This time, there was definitely no transmigration, because Chu Xinghe found that all his junior brothers and sisters appeared behind him, and he concluded that such a large-scale group transmigration was too difficult.
But shouldn’t he have just walked out of the spirit cave? Why was he in this place?
“This is the second level! Senior Brother Xinghe, you’re amazing! How did you discover that the entrance to this level can be triggered by stepping back just before it closes, allowing us to reach the second level effortlessly?”
Wan Lin was so excited that she jumped three meters high, swaying and making everyone dizzy.
But Chu Xinghe was almost cursing. Damn it, he knew nothing about any spatial dislocation. He just wanted to trick them… He had thought of so many reasons.
“I get it now. The reason Senior Brother Xinghe didn’t want to walk in front wasn’t because he was worried about safety, but because he knew there would be such a mechanism, so he had to walk at the back to trigger it, right?” Ma Liang automatically filled in the gaps in Senior Brother Xinghe’s previous strange behavior.
Hearing Ma Liang’s words, all the junior brothers and sisters nodded, finally understanding that Senior Brother Xinghe was playing a game with the world, calculating every step clearly!
The few who had a bit of doubt earlier even came to apologize to Senior Brother Xinghe, saying they shouldn’t have doubted his strategy.
At this moment, Chu Xinghe, standing on the second level, felt very upset, extremely upset!
He just wanted to trick everyone, but ended up bringing them to the second level. What was that about?
The three sects entered early, but they had to explore bit by bit to reach the second level, while they appeared directly on the second level, occupying all the advantages of time, place, and people.
“This time, all the spiritual liquid is ours!” Ma Liang displayed a confident demeanor.
“Yes! All the spiritual liquid is ours!” Wan Lin and the other junior brothers and sisters echoed.
Chu Xinghe felt even worse…
Before, there were still opponents, but now there were none… How could they lose when they could return to the city at any time… Now he knew, returning to the city by mistake landed them in a gold mine.
“Everyone, don’t rush to explore. Let’s first check the surroundings.” At this point, Chu Xinghe could only think of ways to delay time.
Three sects, you better be strong!
I’m here single-handedly resisting the entire Grand Sky Sect for you, don’t let me down!
Soon, following Chu Xinghe’s instructions, many disciples were sent out in groups of three or five to scout the surroundings. Chu Xinghe instructed them to be as thorough as possible, not to worry about wasting time, as safety came first. As long as one junior brother or sister didn’t return, they wouldn’t leave!
With many junior brothers and sisters dispatched, Chu Xinghe also led Ma Liang, Wan Lin, and others to explore in one direction.
The spirit cave was originally a rather grand city, buried underground for unknown reasons. The green ghostly lights flying around were the petrifying poisonous insects mentioned earlier.
These things swarmed like mosquitoes and couldn’t be cleaned up. They could only be resisted with the Stone Breaking Pill’s detoxifying ability, which was why the three sects needed so many Stone Breaking Pills.
Chu Xinghe distributed a sufficient amount of Stone Breaking Pills to each junior brother and sister, one every ten minutes, enough for ten days or more without any pressure.
Passing through the swarm of poisonous insects, Chu Xinghe approached the edge of the abandoned ancient city, where two roads appeared ahead. One seemed to lead to the left side of the city, and the other to the city center.
Without thinking, Chu Xinghe chose the road leading to the city center, as it looked more complicated and could delay more time, right?
And indeed, as Chu Xinghe thought, the road to the city was like a maze. Although everyone passed through smoothly using various means, a large number of strange statues suddenly appeared ahead, standing densely at the city entrance like soldiers guarding the city.
“Senior Brother Xinghe, passing through here should lead us into the city, where the spiritual liquid should be!”
“Don’t act rashly. I feel something’s not right… Let’s go back and discuss it first.”
“Ah… okay… okay then…” Although feeling that Senior Brother was being overly cautious, Wan Lin nodded in agreement, and the others followed suit, returning to the previous area.
Meanwhile, on the first level, the people from the three sects were steadily advancing.
“Why haven’t the people from Grand Sky Sect caught up yet?” Fan Sheng was puzzled. They were clearing the way ahead, so Grand Sky Sect should have caught up easily by now.
“Hmph! I guess they don’t want to spend any effort, just waiting for us to clear the path to the lower level.” Sun Xueheng looked displeased.
“What’s this Chu Xinghe! Such a despicable person can become a personal disciple; I think Grand Sky Sect is doomed!”
“Fan Junior Brother, watch your words!” Guo Qizhen quickly reminded him.
Although Fan Sheng looked displeased, he didn’t say more. The three sects continued to fight and advance, clearing various insect mechanisms and poison fog on the first level.
They had no idea that the despicable person they spoke of, Chu Xinghe, was single-handedly resisting the entire Grand Sky Sect to buy them time.
So, as they say, good people don’t get good rewards!
Chu Xinghe was drawing maps, leaving marks, and even deliberately leading the team down wrong paths, using every possible method to delay time.
But eventually, they returned to the starting point.
“Is everyone here…?” Chu Xinghe sighed helplessly.
“It seems that Sister Mi Xue’s group hasn’t returned yet!”
“Ah! That’s great… too much… Are you all just going to wait here? Hurry up and follow me to find Sister Mi Xue!” Chu Xinghe was so excited he almost cried. Sister Mi Xue was a good person, finally creating some opportunities to delay time.
Under Chu Xinghe’s lead, everyone split up to search for Sister Mi Xue, remembering Senior Brother Xinghe’s words: I brought you out of Grand Sky Sect, and I’ll take you all back, not one less.
The search for Sister Mi Xue lasted for half a day, and they finally found her trapped by some poisonous creatures in a hidden place. With everyone’s joint effort, they successfully rescued her.
When they returned to the starting point, they found that the people from the three sects had already come down from the first level.
Seeing this, the people from Grand Sky Sect sighed, but there was no choice; they couldn’t leave Sister Mi Xue behind.
But this rescue ultimately lost them the initiative.
The people from Grand Sky Sect sighed, while the three sects were confused.
What was this? Why were the people from Grand Sky Sect on the second level? They had been fighting hard on the first level for so long, and Grand Sky Sect was resting on the second level?
However, Fan Sheng couldn’t understand why Chu Xinghe was leading the team to rest here instead of exploring the second level. Was there some conspiracy?
“Senior Brother Xinghe seems to know a secret path we don’t.” Guo Qizhen approached with a smile.
“Hehe… just luck, just luck.”
“I wonder if Senior Brother Xinghe has discovered anything after being down here for so long?” Guo Qizhen tried to probe Chu Xinghe.
He didn’t have much hope, but just when Guo Qizhen thought Chu Xinghe would say he didn’t know anything, Chu Xinghe handed over the map he had drawn earlier to Guo Qizhen, and amidst everyone’s confusion, he spoke: “Fan Junior Brother, Sun Junior Brother, not remembering your names earlier was indeed a mistake, I was momentarily distracted.”
“You two were too emotional at the time, so I couldn’t explain anything. This is the map of the area we explored earlier, with a path to the city. It can save you a lot of effort, consider it my apology to everyone.”
At this moment, the scene fell silent.
The people from the three sects were at a loss with the map in hand.
Especially Fan Sheng and Sun Xueheng, who had been cursing Chu Xinghe as a despicable person all the way in, only to be greeted with a big gift upon entry, leaving them ashamed.
“The top ten sects should support each other and help one another. Please forgive my previous indiscretions.” Chu Xinghe said, bowing humbly to the three sects.
Meanwhile, he thought to himself… I’ve written all the scripts for you! Don’t let me down!
The people from the three sects were puzzled, especially Fan Sheng and Sun Xueheng, wondering if Chu Xinghe had a conspiracy or was genuinely apologizing.
But the map was real, evident from the surprised expressions on the faces of the Grand Sky Sect disciples when Chu Xinghe handed it over.
“Alright, let’s continue!” Chu Xinghe waved his hand, and everyone gathered together, with the Grand Sky Sect disciples and the people from the three sects setting off according to the map, further confusing the three sects, who initially suspected the map might be problematic, but now it seemed fine.
They quickly reached the fork in the road on the map, with one path leading to the city, filled with strange statues, and the other leading to the left side of the city.
“The path to the city should be the correct one!” Fan Sheng made a judgment.
Sun Xueheng and Guo Qizhen nodded in agreement.
As the saying goes, where treasures are, dangers exist. Only by overcoming various dangers can one obtain the final treasure, which is almost a rule.
So in the spirit cave, to find the treasure quickly, just look for the most dangerous place.
Between the two paths, the one leading to the city was filled with statues that didn’t look easy to deal with, while the other path to the left side of the city was empty, not even a poisonous insect in sight, definitely a trap.
After discussing, Guo Qizhen spoke: “Senior Brother Xinghe, let’s venture down this path together. This should be the correct path!”
But amidst everyone’s expectant gazes, Chu Xinghe shook his head: “No, no… I think the other side is the correct path!”
“Ah? You mean that side? Why?”
“Instinct!”
“Senior Brother Xinghe, your instinct might not be accurate.”
“I trust my instinct. If you choose this path, then I’ll choose the other one, or we can go together? After all, the path to the city is very dangerous, one careless move…”
“Hehe… Senior Brother Xinghe is overthinking. There’s no place in the spirit cave that isn’t dangerous. If treasures were easily obtainable without danger, would they still be called treasures? I choose the city!”
“We also choose the city…”
The three sects all made their choice, and Chu Xinghe didn’t say more, nodding to everyone, then leading the Grand Sky Sect towards the other path.
No one in the Grand Sky Sect doubted Senior Brother Xinghe’s instinct, after all, his instinct had brought them directly to the second level!
But it was different for the three sects. Once the Grand Sky Sect was far away, Fan Sheng sneered.
“Hehe… I thought he was sincerely apologizing, but he’s just a coward, afraid we’ll report the incident to the sect and get him punished, so he gave us the map. Now he’s backing down at the slightest danger, such a coward is a disgrace to Grand Sky Sect, a disgrace to the top ten sects!”
Although the others from the three sects didn’t speak, they nodded silently, clearly agreeing with Fan Sheng’s label of Chu Xinghe as a disgrace to Grand Sky Sect…
When it came to handing over the road to the city gate to the other side, some disciples of the Grand Sky Sect might not understand, but everyone was 100% supportive of Senior Brother Xinghe’s decision.
After all, along the way, Senior Brother Xinghe had never been wrong, even if it was an unreliable intuition, everyone still believed in him.
Ma Liang took the lead as the pathfinder, leading a team to explore ahead.
However, as they moved forward, there was nothing strange, not even eerie statues. Apart from those green bugs occasionally causing petrifying poison, there was no real threat.
The path was so smooth that everyone felt like they were on a dungeon tour rather than a treasure hunt.
On the other side, the three sects had already charged into the statue group, and the stone shells of these statues suddenly shattered, with creatures resembling ghouls emerging from within.
The disciples of the three sects immediately engaged in a bloody battle with the statues.
Chu Xinghe and his group strolled leisurely on the other side, faintly hearing the sounds of battle, knowing that a fight had definitely broken out over there.
But what did that have to do with him? His goal was to gain nothing!
Finding treasure was hard, but getting nothing was easy, right?
Can’t I just treat this as a day trip to the dungeon?
After all, whose intuition hasn’t been wrong before?
Just as Chu Xinghe was wandering around leisurely, Ma Liang, who was responsible for scouting ahead, came running towards him like a wild dog off its leash.
“Senior Brother Xinghe! Senior Brother Xinghe!” Ma Liang was so excited his hands were trembling, and the eyes of the other junior brothers behind him were all red!
Damn! Did something go wrong?
Chu Xinghe was internally panicking!
“Senior Brother Xinghe’s intuition is truly divine, there’s spiritual liquid ahead!”
Upon hearing this news, the surrounding Grand Sky Sect disciples erupted.
Everyone looked at Senior Brother Xinghe with eyes full of awe!
Chu Xinghe: “???”
“No… Ma Liang, say that again…”
“Senior Brother Xinghe’s intuition is truly divine, there’s spiritual liquid ahead!” Ma Liang repeated earnestly.
Chu Xinghe felt dizzy, almost letting Ma Liang send him off on the spot!
Ma Liang, oh Ma Liang, you’re really a troublemaker… I just wanted everyone to gain nothing, what’s wrong with that… I just wanted the sect to suffer a loss and punish me a bit, why is it so hard?
At this point, there was no need for Chu Xinghe to say anything; everyone rushed forward in a frenzy, and sure enough… in a vast open area, a pool of spiritual liquid sat quietly like a blue mirror.
But the spiritual energy it emitted confirmed it was indeed spiritual liquid.
On the other side… the three sects were in a bloody battle with the statues, but these statues were as hard as stone, and they could release a strange petrifying wave. Every time someone was hit by the wave, they had to consume a large amount of Stone Breaking Pills to recover, but the three sects didn’t have that many pills, and now disciples were in danger as their supply dwindled!
“Everyone hold on, we’ll win if we charge through!” Fan Sheng raised his battle blade and shouted, but as his words fell, a strange sound came from afar, and the city gate opened. Behind the gate, the stone shells of countless statues began to peel off, and they awoke from their slumber, roaring as they charged towards the three sects…
On the Grand Sky Sect’s side…
“Senior Brother Xinghe, what should we do now…” Ma Liang, self-proclaimed as the lucky charm, looked at Chu Xinghe with a grin.
“What else can we do… we’re already here… let’s bathe…”
Chu Xinghe was helpless; what else could he do at this point?
“Please let Senior Brother Xinghe go first, it’s said that the spiritual energy is most concentrated for the first one to enter!”
“Yes, yes, this opportunity must be given to Senior Brother Xinghe!”
“If Senior Brother Xinghe doesn’t go first, I won’t accept it!”
Soon, Chu Xinghe was chosen to be the first to enter the spiritual liquid. Under the watchful eyes of countless people, Chu Xinghe entered the spiritual liquid. There was no need to actually bathe; just being near the spiritual liquid would automatically consume part of its energy to cleanse and refine Chu Xinghe’s body.
The gentle spiritual energy entered Chu Xinghe’s body, and in an instant, he felt a scorching heat throughout his body, with his bones and flesh being elevated.
At the same time, his cultivation level advanced from the peak of Second Grade Martial Master directly into the ranks of Third Grade Grand Martial Master!
Previously, the Compass of Misfortune had helped him reach the peak of Second Grade, and now the spiritual liquid had allowed him to break through!
“Congratulations to Senior Brother Xinghe on breaking through to Grand Martial Master!”
“As expected of Senior Brother Xinghe, we joined the sect together, but Senior Brother Xinghe has already reached Third Grade.”
“Stop talking, let’s take turns entering the spiritual liquid!”
Everyone lined up, and Ma Liang, being the first to find the spiritual liquid, got the second chance to enter, as the earlier one entered, the stronger the spiritual power.
Ma Liang was so excited that he gave an acceptance speech on the spot.
He thanked Senior Brother Xinghe for trusting him all the way, even when he was being a troublemaker, never giving up on him, and giving him opportunities, which led to his current achievements.
In short, following Senior Brother Xinghe would lead to any achievement!
Ma Liang completed the cleansing and refining, and his cultivation level advanced from early Second Grade directly to the peak of Second Grade, just a step away from Third Grade.
Next, Wan Lin, the earliest fan of Senior Brother Xinghe, went in third. Wan Lin didn’t have a long acceptance speech, just a simple statement: “Wherever Senior Brother Xinghe points, I’ll strike!”
Afterwards, other disciples entered in turn, but there was some disappointment among the senior brothers that they didn’t need to undress to bathe in the spiritual liquid… of course, Senior Sister Wan Lin was also a bit disappointed…
The entire group completed the cleansing and refining with the spiritual liquid. As expected of the elite disciples of the Grand Sky Sect, everyone reached the peak of Second Grade, although still a tiny step away from Third Grade, their strength had significantly increased.
“Senior Brother Xinghe, let’s take all the remaining spiritual liquid with us, that should be the exit over there! The three sects are probably doomed!”
As Ma Liang finished speaking, many nodded in agreement. From the city, they could hear the constant screams and sounds of battle, imagining how fierce the battlefield was, and the three sects might even face total annihilation.
And now, they could have everything without doing anything.
But just as everyone was nodding, Chu Xinghe spoke up: “No! We must go save them!”
“Huh?” Ma Liang was puzzled, after all, choosing which path to take was each sect’s own decision, what did it have to do with the Grand Sky Sect, why save them?
“The Grand Sky Sect ranks first among the Top Ten Sects. Back in the day, when the demonic path was rampant, the Top Ten Sects joined forces to fight against it, truly sharing the same breath and branch. But today, the demonic path is not yet eradicated. I don’t care about other sects, but can we, the Grand Sky Sect, watch them perish here?”
With these words, Ma Liang lowered his head, and so did the others.
“A person without faith cannot stand, and when we agreed to enter the spirit cave, we only chose a hundred people. The spiritual liquid here is enough for three hundred. The rest is for the three sects. Since the Grand Sky Sect agreed, we will not monopolize it!”
Chu Xinghe finished in one breath, and seeing everyone nod, he finally breathed a sigh of relief… It was one thing not to let the Grand Sky Sect suffer a loss, but if they took all the remaining spiritual liquid back, that would be too much!
So, with a wave of his hand, Chu Xinghe led the charge to aid the three sects!
At the city gate, the two hundred disciples of the three sects had already seen a third either injured or petrified, and the remaining disciples’ Stone Breaking Pills were dwindling.
Yet the monsters within the gate seemed endless, appearing as if they were infinite.
“Senior Brother Guo, take the others and leave, we can’t hold on…” Fan Sheng’s eyes glistened with tears. Their East Moon Pavilion was at the forefront, suffering the heaviest losses, and now there was no chance to retreat.
“Junior Brother Fan! Come with us!” Sun Xueheng also rushed up, trying to pull Fan Sheng away.
But Fan Sheng broke free from them.
“Both of you, I led the disciples of East Moon Pavilion out, only to let them perish here. How can I face returning to the sect? Please tell the sect that Fan Sheng is the disgrace of East Moon Pavilion…” With that, Fan Sheng charged into the monster horde without looking back.
Guo Qizhen and Sun Xueheng glanced around, realizing they were truly powerless to turn the tide, and could only try to retreat, watching helplessly as Fan Sheng was surrounded by more and more monsters.
“Go!” Guo Qizhen shouted, and they began to retreat. As they did, the monsters surged towards the remaining members of East Moon Pavilion, who were already unable to resist and began to be petrified.
Fan Sheng kept swinging his battle blade, fighting desperately, but he still couldn’t stop so many monsters!
“Junior Sister Tong Ling! Junior Brother Zhao Heng! So many junior brothers!” Watching as one by one, his junior brothers and sisters were petrified by the monsters, Fan Sheng fell into complete despair. He was gradually exhausted, but at this moment, he felt that death might be a relief for him!
But just as Fan Sheng closed his eyes, ready to accept death!
In the sky, a yellow light pierced through the heavens, and in a flash, it arrived beneath the city gate. In an instant, the sword light split into two, then four, and then more!
Over a hundred yellow lights descended from the sky, directly bombarding the monster horde!
Grand Sky Sword Box!
The Flying Locust appears!
Among the nine Divine Swords, the Flying Locust Sword was the first one usable, and even though it wasn’t in sword form, its power was not lacking. The Flying Locust Sword’s light could instantly transform into thousands, although Chu Xinghe’s current strength couldn’t reach that level, he could still split it into over a hundred sword lights!
A formation of over a hundred sword lights descended from the sky, shredding all the monsters charging at Fan Sheng!
“Grand Sky is immortal, Grand Qi eternal!”
The Grand Sky Sect group shouted their battle cry as they charged from one direction!
“Everyone, follow me, we must save everyone!” Chu Xinghe led the charge into the monster horde.
All the Grand Sky Sect disciples followed like gods of war, entering the fray!
For a moment, the Star Moon Sect and North Mystic City, who were about to leave, were stunned…
Grand Sky Sect! It was the Grand Sky Sect!
They actually came to the rescue at this moment, and Guo Qizhen and Sun Xueheng were dumbfounded, unable to believe it. The Grand Sky Sect had actually come…
And leading the charge was Chu Xinghe, whom they called the disgrace of the Grand Sky Sect…
“Grand Sky is eternal! Grand Qi shall never fade!”
Suddenly, the people of the Grand Sky Sect arrived, and the Flying Locust Sword Formation descended from the sky, instantly clearing all the monsters around Fan Sheng.
Fan Sheng was dumbfounded when he saw Chu Xinghe charging towards him.
He had previously declared that Chu Xinghe was the disgrace of the Grand Sky Sect, the shame of the Top Ten Sects.
But at this moment, he was choked with emotion!
As the saying goes, it’s easy to add flowers to the brocade, but hard to send charcoal in the snow.
Today, Fan Sheng was prepared to die here, but the Grand Sky Sect arrived at the last moment!
“Whoosh…” Countless Stone Breaking Pills flew out from Chu Xinghe’s Space Ring, scattering across the field.
“What are you standing around for? Give the petrified people the antidote, and those without pills, replenish the Stone Breaking Pills quickly. Grand Sky Sect will be the central force, Star Moon Sect on the left wing, North Mystic City on the right wing, everyone follow me!”
“Understood!” Sun Xueheng and Guo Qizhen responded in unison.
At this moment, the two felt as if they were back in the days when the sect elders spoke of exterminating the demonic path. Why could the Grand Sky Sect rank at the top? Because when they exterminated the Demonic Sect, the Grand Sky Sect always led the charge, and when the Grand Sky Token was issued, none in the world dared to disobey!
Today, even though they weren’t facing the Demonic Sect, and even though they had just been cursing Chu Xinghe as the disgrace of the Grand Sky Sect, when Chu Xinghe truly led the Grand Sky Sect back, they were still shocked by his grandeur.
The Grand Sky Sect could have just watched them suffer losses here, and the more they lost, the more benefits the Grand Sky Sect could gain.
But the Grand Sky Sect didn’t do that; they still came to rescue their former allies. What magnanimity!
At this moment, neither Sun Xueheng nor Guo Qizhen had any more words for Chu Xinghe. If Senior Brother Xinghe said charge, they would charge with him!
If anyone dared to call Senior Brother Xinghe the disgrace of the Grand Sky Sect again, they’d knock out their wisdom teeth!
This was clearly not the time for wordplay.
The strength of the Grand Sky Sect, after the baptism of spiritual liquid, was far beyond the three sects, and with the unlimited supply of Stone Breaking Pills, the monsters were nothing but paper tigers before the Grand Sky Sect!
And even more terrifying was Chu Xinghe. At this moment, above Chu Xinghe’s head, the Flying Locust Sword soared through the air, and every descent brought hundreds of sword lights and formations, leaving no trace of the enemy!
“Flying sword! That’s a flying sword!” Sun Xueheng was shocked to see Chu Xinghe’s flying sword.
Not only Sun Xueheng, but Guo Qizhen also wore a look of disbelief.
It was rumored that the Grand Sky Sect had a Grand Sky Sword Box containing nine Divine Swords… but for four hundred years, no one had been able to wield it, and it had become a legend.
But today, the Grand Sky Sword Box appeared for the first time! And it was in Chu Xinghe’s hands.
Everyone finally understood why Chu Xinghe could lead the Grand Sky Sect and become a personal disciple!
It turned out he was the master of the Grand Sky Sword Box!
Among the Top Ten Sects, those who could participate in this event were all Chosen ones, and leaders like Guo Qizhen were the Chosen among the Chosen.
But at this moment, when they saw the Grand Sky Sword Box, all the Chosen were overshadowed by Chu Xinghe.
This was the unparalleled heritage of the Grand Sky Sect!
Chu Xinghe’s sword light flickered continuously as he made his way to Fan Sheng.
“Senior Brother Xinghe…” Fan Sheng didn’t even know what to say at this moment.
“Take the pills! Save the people of East Moon Pavilion immediately!” Chu Xinghe tossed the pills to Fan Sheng and continued to fight the enemies without another word.
“Alright!” Fan Sheng, with trembling hands, began administering the pills to the petrified junior brothers and sisters. Fortunately, the petrification hadn’t lasted long, and with the consumption of a large number of Stone Breaking Pills, they were freed from their petrified state.
Soon, the people from East Moon Pavilion also began to recover and gradually joined the battle!
As the monsters were gradually cleared out, everyone finally saw hope.
“Roar…” A sudden roar came from the city gate, and in the next moment, the ground shook, and the city walls collapsed.
Behind the collapsed walls, a massive statue’s stone shell shattered, and a gigantic monster, five or six meters tall, emerged with a bloodthirsty mouth from behind the collapsed walls.
Fan Sheng charged ahead, wielding his spiritual blade, but the blade bounced off the giant monster’s body, and Fan Sheng was sent flying, spitting blood from a slap by the monster.
With Fan Sheng repelled, others continued to attack, but this creature’s defense was so high that they couldn’t even break through it!
“Move aside! I’ll handle it!” Seeing the monster rampaging, Chu Xinghe knew he had to act, or people might die.
“Flying Locust!”
Yellow sword light soared into the sky, and the sword formation descended from above, raining down on the monster.
Each sword rain pierced the monster’s skin, leaving scars.
The defense was broken! But… it was still not enough to take down the monster!
The monster, attacked by the sword rain, went berserk and charged madly towards Chu Xinghe!
“Senior Brother Xinghe, retreat!” Ma Liang stood in front of Chu Xinghe, trying to get him to leave first.
But just as Ma Liang was about to retreat with Senior Brother Xinghe, purple lightning suddenly appeared all around!
The electric currents from the lightning made Ma Liang’s hair stand on end!
“Thunder Shadow! Arise!”
Chu Xinghe slapped his left arm, and a bolt of lightning shot into the sky!
A flash of purple lightning!
The Thunder Shadow descended from the sky, striking the monster charging at Chu Xinghe directly on the head, causing it to explode into pieces!
And its massive body fell, sliding forward with inertia, finally stopping in front of Chu Xinghe.
At this moment, everyone could see clearly, a divine weapon that was like lightning but not lightning, like electricity but not electricity, hovered above Chu Xinghe’s head!
The second sword of the Grand Sky Sword Box!
Thunder Shadow!
In a flash of purple lightning, Thunder Shadow had vanquished the enemy!
With the fall of the giant monster, all the smaller monsters seemed to be scared out of their wits and retreated like a tide.
But as the monsters left, everyone remained in a daze.
The heaven-defying sword rain of the Flying Locust had already left many in disbelief, and what was that flashing purple lightning just now… what kind of divine weapon was that!
The purple lightning returned to the Grand Sky Sword Box, and the Flying Locust returned to its place. Chu Xinghe looked around, once again wearing his cheerful expression.
But at this moment, whether it was the people of the Grand Sky Sect or those from the three sects, their gazes towards Chu Xinghe had completely changed.
Why was there someone like Ma Liang in the Grand Sky Sect? Previously, it was because Ma Liang felt unconvinced… why… my strength isn’t inferior to that Chu Xinghe, right? Isn’t he just a bit luckier? In a real fight, I might not lose!
There were countless people with such thoughts, even more so among the three sects, and Fan Sheng even suspected that Chu Xinghe was just someone with connections.
But with the appearance of the Grand Sky Sword Box!
At this moment, whether it was the Grand Sky Sect or others, no one doubted Chu Xinghe’s strength anymore.
“Senior Brother Xinghe… is he really this strong…”
“I’ve never seen Senior Brother Xinghe fight anyone, he always said his talent was average, his cultivation level ordinary, is this ordinary?”
“Senior Brother Xinghe likes to be kind to others, unlike some who like to challenge this and that… but to be personally taught the Grand Sky Battle Intent by the Sect Master, don’t you understand…”
“I thought I had seen all of Senior Brother Xinghe, but now I realize, what I’ve seen is just a drop in the ocean!”
“Senior Brother Xinghe is unfathomable!”
Not only did the Grand Sky Sect find Senior Brother Xinghe unfathomable, but people from the three sects also gathered around.
First was Fan Sheng, who fell to his knees with a thud in front of Chu Xinghe.
“Junior Brother Fan, what are you doing… get up, get up…” Chu Xinghe hurriedly helped him up.
“Senior Brother Xinghe! Previously, I, Fan Sheng, was worse than a pig or dog! I dared to insult Senior Brother Xinghe, but today, Senior Brother Xinghe bore no grudge, leading the Grand Sky Sect to our rescue, saving everyone in East Moon Pavilion, I have no way to repay this…”
Fan Sheng was in tears.
He had previously said Senior Brother Xinghe was timid, said he was afraid of death… but everyone saw Senior Brother Xinghe’s strength just now… what kind of strength was that?
A flying sword… the legendary Grand Sky Sword Box!
With such strength, he could have easily laid low in the spirit cave, but he was narrow-minded enough to think he was just someone with connections.
When he kindly sent a map to express remorse for past events, he thought there was a conspiracy… Fan Sheng had never felt so guilty in his life.
Other disciples of East Moon Pavilion also knelt down one after another, and for a moment, Chu Xinghe could only have the disciples of the Grand Sky Sect help them up.
But even as they were helped up, the disciples of East Moon Pavilion looked at Chu Xinghe with completely different eyes.
If before they were disdainful, now they were full of reverence.
“Fellow junior brothers and sisters, there’s no need for this, the Top Ten Sects are like branches of the same tree, I’ve said this many times, perhaps many thought I was just saying it, but today I’m telling you, I truly mean it, today the three sects are in trouble, the Grand Sky Sect cannot stand by and do nothing, just as if one day, the Grand Sky Sect is in trouble, would the three sects stand by and do nothing?”
“Absolutely not!” The disciples of the three sects spoke up one after another.
“Good, that’s all I have to say, let’s not be pretentious, oh, by the way, we’ve already found the spiritual liquid, it’s on another path, the spiritual liquid is over there, fellow junior brothers and sisters can come with us to cleanse and refine your bodies!”
As soon as Chu Xinghe said this, the three sects were shocked again!
What? The spiritual liquid is really over there?
The Grand Sky Sect had already found the spiritual liquid, yet they still came to save us? Even though saving us might mean sharing the spiritual liquid, they still didn’t hesitate?
The disciples of the three sects were all stunned… what magnanimity!
“Senior Brother Xinghe, being able to keep our lives is already a great kindness, by rights, East Moon Pavilion really shouldn’t take any more spiritual liquid, but…” Fan Sheng stammered.
“I know… the sect has orders, and you dare not disobey, so the spiritual liquid is still yours!”
Chu Xinghe led everyone to the location of the spiritual liquid.
The three sects, although feeling embarrassed, still began to absorb the spiritual liquid.
Fan Sheng stood before the spiritual liquid, thankfully not giving any acceptance speech, only saying that Senior Brother Xinghe would henceforth be his blood brother, then began absorbing the spiritual liquid.
Others, though not saying much, were undoubtedly grateful.
And while they absorbed the spiritual liquid, Chu Xinghe went to check out the city.
After causing such a commotion, what on earth was in this city?
But after searching around, there really was nothing, not even a hint of treasure.
When Chu Xinghe returned to the spiritual liquid area, everyone from the three sects had finished absorbing the spiritual liquid, and there was still some residue left in the pool, which could be taken away.
“Let’s split this among the four of us!” Chu Xinghe pointed at the spiritual liquid and said.
“Senior Brother Xinghe… how can we do that, you made a military pledge to bring back seventy percent, or you’d lose your status as a personal disciple!” Wan Lin was anxious upon hearing Chu Xinghe’s words.
Other disciples were also anxious, the Grand Sky Sect could have kept it all, yet they shared it, which was already more than generous, if they split it further, Senior Brother Xinghe would be punished upon returning, which was too unfair.
“Sister Wan Lin, we four families came in, we should split it equally, alright, don’t say any more.” Chu Xinghe quickly stopped Wan Lin, goodness, if you keep talking, I won’t be able to fulfill my military pledge!
But it was too late, as soon as Chu Xinghe finished speaking, the people from the three sects exchanged glances, made up their minds, and nodded heavily, then Guo Qizhen spoke: “Senior Brother Xinghe, we can’t split it, all the remaining spiritual liquid should belong to the Grand Sky Sect.”
Chu Xinghe: “Huh?”
The people from the three sects were adamant!
They didn’t want any of the remaining spiritual liquid and gave it all to the Grand Sky Sect.
Chu Xinghe was almost in tears. After all the trouble he went through to save them, this is how these backstabbers repay him?
“That won’t do. You all came with a mission. If you can’t bring back the remaining spiritual liquid, you’ll surely face severe punishment when you return!” Seeing that persuasion wasn’t working, Chu Xinghe decided to take a tougher stance.
Each sect’s team definitely had their own tasks, and failure would mean punishment upon return. As expected, when he mentioned punishment, many people hesitated.
That’s right! To avoid punishment, let’s split it evenly. I’ll take all the blame if necessary.
But before Chu Xinghe could even celebrate for a second, Fan Sheng spoke up, “Senior Brother Xinghe, our sect did have demands for us, but without the Grand Sky Sect’s rescue, I, Fan Sheng, wouldn’t even be alive. What use is the spiritual liquid to me? Senior Brother Xinghe risked his life to save us and even offered the remaining spiritual liquid to us. If we take it now, what kind of people would we be? Senior Brother Xinghe, please don’t say any more!”
“If we take the spiritual liquid, we’d be ungrateful and unjust. Senior Brother Xinghe, you can’t set us up like this!”
Fan Sheng’s words made everyone nod in agreement.
Except for Chu Xinghe… Set you up? You’re setting me up!
Chu Xinghe wanted to try harder, but there was no chance. The people from the three sects had already helped the Grand Sky Sect collect all the remaining spiritual liquid and handed it over to Chu Xinghe’s “Lucky General,” Ma Liang!
Afraid of making mistakes, the three sects carefully checked several times to ensure that not a single drop was missing before finally relaxing.
With the spiritual liquid completely taken away, the exit of the spirit cave opened.
Everyone except Chu Xinghe left the spirit cave cheerfully.
“Senior Brother Xinghe, the Star Moon Sect is the closest from here. Why don’t you come with us? The Sect Master and elders will surely thank you for this trip to the spirit cave!”
Guo Qizhen warmly invited, but Chu Xinghe flatly refused!
Are you kidding? It’s better to avoid trouble, but if the Star Moon Sect thanks the Grand Sky Sect, Chu Xinghe would rather not go!
Although Guo Qizhen was a bit disappointed by Chu Xinghe’s refusal, he still admired him, thinking that Senior Brother Xinghe was truly someone indifferent to fame and fortune.
Senior Brother Xinghe led the Grand Sky Sect to save everyone from danger and willingly gave up the spiritual liquid. Such kindness! One could imagine that if Chu Xinghe brought the Grand Sky Sect to the Star Moon Sect, they would surely be greatly thanked. What a glorious thing that would be.
But Senior Brother Xinghe declined with just a simple “I cannot disobey the sect’s orders.”
Faced with such an opportunity for glory, he remained unmoved. Such a Senior Brother Xinghe truly earned Guo Qizhen’s respect.
“Senior Brother Xinghe, I, Fan Sheng, am not good with words, but I will remember your kindness. If you ever need anything, just say the word, and I will go to any lengths for you!”
“Senior Brother Xinghe is one of the people I, Sun Xueheng, admire most in my life. If you ever need anything, please remember to call on me.”
Fan Sheng and Sun Xueheng came to bid farewell to Chu Xinghe, as they needed to return immediately to report everything that happened in the spirit cave to their sect.
Chu Xinghe bid farewell to everyone with cupped fists.
Meanwhile, the old fellows in front of the Grand Sky Mirror at the Grand Sky Palace were dumbfounded by the scene!
“What happened inside? They…”
The Grand Sky Mirror could track Chu Xinghe and his group’s movements through some secret methods, but once they entered the spirit cave, it was impossible to see clearly.
So the old fellows had no idea what happened inside the spirit cave.
But they clearly remembered that when they went in, the three sects and the Grand Sky Sect were at each other’s throats. How did it turn into everyone having a complete change of attitude towards Chu Xinghe and the Grand Sky Sect in such a short time?
What on earth happened inside?
“I’ve already arranged for someone to wait at the Star Moon Sect. As soon as Guo Qizhen returns, we’ll get the news.”
The Great Elder had thought things through.
After bidding farewell to the three sects, Chu Xinghe led the group to Yu City. Along the way, “Lucky General” Ma Liang was showing off his Space Ring with great pride!
“Hehehe… Junior brothers and sisters, this time we’ve brought back all the spiritual liquid. Although the remaining liquid isn’t as good as directly absorbing it, once our Spirit Crane Palace senior brothers work their magic, it can be turned into Marrow Cleansing Pills. With so much spiritual liquid, every new disciple should get one pill, right?”
“More than that, there will be leftovers. I’ve calculated it. If we go by Senior Brother Xinghe’s original promise of seventy percent, each person would get one. But now that it’s all ours, there will still be some left!”
“When Senior Brother Xinghe made the military order for seventy percent, I was scared to death. Now it seems he underestimated; he should have said ninety percent!”
The junior brothers and sisters chatted happily, their laughter echoing. Their mood on the way back was completely different from when they left.
Although Chu Xinghe accompanied them with a smile, only he knew the bitterness in his heart…
How did this cursed trip to the spirit cave turn out like this?
Chu Xinghe couldn’t understand… How could he lose by deliberately being late? How could he lose by returning to the city? How could he lose by choosing the wrong path?
How did he lose?
Damn it, others go to great lengths to seize treasures and end up empty-handed. He tried to avoid all possible treasures, yet still ended up with everything. What kind of nonsense is this?
But now, apart from feeling bitter, Chu Xinghe had no other options.
The group took a day to reach Yu City.
Meanwhile, at the Grand Sky Sect, inside the Grand Sky Palace, neither Sect Master Gu Mingchao nor the Great Elder, nor any of the other head elders could believe what they were hearing from the disciple who had just returned from gathering information at the Star Moon Sect!
“Say it again…” The Great Elder was a bit stunned, and no one else objected.
“Yes… According to the information from the Star Moon Sect, the group led by Junior Brother Xinghe was the last to enter the spirit cave. They must have discovered some special mechanism and went directly to the second level.”
“Subsequently, Junior Brother Xinghe didn’t take advantage of being ahead to collect the spiritual liquid. Instead, he explored the second level, drew a map, and shared it with the three sects. Then, at a crossroads, Junior Brother Xinghe let the three sects choose the inner city, which was more likely to have treasures, while he chose the outer city.”
“The three sects were besieged by monsters in the inner city, but the spiritual liquid appeared in the outer city. Junior Brother Xinghe and his group could have left them to die and taken the spiritual liquid for themselves, but they didn’t. Instead, they led the Grand Sky Sect to rescue the three sects. Junior Brother Xinghe’s flying sword slew countless monsters, ultimately saving everyone from the three sects and stating that the Grand Sky Sect would keep its word, only taking what was promised and sharing the spiritual liquid with the three sects.”
“After the three sects absorbed the spiritual liquid, they left the remaining portion to the Grand Sky Sect…”
The disciple repeated the information, and the Grand Sky Palace remained silent.
The Great Elder waved his hand, indicating that the disciple could leave.
After the disciple left, Sect Master Gu Mingchao spoke, “This child…”
Though he only said four words, the admiration in Gu Mingchao’s eyes was unmistakable.
The other elders nodded in agreement, and the Great Elder stroked his newly grown beard, his face beaming with joy.
This trip to the spirit cave seemed like a joint effort of four sects, but everyone knew that because Chu Xinghe had inadvertently bought Shenling Grass, putting the three sects in a bind and forcing them to unwillingly give up a hundred spots, the three sects were somewhat hostile towards the Grand Sky Sect.
This was evident from the moment they entered.
So it was certain that the three sects would target the Grand Sky Sect, and the big shots of the Grand Sky Sect were worried about whether Chu Xinghe could handle it inside.
They feared he might be outsmarted by the three sects and end up with nothing.
But now, knowing what happened inside, they were truly astonished.
What shocked them the most wasn’t how Chu Xinghe found the mechanism or his luck in choosing the right path, but that in the three sects’ most perilous moment, Chu Xinghe didn’t choose to stand by or take advantage. Instead, he led the Grand Sky Sect disciples to unhesitatingly rescue the three sects.
What magnanimity! What grandeur!
Such magnanimity and grandeur are befitting of the supreme seat of the world’s number one sect!
The three sects might isolate the Grand Sky Sect, but the world’s number one sect would never stand idly by in the face of anyone in need.
Chu Xinghe’s choices and his magnanimity completely won over the three sects, which is why when the three sects bid farewell, they all looked at Chu Xinghe with guilt and respect!
“This child… exceeded my expectations by far,” Gu Mingchao couldn’t help but sigh. His initial best-case scenario was for Chu Xinghe to lead the team, obtain the spiritual liquid, and secure the promised seventy percent.
But now, Chu Xinghe not only secured all the remaining liquid but also earned the respect of the most elite disciples of the three sects. If Gu Mingchao were to score this trip to the spirit cave, he would give Chu Xinghe 99 points, leaving the last point to prevent the child from becoming arrogant.
But this child… so steady, would he really become arrogant?
“Great Elder, this time Xinghe has made a great contribution to the sect. All the remaining spiritual liquid needs to be refined into Marrow Cleansing Pills by your Spirit Crane Palace,” Gu Mingchao was extremely pleased.
“Rest assured, Sect Master, leave it to my Spirit Crane Palace!” The Great Elder stood tall and proud. This time, Chu Xinghe truly brought glory to the Grand Sky Sect and to his Spirit Crane Palace.
Although Chu Xinghe wasn’t a disciple of the other head elders, the fact that he obtained so much spiritual liquid meant that every newly admitted disciple could receive a Marrow Cleansing Pill, which was a great blessing, so they were all smiling with joy.
Everyone was happy, except for Chu Xinghe…
Standing in Yu City, Chu Xinghe was utterly frustrated by the spirit cave trip, and the best way to vent frustration?
Shopping, of course!
Looking at the spirit stones in his Space Ring, Chu Xinghe decided he must spend them all!