Chapter 140

140. Chapter 140

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Atian stood beside Liu Yan, curiously examining the scene before her, when she heard someone nearby clicking their tongue incessantly:

"Tsk tsk tsk, now this is someone who knows how to spend money. Just looking at this flock of cranes makes my heart ache for them."

She turned her head and saw a Beihai Sword Sect disciple flying on his sword right beside them. Upon closer inspection, it was none other than Senior Brother Mu, an old acquaintance of Zhao Kuo.

In all fairness, Bai Tian had never spoken a single word to Senior Brother Mu, but she couldn't help it—Zhao Kuo viewed this man as the number one archenemy within the "Worship the Senior Brother" cult, and he held a grudge because this man had once stolen an opportunity for him to speak to the Senior Brother. He complained about it constantly, and she couldn't ignore it even if she wanted to.

Perhaps her gaze was too obvious, as Senior Brother Mu turned to look their way. Upon discovering Atian, he was visibly startled: "... Junior Sister Bai!"

Strangely, after seeing Liu Yan next to Atian, he let out a clear sigh of relief, muttering things like "Scared the hell out of me" and "I actually ran into the arsonist."

Atian had to admit that Zhao Kuo's words were sometimes reasonable; this Senior Brother Mu was indeed very punchable.

As they drew closer to Luofu Mountain, the pace of the Beihai Sword Sect group gradually slowed. Led by Duan Xuan, the team stopped one by one at the mountain gate of the Fangxian Dao. Atian jumped nimbly off Liu Yan's wooden sword; after flying in the air for so long, the feeling of having her feet on solid ground actually made her feel a bit uncomfortable.

The disciples dismounted one by one and gathered behind Duan Xuan to reorganize. Bai Xinli stood beside Li Ke, while Atian, who should have been at the back of the line, was pulled by Liu Yan. Then, the two of them simultaneously stretched out their feet and kicked the obstructive Senior Brother Mu to the very end of the line.

Mu Yi, having been bullied by both his Senior Sister and Junior Sister, lay on the ground in despair, completely unable to understand why he was being treated this way.

Duan Xuan squatted down at the very front and tentatively stretched his palm forward. As soon as it entered the range covered by the golden light, it triggered a flurry of sparks and crackling sounds.

"The Fangxian Dao's mountain-protecting formation, the Golden Light Soul-Refining Array," Li Ke said matter-of-factly. "It is said to be a formation that attacks the soul. Although it isn't as overbearing as the Nine-Bend Yellow River Array, it is still a rarity in this world."

"As for its power, it's alright," Duan Xuan said, retracting his hand and shrugging. "It's still a bit inferior to our Zhou Tian Star Sword Array."

"How about it? Shall we break the formation and enter?" Li Ke asked calmly.

"No, no, no," Duan Xuan shook his index finger. "We are here to attend the Qingtan Assembly; we can't be that rude. We must be polite."

After saying this, he, who had just claimed they "must be polite," raised his foot and kicked the Golden Light Soul-Refining Array hard. The vibration generated when the two collided made the entire mountain range shake.

"Wei! Get out here, you bastard!" Duan Xuan shouted viciously, then kicked the array again. "If you don't come out, I'll tear down your Luofu Mountain!"

Li Ke sighed, unfazed, with an expression that said, "I knew it would be like this."

With Duan Xuan causing such a scene, Wei Sheren did not appear, but it did alarm the mountain-guarding disciples. Two young boys in gray Taoist robes ran down the endless staircase in a panic. Upon seeing the Beihai Sword Sect group, they sternly scolded: "How bold! This is the important mountain gate of the Fangxian Dao; how can you people be so presumptuous!"

However, they received no response. As the two boys ran down from the gate, a gap naturally appeared in the mountain-protecting formation. Although it was fleeting, Duan Xuan seized the opportunity. He flicked his sleeve, and a sharp Sword Qi enveloped everyone, charging fiercely toward the Fangxian Dao gate and rushing inside the formation before the gap closed.

The two boys were blown off balance by the gale. By the time they scrambled up, they saw a group of uninvited guests standing swaggeringly on their steps, looking around as casually as tourists sightseeing.

"Y-you!" The boys' faces flushed red with anger, their small fingers trembling as they pointed at them.

"Are these the Crane Boys? This is my first time seeing them," Mu Yi said, squatting down in front of the two little beans and pinning them down with one hand each. "Shall we catch a few to take back? That way, we'll have cranes too!"

This remark made the other Beihai Sword Sect disciples' hearts flutter, but Duan Xuan glanced at him and scoffed, "No ambition. Why would you need to snatch such a thing? We must make the Fangxian Dao give them to us while crying!"

If the two Crane Boys couldn't tell by now that this group of fierce-looking people was here to cause trouble, they would have to be brain-dead. Their little faces turned deathly pale, yet they couldn't run away because Mu Yi was pinning them down.

"According to my deduction, given the flashy nature of these Fangxian Dao bastards, the scale of the Qingtan Assembly definitely won't be small. This suits my intentions perfectly; it'll be easier to find them," Duan Xuan rubbed his smooth chin and pointed his other finger at the end of the stairs. "Disciples of the Beihai Sword Sect, listen to my order: fight your way up from here. It's time to let those guys who drink tea and chat see the style of our Sword Cultivators."

Having said this, he added: "Of course, at the end of the day, we are guests, so we must be po-lite."

"However, I will be climbing up step by step right here. If I catch up to you, I can't guarantee what kind of treatment you'll receive after returning to the sect."

This sentence immediately made many people's scalps tighten.

"Don't listen to the Grandmaster scaring you," Li Ke said with a grin, pulling out his usual small notebook. "At most, I'll leave a heavy stroke in my records. Don't be afraid, just perform as usual!"

Upon hearing this, Mu Yi's legs went weak, and he almost failed to suppress the two cranes. Many disciples also turned pale, looking at the notebook in Li Ke's hand as if they were seeing a flood or a wild beast.

"Junior Uncle Li, stop messing around."

A hand pressed down on the hand Li Ke was using to hold the notebook. Bai Xinli's voice was like a calming pill, instantly settling the disciples who had been terrified by the two elders. He walked to the front of the team, stood on the stairs, scanned downward, and said to Mu Yi: "Junior Brother Mu, let them go."

As a senior member of the "Worship the Senior Brother" cult, Mu Yi naturally followed the Senior Brother's every word. His body acted before his brain could even react. The two Crane Boys, having regained their freedom, were stunned for a moment before turning back into their original forms and flying away with shrill cries.

Following their escape, the cranes' panicked warning cries soon echoed over Luofu Mountain. It was foreseeable that someone would soon come to intercept them.

Bai Xinli looked up at the mountaintop and called out: "Junior Sister Bai, you take the lead."

Everyone's eyes fell squarely on the named Atian. The latter, upon hearing this, was neither panicked nor uneasy; instead, she gave a shy smile and said, "Okay."

She lifted her skirt and walked lightly past the other senior brothers, arriving in front of Bai Xinli, and unfastened Wanjie from her back to hold it in her hand.

At this moment, faint footsteps and shouts were already coming from the end of the stairs, and the cranes in the air circled round and round, calling out.

Holding the blade with her left hand and the hilt with her right, Atian slowly drew Wanjie from its scabbard. Specks of flame spilled from the scabbard with her movements, and lotus flowers of flame edged in black gathered around her body. The temperature gradually rose, and a heatwave struck. By the time Wanjie was completely drawn, fire lotuses were blooming everywhere, making one feel as if they had returned to the day the dormitory burned down.

Atian carried her sword and began to advance step by step. Wherever she walked, fire lotuses bloomed. Her body trembled slightly, but it was out of excitement. It wasn't that Bai Tian didn't know her strength was low; she was at the bottom of this Beihai Sword Sect group, let alone compared to the Fangxian Dao, which possessed countless talents.

She might not be able to beat a single one of them.

But so what?

She wasn't standing here to defeat them in the first place.

Winning or losing didn't matter; to her, the act of fighting itself already held enough meaning.

Perhaps she was just born a bit abnormal?

No fear, no cowardice; what flowed in her veins was less like blood and more like the will to fight.

She was a Sword, and a Sword must always be unsheathed.

And she, she was going to unsheathe it against the strong.

They were all stronger than her; that was the truly wonderful part of this whole thing.

With every step Atian took, her aura grew stronger, and the number of fire lotuses Wanjie bloomed increased. By the time her aura climbed to its peak, the figures rushing toward her appeared in her line of sight.

"Who goes there! Why do you trespass on our Fangxian Dao mountain gate!" a young cultivator in pale purple Taoist robes shouted loudly, but his response was a blade wrapped in flames.

"Beihai Sword Sect disciple, Bai Tian," Wanjie's blade grazed the cultivator's cheek, leaving a bloody mark. Atian's voice was soft and gentle, "I have come specifically to learn the brilliant techniques of the Fangxian Dao brothers."

As she spoke, she licked her lips with the tip of her tongue, looking at the clearly stunned Fangxian Dao disciple and the endless stream of people rushing over behind him. "If you don't go all out, you might just die, you know?"

The man's hand clamped onto the young girl's slender neck, cold liquid dripped onto her cheek, and the suddenly rising tongues of fire crackled and exploded; the feeling of suffocation and pain grew stronger and stronger.

Just as her vision went black, the hand that had been gripping her neck like iron pincers suddenly released. The young girl, freed from her shackles, let out a weak cough amidst the billowing thick smoke.