Chapter 50: 50. Chapter Fifty

50. Chapter Fifty

Guan San is currently stroking the server; please complete your subscription to defeat him! The cave entrance was shrouded 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, alert.

It was truly too dark here, so dark that there was not a sliver of light. Even knowing that something was coiled nearby, she could not see a single outline. She could only barely judge the latter's position through the faint sounds made when it moved. However, after that thing stopped moving, the surroundings completely devolved 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 spiritual power flowing through her meridians—Atian had never understood her own state as clearly as she did at this moment. She could even feel the fishy-smelling liquid flowing along the blade of Wanjie.

Oh my, this really won't end well.

She thought 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 embellishments. She continued to expand her range of perception, sneaking toward the spot where "that thing" was sitting, but she gained nothing—the place where she originally thought it was, 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. She raised her sword once again.

Atian knew this was only the beginning. She looked up toward the upper left, but it was still pitch black. Yet 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, touched 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 blocked him back.

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 would never get to the real 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.

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

"Alright, alright," Duan Xuan shrugged. The outer robe he was wearing loosely slipped off due to his movement, and 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 against 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—in terms of the ability to disgust people, Duan Xuan could be ranked among 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, let's just bring more people, giving the little brats a chance to see the world," Duan Xuan said, lying with his eyes open. "Xin Li, you go too, and be sure to 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 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.

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

"An opportunity to go out with Senior Brother! Yet I wasn't chosen!" Zhao Kuo's desperate shouting voiced the inner thoughts of many. Consequently, the disciples who were cut felt sorrow rise in their hearts, and for a time, the sky over the entire Beihai Sword Sect was filled with sorrowful emotions.

At the same time, beside the sinkhole in the Martial Arts Arena, Luo Li sat on a rock, tapping a rhythm on her leg with her hand, singing a little tune off and on, 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 cliff, grabbing Luo Li's left ankle tightly, 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 like it had been carved by knives and axes. 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 damaged in many places. However, the 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 to the ground as if exhausted. Three consecutive days of high-intensity fighting 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 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 intimidated by that overwhelming power. Song Zhicheng was too weak; fighting him was just a warm-up.

This was probably the first time Bai Tian had exerted all her power without reservation. Even if she was 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 found that Atian had no reaction. Looking closely, she realized the young girl had already fallen into a deep sleep. She laughed out loud, hoisted the person up, and rushed toward the entrance of the Floating Island.

At that time, 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.

"Alright!" 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 in a piece of clothing. She steadied her still-dizzy head, and just as she wanted 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 under was naturally his Wuo Sword.

"Master saw you were tired, so he 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 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 could not ignore the bitter cold like him, so she could only silently wrap herself tighter in his outer robe.

After that, 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 hint 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 was asking something of her, not her asking something of Bai Xinli.

And now, they had another chance to interact. She suddenly realized that the young man in front of her, even with his astonishing Sword Cultivation, 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 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?"

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

"Then have you never thought about going back to see them?"

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 it, but the Wuo Sword beneath him suddenly jolted; Atian looked up abruptly and discovered that, without them realizing it, the two of them 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, shrill voice: "Bai Xinli! Surrender 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 beads of blood fell like rain.

Atian looked at the young man beside her in astonishment, not because he had ended multiple lives in the blink of an eye, but because in the instant he struck, she felt "Bai Xinli" disappear; although his body was still right there, she simply felt that there was no one beside her.

"Under the heavens, there are forty-eight fellow Daoists whose paths align with mine, and thus, 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 could also be considered 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 return home.

"My apologies."

Bai Xinli said, moving closer to Atian to gently wipe the blood beads from her face with his sleeve; his own face actually had some on it as well, and against the backdrop of his raven-feather-like eyelashes and fair skin, it actually revealed a touch of allure.

Atian looked at him; to 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 crown of thorns reaching to the heavens, even if it pained her to the bone, she would never be willing to take it off.

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

The man knelt powerlessly in the sea of fire, his purple robes gradually charring and curling; he covered his face with both hands, and a choked sob flowed out from between his fingers: "Why! Why! What sin did the innocent child commit!"

He looked up abruptly, hammered a fist into the ground, pulled the young girl who had not yet been wrapped tightly into his arms, crawled forward a few steps on his knees, and screamed hoarsely at a figure standing outside the circle of fire: "Master! Master! What sin did the innocent child commit, Master!"

Bai Tian sat up abruptly from the bed; she had not dreamed of this scene for many years, likely because hearing too much news about the Fangxian Dao yesterday had stirred up such distant memories.

Wiping the cold sweat from her forehead with her sleeve, she did not intend to sleep anymore; she jumped off the bed, picked up the silk dress from the clothes rack to change into, then used a hair ribbon to tie up her long hair, and Atian took the Wanjie placed at the head of the bed and pushed open the door to walk out of the room.

At this moment, the first rays of morning glow had not yet pierced through the clouds, and the surroundings were enveloped in a hazy feeling of being neither light nor dark; she stood alone on the twenty-story high platform, watching the Floating Island covered by a thin layer of mist, the slightly fishy sea breeze blowing the loose hair at her temples, and Atian lifted the Sword in her hand, threw it toward the ground, and at the same time, tapped her toes lightly, swooping down directly following the trail of the Sword.