Chapter 75: The Arrival of the Heavenly Gate Island’s Senior Sister

“Boom,” Just then, a powerful surge of spiritual energy, heralded by a resounding boom, pierced through the air.

“Hmm?”

Several cultivators present also sensed this formidable spiritual energy fluctuation.

Both Yuan Xu and Liang Nuying felt an instantaneous jolt of alarm as this spiritual energy washed over them, perceiving within it an unknown, mysterious power.

The potent spiritual energy fluctuations caused ripples to spread through the ambient energy. Subsequently, a fierce spiritual energy storm erupted without warning, instantly pulverizing the opportunistic lackeys who had been poised to strike, leaving them no time to react.

What was happening?

Su Muyue gasped in profound shock, her delicate face paling instantly, her eyes wide with disbelief. “What just happened? How could this be? How are they all dead?!”

“What’s going on?”

“This is terrible; why are they all dead?”

“There was an inexplicable surge of spiritual energy moments ago.”

“…”

The crowd exchanged bewildered glances, murmuring amongst themselves, utterly perplexed as to who had made such a move. While killing with spiritual energy fluctuations wasn’t unheard of, a Grand Unity Golden Immortal’s surge would, at most, merely disrupt a cultivator’s immortal essence or inflict injury.

Could it be that a powerhouse beyond the Grand Unity Golden Immortal stage had entered? That was impossible; the Secret Realm explicitly permitted only True Immortals to Golden Immortals.

As everyone pondered the identity of this mysterious assailant, a resounding slap cut through the tense silence, startlingly distinct.

A sharp “Smack!”

All eyes turned to witness Su Muyue’s already disfigured face now bearing another stark, fresh slap mark.

“Who, who dared to strike me?!” Su Muyue demanded, seething with rage.

Su Muyue roared, her fury palpable, utterly baffled as to who had delivered such a clandestine blow.

“To gang up on the few, do you truly believe my Heavenly Gate Island lacks spirit?”

Before the person appeared, their voice resonated, causing He Xiaomeng’s delicate frame to stiffen with recognition. ‘She’s here! Senior Sister has arrived!’

A dazzling streak of light suddenly flashed into existence, leaving everyone present utterly dumbfounded.

“Woah, that’s no ordinary stream of light!” one exclaimed. “It’s clearly a protective aura of elemental spiritual energy! Which formidable deity has descended? Could it be that this spiritual energy encompasses all attributes? A multi-attribute cultivator?! This is simply insane!”

While the crowd was still buzzing with speculation, the woman materialized before the Heavenly Gate Island contingent.

“How… how…”

“How… how beautiful!”

“Hmm…”

In the aftermath of the spiritual energy storm, a resplendent stream of light suddenly flared before the Heavenly Gate Island group, capturing the attention of all. As the radiance slowly receded, a woman clad in verdant robes was revealed.

Her face, delicate as a melon seed, was akin to a lotus emerging from water, her skin as pristine as snow, and her features as exquisitely drawn as a painting. Her lustrous black hair, adorned with a phoenix hairpin, gave her the appearance of a celestial maiden descended to the mortal realm. Her eyes, clear and bright, seemed to pierce the very soul, compelling one to avert their gaze. Standing there, she resembled a blooming, ethereal orchid, emanating an enigmatic aura that instilled profound reverence.

The male cultivators gazed fixedly at the enigmatic woman, some so captivated they seemed to wish their eyes could permanently affix to her. Her allure transcended mere physical beauty; it was her singular temperament that truly enchanted, transporting onlookers as though into an ethereal fairyland.

Yuan Xu, Liang Nuying, and the others were similarly captivated by the woman, a sense of profound awe stirring within their hearts. They instinctively knew she was no ordinary individual; the aura she exuded felt like the concentrated spiritual essence of heaven and earth, simultaneously sending a slight shiver down their spines and imbuing them with a sense of her approachability.

The woman stood silently, gazing down at Su Muyue on the ground, and spoke with chilling detachment: “You brought this upon yourself.”

“Do you even know who I am?!” Su Muyue demanded, seething with rage.

“I have no need to know,” the woman retorted dismissively. “Unless you can raze my Heavenly Gate Island to the ground, you will forever remain nothing more than a clown in my eyes.”

Under the crushing weight of the woman’s formidable aura, she shone like the moon in the heavens, while Su Muyue was reduced to mere blades of grass on the earth.

Without further ado, the woman stepped forward and unceremoniously relieved Su Muyue of her space ring.

“Consider this item your compensation,” the woman stated.

“No, that’s mine!”

“My apologies, but it is now mine.”

Dispensing with any further discussion, the woman delivered a swift, decisive palm strike to Su Muyue’s neck.

Su Muyue’s world instantly plunged into darkness, and she lost consciousness.

“Senior Sister Liu!”

He Xiaomeng rushed forward, flinging herself into Liu Chenyan’s embrace, and playfully whined, “Senior Sister, Senior Sister!”

“There, there,” Liu Chenyan murmured, “isn’t Senior Sister here now?”

Liu Chenyan gently patted He Xiaomeng’s head, saying, “Here, Senior Sister will give this to you.”

With a flourish, Liu Chenyan presented the space ring to He Xiaomeng.

“Thank you, Senior Sister!”

He Xiaomeng gleefully accepted the space ring from Liu Chenyan’s grasp.

“Forgive my presumption,” Li Changle interjected, “but what is your relationship with the Red Dust Wanderer, Senior Liu Ruyan?”

Li Changle, observing Liu Chenyan, felt a profound sense of familiarity, as though he had seen her likeness in the portrait of Liu Ruyan within the Misty Rain Pavilion.

If one were to question how Li Changle recognized a Quasi-Saint, the simple answer lay in Liu Ruyan’s past interviews.

“You’ve seen my mother?”

Liu Chenyan’s exquisite eyes turned to Li Changle, and she spoke with profound meaning: “You are from the Misty Rain Pavilion, aren’t you?”

“What?!”

“Senior Liu’s daughter?!”

“Huh?!”

At this revelation, not only were the cultivators present utterly stunned, but even the various sect masters and elders observing the live broadcast were left completely bewildered.

Heavenly Chosen Palace Master Tianxuan Ji turned to Shen Xiulan, inquiring, “Is she truly Senior Liu’s daughter?”

The sect leaders gathered there likewise directed their gazes intently upon Shen Xiulan.

Who was Liu Ruyan? A formidable human powerhouse from ancient times! She was one of the key leaders during the Human-Dragon Tribulation and now stands as one of the Nine Quasi-Saints!

The founder of Heavenly Gate Island, she was the very pillar upholding it! Though the current generation of Heavenly Gate Island disciples might be few and far between, as long as Liu Ruyan lived, the sect could never truly perish.

“Naturally, she is indeed the daughter of our Heavenly Gate Island’s revered Ancestor,” a voice affirmed.

Just then, a petite figure materialized on the plaza.

With this confirmation, several sect masters silently resolved to never cross Heavenly Gate Island.

Previously, they might have been indifferent, but the revelation that Heavenly Gate Island’s ancestor was Liu Ruyan had only just come to light.

Primarily, Liu Ruyan hailed from an era so ancient, having lived through the Dao-Demon, Dao Lineage, and Chaotic Era tribulations. The Eastern Sea’s powers had been purged countless times since then, making ignorance of such ancient matters entirely understandable.

After all, powerhouses from Liu Ruyan’s era had either perished in the Human-Dragon Tribulation or succumbed to the inevitable Dao Tribulation.

What exactly was the Dao Tribulation? It represented a critical threshold within the three stages of a Dao Venerable’s cultivation!

Immortal Emperors, upon comprehending the Dao, entered the Dao Venerable’s Dao Entry stage. The subsequent Dao Transformation and Dao Integration stages were dedicated to deepening their understanding of their chosen Dao.

However, no one’s path to the Dao was entirely smooth. As one delved deeper into the Dao, it was inevitable that their comprehension might stray, deviating from their original path. Once such a deviation occurred, their Dao Heart would inevitably face issues.

This could manifest as insufficient resolve, pervasive doubt, or becoming stubbornly fixated on a single, narrow point.

As these deviations grew, the Dao Heart would develop more and more fissures, ultimately leading to its complete collapse.

A collapsed Dao Heart signified the direct shattering of the comprehended Dao, resulting in a grand Dao tribulation and instantaneous demise.

While cultivators at the Grand Unity Golden Immortal stage could achieve eternal life, failing to ascend to the Dao Venerable realm in this lifetime meant forever being cut off from higher planes of existence. In the grand schemes orchestrated by Dao Venerables and Quasi-Saints, such individuals might simply be relegated to the role of pawns.