Chapter 136: 136. Chapter 136

136. Chapter 136

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She thought absentmindedly, immersing herself completely in the perception of the surrounding environment. The power within her body gradually gathered at her eyes, mouth, and nose. With the infusion of power and the concentration of her spirit, the scene of her surroundings gradually took shape in her mind.

This was a place similar to an underground karst cave, empty and vast, with only hanging stalactites and sporadically distributed stalagmites as monotonous embellishments. She continued to expand her range of perception, sneaking toward the position where "that thing" was sitting, but she gained nothing—the place she originally thought it was in was empty.

Atian immediately retracted her perception, and then discovered that directly behind her, a monster with a human face, beast body, dog ears, and two green snakes coiled around it was silently opening its mouth, which was filled with layers of sharp teeth, behind her. Without a second thought, she thrust her sword out behind her. The sharp blade rubbed against the sharp teeth, emitting a sound that made one's scalp tingle, and foul-smelling liquid gushed out, permeating the ground beneath her feet.

She turned around and stepped on the monster's lower jaw, kicking it away. The latter slammed into a nearby stalactite, its four hooves scraping the ground as it struggled violently in silence. Atian walked in front of it, stepped on its shoulder, and thrust her sword through its crown in one go.

A large amount of foul-smelling liquid sprayed out. She took a step back, sensing that the commotion caused by the fight was rapidly attracting other things, and she raised her sword once again.

Atian knew that this was only the beginning. She looked up toward the upper left, where it was still pitch black, but for some reason, she always felt something was wrong.

"Sect Leader, Elder Li and Senior Brother Bai have arrived."

The Sword Attendant Boy's voice interrupted Duan Xuan's train of thought. The Water Mirror was playing the scene of Bai Tian bravely fighting the Shebishi. He tapped his right index finger on the table a few times, rubbed his chin with his left hand, and said mysteriously to Li Ke, who had just walked over: "Junior Brother Li... don't you think..."

"I don't think so." Li Ke not only coldly interrupted the Sect Master's words but also blocked them.

Having been fellow disciples for so many years, he knew Duan Xuan too well! If he let this Sect Master senior brother let his mind wander, they probably wouldn't be able to discuss proper business by this time next year.

Duan Xuan, whose topic was rejected by his junior brother, was not angry; at his level of cultivation, it was not easy to get angry even if he wanted to.

As the Sect Master of the Beihai Sword Sect, Duan Xuan was not the steady middle-aged man imagined by the outside world; instead, he had a very lively temperament, which, combined with his appearance in his prime, made him seem just like a young and vigorous teenager.

"Alright, alright," Duan Xuan shrugged, his loosely draped outer robe slipping due to his movement, his hair disheveled, the tips brushing against his shoulders, "Then I'll get straight to the point."

"According to reliable information, this year's Qingtan Assembly has been decided to be held at the Fangxian Dao on Luofu Mountain," he said, propping his head with his right hand and leaning sideways on the couch, "Oh my, that is the head of the Four Great Immortal Sects, the Fangxian Dao! I'm so scared, I don't dare to attend the meeting alone at all!"

Saying panicked words with a lazy expression—when it came to the ability to disgust people, Duan Xuan could be considered one of the best in the cultivation world. Heaven knows his so-called "reliable information" was just sending a letter to the Sect Leader of the Taixuan Sect.

"Junior Brother Li, you must accompany me. Anyway, I'm timid, so let's bring more people, give the little brats a chance to see the world," Duan Xuan said while lying through his teeth, "Xin Li, you go too, and you must protect your master well."

Bai Xinli, who was named, silently took half a step back.

"When are we leaving?" Li Ke asked.

"In three days," Duan Xuan replied, "Junior Sister Luo asked me to wait for three days, so I will wait and see. Let those idiots enjoy themselves for a few more days."

Duan Xuan said he would wait for three days, and he really waited for three days. Early on the fourth day, the entire Beihai Sword Sect was in an uproar because the Sect Master was leaving the mountain gate. All the disciples scrambled to the plaza to see the Sect Master off, with only Luo Li and Atian missing from the crowd.

The team heading to the Qingtan Assembly was not very large. Aside from Duan Xuan and Li Ke, only about a dozen disciples led by Bai Xinli were chosen. Although it was not grand, it was a genuine display of heading to the assembly.

"A chance to go out with Senior Brother! Yet I wasn't chosen!" Zhao Kuo's desperate cry voiced the inner thoughts of many, and the disciples who were cut felt a wave of sorrow rise in their hearts. For a time, the entire sky above the Beihai Sword Sect was filled with a sorrowful atmosphere.

At the same time, beside the sinkhole in the Martial Arts Arena, Luo Li sat on a mountain rock, tapping her leg with her hand, singing a little tune intermittently, and occasionally peeking at the bottomless sinkhole. Seeing no one, she continued to shake her head and sing.

Just as she reached the best part of her song, a blood-stained hand reached out from under the steep rock wall, grabbing Luo Li's left ankle tightly, leaving a bloody handprint on it.

"Oh?"

The woman stopped humming. She raised her eyebrows and watched the owner of this hand slowly climb up from the knife-carved cliff. She saw that her whole body was stained with blood, her dress was so dirty that its original color was almost unrecognizable, and the fabric was torn in many places. However, the long black sword she carried on her back was stored in a scabbard engraved with inscriptions, shining brightly under the morning light.

As soon as she climbed up, Atian collapsed on the ground as if exhausted. After three consecutive days of high-intensity fighting, even she had been pushed to her limit. Several times, she even had the illusion that she would die down there.

But it was truly exhilarating.

She squinted her eyes, the corners of her mouth curling up in satisfaction.

Bai Xinli was far stronger than her; fighting him would only result in being overwhelmed by that crushing power. Song Zhicheng was too weak; fighting him was only enough to warm up.

This was probably the first time Bai Tian had unleashed all her power without reservation. Even covered in wounds, it was the most exhilarating battle she had ever had.

"Since you're out, let's go. I hope we can still make it in time." Luo Li said this, but noticed Atian had no reaction. Looking closely, she realized the young girl had already fallen into a deep sleep. She laughed out loud, directly hoisted the person up, and hurried toward the entrance of the Floating Island.

By then, Duan Xuan's group was about to leave the island. After Luo Li caught up, she shouted, "You forgot something!" and threw the sleeping Atian over, who was caught by the quick-witted Bai Xinli.

"Fine!" Duan Xuan glanced at Atian in Bai Xinli's arms and nodded, "Bring her along, let's go!"

When Atian woke up, she found herself flying high in the sky, covered by a piece of clothing. She steadied her still-dizzy head, and just as she was about to get up, she was stopped by a hand.

"Keep it covered, it's cold on the sword."

Bai Xinli, who was not wearing his outer robe, sat beside her, and what they were sitting on was naturally his Wuo Sword.

"Master saw you were exhausted, so he let me bring you along," he explained.

"Where are we going?" Atian asked blankly.

"To attend the Qingtan Assembly." Bai Xinli thought for a moment; he didn't know if the word "attend" was appropriate.

Atian did not ask what the Qingtan Assembly was; she wasn't that curious anyway. Bai Xinli was right, it was very cold on the sword. Although she had reached Foundation Establishment, she couldn't ignore the bitter cold like him, so she could only silently wrap herself tighter in his outer robe.

Afterward, an awkwardness hung between the two.

Bai Xinli was not a total stranger to Atian, but they definitely couldn't be called familiar either; they couldn't even find a topic for small talk.

To Atian's surprise, it was Bai Xinli who broke the silence first, "You... have you been living with Mom and Dad all these years?"

"Mm." Atian nodded.

"Then can you tell me... how have Mom and Dad been doing all these years?" A rare look of hesitation and embarrassment appeared on Bai Xinli's face.

This feeling was very fresh to Bai Tian. The only time she and Bai Xinli had a serious exchange before was in the Stone Chamber. Perhaps no one would believe it, but at that time, although she was defeated in terms of strength, she held the upper hand in terms of stance—it was Bai Xinli who needed her, not her who needed Bai Xinli.

And now, they had another chance to communicate. She suddenly realized that the young man in front of her, despite his astonishing Sword Cultivation, was only two years older than her.

Atian naturally wouldn't refuse Bai Xinli's request. She began to recall every bit of her life with the Bai couple, from their preferences to the trivialities of life. When she spoke of how Lady Bai disciplined Master Bai, the young man beside her softened his brows and eyes, the corners of his mouth curving slightly, vaguely forming a smile.

Bai Tian suddenly became curious, "Senior Brother, do you also have times when you miss home?"

Hearing this, Bai Xinli pursed his lips, "At first I missed it very much, and even made a fuss. As time went by, I got used to it."

"Then have you never thought about going back to take a look?"

She continued to ask, which earned her a deep look from him.

"I cannot go back, and I must not go back."

"Why?"

Bai Xinli did not answer her. Instead, the Wuo Sword beneath them suddenly jolted. Atian looked up abruptly and discovered that, unknowingly, the two of them had been surrounded by a group of men in black. These men in black held various strange magical artifacts, and the leader shouted in a weird voice: "Bai Xinli! Hand over your life..."

He couldn't finish his sentence, and his companions couldn't speak either. The crisscrossing Sword Qi tore them to pieces in an instant, and blood droplets fell like rain.

Atian looked at the young man beside her in astonishment, not because he had ended several lives in the blink of an eye, but because at the moment he struck, she felt "Bai Xinli" disappear. Even though his body was still there, she just felt that there was no one beside her.