Free Web NovelChapter 377: Chapter 335: A Tale Told Three Ways
Three days later, a small escort team led by Yang Jiye, consisting of thirty Qi Cultivation Elites, was fully prepared. Under the cover of night, they discreetly left Lingsha City. They were to rendezvous with Wang Yu at Meihua Square and then rent a Sky Ray from the Spirit Beast Sect to fly towards the Foundation Establishment Treasure Land that Wang Yu had sensed.
This time, Wang Yu was preparing for Foundation Establishment, bringing great joy to everyone. Lu Qian discussed for a long time with several Elders of the Yunshan Sect about staying at Zhongming to oversee the defense. As a result, they could only send out this escort lineup and sought a Golden Core Paper from Master Cangfeng to disguise Wang Yu as a disciple of the Mingyu Sword Sect.
Over the years, Yang Jiye had switched his main cultivation technique and become increasingly proficient with the Purple Qi Celestial Net, which held formidable power during surprise attacks. Among the Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Yunshan Sect, his combat power was only below that of Guh Niqiang and Lu Qian. Along with thirty elite disciples accompanying him, they generally wouldn’t encounter major problems.
The Shuangye Alliance faced constant threats of surprise attacks from the Xuanguang Sect, so any deployment of forces needed careful consideration. Externally, it was announced that Yang Jiye was in seclusion, and the thirty elites, all veterans of the Shuangye Alliance, were dispatched individually under the guise of carrying out confidential missions. Only upon reaching Meihua Square would they learn their true mission.
The treasure land Wang Yu sensed was extremely distant, and it seemed they wouldn’t return for at least a month.
After Yang Jiye led his team away, only Lu Qian, Duu Yeming, and Tong Youx remained in Lingsha City, accompanied by one hundred and fifty Qi Cultivation Elites.
The combat power immediately dropped to its lowest, but the greatest reliance remained. Lu Qian ordered outposts everywhere to maintain heightened vigilance to prevent surprise attacks. Within the Yunshan Sect, the focus was still on the breakthroughs in Artifact Refining.
Key components of the Void-Soaring and Distant-Guarding Divine Ship had been successfully crafted, demonstrating Tao Boliang’s power. However, eight Divine Ships were already sufficient, and the Shuangye Alliance lacked enough cultivators to pilot them. As long as the ability to create them had been proven, it wasn’t necessary to build more.
The Qi Cultivation group of nearly twenty disciples, led by Tao Boliang, began to fully delve into the study of the Flying Snake Daoist Soldiers. A constant stream of materials was sent from Shuangye Square, Liangxiang County, and Meihua Square, as Spirit Stones flowed out of the Shuangye Alliance’s treasury like water.
Fortunately, the treasury of the Shuangye Alliance was abundant enough that even without the income from Shuangye Square, it could sustain fifty years of seclusion. Although the expenditure of Spirit Stones was painful, they could still afford it.
On the other side, Wang Yu and his companions had already set off southward.
To the north of Cangzhou lay the former territory of the Yunshan Sect in Qingzhou. To the west of Cangzhou was Ningzhou, home to the Danxia Sect, while to the south of Cangzhou was an unfamiliar land where they had never ventured before.
This time, they rented the Star-Winged Sky Ray from the Spirit Beast Sect again, which could fly five hundred li per hour and only required two hours of rest per day. After seven days of travel, they had already covered thirty-five thousand li, crossing Yingzhou, Luzhou, and Jinzhou, reaching the land of Dengzhou.
The Shuangye Alliance had never traveled so far from their mountain. The diverse customs and varied landscapes along the way intrigued them greatly, yet as they headed south, they couldn’t help but speculate. This Alioth Continent comprised Ninety-Nine Provinces — how much distance were they traversing this time?
Luckily, upon reaching Dengzhou, Wang Yu’s senses grew increasingly intense. The treasure land for his Foundation Establishment was certainly located here.
While Wang Yu eagerly searched for the Foundation Establishment Treasure Land, a small mortal county, four hundred li away from the territories contested by Bichao Mountain and Golden Dawn Peak, welcomed a special guest.
The noodle stall owner cautiously observed the slim, handsome yet cold-faced young man, noting the long sword with its green scabbard and hilt he held in his arms.
"...That place is where Immortals reside. It’s said to have been destroyed overnight by Immortal Techniques. As for the rest, how would an old man like me know?"
The young man was silent for a moment, watching passerby hurriedly and warily tread by. He glanced once more at the noodle stall owner, whose worn-out clothes had been washed to the point of turning white. Suddenly, he sat down at the stall.
"A bowl of simple noodles, with an egg," he said.
Finally, there was a customer. The old man joyfully responded and wiped the worn-out table repeatedly before returning to the stove to begin his work.
Through the rising steam, the young man watched the elderly man skillfully knead, pull, and plunge the noodles into the pot, feeling at peace.
He hailed from the common streets, and everything here seemed all too familiar, allowing him to cast off his burdens and escape the gloom of failure.
Soon, a bowl of simple noodles was served. In the hefty porcelain bowl, slightly yellow noodles rested in the clear broth, accented by a small sprinkling of green scallions and a golden fried egg.
He approved silently. The young man carefully and gently laid the longsword across his knees, treating it like a fragile treasure.
"This is for you, to cover the meal." Before the old man could react, a mutton fat white jade bracelet appeared in front of his large pot, gleaming softly in the sunlight.
The old man shakily picked up the jade bracelet, his rough hands stroking it, while his once strong arms began to tremble.
"Sir, you really shouldn’t..."
Yet before he could finish, several brutish shirtless men surrounded him and snatched the bracelet away: "Whoa, not a bad piece."
With a bang, the small noodle stall was overturned, the soup pot spilled onto the ground, and hot water splashed everywhere. Nearby passersby cried out and hastily retreated, not daring to take a second look.
The men turned their attention to the young man: "Whatever else of value you have, hand it over. We might spare your sorry life."
Even with the chaos reaching this point, there were robberies in broad daylight? Where were the Yunshan Sect cultivators that should have been stationed in this county town? Where had the Yunshan Sect cultivators gone?
The young man didn’t look up: "You... have disrupted my mood for eating."
The brute grunted angrily and reached out to grab the young man. Then, he suddenly discovered his forearm hesitating, and it smoothly slipped off from the elbow, landing with a splat on the ground.
Blood spattered forth but was halted by an invisible wall of air three feet around the young man. Fear immediately filled the brute’s eyes as the intense pain reached his mind, causing him to howl loudly in agony, only to hear his companions all crying out in pain and despair as well.
In an instant, every burly man surrounding the young man had lost both arms.
The young man remained seated at the table, the emerald longsword lying across his knees, completely still.
Yet around him, blood flooded the ground, and those armless brutes rolled on the ground, howling like wild beasts.
"An Immortal, he’s an Immortal!"
The noodle stall owner immediately knelt down, knocking his head on the ground with repeated thuds.
The young man sighed wistfully: "What a waste of a good bowl of noodles."
He stood up, intending to leave.
"Villain, halt!" Suddenly, a Flying Sword shrouded in heavy mist descended from the sky, a streak of Sword Light embedded within the water mist, slashing toward the young man!
A golden chain also rushed out with a clatter, coiling toward the young man like a snake.
The young man didn’t even turn his head as a clear green light flashed, and the Cold Frost Sword shot out, shattering the golden chain at once.
From a Flying Ship in mid-air, a young voice exclaimed, "Junior Martial Uncle, they’re tough! Run quickly!"
