Chapter 48: 48. Chapter 48

48. Chapter 48

Guan San is currently stroking the server; please complete your subscription to defeat him! She thought absentmindedly, immersing herself completely in the perception of her surroundings. The power within her body gradually gathered at her eyes, mouth, and nose. Following 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 embellishments. She continued to expand her range of perception, stealthily sneaking toward the position where "that thing" was sitting, but she gained nothing—the place where she originally thought it was was empty.

Atian immediately retracted her perception, only to discover 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 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 stomped 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 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. She raised her sword once again.

Atian knew that this was only the beginning. She looked up toward the upper left, where it remained pitch black, but for some reason, she felt that 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 currently 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 understood Duan Xuan too well! If he let this Sect Master senior brother let his mind wander, they probably wouldn't get to the point even by this time next year.

Duan Xuan, whose topic had been rejected by his junior brother, didn't get angry. At his level of cultivation, it wasn't 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 the outside world imagined; instead, he possessed a very lively temperament, which, combined with his appearance in his prime, made him seem just like a young and vigorous youth.

"Alright, alright," Duan Xuan shrugged, his loosely draped outer robe slipping due to 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 has been decided to be held at the Fangxian Daoist Sect 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 Daoist Sect. I'm so scared, I don't dare to attend the assembly alone at all!"

Speaking words of panic with a lazy expression—in terms of 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. Since I'm timid, I'll just bring more people, giving the little brats a chance to see the world," Duan Xuan said, telling a bald-faced lie. "Xin Li, you go too; you must protect your master well."

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

"When are we departing?" Li Ke asked.

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

When Duan Xuan said he would wait three days, he really waited 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 Martial Arts Arena 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 particularly large. Aside from Duan Xuan and Li Ke, only about a dozen disciples led by Bai Xinli were chosen. Although not grand, it was a genuine display of the posture of attending 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. Consequently, the disciples who had been cut felt a wave of sorrow rise in their hearts, and 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 a rhythm on her leg with her hand, singing a little tune intermittently, and occasionally peering into the bottomless sinkhole. Seeing no one, she continued to sing while shaking her head.

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 a knife and axe. She saw that her entire 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 on her back was sheathed in a scabbard engraved with inscriptions, shining brilliantly under the morning light.

As soon as she climbed up, Atian collapsed to the ground as if exhausted. After three consecutive days of high-intensity combat, 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 though she was covered in wounds, it was her most exhilarating battle yet.

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

By then, Duan Xuan's party was about to leave the island. Luo Li caught up just in time, shouted "You forgot something!", and threw the unconscious 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 covered in a garment, flying high in the sky. 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; naturally, they were sitting on his Wuo Sword.

"Master saw you were exhausted and asked me to 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 didn't ask what the Qingtan Assembly was; she wasn't particularly 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 and 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, and 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 Father and Mother all these years?"

"Mm." Atian nodded.

"Then can you tell me... how have Father and Mother been 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 serious interaction she had with Bai Xinli 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 needed something from her, not her needing something from Bai Xinli.

And now, they had another chance to interact. She suddenly realized that the youth before 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 trivial daily matters. When she spoke of how Lady Bai disciplined Master Bai, the youth beside her softened his brows and eyes, the corners of his mouth curving slightly into what 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 at first, and even made a fuss, but as time went on, I got used to it."

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

She continued to ask, earning 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, without realizing it, they had been surrounded by a group of men in black. These men in black held various strange magical artifacts, and the leader cried out 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 youth beside her in astonishment, not because he had ended multiple lives in the blink of an eye, but because at the moment he struck, she felt that "Bai Xinli" had disappeared. Even though his body was still right there, she felt as if there was no one beside her at all.