Chapter 136: Cloud Flow Step

Perhaps it was an instant, or perhaps it was a long time.

When the surrounding scenery suddenly returned to normal, Lan You's feet touched the ground, and she realized that the Second Elder's full-force strike had vanished into thin air, the sky-filling storm of Yuan Qi had disappeared without a trace, and she was still standing in the same spot, no more than three zhang away from the Second Elder.

However, her hands were still subconsciously clutching Xu Chen, her entire body pressed into Xu Chen's embrace, while one of Xu Chen's arms was also tightly wrapped around her waist.

That feeling of flowing light and drifting shadows from just a moment ago—none of it was an illusion.

"Daoist Friend Lan, don't be afraid, we are safe now!" Xu Chen smiled and slowly loosened his arm.

Second Elder:...

The group of male and female disciples at Yuqing Hall:...

The five Elders in the mountain-top main hall:...

The entire Cuihua Peak was plunged into a deathly silence.

Everyone was dumbfounded, completely unable to believe everything they had just seen.

Under such a violent Yuan Qi impact from a True Essence Late Stage peak master, Xu Chen was actually unscathed, and he was still calmly holding Lan You, the two of them pressed tightly together.

"This... is this the Cloud Flow Step?!"

Inside the mountain-top main hall, the five Elders stood up almost simultaneously, their faces full of shock. Yuxuan Zhenren stared with wide eyes for a long time before finally speaking in terror.

The remaining four Elders also looked at each other; although they found it hard to believe, they had to admit it. The Great Elder, Long Yang Zhenren, nodded with uncertainty and said: "It is indeed True Monarch Baiyun's unique secret technique, Cloud Flow Without Trace."

Yulong Zhenren trembled all over and said: "This, how is this possible? Xu Chen is merely a disciple of the Taiyuan Sect, why would he know the secret technique of our Yuqing Hall? This technique... even I have never learned it!"

Huayang Zhenren said: "It seems the Second Elder had already calculated that Xu Chen would encounter this situation upon arriving at Yuqing Hall, so to avoid any mishaps, he taught Xu Chen this technique in advance."

The group fell into collective silence. Finally, Long Yang Zhenren nodded and said: "It seems that is indeed the case. Fortunately, the Second Elder prepared in advance, otherwise, today would truly have been impossible to resolve. Very well, it is good that this matter ends here; both sides have managed to save face. As for the rest, I will leave it to the Fifth Junior Brother to arrange. Remember, do not let any more trouble arise!"

"Understood, I will certainly arrange it properly!" The Fifth Elder, Yuxuan Zhenren, bowed and accepted the order.

"Hmm, you may all disperse!" Long Yang stood up, and the group of Elders left the main hall one after another. In the blink of an eye, only Yuxuan Zhenren remained.

On the mountain-top terrace, under an ancient pine, two elderly men were playing a game of chess.

Yuyang Zhenjun placed a piece and smiled: "It finished so quickly!"

Baiyun Zhenjun stroked his beard lightly and said: "Yuqing Hall has been at peace for too long, and the disciples under our sect have become arrogant by nature. Without experiencing some setbacks, I fear their path of the Dao will be difficult to advance. The recent suppression of Soul Beasts at Black Wind Ridge is a case in point; our Yuqing Hall's losses were heavy, yet everyone still remains oblivious. Especially Junior Nephew Yulong, who nearly died during the Jingshi incident; not only did he not gain enlightenment, but he is instead full of resentment, indulging his disciples in seeking revenge and causing trouble. If this continues, disaster will surely follow."

Yuyang Zhenjun shook his head with a bitter smile: "That should be a matter for Junior Nephew Long Yang and the others to consider; why should you and I intervene?"

Baiyun Zhenjun sighed, dropped his chess piece into the bowl, and said: "Even Uncle Chixia cannot see through this boy Xu Chen. Especially the changes in You'er after she returned from Black Wind Ridge—it has shocked everyone. We have no way of guessing what exactly happened to the two of them, but their account of meeting the True Immortal Wuyazi does not seem fabricated, so we must be cautious!"

Yuyang Zhenjun also nodded with a serious expression: "Brother, your words are reasonable. This change in the two of them may be related to Wuyazi. If they were truly enlightened by Wuyazi, we absolutely cannot ignore them; perhaps it holds a great opportunity for both you and me in the future."

Baiyunzi shook his head slightly: "Ascending to Void Returning is no easy feat; you and I may not necessarily have the chance. But regardless, we need to protect both of them. Even if we cannot benefit, remember not to provoke trouble, otherwise, Yuqing Hall may face a catastrophe."

Yuyangzi nodded: "That is exactly so. Since the matter is settled, let us wait and observe. However, since Xu Chen has come to Yuqing Hall, why not take this opportunity to ask a few more questions!"

Baiyunzi stroked his beard, pondered for a moment, and sighed: "Asking will not yield any answers. If we provoke his resentment, I fear all our previous well-intentioned arrangements will have been in vain!"

Yuyangzi could only nod: "Brother is right. But since he is here, we should see him. I didn't expect that in just over a month, he would actually learn Brother's Cloud Flow secret technique. Although it is still very raw, among his peers, I fear no one can match him. He is truly a rare talent."

Baiyunzi seemed quite satisfied with Xu Chen's performance as well; a smile appeared on his face as he nodded slightly, then a Divine Sense Transmission landed in the ears of Yuxuan Zhenren in the hall below: "Please invite Little Friend Xu to the mountain top!"

Yuxuan Zhenren's eyelid twitched, and he hurriedly said: "Yes, this disciple will arrange it immediately!"

At this moment, on the plaza in front of the main hall halfway up the mountain, everyone had yet to recover from the intense duel and the subsequent turn of events.

Yi Zhen looked dazed, staring at Xu Chen as if he were a ghost.

The group of male and female disciples also stared at Xu Chen with their mouths agape, as if they had seen a ghost.

Xu Chen released Lan You, bowed to Yi Zhen, and said: "Many thanks to the Second Senior Brother for showing mercy!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone woke up as if from a dream, one by one beginning to gasp for air; the atmosphere was incredibly strange.

Yi Zhen's pale face turned beet red in an instant. He bowed slightly to Xu Chen, then soared into the air and fled into the distance as if chased by a dog.

"You'er, bring Little Friend Xu to the main hall to see me. Everyone else, disperse!"

A deep, resonant voice rang out across the plaza, permeating everything like flowing water. Consequently, the group of disciples all bowed to accept the order, then left on their swords in twos and threes, like scattered flower petals. In the blink of an eye, only a dozen or so people remained on the plaza.

A young cultivator in green robes approached Lan You and Xu Chen tremblingly, bowed, and said: "The Fifth Elder requests your presence. Senior Sister Lan, please lead Daoist Friend Xu to the Welcome Immortal Palace!"

Xu Chen smiled and returned the bow, lightly shook his Daoist robe, and turned to Lan You: "Daoist Friend Lan, please lead the way. Your Yuqing Hall is too large; I am afraid of getting lost."

Lan You's face turned as red as blood. She hurriedly lowered her head, murmured an acknowledgment, and led Xu Chen toward the main hall ahead.

The dozen or so disciples guarding the mountain gate looked at each other and hurriedly followed behind, each with strange expressions and complex feelings. Many were communicating via Divine Sense Transmission, but under Xu Chen's powerful Divine Sense, he heard most of it and felt somewhat amused.

A baseless dispute had been resolved by giving Yuqing Hall some face; it could be considered a happy ending for all.

However, the strength displayed by Yuqing Hall today had truly opened his eyes.

Not to mention the main halls and temples everywhere that shimmered with spiritual light like an immortal palace, the sheer number of disciples who had appeared just now was enough to make him feel shocked and helpless.

Yuqing Hall was indeed worthy of being the leader of the Song Immortal Sect. Any one of the fourth-generation disciples present could almost crush all the senior brothers and sisters of the Taiyuan Sect.

Even the disciples at the Kaiyuan Realm were all incredibly young, and there were no shortage of those similar in age to himself.

These disciples would almost all step into the Zhenyuan Realm in the near future.

As for experts like Yi Zhen, who was at the True Essence Late Stage peak, Yuqing Hall definitely had more than just him. A month ago, these were figures at the same level as the two Elders of the Taiyuan Sect.

And what he saw today was only a portion of Yuqing Hall's strength; in fact, many were still out training, and dozens remained at Black Wind Ridge.

Furthermore, the largest number of cultivators in Yuqing Hall were in the outer sect, numbering over a thousand, among whom there were quite a few in the Zhenyuan Realm, though they were generally older.

On the way here, Lan You had already introduced the structure of Yuqing Hall in detail.

Aside from the three well-known Supreme Elders and seven Elders at the Danyuan Realm, there were over three hundred inner sect disciples, over one hundred elite and personal disciples, and about twenty core disciples being cultivated. These were the ones who could be addressed as senior brothers and sisters according to their ranking.

These twenty people almost all had the aptitude and strength to reach the Golden Core, and the top ten were provided with abundant cultivation resources, serving as the seeds cultivated by the entire sect to break through to Spirit Transformation.

However, precisely because there were so many people, the competition for resources was extremely fierce.

Anyone who successfully reached Foundation Establishment around the age of twenty was considered an elite disciple, but those over thirty who had not yet entered the mid-stage of the Zhenyuan Realm would begin to be marginalized. Those who could not reach the late stage by forty would be placed in various halls or the outer sect to serve as Elders, deacons, or other management roles, and their resources would be further reduced.

After years and rounds of such competition, clearing, and blood-swapping, the inner sect of Yuqing Hall, aside from a few Elders, consisted almost entirely of young cultivators with superior aptitude; one could hardly see an old man, not even a middle-aged uncle.

And this was where Xu Chen felt the greatest pressure.

Although he could contend with Yi Zhen, he was not relying on his own strength.

Even the Cloud Flow Step he had just used to escape was a secret technique taught by Yuqing Hall.

Taiyuan Sect did not possess a single one of these magic spells created by True Monarchs, and while the group of disciples had just managed to escape the state of being too poor to eat dirt and had recently seen a rapid leap in their cultivation and strength, they were completely incomparable to the long heritage and profound foundation of Yuqing Hall.

Therefore, even though he had won this match, Xu Chen felt no pride at all; instead, he felt even more emotional and cautious, not wanting to offend a behemoth like Yuqing Hall.

Thus, he was eager to meet the Danyuan Realm Elder of Yuqing Hall and run away immediately after obtaining the Seven-Star Golden Toad.

This was because the Divine Sense Transmission discussions among the group of disciples behind him were clearly filled with dissatisfaction and hatred toward him.

Yi Zhen and Lan You were practically the role models and the best choices for a Daolu in the hearts of the fourth and fifth generation of young disciples of Yuqing Hall.

Yet, the moment he appeared today, he had both beaten them and embraced them, taking both for himself.

By both slapping their faces and snatching their people, this pent-up anger would not be resolved just because he had shown a little bit of goodwill at the end.

Of course, Xu Chen was not afraid of these struggles between peers; after the battle just now, he was certain that no one among the current generation of cultivators in Yuqing Hall could forcibly suppress him.

Even if it came to a bombardment of Magic Treasures, he still had the Third-Tier supreme Magic Treasures—the Qinglan Light-Splitting Mirror bestowed by Chixia Zhenjun and the Thunder Fire Pestle bestowed by Yuyang Zhenjun—that he had yet to use; once he brought them out, it would inevitably cause an even greater sensation throughout Yuqing Hall, and he estimated that all the disciples of Yuqing Hall would be driven mad with jealousy.

(End of this chapter)