Chapter 228: Qingshi Sect
Chapter 228: Chapter 154: Qingshi Sect
The wind rushed past.
The clouds parted, and a young woman seated at the prow of a massive Immortal Ship slowly opened her eyes.
The young woman wore a pale blue and white Embroidered Crane Daoist Robe, and her entire demeanor was one of tranquility. But the moment she opened her eyes, an exceptionally sharp aura emanated from her.
A nimble sword shot from its sheath, then tore through the Cloud Sea.
A bloodcurdling shriek echoed through the air.
Something plummeted down.
“Senior Sister Bai.”
A female disciple said softly from behind her.
Bai Lu didn’t turn around. “It was a Dream Demon—a Fifth Realm Dream Demon. It tried to cast a spell to pull us into a dream, but it got away.”
“Why would a Dream Demon be here? We should still be quite a ways from the Qingcao Sword Sect.” The female disciple was Nan Xun, also an exceptionally talented member of the Daoist Sect’s younger generation. She added, “And why would a Dream Demon dare to attack us?”
Bai Lu shook her head.
She wasn’t sure either.
Suppressing the Dream Demons was a tradition passed down from the Chang’an Daoist. By the time of the current Daoist Sect Master, these efforts had finally yielded considerable results, and the Dream Race had become much more subdued in recent years.
Even the current Clan Leader of the Dream Race was only at the Peak of the Sixth Realm and had not achieved Entering Yao Guang.
That was why the Daoist Sect had turned its attention toward the Demon Race in recent years.
Bai Lu said, “It doesn’t matter. Let’s head to the Qingcao Sword Sect first.”
The Daoist Sect’s contingent for this trip was led by a True Master.
Three disciples had come in total, with Bai Lu as their leader. Unless absolutely necessary, she was to arrange all matters, large and small.
This young woman, who appeared so reserved in the presence of Xia Lianxue and Jiang Jiayi, was actually quite extraordinary herself.
Bai Lu’s voice was frigid. “This time, we absolutely cannot allow the Former Sect Leader’s sword to fall into anyone else’s hands. Otherwise, it will be a disgrace to us as Daoist Disciples.”
Even though Jiang Jiayi had instructed her otherwise, Bai Lu was still determined to win first place.
Nan Xun gave a wry smile. “Senior Sister Bai, with the Vice Sect Leader putting up a prize like this, it’s bound to cause a massive storm. I heard even those madmen from the Qingshi Sect have emerged from their seclusion.”
The moment news broke that the grand prize was the Chang’an Daoist’s sword, both the Righteous and Demonic Daos went into a frenzy.
The sword of the Chang’an Daoist.
Those five words seemed to possess a magical power that could sway the human heart, causing everyone to lose their sanity.
At its core, this was because ever since the century of great chaos five hundred years ago, many from both the Righteous and Demonic Daos had developed an obsessive fascination with the name ‘Chang’an Daoist’.
This was especially true for the Demon Dao.
Strangely enough, within the Demon Dao, the name of the Chang’an Daoist sometimes carried more weight than it did in the Righteous Dao.
And there was a reason for this.
Although the Chang’an Daoist had also suppressed the Demon Cultivators of the Desire Release path for a millennium, his actions were, paradoxically, quite admired by Demon Cultivators.
The general sentiment was:
‘To single-handedly crush tens of thousands until none dared to raise their heads, to hold the entire world in the palm of one’s hand…’
‘To act as one pleases, to rule through violent suppression, to set the rules according to one’s own will… this Chang’an Daoist must be the true pioneer of our Demon Dao!’
Then again, some said the Demon Dao had simply been beaten down for so long that they got used to it. Not getting thrashed by the Chang’an Daoist felt wrong, so they were especially nostalgic for the days when they were.
After all, there was no shortage of people whose minds had become twisted through Cultivation.
Nan Xun added, “Still, I doubt anyone can beat you, Senior Sister Bai.”
The clouds parted once more, surging like waves and radiating gentle rings of light.
A figure emerged from the Cloud Sea, holding a humanoid, illusory head—the head of the Dream Demon.
A Fairy with black hair and a black dress strolled out from the clouds, the surrounding mist transforming into silk that coiled around her as if in worship.
“Were you the ones who struck this demon with a sword?”
Bai Lu was momentarily stunned, then replied, “We were.”
“I happened upon it, so I killed it,” Qiu Yuehan said nonchalantly. “Are you also on your way to the Qingcao Sword Sect?”
The True Master inside the Immortal Ship had no choice but to speak up. “That is correct.”
Jiang Jiayi hadn’t publicized the relationship between Qiu Yuehan and Lu Changyuan. She had merely informed the members of the Daoist Sect that this woman was the Daoist Sect Master’s youngest junior sister, making Qiu Yuehan’s seniority within the sect shockingly high.
This was unlike her situation in Miao Yu Palace, where she was outranked by her own junior sister.
Qiu Yuehan asked, “Together?”
“Of course.”
Miao Yu Palace had only sent Qiu Yuehan this time. For one of the Nine Gates and Twelve Palaces, this was a rather small showing, but it couldn’t be helped. Miao Yu Palace truly had no one else to spare at the moment.
And so it went.
「Three days later.」
When they finally broke through the layered expanse of the Cloud Sea, a lone mountain peak, soaring high above the ground, appeared before them.
The main gate to the Qingcao Sword Sect was situated on that peak, high above the Cloud Sea.
Qiu Yuehan narrowed her eyes, looking farther into the distance. Beyond the pristine white Cloud Sea, a patch of clouds emanated a golden glow.
That was the domain of the Dream Demons.
The Immortal Ship slowly came to a halt before the main gate of the Qingcao Sword Sect.
Qiu Yuehan asked, “Do we know the rules for this Celestial Dao Grand Competition?”
Bai Lu shook her head. “We don’t. The rules are different every time, so we’ll have to ask the Qingcao Gate Master. But knowing the Qingcao Sword Sect’s temperament, they’ll probably be simple and brutal.”
“Hey, what’s that?” Nan Xun suddenly exclaimed.
It was only then that they noticed a man standing before the massive gate of the Qingcao Sword Sect, holding up a banner with an expression of someone who had lost the will to live.
Bai Lu read the words out, one by one. “Welcome… to the Qingcao Sword Sect?”
The man was none other than Li Qingcao, the Sword Son of the Qingcao Sword Sect. With a long face, he droned, “Welcome, welcome.”
His eccentric master had insisted he do it.
Said it was to be more “down-to-earth.”
He had no idea what the point was.
The members of the Daoist Sect all broke into smiles, the amusing sight seemingly washing away the fatigue from their journey.
Before anyone from the Daoist Sect could speak, the clouds parted once more. A scroll descended from the sky, unrolling itself to allow several people to step out from within.
Nan Xun whispered in Bai Lu’s ear, “See, Senior Sister Bai? Just like I said. The people from the Qingshi Sect have arrived as well.”