Chapter 71: The Mysterious Liu Xiaoxiao
That beam of light shocked the entire gathering in an instant. All around, disciples from the various great sects stared wide-eyed at Liu Xiaoxiao, their faces displaying utter disbelief.
Most notable among them were the three from the Hua Ying Sect; their expressions could not have been more unsightly. Although Liu Xiaoxiao hadn't caused any strange phenomena, this crimson radiance was far more dazzling than the light summoned by Hua Longyin.
In contrast, Chen Huafei and the others from the Jade Sword Sect were overjoyed. Only Long Yun’s brows were deeply furrowed, for he alone knew that the light caused by Hua Longyin had been the result of a trace of his own divine sense.
But Liu Xiaoxiao’s display was purely her own strength!
Moreover, it seemed this was not the full extent of her power. She must have been holding back, and controlled her strength with such precision that she surpassed Hua Longyin by just a fraction.
She hadn't caused enough commotion to attract the attention of the Azure Sect’s experts, which made Long Yun all the more suspicious of her. Who exactly was she?
He himself had triggered a phenomenon because the divine aura within him clashed with the demonic energy inside the Sky-Piercing Pillar, but what reason did she have to accomplish such a feat?
Did she, like him, possess some holy power? Or did she harbor some innate demonic strength?
At that moment, Liu Xiaoxiao turned her head and flashed Long Yun a mischievous smile. “Senior Brother Long Yun, I did it!”
Long Yun quickly composed himself. Regardless of who Liu Xiaoxiao really was, for now she was a disciple of the Jade Sword Sect. He laughed heartily, “Congratulations, Junior Sister Xiaoxiao, you’ve brought honor to our sect!”
He then turned to Hua Zonghe and said with a smile, “Elder Hua, are you satisfied with this result? If not, our Jade Sword Sect welcomes any further challenges you might care to issue.”
Hua Zonghe’s eyes flickered as he gazed at Long Yun’s somewhat youthful face, sighing inwardly. This youth was by no means simple. That fearless resolve to fight with his back against the wall was not something ordinary disciples possessed.
The Hua Ying Sect had no shortage of talented disciples—Chu Huafei and Hua Longyin among them were the brightest stars of their generation. Yet compared to the youth before him, they were sorely lacking.
Holding himself with the dignity of an elder, Hua Zonghe was unwilling to argue further with Long Yun. He snorted coldly, “This time, our Hua Ying Sect was caught off guard and suffered a setback. But if you truly have the ability, let’s see who prevails at the upcoming Hunting Tournament.”
With that, he left, taking Hua Longyin and Chu Huafei with him without so much as a backward glance.
“Elder Hua, that woman from the Jade Sword Sect is no ordinary figure,” Chu Huafei said quietly at Hua Zonghe’s side.
Hua Zonghe’s expression darkened. “Huafei, have you made contact with Huaran?”
A faint smile appeared on Chu Huafei’s lips. His elder brother, Chu Huaran, was the previous generation’s peerless genius of the Hua Ying Sect—a cultivator with the supreme talent of six apertures condensed into qi. He had since been transferred to the Azure Sect and accepted as a direct disciple.
Upon hearing Hua Zonghe mention his brother, pride welled up in Chu Huafei’s heart. He replied, “I have. My brother has agreed to deal with the Jade Sword Sect.”
Hua Zonghe’s expression softened a little, and he said in a low voice, “Huafei, as for the other disciples of the Jade Sword Sect, let them be for now. But tell Huaran for me: Long Yun and Liu Xiaoxiao must die.”
Chu Huafei nodded.
Their victory greatly boosted the morale of the Jade Sword Sect, who had only recently survived a great catastrophe. Smiles lit the faces of Chen Huafei and the others as they made their way to Thousand Fathoms Peak.
Thousand Fathoms Peak was not far from the main gate of the Azure Sect. As they walked, Chen Huafei introduced the various branches of the Azure Sect to Long Yun and the others, and the time passed quickly.
After roughly two hours, they reached the foot of Thousand Fathoms Peak.
“This is it,” Chen Huafei said cheerfully. “Whenever our Jade Sword Sect participates in the Hunting Tournament, this is where we stay. I imagine the Sect Master is already waiting for us above!”
Chang Yi smiled at his words. It was his first time attending the Hunting Tournament, and he could not help feeling a bit anxious. The Azure Sect always dominated the event.
The Azure Sect was not something the Jade Sword Sect could hope to match. Disciples who had participated in previous tournaments included many prodigies at the Innate Realm—a level the other branches of the Green Mountain lineage couldn’t compare to.
Although Chang Yi had already attained the Marrow Transmutation Realm and was a standout among disciples, he was still not on the same level as those at the Innate Realm.
Because the event was a competition between many sects, the disciples of Thousand Fathoms Peak had already vacated, and the peak now housed several visiting sects, including the Jade Sword Sect.
As they ascended the mountain path, they encountered disciples from various other sects.
All the while, Long Yun walked at the rear of the group, his brows slightly furrowed, his gaze occasionally drifting to Liu Xiaoxiao. This woman was truly an enigma to him.
“Senior Brother Long Yun!” Liu Xiaoxiao quietly fell back to walk beside him, lowering her voice. “Thank you for having so much faith in me.”
Long Yun was taken aback. He didn’t know why she would bring this up so suddenly, but he kept his composure. “We are of the same sect. If we can’t trust our fellow disciples, who else can we trust?”
Liu Xiaoxiao smiled, her bright eyes lingering on him. “Senior Brother, the aura you carry is so soothing. Aren’t you curious how I was able to communicate with the Sky-Piercing Pillar?”
Long Yun glanced at her and found her gaze utterly clear, like that of a maiden untainted by the world. He quickly steadied his heart and said, “Everyone has their own secrets. If you do not wish to speak of it, why should I pry?”
Liu Xiaoxiao covered her mouth with a laugh. “How do you know I’m unwilling to share? What if I told you I’m willing to let you in on my secret—would you want to know?”
“An unprovoked gift of kindness always hides an ulterior motive. I have no desire to meddle in other people’s secrets,” Long Yun replied with a smirk.
Liu Xiaoxiao put on a pout and pretended to be aggrieved. “Senior Brother Long Yun, are you intentionally teasing me? I’ve long admired you, ever since you turned the tide in that crisis for our Jade Sword Sect, yet you always say such disappointing things…”
As she spoke, her eyes grew red with unshed tears.
Long Yun sighed softly. “Enough, Xiaoxiao, let’s not make a scene. We’re all disciples of the same sect. Let’s put any past unpleasantness behind us. There’s no need for all this.”
He recalled that his enmity with the Sword Lineage all began because of Liu Xiaoxiao, which was why he spoke as he did.
But Liu Xiaoxiao’s tears vanished in an instant, replaced by a bright smile. “Senior Brother Long Yun, you’re so clever—nothing gets past you!”
Looking at her innocent, carefree expression, Long Yun almost believed she truly was just a naïve young prodigy from a noble family.
Yet he trusted his instincts and dismissed the thought at once.
“Disciples of the Jade Sword Sect?” A sudden voice called out, continuing in a mocking tone, “I heard your sect had a traitor who colluded with the Demonic Sect and nearly wiped you all out. I’m surprised any of you made it to the Hunting Tournament. I wonder what sort of rabble you are—just don’t throw your lives away for empty glory!”
Chen Huafei was instantly enraged, but when he saw the insignia on the other party’s robes, his expression darkened. The group approaching were clearly disciples of the Azure Sect.
Chen Huafei’s fists clenched so tightly his knuckles cracked. Yet these were Azure Sect disciples—provoking them could bring unnecessary trouble if the sect decided to retaliate.
“Our Jade Sword Sect is not for others to criticize,” Chen Long snapped coldly, his notorious bad temper flaring. “And you call yourselves disciples of the Azure Sect? Such words are a disgrace to your robes!”
The three Azure Sect disciples, the strongest of whom had only reached the Bone Refiner Realm and hadn’t yet replaced his spirit bones, grew furious at the challenge.
“Who do you think you are? You think you can talk down to disciples of the Azure Sect? Looks to me like you’re tired of living!” the leading disciple snarled, pointing at Chen Long.
Chen Huafei quickly pulled Chen Long aside and forced a smile. “My friend, I am Elder Chen Huafei of the Jade Sword Sect’s Earth Sword branch. My disciple may have offended you just now; I apologize on his behalf.”
Seeing Chen Huafei back down, the Azure Sect disciple grew even more arrogant. Pointing at Chen Long, he declared, “Have him kneel and apologize, and we’ll let this go. Otherwise, you’ll all regret it!”
Rage flared in Chen Huafei’s eyes, and not just his—every disciple of the Jade Sword Sect was burning with fury, a murderous intent brimming in the air.