The moment he heard something had happened to the Seventh Elder, the Sixth Elder was consumed by fury on the spot, unable to hold himself back from clashing with Ma Xiang.
“Now you’re wronging me,” Ma Xiang sat calmly in his chair, facing the Sixth Elder’s accusations with an air of unshaken composure. “I won’t deny I resent you and the Seventh Elder, but resentment is one thing, I’m not the kind of person who lashes out indiscriminately. It wasn’t the Seventh Elder who killed my son, so why would I take his life in return?”
He sighed lightly. “I know the Sixth Elder and Seventh Elder are close, but that doesn’t mean you should go around biting people blindly out of desperation. He’s an Elder, and I’m merely a Hall Master, what ability would I even have to provoke him? And besides, the Second Elder and a whole group of disciples traveled with him too, they’ve also gone missing. Do I have a grudge against them as well? Sixth Elder, when it comes to words and actions, you really ought to rely on evidence.”
His words sounded righteous and proper, leaving the Sixth Elder at a loss for a retort. Everything Ma Xiang said seemed to make sense, and yet he still felt certain this was Ma Xiang’s doing.
As for his Second Senior Martial Brother, he’d probably just gotten caught up in it.
Xu Yifan had only just reached the foot of the mountain when he saw the Sixth Elder storming toward him, furious.
“Master.” Xu Yifan called out.
Seeing him, the Sixth Elder’s expression softened slightly. “Why are you here?” He came over to Xu Yifan’s side, pulling him along up the mountain while explaining, “Your master might have to go away for a while. Practice the moves I taught you these past few days, get them fully mastered, and once I’m back, I’ll teach you new forms.”
Xu Yifan asked, “How many days will Master be gone?”
The Sixth Elder had originally meant to say five or six days, but on second thought shook his head instead. “Not sure.”
“Your Seventh Uncle-Master and your Second Uncle-Master were ambushed. Whoever did it managed to force the two of them to retreat into Lianyun Mountain to hide, this can’t be a simple matter.”
If the inner region of Beiman Mountain near Xiaolin Village counted as a third-grade danger zone, then Lianyun Mountain would be classified as sixth-grade.
Never mind Foundation Establishment cultivators, even Golden Core cultivators generally wouldn’t dare set foot in Lianyun Mountain under ordinary circumstances.
What kind of person would go into Lianyun Mountain? Usually, someone courting death.
That the Seventh Elder and Second Elder had been forced to flee into Lianyun Mountain seeking a sliver of a chance at survival spoke volumes about just how formidable their attacker was. Caught now between wolves ahead and tigers behind, the outlook seemed grim indeed!
“Master, I’m coming with you.” Xu Yifan said.
The Sixth Elder smacked him on the head. “Nonsense. What would you even do there? Go throw your life away?”
Xu Yifan pouted, displeased. “Master, you’re really underestimating me!”
“It’s not that I’m underestimating you,” the Sixth Elder clicked his tongue. “Get your swordsmanship stable first, then come talk to me about this.”
Since the Seventh Elder and the others had been ambushed on their way and couldn’t retrieve the trial disciples, after deliberation, the sect dispatched the Third Elder and Fourth Elder to Qingyun Mountain to bring back the stranded disciples, while the Fifth Elder and Sixth Elder headed together to Lianyun Mountain to mount a rescue.
This trip was dangerous, and the Sixth Elder had never intended to bring Xu Yifan along. In the end, though, unable to shake the boy off despite his relentless pestering, Xu Yifan snuck aboard the ship anyway.
It wasn’t until the flying ship was already halfway there that the Sixth Elder discovered Xu Yifan had come along too, and he was instantly so furious smoke practically poured from his ears.
“You really won’t be happy until you’ve made me furious to death, will you?”
Xu Yifan sprawled across the bed, lazily saying, “Master, why are you so angry? Anger damages your health. I was just worried about you, otherwise, wouldn’t lying in bed sleeping be much more pleasant!”
“You were worried about me?” The Sixth Elder spat at him. “Worry about yourself first. The demonic beasts in Lianyun Mountain absolutely love a fat sheep as meaty as you.”
“So aren’t we in the same boat then? If they like me, they’ll definitely like you too, Master. No need to be jealous.”
“…” Since he’d already come along, there wasn’t much to be done about it now. There was no time to send him back, and Old Seven’s situation couldn’t wait either. Letting Xu Yifan return on his own worried the Sixth Elder too, fearing Ma Xiang might kill him halfway there.
Thinking it over, worst case, master and disciple would just get wiped out together.
With that thought, the Sixth Elder’s mood actually settled a bit. He sat down at the edge of the bed and sighed. “When the time comes, just stay close by my side. If there’s danger, hide behind me.”
Xu Yifan laughed, utterly carefree. “Using your massive body to shield me?”
“…”
The Sixth Elder no longer felt like talking.
Lianyun Mountain’s ranges stretched on in layered peaks, seemingly endless as far as the eye could see, the summits perpetually wreathed in clouds and mist year-round, while the forests within grew dense and thick, teeming with demonic beasts.
Few people ever set foot there.
The Second Elder and the Seventh Elder, along with the remaining thirteen disciples, were huddled inside a protective array while, outside it, three third-grade Burst-Pattern Tigers launched ferocious attacks against the formation.
Only once a cultivator reached the Nascent Soul stage could they sustain themselves purely on absorbed energy.
Below Nascent Soul, plainly put, one still had to eat.
But the five grains and various ordinary foodstuffs, if eaten too much by a cultivator, would produce unnecessary impurities within the body.
For this reason, ordinary cultivators mostly ate spirit food instead.
What counted as spirit food?
Demonic beast meat was one such kind of spirit food, for cultivators, demonic beast meat wasn’t just deeply nourishing, it could also help refine one’s cultivation.
The same held true in reverse, for demonic beasts feeding on human cultivators.
The moment the Seventh Elder’s group had entered Lianyun Mountain, they’d been targeted by three Burst-Pattern Tigers and two Wing Wolves. Seeing the situation turn unfavorable, whoever had been hunting them down had already withdrawn from Lianyun Mountain long before.
The Seventh Elder had fought with all his strength to slaughter the two Wing Wolves, exhausting himself completely in the process, and had no strength left to deal with the three Burst-Pattern Tigers. They’d had no choice but to flee deeper into the forest, only for the three Burst-Pattern Tigers to pursue them relentlessly.
The third-grade protective array was being battered to the brink of collapse by the Burst-Pattern Tigers’ assault. The Second Elder watched the faint cracks flickering across the formation, his expression grim.
A third-grade demonic beast’s strength rivaled that of a late Golden Core cultivator. He himself was at mid Golden Core, and though Old Seven was only at early Golden Core, the two of them—Sixth and Seventh Elder, were the strongest fighters in their entire sect, even at early Golden Core, his combat strength could rival that of someone at late Golden Core.
Under ordinary circumstances, the Second Elder wouldn’t have looked this grim, after all, Old Seven was no pushover. But right now, Old Seven was gravely wounded and poisoned as well. Once the formation broke, they’d likely have no way to fight back at all!
The other disciples also understood the situation was dire. Watching the Burst-Pattern Tigers outside drooling from the corners of their mouths, eyes glowing red with ferocity, their legs trembled.
“What do we do? Are we really going to die here?”
“Will the sect send someone to save us? I don’t want to die yet.”
Words like these were nothing short of demoralizing to the group. The other disciples, though frightened before, had at least remained somewhat composed, but hearing this, some of them began to cry.
Even cultivators had their cowards, their people who feared death.
The Second Elder’s brows shot up, and he snapped, “Silence. Whoever spouts nonsense like that again, I’ll throw them out there myself.”
He swept his gaze over the group, finally settling on the disciples who’d just spoken. “As disciples of my Xianhao Sect, clinging so desperately to life out of fear of death, absolutely shameful.”
Hearing the Second Elder’s sharp, severe words, the disciples momentarily forgot their fear, burying their heads against their chests in embarrassment, not daring to speak again.
Xian Qinglin walked over to the Seventh Elder’s side, carefully helping him sit up, and held out a water pouch. “Seventh Elder, would you like some water?”
The Seventh Elder didn’t take it, shaking his head, his breath faint. “Save it… you drink it.”
They’d been trapped for days now, having made no preparations before setting out, and now their supplies were completely exhausted. He was gravely wounded, and he understood his own body better than anyone, he probably wouldn’t last much longer. Why waste resources on him now.
“I’m sorry.” Xian Qinglin lowered his head, his face full of guilt. “If it weren’t for saving me, you wouldn’t have been hurt this badly.”
That day, when they’d been ambushed by demonic cultivators, the attackers had seemed prepared in advance, launching a ferocious assault the moment they arrived, even openly declaring they wanted his life. The Seventh Elder, trying to save him, had been struck by a third-grade talisman and gravely wounded.
“You… you don’t need to, to apologize,” the Seventh Elder’s face was pale, his lips cracked and dry, looking almost like a dead man, drained of all color, his words broken and halting, barely forming complete sentences. “You are my… my Xianhao Sect’s… disciple. As an El… Elder, protec… protecting you is simply my du… duty. No need… to apologize.”
Even so, Xian Qinglin still couldn’t stop blaming himself.
When the talisman had come hurtling toward him back then, there had been nowhere for him to flee, and he’d thought this was surely the end for him, never expecting the Seventh Elder to throw himself in the way and save his life instead.
Someone as expendable and insignificant as him, an outer disciple who barely registered in the sect at all, if he died, he died, one less body, and soon enough someone else would come along to fill the gap. Who would care whether he lived or died?
Seeing him fall silent and gloomy, the Seventh Elder wanted to offer a few words of comfort, but with his spiritual energy continuously leaking out and his body genuinely too weak, he had to let it go.
When a person is extremely weak, their mind starts to grow muddled. They can’t help but think of many things.
Was he going to die?
Was he really going to die here in Lianyun Mountain?
He’d never offended anyone, and yet he’d been poisoned, was it Ma Xiang?
If Ma Xiang had poisoned him, would Sixth Senior Martial Brother be next?
Sixth Senior Martial Brother was reckless and a bit thoughtless by nature, the two of them would probably be reunited again soon.
Xian Qinglin watched his breathing grow fainter and fainter, a rasping, labored sound rising from his throat, and cried out in a panic, “Seventh Elder?”
Hearing the commotion, the Second Elder hurried over, checked his pulse, and his brow furrowed tightly.
“Second Elder, how is the Seventh Elder?”
“Old Seven isn’t looking good. Let me try feeding him a pill first, if that doesn’t work, there’s nothing more I can do.”
The Second Elder’s tone was grave, quite helpless. “The medicinal pills I had on hand for treatment ran out earlier. We left in such a hurry this time that we didn’t prepare much. What I have on hand is just a low-grade first-tier Detox Pill, I doubt it’ll do much good. No telling whether the sect’s sent anyone yet. If they don’t come soon…”
He didn’t finish the sentence, but everyone present understood.
If help didn’t arrive soon, the Seventh Elder would likely perish right here.
Something seemed to occur to Xian Qinglin, and he hurriedly pulled a pill from his pocket. “Second Elder, do you think this pill would help the Seventh Elder?”
The instant the pill appeared, the Second Elder immediately caught a rich, intoxicating fragrance that sent a jolt straight through his spiritual sense.
This was…
The Second Elder’s expression jolted with shock, his voice trembling with delighted astonishment. “Fou, fourth-grade Sovereign’s Cure Pill!!”
Sovereign’s Cure Pill, it cured a hundred poisons.
Although only a low-tier fourth-grade pill, its effects rivaled those of a high-tier fourth-grade pill. Resources on the Savage Continent were scarce, and any fourth-grade pill that ever surfaced was always something people fought tooth and nail to obtain.
The Second Elder had once had the good fortune to see one at an auction, where the Sovereign’s Cure Pill had sold for the sky-high price of a million spirit stones.
And here Xian Qinglin was, asking if it would help?
Truly, ignorance is bliss [1]無知者無罪, literally “the ignorant bear no guilt,” meaning someone unaware of something’s true value or significance can’t be blamed for treating it lightly jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3015887_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3015887_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });.
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