“The Celestial Demon Palace and the Golden Family…” Ye Fan had heard of them more than once by now. Even before entering the Holy City, he had seen the people of the Northern Plains Golden Family — leaping over horses in mid-air, treading over everyone’s heads as they passed.

“Both are super powers that stand as equals with the Holy Lands,” Li Heishui said quietly with a laugh. “Tonight, just sit back and watch the show unfold.”

“That side also has a dragon ship — much larger than ours — and it seems to be a prince of the Great Xia,” Ye Fan said, looking toward the other direction.

“That’s right. And that white-robed little nun has come too — how interesting, a brother and sister visiting this kind of place together.” Li Heishui laughed.

In the distance, the Great Xia prince’s black hair swept in the wind, his bearing heroic and vigorous, his divine iron war armor blazing brilliantly, nine dragon-qi coiling around his body — like an emperor of heaven descended to the mortal realm, supremely martial.

Beside him, the pure little nun’s large dark eyes rolled with curiosity, looking all about, taking in everything with a childlike wonder.

“He came too…” Ye Fan gave a start.

On the shore, a golden divine lion stood — its entire body dazzling, burning like divine flames. Atop it sat a white-robed figure, his bearing as warm and fine as jade, cultured and refined, carrying a hint of heroic spirit.

Some people, even standing amid a vast sea of faces, could always be spotted at a glance — as though they were heaven’s favorites, unable to help but draw attention.

“Jiang Yifei…”

This was a member of the Jiang Family — the one who, back in the Southern Region, had taken little Tingting and Elder Jiang away and brought them back to the Jiang Family. Ye Fan’s impression of him was exceptionally deep, and he had even suspected for a time that this man was the Jiang Family’s Divine Physique.

“I wonder how little Tingting is doing, and how Elder Jiang is faring,” Ye Fan murmured to himself. Time flew by — in the blink of an eye, four years had already passed. He hoped those two grandparent and grandchild were well.

Ye Fan had not spent long with them, yet it was the first time in this world that he had felt a sense of coming home. The time he had spent with them had been warm and tender.

The golden divine lion tread upon the moonlight as it came forward, its four hooves treading on the lake surface, its entire body dazzling. Jiang Yifei’s white robes surpassed the snow, his figure and the lion making a particularly striking pair — like a god descending to the mortal realm.

“A person of this caliber — one glance tells you he is extraordinary,” even Li Heishui said with admiration.

“Do you know who the Jiang Family’s Divine Physique is?”

“Extremely mysterious — no one knows,” Li Heishui shook his head.

“Perhaps it’s him.”

“Really?!” Li Heishui was startled.

Before long, Ye Fan and Li Heishui arrived in the deepest reaches of the great lake. Thin mist swirled, a sacred aura suffused the air, and the lake water gleamed and shimmered — it felt like arriving at a jade sea.

“Rather too many powerful figures have come,” Li Heishui said, looking toward another direction.

There, a great ship flickered with dark, ebony light. Upon it stood a man dressed entirely in black — cold and stern, with an air that kept everyone a thousand li away.

“This is Xu Heng — eldest grandson of Xu Tianxiong, the Third Great Outlaw — the foremost fighter among all the outlaw descendants, unstoppable, a supreme expert among the younger generation of the Eastern Desolation.”

“So that’s Xu Heng?” Ye Fan looked him over carefully.

Xu Heng’s skin was snow-white and crystalline — remarkably unusual, like frost, like cold snow. Yet he bore not the slightest trace of feminine softness; his edge was contained inward, like a divine sword sleeping in its scabbard.

“You and Tu Fei were truly audacious, suppressing his younger brother. Be careful — make absolutely certain he doesn’t find out about you.”

All the ships had come to a stop in the deepest reaches of the great lake, for the phoenix-vessel piled with flowers was just ahead.

High in the sky, a celestial palace blazed brilliantly and towered magnificently — giving the impression of something not quite real. Immortal music rang out in waves, as if coming from the ninth heaven.

Nine women danced gracefully in the night moonlight, like immortals from the heavens who had descended to the mortal realm — their dance flowing and enchanting, captivating the spirit.

Even Ye Fan could not help but marvel — beautiful female cultivators who stepped into the mortal world were indeed suffused with an inexhaustible divine charm.

For mortal women, no matter how beautiful and captivating they might be, they could not dance suspended in the air with an immortal wind like this. For many people, this was simply a vision of immortal maidens from within a dream.

Suddenly, someone rode in on a holy sword blazing with sacred light, illuminating the Miaoyu Lake as they arrived in an instant. It was a yellow-robed young man — heroic and spirited, carrying himself with refinement.

“Xiang Yifei — the Holy Son of the Great Yan Holy Land,” Ye Fan said in surprise. How could these people all be showing themselves so openly?

“Something’s not right,” Li Heishui also sensed the anomaly. “The young master of the Celestial Demon Palace, the heir of the Golden Family, the Great Xia prince, the outstanding figure of the Jiang Family, Great Yan’s Xiang Yifei — the forces behind them all stand supreme at the apex. They shouldn’t be like this. They ought to be concealing their identities.”

Ye Fan nodded and said: “Exactly. The Miaoyu Nunnery’s reputation is poor after all. How could these people be so openly flamboyant? There must be a reason we don’t yet know about.”

The two agreed that something meaningful must be at work — otherwise, even if these people came to a pleasure quarter, they would take care of their reputations and never show their true faces.

Suddenly, the music in the sky ceased — at once, complete silence fell. Ahead, An Miaoyi stood in her white robes, hair dancing in the wind, utterly transcendent, as though she were about to ride the wind and depart.

“To worry so often of pleasure damaging one’s cultivation path, and yet to enter the mountains, one fears leaving behind the warmth of friendship. How can the world offer a method that honors both? To remain true to the nameless great Dao, and yet to remain true to you.”

That celestial voice floated through the night sky. An Miaoyi’s dark hair danced freely, her bearing ethereal and unworldly, with inner spiritual refinement, jade bones heaven-given, her immortal bearing without equal.

Everyone was taken aback at once. “Pleasure” surely referred to all manner of pleasures of the Miaoyu Nunnery; “the nameless” referred to the great Dao; “you” was an honorific form of address for a person — the meaning of these lines was plain to see.

“How can the world offer a method that honors both?” An Miaoyi’s voice moved the heart, and her beautiful eyes swept over every person present.

She had actually spoken these words — everyone was astonished. Was she saying she wished to leave the Miaoyu Nunnery and go into seclusion in the mountains? Did she want to escape the mire of the Miaoyu Nunnery?

The lake held many jade vessels, and every single person was shaken. This most beautiful woman of the Eastern Desolation was truly extraordinary.

“Immortal Maiden An, I understand your suffering. I am willing to go into seclusion with you among the mountains and forests.” Someone called out at once.

“Splash!”

Unfortunately, this first brave soul was too much for the others to tolerate — and was knocked into the lake.

“Immortal Maiden An, you are pure and transcendent, like the divine moon in the sky. You should leave the Miaoyu Nunnery, depart this quagmire. I am willing to travel by your side.”

Though this person had not said they would retreat together into the wild, the meaning was similar enough — quite direct. They too were knocked into the water.

“Such a beauty of a generation should naturally leave the Miaoyu Nunnery far behind. I am willing to journey through the Central Province with Immortal Maiden An.”

“Splash!”

Yet another brave soul was knocked into the lake, soaking wet. The others dared not say a word — afraid of becoming a public enemy.

“Difficult, difficult, difficult. Very well — let us speak only of the Dharma and the Dao tonight,” An Miaoyi’s voice was extraordinarily melodious, seeming to come from the ninth heaven above.

“What does she really mean? Is she genuinely trying to be a pure, untainted immortal, unwilling to be sullied by the Miaoyu Nunnery?” Even Li Heishui showed a look of surprise.

An Miaoyi wished to select a few people for a night-long discussion of the Dharma and the Dao, but she did not wish to leave the others feeling slighted. So she decided to play the zither and perform a dance beneath the night moon.

Her snow-white long dress flowed and danced. She flew up into the air, and behind her, an enormous bright moon appeared. She was mapped entirely within it.

The sacred moon, three meters in diameter, set her off in a way that made her appear incomparably pure and sacred — a true immortal of the Vast Cold Moon Palace come to the world. She danced with the heavenly wind, unsurpassed beauty that could overthrow cities and nations.

Not far away, a zither floated in the air, gleaming and shimmering. An Miaoyi’s skin of ice and jade bones moved within that divine moon — graceful and captivating, like the Mysterious Lady of the Ninth Heaven descended to the mortal realm.

Her slender jade fingers played lightly. Dots of divine light shot forth, striking the distant zither strings from afar, releasing celestial music from the ninth heaven. She danced while sending beams of immortal light cascading down onto the zither.

An Miaoyi’s dance was peerless in the world, making one believe a divine maiden had descended from the heavens. And her zither music was worthy of being called immortal music — causing people to lose control of their emotions and be moved to the core.

She danced within that divine moon, and could simultaneously play such celestial music from a distance — everyone was astounded. All were thoroughly intoxicated, unable to pull themselves away.

Suddenly, birds flew in from the night sky — each of them carrying a gleaming petal in their beaks. They circled around her and danced together. Every person below was struck dumb.

A rain of flowers drifted down in countless colors, fragrance filling the air. Hundreds of birds danced with her — it was simply inconceivable, astonishing, and even more intoxicating.

An Miaoyi opened her throat and sang. Her wondrous voice rang out in all four directions. Even the fish in the lake leaped out of the water and swayed in time with her rhythm.

Song, dance, and zither — three combined perfections. Even Ye Fan was utterly stunned. This flawless woman, declared the most beautiful in the Eastern Desolation, was truly staggering. Everything she did approached the realm of Dao, presenting a matchless beauty unlike anything in the world.

Within the divine moon, flower petals gleamed like rain. She danced with graceful ease, the zither music rang out, a hundred birds joined in harmony, fish leaped from the water — all of it became a single wondrous scene.

The zither fell silent. The dance stilled. The song faded. Heaven and earth were completely quiet. An Miaoyi stood alone. After a long moment, many people finally awoke from their dreamlike state — every single person had been overwhelmed.

“Miaoyi wishes to discuss the Dharma and the Dao with all of you.”

An Miaoyi — like a spirit beneath the night moon — rose lightly into the air and flew upward, entering among the jade towers and jeweled palaces. Among those clusters of palace halls she disappeared into a jade pavilion.

Many people snapped out of their daze, scrambling to rush upward into the sky, all hoping to meet her at close range.

“It’s over. That woman has moved my heart — she truly has a special divine charm about her,” Li Heishui said.

“Black Brother — you haven’t already fallen, have you?” Ye Fan laughed.

“I say, little Ye — young as you are, don’t put on that look of having seen through the ways of the world, standing alone in clear-eyed wakefulness. Young men facing a woman like this should fall — that’s only natural. Otherwise, something’s wrong.”

A faint smile touched the corner of Ye Fan’s lips and he said: “All right then — let us put our heads together. Whether she is genuinely trying to leave the Miaoyu Nunnery and become the purest immortal in the Eastern Desolation, or whether she’s mastering human nature and doing all this deliberately — either way, let’s find a means to take her away. What do you say?”

Li Heishui gave him a sideways look and slapped him on the back. “Let’s go — this older brother of yours is going to bring home a beauty.”

High in the night sky, jade towers and jeweled palaces radiated flowing light — like the pavilions of the immortal realm. To stand here felt as though one were dreaming.

An Miaoyi had already entered. The jade palace outside was packed with people, all blocked by a curtain of immortal light — only a handful were able to follow inside.

“This is the Gate of Enlightenment. Without having perceived a certain Dao-imprint, there is simply no way through. Cultivators below the Four Extremities Realm — save for a rare few — would certainly all be blocked,” Li Heishui said in surprise.

The Great Xia prince strode forward with the stride of a dragon and the pace of a tiger. Divine dragon-qi surged around his body, his divine iron war armor blazing with light — like the emperor of heaven descended to the earth. The Gate of Enlightenment could not stop him, and it automatically parted. He walked through, pulling the white-robed little nun along with him in large strides.

“Swish!”

A flash of light — the young master of the Celestial Demon Palace, his purple robes flowing, his eyes deep and profound, stepped through with ease.

Then, the Holy Son of the Great Yan Holy Land, Xiang Yifei, appeared on his holy sword and flashed inside, leaving only a beam of sacred light behind.

In the distant sky, a golden divine lion tread upon the moonlight as it came forward. The white-robed figure atop it leaped through the air, his bearing refined and transcendent — Jiang Yifei stepped through the immortal gate.

Ye Fan’s heart gave a lurch. This person was truly extraordinary. His suspicion that this man was the Jiang Family’s Divine Physique only deepened.

“These people all revealed themselves openly — exactly why is that?” The question came to him again.

“Black Brother, this is all on you. I can’t use divine power — I suspect the person I just saw might genuinely be the Jiang Family’s Divine Physique, and if so he could sense my presence.”

“Leave it to me!” Li Heishui stepped forward. A Dao-imprint surged out, and the Gate of Enlightenment automatically opened. He and Ye Fan walked in without difficulty.

Those who were able to enter the jade palace numbered only around a dozen — without exception, all were supreme experts of the younger generation who had reached the Four Extremities Realm.

Ye Fan looked around. He could identify half the people present — all of them with formidable origins.

The young master of the Celestial Demon Palace, the heir of the Golden Family, Xu Heng, Great Yan’s Xiang Yifei, the Wanchu Holy Son, Jiang Yifei, the Great Xia prince, the white-robed little nun…

Those who had arrived earlier were already deep in discussion. Ye Fan and Li Heishui found a place and sat down.

“Miaoyi has heard it said that the combat power of the Desolate Holy Body is unrivaled within the same realm throughout the world. Does anyone here know the reason why?” An Miaoyi asked gently, her beautiful eyes bright and full of life, without the slightest trace of the Miaoyu Nunnery’s bewitching manner.