As the sky darkened, the thousands of miles of mountains of Qingliu Sword Sect were cast in the twilight, becoming less solemn and more gentle. Everything seemed so peaceful and beautiful.
Except for the second peak.
There is a helicopter chicken on the second peak. It is said that it was raised by a senior. It has lived for hundreds of years and has now become the spiritual chicken that guards the peak.
At this moment, the helicopter chicken was lazily flapping its wings towards its nest woven with golden threads. Below, its disciples, who were on duty today, were waiting with fresh spiritual rice and spiritual water.
I'm tired of eating and drinking the same thing every day.
Just when Helicopter Chicken was considering whether to lose his temper and let the people of Qingliu Sword Sect know that he wanted to exchange food for some pigs and worms—
A blazing fireball suddenly came from behind, startling the chicken so much that it flew high into the air and fled. However, its long and gorgeous tail feathers could not escape this catastrophe from the sky and were actually ignited!
“Cluck, cluck, cluck!”
"Sorry, sorry! I just accidentally threw it in the wrong direction!"
Zhu Erchong rushed over on a sword from a distance, grabbed the helicopter chicken's neck, and slapped the chicken's butt for a while, finally putting out the fire.
The disciples below did not laugh at him. Now all the disciples of Qingliu Sword Sect were practicing the mysterious skills left by Grandmaster Wen before he ascended to heaven.
It is said that if this technique is practiced together with spiritual power, there will be a chance to merge it into some kind of source power in the future? Then there is hope for ascension!
The training path of this technique is completely different from the previous ones, so it is inevitable that there will be troubles if you practice it incorrectly. Hitting a chicken with a fireball is a small matter. I heard a few days ago that a senior brother burned his master's hair...
After repeatedly telling his fellow apprentice not to complain, Zhu Erchong, whose head was covered with lumps from being pecked by the helicopter chicken, fled in embarrassment and prepared to run to the tenth peak.
However, before he arrived, he heard his master's roar from behind: "Zhu Erchong, come back here! If you don't let the feathers of the spirit chicken grow back today, I will pluck all your feathers!"
Zhu Erchong's heart trembled, he threw out the sword with his right hand and flew into the sky, and used the magic wand in his left hand to cast a levitation spell. He didn't even dare to look back and ran away faster than a dog.
With double acceleration, he managed to run back to the Tenth Peak safely.
On the tenth peak, a group of swordsmen were sitting together, setting up a grill and grilling skewers.
The three elder ancestors who were of seniority sat at the top, competing with their grandchildren for food without any hesitation. Of course, wine was no exception. As soon as Meng Ran poured a glass, Yue Xingzhou on the other side naturally reached out to take it and drank it down in a gulp.
Bao Pilong was angry and said, "Master Yue, please leave us two sips! There is only one jar of plum wine left from what Senior Sister Meng Ran buried last year. I haven't even tasted it. Please don't drink it!"
The half-drunk Yue Xingzhou staggered and raised his head.
He looked over coldly with red eyes, and smiled: "Good disciple, you want me to stop drinking?"
While speaking, he had already put his two fingers together and pressed them on the sword.
Bao Pilong, who had been taught a lesson before, was startled and immediately recalled the tragic situation at that time. He no longer cared about the alcohol and sobered up quickly.
He skillfully handed over a skewer of grilled kidneys and said seriously, "Of course don't drink. You didn't even have any snacks just now! Here, the snacks are here. You can continue drinking."
But when the roasted kidney was handed to him, Yue Xingzhou did not take it. He just held the wine glass and laughed disdainfully: "I brought my own snacks with me. My junior sister used the best sesame oil to make a hundred kilograms of peanuts for me..."
As he spoke, he was about to take out the fried peanuts from the mustard seed sac, but in the past he could always grab a handful at a time, but this time he searched for a long time and only got out a small shriveled grain.
Even if it was kept in a mustard seed capsule and fried in oil, it is now almost worn away by time.
Yue Xingzhou held the peanut in his hand, stunned for a moment, and his drunkenness was mostly gone.
He silently threw the peanuts back into the mustard seed bag and laughed at himself: "I forgot, Junior Sister and Master have ascended for forty years, it's time to eat up these hundred kilograms of peanuts."
After these words were spoken, everyone who had been noisy and laughing just now was stunned for a moment.
"Oh... If I count carefully, this year is the forty-eighth year since they left." Zhu Erchong counted on his fingers, and finally scratched his head in shame: "In the end, I still haven't cultivated the source of heaven and earth power. I really feel ashamed of the skills that Junior Sister Wen gave me."
Xu Wanfeng was used to not showing any sympathy to these male disciples, and he immediately sneered, "Who told you not to live up to expectations? Look at Meng Ran and Bao Pilong, they both reached the Nascent Soul stage last year, and you are the slowest."
Zhu Erchong was the most disrespectful, and he immediately fought back fearlessly: "Master Yue and Master Bai have both reached the Tribulation Crossing Stage, but you are still at the Spiritual Transformation Stage..."
Xu Wanfeng drew his sword.
"It's easy for me at the Spiritualization Stage to beat you at the Golden Core Stage. Are you sure you still want to be so arrogant?"
Zhu Erchong shrank his neck and immediately became obedient.
Meng Ran looked at this scene helplessly and shook her head and smiled. Ever since Wen Yun and Ye Shubai left, the Tenth Peak not only did not become deserted, but became even more lively.
Normally, everyone practices here together, studying how to integrate spiritual power and magic power, or practicing swordsmanship under the guidance of the three masters. Now, among the younger generation, they have become the best figures.
But of course, the only true geniuses are the two who have already ascended and left, and whose whereabouts are unknown.
Before Wen Yun left, he asked them to spread the method of spiritual cultivation to all major sects in the entire cultivation world, whether they were large cultivation families like the Wan and Jiang families, or small sects where the highest level of cultivation was only the foundation-building stage.
Meng Ran remembered it very clearly that Wen Yun's eyes seemed to be glowing at that time.
She said: "Whether they can do it or not is up to them, but hope and opportunity, I want everyone to have them."
The first true preacher in the world of cultivation, even the most unscrupulous and independent cultivator who looked down on the big sects would bow to the sky and respectfully address her as "Fairy Wen" when mentioning her name.
However, the world of cultivation is a semi-wasteland with scarce resources. So far, only geniuses like Wen Yun and Ye Shubai have truly succeeded through this new way of cultivation. She has just reached the Nascent Soul stage, and Junior Brother Bao will be there soon, but no one knows when they will be able to ascend.
Thinking of this, Meng Ran leaned against the plum tree and looked up, wondering: "Have you seen Junior Brother Shen?"
Xu Wanfeng smiled, pointed to the thousands of miles of mountains behind the ten main peaks without turning his head, and said leisurely: "He said he didn't want to waste time, so he went in to cultivate his soul in the dead of night."
"He really works too hard. He cultivates his spirit in the middle of the night and his spiritual power in the morning. I've seen him not rest during the day. No wonder he has reached the Golden Core stage so quickly. In comparison, I, as his senior brother, feel a little ashamed."
Zhu Erchong sighed while holding the chicken feet.
However, although he said ashamed, his body did not show any intention of moving. He was still chewing the chicken feet with relish. The chicken feet were braised and then roasted. They were crispy, fragrant and soft. The skin on the outside fell off with a bite. They were also sprinkled with finely crushed chili powder and crushed peanuts. They were delicious no matter how you ate them.
After I finish eating this chicken foot, I will go find Junior Brother Shen to practice together!
Shen Xinghai was sitting on an ancient tree at this moment. There was no one or bird around, only the sound of wind blowing through the gaps between the leaves.
In the silence, he quietly released his mental power to explore the surroundings.
Wen Yun once said that one must force oneself to practice the soul, otherwise one will never become strong.
Therefore, he tried his best to stretch his mental power to the limit every time, stretching it little by little like self-torture, slowly covering the area.
Yesterday he extended his energy to the dead tree, and today he wanted to go further and extend his spiritual energy to the big rock!
Shen Xinghai's face gradually turned paler. His ten fingers tightly grasped the corners of his clothes, and he actually tore several big holes in the half-worn clothes.
Just as he was about to extend his mental power to the target, a blinding golden light suddenly flashed in the sky, causing him to lose consciousness.
Shen Xinghai's distraction caused his originally defenseless soul to suffer a backlash in an instant. Feeling a sharp pain, he vomited blood and fell from the tree in a listless state.
Junior Sister Wen really didn’t lie to me.
When practicing spirit and soul, you must find a quiet place in the middle of the night, otherwise if you are harassed by others, it can really be fatal!
"It's not the senior's fault... He didn't expect that Junior Brother Shen was practicing at that time."
"But why does Junior Brother Shen always suffer from all kinds of unexpected disasters? It would have been fine if he had gone to the outer seas by himself, but now he has suffered even though he is staying in the sect. How bad is his luck?"
"Shh, stop making noise, Junior Brother Shen is awake!"
"Brother Shen, are you okay?"
Shen Xinghai opened his eyes with difficulty, and saw several heads gathered together in a circle, all looking at him with concern.
His head still ached like needles, and he spoke with difficulty, his voice as dry as if he had a mouthful of gravel in his mouth: "I'm fine."
As he spoke, he subconsciously reached for the sword with his left hand and the magic wand with his right hand. After gripping them tightly, he struggled to get up.
"I should get up and practice swordplay."
Senior Sister Meng Ran held him down and said, "You look so bad, stop moving and take a rest."
His Adam's apple rolled, and his eyes silently swept over everyone in the room. Finally, he spoke cautiously, "Before I fainted, I saw a strange light in the sky. It looked very similar to the golden light that Junior Sister Wen saw when she left..."
He didn't dare say the second half of the sentence, perhaps he was even suspecting that he was dreaming.
He had dreamed of her many times since Wen Yun left.
It was always the same scene: she walked on the golden fairy road all the way upwards, with her back to everyone, walking farther and farther away, until only a tiny golden dot of light was left, like a spark that was so far away that it was impossible to measure.
So this time, maybe it’s just a dream.
However, Zhu Erchong patted him on the shoulder and laughed, "You guessed it right, someone has returned from the upper world!"
Shen Xinghai's originally pale face instantly regained its color, and his eyes lit up. He propped himself up and struggled to get up, looking around: "Junior Sister Wen is back? Where is she? Did she go back to the Tenth Peak first? Then let's go find her now!"
As he said this, he hurriedly put on his coat and rushed out the door.
"No, Junior Sister Wen hasn't come back."
Shen Xinghai paused and held onto the door to prevent himself from falling.
Bao Pilong called out from behind him: "Senior Su Yuan is back!"
Shen Xinghai, who had been cheerful just now, now looked depressed. He turned around expressionlessly and walked back to the bed, then just lay down there.
Zhu Erchong was stunned: "Aren't you going to pay your respects to the senior?"
Shen Xinghai turned over and faced away from everyone.
"No, my soul is injured and I can't walk. Let me lie down for half a day."
But he only lay there for a short while. Although he felt very disappointed, he was his senior after all, and it would be rude not to meet him.
This time, Master Su Yuan came to the lower world in a low-key manner in the middle of the night. In addition, he went to the Tenth Peak as soon as he arrived, so ordinary disciples did not dare to come to pay them a visit.
Daoming, Wenyun and Ye Shubai were all very free and easy in the upper realm. After dealing with several peak masters who came to visit them, the Tenth Peak returned to its former tranquility.
But when Zhu Erchong and his friends came up, they felt that the atmosphere was a little stagnant.
It was bad enough for Bai Yushan, who always had a stern face and didn't like to talk. Even Yue Xingzhou, who was usually the most gentle and approachable, and Xu Wanfeng, who always loved to joke, were silent this time. They stood in front of Master Su Yuan with solemn expressions, not saying a word.
Zhu Erchong was the most courageous. After paying his respects to the senior, he said with a smile: "Senior, ancestor, did you come back this time just to teach them a lesson? I think they are about to cry because of your scolding."
He originally wanted to ease the somewhat subtle atmosphere at the scene, but Yue Xingzhou glanced at him with a complicated look, then shook his head and sighed.
"Please all sit down. The old man has important matters to attend to this time."
Important matter
Shen Xinghai saw the slightly heavy atmosphere at the moment, and his heart tightened. A terrible thought came to his mind: "Senior, could it be that Master Ye and Junior Sister Wen had an accident in the upper realm?"
"Bah, stop talking such bad words! Those two are fine now, don't let them really be cursed to death in Yunhai Tower!" Master Su Yuan rudely spat, stared at Shen Xinghai and cursed: "Not only are they fine, but they have also fought hard to find a place to stay in the upper realm. This time, I came here to take you to the upper realm to practice at the request of girl Yun!"
"What? Going to the upper realm?"
Zhu Erchong and Bao Pilong exclaimed in surprise, and even Senior Sister Meng Ran, who was always the most patient, had her eyes shining.
Shen Xinghai felt a sudden burning sensation in his chest.
Yue Xingzhou and the other two looked at them quietly, and finally sighed silently.
It was too early for them to be happy now, not knowing that there was another cruel choice.
Sure enough, Master Su Yuan spoke again—
"However, I can only bring two people this time. The next time I come, I may have to wait another half a hundred years. Of course, it may be even longer."
As for how long it will last, no one knows.
I don’t even know if I can wait until this day comes before my life span runs out.
He said the last half sentence meaningfully, and his deep eyes swept across everyone's faces quietly, not missing any unusual signs.
The room was silent and the atmosphere suddenly froze.
Zhu Erchong's raised lips froze there. He opened his mouth, looked around the room at his friends, but couldn't utter the last word.
Bao Pilong stood there in a daze. He looked at the dazed Meng Ran, then at the frowning Shen Xinghai, and finally at the three great masters of the Tenth Peak. He still didn't know how to start.
Shen Xinghai was the first to react.
He looked at Master Suyuan expressionlessly, pursing his lips again and again, and his dark eyes seemed to contain extremely complex and tangled emotions.
"I… "
When he said the first word, everyone's eyes were on him.
Shen Xinghai's body trembled. For some reason, he suddenly felt that the prosthetic limb on his right hand, which was supposed to be unconscious, was in great pain at this moment. Or maybe it was just the broken part of his arm that was hurting.
This was the last thing Wen Yun gave him before leaving.
She said that once she ascended, she could use the power of heavenly thunder to reshape her body, and then she would no longer need to use it.
His talent is actually not outstanding, and can even be considered poor among his fellow disciples here. All his cultivation was earned with his life. Compared with him, the others are all extremely talented and can be called geniuses. It seems that after obtaining more resources in the upper realm, it will be more beneficial to his cultivation.
He looked up at the crowd and took a half step back.
Shen Xinghai finally found his voice.
He said in a low voice: "I wish to stay here."
Senior Sister Meng Ran refuted: "No, you are the one who needs to go up first to practice and reshape your body!"
Although there was still a struggle in her eyes, she still smiled in a casual manner: "I have just entered the Nascent Soul stage, and I still have a long life. It doesn't matter if I wait another hundred years."
Zhu Erchong and Bao Pilong also reacted: "Yes, Junior Brother Shen, you are the one who needs this opportunity the most."
Shen Xinghai was unmoved. He took another step back and said to Master Su Yuan stubbornly, "My senior brothers and sisters have taken care of me. I feel ashamed and dare not go."
"Junior Brother Shen!"
"I feel guilty for what I have done!"
"Young people are quite martial." Master Suyuan's expression softened, and he was satisfied with the situation.
I just don’t know whether what they said is true or false, and whether the trust that Wen Yun entrusted to them will be betrayed.
He nodded and said with a smile: "Since you are reluctant to make a decision due to your fellow disciples' friendship, then how about this? We draw lots to decide which two will go first."
Everyone was stunned. How could such an important matter be decided so casually
Su Yuan Zhenren didn't care what they thought. He slowly took out a fortune stick box. This was the prop he used when he set up a stall to judge the cause and effect of people in the past. He didn't expect it to come in handy at this time.
He placed seven lots in the lot holder and shook them upside down, saying lazily, "Draw the two red-headed lots. Whoever draws the lot will go to the upper world with me three days later."
Seven hands reached out to the lottery stick box at the same time and each of them drew a lot.
Yue Xingzhou opened his hand, took out an ordinary stick, and said calmly: "None."
Xu Wanfeng and Bai Yushan suffered the same result.
When Zhu Erchong arrived, he stared blankly at the red stick in his palm, his voice full of disbelief: "It's me?"
There is one more stick left.
Bao Pilong held the ordinary stick and smiled innocently: "Well, I didn't win."
Senior Sister Meng Ran looked at the lot in her hand, and finally looked at Shen Xinghai with a smile: "Junior Brother Shen, you see, God wants you to go to the upper realm."
Shen Xinghai held the red stick with a complicated expression, and no one knew what he was thinking.
Master Su Yuan took everyone's reaction into account, stretched himself, and drove them away while paying homage: "Alright, alright, I'll take people away in three days, you guys go back now, oh, I'm really exhausted after traveling for so many years..."
Everyone had no choice but to bid farewell to their ancestor and head towards their respective peaks.
But in the past everyone was smiling and joking, but today everyone seemed to be worried about something, and their eyes were quietly focused on Shen Xinghai.
When we said goodbye, it was very dark and we couldn't see each other's expressions clearly.
The light in Shen Xinghai's secluded courtyard was on for half the night and was finally blown out.
The night is as dark as a pool of ink.
In the thick night, a figure quietly sneaked into the courtyard. The birds on the ancient trees in the courtyard seemed to be startled, but under the shock of the spirit, they opened their mouths but could not make any sound.
In the silence, the man quietly gripped the hilt of the sword.