Yekong gave a slight nod, stepped inside, and sat in the main seat.
The Grand Coordinator clapped his hands, and four graceful, charming women with lotus steps walked over and sat down beside Yekong.
Two on the left and two on the right, radiating pure allure.
The two on the right poured wine for Yekong, while the two on the left wanted to lean into Yekong's embrace.
Yekong sidestepped to dodge, and the woman tumbled straight to the floor.
"Ouch..."
Hearing that, Yekong felt goosebumps rise all over his skin.
"I'm not into this sort of thing; dismiss your arrangements," Yekong said coldly.
With a beautiful disciple by his side, Yekong was practically immune to female beauty.
Besides, compared to his disciple, they fell far short.
They weren't particularly gorgeous—at best, just easy on the eyes.
Seeing that Yekong had no interest in female beauty, the Grand Coordinator waved his hand to dismiss them.
"You cultivators have no taste for beauty; it was my presumption, my apologies!" the Grand Coordinator apologized hastily.
As he spoke, several guards brought forward rare treasures and miraculous elixirs.
Yekong glanced at the items on the table, feeling zero interest.
Whenever he wanted anything, he could simply head to the Primordial Forbidden Land to pick it up, and its quality and age would far surpass anything right in front of him.
"State your business if you have any, and take these things away," Yekong said indifferently.
Sending beauties on one hand and rare treasures on the other—they definitely wanted something.
Hearing Yekong's words, the Grand Coordinator immediately dropped to one knee, cupped his fists, and said:
"I beg the Exalted Envoy to show mercy and help save Dayan!"
Yekong had expected this all along. From the moment the system issued the quest to receive the envoy of Dayan State, he knew it wouldn't be simple.
Besides, being carried in an eight-bearer sedan chair, sending women and wealth—it obviously meant they were asking for a favor.
"Speak, what is it?" Yekong asked softly.
The Grand Coordinator immediately said, "A Flood Dragon has appeared in the Jiangnan region of my Dayan State!"
"The Flood Dragon is brutal and savage, devouring people and destroying farmland. The crops are just about ready for harvest; if we let this Flood Dragon continue to wreak havoc, Dayan will be in imminent peril!"
"Therefore, I implore the Exalted Envoy to lend a helping hand!"
The Grand Coordinator knelt on one knee and laid out the situation clearly.
"Very well, then I will resolve this for your Dayan," Yekong said indifferently.
A mere little Flood Dragon—it was nothing difficult to pick off.
"May I ask the Exalted Envoy's honored name? Once the matter is accomplished, our Dayan State will surely offer a heavy reward!"
"Yekong, Peak Master of Xiaoyao Peak!" Yekong said calmly.
"Xia... Xiaoyao Peak..." The Grand Coordinator froze on the spot, dumbfounded.
...
At the foot of Xiaoyao Peak.
After digging for less than a quarter of an hour, the group finally struck the spiritual vein.
This spiritual vein looked like a sapphire, bright and dazzling, brimming with rich spiritual power.
Taking a single breath of it was worth half a year of bitter cultivation.
Qin Wuyi conjured a rhinoceros horn, controlling it with her spiritual power to pierce directly into the spiritual vein.
Rumble!
The stellar river shook, and the spiritual power of the entire Stellar River Sect was affected.
The spiritual vein cracked open, and endless spiritual power billowed out.
Just as the rhinoceros horn descended once more, a beam of golden light struck out, knocking Qin Wuyi's rhinoceros horn flying.
"Stop!"
The Great Elder arrived in the nick of time, riding upon a crane.
"Greetings, Great Elder!" Qin Wuyi saluted.
"You have some nerve, daring to damage the spiritual vein of the Stellar River Sect! You are trying to sever the root of the Stellar River Sect!" the Great Elder rebuked angrily.
"I was only temporarily interrupting Xiaoyao Peak's spiritual vein, not trying to destroy it," Qin Wuyi hurriedly explained.
"The spiritual vein of Xiaoyao Peak is the dragon head of the Stellar River Sect's spiritual vein. Once severed, disaster will befall the entire Stellar River Sect. Can you bear that responsibility?" the Great Elder chided.
Hearing this, Qin Wuyi wore a look of utter shock.
If Xiaoyao Peak was the dragon head of the spiritual vein, why was its spiritual power so weak?
"If you dare touch Xiaoyao Peak's spiritual vein ever again, prepare yourself for the punishment of the annihilation of your nine generations!"
The Great Elder said coldly.
Qin Wuyi shivered and silently led her disciples away.
The cracked spiritual vein remained unrepaired as well...
Chapter 16: This Master is truly overestimating himself!
The great fame of Xiaoyao Peak in the Stellar River Sect was known to all under heaven.
Everyone knew that Xiaoyao Peak was the most useless peak in the Stellar River Sect.
Its Peak Master was merely a practitioner of ten years stuck in Qi Condensation.
Had it not been for strong connections, he would have been sent to do odd jobs long ago.
There was a folk saying:
Better be a tiny Daoist boy at the mountain's foot than enter the Stellar River's Xiaoyao Peak.
He still remembered.
When the Grand Coordinator came to pay tribute, the Emperor had given him strict instructions to invite an Exalted Envoy down the mountain to slay the Flood Dragon.
It was best to invite someone from Tianjian Peak.
Under no circumstances should he ever seek out Xiaoyao Peak.
Yet now, the person he had begged on his knees was none other than the Peak Master of Xiaoyao Peak.
It was utterly helpless.
The Grand Coordinator didn't even know what to say. After hesitating for a moment, he spoke earnestly:
"Exalted Envoy, why don't we trouble you to head up the mountain and invite someone from Tianjian Peak?"
"I'm not questioning your strength, mind you, it's just that the Flood Dragon is extremely formidable. With a disciple from Tianjian Peak around, things would at least be safer."
The Grand Coordinator phrased this as tactfully as possible.
"I am enough," Yekong said calmly.
A mere little mongrel dragon—he could solve it with a wave of his hand. Why bother troubling Tianjian Peak?
Hearing this, the envoy of Dayan State felt like crying without tears. "Peak Master, that Flood Dragon is no joke."
"Even when our Dayan State mobilizes its army, we can do nothing against it."
"If we truly had any other choice, we wouldn't have come to beg the Stellar River Sect for help."
Yekong let out a light sigh and said indifferently, "You have to trust me."
Trust you my foot!
If a Qi Condensation weakling like you dies within the borders of Dayan State, even if our Dayan State somehow survives, we'll still be skinned alive by your Stellar River Sect.
I simply came to ask for reinforcements, do you have to ruin my mindset?
If you weren't the Peak Master, just watch how I let loose on you!
"Peak Master, can we please not joke around?" the Dayan State envoy ventured.
Yekong looked at the Dayan State envoy with a solemn expression and stated earnestly, "Would this Peak Master joke with you?"
Isn't it just a little Flood Dragon?
I can obliterate it with a wave of my hand; is it really that difficult?
Look at how panicked you are—you're an envoy of Dayan State, after all. Don't you know how to keep a calm mind?
The Dayan State envoy looked at Yekong's serious expression and froze for a brief moment.
There was no help for it. Since the Peak Master had said so, what else could he do?
He had no choice but to believe him.
At worst, once Yekong got eaten by the Flood Dragon, he would just have to run another errand back.
You're the one courting death; it has nothing to do with me!
"Let's go, don't waste time," Yekong said softly.
The Dayan State envoy nodded, swallowed a gulp of wine to steady his nerves, and took the lead.
Outside the brothel.
Lin Yaoyao saw her Master emerge and hid to the side.
Master, are you really that fast?
Not even the time it takes to drink a cup of tea and it's already done?
Master, a deficient kidney needs nourishment!
As Yekong came out, he sensed that his disciple was hiding nearby.
He originally wanted to fly directly, but fearing his disciple wouldn't be able to keep up, he still boarded the carriage with the Dayan State envoy.
Since his disciple wanted to follow, he didn't expose her either.
Seeing this, the Dayan State envoy couldn't help sighing inwardly: you can't even fly, how can you talk about helping Dayan?
Alas.
If he could do it over again, he definitely would have asked about his identity first.
Now look at this—you insist on rushing to your death and dragging me down with you.
The Grand Coordinator's heart was filled with despair, considering Xiaoyao Peak's notorious reputation.
"Giddy-up!" the driver shouted, and the heavenly horses galloped on all four hooves, traveling at tremendous speed as they raced toward the Jiangnan region of Dayan State.
After coming out, Lin Yaoyao soared through the air, following right behind the carriage.
Sitting inside the carriage canopy, Yekong sensed that within a kilometer, his disciple was clinging closely behind him.
Ah, this disciple of his was far too attached to her Master.
He was just going out to slay a little Flood Dragon, and she had to tag along.
Wouldn't it be much better to use that time to go back and cultivate?
Fine, fine. Follow if you want to. Once your Master slays the Flood Dragon, I'll roast a leg for you to eat.
Thinking this, Yekong closed his eyes to rest and recuperate.
The Dayan State envoy looked out the window with an extremely complicated expression, having already prepared himself for the worst outcome.
If he couldn't even manage flying through the air, how could he talk about dealing with a Flood Dragon?
He was as good as dead.
Swallowing his grief, the Dayan State envoy let the wind dry his tears.
Two hours later...
The carriage arrived in the Jiangnan region of Dayan State.
The distance wasn't far to begin with, and coupled with the blazing speed of the heavenly horses, they arrived in a short amount of time.
When the carriage rolled into the Jiangnan region, the Grand Coordinator stepped down and pulled back the curtain.
"Exalted Envoy, we have arrived in the Jiangnan region."
Yekong stepped out of the carriage and, looking at the breathtaking scenery before him, couldn't help sighing with emotion:
"White egrets fly before Mount Xisai, peach blossoms and flowing water mandarin fish grow fat."
The Jiangnan region of Dayan State was exceptionally prosperous; a single Jiangnan fed the entire Dayan State.
"Exalted Envoy, what a wonderful poem!" A phoenix-and-orchid carriage slowly rolled over.
"Greetings, Princess Chang'an!" The Grand Coordinator bowed deeply, and the minor officials behind him all dropped to their knees.
Yekong stood with his hands behind his back, turning slightly to look over.
As a cultivator, there was no need to bow to the princess of a mortal dynasty.
From inside the carriage, a graceful princess of sixteen or seventeen, with a hint of baby fat on her face, slowly stepped down.
She had been ordered to come and receive the Exalted Envoy of the Stellar River Sect.
Originally, she had been extremely reluctant, but upon seeing Yekong's appearance, her mind changed.
"Greetings, Exalted Envoy!" Princess Chang'an walked up to Yekong and curtsied.
Yekong acknowledged her with a slight nod.
Following behind, Lin Yaoyao watched as her Master stood shoulder to shoulder with a princess, chatting happily, and instantly burned with righteous fury.
So that was why! She thought. Master ran all the way out here for what—turned out he was on a secret tryst.
And with a princess, no less!
Humph!
This Empress is angry!
Standing in the rear, Lin Yaoyao shattered a stone tablet with a single palm strike!
Looking at the devastated landscape surrounding them, Yekong shook his head.
Amidst this beautiful scenery, there was too much desolation; blood had stained the rivers red, rice paddies were ruined, and roads were broken.
"What a mood spoiler," Yekong said indifferently.
"Indeed, I beg the Exalted Envoy to lend a hand and slay the Flood Dragon!" Princess Chang'an saluted.
In the river, the Flood Dragon slithered out of the water.
A fleshy crest crowned its head, its entire body was covered in scales, and its torso was over a dozen zhang long, though it had yet to grow four limbs.
What a pity, its claws hadn't grown out yet.
He had originally thought about roasting a Flood Dragon claw for his disciple to help her strengthen her physique.
Still, a Flood Dragon was at least good for eating.
Though a flood dragon was merely a flood dragon, it possessed the strength of a Tier 2 Demonic Beast, equivalent to the Foundation Establishment level of a cultivator.
However, in the water, a flood dragon's body was extremely agile, boasting a natural home-field advantage.
Wanting to capture and subdue it wasn't easy, not even for a Golden Core cultivator.
Unless one could completely suppress it.
To Yekong, however, it was just a matter of a wave of his hand.
Watching the Flood Dragon emerge from the water, Chang'an furrowed her brows slightly.
"How did this Flood Dragon shrink?"
Princess Chang'an was filled with doubt; the Flood Dragon she had seen before was hundreds of zhang long and possessed three claws.
With his hands behind his back, Yekong looked at the little Flood Dragon before him and truly felt no interest.
A mere little flood dragon could be killed with a flick of his wrist.
"Princess, run!" the Grand Coordinator shouted to the princess beside him.
"What is there to fear with the Envoy here?" the princess said calmly.
"Princess, he is the Peak Master of Xiaoyao Peak!" the Grand Coordinator reminded her.
"Peak Master? That's even better!" Princess Chang'an said happily.
Halfway through her smile, Princess Chang'an's expression stiffened.
"Wait, which peak?"
"Xiaoyao Peak!"
Chapter 17: Lin Yaoyao is Yekong's Master?
Lin Yaoyao's brows knitted together as she sensed that behemoth lurking in the water.
Master, oh Master, will you please use your brain.
There's a Fierce Beast in the water, can't you sense it?
Even if you wanted to come out and sightsee, you shouldn't come to such a dangerous place!
If I hadn't followed you, what would you have done?
Seeing the flood dragon swimming toward his direction, Yekong raised his palm slightly, preparing to exert force, when he sensed Lin Yaoyao.
With a flick of her hand, Lin Yaoyao materialized a Spirit Sword and flew out rapidly from behind.
This Master of hers really gave no peace of mind!
That was a flood dragon, an entity whose strength rivaled the Late Foundation Establishment!
With his Qi Condensation level of strength, he'd at most be giving it an itchy scratch.
Master, while confidence is a good thing, you mustn't be arrogant!
Ah, I suppose her disciple had better save Master!
If you die, my peaceful life of cultivation will come to an end as well.
Lin Yaoyao flew above the river, the Spirit Sword in her hand circling and dancing in the air like a dragon, trailing a brilliant and dazzling light.
The flood dragon poked its head out from beneath the water's surface, its scarlet eyes locked onto Lin Yaoyao.
It leaped out of the water, opened its blood-red maw, and lunged to bite.
"Roar!"
Lin Yaoyao did a backflip in mid-air, maneuvering around to the flood dragon's underbelly, clenched her right hand into a fist, channeled the spiritual power within her body, and punched out with full force.
"Boom!"
The Flood Dragon was directly knocked over by Lin Yaoyao, sent flying backward as it churned up a thousand layers of waves.
Yekong's divine sense swept outward, discovering a massive Flood Dragon hidden at the very deepest part of the riverbed.
Sure enough, there was another large Flood Dragon.
It was hundreds of zhang long, possessed an immensely colossal body, and was currently undergoing a transformation—it was about to turn into a true dragon.
That was the real threat.
Yekong casually picked up a rusted sword from the ground, gripped it in his hand, and tossed it away.
Clang!
The rusted sword pierced the little Flood Dragon's body, knocking off a single scale before falling into the water.
The crowd: ...
Truly worthy of being the Peak Master of Xiaoyao Peak; he really is weak!
That all-out strike only managed to knock off a single scale. Good thing they ran fast.
The Grand Coordinator rejoiced inwardly that he had dragged the princess far away.
Lin Yaoyao was also helpless: Master, what realm your cultivation is at, don't you have any self-awareness?
Just honestly stay on the bank, can you please stop meddling and causing trouble?
With your cultivation level, at most you're just scraping scales off the little Flood Dragon.
After plunging into the water, the sword cut through the current like a long dragon, plunging straight to the bottom of the river.
The Flood Dragon at the bottom of the river sensed a fatal threat and snapped open its eyes.
Just as it was about to flee, the rusted sword plunged downward at lightning speed, piercing straight through its skull and pinning it dead to the riverbed.
Done.
Yekong clapped his hands; the large Flood Dragon was already pinned to death, leaving only the little one. With his disciple's strength, killing it shouldn't be difficult.
Whoosh!
The flood dragon dove into the water to flee frantically, with the Spirit Sword following close behind like a dragon in pursuit.
However, underwater, Lin Yaoyao's spiritual power was slightly restricted, preventing her from fully controlling the Spirit Sword, and she could never quite catch up to the flood dragon.
The flood dragon's massive body pressed against the riverbed as it swam, slowly closing in on Lin Yaoyao.
Lin Yaoyao stood upon the river's surface, holding the Spirit Sword in one hand, quietly waiting for the flood dragon to surface.
Human and flood dragon reached an impasse right there on the river.
If only my cultivation had broken through to Mid Foundation Establishment, you flood dragon would have been dead long ago.
Lin Yaoyao thought to herself, closing her eyes and sharpening her ears to listen for movement in the water.
"Rustle, rustle, rustle..."
The sound of scales rubbing against the riverbed was extremely faint, yet it reached Lin Yaoyao's ears.
The flood dragon swam slowly beneath Lin Yaoyao, waiting for the right moment.
Listening to the sound growing closer and closer, Lin Yaoyao suddenly snapped open her eyes, her hand gripping the Spirit Sword tight.
Whoosh!
The flood dragon broke through the water's surface, lunging toward Lin Yaoyao with lightning-fast speed.
Lin Yaoyao vaulted into the air, coming within a mere five centimeters of the flood dragon's body—extremely perilous.
Yet the flood dragon had a limit to how high it could rise; once its tail left the water, it could no longer pursue or bite.
As the splashes scattered, Lin Yaoyao seized the opportunity and unleashed the Stellar River Reincarnation Sword!
As she breathed in and out, a crescent moon seemed to rise, the moon wheel curved like a hook and erupting with the ultimate Sword Intent!
Clang!
Lin Yaoyao hurled her hand like a sword, pointing sharply at the flood dragon below.
Crack!
Sword Intent crisscrossed, and all the scales on the flood dragon's body were shredded by the Sword Intent, falling into the water.
In an instant, blood dyed the entire river surface red.
With a single strike, Lin Yaoyao severely wounded the flood dragon.
"Roar!"
The flood dragon let out a painful roar and dove back into the water.
Knowing it couldn't win, it chose to flee straight away.
"Humph, trying to run now?"
Lin Yaoyao sneered coldly. Her figure flashed, and she appeared directly in front of the flood dragon.
Urging the Stellar River Reincarnation Sword, endless Sword Intent emerged, condensing once more into a massive sword, dazzling and blinding.
Lin Yaoyao leaped lightly, flying onto the very peak of the giant sword.
Pressing down with the tip of her foot, the giant sword plunged downward at high speed, piercing straight through the flood dragon's skull and pinning it firmly to the riverbed.
The flood dragon's body continued to struggle frantically, churning up rolling waves, but the magnitude grew smaller and smaller.
A dozen breaths later, the ripples gradually faded away.
The flood dragon was pinned dead to the riverbed by Lin Yaoyao's sword.
As the Spirit Sword dissipated, Lin Yaoyao trod lightly upon the water's surface and flew back to the bank.
Seeing that the flood dragon was dead, the Grand Coordinator stood frozen for a long while before finally running over from afar to offer his thanks:
"Many thanks to the senior for resolving this scourge for Dayan."
"Since the senior is so powerful, she must be the Master, right?"
This young woman must be the Master of the Xiaoyao Peak Master.
No wonder the Xiaoyao Peak Master was so weak yet still managed to be Peak Master—so it was because he had a Master backing him up!
The Grand Coordinator felt he had figured out the truth.
Without answering, Lin Yaoyao walked over to her Master.
"This Flood Dragon really was quite formidable," Yekong sighed in emotion.
"Formidable? It was merely a Tier 2 Demonic Beast," Lin Yaoyao said indifferently.
Though for you, it certainly was quite strong.
No, she had to help her Master cultivate once they got back; she couldn't let him stay this useless.
Thinking this, Lin Yaoyao spoke up, "Master, don't run around blindly anymore."
Did you know the outside world is very dangerous?
If this Empress hadn't come today, you would have long since been eaten by the flood dragon.
Can't you give this disciple of yours a little peace of mind?
As your disciple, this Empress feels under immense pressure.
Running off to a brothel, then coming out to sightsee.
Did you really think the outside world was that wonderful?
"Alright, I know," Yekong nodded.
Knowing that you like to cling to me, I'll try my best to stay in the Stellar River Sect from now on.
Otherwise, whenever I go out you follow along, and I still have to divide my attention to take care of you.
Fortunately it was only a little flood dragon; if it had truly been a massive Flood Dragon, you would have been finished the moment you charged out just now.
As your Master, I must say I am under a lot of pressure.
Hearing her Master agree, Lin Yaoyao nodded.
"The matter is resolved, so let's head back," Lin Yaoyao said.
Yekong walked toward the carriage canopy with his hands behind his back.
His disciple had consumed too much energy in the battle just now and probably couldn't fly back; it would be better to let her take the carriage.