CH 68.1

Shen Liuxiang curiously flicked the little sachet with his fingertips, wondering what was inside. He opened it and a wisp of starlight drifted out. In the blink of an eye, he found himself holding a garment in his hand. The garment was as thin as gossamer in the moonlight, adorned with starlight, giving off a faint, icy aura.

Shen Liuxiang’s expression shifted from confusion to realization as he recognized the garment.

In the original story, the Xu family was a renowned family of artifact craftsmen on the continent. Xu Xingchen had a magical garment called the “Immortal Robe.” After falling for Su Baiche, he brought the robe back to the Imperial Palace, first having it recognize him by dripping his blood on it and then having Su Baiche wear it.

The Immortal Robe shared a telepathic connection with its master, so after that, except for him, Xu Xingchen, no one else could take off Su Baiche’s clothes.

The Immortal Robe that Xu Xingchen gave Shen Liuxiang now clearly had not recognized him as its master.

Shen Liuxiang raised an eyebrow and looked at Zhou Xuanlan, asking, “Do you recognize this garment?”

Zhou Xuanlan replied, “I do.”

Shen Liuxiang extended his slender index finger and poked his cheek. “Do I look like I need this garment right now?”

Zhou Xuanlan’s expression changed as he contemplated for a moment before speaking in a deep voice, “Master, he wants the robe to recognize you and for you to wear it.”

Shen Liuxiang pondered for a moment, feeling that it was unnecessary. Nevertheless, since Xu Xingchen had gone to the trouble of sending it, he decided to oblige. He pricked his finger and let a drop of blood fall onto the garment, causing faint starlight to shimmer.

Shen Liuxiang put on the Immortal Robe, and it immediately vanished from sight. There was no sense of weight or presence; it was as if he wasn’t wearing anything at all.

He turned to Zhou Xuanlan and said, “You should try taking it off me.”

Zhou Xuanlan hesitated, then shook his head. “The Immortal Robe follows its master’s will. If you want to take it off, it won’t resist.”

Shen Liuxiang secretly marveled at this and stretched out his hand to tighten his belt.

However before he could, a sudden noise from above interrupted them. Shen Liuxiang felt his wrist being pulled, and before he knew it, he was being held tightly in Zhou Xuanlan’s arms as they swiftly moved several yards away.

A cloud of dust rose where they had been standing, and when it cleared, a large pit appeared in the ground.

Shen Liuxiang blinked and saw Zhou Xuanlan’s hair swaying in front of his eyes. After being released from the embrace, he looked around and asked, “What was that?”

“Woo~” A painful moan came from the pit.

A male fox lay there, sprawled on the ground, his eyes sparkling with stars. His fur was covered in dirt, and even the patterns on his forehead were smeared.

“Under the peony tree, a fox can be as charming as a human.” The fox sighed, then shed a few tears in silence.

After not seeing each other for several years, Su Baiche had transformed from a white lotus into a carnivorous flower. Huajian had initially been gentle with him because of his injuries, but he had never expected that Su Baiche’s cultivation had advanced so rapidly. In retaliation, Su Baiche had sent him flying, making it difficult for Huajian to approach him again.

Huajian climbed out of the pit, feeling melancholic. When he looked up and noticed two people standing above, his eyes lit up.

Beauty! A beauty?!

Huajian’s eyes were about to light up again, but when he saw the person next to the beauty, he almost forgot to breathe.

Since Zhou Xuanlan had become the Ninth Demon King in the Demon Realm, Huajian had been avoiding him as much as possible. After all, they were not on friendly terms. In their first encounter, he had deceived the young and impoverished Zhou Xuanlan. He had cast a spell on him, and now, Zhou Xuanlan was the Ninth Demon King. If he held a grudge, it could lead to trouble.

The fox hesitated, sizing up the situation. He decided to feign unconsciousness, believing that as long as he kept a low profile, no one would recognize him.

“Hmm? Little Jian?” Shen Liuxiang called out.

The fox’s body stiffened, but he continued to pretend to be unconscious until Zhou Xuanlan picked him up from the pit and tossed him to the ground, saying, “Master is calling you, Third Demon King.”

Huajian didn’t hold a grudge anymore. He opened his eyes, looked at Shen Liuxiang, who was crouching and touching his fox ears, and resisted the urge to swat his hand away. He spoke in a friendly tone, “Let’s live in harmony, shall we? Water from different wells doesn’t interfere with each other.”

The situation was quite complex. Shen Liuxiang was the Young Master of the Imperial Palace, while Zhou Xuanlan was the Ninth Demon King. Both were not to be underestimated.

Shen Liuxiang continued to pinch the fluffy fox ears and asked, “What brings you to Qilin City?”

Fluffing up his tails, Huajian replied, “I’m looking for my relatives.”

Shen Liuxiang found the fox’s fur surprisingly pleasant to touch but was stopped by his disciple when he attempted to continue petting him. Huajian then inquired, “Does Master have a preference for furry creatures?”

Shen Liuxiang replied nonchalantly, “It feels comfortable to touch.”

Zhou Xuanlan, with his long and straight eyelashes, lowered his gaze slightly and said, “When it comes to true forms, I can easily crush creatures like them with a single blow. My true form is even more formidable.”

When Shen Liuxiang thought about the true form of the dragon race, his heart became itchy and he couldn’t help but ask, “In the future, can I touch you…cough,”

Concerned about the presence of others, he hinted at it by touching his own forehead, then forming a horn shape with his hand whilst mouthing the words – dragon horn

Zhou Xuanlan’s lips curved into a smile as he responded, “Alright.”

Shen Liuxiang was satisfied with this agreement and glanced at the furry fox in the pile of leaves. He couldn’t resist the urge and moved his fingers slightly, showing that he was eager to try.

Zhou Xuanlan spoke up, “It’s better for the Third Demon King to transform back into his human form. There are many wolves in this area, and you might be mistaken for prey. It could tarnish your reputation.”

Huajian understood the implications and transformed back into his human form. He only enjoyed touching beautiful people; he didn’t like being touched by them.

With floral patterns on his forehead, he blinked his peach blossom eyes and wiped the dirt off his face with a silk handkerchief. He asked, “What are you doing in Qilin City?

Shen Liuxiang and Zhou Xuanlan exchanged glances. “It’s a long story.”

They decided to explain the unusual situation they had encountered in Qilin City on their way back.

Huajian listened attentively, and when they mentioned the mysterious phenomena in the city, he became curious. By the time they reached the city gate and saw Ye Bingran, Huajian was informed about the disappearances of disciples from the Sword Sect as well.

Huajian raised an eyebrow and looked at Ye Bingran, who held his sword. He wondered, “Could this be related to Wenren Qin?”

Ye Bingran, who had some knowledge of formations, had tried to attack the wall with his sword but couldn’t make a dent. He asked, “I used my sword energy earlier, but it disappeared upon touching the wall. Do you know why?”

Huajian was surprised by the situation. As far as he knew, Zhou Xuanlan had left the cultivation world because of the Sword Sect. He couldn’t believe that Zhou Xuanlan would help them now.

However, Zhou Xuanlan then mentioned, “I know a formation called ‘Sennlo Mandala'”

Ye Bingran frowned, he had never heard of it.

Zhou Xuanlan explained, “The formation outside Wenren Qin’s residence is a branch of the Sennlo Mandala. The most significant feature of this formation is the ‘藏’ (cang) character, which means ‘to hide.’ It allows everything to be concealed and hidden within the Mandala.”

Zhou Xuanlan pointed at the black flames on the wall. “There’s a gateway to this formation here.”

Shen Liuxiang was intrigued. “Is this formation very powerful?”

Zhou Xuanlan replied, “It’s an ancient formation from the Primordial Era.”

Huajian, with a hand on his chin, narrowed his peach blossom eyes in suspicion and asked, “How did you come to know about such an ancient formation that has been lost for so long?”

Zhou Xuanlan smiled, somewhat mysteriously, and replied, “If Wenren Qin can set up formations, why can’t I know about them?”

Hua Jian thought for a moment and realized, “Is it because of the Great Mountain and Sea? You younger generations seem to have better luck than us.”

Shen Liuxiang tapped the wall and asked, “Do you have a way to enter the formation?”

Zhou Xuanlan nodded. After a brief silence, he said, “Master, stay here and wait for me. I will help you rescue the Sword Sect disciples.”

Shen Liuxiang shook his head, “I owe a favor to the Sword Sect. You don’t have to do this.” He remembered how the Sword Sect had imprisoned Zhou Xuanlan, even planning to kill him. Now, it didn’t seem right to ask him to help rescue Sword Sect disciples.

After some contemplation, Zhou Xuanlan finally agreed.

He turned and called over Luo Yu and the others, giving them detailed instructions, before walking to the base of the city wall.

Zhou Xuanlan pressed his hand against the cold stone wall. His bony fingers seemed to move like he was drawing curtains. The entire city wall’s brick pattern began to ripple like water.

Suddenly, a door appeared on the wall.

Shen Liuxiang’s eyes widened in shock, and Zhou Xuanlan pulled him inside as he stepped in first. Ye Bingran followed closely, and out of curiosity, Huajian joined them just before the door vanished, leaving the city wall intact once again.