Nine Astra Skies

"A mystical beast that doesn't hurt people?" Ye Chen was quite astonished and asked, "What mystical beast is that?"

"It's a Serpent and it has wings!" The old innkeeper sighed.

"Are they going to leave or stay?" Ye Chen's eyes darted to one side.

"They're going to stay here tonight," the old innkeeper replied, lowering his voice. He thought that Ye Chen was interested in that young woman. Cultivators were not to be offended, so he could only reply honestly.

Ye Chen hesitated momentarily. Did that woman come here for the mystical beast? A Serpent, with wings, that did not harm humans – Ye Chen did not know what mystical beast that was but its level was likely not low. Ye Chen became interested. If that woman sitting opposite him was interested in the mystical beast, then he would have no shot. After some thought, he decided to stay on and see what happened.

"I'll stay here tonight. If my Nightwind is devoured by the mystical beast, I won't blame you. Here's the payment and keep the change." Ye Chen fished out an ingot of twenty taels from the Heaven-Earth Pouch and placed it on the table.

"This is too much," the old innkeeper said in a shaking voice. Most customers, when they stayed for three days inclusive of meals, would pay a tael of silver at most. This was twenty taels of silver!

"Keep it," Ye Chen said. His Heaven-Earth Pouch had plenty of silver and gold anyway. This old innkeeper was willing to be honest about the mystical beast and had decent character. There was no harm in giving him more.

"Sir, you may stay in this humble inn for as long as you wish." The old innkeeper was moved.

"Mmm-hmm," Ye Chen replied absentmindedly. At this point, the three Taiyi Sword Sect members from the left table could no longer hold back and they walked toward that woman.

"Young lady, whose disciple are you?" The three Taiyi Sword Sect members had some level of perception at least. Although they were bowled over by her charm, they could see that this woman's bearing was not ordinary. She was possibly a cultivator and they dared not act too rashly or overstep their boundaries.

Nonetheless, at sixteen years old, no matter how high her cultivation base is, surely it could not possibly reach the Tenth Level? They did not know what her background was.

That woman remained as cold as ice. She did not reply nor did she look annoyed. She only paid attention to her wine as if these three were not talking to her.

"A mystical beast might appear tonight but don't you worry, young lady. The three of us will protect you," one of them said.

"Maybe you don't know where we're from. The three of us are from the Taiyi Sword Sect. This is my Eldest Senior Brother, Zhou Yan. He's only thirty but he's already a mid-Tenth Level powerhouse. Among the younger generation of the Taiyi Sword Sect, his talent is the most extraordinary. This is my Third Junior Brother, Lin Tao. I'm Wang Yue. Junior Lin Tao is the same as me, at the beginner Tenth Level," the man to the left of the woman said.

"May we learn your name?" Zhou Yan sounded rather haughty. A mid-Tenth Level fighter at thirty years old could be said to have a reason for being haughty. Nonetheless, no matter what the three of them said, the woman did not pay them much attention, which vexed them.

"Tantai Ling," as the woman spoke placidly, Tantai Ling's nephrite-like right hand held up the wine cup and she took a sip. She still did not even spare Zhou Yan and the rest a glance. Conversely, she cast a look at Ye Chen's side.

Although Ye Chen was relatively far away, her words rang clearly in his ears.

"Little Tanuki, where did she come from?" Ye Chen used his Astral Body to communicate with Little Tanuki.

Little Tanuki shook her head. She did not even know what sort of Celestial Beast Tantai Ling was, only knowing that Tantai Ling's power was formidable.

Zhou Yan and the other two looked pleased. They thought that because they introduced themselves, they finally managed to attract Tantai Ling's attention.

"The surname Tantai is rare indeed. Could it be that you're not from the Xiwu Empire?" Wang Yue took this chance to interrupt.

"The surname Tantai is rare but it exists. As far as I know, the Oracle Sect has this surname." On one side, Zhou Yan looked closely at Tantai Ling's face. He was inwardly guessing Tantai Ling's origins.

After Tantai Ling gave her name, she fell silent again.

"Strictly speaking, the Oracle Sect isn't a sect from the Xiwu Empire. Those with the surname Tantai mostly came from the Central Empire. In the realm of the Xiwu Empire, the Oracle Sect isn't a major sect." Lin Tao's temper was more irritable. Tantai Ling kept ignoring them which made him upset. His temper was not as tame as his two seniors.

Lin Tao deliberately belittled the Oracle Sect to see Tantai Ling's response but she remained as serene as still water.

"I'm going to rest. At night, a mystical beast will show up. Regardless of your level, you'd better leave quickly." Tantai Ling's voice was clear and cool, and she stood up, heading toward the stairs.

Lin Tao saw that Tantai Ling was being proud. The three of them had stood there, speaking for so long, yet they did not get any response. Clearly, she held them in contempt. Lin Tao nearly lost his temper but he was restrained by Wang Yue.

Tantai Ling did not pay any mind to their reactions and walked on. She passed by Ye Chen and went up the stairs.

A fragrance drifted under Ye Chen's nostrils. He turned and looked at the departing figure of Tantai Ling. Her body was curvaceous and her feet were bare. Those precious feet were exquisitely shaped, like first-rate nephrite. Her feet and the jade bracelet above her ankle complemented each other. Moreover, her footsteps were light and graceful.

Ye Chen did not know what Celestial Beast she had transformed from to think that she could be so gorgeous.

When Tantai Ling was halfway up the stairs, she turned back and glanced at Ye Chen, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"What an interesting fellow. It's too bad your cultivation base is too weak. In a hundred years, who knows, perhaps you can battle me then." Tantai Ling's voice came to him like an oriole from a valley. Her crystal voice carried no hint of emotion and was transmitted through the Psyche. Zhou Yan and the other two could not hear her.

Ye Chen's Astral Body shuddered suddenly, sensing an intense pressure. Before he could react, Tantai Ling's figure had disappeared to the next floor.

Tantai Ling seemed to have detected his Astral Body but Ye Chen's cultivation base was too weak, so Tantai Ling had no desire to attack. Ye Chen recalled what she had said to Zhou Yan and the other two. Tantai Ling had evidently come for the mystical beast. He did not know what level the creature was.

A wise man would not stand under a collapsing wall. Logically, at this point, Ye Chen should leave this small town far behind because Tantai Ling's strength had exceeded his by far. However, Ye Chen had a burning curiosity which made him want to see what mystical beast exactly Tantai Ling was waiting for.

"Squeak squeak." Little Tanuki seemed uneasy.

"Little Tanuki, it's alright. We'll hide somewhere far away and we'll leave after we have a quick look. We won't provoke any powerful enemies," Ye Chen said. Tantai Ling said that she would not start a fight. A powerhouse at her level was likely to keep her word. Furthermore, the innkeeper had said that if he did not attack the mystical beast, it would not harm people. Thus, Ye Chen dared to stay on. Otherwise, with his personality, he would have fled far, far away.