Chapter 437 - 175: Another 30 Years Have Passed

Meanwhile, Xu Lei was nearby, quickly throwing on some clothes.

He then summoned his Lotus Drill and Golden Magic Staff and began to clash with Jue Gen.

Jue Gen was, after all, Yuan Kong’s son. He had access to abundant resources from a young age to aid his Cultivation, so his own Cultivation level was still quite formidable.

He had indeed stayed on the first level for Zhao Xin’s sake. In a way, his feelings for her ran deep. However, flying into a murderous rage just because his advances were rejected was going too far. Thus, Xu Lei and Zhao Xin naturally couldn’t just stand by and wait to be killed.

The two of them fought in perfect sync, having been together for so many years.

And so, after a fierce battle, neither side managed to kill the other.

Of course, with Xu Lei and Zhao Xin fighting together, their combined power was nothing to scoff at.

In the end, it was actually Jue Gen who fell into a slight disadvantage. Xu Lei struck him on the leg with his Golden Magic Staff, causing him to stagger and nearly fall to the ground.

He rolled away to create distance.

"I won’t let you two get away with this," Jue Gen snarled.

He then took out a Token and activated it. The Celestial Palace’s AI Artifact Spirit retrieved him, and after a dozen or so seconds, he vanished from the assessment grounds.

The AI Artifact Spirit’s retrieval process wasn’t instantaneous; it took over ten seconds. This meant that if participants in the assessment grounds got into a duel or a fight to the death, it was entirely possible to kill an opponent.

However, Xu Lei and Zhao Xin had no intention of killing Jue Gen.

That’s why they didn’t attack while he was preparing to leave.

After all, if they actually killed Jue Gen, they would become mortal enemies with Yuan Kong.

As things stood, it was, at most, a messy love triangle.

"We should leave, too," Zhao Xin said.

Xu Lei actually felt pretty good about the intense fight. ’In this Secret Realm, any Magical Power you use up during cultivation or battle is recovered, so you can fight to your heart’s content. And I even won.’

But now that the thrill was over, it was time to deal with the consequences.

"Right. We should report this to Bodhisattva Guan Yun immediately and see what she has to say."

Xu Lei continued, "If we can, we should ask Bodhisattva Guan Yun to uphold justice. The Celestial Palace’s entire purpose is to cultivate a sufficient number of people who can pass the Nine Heavens’ trials so they can unlock the palace’s true Secret Collection together.

With that in mind, Bodhisattva Guan Yun shouldn’t ignore something like this. If Ascenders are just running around killing each other, the number of people who ultimately pass the Nine Heavens’ trials will surely be even lower.

That would go against the Celestial Palace’s own interests.

As long as Bodhisattva Guan Yun intervenes, then even Yuan Kong probably won’t be able to just kill us. The most he could do is make our lives difficult in petty ways."

"You’re still the clear-headed one, Uncle Hui Chi," Zhao Xin said with a nod. "I didn’t even think of that. I was just thinking we should go back and discuss it with Qing Lian."

"We do need to tell Qing Lian," Xu Lei said. "It’s possible we’ve angered Yuan Kong, and I don’t know if he’s the type to be overprotective of his son. If we’ve made an enemy of him, it would be better for Qing Lian to publicly distance herself from us from now on. We can’t risk dragging her into this."

As they spoke, Xu Lei took out his Jade Token, and Zhao Xin did the same. They both activated them, and a moment later, they too were retrieved by the Celestial Palace’s AI Artifact Spirit.

They reappeared in the hall from which they had first entered the assessment grounds.

The two of them left immediately, heading back to find Qing Lian.

Finding Bodhisattva Guan Yun wasn’t as simple as just deciding to look for her.

After all, they couldn’t leave the Ninefold Celestial Treasure Tower, and Bodhisattva Guan Yun rarely came inside, so there was no way to even begin searching. So, their first step was still to go back and inform Qing Lian.

Qing Lian was shocked when she learned what had happened.

She marveled at the coincidence—that Jue Gen would also be in the assessment, happen to be looking for a place to stay, and run right into Xu Lei and Zhao Xin, discovering their relationship.

"Does this mean I can’t be openly intimate with you anymore, Senior?" Qing Lian sighed. "From now on, if I want to receive your Charitable Giving, does it have to be in secret? Are we back to sneaking around like we’re having an affair?"

A guilty expression crossed Xu Lei’s face.

Before, it had been Zhao Xin forced into a secret relationship with him; now, Qing Lian was being forced into the same situation.

Xu Lei was utterly fed up with Yuan Kong and his son.

’I wish I could just blow that father-son duo to bits with dynamite and be done with it.’

But if he did that, he probably wouldn’t survive either.

It would, after all, violate the fundamental principles of the Celestial Palace.

Just as Xu Lei was consumed with worry, Bodhisattva Guan Yun unexpectedly arrived inside the Ninefold Celestial Treasure Tower.

She had come to stroll through the Second Heaven, and by her side was the beautiful, white-haired girl, Bai Ling.

Xu Lei’s gaze met Bai Ling’s, and in that instant, he understood everything.

Bai Ling no longer had any doubt that Xu Lei was the reincarnation of Hui Chi.

After all, Bai Ling had her Creepy Spirit. Xu Lei had been in the Celestial Palace for long enough that she must have been observing him in secret and already figured everything out.

The fact that Xu Lei was secretly with both Zhao Xin and Qing Lian was all the proof she needed.

Xu Lei suspected that Bodhisattva Guan Yun’s coincidental arrival today was likely orchestrated by Bai Ling.

The girl was, after all, right there by the Bodhisattva’s side.

Ordinarily, Bodhisattva Guan Yun almost never visited.

"Greetings, Venerable."

Without hesitation, Xu Lei and Zhao Xin hurried forward and spoke respectfully, "We have a matter we would like to—"

Bodhisattva Guan Yun listened for only a moment before waving her hand. "Enough, you don’t need to say any more. I already understand the situation; Bai Ling has told me some of it. It’s perfectly normal for the two of you to be in love. It is also understandable that you would hide it from Jue Gen out of fear of Yuan Kong.

It is also normal for Jue Gen to be angry and unwilling to forgive after being deceived for so many years. His temperament has always been vengeful over the smallest slight; he’s rather petty. He was born and raised in the Celestial Palace and has never been tempered by the complexities of the mortal world, so in a way, he is still quite childish."