Chapter Ninety: The Chimes of the Heavenly Dust

The eruption of a powerful aura, though fleeting, felt endlessly long in Xun Qing’s eyes.

“Sixth realm of the Void?”

At this moment, waves of shock crashed through Xun Qing’s heart. Though the aura vanished in a blink, her noble status meant she had encountered many mighty figures. Moreover, the ability to tear apart this mechanism was proof enough that her suspicion was correct.

The sixth realm of the Void! That was a level surpassing nearly all disciples of sects across the continent; in the Central Divine Continent, such a person could walk unchallenged, and in any sect, they would hold a place of honor—some elders only barely reached this realm. It utterly overturned her understanding…

Just as Xun Qing’s thoughts ran wild and she braced herself, expecting to be thrown back by the recoil, a pair of strong hands firmly caught her.

“So, tell me—how should I repay you?” Tian Ming smiled, studying the delicate figure in his arms with amusement.

Now, in Elder Yu’s territory, Tian Ming dared not let this privileged young lady be harmed, not in the slightest!

“How could you possibly…?” It took a while for Xun Qing to recover. Seeing Tian Ming so close, she was stunned. Clearly, she hadn’t anticipated such an outcome, but before she could finish speaking, Tian Ming interrupted her.

“Hush.”

“As long as you don’t speak of what just happened, I won’t pursue it. Deal?” Tian Ming shook his head, his serious gaze resting on Xun Qing.

“You dare!” Though Xun Qing was shocked by Tian Ming’s realm, she still wasn’t afraid, for she had her second grandfather as her trump card. More importantly, as someone born with a golden key, few could threaten her, and she refused to yield!

“Oh? Are you so sure I won’t dare?” Tian Ming smiled meaningfully, lifting Xun Qing’s snow-white chin with his hand. “Well, aren’t you simply irresistible?”

Before Tian Ming could finish, Xun Qing, her cheeks flushed with anger and shame, slapped his hand away without mercy—she truly was angry…

“If you won’t agree, suit yourself! I’m going to rest now. See you tomorrow.”

With a wave, Tian Ming stood, his face dark, and glanced at Xun Qing before ignoring her completely. Exposure or not, though he could have forced Xun Qing to compromise, Tian Ming refused—such was not his way.

“Hmph!” Seeing Tian Ming angry, Xun Qing was furious herself, growing angrier the more she thought about it! She had never been touched like this by someone her own age, let alone a man. Her temper flared, she turned her face away and ignored him as well…

…

Soon, the atmosphere chilled to its limit, until a particular moment.

“Hey, how long are you going to stay on my bed?” Tian Ming turned, helpless, after taking a deep breath.

Xun Qing…

“Well! If you don’t care, neither do I. Why should you get the bed while I sit on the floor?”

Seeing Xun Qing unmoved, Tian Ming decided to throw caution to the wind. Normally, he would let it slide, but tonight he wouldn’t be so polite. Determined to break the pattern, he lay down right beside Xun Qing.

Of course, he merely lay there; Tian Ming didn’t want to stir up more trouble!

“You…!” Sensing movement behind her, Xun Qing turned to see Tian Ming lying down beside her without the slightest hesitation. She was about to push him off, but as her gaze brushed past the flawless moonlight, she felt a moment’s confusion and softened. “Fine, I’ll agree.”

“Really?” Tian Ming’s eyes lit up, surprised as he turned to her.

He had prepared himself to face the consequences, but hadn’t expected this young lady would agree to help him conceal his realm. Now, Tian Ming felt moved, his earlier grievances against Xun Qing dissolving.

“If you keep asking, it’ll be a lie!” Xun Qing stuck out her tongue playfully.

She seemed quite pleased to see Tian Ming’s surprised expression, and her earlier anger faded away…

“I hope you won’t hold my earlier rudeness against me. Here, I offer my apologies.” Tian Ming nodded, pressing his palm to his chest and bowing slightly. He didn’t mind Xun Qing’s playful manner; after all, he had been in the wrong, and if he’d spoken reasonably, things wouldn’t have gotten so out of hand.

“I was wrong too. I shouldn’t have lost my temper…” Xun Qing lowered her head shyly, speaking in a small voice.

“Hahaha!”

“So you can admit fault too?” Tian Ming looked up, laughing as he saw Xun Qing’s girlish demeanor.

As soon as he finished, Xun Qing’s guilt vanished, and she glared at Tian Ming like a tigress ready to pounce.

Gulp…

Seeing the situation turn, Tian Ming was about to dash for the door when suddenly, a deep, booming bell rang out: “Dong—dong—”.

It was louder than anything he’d ever heard!

“What’s this?” Tian Ming froze in surprise.

It was already past midnight—why was such a great bell sounding in the Tianyan Sect? Was something momentous occurring?

“The Celestial Dust Bell!”

Sensing Tian Ming’s curiosity, Xun Qing answered without hesitation.

“The Celestial Dust Bell? What’s that?” Tian Ming looked at her and asked.

He had some inkling, but wanted to hear it from her to be sure.

“The Celestial Dust Bell is…”

Before Xun Qing could explain, Elder Yu’s voice rang up from below, “Tian Ming, young friend! Qing girl! Come down—the departure time has been moved forward.”

“No time to explain—I'm heading down!” Xun Qing, seeing Tian Ming still trying to ask, stopped mid-sentence and rushed out…

“How interesting!” Tian Ming chuckled, shaking his head at Xun Qing’s urgency. It wasn’t as though it were an awards ceremony. Still, he followed at an unhurried pace—he would listen to Elder Yu’s words.

…

When Tian Ming hurried downstairs, he found Xun Qing already dressed formally. Impressed by her speed, he noticed the Tian Pavilion hall was not empty.

“Old brother, how come you two are here?” Tian Ming asked in surprise, seeing two others beside Elder Yu.

“Just happened to pass by, thought we’d take a look!” Chu Qingchen replied vaguely.

Meanwhile, Sikong Shi snickered at the side, clearly not agreeing with Chu Qingchen’s explanation. “By the way, Tian Ming, thank you for taking care of Heng Cheng earlier!”

“It’s nothing.” Tian Ming waved his hand, uninterested in these trivial matters—his focus was on the bell and its meaning. His seeking gaze fell upon Elder Yu, who was smiling serenely.

Sikong Shi smiled and nodded, also turning to Elder Yu.

…