Chapter 509

Chapter 509: Forced Out

“Kid, to be honest, even if I took over your body, we wouldn’t stand a chance against these puppets right now,” Old Sword said helplessly in Ye Xiaoyao’s mind.

Ye Xiaoyao looked at the twelve Void Refinement Stage Puppets surrounding him and sighed in resignation. “Ye Xiaoyao, Sword King Sect. I escaped from the Extreme Void Domain and ended up here,” he said.

At that moment, the lead Void Refinement Stage Puppet’s red eyes shifted to green as it stared at Ye Xiaoyao. “Basic logic confirmed. You have two options,” it stated. “First, leave the boundaries of Lin Sen Fairy City immediately. Second, obtain an identification card for this fairy city, which will allow you to legally remain within its territory.”

“I’ll take the second option!” Ye Xiaoyao blurted out quickly.

The puppet produced a blank card, and a laser shot from its eyes, etching details onto the card. Moments later, a Xianxia-style ID card appeared in Ye Xiaoyao’s hand.

Watching the puppet leave, Ye Xiaoyao muttered, “All that fuss just to give me this?”

“Kid, don’t be so naive. That puppet was here to check if you’re from the beast race,” Old Sword chimed in from his mind.

“Well, that was a close call. I’ve been having a streak of bad luck lately. I’ll take some time to rest in Lin Sen Fairy City,” Ye Xiaoyao said, flying in the direction the puppet had indicated.

In Lin Sen Fairy City, Ye Xiaoyao stood in a merchant’s shop, staring at the surprisingly affordable fifth-grade precious artifacts. “Fifth-grade precious artifacts are this cheap?” he muttered in disbelief.

“Why don’t you buy a few and see for yourself?” Old Sword quipped sarcastically in his mind.

“Friend, I’ll take one hundred of each: gold, wood, water, fire, and earth fifth-grade precious artifacts,” Ye Xiaoyao declared boldly, already imagining replacing his mismatched fifth-grade spiritual swords.

“Sorry, senior, but there’s a limit of five fifth-grade precious artifacts per person,” the Golden Core Stage vendor replied with a polite smile.

“How can I get more?” Ye Xiaoyao asked bluntly, skipping the small talk.

“Complete tasks for the Hidden Spirit Sect and Lin Sen Fairy City,” the vendor explained. “If you channel your energy into your ID card, it will display the task details and answer all your questions.”

“Fine. For now, give me one of each: gold, wood, water, fire, and earth fifth-grade precious artifacts,” Ye Xiaoyao said.

“Of course. Please wait a moment,” the vendor replied.

Later, in a small courtyard in Lin Sen Fairy City, Ye Xiaoyao inspected the five Five Elements Spiritual Swords he had purchased. “This Hidden Spirit Sect is something else,” Old Sword remarked in his mind.

“They’re just five Five Elements Spiritual Swords, aren’t they?” Ye Xiaoyao said, examining the swords’ uniform quality.

“You’re missing the point. These swords are mass-produced, making them ideal for cultivators like you who specialize in sword formations,” Old Sword explained.

“Mass-produced? How do they even do that?” Ye Xiaoyao asked, puzzled.

“You wouldn’t understand even if I explained. Just know that the Hidden Spirit Sect isn’t your average sect. If you can, try to join them,” Old Sword advised.

“Not much hope there. They already know my background, and my sect is aware too,” Ye Xiaoyao said.

“Your little sect probably doesn’t even know what’s going on. Just assume it’s disbanded,” Old Sword said dismissively.

“Find a way into the inner sect. If you present yourself as a sword formation specialist, you’ll be able to buy spiritual swords at a much lower price.”

“Is that even possible? Can anyone just waltz into an inner sect?” Ye Xiaoyao asked skeptically.

“You won’t know unless you try. The entire cultivation world is sealed right now, and movement is a fraction of what it used to be. If you can pass their tests, getting into the inner sect shouldn’t be a problem,” Old Sword reassured him.

"Kid, even though I often give you a hard time, you’re actually quite exceptional out there. Most sects would be eager to have a disciple like you," Old Sword remarked.

"Alright, let’s first sort out the Hidden Spirit Sect situation, and then we’ll figure out how to join," Ye Xiaoyao responded.

Meanwhile, Xu Fan, who had been in seclusion, regained consciousness after fully understanding a particular Dao technique. After a brief rest, he opened his eyes.

The moment Xu Fan opened his eyes, he received news that Ye Xiaoyao was heading to Lin Sen Fairy City.

"Ye Xiaoyao, what a coincidence," Xu Fan said with a smile as he looked at Ye Xiaoyao’s information.

"Escaped from the Extreme Void Domain?"

"I wonder if that Xuanhuang Stone has anything to do with it," Xu Fan pondered, stroking his chin.

"Master, should I find a way to make him leave?" Grape asked proactively.

"Of course, we need to send him away, but we can’t make it too obvious," Xu Fan replied.

He recalled his experiences with Ye Xiaoyao and felt that their destinies were at odds, or perhaps it was more about clashing with that old man with the golden finger.

If they could befriend each other like typical protagonists, he wouldn’t mind.

But ever since Ye Xiaoyao got the golden finger old man, he always seemed to have a hidden agenda to take advantage of him, which annoyed Xu Fan.

"Grape, deploy a railgun from the sky specifically to target Ye Xiaoyao; you don’t need to do anything else," Xu Fan instructed after some thought.

For the protagonist, it’s important to maintain a basic level of respect, and if possible, avoid showing his face.

"As you command, Master," Grape responded.

In the courtyard of Lin Sen Fairy City, Ye Xiaoyao, who was resting, suddenly stood up and quickly summoned all his Spiritual Swords to form a Protective Sword Formation.

At that moment, he felt like a little rabbit being watched by a giant beast.

"What’s going on? Is there danger in the fairy city?" Ye Xiaoyao asked warily.

He felt as though a sharp sword was pressed against his throat.

"What has locked onto you? Hurry and escape!" Old Sword urgently said in Ye Xiaoyao’s mind.

He also sensed the pressure from whatever had locked onto Ye Xiaoyao.

"Don’t rest; once that thing attacks, no one will be able to save you," Old Sword warned.

"What should I do?" Ye Xiaoyao asked, starting to panic.

"Get out the special items I mentioned and arrange them in this shape," Old Sword calmly instructed.

Ye Xiaoyao quickly took out several strange spirit pearls and arranged them into a peculiar symbol as Old Sword directed.

"Stand in the center and unleash all your spiritual energy."

A strong wave of spiritual energy surged from Ye Xiaoyao’s body, instantly absorbed by the strange spirit pearls.

"Boom~"

A terrifying, bottomless black void appeared, swallowing Ye Xiaoyao whole.

Soon after, the strange spirit pearls turned to dust, dissipating in the air.

"Are you saying that Ye Xiaoyao used a strange method to teleport away?" Xu Fan asked curiously.

"Yes, there’s no trace of Ye Xiaoyao’s wave of spiritual energy within the entire Lin Sen Fairy City area," came the reply.