"The mortal realm's brute?"
Chen Xiao was utterly bewildered. "I haven't provoked you, why are you cursing me?"
However, on second thought, it wasn't entirely without provocation. For instance, the Five Divine Sects, the Profound Sword Sect, the Heavenly Origin Sect, the Overlord Sect, and the Heavenly Blood Sect.
Well, the Heavenly Blood Sect shouldn't count, as he had only provoked them today.
Seeing Chen Xiao's expression shift, Qinglian Dao Chief said, "You guessed correctly. You are not welcome in the Immortal Hidden Realm. To be blunt, if you reveal your identity there, a large number of powerful individuals will hunt you down."
"This isn't because you've offended a few hidden sects, but because of the sacred relic you possess."
Ah, innocence is no crime, but possessing treasure is! He had truly become a brute.
"I don't mind taking you into the Immortal Hidden Realm, but are you sure you really want to go?"
Qinglian Dao Chief sized up Chen Xiao, as if testing his courage.
"Of course!"
Chen Xiao didn't hesitate. There was no need to ponder such a question.
"Are you sure? Did I not make myself clear? If you enter the Immortal Hidden Realm, you might face a life-or-death situation. I cannot protect you."
Qinglian Dao Chief said sincerely.
She thought this would dissuade Chen Xiao, as she believed he dared to enter the Immortal Hidden Realm by relying on their Heavenly Lotus Sect.
However, she found that after she finished speaking, Chen Xiao looked at her with a peculiar expression.
That look was strange, carrying a hint of... disdain?
Unintentionally, Chen Xiao had revealed his inner thoughts.
His unspoken thought was, "You, a cultivator of the Divine Sea Realm, want to protect me? You think too highly of yourself!"
Of course, such words would be too hurtful, and Chen Xiao would never say them aloud. At most, he would express some emotion through micro-expressions.
"It's fine. Just take me in. You don't need to worry about anything else," Chen Xiao said nonchalantly.
"Very well."
Qinglian Dao Chief no longer wished to concern herself with Chen Xiao. If he sought his own demise, so be it.
However, he was a friend of Tu Shan Che, so she had to do her best to help him.
Therefore, Qinglian Dao Chief produced a black robe from her voluminous sleeves and tossed it to Chen Xiao.
"Wear this. It will not only conceal your appearance and aura but even your gender. As long as you don't actively reveal your identity, no one will recognize you!"
This black robe was a treasured artifact that Qinglian Dao Chief had possessed for hundreds of years, even before she moved into the Immortal Hidden Realm.
Giving Chen Xiao such a precious item that she had cherished for so long was truly her utmost effort.
Chen Xiao received the black robe, and his eyes immediately lit up.
This was indeed a good item. With this, no one would recognize him.
Of course, Chen Xiao was not afraid of being recognized, but he couldn't deny that not being recognized would save him a lot of trouble.
"Thank you, Qinglian Dao Chief!"
Chen Xiao cupped his hands in thanks to Qinglian Dao Chief.
"Put it on. I will take you to the Immortal Hidden Realm now."
Not having met Tu Shan Che in person, Qinglian Dao Chief was quite disappointed and did not wish to linger in the disappointing mortal realm.
Chen Xiao obediently put on the robe, and his entire being was enveloped in a strange aura.
"Qinglian Dao Chief, please lead the way!"
Chen Xiao assumed that at Lotus View, there must be a Gate of Elemental Connection leading to the Immortal Hidden Realm, and Qinglian Dao Chief would take him through that gate.
However, he was only half correct.
Lotus View did indeed have a direct Gate of Elemental Connection to the Immortal Hidden Realm, but Qinglian Dao Chief did not intend to take him through it.
Qinglian Dao Chief ignored Chen Xiao. With a raise of her hand, a delicate whisk appeared in her grasp.
Holding the whisk, Qinglian Dao Chief became even more ethereal.
Then, as she flicked the whisk, Chen Xiao felt a dazzling display of multicolored light, with flashes of brilliance.
When the multicolored light faded, Chen Xiao found himself in another quiet room.
Although the furnishings and layout were somewhat similar to the previous one, they were distinctly different.
Most importantly, the concentration of spiritual energy here was incomparable to the previous quiet room.
In fact, the spiritual energy concentration here was on par with Chen Xiao's basement.
Thus, a bold thought arose in Chen Xiao's mind.
"Could it be that this is..."
Chen Xiao looked at Qinglian Dao Chief.
Qinglian Dao Chief's expression remained neutral. She said faintly, "That's right. You have arrived in the Immortal Hidden Realm. This is the Heavenly Lotus Sect."
Chen Xiao remained composed, but inwardly he marveled.
As expected of a sect leader. With a mere flick of her whisk, she had transformed the very space.
This technique was even more formidable than the Judge's Brush!
"Will you stay here for a while, or will you venture directly into the martial world?" Qinglian Dao Chief asked with a cool voice.
Bringing Chen Xiao here was a risk. Having done this much was already the extent of her obligation.
Therefore, the phrase "stay here for a while" was merely a polite gesture. She hoped Chen Xiao would be sensible and leave voluntarily as soon as possible.
Chen Xiao didn't think that far ahead. He chose to venture directly into the martial world because he didn't want to waste time here.
However... does the Immortal Hidden Realm have a martial world?
"Thank you for leading the way, Qinglian Dao Chief. I wish to find the God Slaying Sword as soon as possible, so I will not linger here. However, you just mentioned the martial world. What does the martial world in the Immortal Hidden Realm refer to?" Chen Xiao directly voiced his confusion.
"You have visited other Middle Thousand Worlds before, so you must know that the Immortal Hidden Realm is a Middle Thousand World, correct?" Qinglian Dao Chief's first sentence was a rhetorical question.
"Yes, I know that." Chen Xiao nodded.
"Indeed, the Immortal Hidden Realm is a Middle Thousand World. However, this Middle Thousand World is far more vast than other Middle Thousand Worlds, roughly the size of a Jiuzhou!" Qinglian Dao Chief began by explaining.
Upon hearing this, Chen Xiao was stunned. Why was the Immortal Hidden Realm so large, while being a Middle Thousand World?
Before this, the largest Middle Thousand World Chen Xiao had visited was Bliss Island.
But the entire Bliss Island was only comparable to a large city.
He never expected the Immortal Hidden Realm to be the size of a country!
"Therefore, in the Immortal Hidden Realm, there are countless hidden sects, large and small. These sects have their good and bad sides, and they also have friction with each other. Coupled with some powerful rogue cultivators, the martial world in the Immortal Hidden Realm has gradually formed," Qinglian Dao Chief explained.
In essence, where there are people, there is a martial world!
And one sentence that left a deep impression on Chen Xiao was, "countless hidden sects, large and small."
Since the hidden sects were also moved from the Jiuzhou world, how powerful were the human cultivators five hundred years ago!
It was a pity that despite their immense power, they did not use it to resist the Heavenly Dao, and instead produced a group of traitors.
Heh, what a bunch of brutes!
"Qinglian Dao Chief, I actually have a question. I wonder if I should ask it..." Chen Xiao began.
Qinglian Dao Chief was about to say, "If you wonder whether you should ask, then don't ask."
However, before she could utter the words, Chen Xiao's question had already been posed: "I wonder what the scale of your Heavenly Lotus Sect is within the Immortal Hidden Realm? Is it considered large or small?"
Qinglian Dao Chief's expression turned somewhat unpleasant. After some stammering, she replied, "It's considered a medium-sized sect..."
"And the Heavenly Blood Sect?" Chen Xiao asked again.
"Hmph, that group of demonic cultivators, the Heavenly Blood Sect, is naturally just a small sect!" Qinglian Dao Chief said with disdain.
Upon hearing this, Chen Xiao understood...
The Blood Gate and Lotus View were the outer sects of the Heavenly Blood Sect and the Heavenly Lotus Sect respectively. These two outer sects had been in conflict for centuries, likely a continuation of the disputes between the two hidden sects.
This meant that the strength of the Heavenly Blood Sect and the Heavenly Lotus Sect was comparable, in a fifty-fifty state.
As for the scale of the Heavenly Lotus Sect... Heh, Chen Xiao smiled, not exposing the truth.
"Do you have any other questions?" Qinglian Dao Chief felt that Chen Xiao's smile was somewhat off. She asked with a slight frown.
"No."
Chen Xiao wanted to ask for clues about the God Slaying Sword.
But considering that the Heavenly Lotus Sect was just a small sect, it was unlikely to have any clues, so he dropped the idea.
"If you have no more questions, I will send you out now." Qinglian Dao Chief said, pushing open the door to the quiet room. Outside was a long corridor.
Chen Xiao followed behind Qinglian Dao Chief, walking along the corridor.
Along the way, Qinglian Dao Chief incessantly lectured Chen Xiao on matters to remember when venturing into the martial world.
"After leaving the Heavenly Lotus Sect, you can travel north to Immortal Sect City. Immortal Sect City is the largest city in the Immortal Hidden Realm, and you can inquire about the God Slaying Sword there."
"Also, remember to conceal your aura when you set off. While there may not be many experts in the martial world, some disciples from large sects travel the martial world. Those disciples have sharp eyes and might recognize you. Then you will be in danger."
"One more thing, you must remember this: if you know the Sword Control Technique, absolutely do not use it!"
Hearing this, Chen Xiao couldn't help but frown. "Why can't I use the Sword Control Technique?"
"You actually know the Sword Control Technique?" Qinglian Dao Chief was slightly taken aback, then explained, "Because flying with a sword is also exclusive to disciples of those large sects. If you use a flying sword, you will be mistaken for a disciple of a large sect. If you then encounter disciples from large sects, they will chat with you and realize you are an impostor, perhaps even discover your true identity. Then you'll be in trouble!"
Saying this, Qinglian Dao Chief made a gesture of choking someone and sticking out their tongue.
Chen Xiao smiled slightly. He thought to himself, no wonder Tu Shan Che liked her.
This Taoist nun, with her seemingly aloof and otherworldly appearance, was actually quite adorable.