732 Listening to the Chirping of Cicadas for 23 Years (1/2)
The back of the mountain of the Academy had always been a mysterious existence in the Cultivation Field. While Third Senior Sister, Yu Lian, kept a lower-profile that few people were conscious of her existence. Even in the West-Hill Divine Palace, people only knew that she was a powerful master in the Seethrough Realm.
The ”Ri” Handscroll in the Tomes of the Arcane also recorded in the same way.
However, the Hierarch Lord and the authentic bigwigs had never believed that.
The Academy was such a mysterious place. Eldest Brother heard of Taoism in the morning and mastered Taoism in the sunset. He had leaped from the No Doubts State into the Knowing Destiny State over two consecutive levels within only one day. While Second Brother elevated into the No Doubts State only right after 14 days of the initial comprehension.
As the Third Senior Sister of Academy, Yu Lian was only inferior to Eldest Brother and Second Brother.
The Second Floor of the Academy was sorted by the entry time. However, considering Eldest Brother and Second Brother who were both extraordinary people: one of them was a World Wayfarer and had defeated the World Wayfarer of both the Buddhism and Taoism with absolute advantage amid the autumn rain in Lanke Temple; the other one had stopped the Sage of Sword, Liu Bai, the first powerful master in the world drawing his sword out. How could she possibly be a weak one?
There were also many geniuses in Haotian Taoism. Ye Su had seen through life and death since he was young. Ye Hongyu, who had been too proud to fight with Chen Pipi for the reputation of being the youngest to enter into the Knowing Destiny State, patiently cultivated and forcibly suppressed her cultivation state under the Seethrough Realm for years. Only till Harmony that did she cross the threshold easily on the snow cliff which was pretty much the same as that at the moment.
Therefore the Hierarch Lord felt no sense of astonishment when he saw Yu Lian breaking out of the Seethrough Realm instantly and elevating into Knowing Destiny State while walking slowly along the mountain path until she finally entered the climax of Knowing Destiny State!
The Hierarch Lord finally started to wear imposing looks on his face, but he sounded august and confident as usual.
”Haotian had granted me the divine power to protect the world and even your two senior brothers would not be able to contend with me. Even if you are able to show out your real strength today, you are only destined to be sacrificial offerings!”
Looking at the innocent and beautiful maiden standing out there, the Hierarch Lord said, ”Haotian Taoism respects the Headmaster and for his sake, I will spare all you three from death as long as you hand me the array eye pestle.”
Yu Lian took out an object wrapped up with cloth and then placed it on the wooden bench beside the mountain path. Staring at the gigantic chariot, she said peacefully, ”Poke your eyes and I will spare you from death for the sake of being so stupid.”
Being startled slightly for a moment, the Hierarch Lord then laughed out loud immediately.
His laughter quaked the layers of the satins and veils, echoing through the quiet mountain behind the Academy.
”You are as short as a little girl in appearance, but you talk with a tone boasting yourself too much actually.”
Slowly stopping laughing, the Hierarch Lord acclaimed, ”How ridiculous and laughable it is! You really think that you are capable of defeating me?”
His voice was cold and loud, sounding exactly like the thunder roaring in late winter.
Having already walked to the front of the gigantic carriage at the moment, Yu Lian looked at the tall figure looming in the satins and said with a faint smile, ”You are much shorter than me. How can you be eligible to laugh at me?”
Even though the figure in the carriage looked so tall and stalwart, she still said that he was actually much too shorter than her.
The Hierarch Lord fell silent all of a sudden.
Staring at the young girl outside the veils, he said in a slow tone, ”Who are you?”
His voice sounded so heavy, even with some nervousness.
Yu Lian said distantly, ”I have always known who you are, while you still don't know who I am. It is said that you and I are the most mysterious people in the Cultivation Field. Now it sounds ridiculous.”
A Cicadas' chirping suddenly rang out in the quiet mountain behind the Academy.
It was four spring-like and no true autumn at all for this place. As the chirping of Cicadas was ringing on, the autumn was coming. The autumn winds began to blow and the yellow leaves started to fall down. This cicada was one that belonged in the autumn season.
Fifth Brother and Eighth Brother who were standing beneath the pine tree seemed somewhat astounded at first. Then they seemed to recall something and smiled into each other, leaving the cliff platform quietly after bowing to Yu Lian.
The Hierarch Lord became more and more nervous and said in a cold tone, ”Who... who the hell are you?”
When he heard the chirpings, he vaguely figured out something, but to no end would he believe that.
The aura of Yu Lian suddenly changed, cold and detached. Her face seemed to be covered by a thin layer of frost, which made her look so mysterious and proud.
She looked up at that tall figure in the carriage as if she was looking at an ant.
She coldly said, ”Xiong Chumo, you stupid dwarf! In no way are you qualified to stand taller than me!”
As soon as her voice died away, numerous of chirpings of Cicadas rang out in the mountain behind the Academy.
The cicadas seemed to know something.
The chirpings of Cicadas echoed all over the wilderness, sounding mournful and frightening.
The autumn winds were growing strong and the yellow leaves were falling down.
Many yellow leaves fell down on the gigantic carriage.
The thousands of layers of veils covering the carriage had not been destroyed completely during the fight with Xu Shi and had been pulled together at all while breaking off the Academy's Go game. However, in front of the falling yellow leaves, they appeared to be so fragile that they were torn down into numerous pieces!
With the tattered satins fluttering away, there were no other things on the carriage.
Few people in the world had seen the physical body of the Hierarch Lord of the West-Hill Divine Palace.
That was the exact reason why he was considered one of the two most mysterious people in the world.
At this moment, his physical body finally revealed in the broad daylight as well as in front of the countless chirpings.
An old Taoist Priest with pretty ordinary look showed up on the carriage.
He had pretty distinctive facial features.
He was very short, who was much shorter than an eight or nine-year-old boy.
He was much too thin, thinner than the poor in the famine age.
He looked pretty much like a puppet made up of multiple dead planks of wood.
Not only did he appear that miserable but also that ridiculous.
This was what the Hierarch Lord of West-Hill Divine Palace really looked like.
The Hierarch Lord was not accustomed to the skylight.
A look of panic was revealed on his face.
It was due to the fact that his lay-man name nobody had known about was revealed by Yu Lian. It also due to the fact that he found that without the layers of satins and veils concealing his body, his tall and stalwart figure had disappeared into the void. He became so panic as if he was a naked woman who had been stripped completely off her clothing, without knowing where to lay her hands at all.
Looking at this scene, the big white goose which was landing on top of the water wheel behind the iron forge mill began to quack out shamelessly.
While in the midst of the chirping of Cicadas echoing all over the whole mountain, Yu Lian's aura continued elevating up, transcending over the lofty threshold hanging above the Five States in an instant, finally ending up as a landscape of blankness and clarity!
The Hierarch Lord finally recovered. Staring at the young girl standing outside the carriage, he shouted sharply and angrily with his withered lips.
”Lin Wu!”