In the direction Qing Feng’s sleeves fluttered, dragon scales were reflecting a never-before-seen gilded halo under the morning sun.
Yun Qingrao’s fingertips, hidden in her wide sleeves, trembled slightly as the scent of blood from the grassland assailed her. She lowered her gaze, her fingertips unconsciously caressing the jade pendant at her waist.
If she spoke now, she feared she would step into a predetermined fate. When she finally withdrew her gaze from Qing Feng’s back, the jade pendant already bore several fine cracks.
“Break!”
A sharp cry suddenly tore through the malevolent energy. A hundred meters away, frost-white sword gleam flickered, and the female cultivator in green struggled amidst the dense phantoms. Yun Qingrao was about to raise her finger to form a seal when she felt the strands of hair by her temples lifted by sword qi, and Qing Feng’s sword edge had already cut through the void.
“All Rivers Return to the Sea!”
The azure sword light was like a reversed Milky Way. Yun Qingrao’s eyebrows twitched slightly, and she saw the sky full of malevolent energy vanish into thin air under the sword intent. Qin Yue stumbled backward and was caught by a firm arm. The jade hairpin in her hair slipped to the ground, scattering tiny blades of grass.
“Chang’an!” She abruptly threw herself into Qing Feng’s embrace, her blood-stained fingertips clutching the fabric of his shoulder. Qing Feng was knocked back half a step, his palm stroking his Senior Sister’s slightly trembling back: “I’m here.”
Yun Qingrao stood at the cliff edge three zhang away, her skirt hem rising and falling with the mountain wind. The faint lotus pattern emerging on Qin Yue’s neck made her eyes narrow slightly.
It was actually the Innate Dao Body, a rarity in the Tai Xu Sect for a hundred years. Blood beads still clung to the corners of the young girl’s eyes, and her hair was disheveled and stuck to her sweat-dampened neck, yet when she looked at Qing Feng, she smiled like a stream breaking ice in early spring.
“Immortal Yun?” Qin Yue hastily straightened her appearance and saluted, revealing intertwined new and old scars as her sleeves fluttered.
As Yun Qingrao nodded, she noticed Qing Feng discreetly shielding his Senior Sister behind him, the faded sword tassel wrapped around his sword hilt swaying gently with his movements.
“The Sect sacrificed three hundred Disciples to break the restriction,” Qin Yue wiped her sword edge, giving a bitter smile, “I never expected the first one we found to be…”
Her voice abruptly stopped. She stared blankly at the bronze tortoise shell hanging from Qing Feng’s waist, her pupils suddenly constricting.
Qing Feng looked around, about to leave, when he suddenly caught sight of a familiar figure in the distance. It was Qin Yue standing with her sword, her robes stained with blood but her eyes shining brightly.
“Do you know that Aunt-Master Zisu invited Senior Feng Dingshi?” Qin Yue sheathed her sword, her hair tips still carrying lingering sword qi, “That Tribulation Transcending Realm mighty figure discerned the Mystic Realm’s mysteries and found that this place is especially lenient towards young talents.”
“A Tribulation Transcending Realm cultivator personally came?” Qing Feng’s pupils slightly constricted, his knuckles unconsciously tightening around the tortoise shell at his waist. If he were to face such an existence directly, how many secrets could this crippled body of his hide?
Qin Yue didn’t notice his unusual expression and continued, “Even stranger is that this Mystic Realm reveals a teleportation array every year, and by my calculations, the third one is about to appear.” With that, she tossed a jade slip from her storage ring, and a strange trajectory of flowing star trails appeared in the light screen.
“Senior Sister can actually deduce the teleportation pattern?” Qing Feng could not hide his surprise. He had only vaguely sensed spatial fluctuations relying on the tortoise shell’s profundity, yet the woman before him had done so with just two experiences…
“After all, I witnessed both times firsthand.” Qin Yue raised an eyebrow and chuckled softly, sword qi condensing into a phantom green lotus around her. Suddenly, she felt her wrist grasped, and looking up, she saw Qing Feng’s solemn expression, her ear tips instantly flushing. Just as she was about to struggle free, she felt her spiritual platform become clear as if washed clean, as if a thousand-jin burden had been lifted.
“Just now, there were spirit-devouring dark patterns lurking in your spiritual pulse.” Qing Feng’s palm glowed with a faint blue light, within which several black lines twisted wildly, “It should be karmic retribution contaminated from slaying Mystic Realm creatures.”
Upon hearing this, Qin Yue circulated her cultivation and was astonished to find that her Golden Core circulated three tenths faster. She hadn’t noticed that during the four years of bloody battles, every swing of her sword had been like bearing shackles.
Looking at her Martial Brother’s pale profile at this moment, a bittersweet warmth welled up in her heart; this fool must have consumed his foundational spiritual power again.
“It was Senior Sister who was reckless,” she intentionally put on a stern face, lightly tapping his shoulder with her sword sheath, “However, cultivating here indeed has miraculous effects.” Saying this, a five-petaled sword seal bloomed in her palm, clearly indicating she had reached the fifth stage of the Golden Core realm.
Qing Feng looked at the increasingly sharp sword intent between her brows, suddenly realizing that his Senior Sister had actually cultivated the legendary Battle Sword Physique. At this moment, her sword qi was as solid as substance, and even an ordinary perfected Golden Core cultivator would likely find it difficult to contend with her.
“Let’s talk as we walk. This fortuitous encounter allowed me to glimpse the profound mysteries of the heavens and earth. Want to hear about it?” Qing Feng kicked aside a loose stone, his tone carrying a hint of mystery.
“Of course, I want to hear.” Qin Yue quickly followed, then suddenly stopped, “But how did you even get into the Dragon Emperor’s Mystic Realm? How do you manage to stir up trouble wherever you go?”
Qing Feng scratched the back of his neck with a bitter smile: “You wouldn’t believe it if I told you. I was napping by the Cold Pond, and when I opened my eyes, golden light shot into the sky, and when I opened them again, I was in this ancient tomb.”
He spread his palm, and the profound iron ring glowed faintly in the dim light.
Before he finished speaking, he suddenly felt a chill down his spine, and from the corner of his eye, he glimpsed Yun Qingrao’s clear, moon-like face, which seemed to be covered in a thin layer of ice.
“Is Immortal Yun feeling unwell?” Qing Feng feigned concern. The lingering romance of last night still hung in the air, yet at this moment, he could only pretend to be strangers.
“You saw everything?” Yun Qingrao’s voice transmission, imbued with sword qi, pierced his eardrums.
“Saw what?” Qing Feng looked utterly bewildered, “I was sound asleep by the pond that day. Did I miss something?”
The white-robed Immortal Maiden scrutinized this seemingly innocent face, clearly reading the words “deny to the death.” She suddenly remembered when the Dragon Emperor’s remnant soul exposed her bloodline, this person showed no surprise at all. So, he had already…
“Fell directly into the main tomb chamber?” Qin Yue’s gasp broke the stalemate, “This is the resting place of Dragon Emperor Ao Pan! The Beast Taming Sect’s three hundred Disciples broke the array for seven days and couldn’t even step into the outer hall, yet you, you just landed in the treasure pavilion!”
“It’s a matter of destiny; I can’t help it.” Qing Feng toyed with the jade pendant at his waist, “After all, I was the first to trigger the Mystic Realm.”
“What a stroke of destiny!” Qin Yue playfully glared at him, then turned to Yun Qingrao and bowed solemnly, “My Martial Brother’s cultivation is still shallow, fortunately, he received the Immortal Maiden’s protection. All of Chen Ming Peak will…”
“We are even.” Yun Qingrao interrupted, her autumn-water-like eyes sweeping over Qing Feng. “As for the depth of cultivation…” The latter half of her sentence turned into an almost inaudible sigh.
“We should go find the other fellow Disciples now.” Qing Feng took the lead, his dark robes sweeping over the bluestone steps. Yun Qingrao silently followed, her flowing cloud sleeves moving without wind.
Qin Yue stood stunned, suddenly realizing the abnormality of the conversation just now. It should have been the Senior giving orders, so why did her Martial Brother make the decision? Just as she was about to ponder it further, a familiar call came from ahead: “Senior Sister?” She shook her head to clear her doubts and quickly caught up.
The three rescued trapped cultivators along the way, and Qing Feng always managed to properly settle them before anyone could ask questions. When he activated the teleportation array, the antique bronze compass spun in his palm, faintly revealing half of a reverse scale pattern.
Light streamed by, and in an instant, the familiar Sect gate came into view.
In front of the Xiao Yao Peak’s bluestone steps, Great Black, who had been lying down, suddenly leaped up, his eyes shining as he let out an earth-shattering bark.
This beast roar was like a thunderclap, shaking all seventy-two peaks of the Beast Taming Sect.
The masters and Disciples of Chen Ming Peak, who arrived first, flew through the air on their swords. Qin Heng’s azure sword light and Zi Yun’s pure white sword light landed successively. When their gazes fell upon the unharmed Qing Feng and Qin Yue, the solemnity on their brows immediately transformed into a spring breeze.
