Chapter 19: 19. Chapter Nineteen

19. Chapter Nineteen

The entrance to the cave was wreathed in mist like a fairyland, yet the bottom of the sinkhole was pitch-black, where one could not even see their own fingers. Atian did not know how long she had been falling, nor did she know where she was. After the initial attack, the unknown creatures surrounding her had retreated, leaving her standing in place, vigilant.

It was truly too dark here, so dark that there was not a sliver of light. Even knowing that something was lurking nearby, she could not see a single outline; she could only barely judge the creature's position through the faint sounds it made when moving. However, after that thing stopped moving, the surroundings completely descended into a world of silence.

Having lost her vision, her other four senses became more acute. The pulsing of Wanjie in her hand, the sound of mana flowing through her meridians—Atian had never understood her own state as clearly as she did in this moment. She could even feel the fishy-smelling liquid flowing along the blade of Wanjie.

Oh my, this isn't going to end well.

She thought this nonchalantly, throwing herself heart and soul into perceiving the surrounding environment. The power in her body gradually gathered at her eyes, mouth, and nose. With the infusion of power and the concentration of her spirit, the scene around her 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 decorations. She continued to expand her range of perception, stealthily creeping toward the spot 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. Without a second thought, she thrust her sword out backhanded. The sharp blade rubbed against the sharp teeth, emitting a sound that made one's scalp tingle, and the fishy 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 up to it, stepped on its shoulder, and raised her sword to pierce through its crown in one go.

A large amount of fishy 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 more.

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

"Grandmaster, 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." Li Ke not only coldly interrupted the Sect Master but also shut him down.

Having been fellow disciples for so many years, he knew Duan Xuan all too well! If he let this Grandmaster Senior Brother let his mind wander, they would likely not get to the point by this time next year.

Duan Xuan, having his topic rejected by his Junior Brother, was not angry. At his level of cultivation, it was not easy to get angry anymore.

As the Sect Master of the Beihai Sword Sect, Duan Xuan was not the composed middle-aged man the outside world imagined; instead, he possessed a very flighty temperament, which, combined with his appearance in his prime, made him seem just like a hot-blooded youth.

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

"According to reliable information, this year's Qingtan Assembly will be held at the Fangxian Dao on Luofu Mountain," he said, resting his head on 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 absolutely don't dare to attend the meeting alone!"

Saying panicked words with a languid expression—in terms of the ability to disgust others, Duan Xuan could be considered top-tier 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. Since I'm timid, let's just bring more people, giving the little brats a chance to see the world," Duan Xuan said, lying through his teeth. "Xin Li, you go too; you must protect your master well."

Bai Xinli, being named, silently took half a step back.

"When do we depart?" Li Ke asked.

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

When Duan Xuan said he would wait three days, he truly waited three days. Early on the fourth morning, 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 group heading to the Qingtan Assembly was not very large. Aside from Duan Xuan and Li Ke, only a dozen or so disciples led by Bai Xinli were chosen. Although it was not grand, it was a genuine display of setting out to attend the meeting.

"A chance to go out with Senior Brother! Yet I wasn't chosen!" Zhao Kuo's desperate cry voiced the inner thoughts of many. Consequently, the disciples who were cut were filled with sorrow, and for a time, the entire sky above the Beihai Sword Sect was filled with a sense of grief.

Meanwhile, beside the sinkhole in the Martial Arts Arena, Luo Li sat on a mountain rock, tapping a rhythm on her leg, 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 beneath the steep rock wall, gripping Luo Li's left ankle tightly and leaving a bloody handprint on it.

"Oh?"

The woman stopped humming. She raised her eyebrows, watching the owner of this hand slowly climb up from the cliff that looked as if it had been carved by knives and axes. She saw that the girl was stained all over with blood, her dress so dirty that its original color was barely discernible, and the fabric was torn in many places. However, the black sword she carried on her back was stored in a scabbard covered in inscriptions, shining brilliantly under the morning light.

As soon as she climbed up, Atian collapsed to the ground as if exhausted. Three consecutive days of high-intensity combat had pushed even her to her limit. There were several times when she even had the illusion that she would die down there.

But it was truly exhilarating.

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

Bai Xinli was far stronger than her; fighting him would only lead to being suppressed by that overwhelming 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, only to find that Atian had no reaction. Looking closely, she realized the young girl had already fallen into a deep sleep. She laughed heartily, hoisted the person up, and rushed toward the entrance of the Floating Island.

By then, Duan Xuan's party 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 garment. She steadied her still-dizzy head, and just as she was about to get up, she was stopped by a hand.

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

Bai Xinli, who was not wearing his outer robe, sat beside her, and the object beneath them was naturally his Wuo Sword.

"Master saw that 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 press for 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 could not 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 could definitely not 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 all these years?" A rare look of hesitation and embarrassment appeared on Bai Xinli's face.

This feeling was 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 position—it was Bai Xinli who had a request of her, not her of him.

But now, they had another chance to communicate. She suddenly realized that even with his astonishing Sword Cultivation, the young man before her was only two years older than her.

Atian naturally would not 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 daily life. When she spoke of how Lady Bai disciplined Master Bai, the young man beside her softened his eyes, the corners of his mouth curving slightly—it was vaguely a smile.

Bai Tian suddenly became curious. "Senior Brother, do you ever miss home?"

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

"Then have you never thought of going back to visit?"

She continued to ask, earning a deep look from him.

"I cannot go back, nor should I go back."

"Why?"

Bai Xinli did not answer it, but the Wuo Sword beneath him suddenly jolted; Atian looked up abruptly and discovered that, without them realizing it, the two had been surrounded by a group of men in black, who held various strange magical artifacts, and the leader among them cried out in a weird voice: "Bai Xinli! Hand over your life..."

He did not manage to finish, and his companions did not manage to speak either; 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 many lives in the blink of an eye, but because in the moment he struck, she felt "Bai Xinli" disappear; although his body was still right there, she simply felt as if there was no one beside her.

"Under the heavens, there are forty-eight fellow Daoists whose paths align with mine, and therefore, it can only be a fight to the death."

Bai Xinli said abruptly, and only then did Atian realize he was answering her previous question, which also served as an alternative explanation for the origin of the men in black.

He had forty-eight mortal enemies in the struggle for the Great Dao, and he lived every moment in the crisis of being attacked, which was why he could not go home.

"Excuse me."

Bai Xinli said, moving closer to Atian to gently wipe the blood droplets from her face with his sleeve; there was actually blood on his face too, which, set against his crow-feather-like eyelashes and fair skin, appeared somewhat bewitching.

Atian looked at him; for the young man before her, the favor of the Heavenly Dao was like a crown of thorns—the more one gained, the more one lost, but she did not ask him why he had to keep fighting.

Asking herself, she knew she would make the same choice.

This heaven-reaching crown of thorns, even if it pained one to the marrow, one would never be willing to take it off.