Chapter 21: The Old Ones Are Back Again
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Inside the main hall, Sect Master Qi Hong pressed his fingers to his brow, his worries nearly spilling over. Ever since the Immortal Alliance’s envoys had paid them a visit, the entire Profound Heaven Sect had been placed under a state of emergency. Although the Supreme Elder had appeared that day and the two envoys had not dared to attack openly, everyone understood that this had merely been an appetizer.
The Immortal Alliance had already decided to move against the Profound Heaven Sect. There would certainly be more to come.
Sure enough, before three days had passed, trouble arose within the sect.
“Master, the Rosy Cloud Sect has replied. Their spiritual plants have grown poorly this year, so they are unable to sell any more to us. The same applies to next year’s batch of Resonant Spirit Grass,” one of the elders in charge reported solemnly.
“What about the Scarlet Spirit Sect?” Qi Hong asked.
“The Scarlet Spirit Sect didn’t say anything outright. However, a few days ago, they closed the teleportation array at Scarlet Ore Mountain, claiming that the formation had malfunctioned and needed to be rebuilt.”
“So they’ve cut off our disciples’ access to materials for artifact forging.” Qi Hong let out a long sigh. Ever since that day, the sect’s dealings with the other schools had gradually become restricted. At first, it had only been a few second- and third-rate sects. Now even the other two of the Three Great Sects had joined in. Who would believe this was not at the Immortal Alliance’s direction?
“The Immortal Alliance is going too far!” Huo Zhentian, Master of Hundred Refinements Peak, slammed his hand against the table in fury. “They’ll stoop to such despicable methods?”
“What is there that the Immortal Alliance would not do?” the Master of Azurefall Peak sneered. “They have already made it clear that they intend to target our junior disciples.”
“Right.” Huo Zhentian suddenly remembered the little disciple he had only taken in a few days ago—a young girl, no less. He had no idea how frightened she might be. “Sect Master, where is my disciple now? Is she safe?”
“I’ll ask! Don’t worry. I’ve already sent Jing Hong to protect them. He has always been steady and reliable. Nothing will happen.” Qi Hong spoke with certainty.
With that, he formed a hand seal and connected to Jing Hong’s communication talisman. Sure enough, after a brief wait, a familiar voice came through.
“Master.”
“Jing’er, are you and your two junior brothers and sisters safe? Have you encountered anyone from the Immortal Alliance along the way?”
“Safe… No.”
“That’s good.” Qi Hong and the others all breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed sending them away in advance had been the right decision. “Where have you reached now?”
“We’re… in the rear mountain.”
“What?” Qi Hong failed to process that for a moment. “Which rear mountain? The rear mountain of where?”
“The sect’s rear mountain.”
Qi Hong: “…”
The elders: “…”
After a moment…
“You’re still inside the sect!”
(((;꒪ꈊ꒪;)))
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Weren’t you supposed to have left the sect? It had been several days already—you could have crawled out by now!
Qi Hong nearly exploded. He was just about to speak when a rumble of thunder suddenly rang out. A dazzling white light flashed across the sky, and the sect-protecting formation was triggered.
Everyone’s heart sank.
They were here!
They rushed out of the main hall and looked upward.
The sect-protecting formation had fully activated, spreading over the entire Profound Heaven Sect like a veil of light. Outside that luminous barrier stood five people dressed uniformly in white robes embroidered with spirit patterns. The two at the rear bore ordinary black markings, while the three in front wore golden ones. In particular, spiritual power flowed around two of the elderly men with such oppressive force that it seemed difficult even to breathe.
Everyone was horrified.
What level of cultivation did these people possess?
“You have openly defied the Immortal Alliance’s command. Does your Profound Heaven Sect know its crime?” the old man at the front suddenly demanded. His voice was not loud, yet it resounded throughout the entire sect.
As soon as he spoke, a terrifying pressure descended like a storm. With a crackling roar, thin arcs of lightning struck the sect-protecting formation. The formation that had enveloped the entire sect shattered and vanished in an instant, like an eggshell crushed beneath a blow.
How was this possible?
Qi Hong and the elders stared in disbelief. The immense pressure, wrapped in lightning, came crashing down toward them. They tried to defend themselves, only to discover that they could not move at all. The overwhelming force had completely suppressed them.
Just as the attack was about to land, a flash of white light appeared. A familiar figure stepped in front of them and swept out a wave of spiritual power, dispersing the oppressive force.
“Thank you, Supreme Elder!”
The newcomer was none other than Yu Xuan.
Qi Hong drew a deep breath. Even now, recalling that pressure left him shaken. He looked toward the figures in the sky with even greater caution.
“Grand Elder Uncle, they are…” What level of cultivation were they?
Yu Xuan had also abandoned his former kindly, grandfatherly appearance. Frowning, he stared at the figures overhead and said heavily, “Nascent Soul cultivators!”
And not merely Nascent Soul cultivators—they were each a minor realm above him. Two of them had come at once. The Immortal Alliance had certainly gone to great lengths. It seemed there would be a bitter battle today.
Yet when the figures in the sky saw Yu Xuan appear, they did not take him seriously in the slightest. After sweeping a glance over the people below, they continued, “Profound Heaven Sect, do you know your crime?”
“Wait, Senior Adept…” Qi Hong tried to speak and ease the situation.
But the other side had no intention of listening. The lightning surrounding them only grew brighter, crackling across half the sky. With an aura that seemed capable of destroying the entire sect, the old man coldly declared, “Those who defy the Immortal Alliance shall d—”
Snap!
A chain formed from violet lightning suddenly lashed upward like a striking serpent. Moving with incredible speed, it shot between the five men, then abruptly tightened and knotted, binding them together like dumplings wrapped for steaming.
With a crackle, the white lightning filling the sky vanished in an instant.
Then something yanked hard on the violet lightning chain. The five men plummeted toward the rear of the Profound Heaven Sect like dumplings tossed into a pot, disappearing from everyone’s sight.
After a moment, several heavy thuds echoed from the distance.
Then came several sharp slapping sounds.
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The sudden turn of events had come so swiftly that not only had the elders failed to react—the five people in the sky had not either. They had even neglected to dispel the spell transmission they had used to broadcast their voices throughout the sect. And so…
The entire sect heard their screams, each one carrying from end to end.
“So you like playing with lightning, do you? You struck my fields, did you? Showing off, are you?”
“Ahhh—what are you—ah! How dare you—somebody save meeeee!”
“Didn’t I tell you? If you ever interfere with my farming again, I’ll plant you in the ground!”
“Ahhh… I was wrong… I was wrong… Aaaaaah!”
“That’s for striking recklessly! That’s for playing with lightning! That’s for ruining my fields…”
“Uwaaah… uwaaah, uwaaah, uwaaah…”
The cries were so agonized that they left every disciple in the sect stunned and deafened.
The five men’s voices shifted from fury, to instant submission, to frantic apologies, and finally to nothing but screams. Gradually, even those disappeared.
Only the echoes remained in the sky:
Smack… smack… smack… smack…
As though someone were still being beaten.
Yu Xuan: “…”
Qi Hong: “…”
The elders: “…”
What was going on?
What happened to the crisis threatening their sect? What about the calamity of annihilation?
“Quick!” Supreme Elder Yu Xuan was ultimately the first to recover. He hurriedly called out, “Go to the rear mountain! It seems a master has come to our aid. We must hurry and pay our respects!”
The others froze, then finally understood as well. One after another, they took to the air and flew toward the rear mountain.
─=≡Σ(((つ•̀ω•́)つ
To watch the excitement… no, to pay our respects to the senior!
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