Chapter 131: 131. Chapter 131

131. Chapter 131

Guan San is currently stroking the server, please complete your subscription to defeat him! Atian knew very well that this flight of stairs was the only opportunity she could grasp. The Fangxian Dao had not yet realized their identities, which was why they had sent low-level disciples to handle the situation. Once they reacted, she feared she would only be left to watch from the sidelines.

For a Sword Cultivator, the sword one wields determines the sword technique one uses. Wanjie was a sword of brilliance, and Bai Tian's sword technique was as aggressive as a raging fire. She had never fought a Dharma Cultivator before this; whether it was the opponent forming hand seals or refining instruments, it was all a first for her. During the confrontation, she relied primarily on combat instinct to respond, and to her surprise, she actually managed to hold her own.

Since she was young, she had possessed a talent for beating people up that far exceeded others; otherwise, she would not have swept through Guangkai Town and earned the reputation of the "World-Confusing Great Demon King." The opposing Fangxian Dao disciple had only gained a slight advantage at the very beginning. Once she grew accustomed to the opponent's combat rhythm, she fought more and more smoothly, becoming increasingly agile. The balance of power reversed in an instant, and she soon kicked the first enemy flying.

This unlucky Fangxian Dao disciple drew a graceful parabola in the air and landed on the fellow disciples who had rushed over, causing the disciples behind to fall into a flurry of chaos.

With a stomp of her feet, Atian leaped up. Wanjie in her hand aimed at the crowd, and fire lotuses poured down, drawing out various treasures that emitted light. From afar, it looked like rows of opened oil-paper umbrellas, which was quite a sight.

However, that was as far as it went.

A metal Token, wrapped in surging power, descended from the sky. It split into six just as it was about to reach Bai Tian's eyes, circling around her body. Under the mutual pull of the six tokens, Atian felt the flames flowing in her meridians stagnate, and her limbs became unbearably heavy. She dropped to one knee, barely managing to support her body. What she could not see was that after suppressing her, the six tokens merged back into one and struck down directly at the young girl's head!

"Clang!"

The sound of metal striking metal came from above. Atian struggled to lift her head, only to see Senior Brother Mu blocking in front of her, using his sword to hold off the menacing Token.

"Zhang, old fellow," Mu Yi smiled in a devil-may-care manner, "I only have this one Junior Sister, don't you go bullying her."

"Mu Yi!"

The Fangxian Dao disciples scattered, clearing a path for the newcomer. A thin young man with loose hair walked to the very front of the group. He wore the same pale purple Daoist robe, only his hem was embroidered with a circle of dark red patterns. Judging by the respectful attitude of the surrounding disciples, he clearly held a high status within the Fangxian Dao.

His eye sockets were deeply sunken, his skin the pale color of one who rarely sees the sun, and his brows were knitted so tightly they could almost be tied into a knot. "What are you from the Beihai Sword Sect doing at our Luofu Mountain?"

"Seeking revenge," Senior Brother Mu answered briskly, "Zhang Zeyan, you can't interfere in this matter, you'd better go back to your alchemy room!"

"Seeking revenge?" The impatience on the face of the young Daoist named "Zhang Zeyan" deepened. "What nonsense are you spouting? When have we ever had a feud?"

"It seems you really don't know anything," Senior Brother Mu shrugged. "Then again, your direct lineage spends all day locked in the alchemy room. I reckon even if the world turned upside down outside, you lot would still happily keep guarding your alchemy furnaces. Sometimes I truly envy that mindset of yours."

"Mu Yi!" Zhang Zeyan's face darkened. "If you are here to attend the Qingtan Assembly, then speak properly; if not, get out!"

"Attend, of course we are going to attend." It was not Senior Brother Mu who answered him, but Duan Xuan, who was walking up step by step, followed by Li Ke and Bai Xinli.

The appearance of Duan Xuan gave Zhang Zeyan a jolt of terror. Others might not recognize this number one Sword Cultivator of the Yuanguang Continent, but as the direct disciple of the Fangxian Dao Grandmaster Wei Sheren, he had lost count of how many times he had seen this Sect Master in private. When Mu Yi said earlier that he "couldn't interfere," he had been dismissive, but now Zhang Zeyan understood: the man surnamed Mu really hadn't been lying.

"Such a grand event as the Qingtan Assembly, how could we not attend? Without my Beihai Sword Sect, could this still be called the number one grand event of the cultivation world?" Duan Xuan changed the subject here. "But one thing is one thing, attending the assembly is one thing, but this revenge, well, it still must be sought."

"Liu Yan, blast this bunch of little brats back for me!"

Before the words had faded, Liu Yan, who had been quietly climbing the mountain path, drew her sword at the sound. Her sword was as crystal clear as ice, and the moment it left its sheath, it brought with it the scent of the ocean tide.

She took a step forward, held her long sword to her chest, and swung it with force—in an instant, everyone felt as if they were on the surging Beihai Sea, with massive waves overturning the heavens before them. This massive wave, wrapped in the momentum of toppling mountains and overturning seas, swept forward, swallowing all the Fangxian Dao disciples in front, and then slapped them back fiercely!

Duan Xuan watched calmly as the Fangxian Dao crowd was slapped back to the mountaintop and said to the struggling Zhang Zeyan: "Junior Nephew Zhang, go back and tell your master that I, Duan Xuan, have come to pay a visit. Whoever tries to stop me, I will beat every single one I see."

Knowing there was no turning back, Zhang Zeyan sighed, gave up resistance, and let the giant wave roll him up to the mountaintop as well.

"Junior Sister Bai, are you alright?" Mu Yi turned around and reached out to Atian with a grin. "Do you feel any numbness in your limbs?"

Atian felt fine; having experienced the sword pressure from Bai Xinli that was enough to crush an opponent, the might of the Token just now wasn't that terrifying. It was just that her Qi and blood were a bit obstructed throughout her body. She thought for a moment, grabbed his arm, and used it to stand up.

Mu Yi scratched his head, feeling relieved inside. The Grandmaster had placed him behind Junior Sister Bai specifically to look after this little Junior Sister. He just hadn't expected the little Junior Sister to be stronger than anticipated. If Zhang Zeyan hadn't intervened, she might have actually been able to charge up to the mountaintop. But then again, if she hadn't been this strong, Zhang Zeyan probably wouldn't have intervened.

Forget it, as long as she was fine.

"Who was that?" Atian patted the dust off her skirt.

"Who? Oh!" Mu Yi slapped his forehead. "You mean Zhang Zeyan. That gloomy ghost is one of the direct disciples of the Fangxian Dao's main branch, a student of Grandmaster Wei Sheren. Don't look at his bad temper and foul mouth; he's actually a good person."

Atian looked in the direction where "Good Person Zhang Zeyan" had been slapped away and accurately grasped the key point in Mu Yi's words. "Main branch?"

"Did you see the Daoist robe he was wearing? The Fangxian Dao has too many branches, so to distinguish them, they mark their clothes," Mu Yi gestured on his own clothes. "Those with dark red patterns are the main branch, symbolizing the burning alchemy furnace. Those with green patterns are Spirit Cultivators, symbolizing herbs and mountains and rivers, and so on... Those with yellow patterns are Instrument Cultivators, but they are a bit different. The types of Instrument Cultivators are varied and diverse; they like to embroider the instruments their lineage uses onto their clothes. Speaking of which, I have to mention the most shameless lineage among them—they actually embroidered swords onto their hems. Isn't that clearly imitating us?"

Atian looked down at the small blue sword on her skirt and nodded in deep agreement.

"To prevent you from getting confused, Junior Sister, I must warn you: that bunch of sword-embroidering fellows are not of our Sword Cultivator lineage, just a bunch of annoying ghosts who like to pose with swords," a look of annoyance appeared on Mu Yi's face. "They could have just walked their own path, but they insist on imitating others... In short, you'll understand when you see them."

"Alright, alright," waving his hand as if shooing away something annoying, Mu Yi said to Bai Tian, "Although this trip is fraught with danger, Junior Sister Bai, don't be afraid. Senior Brother will protect you."

Atian was deeply moved. The last person to say this was the youngest son of the wealthy Wang family next door, who used to lie on the wall every day swearing eternal love to her, but unfortunately, he disappeared after seeing her kick a strong man's ribs into pieces.

She hadn't expected that, through twists and turns, she would meet such a kind person even after she started cultivating immortality.

Just as Atian was about to nod, a voice cut in, "Protect? What protection? Do you know how many demons and monsters are on this Luofu Mountain? You can barely look after yourself and you're still playing the hero in front of your Junior Sister."

"Sect... Sect Master," Mu Yi, having been scolded, wore a bitter face. "I'm not that bad, am I..."

"Go, go, go," Duan Xuan waved his hand dismissively, his attitude doing a 180-degree turn when he looked at Bai Tian. "Atian, come here to me."

Between the Sect Master and a Senior Brother, the Sect Master was naturally more important. So, Atian abandoned the aggrieved-looking Mu Yi without hesitation, walked behind Duan Xuan as requested, and stood beside Bai Xinli.

"Haha, I've wanted to do this for a long time," Duan Xuan said with his hands on his hips, looking incredibly proud. "Bringing a Golden Boy and Jade Girl along really gives off the air of an immortal!"

"Then, Senior Brother Grandmaster, are you the God of Wealth or the Child-Sending Guanyin?" Li Ke moved away a few steps silently, a look of disdain appearing on his face.

"Me?" Duan Xuan laughed upon hearing this and flicked his sleeves. "I am neither the God of Wealth nor the Child-Sending Guanyin; I am Duan Xuan of the Beihai Sword Sect!"

"Let's go, let's go meet some old friends!"

Whether it was because Liu Yan was too effective or Zhang Zeyan had delivered the message, Atian followed Duan Xuan all the way to the mountaintop without obstruction. Stepping over the final flight of stairs, an otherworldly fairyland crashed into her view.

Surging clouds and mist swirled among the mountain forests, the willow trees swaying with the wind formed waves, and a winding stream came from the mountains, threading through the woods, carrying brown wooden tea trays down the riverbed. The tea cups and tea spoons floating in the stream emitted crisp clinking sounds.