Chapter 52 The Ambush of a Powerful Enemy (2/2)
The five of them talked and laughed in the courtyard. It was if they had returned to the days when they first met. When afternoon rolled around, Xiao Chen finally found some silence. He carried the Jade Zither to the small cliff outside his yard. Facing the mountains and rustling autumn, he played the zither all by himself, song after song. No one came to him.
”To think that you have the mood to play the zither here when your decisive battle is so close at hand.” Just then, a moving voice came from behind him.
Xiao Chen found the voice to be very familiar and immediately pressed onto the string to stop the song. He turned around and said, ”Muxue, why have you returned?”
Li Muxue, still dressed in clothing whiter than snow, strolled over to him. She smiled sweetly and said, ”Of course, I returned after hearing that you're dueling someone.”
Xiao Chen felt immense joy in his heart. He got up and walked over with a smile. ”This lowly commoner feels deeply honored to have the monarch come all the way here.”
Li Muxue shot him a harmless glare. ”In just a short three months that we didn't see each other, your mouth has gotten worse.” She walked to the Jade Zither behind Xiao Chen. ”What an unusual zither...”
”Don't touch that zither!”
However, Xiao Chen had barely gotten the words out when the strings under Li Muxue's fingers suddenly let out a resounding echo. The sound was clearly audible.
Xiao Chen hurried over and took her hand. ”Are you all right? Does it hurt?”
Li Muxue blushed and quickly withdrew her hand. She looked up and said, ”What's the matter? This zither has a very good tone.”
Xiao Chen was surprised. Evernight once told him that there was a dense Death Qi hidden inside the zither. The Qi of the living had no way of countering it for only Death Qi could counteract Death Qi. Therefore, no one could play the zither. But why was she able to...
While he was still engrossed in his thoughts, Li Muxue sat in front of the zither and began playing it. The sound of the zither was erratic, sounding unreal yet real at the same time. It was hard to distinguish an illusion from reality. It was like a dream, just like when Zhuang Zhou dreamed of butterflies. Zhuang Zhou didn't know if he had dreamt he was a butterfly or he was a butterfly dreaming that he was Zhuang Zhou.
Xiao Chen couldn't help feeling so stupefied that he got lost in his thoughts. He had always been proud of his unrivaled zither skills and didn't wish for anyone in the world to be on par with him. The song that Li Muxue played sounded both unreal and real. He felt as if he was dreaming. He couldn't help feeling shocked. He often dreamed of his master, Ling Yin, and the dreams had always seemed so real. Was it he who dreamed of his master or was it his master who dreamed of him?
”You... What's the name of this song?”
Li Muxue smiled faintly and turned around. ”Nice, isn't it? It's a song I learned in my dream, called 'Dreamlike Life'. Thinking about it, it's somewhat similar to your mysterious song.”
Xiao Chen nodded. Just who was this girl...
Suddenly, a violent formation began shaking, creating gusts of fierce winds. Then, they saw several sword radiance streaked across the sky to fly in the direction of the Black Dragon Peak at top speed. Xiao Chen's gaze stiffened when he noticed that the sword radiance didn't belong to the swordsmanship of the Three Pure Sect. He said solemnly, ”Someone broke into the Black Dragon Peak!”
Li Muxue also saw the sword radiance in the sky. Her expression became solemn. ”Let's go and have a look!”
Xiao Chen immediately returned the zither to his house and the two of them set off for the Black Dragon Peak on their flying swords.
What greeted them was the scurrying shadows atop the Black Dragon Peak. The disciples all had unsheathed their flying swords and the five Elders, except Bai Ying, were already here. Suspended in midair was a figure dressed in green as he looked down at the thousands of people below.
The man stood upright in midair. His robe billowed on his own without the presence of any wind. It was as if all it took was one look from him to break the spirits of everyone here. He frightened countless disciples of the Three Pure Sect into silence. Even their flying sword fells to the ground under the pressure of such a strong aura.
First Elder took a step forward. His voice subtly trembled as he said, ”Perfected Immortal Yunyin, what do you mean by breaking into the Three Pure Sect today? My Senior Brother will return in a few days. If you have any business with us, please come back in a couple of days.”
The man suspended in midair flicked his sleeves coldly. ”Don't try and frighten me with Taoist Zixu. If he could return, he would've already! Hurry and hand over Bai Ying and the one called Xiao Chen! Or do you want me to do it myself?”
The moment he made this remark, countless disciples standing beneath him felt that disaster was imminent. It was the result of the competition three months ago. This man was one of the four Elders of the Skygale Sect of the Human World. His cultivation was already in the Core Forming Realm, two levels higher than the cultivation of First Elder.
There was a rule against aggression among Cultivators' sects. One wasn't allowed to enter another sect without authorization. However, it was only relatively speaking. The Skygale Sect was the strongest sect. Someone from the sect could enter any sect he wanted, for who would dare stop him?
Moreover, the grand defensive formation of the Three Pure Sect was effective only against members of Devils' sects. It was incapable of stopping Perfected Immortal Yunyin who similarly belonged to the Cultivators' sects. Masters like him were free to come and go as they pleased.
Perfected Immortal Yunyin flicked his sleeve coldly. ”I'm giving Zixu face today, but if you still don't hand them over, I'll definitely purge the Three Pure Sect from this world when the other three Elders of the Skygale Sect arrive!”
The four Elders felt cold sweat drenching their backs. The man's words were true. Without their leader, the Three Pure sect confronting the Skygale Sect would be tantamount to throwing eggs at stones.
Standing behind Perfected Immortal Yunyin was a male and a female disciple. The two disciples wore cold smiles as they looked down at the disciples of the Three Pure Sect. It was as if they were looking down at ants. The male disciple sneered and said, ”Elder Yan, I think you'd better hand them over as soon as possible lest you cause the death of all your disciples later.”
Right then, an idle voice came from outside the square. ”What's with all the noise? You're disturbing my nap...” Bai Ying walked over, yawning.
First Elder trembled all over and immediately glared at her. ”You injured his disciple three months ago! Hurry and apologize to Perfected Immortal Yunyin!”
Bai Ying yawned before casting an indifferent gaze upward. ”Casualties are a non-factor in a duel among members of Cultivators' sects. What's wrong? Is the senior stepping up because the junior couldn't win?”