Sect Leader Is Under Great Pressure CH 106 Celestial Beings And Mortals, Divine Heart And Human Heart
After lingering in the Yuntian Domain for several days, the ransom payment from the Ziyun Dao was still on its way, but Sword Peak, from the peak master to the disciples, had already stirred up the beast demon nest so much that the spirit demons had fled in panic.
Of course, walking the night road often meant stumbling upon some hard bones to chew. Along the way, many disciples had sustained serious injuries, but the cultivators of Medicine Peak were there to properly tend to them.
Besides the disciples showcasing their skills, there were also many brave unaffiliated cultivators who had tagged along with the flying peaks, trying to make some extra profit by trading spiritual grains in the beast demon nest.
As Luo Chi descended from the flying peak, he stepped onto the moist, moss-covered ground. He picked up a handful of wet soil with moss and compared it to the information in his memory. With an incantation, his figure shifted, landing directly atop the giant beast demon nest in the cloud sea.
He had traveled from the Central Continent to the Southern Continent, and then entered the remote area of the Yuntian Domain, controlled by Jietian Dao and the Taiqing Sect. Unexpectedly, he ended up captured in the territory of Ziyun Dao.
Fortunately, his adaptability wasn't too bad. If word of his capture had reached Jietian Dao, his mother would have mocked him for half a year. And the trouble on the Taiqing Sect's side would have piled as high as the sky.
Moreover, the mission he was on had failed.
The ancient cultivator from the Taiqing Sect had tasked him with finding something but only mentioned that he should head northwest and that fate would guide him. Given the huge debt of karma he owed the ancient cultivator, he couldn't refuse.
To make matters worse, during his capture, the sensing stone that could detect the object was stolen by Demoness Qingnu of Kun-Lai.
Now this was quite embarrassing.
How could he retrieve the sensing stone from Demoness Qingnu? He couldn't draw attention to himself, or else if they discovered he was assisting a Human Immortal in finding treasure, they would never return it.
The only thing he had left to offer was his skills.
As he pondered this, he noticed a young man walking past him not far away.
It was the same youth who had shattered his spiritual armor with one sword strike. Word was that his surname was Feng, the head apprentice of the Kun-Lai Sect Leader, someone of equally noble status no worse than his own.
Perhaps he could try something on his side?
Luo Chi thought for a moment and approached him, greeting, "Feng gongzi..."
Feng Qingxiu stopped and nodded, immediately recognizing the young man before him. During the battle, this person had been lurking in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity to strike. He had intercepted his formless sword energy, causing his sword to break and injuring his heart meridian due to the backlash. It had taken the Demoness Qingnu quite some time to heal him.
But it was simply a case of conflicting loyalties, with each person fighting for their side—nothing awkward about it. He had also approved Luo Chi's ransom payment yesterday.
"Last time, you broke my sword." Luo Chi pulled out his broken longsword from his palm, pointing to the strange cracks on it. "Your sword energy has left a demonic trace on it, and I can’t reintegrate it. Could you help remove the trace?"
Because the sword was broken, he was able to get a cheaper price for it during his ransom payment.
Feng Qingxiu looked at the strand of formless sword energy coiling around the blade’s fracture and nodded, calling back the sword energy.
The returning energy seemed somewhat reluctant, and as it left the blade, the sword trembled slightly before automatically repairing itself. Luo Chi breathed a sigh of relief and inserted the sword back into his palm.
"Is this a spiritual weapon?" Feng Qingxiu asked, recognizing at a glance that the sword had a spiritual soul—a rare treasure that could grow alongside its master. Given Luo Chi’s background, possessing such an item was not surprising.
Feng Qingxiu’s own formless sword energy was technically a spiritual weapon too, though it had a habit of feeding on other spiritual weapon souls, which explained its reluctance to leave.
"Indeed. Ying Che was forged from magnetite gathered at the Northern Sea Eye and tempered with cold iron. After nurturing it with blood and flesh for a hundred years, it finally became a spiritual sword." Luo Chi smiled as he brushed his hand over his arm. "I've long heard of Kun-Lai's disciples being extraordinary, and it’s my first time seeing someone who could control a spiritual weapon while still in the Golden Core stage. Was this weapon bestowed upon you by your Sect Leader?"
In truth there was no such rule—anyone could use a spiritual weapon once it recognized them as its master. However, in the Central Continent, spiritual weapons were rarely given to cultivators below the Nascent Soul stage; doing so would essentially invite others to come and rob them.
Feng Qingxiu nodded slightly. "You flatter me, but yes, it was."
The Xing Dao Master's cultivation method was unique in style and naturally the spiritual weapons he bestowed would be different from those of the Central Continent. Luo Chi knew that continuing a discussion on spiritual weapon maintenance would be pointless, so he changed the topic. "To be honest, my sword still has some deficiencies. I’ve been searching for materials over the years, but unfortunately, many have ended up in the hands of your sect’s Qingnu. I’ve been unable to find her lately. Could you help me arrange a meeting with her? I would be deeply grateful."
This wasn't difficult, but Feng Qingxiu knew that with the prisoner exchange coming up soon, Qingnu was likely busy with that Grand Elder of Ziyun Dao and wouldn’t have time for a meeting. He nodded, "Qingnu is currently in Seclusion. You might be able to meet her in three days."
By then, the prisoner exchange with Ziyun Dao would have happened, and Qingnu would likely be eager to extract more information about Jietian Dao’s healing techniques.
"Many thanks…" Luo Chi nodded but suddenly paused.
He had seen someone—or rather, something not quite human.
It seemed to be a wisp of a soul.
Luo Chi had been born with Divine Eyes, which had earned him a place as a disciple of the ancient cultivator of the Taiqing Sect. This ability allowed him to see through all illusions and ghostly trickery.
The ancient cultivator's goal was for Luo Chi to inherit his Taishang Dao, honing his Divine Eyes to their peak, allowing him to perceive the world’s fortunes and see through the myriad layers of existence.
This was why Luo Chi could clearly see the faint, ethereal wisp of a soul drifting by.
That wisp of soul only smiled faintly, yet it seemed to gather all the world’s essence in its form, like a moon suspended in the heavens, drawing all gazes toward it.
Luo Chi was no stranger to awe-inspiring sights.
He had met world-renowned figures—the ancient cultivator of the Taiqing Sect, his grandmother, Venerable Yan of Ziyun Dao, and even the legendary Taixuan Qingxiao. He had even witnessed the Xing Dao Master of Kun-Lai in the apocalyptic scene during the heavenly tribulations in the Southern Continent back then, displaying unparalleled mastery over the laws of heaven and earth.
But all those figures had an unmistakable air of distance, treating all beings—living or dead—equally, their detachment evident.
Jietian Dao cultivated through emotions, and while Luo Chi found such manipulation of countless lives in the palm of one's hand to be utterly tedious. Towards the emotionless Dao of the Taiqing Sect, he avoided it even more like the plague.
However, the soul just now was definitely a supreme power of the Great Sage/Human Immortal rank.
But that kind of smile and demeanor...
Just recalling it made a flush of red slowly creep up from the tips of Luo Chi's ears. He silently covered his face.
For the beauty, there was no choice but to sell a few items from Taiqing and Ziyun.
After all, everyone had been scheming against each other for so many years; they all knew each other's cards...
"Clang!" A sword's hum, as loud as a great bell, suddenly pulled him out of his fantasy. It was the spiritual sword connected to his soul through his blood, sensing his thoughts and mercilessly pouring cold water on him.
"You scared me." Luo Chi gently touched his left hand and spoke softly to the sword he dearly loved, which was heavily injured.
The long sword hummed again, questioning him, "Don't daydream any longer, have you thought about who that soul was?"
Luo Chi suddenly froze.
***
On the way back, Feng Qingxiu frowned slightly: "It seemed that person saw you?"
Ji Yunlai was unconcerned: "So what?"
He had only concealed himself a little, not wanting to cause trouble. If he wished, even if that boy had another pair of eyes, he wouldn't have been able to see him.
Feng Qingxiu had nothing more to say. He was clearly the only one who could see his master... but he simply replied, "It's nothing, just a little strange."
Ji Yunlai secretly glanced at the shadow of his apprentice swinging a sword, ready to strike, and smiled: "In the future, just make sure he doesn’t see me."
"I'm not that..." Feng Qingxiu wanted to say ‘petty’, but somehow it didn't sound right. Feeling a bit frustrated, he stopped talking.
"I understand." Ji Yunlai's smile deepened, and he patted his apprentice’s head.
What do you understand... Feng Qingxiu felt a twinge of conflict in his heart, so he dropped the subject altogether.
When they returned to the flying peak, Feng Qingxiu thought of the things given to him by Senior Brother Yang and had a vague desire to connect needle and thread...
No, no!
How could he let his master see those embarrassing inner robes of strange styles?
That would be a grave offense, deceiving his master and dishonoring his ancestors.
"What grave offense?" Ji Yunlai asked from the side.
"Nothing, just thinking that Senior Brother Yang’s generosity can't be refused, so I ought to prepare a return gift." Feng Qingxiu was startled that he had let slip part of his thoughts.
"Is that so." Ji Yunlai didn't expose him and just gazed out at the brilliant sunset, now coloring the western horizon. For some reason, he felt as though something was waiting for him in the west.
But the west here was nothing but the endless chasm of the Abyss.
He had tried to descend, but the turbid waters below were incredibly fierce, with the power to cleanse the soul. Even sending down a mere part of his spirit would cause some damage.
He had only come here to accompany Xiao Qing, so he hadn't gone down again.
Seeing Feng Qingxiu's flushed face, Ji Yunlai couldn’t help teasing him again: "With Xiao Yang being so mischievous, you might as well just accept me instead."
Feng Qingxiu's ears first turned red, then his face turned blue. Looking incredibly fierce, he was about to retort with "Impossible!" when he noticed his master's barely concealed smile. His mind turned, and he glanced mildly at his master, replying calmly, "Alright, whenever you decide on a date."
Ji Yunlai was taken aback by the counterattack and laughed: "Why wait? Today works."
"It seems Master doesn’t care about me at all, not even bothering to choose a proper day. Let's leave it for the next life then." Seeing that his master remained unflustered, Feng Qingxiu could only sigh in defeat. "Enough joking. Help me think about what return gift I should give to Senior Brother Yang."