Chen Xuan and the other two were greatly astonished.

Wasn’t the Immortal Alliance still organizing local cultivators to venture into Europe? How could it just vanish?

Clearly, the Ascension Platform is still there!

"Who arranged for you to clean the courtyard here?"

"It was the joint decision of the Four Great Sects. The guard disciples are rotated annually by each sect," Wang Wenyi said respectfully. "This is the consensus among all sect leaders. Without the guidance of you Immortal Masters, we cultivators would not have reached our current achievements."

Four Great Sects?

Liu Shuyue had already asked, "Which four?"

Wang Wenshou cupped his hands, "Ascension Platform, Fengtian Academy, Medicine King Pavilion, and Lotus Cloud Sect."

"What did you say?!" Liu Shuyue suddenly charged forward, grabbed the other’s collar, and demanded, "What was the name of the last sect?"

Wang Wenshou was frightened, stammering and unable to speak.

Wang Wenyi forced himself to repeat, "The Lotus Cloud Sect. Why is the Immortal Master angry?"

"She’s not angry, just a bit excited," Chen Xuan was equally shocked, but he didn’t show it outwardly. "What’s the origin of this Lotus Cloud Sect?"

"It inherits the celestial path lineage, founded by the disciples of the Immortal Masters, Ji Yun and Ji Lian."

Chen Xuan was puzzled; had he ever accepted these two?

Liu Shuyue pulled him aside, "These two are Jiu and Hua."

He pondered for a moment, "The sibling pair?"

"Do you remember they had a master before? He died at the top of the Flesh and Blood Tower. But before he passed, he saw his disciples and gave them a jade plaque with their dao names."

Liu Shuyue was standing nearby at the time, not disturbing their farewell moment.

Until Jiu came over and showed the jade plaque to her, which made her realize what had happened.

"Wait!" Chen Xuan asked in surprise, "You knew their dao names back then? Why have you never mentioned this to me?"

"I didn’t know how to say it!" Liu Shuyue clenched his fingers tighter, "Because the names were connected, should I have made them change their names forcefully? They haven’t done anything wrong! Anyone would find such a request odd... So I decided not to dwell on the names for the time being and focused on building Hot Pepper Village..."

Chen Xuan suddenly understood.

No wonder after the Immortal Alliance matters came to an end, Liu Shuyue hadn’t visited the shop for a while, even Lin Qing suspected the two might have quarreled.

It was because of this event.

"Don’t worry, maybe it’s just a coincidence of names?" Chen Xuan said lightly.

"I’ve been telling myself the same, but previously it was just a name connection, now it has become the actual Lotus Cloud Sect. It’s hard for me to consider it a mere coincidence," Liu Shuyue murmured.

Whether or not it is the Lotus Cloud Sect of her origin, it truly does not affect her in any way. Even if it is, it merely means they’ve witnessed a piece of history.

Chen Xuan understood Liu Shuyue’s complex mindset at the moment—a mix of confusion about the unknown and an awkward feeling from transitioning from a disciple to the progenitor of the sect.

But concretely speaking, it indeed has its benefits.

At least her seniority increased exponentially.

"Anyway, we need to confirm this with those siblings," Chen Xuan waited for Liu Shuyue to calm down before he approached Wang Wenshou and Wang Wenyi. "Jiu... no, where are Ji Yun and Ji Lian now?"

"Returning to the Immortal Master, Sect Leader Ji is still in the West leading battles against demons."

"Then who is the sect leader of Ascension Platform, and where is he now?"

"Our sect leader is Lord Xu Xuanling, she is also in the West."

The other person added, "Currently, the sect leaders and core forces of the Four Great Sects are all in the West training. Here, only a small force remains for defense, as the sealing array is completed."

"Sealing array?"

"Yes, if you step outside the courtyard, you can see it."

Chen Xuan stepped outside the door and saw a transformed Chang’an City in the distance—the erosion zone had noticeably shrunk but still occupied half of the city. Alongside the original city wall, hundreds of skeleton-like objects stood, forming a circle around the erosion zone. These structures were covered with dense talismans, which emitted light in a rhythmic manner as if breathing autonomously. The weak blue light from thousands of talismans connected into a field, eventually weaving into a translucent dome, like an upside-down bowl covering the eroded part of the city!

Undoubtedly, this was a monumental project.

Moreover, the surroundings of Chang’an City had undergone significant changes as well—the markets and dwellings at the city wall foot were abandoned, and the farmland had turned into a wild area overgrown with weeds. A tall building was erected by the roadside north of this courtyard, resembling the old Moon Gazing Tower; from the top, it should provide a full view of Chang’an City.

"What is that building?"

"It’s the Star-picking Tower built by the Four Great Sects for the cultivators stationed in Chang’an to live," the two quickly introduced.

Chen Xuan nodded, "What about the city folk? Where did they go?"

"All relocated," Wang Wenyi replied. "After all, this place is too dangerous; only cultivators are left."

"It’s probably not easy..." Liu Shuyue said softly, "Generations have lived here."

"You’re correct, it indeed wasn’t easy; it took a total of five years."

Time was one thing, but the measures employed were another... Certainly not everyone left willingly. Chen Xuan understood but didn’t voice it. "So you only clean this courtyard? Did the Sect Leader leave any other instructions?"

"Yes." The two nodded, "Lord Xuanling said, if any Immortal Master appeared, we must invite them to stay and promptly inform her to return."

"Seems she misses me," Chen Xuan chuckled.

"Give it up; likely she wants to meet Great Immortal Master Liu, not you," Lin Qing pouted.

"Alright, don’t bother notifying her; I’ll go there myself," he said to Ascension Platform disciples.

The two looked at each other but didn’t dare object, "Yes, understood, young ones."

Reaching the Anglo-French frontlines shouldn’t be difficult.

Others might not be there, but Joan certainly will be.

The three returned from the branch store to the main store, went upstairs to room 210, and used a room card to enter Joan’s room. It still had the old castle style, dark and cold; the interiors showed few signs of habitation, indicating the space was rarely used. The back door easily swung open, and Chen Xuan ventured outside, finding himself in a bright office.

Centrally, there was a large sand table filled with all sorts of flags.

Books and scrolls piled around the sand table.

The ground was covered with bedding and blankets.

This was undoubtedly Joan’s residing place, but it wasn’t a typical bedroom; it seemed to be a command post serving as a sleeping area.

At the same time, the room gently swayed, reminding one of drifting on a sea.

"Are we on a ship?" Lin Qing asked curiously.

"Let me check..." Chen Xuan scanned around, found a lit porthole, leaned beside it to look outside, causing goosebumps to rise on his back, "Holy shit, we’re in the sky!"

"What?"

"In the sky?" The other two joined to observe.

He was sure he wasn’t mistaken; they were indeed on a ship. The edge of the porthole provided a view of wide side decks and extending various body firearms. Below was certainly an ocean, gray like a curtain.

The problem was, the vessel was several hundred meters above sea level, at that height, the rolling waves looked like fine threads.

Moreover, there were not just one or two such ships!

Looking up through the porthole, one would see a sky dotted with over a dozen flying ships. Their shapes were boxy and stately, contrasting western sail warships, resembling oriental treasure ships instead. These vessels moved slowly in the sky, adorned with colorful flags, and the towering sides exhibited numerous cannon doors, appearing like overwhelming air fortresses!

At this moment, the door suddenly opened, and Joan along with soldiers in uniforms appeared.

They were stunned at the sight of strangers in the room.

"Who are you!?"

"Beware of assassins!"

"Raise your hands!"

They shouted boldly, jointly shielding Joan behind and drew pistols from their waists.

Joan was first surprised to see Chen Xuan, then loudly reprimanded, "Stop! Do not be disrespectful to the Divine Envoy!"

"Divine, Divine Envoy?"

Everyone was taken aback.

Joan parted the soldiers, swiftly approached Chen Xuan, still as before, she placed her hand on her chest, bent down, performing a full bow, "Long time no see, Divine Envoy. Today, surely by Lord’s command, you have come to bestow your blessing for the Alliance Army’s counterattack?"