Chapter 435: Xianxia Island Cultivators |
Bai Qi hesitated for a moment, but ultimately did not chase after him. He looked down at Hu Yun, the Old Turtle, and the big black fish by the boat, said nothing, then continued to look up at the sky, frowning in thought.
In just a few breaths, the light in the sky disappeared, or at least the people in Chunhui Prefecture could no longer see it. Only Bai Qi could see the light on the horizon receding into the distance.
In the sky, Ji Yuan swifly traveled on his flying sword, but he had no intention of flying directly to the front to block the path and inquire. It would be like using a car to block someone who was clearly in a hurry. So Ji Yuan planned to follow along behind them and gradually approach.
The rosy light in the sky was further away than expected, but Ji Yuan’s flight speed was also quite fast, approaching the light an upward parabolic trajectory.
Once he reached a suitable distance, Ji Yuan could sense the immortal energy within the rosy light, confirming that this was indeed the work of a group of immortal cultivators.
Of the heavenly auras in the sky, the six at the front were the most dazzling. These six rays of light dominated the heavenly radiance, almost spreading their Taoist auras to cover the area behind them, allowing the glowing light behind them to keep up with their speed.
These six beams of light were actually six immortal cultivators riding on colorful clouds, a mix of both male and female, of varying ages.
Suddenly, one of the old men in the middle had a thought and looked down and to the side behind him. The next moment, the other five also turned their heads to look in the same direction.
Although they couldn’t see anything there for the time being, and though their senses were sometimes even obscured by thick clouds and fog, they could clearly sense a faint but sharp force approaching.
A sword light pierced through the clouds. Although it was still far away, it was rapidly approaching, heading directly towards the front, where the six cultivators were located.
“Such a fast sword light! Are there any powerful immortal abodes, sects, or cultivators here?”
The beams of aura light continued unabated as the old man in the middle spoke calmly, questioning those around him. Hearing his question, a woman beside him thought for a moment and then answered.
“This place is a small country in the southern part of the Eastern Continent, but if we are discussing about immortal abodes and sects, there is indeed one which should be in this vicinity. I think it’s called… Yuhuai Mountain?”
“Yuhuai Mountain is not known for sword cultivators, is it?”
“Even so, it’s not surprising that there would be powerful sword cultivators in the sect.”
Another elderly man thought for a moment.
“As far as I know, Yuhuai Mountain is not a sect-type immortal abode. There is no sect leader or similar figure in charge. It tends more toward a path where each branch flourishes, so it is possible that there are powerful sword cultivators among them.”
“Please be patient, everyone. That person is here.”
As soon as he finished speaking, all six fell silent. However, the speed at which the flying radiant light approach did not decrease at all, and the other flying immortal cultivators also began to notice Ji Yuan’s sword light one after another.
Looking around at this moment, Ji Yuan saw dazzling colors everywhere, as radiant as the clouds at sunset, divided into various colors. Once he had caught up, he directly sheathed his immortal sword and approached on clouds to show his peaceful intent.
The surrounding glow did not hinder Ji Yuan; instead, everyone watched the white-robed figure walking on the clouds with curiosity. Many scrutinized him, but suddenly realized that they could only see the person physically, and could not sense his aura. They immediately understood that the newcomer’s cultivation level was extremely high.
This was the first time in Ji Yuan’s life that he had seen so many immortal cultivators in one place, especially those who were capable of using flight techniques to fly together.
These immortal cultivators’ expressions ranged from curious to serious, from indifferent to simply ignoring him. Many of them were not riding on clouds or wind, but rather on something that radiated light, like a colorful fog of aura, which explained its dazzling brilliance.
Ji Yuan approached the six people in front of him. They stood about four or five zhang apart, standing on a white cloud. All six people were watching at Ji Yuan. The old man in the middle started first before Ji Yuan could speak.
“May I ask who you are, fellow Taoist? We are cultivators from Xianxia Island and are on an urgent journey. We apologize if we have disturbed you.”
The island cultivators were shimmering with light, and the sky was ablaze with color. No wonder it was called Xianxia Island,1 Ji Yuan thought to himself. He cupped his hands slightly in greeting from where he stood on the cloud. Although the other party did not perform any gesture of formal greeting, Ji Yuan had almost developed a conditioned reflex to this kind of etiquette.
“Fellow Taoists of Xianixa Island, my surname is Ji. I do not belong to any particular immortal sect. I am merely a local who was drinking tea down below. Seeing the colorful clouds filling the sky, I came to see what was happening. If it is convenient, would you all be willing to tell me?”
Only Ji Yuan would possibly use the term “local,” but the cultivators from Xianxia Island didn’t pay attention to such details. Seeing Ji Yuan’s unfathomable cultivation and polite demeanor, a woman beside him returned the greeting first, and then spoke.
“One branch of our Xianxia Island encountered a dragon vein overflowing with malevolent energy. When they tried to seal it off, it attracted many evil demons. They are still fighting against them, we are rushing to their aid.”
“How far are they?”
Ji Yuan asked almost instinctively. The cultivators from Xianxia Island glanced at Ji Yuan several times. Although his power and divine light were not obvious, the peaceful aura around him still indicated that he was a legitimate cultivator.
“It’s still about 100,000 li away, quite a journey.”
Ji Yuan hesitated for a moment, glanced down in the direction of Chunhui Prefecture and Chunmu River, and then made a decision in his heart. Whether from his own sense of mission or curiosity, such opportunities were rare, so he replied to the cultivators in front of him.
“Since you, fellow cultivators, were attacked by demons while sealing the evil energy of the earth’s veins, if you don’t mind, would you allow me to accompany you and do my part?”
The gale they had induced through their hurried journey continued to tear at the surrounding rosy clouds. The six cultivators from Xianxia Island exchanged glances, while some frequently scrutinized Ji Yuan and fixed their gaze on the spiritually powerful immortal sword behind him.
This was clearly a sword cultivator, or rather, a fellow immortal cultivator with considerable skills in sword cultivation and remarkable abilities. After all, with an immortal sword to rely on, such immortal cultivators possessed extremely strong lethal techniques.
Although the cultivators of Xianxia Island believed they were strong enough for this trip, since this fellow Taoist had shown goodwill, it could be considered a fortunate turn of events.
The old man in the middle returned the greeting.
“Since you have such good intentions, fellow Taoist, please come with us!”
The other five cultivators from Xianxia Island who were leading the group also bowed to express their gratitude. One of them, a man with a scholarly appearance standing in the middle, felt that his attire was most similar to Ji Yuan’s, and spoke up at that moment.
“In that case, fellow Taoist, please come closer to my radiant light. Um, I hope you will not resist the Radiant Cloud Array’s inspection.”
Ji Yuan realized that this group of immortal cultivators had set up an array. They were indeed extraordinary to be able to set up an array while flying and traveling.
“Haha, I have no intention of resisting.”
Ji Yuan chuckled, then rode his cloud toward the six people. The cloud was swept into the colorful light, and apart from a gentle breeze, he felt nothing unusual. Ji Yuan quickly flew to the side of the scholar who had just spoken.
Seeing that Ji Yuan entered the Radiant Cloud Array so casually and without any other reaction, the others lowered their guard slightly, but also secretly re-evaluated Ji Yuan.
Upon entering the so-called Radiant Cloud Array, Ji Yuan discovered that riding the clouds was much less strenuous; he barely needed to use any spiritual power to maintain a steady and fast pace as he flew.
But upon further thought, it made sense. These people from Xianxia Island were rushing to provide support. If they expended too much spiritual energy along the way, they would arrive exhausted.
In any case, since the Radiant Cloud Array did not react to Ji Yuan, everyone stopped thinking about it for the time being. The immortal cultivators from Xianxia Island behind them were slightly curious about the cultivator who had just arrived, but apart from exchanging whispers among themselves, they did not react in any other way. The group resumed their quiet flight.
The scholarly man beside Ji Yuan bowed slightly to him.
“My name is Chang Yi from Xianxia Island. Since your attire is similar to mine, I won’t address you as fellow Daoist, but instead I’ll call you Mr. Ji.”
Ji Yuan returned the bow.
“My name is Ji Yuan. I apologize for the intrusion! To be honest, Mr. Ji is what everyone I know calls me.”
Chang Yi smiled and nodded, his gaze sweeping over the Green Vine Sword behind Ji Yuan, and asked.
“Is Mr. Ji carrying a spiritually-enlightened Immortal Sword?”
The Green Vine Sword shifted slightly behind Ji Yuan, who nodded in response.
“It is indeed an immortal sword.”
The hilt of this immortal sword was actually entwined with vines, with tender buds at both ends of the cross-guard. A few vines also grew on the blade, and with its concealed sharpness, it looked lush and vibrant, full of vitality.
But this was, after all, an immortal sword. The more it appeared to be devoid of sword aura, the more extraordinary its power once unsheathed.
“I have long heard of the great name of Xianxia Island, but have never met anyone from there. Today, I had the good fortune to have encountered you.”
Ji Yuan also took the opportunity to inquire about Xianxia Island.
The two chatted with each other, and occasionally other cultivators nearby would chime in with a few words, which helped them get to know each other better.
For an immortal like Ji Yuan, who was clearly quite accomplished in cultivation, to live in a small mortal county without belonging to any sect or faction seemed a bit absurd. If someone else were to have informed them of this, the cultivators of Xianxia Island might not have believed it, but Ji Yuan’s aura was clear and bright, giving him a convincing presence.
They were even more surprised when Chang Yi suddenly discovered that Ji Yuan was actually blind, a fact confirmed by Ji Yuan himself. This was quite unbelievable for immortal cultivators.
After all, limb regeneration was not impossible through various supernatural means, so it should also be possible to restore his vision. However, Ji Yuan’s eyes were still blind, which meant there must be due to some kind of uncontrollable factor.
Ji Yuan also learned that these six were the six elders of Xianxia Island, leading a force of three hundred cultivators — and astonishingly large number, especially considering that they were from Xianxia Island — almost all of whom possessed considerable cultivation.
Perhaps due to the influence of Ji Yuan’s arrival, the cultivators of Xianxia Island deliberately used spiritual techniques to obscure the radiant glow of their clouds in the sky. Although to Ji Yuan, who was in the midst of the rosy light, still appeared magnificent, it was practically invisible from the ground.
After flying day and night without rest, the landscape below changed repeatedly, before finally, after about ten days, they arrived at a northeastern part of the Eastern Cloud Continent. A towering mountain appeared in front of them. Although it should have been daytime, the other side of the mountain was completely dark, without stars or moon.
In the depths of the mountain, a faint light flickered in the darkness.
“We’ve arrived.”
The leading elder looked solemnly at Ji Yuan, who had already moved to his side.
“Mr. Ji, allow us to borrow the power of your immortal sword to break through the fog!”
“As is my duty.”
Ji Yuan replied, his right hand already gripping the hilt of the Green Vine Sword. At this moment, the Edict inscription appeared on the scabbard, and the character “hidden” immediately disappeared.
The next moment.
“Shiiing—”
As soon as the sword rang out, the blazing white sword light, carrying boundless, sharp sword energy, swept across the land in a vertical, crescent-shaped slash.
Wherever it passed, the billowing black fog melted away like snow, splitting into two halves.
“Everyone, follow us to slay the demons and vanquish the monsters!”
The next moment, a burst of light appeared, flying over the mountains.
- One possible translation is “Immortal Cloud Island” –> techniques look like sparkly clouds
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