Chapter 426 The Grudgeful Sky Fairy (End)
"I like you. Let's get married."
The person who said that--the mysterious woman was none other than the fifth strongest Daoist in Huaxia, Yan Xueyi. Everyone knew about how bad her luck with men was but none of them had expected her to be that direct.
Now, being proposed by such a beautiful woman would normally make any man envy the one being proposed to; however, it wasn't the case if it pertained to Yan Xueyi. Any man who had ever courted her in the past had now all dead. She didn't do anything to them. They died due to a Dao-related cause.
Since Daoism was closely tied with things that Westerners called superstition, they believed Xueyi's bad luck that she got from failing her tribulation could stick to other people, which was why many men who courted her died. Because of this, very few people men dared to develop an interest in her.
Aside from the fact that men were staying away from her, she was also aloof. It was the same as adding fuel to the fire, so it was very hard for her to get a life partner, which is something that she had almost given up on...until a few seconds ago.
"Let's do it. I have a condition, though."
"Really...?"
At Basil's response, everyone, including Xueyi was shocked. None of them had expected Basil to say yes; Xueyi believed no sane man would say yes to the woman who proposed to him on the first encounter, meanwhile, the rest of the people thought Basil had heard about the haunting misfortune of Xueyi.
"He doesn't know?"
"It seems so..."
"Tell him. He is a bright young man--don't let him die early!"
"Hey, someone, tell him!"
"Lad, don't be fooled by--spare me, Sky Fairy Xueyi! This fool has no idea what he is talking about!"
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A glare from Xueyi was enough to shut the murmurs in the surroundings. She usually didn't mind people discouraging men who were courting her; however, it was different now since she was genuinely interested in Basil.
Basil himself was also interested in her, so if he shied away because of the people's misleading comments, she would be very irked. She turned her eyes to Basil and then smiled softly under her veil.
"And, what condition do you want me to fulfil?" she asked graciously.
"I would rather talk about it somewhere private," Basil replied cryptically.
Xueyi's eyes lit up as she misinterpreted Basil's words entirely. "Ho-Ho-Ho...interesting. Let us go to my manor, shall we?"
"That would be the best." Basil nodded his head and then asked, "You don't mind me bringing my family, do you?"
"Of course...."
Turning her head to the people Basil was pointing behind him, Xueyi blinked her eyes twice when she met Tian Long's gaze. She did a double take and then blinked again when she was sure it was indeed Tian Long.
Instantly recalling the letter, she concluded that Basil was the nephew Tian Long had written about. She immediately understood what Basil would talk about in private and she was slightly disappointed it was not what she had expected.
Sighing softly, she said, "Follow my lead."
She turned around and then lightly swept the air with her right hand. The temperature dramatically dropped before a gigantic blue gate appeared before her; it was letting out a cold mist that scattered everywhere. She walked toward it and it immediately opened itself.
Nothing could be seen but a dark space beyond the door; however, the people could tell something beautiful was waiting to greet them. She stepped inside and disappeared from their view. Wasting no time, they followed suit. Fifteen seconds later, the gate and the people could no longer be seen.
Walking past the gate felt like walking into a different world for those who had it for the first time. When the gate was shut, the peculiar feeling disappeared along with the darkness; however, what greeted them still gave them a literal otherworldly feeling.
"This is..."
"This is not Zunshen city, isn't this?"
"We are in another world."
Before them, the scenery that was often depicted in the fantasy story of their fantastical world was presented. They were standing on a green plain decorated with all kinds of flowers and surrounded by hills. Ahead of them was a castle--an ice mountain that was carved into a castle. It looked extremely regal and intimidating.
Splash!
As they walked the path, the sound that the river made cleansed their mind. The air cleansed their lungs as they took a deep breath--truly a place that brought peace to one's mind.
Tian Long had gone to this place a lot of times; however, like the others, he still couldn't help but be amazed. He was sure he could do something like this but he was absolute he would never be able to replicate the magnificence.
Turning his head to Basil, intending to assure him that such a skilled person would be the one who treated him, he found Basil engrossed by the sun above the castle. Basil smirked not long after and that made Tian Long dread what was going to happen next.
"You are very skilled in Space Dao, Fairy Xueyi. The only thing I can comprehend is that the sun is the source of all lifeform in this place--I can't tell how you could develop this place into something like this."
The place they were in, the Realm of Sky Fairy was an Alternate Dimension that Xueyi developed along with her disciples. She denied having a sect; she claimed she was just providing a place for talented women. She even called her disciples little sister.
Basil had entered a lot of Alternate Dimensions in his past life; however, none of them had ever looked like this. Lifeforms in the Alternate Dimensions he had visited were but mere decorations. They were merely extremely realistic illusions. This place, however, was alive. Because of that, he was intrigued.
"Daoism, Magic, and Body Forging came from the same root--the world," Xueyi spoke. "We comprehend the way the world works and apply it to us. It is essentially just us trying to be a new world--to be the cancer that competes with the world. We are trying to exclude ourselves from the world's system, which is why it stands in our way."
She extended her hand, allowing a butterfly to perch on her finger. "Mages don't believe they can create another form of life with Mana because it goes against their logic. They have been studying how the world works only to apply their logic to how it behaves. Daoists are different."
"Once we learn Dao, we begin to comprehend life. We consider ourselves a new world--we believe we can create another lifeform.... No, to be exact, we know how to trigger the creation of lifeforms. We give what the world needs and let the world do the rest." Gesturing at the place, she added, "This is why this place exists."
Basil hummed to himself as he rationalized the superstitious explanation. He stopped midway, however, the moment he recalled Xueyi's words: "Mages have been studying how the world works only to apply their logic to how it behaves."
Indeed, what he was doing was applying his logic to something that he didn't surely understand. Mages believed that Magic was a tool to transcend the boundaries of physics and biology; however, none of them genuinely understood what it was since they were too focused on testing its limit rather than exploring what it could do.
"I am...enlightened."
Slightly taken aback, Xueyi turned to Basil. "Well, what a pleasant surprise. Are you interested in learning Dao now?"
"Yes," Basil answered surely, "however, I won't become a Daoist. Magic, in my opinion, is still superior to Daoism. Daoists learn the way the world behaves to be another world before separating themselves from the world. Mages, on the other hand, separate themselves from the world from the very beginning, paving our way with curiosity as our guide."
"Aiming aimlessly is what you are going to say, isn't it?"
"You are not correct; however, thanks to your insights, I may be able to perfect Magic and cross the boundary without the world obstructing me."
"Are you implying that heaven may hinder you?" Xueyi asked with a hint of amusement in her tone.
"I wonder where those Daoists of the Nirvana Tribulation Realm disappeared to," Basil thought out loud. "Rather than hiding down here...they maybe up there in the sky. Oh, how intriguing this line of thought of mine."
Xueyi and Tian Long stopped in their tracks at the same time, prompting the others to also do the same. They looked at Basil with their dumbfounded face, earning his smirk.
Looking above, they now knew why the dragons they had been luring out had never shown themselves: they were never in the world in the very first place. Now that they thought about it, it was only logical since there was no need to stay in the world when they were no longer bound to it.
Xueyi lifted her hands and showed the sky her middle fingers. "Fuck you, seniors! This lass has done nothing to you but you still obstructed her way? I will definitely kick all of you, old farts when I get up there. Just wait! I, Yan Xueyi, will defeat your rigged Tribulation and ascend!"
She said those sentences in one breath. She was called the Grudgeful Sky Fairy for a reason; she genuinely held grudges to her heart. She was absolute that her Tribulation was rigged, so she was very grudgeful toward heaven. It was to the point that she was cursing at the sky she made herself.
"You are barking at the wrong sky," Basil reminded, meanwhile, Tian Long slapped his forehead.
"Huh? You are right...fuck!"
Since Basil had seen how quick Asia could change from gracious to repulsive, he wasn't even surprised when he saw Xueyi's respectable front crumble. Of course, the others weren't like him, so they couldn't help blinking their eyes in bewilderment.
In a matter of seconds, the pristine Xueyi returned. "Kuhum!" She cleared her throat and then faced him calmly as if nothing had happened. "I am enlightened. My desire to marry you has gone through the roof but, due to your insight, I will give you time to cultivate your love for me."
She was still adamant about marrying Basil.
"Allow this maiden to introduce her name. My name is Yan Xueyi. What is yours, handsome young man?" she said graciously as she extended her hand.
Grasping her hand and shaking it lightly, Basil replied, "Nice to meet you, Xueyi. I am Basil Pacifer."
"Very well then. Welcome to the Withering Frost Castle--my humble abode."
The gate to the castle opened, revealing a line of attractive women dressed in white bowing respectfully to Xueyi. The scene made the people wonder if Xueyi was just a Daoist, not an Empress.