scrutinizing intent, sweeping across the major star domains, in a dark land, shedding the black combat armor, transforming into a white-robed scholarly young man, meeting a holy white-clothed woman.

The woman seemed to take a liking to the white-robed man with just one glance, thus shyly inquiring: "Have we met before, young master?"

This scene seemed to momentarily coincide at a point of space-time convergence.

Zhou Yan almost subconsciously said, "Beautiful fairy, are you the one known as the Wan Jie Qi Nu Mu Qingyan? I was born for you, and if I die, it will be for you too."

The words Zhou Yan suddenly spoke out, like a thunderbolt, also struck the Netherworld Goddess’s heart.

The Netherworld Goddess was momentarily stunned; her mysterious veil, stirred by the wind, revealed a corner, showing those beautiful, divine-like radiant eyes, but within those eyes, there was hidden pain and an inexplicable look of bewilderment.

But quickly, those emotions vanished; she remained stunned for a moment, then suddenly said, "Hmm... I am Mu Qingyan, young master you—"

Mu Qingyan seemed to instinctively speak, but her words were not completed.

The words that followed, which Zhou Yan caught in the flash of lightning, seemed like a space-time continuum, extending the scene’s occurrence, so whatever Mu Qingyan was about to do, Zhou Yan already seemed to know.

Mu Qingyan did not deviate, actually uttering the same exact words, only the sentence wasn’t completed as in that scene, but changed after the half was spoken.

This change, it seemed like altering history, or changing a future process, making the subsequent development filled with unknown changes.