Chapter 158 : Nine Radiance Heavenly Sect Keeps Its Strength Hidden
Chapter 158: Nine-Xia Heavenly Sect Keeps Its Strength Hidden
“Ah! True Person Mingzhu, and Fellow Daoist Nan! What a coincidence to run into you here.”
The pink figure stepping out from the towering grand hall was naturally none other than the Hehuan Sect’s Saintess Yaxi.
In this world, it would likely be impossible to find a second person with such unmistakable dreamlike pink hair.
Walking at her side, her Dao Protector Shen Qinghuan maintained the reserved composure of a Golden Core cultivator, merely giving True Person Mingzhu a slight nod in greeting.
“Has the Saintess come to the main hall at this hour to seek someone on business?” True Person Mingzhu asked in an even tone, with just the right touch of inquiry.
“Ah, True Person Mingzhu, really now, I’ve already said you can simply call me Yaxi,” Yaxi smiled charmingly, her tone intimate yet measured. “I did come to visit a senior and have just met with him. It seems you two also have important matters, so I won’t disturb you. When you have time in the future, you must come to my residence for tea!”
As she spoke, she and Shen Qinghuan stepped aside gracefully to clear the path.
Watching that pink silhouette skip lightly down the long staircase, Nan Yuchen could not help but sigh with emotion.
“This Saintess is truly an interesting person. She’s completely different from how I imagined female cultivators of the Hehuan Sect.”
“Indeed. In some ways, she feels rather similar to Zhiying.”
Though True Person Mingzhu said this aloud, another thought surfaced in her heart—one that even surprised her. She felt that this Saintess Yaxi was somewhat similar to Long Tao as well…
The similarity, of course, had nothing to do with appearance, cultivation, or personality. It was something more restrained… calling it temperament did not feel quite accurate either. But after interacting with both of them, one would inevitably sense it—Yaxi and Long Tao shared an extremely subtle resemblance. As for what exactly it was, she could not articulate it.
Even True Person Mingzhu herself found the notion absurd. And yet… she could not shake the intuition.
……
After True Person Mingzhu and her disciple disappeared into the depths of the hall, Yaxi and Shen Qinghuan moved to a nearby pavilion.
With a flick of Shen Qinghuan’s fingertip, an invisible soundproof barrier quietly enveloped the surroundings.
“Well? What did True Lord Luohong tell you?” Shen Qinghuan asked first, her tone carrying a trace of restrained urgency.
Yaxi could no longer suppress her excitement. Her breathtakingly beautiful face was woven with exhilaration and disbelief. “We found him… the thief who stole my Destiny Luck has truly… truly been identified!”
“What?!”
Shen Qinghuan’s pupils contracted slightly, shock appearing on her otherwise composed face.
Ever since they had detected the sly thief hiding in the shadows, the Hehuan Sect had mobilized considerable manpower and resources to investigate. Yet it had been like searching for a needle in the sea.
On one hand, the other party was extremely cautious. Rather than flaunting the stolen Destiny Luck, he had continuously used ordinary Hehuan Sect disciples who practiced charm techniques among mortals as cover, acting in secrecy.
On the other hand, the path of Destiny Luck was elusive and intangible. Even relying on the sect’s secret arts, they could only vaguely sense the general direction indicated by the Karmic Thread, unable to precisely lock onto the target.
And yet now… how long had that thief been in the Nine-Xia Realm? Only a few short months, and the Nine-Xia Heavenly Sect had already quietly uncovered his identity?
A chill stirred in Shen Qinghuan’s heart. Both were top-tier great sects. Yet in this matter, the efficiency of the Hehuan Sect compared to the Nine-Xia Heavenly Sect made the disparity glaringly obvious. Her face burned slightly at the comparison.
At the same time, she felt a flicker of doubt. Could they be exaggerating to save face? But the moment she remembered that the information had come from True Lord Luohong—whom she deeply admired—she quickly dismissed the suspicion.
“How did they discover him? Has the person… already been captured?”
“True Lord did not elaborate on how he was discovered,” Yaxi shook her head, lowering her voice as excitement seeped through it. “But he revealed that the man participated in the Disciple Recruitment Ceremony of the Nine-Xia Heavenly Sect. The moment he appeared, his abnormal Destiny Luck was detected. Since then, he has been under strict surveillance, with the intention of following the trail to uncover any forces or methods behind the theft of Destiny Luck.”
The more Yaxi spoke, the more animated she became.
From her sleeve, she produced a small object—a delicate glass dome, within which burned a faint cluster of dark green soul-flame.
“Look. This is a wisp of origin soul-flame separated from that thief’s Soul Lamp. True Lord gifted it to me for verification. I secretly cast a sensing technique earlier—it cannot be wrong. The Karmic Thread entangled around me is tied at its other end to the owner of this soul-flame!”
With such irrefutable evidence before her, Shen Qinghuan’s final trace of doubt vanished, replaced by complex emotions.
The Nine-Xia Heavenly Sect was universally acknowledged as a top-tier power. Yet compared to other forces of equal standing, it often gave the impression of being relaxed and indulgent, even somewhat pleasure-seeking.
Many families sent their children here specifically because the treatment for disciples was generous and the mortality rate was low.
In the eyes of many external factions, they merely relied on abundant resources, favorable Earth Veins, relatively complete ancient inheritances, and the vast legacy inherited from the Mingde Dynasty to secure their place among the top.
But now it seemed everyone had been mistaken. Amid the sea of people at the Disciple Recruitment Ceremony, without any prior intelligence, they had precisely identified the anomaly in a single individual’s Destiny Luck?
Destiny Luck was mysterious and profound—it could not be judged abnormal by something as simple as “especially lucky.” Within the Nine-Xia Heavenly Sect, there must exist some unknown and terrifying secret art of insight.
This matter… must be reported to the sect’s upper echelon immediately.
Shen Qinghuan drew a deep breath, her expression solemn. The Nine-Xia Heavenly Sect truly kept its strength hidden.
“But they would not reveal such intelligence so easily. What do they want in exchange?”
Yaxi restrained her excitement and spoke softly.
“True Lord Luohong wishes to know how that man stole Destiny Luck, as well as the clues we previously gathered. I have already told him everything that does not involve sect secrets.”
Shen Qinghuan trusted Yaxi in such matters. Though the Saintess often acted mischievously, she would never behave recklessly in major affairs.
Otherwise, no matter how great her talent, she would not hold the position of Saintess.
“Anything else?”
“Afterward… when we carry out the arrest, both sides will exchange the information each has obtained. As for the thief and the secrets on his person—such as magical artifacts—they will remain within the Nine-Xia Heavenly Sect. In return, I will receive their assistance in severing my karmic connection to him and reclaiming as much Destiny Luck as possible.”
“Sigh… they’ve taken quite an advantage, but since the man was discovered on their territory, there’s nothing to be done. Being able to exchange intelligence and recover your Destiny Luck is already good enough.”
Shen Qinghuan sighed, though a smile appeared on her face.
“Yes, yes. Fortunately it was the Nine-Xia Heavenly Sect—they’re reasonable. If it had been the Wuyi Sect, we likely wouldn’t have been left with anything at all.”
After saying this, Yaxi suddenly thought of Long Tao. He had truly disclosed such crucial information to her this time, yet she had previously harbored doubts about him.
Thinking about it now, it felt unbearably embarrassing.
This intelligence even involved True Lord Luohong and a secret art capable of discerning Destiny Luck—it was undoubtedly among the Nine-Xia Heavenly Sect’s highest-level secrets.
Long Tao must have taken the risk to inform her out of consideration for their shared identity as transmigrators. And yet she had doubted his character. She would have to find a way to compensate him later.