Chapter 56 Under the Back Mountain (2/2)
”Oh... It seems to be about Junior Brother and Senior Brother Mo. He requests that Third Elder come immediately without delay.”
”Understood.”
The two of them arrived at the Three Pure Hall half an hour later, where the rest of the Elders were already present along with Chu Hanyan and Mo Yu. There was already a crowd of Inner Disciples gathered outside the hall.
Fourth Elder coughed and got up. ”Here's the case. Since three months have passed, we hope to hold the first competition between Xiao Chen and Mo Yu. Of course, the competition isn't about battling.”
Xiao Chen glanced at Chu Hanyan. The Elders must have been so busy that they had exhausted themselves in recent days. Where would they find the leisurely mood to hold this competition? It seemed like she was the one who proposed it. Hehe, she could do as she pleased.
Bai Ying also took a nonchalant glance at Chu Hanyan. ”Oh, whatever. Counter water with arms, soldiers with an earth weir...” A disciple next to her whispered, ”Third Elder, it's 'counter soldiers with arms, water with an earth weir'...”
”It's the same!” Bai Ying raised her hand. ”Let's talk about the rules of the competition!”
Chu Hanyan took a step forward. ”The rules are very simple. The competition will last for three days. The two of them need to go down the back mountain to collect Three Immortal Leaves. The one with the bigger collection wins.”
Many people outside the hall began whispering. There were many prohibitions under the back mountain. It was an extremely dangerous place. Even the Elders wouldn't visit under normal circumstances.
There was a small smile on Mo Yu’s face. Looking confident as ever, he turned his head to look at Xiao Chen. “What do you think? Do you dare to answer my challenge, Junior Brother Xiao?”
Xiao Chen glanced at him and flashed him a faint smile. ”Why not?”
Seeing that both sides had no objection, Second Elders got up and solemnly said, ”The back mountain is the forbidden territory of the sect. Furthermore, there are many prohibition formations placed by successive Sect Leaders over the years. Both of you aren't allowed to go near dangerous areas or your souls would dissipate. Do you hear me?”
”I understand!” the two men said in unison, looking at each other as they spoke. There was a barely detectable murderous glint in Mo Yu's eyes but Xiao Chen wasn't afraid in the slightest.
Early the next morning when the two of them were ready, they came to the edge of a cliff in the back mountain under the company of the Elders and many other disciples. Their clothing flapped noisily as they faced the cold mountain wind.
Many disciples had begun discussing in quiet voices, speculating on the winner this time. Some said that Xiao Chen had shown an astonishing performance from the beginning while others said that Mo Yu had built sufficient cultivation. Moreover, he had a good grasp of the terrain after spending all these years near Lingtai Mountain.
In short, everyone had their own opinion. They only closed their mouths after First Elder raised his hand, indicating for silence. With a solemn look, he said, ”The competition begins now. Remember not to go near dangerous areas or secretly battle down there!”
With that, the two men stepped on their flying swords and flew in two different directions.
The mountain wind whistled. First Elder stared at Chu Hanyan who stood on the edge of the cliff and sighed softly before turning around to leave.
Bai Ying stood with her hands clasped behind her back as she looked in the direction that Xiao Chen fell. The white mist was so dense that she couldn't see anything. No trace of emotion could be seen on her face. Standing next to her was Luo Shangyan, Li Muxue, Xiao Wan'er, and the rest.
It took Xiao Chen exactly half an hour to fall to the ground from the towering peak of Lingtai Mountain. He found himself in what seemed like an ancient forest, where the trees that reached high to the sky were covered in vines. The ground under his feet was damp and the air was filled with the smell of rotting greenery.
When the sun rose, this place was bound to be suffocating. Xiao Chen immediately covered his nose with his sleeve before using his lightness skill to venture out of the forest. Gradually, he no longer felt the pull of the formations of the Three Pure Sect. Neither was he able to use his flying sword.
Two hours later, he arrived at a clear creek flowing between two mountains. He squatted down and carried water to his mouth with his hands. He then took out the Nine Streams Talisman and recited a spell. The talisman turned into nine streams of red lights that penetrated the water.
This was the talisman that he rushed overnight to create, used to lay down a formation. The Three Immortals Leaves were necessary items in the making of Spirit-recalling Elixir. He wasn't in a hurry to collect those leaves. Instead, he was waiting for his enemy to come out of his hiding place. This competition was certainly not as calm as it appeared.
By the time sunset rolled around, Xiao Chen had no idea where he was. He could only be sure that he was still inside the parameters of Lingtai Mountain. On his journey, he found that there were restrictive formations placed in many places. The formations were so incredibly powerful that even he was helpless against them.
Right after he took a few mouthfuls of water to drink, he heard the rustling of leaves in the forest behind him. However, there was no breeze in front of him.
”Hehe, are you finally making an appearance?”