Chapter 41: Sword in the Clouds
The west of the Spirit Origin Great Marsh was the unending Yanran Mountain Range.
It spanned across Feng’an and Qiyuan.
The Yanran Mountain Range was magnificent and vast, belonging to the public territory of the nearby sects. Countless spirit herbs and spirit medicines grew there, and there were no shortage of demonic beasts and spirit beasts either.
Among the nearby independent sects, the ones worth mentioning—aside from the Ziyang Sect where Ke Huai was located—also included a Xuanmiao Sect. Both sects had a Golden Core Stage cultivator presiding over them.
Disciples of each sect would typically hunt demonic beasts or gather spirit herbs and spirit objects within the mountain range, completing sect missions and commissions.
However, apart from the large Dongyuan Sect, the smaller sects each had their own conflicts and frictions. For cultivators to meet each other amicably was quite unlikely.
“The disciples of the Xuanmiao Sect are even more special—they harbor extreme hostility toward us Dongyuan Sect disciples.”
Below Xiawei Peak in the Yanran Mountain Range.
An honest-faced youth walked through the forest with two other Dongyuan Sect disciples, one male and one female.
The honest-faced youth earnestly explained the situation of the Yanran Mountain Range to the two of them.
“Sister said that when we go out to gather herbs, we must be careful of cultivators from other sects. This Xuanmiao Sect especially requires caution.”
“The ancestor of the Xuanmiao Sect was once a disciple of some great sect in another country. Later, for certain reasons, he was expelled from the sect. Only then did he travel all the way here to establish the Xuanmiao Sect.”
“Mm.” The other male cultivator nodded and took up the conversation: “I have heard something of this as well.”
“The Xuanmiao Sect considers itself the orthodox lineage of the Dao, believing that other sects cultivate inferior and unorthodox methods.”
“Every disciple in the sect has lofty ambitions but poor abilities. The traditions and spirit of great sects they have not inherited—instead, the contemptuous habit of looking down on others grows stronger with each generation.”
“Back then, although the east of the Spirit Origin Great Marsh was unclaimed land, the Xuanmiao Sect had long harbored designs upon it.”
“Just then, our Sect Master arrived here, wishing to establish a sect.”
“Several sect elders joined forces and attacked. The Sect Master fought many alone, wiping out a Golden Core Stage cultivator with a single sword. The Xuanmiao Sect nearly perished because of this.”
“This grudge has persisted for over three hundred years…”
Unexpectedly, the young girl among the three gave a heh-heh laugh, revealing two sharp little tiger teeth.
“Don’t be afraid, I’ll protect you!”
This was no idle boast. Among the three of them, only this girl had reached the third layer of the Qi Refining Stage. The two male cultivators were merely at the second layer.
If they truly exchanged blows, the two men combined might not necessarily be able to defeat this thirteen- or fourteen-year-old girl.
The purpose of their trip was a low-grade herb called Spirit Cloud Grass. According to the map in the honest-faced youth’s possession, Xiawei Peak had many of them.
They walked and stopped along the way, chatting as they climbed to the summit of Xiawei Peak.
“Wow…”
All three of them were stunned on the spot by the rosy cloud scenery.
The dense forests of the mountain range surrounded the front of Xiawei Peak. The terrain was low and not far from the Spirit Origin Marsh, so the moisture was heavy, with clouds and mist swirling about.
At this moment, a light rain had just ceased, and the morning sun was just rising.
The clouds steamed and the rosy light gathered, like a celestial realm. The name Xiawei Peak came precisely from this.
The three were immersed in this beautiful scenery, completely unaware that behind them, a cat demon hidden in the dense forest had already marked them as prey.
Woo…
A low growl came from behind. The three turned to look, only to discover they had already been surrounded by two wolves and one cat—three demonic beasts—at the cliff’s edge.
“Oh no! Mist Shadow Wolf Demons and a Phantom Cat Demon!”
The honest-faced youth cried out in alarm, instinctively shielding the young girl behind him.
To be honest, Mist Shadow Wolf Demons and Phantom Cat Demons were not particularly powerful demonic beasts. The three they faced were all at the early stage of the first rank.
However, at the same cultivation level, demonic beasts’ physical constitution far surpassed those of human cultivators. In a fight, they naturally held the upper hand.
Moreover…
There were three of them.
“A Yu! Run!”
Unexpectedly, under the pressure of death, the young girl’s mind was exceptionally clear, and her actions showed no hesitation.
Three streams of water condensed from the ground simultaneously, wrapping around the ankles of the three demonic beasts.
With minimal expenditure, she created maximum trouble for the opponent.
The honest-faced youth was not idle either. A white spirit talisman in his hand was activated, flying into the sky and blossoming into white light.
This was a distress signal. If any kind-hearted fellow sect disciples saw it, they would rush to this location to rescue them.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Powerful impact and momentum caused the water streams to break with a sound, but this supple force made the demonic beasts’ advance falter momentarily.
The young girl had not expended too much vitality.
“Run!”
The three attempted to scatter and flee.
But the platform at the summit of Xiawei Peak was truly too small. The three demonic beasts were all agile in body, and with a few leaps, they surrounded the three once again. How fast!
The three felt their hearts sink. Each formed hand seals in their own hands.
The wind blades were easily dodged by the wolf demons. With a swipe of their sharp claws, they stamped out the incoming fire projectile technique.
“This…”
The two wolf demons pounced simultaneously, engaging in close combat with the three.
The other young male cultivator shouted: “Yue Rong, try to stall for time! Don’t risk your life. Ah Yu has already released the distress signal—fellow disciples will come to support us!”
“…”
Though he said this, the three knew in their hearts that the probability of someone following the distress signal to rescue them was truly not high.
A sense of despair rose in the hearts of the three.
“Kya—”
A cold voice, carrying the distinctive stench of a demon, came from Yang Yuerong’s ear.
!?
The taste of coldness and death spread from her numb hands all the way to the back of her skull.
The instinct to survive made her instinctively turn her head.
But…
There was nothing there.
“Kya…”
The cold voice still came from behind.
Yang Yuerong’s heart plummeted into an abyss.
From the corner of her eye, she saw a sharp claw shimmering with a dark luster, moving at an almost ghostly speed, easily tearing through her protective spiritual energy, striking toward her neck.
“Yuerong!!!”
Hum—
At this very moment, sharp and incomparably keen sword qi suddenly appeared on the field.
Hiss.
The humming resounded as a strand of sword qi cleanly severed the extended claws of the Phantom Cat Demon.
Then, the entire front limb belonging to the cat demon snapped off. The cut surface was perfectly neat—it even seemed it should not have been too painful.
Pfft…
Dark red, warm demonic beast blood surged out, splashing in front of the three stunned figures.
“Haa—”
The cat demon lay on the ground, groaning in pain.
Immediately after, the three demons were slowly lifted into midair by an unseen force.
Over a dozen white sword lights, trailing afterimages, circled around them at high speed.
Hiss.
In an instant, a sword shadow pierced through the wolf demon’s chest.
Then it vanished abruptly.
The second strand…
The third strand…
The three demons were thus continuously pierced by numerous sword shadows in midair.
The remaining white sword shadows suspended in the air spun faster and faster. At a certain moment, they shot up into the clouds.
In the cloudy sky, the sword shadows merged into one, then plummeted toward the three still-struggling demonic beasts.
Boom!!!
Violent sword qi erupted across Xiawei Peak. The shockwave, carrying the mist from the clouds, spread outward in rings in all directions.
The three could not help but avert their gaze to avoid the dust.
“…”
After a moment, the dust settled.
The three looked up toward the cliff in unison…
They saw several white sword lights trailing afterimages, circling and converging in the air, finally condensing upon a single flying sword that hovered before a young cultivator.
The Sword in the Clouds descended—it was none other than Song Yan!