Chapter 132: Laying Bare the Truth, an Invitation from the Sword Immortal of Azure Tones!

Qingxuzi cast a glance at Sword Immortal Qingyin, thinking, Cao Xuan has already given his word to our Xuanhua Dao Sect, so could you please stop pestering him?

He narrowed his eyes and said, "Cao Xuan has already accepted the token of our Xuanhua Dao Sect; he is now a member of our sect. What is this, Fairy Qingyin? Are you planning to disregard the rules and snatch him away?"

Sword Immortal Qingyin was equally blunt. "Cao Xuan has not yet officially joined the Xuanhua Dao Sect, nor has he paid his respects at your Sacred Land's Ancestral Hall. How can you claim he is already one of yours?"

As she spoke, she tossed a small sword-shaped token toward Cao Xuan, not caring whether he caught it or not. "By your logic, Cao Xuan now carries the identity token of our Ziyang Sword Sect, so he is a member of our sect as well!"

Cao Xuan felt helpless. With these two powerhouses present, he dared not let the tokens fall to the ground. He stood there in an awkward position, holding the Ziyang Sword Sect’s token in his left hand and the Xuanhua Dao Sect’s token in his right.

Sword Immortal Qingyin continued, "I only wish to speak with him for a moment. If he refuses, I shall give up."

With a wave of her hand, a small, isolated realm manifested. Within the main hall, both she and Cao Xuan vanished from sight.

Old Ancestor Qingmu felt a pang of envy, thinking that the ability of a Void Refining expert to manipulate the void was truly a divine life-saving skill. In the wilderness, one could simply slip into the void; who could possibly track them down? Of course, he was not a Void Refining master, so he could not truly comprehend the intricacies of that realm.

Within the formless void, Cao Xuan gazed around with curiosity. Possessing the [Proverb Domain], he could perceive something unusual. Although they appeared to have left the Xuanhua Continent, his senses told him they were still within it, as the fundamental laws remained unchanged. Furthermore, much like the concept of "Mount Sumeru contained within a mustard seed," they were currently inside a mere speck of dust.

Cao Xuan had a thought. His [Proverb Domain] could be applied to individuals or to the surrounding environment. Given its hundred-meter range, the consumption of true essence varied based on the target’s cultivation level and the scope of the effect. The Sword Immortal before him was in the Void Refining stage, many tiers above his own. But what about the spatial scope?

Cao Xuan pondered for a moment and whispered a single word: "Hot."

In the void, one should not feel temperature at all, yet suddenly, a wave of heat washed over them. Though Cao Xuan’s thoughts were complex, this all occurred in an instant.

Sword Immortal Qingyin was taken aback, a look of shock crossing her face. She scanned her surroundings, murmuring, "What is going on? Is there something wrong with this void?" She had heard Cao Xuan’s word, and as a Void Refining expert, she was immune to the elements. If she could feel the heat, then Cao Xuan surely felt it even more.

Ignoring the Sword Immortal, who was frantically casting spells to investigate the void, Cao Xuan monitored the drain on his true essence. "It only consumed a sliver of essence! Even though the fairy created this space casually, it must be at least a hundred meters across. Last time at the Talisman Peak, saying 'quiet' drained my entire reserve, yet here, only a sliver?"

Cao Xuan was shaken. "This means that even if my [Proverb Domain] remains incomplete, as long as I break through to the Void Refining stage, I can continue to use the 'shattered void' method to minimize consumption!"

He narrowed his eyes. His [Proverb Domain] could not control a powerhouse four major realms above him, but it could alter the laws of space! Since no one was watching, he used his true essence to shroud his mouth, preventing sound from escaping, as he only needed the space itself—not a specific person—to "hear" his command.

He whispered to himself, "In this space, it is common knowledge that one wears no clothes."

Because this was a Sumeru space, he braced himself for his true essence to be drained dry. Instead, he felt a slight jolt. "It only consumed a tenth of my essence!" This consumption was negligible, akin to casting a simple spell, which his peak Foundation Establishment cultivation could recover in moments.

As the creator of the domain, he could feel the spatial laws shifting. He experienced a strange sensation: an instinctive feeling that being unclothed was the natural state within this space. Knowing it was an illusion, he resisted the urge, but the Sword Immortal opposite him frowned.

"Strange. I do not know where this heat originates. Cao Xuan, can you endure it?"

Cao Xuan pinched his nose to prevent a nosebleed, as the Sword Immortal moved with surprising speed, her robes vanishing into her storage space in a blink. She frowned again. "Cao Xuan, why are you still wearing clothes? Do you not know that it is unacceptable to wear them here?"

Cao Xuan did not argue; he quickly shed his garments, and the two stood face to face.

In the space, they stood exposed. As a sword immortal, she possessed a slender, lithe frame, like a finely forged blade. Her long, elegant legs were impossible for Cao Xuan to ignore. However, she was unbothered by his gaze; in her mind, they were in a natural state, and as a low-level cultivator, Cao Xuan’s habit of looking at the "ground" was perfectly normal.

"Cao Xuan, look up when you speak. There are only the two of us here; there is no need to be so reserved."

Cao Xuan obeyed, looking up and revealing a look of admiration. The corners of Sword Immortal Qingyin’s mouth curled upward. Seeing the appreciation in his eyes, she straightened her posture, projecting the air of a true master.

"Next, I will impart a secret of the Sacred Land and cast a technique. If, after hearing it, you still do not choose our Ziyang Sword Sect, this memory will be automatically erased!"

Cao Xuan’s expression tightened, and he nodded solemnly, while secretly invoking his [Proverb Domain]: "Within this domain, her secret technique is ineffective!"

He did not know the power of her technique, but the threat of memory erasure made him anxious. Regardless of the secret, he looked at the fair, slender fairy before him. If this memory were erased, wouldn't all of this be for nothing?

Because he spoke only to the space itself, he controlled his lips to avoid forming words. Caught off guard, the fairy did not notice him speaking, nor did she attempt to break through the true essence surrounding his body—after all, any cultivator above the Foundation Establishment stage had true essence circulating around them, and no one would find that unusual.

Soon, Cao Xuan watched as the "spotless" fairy cast her spell. A talisman flew toward his consciousness, but the moment it entered his body, it was dissolved by the space itself.

Sword Immortal Qingyin spoke again: "Cao Xuan, I represent the Ziyang Sword Sect in formally inviting you to join us!"