Time rewinds to a short while earlier.
Aboard the huge spirit boat of the Xuanjian Pavilion, Mu Liuxuan sat with several elders, while the boat was closely monitored by the Yaochi Holy Land.
Mu Liuxuan glanced at the black-robed figure beside Mad Sword and asked,
“Who might this be beside the Hall Master?”
Though the black-robed man’s aura was only at the second rank, he gave her a deeply unsettling feeling.
Mad Sword looked at the figure beside him and smiled.
“Master, this is my newly accepted personal disciple. Don’t be fooled by his mere second-rank cultivation; his sword intent is simply astonishing.”
Mu Liuxuan nodded, saying no more.
Whoosh—
A streak of light flew toward them, bringing with it an icy aura.
It was Liu Xueyao.
As the light dispersed, a cold and elegant fairy-like figure appeared. It was indeed Liu Xueyao.
Seeing that one of the six great Hall Masters of the Xuanjian Pavilion, Mad Sword, was present, her beautiful eyes remained calm. She then turned to look at the black-robed figure beside him.
Hmm?
What an annoying aura.
Liu Xueyao walked up to Mu Liuxuan and asked,
“What is it?”
Mu Liuxuan, long accustomed to Liu Xueyao’s cold demeanor, replied:
“I heard that there is a male disciple named Chu Feng staying by the Saintess’s side. The Xuanjian Pavilion wishes to take him with them.”
“Take him away? Master, please be clear….our Xuanjian Pavilion only wishes to properly nurture this individual.”
Mad Sword smiled, but when his gaze landed on Liu Xueyao, his heart gave a sudden jolt.
Though this woman was only at the sixth rank, she gave off a faint sense of danger.
“Absolutely not!”
Liu Xueyao replied firmly, her voice sharp as a blade.
“We of the Xuanjian Pavilion are willing to exchange three ten-thousand-year spirit herbs, Your Highness the Saintess. This offer—”
Before Mad Sword could finish, Liu Xueyao’s icy aura surged forth, and the ground beneath her feet instantly froze over.
Take away her husband? She would never agree to that!
In an instant, tensions flared, and the atmosphere grew tense, like a sword ready to strike.
Seeing the situation, Mu Liuxuan stepped in and said,
“In that case, why don’t we summon Chu Feng and let him decide for himself?”
***
A streak of light flashed through the air as a woman in a green dress arrived with a young man in tow.
“We’re finally on solid ground…”
Chu Feng said, trembling slightly.
It seemed that before he could improve his cultivation, he really needed to overcome his fear of heights.
“Liu Shijing!”
Mad Sword blurted out in surprise.
In the Xuanjian Pavilion, there were six great Hall Masters. In the Yaochi Holy Land, there were eight elders and Liu Shijing was one of them.
Seeing Mad Sword and noticing that the Xuanjian Pavilion’s spirit boat had appeared within Yaochi Holy Land territory, Liu Shijing narrowed her eyes and asked:
“Mad Sword, what are you doing barging into our Yaochi Holy Land like this? What is your intent?”
Her tone was far from friendly.
If it really came down to a fight, it was honestly hard to say who would win between Mad Sword and Liu Shijing.
“Elder Liu, your words hurt the trust between our two factions,” Mad Sword said with a smile. “I heard that Yaochi Holy Land recently produced a sword genius. That’s why our Xuanjian Pavilion wants to request Chu Feng from your sect. Of course, we’re willing to exchange three ten-thousand-year spirit herbs.”
Liu Shijing knew full well just how valuable ten-thousand-year spirit herbs were.
To anyone else, this kind of deal would be irresistible.
After all, it was just a male disciple. At least, that’s how Mad Sword saw it.
With a wave of his hand, the three spirit herbs floated before Liu Shijing.
But to his surprise, Liu Shijing didn’t even give them a proper look. With a graceful wave of her hand, the three herbs flew right back into Mad Sword’s palm.
“Mad Sword, take your spirit herbs and go back. I will not hand over Chu Feng.”
That little brat still owed her for taking her body, and she hadn’t settled that score yet!
However, what puzzled her was this:
Chu Feng’s talent in the sword was indeed astonishing, but… how did the Xuanjian Pavilion find out about it?
Mad Sword was momentarily stunned. The veins in his hands bulged beneath his sleeves, but his face quickly regained its smile.
He said, “Elder Liu, then why not ask Chu Feng himself?”
The power to decide was now in Chu Feng’s hands.
At that moment, Chu Feng had just recovered from his fear of heights episode only to find that everyone was suddenly staring at him.
“Uh… why is everyone looking at me?”
Standing before Chu Feng was a young man with fiery red hair, dressed in a red robe embroidered with sword patterns.
Behind the red-haired youth stood a black-robed figure.
As soon as Chu Feng laid eyes on that black figure, the chilling power within him—sealed under a multicolored barrier—began to stir restlessly.
Chu Feng: !!!
He hadn’t even activated his true qi.
Why was the cold energy reacting?
Could it be… that black-robed figure was—?!
Mad Sword looked toward Chu Feng and spoke in a gentle tone:
“Young friend, I am Mad Sword, one of the six Hall Masters of the Xuanjian Pavilion. I’ve heard of your astounding talent in the way of the sword. Rather than staying here in Yaochi Holy Land, where men are suppressed, why not come to our Xuanjian Pavilion? Your future will be bright! Whether it be beautiful dao companions, spirit stones, or magical treasures. They’ll all be within your reach!”
In short…. he was painting a big, tempting picture.
But Chu Feng had no patience for that kind of talk.
Besides, even if he were to leave Yaochi Holy Land someday, it would be to find his master. Not to join some so-called Xuanjian Pavilion.
And one more thing:
How did the Xuanjian Pavilion even know about his sword talent?
Something was off.
He could sense it. Nine out of ten, something definitely wasn’t right.
“Heh… Well, Senior Mad Sword, this junior feels that Yaochi Holy Land has treated me quite well. So as for joining the Xuanjian Pavilion… I’ll have to pass.”
Hearing Chu Feng’s response, Liu Shijing let out a silent sigh of relief.
That brat… still had a conscience.
“Young friend, the Xuanjian Pavilion is a force on par with Yaochi Holy Land. Joining us is a decision you won’t regret!”
Mad Sword was starting to get anxious.
“Senior Mad Sword, my mind is made up.”
Chu Feng shook his head.
Besides, his master was none other than the Moonlight Sword Fairy.
With his master personally guiding him, there was no need to join some Xuanjian Pavilion.
Liu Shijing stepped forward and said,
“Mad Sword, you’ve heard Chu Feng’s answer clearly. Please, leave now.”
At this point, all traces of gentleness had vanished from Mad Sword’s face. His expression darkened completely, and he let out a cold laugh:
“I had hoped to persuade you with kindness. But now it seems… boy, you must die here today!”
Boom!
As Mad Sword stepped forward, his violent true qi surged into the spirit boat, instantly activating multiple glowing formations.
Clearly, this spirit boat was no ordinary transport. It was a massive magical artifact!
“Great Transposition of Heaven and Earth!”
With a single shout from Mad Sword, Liu Shijing and the others instantly vanished.
Inside the spirit boat—
“What is the meaning of this, Mad Sword?!”
Mu Liuxuan, the Outer Sect Master, immediately questioned him.
Mad Sword sneered coldly and replied:
“The owner of the Five-Colored Stone…if he cannot be used by my Xuanjian Pavilion, then he must be eliminated. We’ll simply pick someone else who will obey us.”
“Five-Colored Stone? What are you talking about?”
Mu Liuxuan looked utterly confused.
“Mu Liuxuan, you can stop pretending now. No wonder the Saintess of your Yaochi Holy Land suddenly returned to the sect not long ago. It turns out she got her hands on such a great treasure.”
Mad Sword only needed to temporarily trap these people. Hopefully, that boy was telling the truth and he really could become the master of the Five-Colored Stone. Otherwise, Xuanjian Pavilion would end up completely offending Yaochi Holy Land this time.
Upon hearing Mad Sword’s words, both Liu Xueyao and Liu Shijing’s expressions darkened.
How had the information leaked out?!
Aboard the spirit boat—
Seeing so many people suddenly vanish around him, Chu Feng couldn’t help but feel a bit worried about Liu Xueyao and Liu Shijing’s situation. But right now…
He looked at the black-robed figure across from him, the cold energy in his body starting to rage. Thankfully, it was being held back by the five-colored light surrounding him…
With a flick of his wrist, Chu Feng held Little Bai in his hand and calmly said,
“My friend, should I call you Senior Brother? Or… Lin Ruo?”
At Chu Feng’s words, the young man let out a sinister laugh and pulled off his black robe, revealing the face of a teenage boy.
“What do you think… my good Junior Brother, Chu Feng?”
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