Chapter 41: 41. Chapter Forty-One

41. Chapter Forty-One

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Visible to the naked eye, golden light enveloped the layered mountain ranges. Amidst the surging sea of clouds, brilliant colorful rays were vaguely visible. White cranes with black tail feathers danced gracefully among the clouds, occasionally letting out a clear, resonant cry—truly a magnificent scene of an immortal sect.

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

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, this is what you call someone who is willing 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 Zhao Kuo's old acquaintance, Senior Brother Mu.

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 person as the number one arch-enemy within the "Worship the Senior Brother" cult and held a grudge because he had once stolen an opportunity to speak with the Senior Brother. He complained about him all day long, so even if she wanted to pretend she didn't hear it, she couldn't.

Perhaps her gaze was too obvious; Senior Brother Mu turned his head to look over. Upon discovering Atian, he was clearly startled. "... Bai, Junior Sister Bai!"

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

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 speed of the Beihai Sword Sect group gradually slowed. The team, led by Duan Xuan, stopped one by one at the gate of the Fangxian Way. Atian jumped lightly off Liu Yan's wooden sword; having flown in the air for so long, the feeling of having her feet on solid ground actually made her feel a bit unaccustomed.

The disciples dismounted their swords one by one and regrouped behind Duan Xuan. Bai Xinli stood beside Li Ke, while Atian, who should have been at the back of the line, was pulled by Liu Yan. Then, both of them simultaneously extended 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, life drained from his face, completely unable to understand why he was being treated this way.

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

"The Fangxian Way's mountain-protecting array, the Golden Light Soul-Refining Array," Li Ke said matter-of-factly. "It is said that this is an array that attacks the soul. Although it is not 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 retracted his hand and shrugged. "It's still a bit inferior to our Zhou Tian Star-Dou Sword Array."

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

"No, no, no," Duan Xuan held up an index finger and shook it. "We are here to attend the Qingtan Assembly; we cannot be so impolite. We must be very courteous."

After saying this, he, who had just claimed he would be "very courteous," raised his foot and kicked the Golden Light Soul-Refining Array fiercely. The vibration produced when the two collided made the entire mountain range shake.

"You surnamed Wei! Get your ass out here!" 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 gate-guarding disciples. Two young boys wearing gray Taoist robes came running down the endless stairs in a panic. Upon seeing the Beihai Sword Sect group, they sternly reprimanded: "Audacious! This is the important mountain gate of the Fangxian Way; how can you people be so presumptuous!"

However, they received no response. When these two boys ran down to the gate, the mountain-protecting array naturally opened a gap. Although it was fleeting, Duan Xuan seized the opportunity. He flicked his sleeve, and a sharp Sword Qi wrapped around everyone, charging fiercely toward the Fangxian Way mountain gate and rushing inside the array before the gap closed.

The two boys were blown off balance by the gale. By the time they climbed back up, they saw a group of uninvited guests already standing on their own steps, looking around in a relaxed and leisurely manner, as if they were tourists here to enjoy the scenery.

"Y-you!" The boys' faces flushed red with anger, their little fingers pointing at them, trembling incessantly.

"Is this the Crane Boy? It's my first time seeing one," Mu Yi said, squatting down in front of the two little beans and pressing them down hard with one hand each. "Shall we catch a few to take back? That way, we'll have cranes too!"

This sentence 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 Way cry and give them to us!"

If the two Crane Boys couldn't tell by now that these fierce-looking guys were here to cause trouble, they would have to be brain-dead. Their little faces turned deathly pale, yet they were pinned down by Mu Yi and couldn't run.

"According to my deduction, judging by the ostentatious nature of these bastards at the Fangxian Way, the scale of the Qingtan Assembly definitely won't be small. This suits my wishes perfectly; it'll be easier to find them," Duan Xuan touched his own smooth chin and pointed another finger at the end of the stairs. "Disciples of the Beihai Sword Sect, listen to my order: fight your way up from here. It is time to let those guys who drink tea and chat see the style of us Sword Cultivators."

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

"However, I will be climbing up step by step right here. If I catch up to you, I cannot guarantee what kind of treatment you will 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, taking out his usual small notebook. "At most, I'll just leave a heavy, colorful mark in my records. Don't be afraid, just perform as usual!"

Upon hearing this, Mu Yi's legs went soft, 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 dragon 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, causing the disciples, who had been thoroughly frightened by their two elders, to instantly calm down. 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 command; 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 screams.

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 mountain peak and called out, "Junior Sister Bai, you take the lead."

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

She lifted her skirt and nimbly passed by the other Senior Brothers, arriving in front of Bai Xinli, and unhooked 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 sky circled round and round, crying out.

Holding the sword body in her left hand and the hilt in her right, Atian slowly drew Wanjie from its scabbard. Tiny specks of flame spilled out from the scabbard with her movement. Flowers of flame with black edges gathered around her, the temperature gradually rising, and heat waves struck. By the time Wanjie was completely drawn, fire lotuses had bloomed all over the ground, making one feel as if they had returned to the day the courtyard was burned.

Atian carried the sword and began to move forward 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 Way, which possessed countless talents.

She would likely not be able to defeat 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 timidity; 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 wanted 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 by a fraction, and the number of fire lotuses Wanjie bloomed increased by one. By the time her aura climbed to its peak, the figures rushing toward her appeared in her line of sight.

"Who goes there! Why are you trespassing on our Fangxian Way mountain gate!" the young cultivator wearing light purple Taoist robes shouted loudly. But the response he received was a sharp blade wreathed 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 seek instruction on the high skills of the Fangxian Way Senior Brother."

As she spoke, she extended the tip of her tongue to lick her lips, looking at the clearly stunned Fangxian Way disciple and the endless stream of people rushing over behind him. "If you don't give it your all, you might just die, you know?"

Bai Tian sat up abruptly from her bed. She hadn't dreamed of this scene for many years; it was probably because she had heard too much news about the Fangxian Way yesterday that it had stirred up such distant memories.