Chapter Ten Farewell Red Gold Town

  Qingxu was very depressed, as the eldest disciple of the Kongtong Sect and future sect leader, it's so hard to find a decent apprentice. Today, upon seeing Xiaoshi, he thought he had found a great candidate, but unexpectedly, it turned out to be Qiao Xishan, his own younger brother.

  Alas! Thinking about it is really embarrassing! Since being taken as a disciple by Master 160 years ago, my important task was to take in disciples and let the Qingtong Sect continue. And thinking about the rules of our sect is really strange. Originally, since the establishment of the Qingtong Sect, only the direct descendants of the sect leader were allowed to stay on the mountain, while other disciples were not allowed to go up the mountain without a reason. Now, there are only Guangxian and his two junior brothers on Mount Qingtong, as well as Qingxu, the eldest disciple. The two junior brothers' disciples had long since left the mountain, and they would not be allowed to return unless summoned by Master or if there was an important matter. After Guangxian passed on the position to Qingxu, those three old men would also leave Mount Qingtong, leaving only a few people on the mountain. Because Guangxian had taken in two disciples before, one being Qingxu and the other being Qinghua, who had been missing for a long time. Now, he had finally taken in another disciple, Qixiaoshi, making a total of three disciples. However, whether Qixiaoshi could go up the mountain was still a problem.

  Thinking of this, Qingxu felt a headache. "Master doesn't seem to be in a hurry, so I'm not afraid of becoming the leader of the sect." Thinking of Master's calm and composed expression, as if everything was just fate, Qingxu felt a bit annoyed. Getting angry wasn't going to help, what could he do? Tomorrow, he would try to bring this little junior brother back to the mountain, at least find someone to accompany him. What should he do now? These past few months, rumors had been circulating that Xianyao Sword King Zhao Wujin had encountered the Nine Heavens Thunderbolt and was already gone. But Master said not to believe it, and told him to go down the mountain to investigate. The day before yesterday, a senior fellow disciple also said that Zhao Wujin had suffered the Nine Heavens Thunderbolt, with little chance of survival. It just so happened that he was in Qilian Mountain, not far from Chijin Town. With nothing else to do, he might as well go into the mountain and take a look, maybe he could find some clues. Thinking of this, Qingxu looked around and saw no one, then his body shot up towards the sky, transforming into a green light that flew towards Qilian Mountain.

  Flying in the air, looking down at Qilian Mountain, a faint smile. After a heavy snowfall, below was a vast expanse of white, and even with good eyesight, it was impossible to penetrate the thick layer of accumulated snow. This trip is white! Just about to return, suddenly found a place that was a bit strange. Turning around, flew down.

  There is a large patch of empty land, about three or four miles in circumference. It's rare to find such a place among these mountains. What's even stranger is that the surrounding areas are all covered with thick snow, but this patch of land has no snow at all within a radius of several dozen feet from its center. Instead, there's a fissure about three feet deep and one foot wide, stretching for nearly twenty yards. Qingyu walked up to the edge of the fissure and took a closer look. The mud and rocks on either side of the fissure looked like they had been burned by fire - dry and brittle. He reached out his hand to touch the ground, which felt warm to the touch. The hottest spot was right at the fissure, and it radiated outward from there. No wonder there's no snow on the ground - it must have all melted.

  His face was filled with a mix of surprise and delight, muttering to himself "This is the mark left behind by the Red Flame Sword." After finishing speaking, he looked around again, and let out another cry of surprise, exclaiming "So this is the place where the Nine Heavens Thunderbolt struck! Its power is indeed unimaginable. However, the sword mark left behind will only last for a little over a month. It seems that after Zhao Jian Wang was struck by lightning, he came here and used the Red Flame Sword to cleave out this rift." As he spoke, he recalled the scene of Zhao Wuji standing with his sword, his aura soaring through the clouds, looking down on heaven and earth with disdain, and couldn't help but praise "The demeanor of our predecessor is truly extraordinary!" Just as he finished speaking, his expression changed, and the air was filled with a fluctuating aura, someone was approaching.

  Qingxu hid his body in a cave not far from the empty land, just in time to see the situation on the empty land. After a while, two people fell from the sky. Qingxu saw them and thought to himself, "It's Li Yunhe and Wu Yunju of the Yīn Shān Pài." He had traveled all over the world for many years and knew many people. Both were wearing white clothes, Li Yunhe was tall and thin, while Wu Yunju was a bit more robust, both were disciples of the old ancestor of Yīn Shān. They were also the senior brothers of Guō Yúnjié, the dark fox. However, Guō Yúnjié had deeply gained the favor of the old ancestor of Yīn Shān, although he was junior in cultivation, his abilities surpassed those of the two. Li Yunhe walked around the crack and touched the ground with his hand, his face changed greatly, Wu Yunju asked urgently, "What's wrong, Li brother?"

  Li Yun's face turned pale with terror and he stammered "It's Zhao Wuji"

  Wu Yunju was greatly shocked, "There!" He said as he looked around in all directions, wondering if Zhao Wujin was right next to him.

  Li Yun swallowed his saliva and said, "I said this crack was split by Zhao Wujin."

  Wu Yunju's face had long since turned pale, and he said, "Everyone says that Zhao Wujin has encountered heavenly calamity, but isn't he still alive and well, practicing sword here? Guo Shidi ran out, isn't he looking for death?"

  Li Yun shouted, "He's courting death, we can't control him. But Master still wants us to come out and look for him. This sword scar was made by the Red Flame Sword, let's hurry up and say goodbye, maybe Zhao Wuji will return!"

  Wu Yunju also said "Yes, hurry up! Hurry up!"

  The two of them hastily mounted their swords and flew away in a hurry.

  Qing Xū watched the two of them leave before he came out. He had clearly heard their conversation and knew that Zhao Wuji had caused a huge commotion in Yīn Shān in the past, causing the disciples of Yīn Shān to be terrified. These two were not weak in their cultivation, but as soon as they saw the sword scar, they were so frightened that their souls were shaken out of their bodies and they fled hastily. Since the sword scar was here, Zhao Wuji must not have died, and he must be hiding somewhere to cultivate. His cultivation was high and his knowledge was vast, this sword scar was indeed left by Zhao Wuji, but it was only at three-tenths of its full power when Zhao Wuji was in his prime. It should be that after Zhao Wuji went through the heavenly tribulation, his powers were greatly damaged, otherwise this one sword would have split the ground into two halves.

  Qingxu Zheng was about to leave when he suddenly heard a loud shout in the sky, "Zhao Wujin!" It seemed to be the voice of Wu Yunju. He hastily controlled his breath and flew up into the air. From afar, he saw that the two disciples of Yin Mountain were already enveloped by a red glow, surrounded by a dense, three-zhang-wide circle. The two of them wielded their swords with all their might, shouting loudly in fear as the red glow grew stronger, emitting a scorching heat that even Qingxu could feel from over a hundred zhang away. It was unbearable to imagine what it was like for the two of them inside.

  A black-clad man stood in mid-air, his right hand making a pressing motion, and the red light was transformed from his true energy. The black-clad man had a tall and majestic build, with a head of fiery red hair scattered about, and an extremely cold and stern face. This wasn't Zhao Wuji! Qingxu had seen Zhao Wuji once before, but their appearances were vastly different. However, the red light did seem to resemble Zhao Wuji's world-renowned Chi Yang True Energy. This person was bare-handed and empty-fisted, not using any magical artifacts, yet with just his own true energy, he had trapped two Yin Mountain disciples who weren't weak in cultivation, and it seemed like he hadn't even used his full strength yet - truly a rarely seen master.

  Suddenly, I felt a scorching aura around me, and my heart thought, "These two are done for." The red light that had enveloped the two of them contracted inward, and then I heard two faint "popping" sounds. In an instant, they were reduced to ashes, like moths flying into a flame.

  The man in black raised his hand and killed two people in an instant, just like swatting two mosquitoes. His face was expressionless. His eyes were empty, as if the universe and all living things were no different from ants in his eyes.

  Only a chill rose, who is this person! Just relying on this palm of true energy condensed light, the cultivation of instant killing, Qingxu knew that the black-clothed man's cultivation was higher than he had imagined. Now, although separated by hundreds of feet, Qingxu felt that the black-clothed man's aura was still oppressive.

  This feeling is not good, it's my turn now! Qing Xū thought to himself, calming his mind and focusing on controlling the sword. Suddenly, a sword appeared in his hand. The sword was covered in a blue aura, its body resembling blue jade - the Blue Ming Sword! This was the ancestral master of the Kongtong Sect, Dà Fāng Zhēn Rén's, treasured sword from back when he was subjugating demons, and the sect's heirloom that had been passed down for thousands of years. Now it was in Qing Xū's hands.

  The calm and peaceful face looked at the black-clad man in the distance. The subtle operation of the Taiqing Dao power infused into the Qingming Sword. The sword's cyan aura gradually thickened, eventually surrounding Qingxu within a five-zhang radius like a sea of clouds and mist. This was the Kongtong Sect's most defensive sword technique, "Clouds and Mist," the supreme sword mantra for self-protection. Qingxu knew that the black-clad man's cultivation was too high, and he was no match for him. For now, he could only defend and not attack, waiting for an opportunity to escape. Creating opportunities lay in his own hands, with the Qingming Sword! This immortal sword was forged by the Great Master Fang from a strange stone discovered years ago, which contained the essence of yin and yang energies within. After being refined into a sword, it was operated using Taiqing Dao power, its might unimaginable. However, Qingxu's Taiqing Dao power had not yet reached the level of pure fire, so the Qingming Sword could not unleash its maximum potential.

  The man in black looked at Qingxu with a cold gaze, his eyes fixed on the sword in front of him, without any reaction. After a long time, he finally spoke out one sentence, "Taiqing Dao Li, Qingming Sword!" His voice was as cold as others, without any emotion. After finishing speaking, he took a step forward. This step was over 100 meters, and he had already appeared in front of Qingxu within 10 meters. The man in black opened his palms, and the red light in his hands pressed towards Qingxu with overwhelming momentum.

  Qing Xiao was fully alert when the black-robed man spoke, his Tai Qing Dao power had reached its peak, and the Qing Ming sword was ready to strike. As soon as the black-robed man finished speaking, he appeared in front of him, with a strong red light and powerful pure Yang energy pressing in from all sides. Not giving Qing Xiao time to think, the Qing Ming sword struck out with force.

  A blue sword aura surged upwards and collided heavily with the crimson true energy, producing a sudden clap of thunder in mid-air, followed by a deafening roar that shook the land for hundreds of miles.

  Qingxu was shaken by the overwhelming true energy, his blood and qi surging wildly, almost losing control. The sword aura protecting him was also dispersed, and the Qingming Sword nearly slipped from his grasp. Only after this exchange did he realize that the black-clothed man's abilities were so high, truly terrifying, perhaps even surpassing Zhao Wujin's. The true energy in Qingxu's body was in turmoil, unable to condense. He thought to himself "It's over, I'll soon be nothing but a mosquito" and closed his eyes, waiting for the black-clothed man to finish him off.

  What's going on, I've been waiting for a long time without any movement. Qingxu opened his eyes and took a look, in front of him there was only a cloud of fog, and the shadow of a black-clothed person had disappeared. He's gone! What is this, playing with me? Qingxu really couldn't understand, the black-clothed person killed people as easily as swatting flies, clearly a ruthless and cunning individual, how could he show mercy to himself? Qingxu wouldn't be naive enough to think that the black-clothed person had been chased away by him. The strength this person displayed was far beyond Qingxu's imagination. He thought about all the top masters in the world, but there wasn't anyone who matched this description. The saying "beyond the sky, there is another sky; beyond man, there is another man" is truly a profound and famous phrase.

  "I didn't expect that apart from the Tianhuo Palace's Qiantian Shenhuo and Zhao Jianwang's Chi Yang Zhenqi, there would be such a powerful Taiyang Gongkui. I wonder what would happen if Master were to encounter this person, who would win or lose?" Qingxu thought silently to himself.

  After the inexplicable fight, Qingxu was a little scared. His body had been drenched in sweat for a long time, and the wind blowing from the sky made him feel cold! Qingxu shook his head, looked down, and saw that the crack on the empty ground seemed to be smiling like a mouth, as if mocking heaven and earth! Was this Zhao Wujin's protest against the injustice of heaven and earth?

  The sky is speechless, the earth is soundless, a clear and ethereal sigh, the vital energy flies away.

  It's dawn already. Xiaoshi woke up. This night passed so quickly, really didn't want to get up. Today I have to leave the bed that I've slept in for twelve years and the house that I've lived in for twelve years. Really don't want to say goodbye!

  Zheng Lao Die is still the same, having already prepared breakfast. Qing Xu has arrived so early. Xiao Shi Tou calls out "Lao Die" and starts eating without even acknowledging Qing Xu. Qing Xu's mood isn't bad, as Zheng Lao Die had already told him that Xiao Shi Tou agreed to go to Kong Tong Mountain. This trip hasn't been in vain after all.

  After dinner, Old Zheng took out a small package and said to Little Shi, "Shi, I've packed your things for you. Take a look and see if there's anything else you want to bring!"

  "Old man, isn't this a bit too fast? You're going to chase me away," said Xiaoshi. He shook his head and said, "Just take a look."

  "Where's that bracelet? Did you bring it?"

  He didn't dare tell his father about the black wristband, and hastily said "I've got it, it's right here" as he patted the Tai Chi pouch hanging from his waist.

  Zheng Lao Die was relieved and said seriously, "This thing can't be lost, what if one day your parents..." Xiaoshi Tuo interrupted Zheng Lao Die, "No 'what ifs', Dad!" As soon as his own parents were mentioned, Xiaoshi Tuo became angry.

  Zheng Lao Die sighed, looked at the small stone and said, "Stone, go on the road with Dao Zhang early, Lao Die won't see you off."

  Xiao Shi Tou nodded, didn't say a word, walked to Zheng Lao Ye's front, "plop" knelt down and knocked three loud heads. Zheng Lao Ye also didn't stop him, holding back tears only said "Let's go, Dao Zhang thank you". Qing Xu replied "Donor rest assured, I will take good care of him".

  Xiao Shi Tou stood up, picked up his bundle and ran out. Qing Xu said to Zheng Lao Die "We're leaving, Master, take care" and followed him out.

  Zheng Lao Die watched them all leave, and his eyes finally welled up with hot tears, unable to calm down for a long time.

  Xiao Shi ran onto the street and saw Xiao Lan lingering at the door. When Xiao Lan saw him, her eyes turned red, and she asked, "Shi Tuo, are you leaving?"

  "How did you know?"

  "Old Dad came to my house and said that you want to go to Kongtong Mountain, is it with this Taoist?" At this time Qingxu also came out, Xiaoshi said "It's him!"

  "Aren't you supposed to be a good person?" said Xiaolan.

  Qing Xū listened and smiled slightly.

  "Who knows! Father said it's a good thing again. Xiao Lan, I'm leaving!"

  Xiao Lan had already burst into tears, sobbing "Stony, when can you come back?" Stony was also sad, saying "I'll be back in six years! Don't cry, I'll take you out to see the world when I return!"

  Xiao Lan said "I'll wait for you to come back" and then burst into loud wails, turning around and running back home.

  Xiao Lan ran back home, and Xiao Shi Tuo stood still for a while. Qing Xu walked over and patted his shoulder, saying "Little brother, let's go!" Xiao Shi Tuo remained silent and slowly headed towards the outskirts of town.

  On the main road outside the town, Xiao Shi and Qing Xū headed east. The Red Gold Town was already behind them, Xiao Shi turned his head to take a look, and the tears he had been holding back finally flowed down.

  Farewell, Chijin Town! Farewell, Qilian Mountain!