Chapter 58: The Arrival of the Demon Realm (Part 1)

  The sky is overcast and extremely low, pressing down on the top of my head. The wind blows from an unknown place, rustling the green grass on the rolling hills. Distant mountains stretch far and wide, with numerous peaks hidden deep within the vast and dense clouds, faintly visible. Nearby, however, there is only a desolate expanse of land, empty and boundless.

  Juan Yun Tai is not a key location of the Qiong Hua Sect, but since its establishment, few people have come here. Although it's not far from Jian Wu Ping, it's quiet and deserted, with a thousand years of loneliness on this high cliff. The young disciples in the sect disdain this place for having no pavilions or beautiful scenery, so they never set foot here. However, the older generation of disciples seem to have reached a tacit understanding, and even when mentioning it, they are vague and ambiguous, with an air of mystery.

  But today, this place where people rarely set foot welcomed thousands of disciples from the Qionghua Sect. For a time, heads were crowded together like a swarm, white robes fluttering like snow, packing the large lawn to bursting point. These male and female disciples either followed their own masters or gathered with fellow disciples, brothers and sisters, moving about with sword hilts at their waists and on their backs flashing various colors in the light. When the wind blew, the white robes and blue skirts fluttered and billowed, making a rather magnificent sight.

  These people gathered here because of an order given by the leader Taiching Zhenren a quarter of an hour ago.

  "I have spent thousands of years cultivating immortality, and whether my thousand-year-old wish can be fulfilled depends on today's actions. As the disciples under me are all from Qinghua, they should naturally go all out for the sake of the Qinghua Sect, and must come in full force, without any mistakes!"

  Xuan Zhen was the leader of all disciples, standing on the side of Juan Yun Tai closest to the cliff, with only a gentle breeze beside him. Even Su Yao and Su Xiang were lined up among the remaining disciples, separated from him by a distance.

  The mist below the cliff was like a wave, rolling and surging, just like his inner world. The whispers of his fellow disciples behind him were endless, and he had heard them; occasionally turning back to glance at those faces filled with anxiety and puzzled eyes, he had seen them too. But what could be done? He could only silently suppress that sigh, quietly casting his gaze once again towards the vast cloud sea in front of him, which was like a bewildering fog.

  "Xuan Zhen Shixiong, what's going on here?"

  In the end, a questioning voice still rose from the crowd. The tone was clear and came from a young monk with a clear face, who had a hint of a mischievous smile on his face, but the emotions revealed in his black-and-white eyes were as clear as a stream.

  Perhaps it was because someone finally couldn't help but ask out loud what was on their mind, and the crowd gradually quieted down. Countless gazes shot like lightning from all directions towards the two people standing opposite each other.

  "The sky is blue..."

  Xuan Zhen forced a faint smile, wanting to rebuke his junior brother, but found himself at a loss for words. What was there to say? Should he scold Yun Tianqing for daring to question the orders of their master, even if Taichu Xianren's commands were harsh and unclear? Or should he scold him for daring to want to know the truth behind things, rather than simply following blindly with a heart full of confusion and doubt for Qionghua's sake?

  He could only bitterly smile, Master, what do you take all of your disciples for? Are we the kind of people who share honor and shame with Qionghua, where if things go well then our entire sect will ascend to immortality, but if things fail then our sect will be destroyed? Or are we just pawns that only need to listen to your orders, slaughter the demon realm without needing to examine our own consciences?

  "Big brother, you'd better say something." Yun Tianqing couldn't tell what his usually calm and composed big brother was thinking. He only knew that Big Brother had always been favored by Master, and was also close to Xuan Xiao and Su Yu, so he assumed that Xuan Zhen knew the truth. "Master asked us all to come to this Juanyun Platform, and repeatedly reminded us to bring our weapons. Could it be that we're going to be tested? But now that the time has arrived, Master still hasn't shown up. Is he going to make us freeze in the cold wind before making his move? This is also too much, isn't it?"

  "Shut up!" Xuan furrowed his brow and hastily rebuked, "How dare you speak ill of your superiors behind their backs! You monkey, do you want to go hungry for another day in Si Fan Valley?"

  Some people in the crowd couldn't help but burst out laughing, and the gloomy atmosphere that had been shrouding Yun Chui Tai suddenly dissipated a lot. Then, several female disciples laughed and advised: "Junior Brother Yun has always been outspoken, without regard for seniority or age, so Elder Brother, please spare him."

  Several others couldn't help but ask: "What he said isn't wrong, Big Brother Master, can you tell us what's really going on with the sect leader?"

  Everyone's eyes were fixed on him, and the surrounding voices were asking non-stop. Xuanshen's eyebrows were tightly locked, first staring at Yun Tianqing with a glance, then turning to face the crowd, shaking his head and saying in a deep voice: "The master has given an order, we as disciples should follow it. This is a major event, we only need to listen to the order."

  Perhaps it was his overly serious expression that made the disciples feel uneasy, unlike his usual easygoing demeanor. The crowd dispersed to one side, and the cold wind continued to blow, making the people shiver again.

  Yun Tianqing, however, was different from the others. He had always been fearless and intimate with Xuan Zhen. After everyone dispersed, he came over again and stood at the edge of the cliff with Xuan Zhen, gazing out at the rolling clouds while putting his arm around his senior brother's shoulder. With a smile, he whispered in Xuan Zhen's ear: "Senior brother, you may be able to intimidate others with your stern expression, but not me! One look at your worried face and I knew you had something on your mind. You must know something, but didn't want to say it earlier. Don't try to downplay it now!"

  Xuan's eyebrows furrowed tightly, and he replied in a low voice: "Can't say is can't say. Take your hand away, what kind of attitude is this?"

  Yun Tianqing didn't think so, his eyes rolled around, and he smiled again, tightening his arm a bit, saying: "Then I'll ask Brother some other things... Since Master called us here, where did the old man and three uncles go? Why leave only you here to hold the scene? Since all disciples were summoned, where did Die Bingkuai and Su Yu go? Why is no one asking about their whereabouts?" By the time he asked the last sentence, the smile on his face had long since disappeared unknowingly, leaving only a deep-seated anxiety in his eyes, which was particularly clear. At this moment, it was hard to cover up with a frivolous smile again.

  Xuan Zhen saw it with his own eyes and couldn't help but feel a stir in his heart. However, the master's orders were at stake, how could he easily speak out? At this moment, his face was filled with difficulty.

  Yun Tianqing saw that he was slightly displeased, and was even more certain that he knew the answers to those questions, and was even more unyielding, clinging to him like a sticky candy, Xuan Zhen struggled several times but couldn't shake off the monkey's paw, suddenly feeling unbearable.

  Just then, a clear whistle came from afar, and Xuān Zhèn and Yún Tiān Qīng heard it in their ears. Without saying a word, they looked up at the sky together, only to see three beams of light with different colors, like lightning, rushing towards Yuán Yún Tái.

  The three rays of light stopped in mid-air above the Cloud Platform, but did not descend to the ground. As the light dimmed, the disciples on the ground all cried out in surprise, and some even had a hint of relief on their faces. They had already recognized that the three elders of the sect, Qingyang, Chongguang, and Zonglian, were standing on the sword in the light.

  The three elders all had a solemn expression, their eyes only swept across the faces of the disciples before turning towards the cliff. Looking at their expressions, it seemed that the people in the sect were not their purpose for coming here, but rather something hidden in the clouds and mist.

  Xuan Zhen stood at the edge of the cliff, seeing three Shifu looking this way, he hastily waved his sleeve to sweep down the cloud sky blue monkey's paw, tidied up his clothes and bowed: "Three Shifu, I don't know if Shifu has..."

  "Silence!" Chong Guang's sword was in front, and the hazy blue light under his feet had already reached the top of Xuan Zhen and Yun Tianqing's heads. He spoke to Xuan Zhen while keeping his eyes fixed on the cloud and mist in front of him, as if there was something extraordinary that attracted his gaze.

  Qingyang followed closely behind, but his expression was much more calm and collected. Although he too was fully alert and on guard, he still had the leisure to smile faintly at Xuanzhen and Yun Tianqing, saying: "The great battle is imminent, you two brothers still have time to fool around, why don't you retreat a bit further back? Be careful not to get blown away by the wind."

  Xuan Zhen knew that his master had instructed him in this way, there must be a reason for it. He quickly pulled Yun Tianqing and retreated from the edge of the cliff. But Yun Tianqing, this wild monkey, suddenly lit up, and while following Xuan Zhen, he called out to Qingyang's back: "Master, what did you mean by 'great war' just now?"

  The words were left unspoken, yet came to an abrupt end.

  Xuan Zhen's heart felt a strange sensation, and he turned his head to glance at him. He saw Yun Ye's eyes wide open, almost popping out of their sockets, and his thin lips were stretched into an astonished shape, as if he had seen something utterly unbelievable.

  He followed the gaze of Yun Tianqing and was also shocked at once.

  But in the sea of clouds, a vague black shadow gradually rose, that black shadow seemed to be round, with a diameter of more than ten feet. It became clearer and clearer behind the flowing cloud layer, and the edges could be seen as uneven. The cloud smoke flowed around it like water, revealing the true face of the black shadow, which turned out to be a huge lotus flower as white as jade.

  The lotus flower slowly rose from the cliff, gradually surpassing the cliff and reaching the upper corner of the Cloud Volume Platform. In the midst of the strong wind that was stirred up, Xuan Zhen fixed his eyes and looked for a while longer, until he saw clearly the two figures standing on top of the lotus flower. Suddenly, he came to his senses - this wasn't a lotus flower at all, but rather a small jade platform carved into the shape of a lotus flower!

  Looking again at the two figures on stage, one was slender and delicate as a weak willow, with a head full of green silk flowing in the wind, her blue-white skirt fluttering out a beautiful posture, holding a long and slender blue sword that was as gentle as she was, pure and clean as snow; the other had a tall and majestic figure like a strong pine, wearing a jade crown and long ribbon, his sleeves and hem unfolding behind him with an elegant and unrestrained demeanor, also holding a bright red divine sword, with an aura as brilliant as a rainbow. The two swords were not sheathed, so their light shone in all directions, impossible to conceal, being rare divine artifacts, now seeming to sense the urgency of the situation, shining even more brightly than usual.

  Those two people stood on the stone stage, although their faces couldn't be seen clearly from a distance, but Xuan Zhen had been with them for a long time and could still tell at a glance that they were Su Yu and Xuan Xiao.