"What's wrong?"

Seeing the girl's astonished expression, Su Xuan asked coolly.

Did I reveal a flaw by riding the Nirvana Phoenix? Isn't this thing a mount?

"Nothing, nothing." The girl stood atop her blue peacock, waving her small hand. "The Nirvana Phoenix has always been proud and untamed, fiercely combative, and never lets anyone ride it. Yet now it's letting you ride it so obediently. Senior Brother, you're truly amazing!"

PHEW!

The Third Elder and A'Lian couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

This young girl in blue is really... finding all sorts of ways to compliment her Senior Brother!

"It's not stupid." Su Xuan glanced down at the Nirvana Phoenix that his white horse had become and smiled faintly. "It knows I saved it, so letting me ride for a bit should be acceptable."

The white horse was indeed quite intelligent. As soon as Su Xuan's words fell, it neighed and shook its body, looking somewhat reluctant but also as if it didn't mind.

"Let's go!" Su Xuan immediately mounted the phoenix and soared into the sky.

His "Let's go" seemed directed at the Nirvana Phoenix and the girl in the blue dress, but it was truly meant for the Third Elder and A'Lian.

The Third Elder and A'Lian watched as Su Xuan became a tiny dot in the sky, silently sending him their blessings. The girl in the blue dress also hurriedly urged her blue bird to follow, and they soon vanished from sight.

"Senior Brother," A'Lian began after Su Xuan and the girl had left, raising her eyes to the Third Elder, "shall we..."

"Shall we..." Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with A'Lian, the Third Elder quietly took her hand and murmured, "It's time for us to go, too."

A'Lian nodded silently. She had already discussed it with Su Xuan; no one needed to wait for anyone else. Once she and the Third Elder left, they would very likely disappear from the world of the mountains.

"Senior Brother, if we were to live in seclusion, would you regret losing your fame?" A'Lian suddenly asked.

"Why would I regret that?" The Third Elder straightened his back. "Fame and fortune are like floating clouds to me. Nothing is more precious than you."

A'Lian's face flushed instantly. She couldn't remember how many times she had blushed since meeting the Third Elder. It was as if she were the same age as the girl in blue again, having rediscovered her youth.

But my youth has long since passed. My blushing face must look quite homely, mustn't it?

At the thought, her face turned an even deeper shade of red.

"As we leave, can you let go of the Ten Cauldrons Sect?" the Third Elder asked.

"What's there to hold on to?" A'Lian raised her gaze to the Ten Cauldrons Sect, ravaged by the previous night's fire. "This is no longer my home."

She truly didn't care about the future of the Ten Cauldrons Sect. After she left, a power struggle was inevitable. The sect probably wouldn't dissolve, and the disciples would still have a livelihood. Truthfully, she had never liked this place, because of *that* person.

"Your brother Su..." A'Lian thought for a moment before asking, "Are you really content not to wait for him? What if he returns to the Ten Cauldrons Sect after coming back from Shunfeng Immortal Mountain?"

"He won't," the Third Elder stated earnestly. "My young friend is very aware of the broader situation. He definitely won't come back looking for me, because he'd fear I would be attacked if I waited for him."

The Third Elder glanced down at their tightly clasped hands.

PFFT!

A'Lian chuckled, then said seriously, "So, are we really going?"

"Let's go," the Third Elder said.

"Then let's go!" A'Lian affirmed.

"Aren't you going to pack anything?" the Third Elder asked.

"I have nothing left here," she replied. "What about you?"

The Third Elder squeezed her hand. "I already have everything I need right here."

The two, no longer young,

walked hand in hand

down the mountain from the Ten Cauldrons Sect.

The forest trees veiled the path down the mountain,

veiling their figures as well.

They didn't actually know where they were going, but as long as they had each other, anywhere would be fine. After spending so many years guarding one place, they could take their time to wander and see the world. When they found a place they loved, they could settle down there, and live out their days in happiness...

But the Third Elder's steps grew ever lighter and swifter...

...

"Senior Brother! I have something to tell you."

High in the sky, the girl in the blue dress sent a True Qi message to Su Xuan, who was flying alongside her.

"What is it?" Su Xuan glanced at her.

"Well..." the girl hesitated, then said, "Senior Brother, after you left Shunfeng Immortal Mountain to find the Nirvana Phoenix, Senior Sister Miao Tong also went on a mission."

"Oh."

Su Xuan had no idea who Senior Sister Miao Tong was, so he could only offer a perfunctory reply.

"Senior Sister Miao Tong is really amazing!" the girl continued. "She took only one day to complete the mission and came back completely unscathed."

"Oh," Su Xuan replied, still noncommittal.

"Senior Brother, do you know what her mission was?" The girl's enthusiasm was not dampened by Su Xuan's attitude.

"I don't."

"She went to kill an old villain at the Late Stage of Longevity and came back carrying his head." The girl in blue held a hand out in front of her, mimicking the act of carrying something, her face filled with admiration.

"That is indeed impressive."

Su Xuan's interest was piqued by the cultivation levels of the Shunfeng Immortal Mountain disciples.

Is this place really paved with Moon Profound Stones? Is the entire sect built from them? How else could every random person be in the Longevity Realm? Not to mention that formidable Senior Sister Miao Tong, even this girl in blue is at the Longevity Realm Initial Stage! Is the Longevity Realm that common on Shunfeng Immortal Mountain?

The journey to Shunfeng Immortal Mountain was long, so Su Xuan chatted idly with the girl, learning a few things in the process.

Feng Zhengyuan and the girl shared a master. This master was nearly two hundred years old, held a high position as the Second Elder of Shunfeng Immortal Mountain, and the three of them occupied a peak named Golden Lotus Peak. There were over two hundred disciples on Golden Lotus Peak alone, making it the size of a small sect.

And Shunfeng Immortal Mountain had nineteen such peaks!

BOOM!

As night fell, halfway through their journey, lightning flashed and thunder roared as a torrential downpour began. The storm greatly reduced the flying speed of their mounts. It wasn't that they feared the wind and rain, but rather the lightning that cracked unpredictably through the sky.

Bolts of lightning as thick as a water barrel sliced down from the dark clouds.

Who wouldn't be afraid?

"Senior Brother, we're not in a huge hurry to get back. Let's find a place to shelter from the rain first!" the girl in blue suggested via a True Qi message. Of course, she was not wet. Once a cultivator reached the Longevity Realm, an invisible protective barrier would form around their body, making them impervious to mere rainwater.

"Agreed."

Using his superior eyesight to pierce the veil of rain, Su Xuan scanned the ground below. He then guided the little phoenix into a dive. As a powerhouse in the Late Stage of Longevity, he too remained perfectly dry.

Soon after, Su Xuan landed before a cave halfway up a mountain and led the little phoenix inside.

"Wow! This is a great place to take shelter from the rain!" The girl in the blue dress exclaimed in admiration the moment she stepped inside and saw her surroundings.

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