Even though they had already deduced that this trip would be fraught with danger for both themselves and Xie An.

But when this situation was truly presented to him, Xie Shuci felt a bone-chilling cold, as if he had been thrown into an ice cave, his blood frozen, and every breath he took was accompanied by a cold, stinging pain.

How could this be? How could Xie An be captured so easily?

If even he could successfully infiltrate Moonlit Dock, how could Xie An be captured by them so easily?

Upon hearing this news, Xie Shuci's teeth chattered. He looked at Ye Changxuan and asked, "Where is he now?"

Ye Changxuan was stunned for a moment, and looked at Xie Shuci in surprise.

Chu Guiyi glanced around and, seeing that there were few pedestrians around, lowered her voice and said to Ye Changxuan, "He is Shuci."

"Shuci?" Ye Changxuan looked at Xie Shuci in disbelief. "You actually entered Moonlit Dock so easily?"

Xie Shuci asked, her face pale, "Where...is Xie An now?"

Ye Changxuan took a few more glances at his disguised face and said, "He should already be in Sangqi City, but I don't know if he's in the hands of the Xiaoyao Sect or the Hundred Sects. In any case, the situation is not optimistic. Once he falls into their hands, he will probably have little chance of escaping."

Xie Shuci's face grew paler and paler. "How could this be? I managed to infiltrate Moonlit Dock, how could he have been captured by someone else? Could it be because..."

Did he seal away the memories about himself, affecting the other memories and cultivation level? Otherwise, how could he have been so easily captured by these people?

Seeing that he looked unwell, Chu Gui comforted him, "Shu Ci, don't worry. Young Master Xie shouldn't have been captured so easily. Maybe he did it on purpose."

Ye Changxuan also said, "That's certainly possible. They've laid a trap in Moonlit Dock and Sangqi City for you to show up, but their ultimate goal is nothing more than to execute you as a warning to others during the Immortal Sect Selection. Xiao Xun probably didn't want to waste time and energy entering Sangqi City, so he took the initiative to show himself."

Xie Shuci murmured, "Is that so? Was he doing it on purpose?"

Chu Wenfeng rested his chin on his hand and said, "No wonder many immortal sects and families that were lying in ambush in Yuemanwu have entered Sangqi City in the past two days. It seems they received the news in advance."

Ye Changxuan nodded and said, "That should be the case. Xiao Xun once said that he would definitely come to the Immortal Sect Selection, but Shu Ci might not. Their ambush at Yue Manwu is useless. It would be better to enter Sangqi City in advance to prepare for the Immortal Sect Selection."

Chu Guiyi turned to Xie Shuci and said, "Shuci, the most urgent thing is to first enter Sangqi City to check the situation."

Xie Shuci pursed her lips: "I understand."

Although Xie Shuci was extremely flustered, he knew that he couldn't afford to lose his composure at this moment, so he gritted his teeth and forced himself to calm down.

Chu Guiyi said, "Shuci, the disguise technique I taught you is not easy to be discovered. Just disguise yourself as a disciple of the Chu family and sneak in."

Xie Shuci gritted his teeth and this time did not refuse. "Thank you."

"Let's not talk about that now, let's make preparations first."

"Um."

After parting ways with Chu Guiyi and the others, Xie Shuci returned to the inn.

When the king woke up and didn't see his father, he cried uncontrollably in his room, while Xiao Jin and Xiao Yin gently comforted him.

Before leaving, Xie Shuci set up a barrier outside the room to avoid attracting attention. He returned to the door, removed the barrier, and listened to the king's sobbing voice inside. Xie Shuci regained his senses and pushed the door open.

The king caught a whiff of Xie Shuci's scent before he could, and with tears streaming down his face, he ran towards Xie Shuci on his short legs.

"Father!"

The king grabbed his leg, his eyes red from crying, "Why didn't you wake me up!"

Xie Shuci helplessly bent down and picked him up from the ground, his throat extremely dry. "I went out to take care of something, but I'm back now."

Xiao Jin and Xiao Yin stood by the bed looking at Xie Shuci.

Xie Shuci nodded his thanks to them and said, "I plan to enter Sangqi City next, and I may encounter some danger. Thank you for accompanying the King to find me, you..."

Little Silver glanced at the king in his arms and said, "We won't return to Tianzhu City for now."

Xiao Jin also said, "The king is a crybaby, we should stay and keep him company."

The king looked at the two with teary eyes and mumbled, "Thank you... hiccup... you guys."

Xie Shuci glanced at them and, seeing their determined gazes, realized they probably wouldn't leave easily. Xie Shuci sighed inwardly and nodded, saying, "Thank you."

Before leaving the inn, Xie Shuci put the three little creatures into the Shenzhou. He didn't intend for them to accompany him on his adventures.

Before long, Xie Shuci disguised himself and followed Chu Guiyi into Sangqi City.

Perhaps because of the news of Xie An's arrest, the security in Sangqi City was obviously relaxed, leaving only the insignificant Xie Shuci. He entered Sangqi City smoothly with almost no screening.

Contrary to Xie Shuci's expectations, there were many cultivators in Sangqi City who could fly and walk on walls in mid-air, seemingly without any regard for safety.

Furthermore, because of this rare grand election of immortal sects held in Sangqicheng, the streets were lined with banners stretching as far as the eye could see, with disciples' robes of various colors intertwined, like a hundred flowers blooming.

Xie Shuci had no interest in appreciating the scene before him; all he wanted to know was whether Xie An was alright and what kind of torture those people would inflict on him after capturing him.

Upon arriving at the temporary residence of the Chu family disciples, Xie Shuci was assigned to share a room with Chu Wenfeng. The other Chu family disciples did not react much to this sudden addition of a fellow disciple, presumably because Chu Guiyi had instructed them beforehand.

Sangqi City is now a mixed bag of people, and Xie Shuci didn't dare to make any rash moves, fearing that if his identity were discovered, it would implicate the Chu family.

After resting in the room for half a day, Chu Guiyi suddenly called Xie Shuci to a private room.

Since learning that Xie An had been arrested, Xie Shuci had been somewhat absent-minded. After pushing open the door and taking a few steps, he realized that there were other people in the room besides Chu Guiyi.

Xie Shuci looked up in a daze and saw a middle-aged man in a dark blue robe sitting at the head of the table, with several other cultivators in blue robes sitting beside him.

Upon seeing the several cultivators in blue robes, Xie Shuci paused for a moment, his expression somewhat surprised.

Those people looked away uncomfortably when they met Xie Shuci's gaze.

Xie Shuci: "..."

Chu Guiyi stood up and said to the middle-aged man at the head of the table, "This is Xie Shuci, Young Master Xie."

He then looked at Xie Shuci and said, "This is the head of the family. You should know the other seniors."

Xie Shuci nodded to the middle-aged man at the head of the table and said, "Greetings, Master. I am Xie Shuci."

Then he looked at the other cultivators in blue robes, but when they met Xie Shuci's gaze, they all looked away.

The Chu family patriarch's sharp gaze swept over Xie Shuci, and after a moment, he nodded slightly in response.

"Although hearing about someone's reputation is not as good as meeting them in person, Young Master Xie is somewhat different from what I imagined," said the head of the Chu family.

Xie Shuci lowered his head and remained silent.

"How should I put it, they seem to be different from the Xie family disciples I imagined."

Before Xie Shuci could react, several cultivators in blue robes had already turned to look at him.

"What do you mean by that, Patriarch Chu?"

"What should the disciples of the Xie family do?"

The Chu family patriarch seemed to have anticipated their reaction, a slight smile playing on his lips. "I have heard of his deeds. It seems the Xie family patriarch had no choice but to expel him from the sect. Since he is no longer a disciple of your Xie family, it is no matter what, right or wrong, for me to reprimand him a couple of times."

Xie Shuci listened to their conversation and felt a little strange, as if they had known each other for a long time. It was one thing for his little immortals to know Elder Meng, but why did even the head of the Chu family act so familiar with them?

He felt that Chu Guiyi might know something, so he looked at him suspiciously.

Chu Guiyi received his questioning gaze, shook her head helplessly, and silently said, "I don't know either."

The cultivator in blue glared at Xie Shuci.

Xie Shuci blinked innocently and couldn't help but ask, "Is our little immortal sect also going to participate in the immortal sect selection?"

"What 'us'? What do you mean by 'us'? Who's 'us' with you?"

Xie Shuci raised his hands in surrender, "Fine, fine, fine, not 'us,' it's you. Are you little immortal sects still going to participate in the Immortal Sect Selection?"

One of the monks in blue rolled his eyes at Xie Shuci and said, "No."

Xie Shuci asked in surprise, "Then what are you doing here?"

"Can't I join in the fun?"

"Okay, okay."

The head of the Chu family sat in the head seat, watching them with a leisurely air.

Sitting next to the head of the Chu family, the eldest brother of the Xie family glanced at Xie Shuci and said, "We came to Sangqi City for one reason: the death of the Yin family and Yin Mingyuan."

Xie Shuci frowned and asked, "Is Yin Mingyuan's death really related to you?"

The eldest brother of the Xie family said, "You really don't remember what happened? You should have been somewhat conscious when Yin Mingyuan died."

Xie Shuci was stunned for a moment, then lowered his head. He didn't know whether he should tell them that he was not actually their junior brother, but someone from another world.

As soon as the eldest brother of the Xie family finished speaking, another brother rolled his eyes and said, "He had only awakened one soul at that time, what could he know?"

Xie Shuci didn't quite understand. "What soul? What awakened soul? What are you talking about?"

Faced with his question, everyone in the room fell silent.

The head of the Chu family chuckled, "If you hadn't suddenly awakened, they probably wouldn't have moved away from their original place for a while."

Xie Shuci looked at them, confused. "What do you mean?"

The eldest brother of the Xie family shook his head, seemingly unwilling to delve deeper into this topic, and said, "The first thing we did here was because of Yin Mingyuan's death. The Yin family has been rampant in the cultivation world for years. The family head has long been unwilling to supply them with pills, but the Yin family head has repeatedly used Yin Mingyuan's death as a threat."

Xie Shuci frowned and said, "Yin Mingyuan's death should not be blamed on you."

"We have been investigating in secret for years. Yin Mingyuan's death was not so simple. Back then, the Hundred Gates did not have time to investigate properly before Yin Mingyuan was executed."

Chu Guiyi said, "So, it's highly likely that the Yin family did this intentionally? Deliberately using Yin Mingyuan's death to improve the Yin family's standing among the Hundred Sects?"

The eldest brother of the Xie family said, "It's not impossible. It's just that too many years have passed, and it's impossible to verify now."

Xie Shuci felt something was off. "Since there's no way to verify it, why are you still here investigating his death?"

Xie Family Eldest Brother: "..."

How come my mind is suddenly so sharp?

The eldest brother of the Xie family coughed lightly, "That's only one aspect."

Xie Shuci asked, "And the second one?"

After Xie Shuci said this, everyone fell into an eerie silence again.

The head of the Chu family watched from the side and laughed. He said to Xie Shuci, "The second reason is, of course, because of you."

Several cultivators in blue robes glanced sideways at the head of the Chu family, seemingly blaming him for meddling.

Xie Shuci felt even more puzzled.

The eldest brother of the Xie family said, "I heard that so-and-so was caught?"

Xie Shuci knew who the "that person" he was referring to was, and his expression immediately fell. "Hmm."

What are you planning to do?

Xie Shuci's eyes stung. "I...don't know."

"us……"

Xie Shuci could roughly guess what they would say. Although he had been expelled from the sect, they had always treated him well. Precisely because of this, Xie Shuci did not want to implicate them.

Xie Shuci interrupted him, saying, "I'll figure it out myself."

The eldest brother glanced at him and suddenly asked out of the blue, "Have you seen the Bixie?"

Xie Shuci was taken aback. "How did you know?"

The expressions of the several monks in blue robes became very solemn. "I think this is exactly the result he wanted."

Xie Shuci frowned, becoming more and more puzzled as he listened.

"Xie Shuci, we are not here to do anything, but just to tell you that since you have chosen not to avoid your fate, you should take care of yourself."

Xie Shuci became increasingly puzzled. How could they know so much about his own fate?

This made Xie Shuci feel even more that everything he had experienced was preordained.

Xie Shuci felt powerless, but since things had come to this, he simply accepted it. He didn't know what the future held, nor did he know if the future would be as Bixie had said, with both Xie Shuci and Xie An. But now, he had no choice but to follow his fate. Even though he was clearly aware that he and the world were full of mysteries, Xie Shuci didn't care now, nor did he have the energy to unravel them one by one.

All he wanted was for Xie An to live.

Even if they are destined to be separated forever from now on, he does not want Xie An to disappear from this world.

Xie Shuci walked up to the several blue-robed cultivators, bowed solemnly to them, and said, "Thank you. I actually wanted to thank you when I was in Jiyue City, but I never had the chance. If it weren't for the pills and bronze cauldron you gave me before you left, I'm afraid I would have died countless times already."

"idiot!"

"You think..."

"You don't need to thank us."

Xie Shuci was well aware that there was a huge mystery surrounding him and the Little Immortal Sect, but he didn't care about it now and didn't intend to get to the bottom of it. He felt that the truth wasn't that important to him.

Whether it's warding off evil or falling startled feathers, it has nothing to do with Xie Shuci.

All he wanted to do right now was keep Xie An alive; he didn't want to waste any energy on anything else.

Xie Shuci was running out of energy. Every moment after sealing Xie An's memories, he was on the verge of collapse.

But he knew he still had unfinished business and couldn't afford to break down.

Just then, the head of the Chu family looked at the closed door, suddenly sneered, and then shot a burst of spiritual energy from his palm toward the door. With a muffled groan, a figure fell into the room.

"Hearing rumors?" Chu Guiyi frowned and exclaimed.

"Damn it—Dad, can't you go a little easier on me!" Chu Wenfeng rubbed his knee as he stood up from the ground. Facing the Chu family patriarch's ambiguous gaze, he cowered like a mouse before a cat, completely lacking the arrogance he usually displayed in front of Xie Shuci. He slowly hid behind Chu Guiyi, timidly saying, "I didn't mean to eavesdrop, and with Senior Brother here, what can't I hear!"

The head of the Chu family glared at him and said, "If I hear you spouting nonsense from the streets again, go back and copy scriptures a hundred times. Do you even remember you're the young master of the Chu family? You're the one who will inherit the Chu family's legacy!"

Chu Wenfeng shrank behind Chu Guiyi and muttered in a low voice, "I don't want to be the head of the family. This is ridiculous."

"Say that again if you dare..."

"Master, Wen Feng is still young. We can discuss this matter later."

"The eldest brother is right."

Xie Shuci did not linger in the room for long. Even though he was full of questions about the Little Immortal Sect and his own identity, he did not intend to ask any further questions, because he felt that facts and truth were not that important to him.

After Xie Shuci left, the Xie family also left one after another, as if they had only come here to see Xie Shuci once.

After everyone left, only Chu Guiyi and the head of the family remained in the room.

After pondering for a moment, Chu Guiyi asked, "Who are they...?"

The head of the Chu family stroked his chin, seemingly knowing what Chu Guiyi hadn't been able to ask. He sighed deeply and said, "I thought the Luo family had been slaughtered by Bixie at the Ascension Conference seven thousand years ago. I never expected that for thousands of years, they had been hiding their identities and wandering around various places in the cultivation world. If Xie Shuci hadn't reached the end of his life, they probably wouldn't have shown themselves to the world."

Chu Guiyi was completely stunned upon hearing this. "They are descendants of the Luo family?"

The head of the Chu family nodded and sighed, "It seems that Bixie did not kill them back then."

Chu Guiyi was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "That letter..."

The patriarch shook his head and said, "I don't know his identity. I only know that back then, Bixie handed him over to the Xie family when he was just an empty shell. Over the years, he has gradually developed three souls and seven spirits. It was probably Bixie's instruction that the Xie family expelled him from the sect."

Bixie... what exactly does he want to do?

The words in the book are...

Chu Gui

After a long silence, Yi suddenly said, "Master, there is something I have not yet reported."

"What is it?"

"According to the water god Banxia, ​​Bixie... later cultivated the path of transformation into a god."

The reason Chu Guiyi hadn't reported this matter to the family head before was because she felt it was of great importance and it was best not to involve the Chu family. But now that things had come to this, there was no point in hiding it any longer. She wondered what other inside information the family head knew that might be able to help Shuci and Young Master Xie.

As expected, the Chu family patriarch looked up at him in astonishment after hearing this, "Bixie has cultivated the Dao of Transformation? How is that possible? He is the embodiment of all evil spirits in the world, how could he cultivate the Dao of Transformation?"

Chu Guiyi said in a deep voice, "He has already cultivated to the Nascent Soul stage."

The patriarch muttered with a blank face, "How is this possible... If he cultivates to the Nascent Soul stage, wouldn't he be able to manipulate the Heavenly Dao and all living beings in the palm of his hand?"

Chu Guiyi's gaze deepened. It wasn't just that; he had cultivated the Nascent Soul path… but Young Master Xie had cultivated the path of slaughter… This…

After a long silence, the head of the Chu family suddenly asked, "If he were to cultivate to the Nascent Soul stage, how would he prove his Dao?"

Yes, how will he prove his faith? How will he become a deity?

Where will he be, protecting the people of this region?

All of this is so unbelievable, as if all living beings are trapped in the same conspiracy and cannot extricate themselves.

——

News of Xiao Xun's arrest spread like wildfire in Sangqi City and Yuemanwu, but it did not reach the outside world. It is unknown whether they intentionally concealed it or if there were other reasons.

In short, after Xiao Xun was captured, the immortal families who came to participate in the Immortal Sect Selection lost interest in Xie Shuci. This may be because of Xie Shuci's mysterious background as a pill cultivator, or it may be because the Immortal Sect Selection was imminent and they did not have the energy to devote to someone whose appearance at the Immortal Sect Selection was uncertain.

In the five days leading up to the Immortal Sect Election, Xie Shuci tried to find news about Xie An, but apart from his arrest, no other news about him came out of Sangqi City. Although Xie Shuci was anxious, he was helpless.

In the past few days, Chu Guiyi and the others have also been preparing for the Immortal Sect Selection. Xie Shuci has been mostly alone. In order not to worry the King, Xie Shuci has not released it.

Two days before the Immortal Sect Election, Chu Wenfeng hurriedly sought out Xie Shuci.

"Xie Shuci! The Xiaoyao Sect has news of Xie An!"

Xie Shuci suddenly stood up from his chair. "What did you say?"

Chu Wenfeng said, "Xie An has been in the hands of the Xiaoyao Sect. It is said that yesterday the Siming Pavilion sent people down to the border, demanding that Xiao Xun be paraded through the streets of Sangqi City before he is executed!"

Xie Shuci's teeth chattered. Before receiving the definite news, he had been holding onto a sliver of hope, thinking that Xie An's capture was just a ruse to mislead people. After all, with Xie An's cultivation level, it was impossible for him to fall into the hands of others so easily. And once he fell into their hands, Xie Shuci knew perfectly well that he would have no ability to rescue Xie An.

Xie Shuci asked in a trembling voice, "When?"

Seeing that his complexion was not good, Chu Wenfeng said softly, "This evening."

"Okay, I understand." Xie Shuci took a deep breath, without revealing any extra emotion.

He had been watching Xie Shuci's condition these past few days. He could say he had never seen Xie Shuci like this before. It was as if he had become a different person. He barely spoke a few words all day long, and there was no strange emotion on his face. It was terrifying to look at.

"Are you alright?" Chu Wenfeng asked, frowning.

Xie Shuci glanced at him and suddenly blurted out, "...Eating Liuliumei all the time?"

Chu Wenfeng: "..."

I must be crazy to care about you.

Xie Shuci chuckled, covered his head with her hand, and rubbed it a couple of times with a mischievous grin. She said, "Little Wenzi, don't worry. My mental fortitude is incredibly strong right now. It's just death anyway, what am I afraid of?"

Chu Wenfeng rolled his eyes at him and said, "If you die, I will definitely find your reincarnation, raise you as my son, and make you call me Dad every day. It will also fulfill my father's wish to hold his grandson."

Xie Shuci kicked him, "Why don't you just say that you married a wife and had a son who happens to be me?"

Chu Wenfeng looked disgusted and said, "How unlucky must I be to have given birth to a son like you?"

"Get lost, what's wrong with me?"

As evening approached, Xie Shuci left his temporary residence and, accompanied by Chu Guiyi and the other person, stood on the street waiting for the Xiaoyao Sect to parade Xie An through the streets. Even though he knew there was nothing he could do right now, and Xie An had completely forgotten about him, perhaps just seeing him once would make Xie Shuci feel a little better.

The streets were packed with people, and it's safe to say that at this moment, the entire city was gathered on the streets, eager to see what this legendary Holy Son of Heaven looked like.

As night fell, heavy snow began to fall, and people looked intently in one direction.

The snow melted quickly on his clothes, leaving Xie Shuci stiff and his eyes dry from the cold.

Silvery snowflakes danced down from the sky, and the long street was packed with people, but everyone held their breath and did not make a sound, as quiet as statues.

Before long, the clear sound of wheels turning came from the end of the long street.

Xie Shuci's breath hitched as he vaguely saw several figures appear at the end of the road.

The two leaders not only wore identical disciple robes, but also looked exactly alike.

One of them had a serious expression, exuding an air of authority without anger; the other had a nonchalant expression, with every gesture carrying an air of languor.

Upon seeing the two of them, Xie Shuci's heart skipped a beat.

Chu Guiyi asked in a low voice, "Brothers Sikong?"

People on the street recognized them because of their identical clothes and appearances:

"Could they be...?"

"They are disciples of the Sikong family, one of the four great immortal sects of the Floating Pagoda Mirror!"

"The Siming Pavilion actually sent them down to the border to guard Xiao Xun?"

"Xiao Xun is here!"

Xie Shuci saw a black prison van slowly appear in everyone's sight behind the Sikong brothers.

The man sitting upright in the prison cart had two iron chains as thick as an infant's forearm tied around his ankles. He wore a fairy robe woven from wings, a crimson holy son mark on his forehead, and a star crown on his head. His face was expressionless, and he was as handsome as a god.

Upon seeing his appearance, gasps of astonishment rose and fell from the crowd. Although they had long heard of Xiao Xun's extraordinary talent, seeing him in person was still a great shock to them.

As the prison cart moved, Xie Shuci heard a clear and pleasant sound of bells jingling among the turning wheels.

It felt as if someone had ripped his heart out of his chest.

The earth-shattering pain blurred his vision in an instant.