Chapter 353 - 148: 4 People Submit, Establishing the Divine Platform, Sealing the Gods

His tone was detached and harsh, suffused with an immense might, as though he might strike at any moment.

But the Confucian Daoist Venerable, as if he hadn’t heard a thing, wore a pained expression as he bowed with cupped hands toward the space behind the other three.

His posture was one of respect and humility.

"I was not aware of your presence, Elder. This junior has been reckless..."

"Hm?"

Seeing the Confucian Daoist Venerable completely lower his guard, the White Lotus Daoist hesitated.

Chen Qin’Yin, however, had already turned to look.

One glance was all it took. A chill instantly shot through her heart!

It was as if a glacial current had washed over her, freezing the very blood in her veins.

"E-Elder... Elder Su..."

Chen Qin’Yin’s body trembled, and the Red Gourd on her back let out an eerily human-like shriek, like a startled hen.

"What!?"

Color drained from the White Lotus Daoist’s face.

His expression shifted rapidly as he slowly turned around.

There, on the long street, a young man in a white robe was approaching at a steady, unhurried pace.

The young man wore a white robe, his long hair draped over his shoulders. His gait was so precise it seemed measured with a ruler, each step covering the exact same distance.

Each footfall landed as if upon the very center of the world, on the precise point where yin and yang converge.

He approached at this same unhurried pace, seemingly devoid of any imposing aura.

Yet a chill instantly gripped the White Lotus Daoist’s heart.

The Incense and Candle Grand Assembly at the West Mountain Incense Altar didn’t have many direct participants, but no small number of people had been observing it through various means.

Being in the Da Yu Capital City, it was impossible for the four of them not to have witnessed that battle.

The magical combat between this white-robed young man and the Leader of Gui Chen Sect, and especially the final moment when he obliterated nearly a hundred True Masters with a single move, was seared into his memory.

’How could I not recognize this man?’

WHOOSH!

A gentle breeze stirred. Su Bai came to a halt before the gates of the Gui Chen Sect Headquarters.

He glanced impassively at the eaves, then at the figures in mid-air, and finally spoke.

"Are you here to reap the spoils?"

In the battle at the West Mountain Ten Thousand Laws Altar, he had annihilated nearly a hundred Returning Void Realm True Masters and several Great Feathered Transformation True Masters. His gains had been immense.

At this point, three or four Loose Cultivators were not enough to stir any emotion in him.

"We wouldn’t dare, we wouldn’t dare!"

Including the normally expressionless Iron Sword Young Venerable, all four of them shook their heads in unison, not daring to hesitate for even a second.

Having witnessed Su Bai’s prior ruthlessness, they knew all too well.

They knew what a ferocious and terrifying killing intent lay hidden beneath this white-robed young man’s Exiled Immortal-like exterior.

"Is that so?"

Su Bai withdrew his gaze and stepped into the Gui Chen Sect Headquarters. His calm voice echoed in their minds:

"Then come down and follow me."

Before the words had even finished echoing, he had already vanished inside the Gui Chen Sect Headquarters.

The four cultivators looked at each other in mid-air, seeing the terror and apprehension in each other’s eyes. Not daring to utter a single word of defiance, they could only land obediently and trail after him.

By the time Cui Yanliang, carrying the broken body of Jin Yunfeng, hurried to catch up, he saw the four great experts—all unfathomably powerful in his eyes.

They were trailing behind Su Bai with their heads bowed like chastened chicks, a sight he found utterly bizarre.

The Gui Chen Sect Headquarters was opulent, magnificent to an extreme.

This was no empty boast.

The amount of gold and silver the Gui Chen Sect had extorted over the years, both openly and in secret, was incalculable.

This headquarters was practically forged from gold, silver, and special alloys of copper and iron. Runes were secretly carved into every inch of the ground, and one could faintly perceive a terrifying Array deep within.

This Array was secretly linked to the one in the sect’s branch in the Capital City.

However, this Array had already been broken.

And the one who broke it was now inside the Gui Chen Sect’s very headquarters.

"Master."

Upon seeing Su Bai, Ye Xiaoyu bowed respectfully, her eyes filled with profound reverence.

Though this was the first time she had seen her master in person, he had, in fact, been guiding her within her mind for many days.

She owed her very survival to him.

"This is..."

Cui Yanliang put down the half-skeletal Bai Gu he was carrying, took two steps forward, and sized up the rather mature-looking little girl. He then looked at Su Bai in disbelief.

"Elder Su, this little girl is..."

"This is Xiaoyu. You can consider her your junior sister."

Su Bai stroked Ye Xiaoyu’s long hair. The girl was only twelve, but she was so petite that she looked no older than eight or nine.

Her overall demeanor, however, was surprisingly mature.

’Junior Sister...’

Cui Yanliang sized up the little girl.

The girl before him wasn’t tall, barely reaching his waist. She wasn’t particularly pretty, nor did she seem cheerful. In fact, she carried an air of deep-seated bitterness and vengeance.

He could feel a fluctuation of True Qi from her, but she seemed to be carrying an Exotic Treasure that obscured the specifics of her Cultivation.

"Xiaoyu greets Senior Brother."

Ye Xiaoyu bowed respectfully, her voice still somewhat cold.

"What a charming Junior Sister! Since it’s our first meeting, this is from your big brother..."

Cui Yanliang fumbled at his sleeve, then his pouch...

He had intended to pull out a meeting gift, only to remember that he was completely broke. He’d used up all the Dao Talismans he had managed to accumulate.

He could only offer an awkward smile and change the subject.

"Ahem! Junior Sister, how long have you been cultivating? I wonder what your level of Cultivation is?"

Ye Xiaoyu looked up, a hint of a smile flashing in her eyes before vanishing.

"In response to Senior Brother, I have been cultivating for less than a month. I have only just broken through to the Extraordinary Realm, so my Cultivation is nowhere near as profound as Senior Brother’s."