One of the two statues standing outside Luan Yi’s residence depicted the Sect Leader herself. Although it was merely a sculpture, it had perfectly captured both her breathtaking beauty and the terrifying aura she exuded.
The craftsmanship was so exquisite that it almost seemed alive. The folds of her robes appeared ready to flutter in the wind, while her eyes were so vivid that one could almost believe they would open at any moment and stare directly into the observer’s soul.
To this, Chen Xuan was only briefly surprised before silently admiring the craftsmanship.
However, as he followed the direction of her gaze and looked toward the second statue, his expression gradually darkened.
The second statue depicted a man.
He had short black hair, calm blue eyes, and wore long white robes.
A sword sheath rested at his waist, while his posture was upright and elegant.
Unlike the woman, whose appearance radiated unmistakable demonic intent, the man exuded the temperament of a righteous scholar, refined and detached from worldly affairs.
Yet that impression lasted only until one looked upon his face.
His expression contained neither anger nor cruelty. Only absolute indifference.
Not the indifference born of arrogance, but the kind that came from witnessing countless ages pass by. It was as though even if heaven collapsed and all living beings perished before him, his heart would remain perfectly still.
It was the gaze of someone who had already seen everything the world had to offer.
Just like Luan Yi’s statue, this one was astonishingly lifelike.
And just like hers, its identity was unmistakable.
"Hey, Chen Xuan, isn’t that you?"
A discordant voice suddenly broke the silence.
Honglan pointed toward the statue, her strange pupils widening in surprise.
"Did you secretly ask this woman to build a statue of yourself? Aren’t you a little too full of yourself?"
"Look! Look at that expression! If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were the Emperor of Heaven himself!"
Although the words sounded complimentary, the grin spreading across Honglan’s face completely betrayed her intentions.
She wasn’t praising him, but straight-up mocking him.
Her expression practically screamed: "I didn’t know you were this much of a chuunibyou".
In response to her teasing, Chen Xuan resisted the urge to smack her over the head.
How could he possibly have asked Luan Yi to carve a statue of him?
Even if he had, there was no way it would have turned out like this.
’I’m such an upright and kind young man. How could my depiction be so cold and indifferent? Is this really how Luan Yi sees me?’
’That woman is completely mistaken! Just look at me! How could I possibly be like that?’
He inwardly complained while suppressing the impulse to draw his sword and reduce the statue to rubble.
In the end, reason prevailed. Shaking his head, he looked toward Honglan.
"Alright. You’ve admired me enough," Unable to vent his frustration toward the statue itself, he directed it at her instead.
"Come on. We don’t have time to waste."
"We need to find the Myriad Souls Chrysanthemum before Luan Yi realizes something is wrong."
Honglan looked as though she wanted to say something else. Unfortunately for her, Chen Xuan had already turned away.
With a few quick steps, he arrived before the palace entrance and pushed the massive doors open.
A low creak echoed throughout the courtyard. Without the slightest hesitation, Chen Xuan stepped inside.
Honglan lingered for only a brief moment longer, stealing another amused glance at the statue before hurrying after him.
"Wait!" her voice echoed.
--
The interior of the palace was every bit as magnificent as its exterior.
Long corridors stretched into the distance, decorated with elegant paintings, priceless ornaments, exotic spirit plants, and countless statues. Every pillar, every wall, and every decorative carving radiated wealth and refinement.
Chen Xuan silently estimated that constructing this residence must have consumed billions of Spirit Stones.
While inwardly sighing at Luan Yi’s extravagance, he never slowed his pace.
Perhaps because the outer courtyard already contained countless defensive measures, the palace itself possessed neither formations nor guards.
As Chen Xuan and Honglan ventured deeper inside, nothing attempted to stop them. The palace welcomed them as though they belonged there.
Chen Xuan navigated through corridor after corridor.
At first glance, his movements appeared random, making it seem as though he had become lost within the maze-like residence.
Before long, however, that impression proved false.
After another turn, the two arrived before a massive chamber unlike any they had seen so far.
Rather than a cultivation room or library, it contained a vast garden.
The chamber stretched for several miles, its interior clearly expanded through spatial formations.
Unlike the breathtaking sea of flowers outside, this garden contained comparatively few plants.
Less than a thousand in total.
The moment Chen Xuan saw them, his eyes brightened.
He knew he had arrived at the correct place.
Luan Yi had mentioned this garden more than once. According to her, many heavenly treasures required completely different environments to survive.
Rather than forcing them to compete for the same Spiritual Energy, she had painstakingly recreated the perfect habitat for each one.
She had boasted about this accomplishment countless times.
Looking at the garden now, Chen Xuan had to admit that she had every right to do so.
The garden was divided into hundreds of independent regions.
Each flower occupied a section entirely by itself, with hundreds of feet of space surrounding it.
More importantly, every section possessed a completely unique environment.
Complex formations continuously altered the surrounding world, recreating climates that should never have been able to coexist.
Some regions blazed beneath miniature suns. Others were buried beneath eternal snow. One contained nothing but endless rain.
As Chen Xuan’s gaze settled upon one flower near the edge, he noticed it stood beneath an artificial night sky.
Countless tiny stars shimmered overhead, enclosed beneath a transparent dome. From time to time, specks of starlight descended and merged into the flower’s petals.
Starlight Flower.
Chen Xuan immediately recognized it.
It was an extremely rare heavenly treasure used when cultivating star-related techniques.