Chapter 503: Whoever Cowed Out is the Grandson

The Great Jin Empire occupied the easternmost reaches of the continent; further east lay only a vast, trackless ocean, where immortal isles towered and cultivators from various sects frequently made their abodes.

Above the Eastern Sea, the mists and waves stretched into infinity as seabirds wheeled across the sky, until the faint glint of sword-light emerged from the distant horizon, making landfall from the Northern Sea and sweeping southward; a quarter of an hour later, a massive and bustling mortal city split by a great canal appeared on the land ahead.

Viewed from the high heavens, this city was far grander than Half-City, its fringes composed of rows of black-and-white tiled dwellings resembling a chessboard, where grand avenues interlaced with narrow alleys and rivers of all sizes wound throughout; fully a third of the city's streets were waterways, and from afar, the vague silhouettes of vessels could be seen plying the channels.

Toward the city center, glazed roof-tiles, upturned eaves, and painted pillars graced various exquisite pavilions, imbuing the metropolis with an even deeper poetic charm.

Compared to the majestic grandeur of cultivator cities like Half-City or Black Dragon City, this place resembled a flawless piece of jade-like glazed glass nestled within the waters.

"Could this be Jiuhua City?!" many cultivators cried out in astonishment as they flew.

"It might well be!" Liu Ningyun's beautiful eyes rippled with light. "Wasn't this the very direction we inquired about? 'Past three small towns and you are there'—surely this is the place?"

"Look! Look over there!" Mo Xian suddenly jolted, pointing toward a patch of sky to the east.

Through the ethereal white clouds, three figures clad in pristine white robes trod upon flying swords, looking every bit like immortal deities.

Of course, this celestial atmosphere might have been more pronounced had the two girls in the rear not been chattering away so excitedly.

"Fenghua, Fenghua, that 'Final Fantasy' we watched yesterday, the people in it were all so incredibly handsome, weren't they!"

"The ladies inside were exceptionally gentle too," Fenghua said gleefully. "That girl named Tifa, oh my—I want to bring her home so badly!"

"The arch-villain is handsome too! Ah—!" a chorus of squeals erupted.

"Ahem!" Su Tianji cleared her throat lightly, suddenly projecting the immense majesty of a master. "Is your master not handsome?!"

She was just about to strike a pose with her whisk to show off her great style.

"Oh, someone is coming!" she hurriedly assumed a perfectly solemn posture on her flying sword.

"The! Sword! Control! Technique!?" numerous voices cried out in shock, their gazes fixed entirely upon them.

They instantly realized that the three white-robed girls flying on swords ahead were also staring straight back at them: "Master, there are so many people over there... why do their outfits look like nothing we've ever seen?"

"That girl in the aqua-green gauze dress looks somewhat familiar...?" Su Tianji stared blankly at Ning Bi.

To her surprise, the other party seemed to be staring right back at her.

They locked eyes for a good long while.

Suddenly, the other woman's mouth fell wide open, large enough to swallow an egg, as she shrieked: "Isn't that Biyao, the one who can play the guitar and sing 'The Boundless Sea and Sky'!"

"Miss Sprite?!" Fenghua and Yuexin blurted out her QQ ID.

"Ah—!"

"You are..."

"Holy crap!" Hei Mo suddenly spat out a piece of internet slang. "Why do you look exactly like that Immortal Yuji who thrashed me in 'The Legend'!"

Daoist Xi Chi recognized her as well, crying out in astonishment: "Are you the fellow Daoist who performed 'Guangling San' at the New Year's Gala?!"

"I've seen her during Boss Fang's livestreams too! The one who went to the Three Saint Sect!"

"You all are...!?" Su Tianji's brain short-circuited for a good long while before she finally processed the situation.

"The Morning Star Sea Realm," the foremost individuals uttered only those five words.

"Ah—!"

"Ah—!"

Nothing but screams echoed across the entire sky; though they had called this an internet meetup, who could have truly anticipated that one day, the people from across the vast ocean—separated by tens of thousands of miles on the network—would suddenly appear right before their eyes.

Moreover...

After exchanging internet handles, everyone discovered that many of them were old acquaintances; a few, such as Su Tianji and Ning Bi, had even privately discussed music before.

There was also Xi Yue, whom they frequently encountered back when they played 'The Legend' together, a dedicated mage in Boss Fang's party.

Liu Ningyun and Mo Xian were the same—regulars at Boss Fang's arcade hall who still crossed paths occasionally for a few rounds of The King of Fighters.

Su Tianji could not have imagined in her wildest dreams that today, having just finished her duties at the Liuyun Daoist Palace and intending to go online, she would simply pass by on her sword and encounter...

!!??

It was simply too miraculous!

There was agitation, excitement, novelty, and a touch of awkward restraint.

Though they knew many of each other well enough online, they were still somewhat uncertain of the other party's real-life temperament, personality, and status.

Ultimately, acting as though she were hosting a group of friends from afar, she suggested: "How about..."

"Let's go online! And meet the others while we're at it."

"Let's go, let's go!"

"Hahaha, a single day without going online feels like three autumns."

"I wonder what it feels like to play in Jiuhua City!"

At the mention of this, the cultivators of the Morning Star Sea Realm grew instantly thrilled.

"Come, come, come! Let's take a screenshot first to make those other people jealous! Hahaha!" Finding that these people were no different from how they chatted online, Su Tianji laughed heartily, nearly casting all decorum aside as she pulled over a few familiar girls. "Come on, smile!"

She pressed the recording key on her communication jade.

Then she copied it and sent it to all the major QQ groups.

Ji Wu: "(Shocked) How did you all end up together?!"

Nalan Hongwu: "You've already met them?! Where?! This old man has never seen a person from across the sea in all his life, let me see them too!"

Song Qingfeng: "(Drooling)"

In front of his computer, Lin Shao's eyes nearly popped out of his head: "The ladies from the Morning Star Sea Realm are all so beautiful."

Liang Shi, who rarely posted in the group but possessed seniority equal to Song Qingfeng, remarked: "...My goodness, to think I would live to see cultivators from across the sea... (Shocked)"

Tang Yu: "You've already met up?"

Boss Fang: "666, congratulations on a safe landing."

The various groups exploded once more, and by this time, a group of hosts including Ji Wu, Nalan Hongwu, and Lan Mo had already come out from the city to welcome them; they were even accompanied by many onlookers, such as Song Qingfeng and Dong Qingli from Jiuhua City, Ye Xiaoye from the Cloud Ocean Sect, Ling Wanyin the eldest disciple of the Yuxu Mountain, and Li Longyuan a disciple of the Xuanzhong Mansion; from the direction of Jiuhua City, dozens of flying swords soared into the high heavens, cutting a striking silhouette against the vast sky.

"Can anyone guess who is on the other side?!" Mo Tianxing chuckled.

"I recognize one!" Yue Yan raised her hand. "I've seen that white-haired old gentleman! The one who knows Sword Twenty-Three! He's incredibly powerful!"

Beside her, Hei Mo shrank his neck back: "There are several from the Royal Guild..."

He instantly suffered an illusion that he might be beaten up.

Though it was true they had followed the network cables to get here...

He suddenly realized there were quite a lot of people, and he might well be rubbed into the dirt at any moment.

"Hehehe..." Tang Yuan proved much more adaptable, offering a face full of smiles. "So it is our fellow Daoists from the Royal Guild."

" ...Yuan Heng, you old dog?!" The words slipped out out of habit...

"Damn you! You Royal Guild trash!"

"Son of a %&, you dare call me trash? Have the guts to get on the game later, and see if I don't tear you apart!"

"If you want a fight, come get it, we'll settle this in a PK outside Sand City! Whoever chickens out is a coward!"

The others looked on, completely speechless.

.