### Chapter 528: Junior Sister, Ambushed
Dong… Dong…
The distant bell echoed, shaking loose the accumulated snow from the treetops in the mountain forest, waking Ye Anping, who was meditating with his eyes closed in the watchtower on the mountain peak.
He slowly opened his eyes, and before him was the warm hearth that flickered softly. Gu Mingxin and Feng Yu Die leaned against his shoulders, bundled together under a blanket, napping peacefully.
Noticing their lack of reaction, Ye Anping initially thought he might be imagining things. He dismissed the thought, adjusted the blanket that had slipped a little, and closed his eyes again to focus on his Qi cultivation.
Xiao Tian and Xue E had gone inside to gather information, and it had already been over two hours since they left without returning.
As such, he had no knowledge of the situation in the Moonfall Gorge.
Ye Anping could only wait and see how He Qingjiao planned to handle his junior sister and Yunluo.
However, given the intelligence he currently had, if He Qingjiao acted reasonably, she would likely choose to hold her ground in the Moonfall Gorge.
After all, most of the members of the Tian Mo Sect in the gorge were alchemy cultivators specializing in refining pills.
Although their overall cultivation level was not low, and there were several Nascent Soul cultivators among them, there were only about twenty magic cultivators with real combat capabilities facing Yunluo and the other sword cultivators from Tianyun Peak.
The safest choice was to avoid combat and defend the gorge—there was no better option at the moment.
Yet, just after he had been concentrating for about half an hour, the distant bell echoed once more through the window into the watchtower.
Dong—!
“… …”
This time, Ye Anping didn’t think he was imagining it. He slightly furrowed his brow and gazed toward the window.
Feng Yu Die and Gu Mingxin were also awakened by the sound of the bell.
Feng Yu Die wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth, still drowsy, and asked, “Young Master Ye, is there a bell ringing…”
“Hmm…” Gu Mingxin glanced at Ye Anping’s handsome face and smiled. “It’s the Summoning Bell for the disciples… Among the four bell sounds of the Tian Mo Sect, that one indicates they are preparing to set out…”
Before she could finish her sentence, a shimmering golden ball burst through the wall and rushed in, urgently shouting,
“Anping, just now the elders in the Moonfall Gorge summoned all the Tian Mo Sect cultivators. It seems they are preparing to confront Xiao Girl and her group. I just heard from the dark one that they are less than a thousand li from here.”
“Hmm…” Ye Anping lowered his head in contemplation for a bit, looked around, and asked, “What about Xue E?”
“The dark one sent me back to inform you; it’s watching He Qingjiao closely.”
Xiao Tian’s expression was serious as she recalled something and pointed at Gu Mingxin, continuing, “Anping, that He Qingjiao is filled with bloody aura—stronger than this stubborn dark girl. It’s like the Sword Heart Body described in the Heavenly Scroll of the Dao… just like Yun Kunwu.”
?
Gu Mingxin was taken aback for a moment. “What do you mean by ‘stubborn dark girl’?”
Hearing the mention of “Yun Kunwu,” Feng Yu Die inexplicably recalled an incident she experienced with the Sword Sect a long time ago, where the person named “Yun Kunwu” nearly took Xiao Tian away…
“Young Master Ye…”
“…It’s nothing.”
Ye Anping gently reassured her, then stood up and circled around Xiao Tian to the window. He unlatched it and pushed it open with both hands.
Creak—
The biting cold wind rushed in through the window crack, sharp against his skin.
Ye Anping narrowed his eyes as he looked toward the Moonfall Gorge, peering through the heavy snowfall that cascaded from above. He saw that the originally dark gorge was now illuminated by circles of lamp light, radiating outwards from the gigantic alchemy furnace in the center of the gorge.
Soon, several flying boats slowly ascended from the gorge, surrounded by countless blood-colored flying swords, a dark mass rushing toward the mountain gate of the Moonfall Gorge.
After pondering for a moment, Ye Anping took the magical artifact from his waist that concealed his aura and cast a vision spell to observe the foremost flying boat.
He Qingjiao stood alone at the bow, facing the wind, gazing toward the northwestern horizon shrouded in dark clouds. But as soon as she sensed Ye Anping’s watching gaze, she turned her head and met his eyes across the vast distance of a thousand zhang.
Ye Anping didn’t hide, nor did she.
It wasn’t until the flying boat sailed far away that their shared gaze broke apart.
Seeing that He Qingjiao had no intention of directly confronting him, Ye Anping began to understand her character.
She certainly held a degree of arrogance; it seemed in He Qingjiao’s eyes, the only opponent worth considering was Gu Mingxin.
“Alas…”
Ye Anping let out a soft sigh. He had thought He Qingjiao would remain in the Moonfall Gorge, ready to defend it, so he prepared to help his junior sister open the door when they arrived.
But now, she was coming out on her own, saving him some trouble.
Ye Anping turned to look behind him. At that moment, Feng Yu Die and Gu Mingxin had also finished getting ready and had put on their snow-protecting bamboo hats and masks, approaching him and asking,
“Young Master Ye, shall we pursue them?”
“Mm…”
Ye Anping closed the window, turned, and led the two down a nearby staircase, opening the large door. They then stepped onto their flying swords, chasing after the impressive fleet of Tian Mo Sect flying boats, concealed within the falling heavy snowfall in the Eastern Domain.
… …
——-
Amidst the towering black peaks, seven immortal ships soared through the air—three in front and four behind, their decks adorned with the Xuan Xing Sect’s star and moon totems fluttering in the air. The disciples from Tianyun Peak moved about the ships, carrying boxes as they flew with their swords.
At the bow of the central ship,
“*We greet you, Master Pei!*”
“Ah… yes, hello…”
Two Tianyun Peak disciples hurriedly completing chores saw Pei Lianxue coming to get some fresh air, bowing deeply and cupping their fists in respect, their faces beaming with smiles.
In contrast, Pei Lianxue maintained a blank expression, appearing somewhat flustered; she waved her hand and nodded before quickening her pace to bypass them.
These past few months, Pei Lianxue had led Xiao Yunluo, directly cutting through a direction of demonic cultivators, making her name well-known throughout the Xuan Xing Sect, especially among the disciples of Tianyun Peak.
Many felt a sense of pride in being her junior brothers and sisters, and Pei Lianxue was completely unaware that she now had numerous admirers in the sect.
Some even went so far as to believe that the Young Master of Hundred Lotus was unworthy of her, wanting to speak up for her…
Aside from those who idolized her due to her strength, many were also attracted to her personality, which contrasted sharply with that of the other stern Nascent Soul elders of Xuan Xing Sect, who would often ask, “Have you been cultivating diligently lately?”
“Master Pei is both beautiful and gentle… it’s wonderful.”
“Indeed… I wonder if Master Pei takes disciples; Elder Qin always has to beat us when teaching swords. If only Tianyun Peak had Master Pei as our teacher…”
“I heard that previously, there was a Junior Sister Liang who practiced swordsmanship with Master Pei; why don’t we ask her when we return to Xuan Xing Sect if she can take us along?”
… …
Observing the two junior sisters from Tianyun Peak descend into the cabin, Pei Lianxue breathed a sigh of relief.
She still wasn’t quite used to handling the formalities of others greeting her; previously, her senior brother would always assist her in these situations. But now that he wasn’t around, she felt increasingly nervous each time someone approached her.
Pei Lianxue pursed her lips and then walked alone to the high platform at the bow, gazing into the distance as the wind blew.
“Stupid senior brother, why hasn’t he come to find me yet… sigh…”
Pei Lianxue puffed out her cheeks, and suddenly made a firm resolution in her heart: upon seeing her senior brother, she would stick to him for three days and nights without letting go. Even if he goes to the bathroom, she would climb on his back to go with him…
However, her senior brother had long since fasted and no longer needed to squat…
Then she would just soak in the bath with him, sleep together…
Pei Lianxue bent down, resting her elbows on the railing, gazing into the distance and gradually drifting into daydreams.
It had been a long time since they practiced dual cultivation together; she wondered if her senior brother’s Yang energy was doing okay?
What if his Yang energy exploded outside? Then Second would surely benefit from it…
“Wuw~~~”
Pei Lianxue slightly furrowed her brows, suddenly recalling something.
A few days ago, passing by Yunluo’s door, she heard her call out “Anping~ Anping~~” repeatedly from inside.
At that moment, she thought her senior brother had secretly returned and kicked down the locked door, barging in, which scared Yunluo so much her face turned pale…
Xiao Yunluo had explained for a long time, saying she was just too lonely from not seeing her senior brother for so long, asking if she was not lonely either.
Pei Lianxue didn’t know; although it was quite annoying not to see her senior brother, it couldn’t be said to be loneliness… after all, her senior brother wasn’t dead…
She really couldn’t understand Yunluo…
Tap tap—
Two sets of footsteps sounded behind her, followed by the voice of Xiao Yunluo.
“Lianxue… aren’t you cold here?”
Pei Lianxue came back to her senses, turned to look, and saw Xiao Yunluo and Liang Zhu approaching her, saying,
“I got used to the wind blowing with my senior brother when I was little.”
At that moment, Liang Zhu’s expression was uncharacteristically relaxed. Following behind Pei Lianxue and Xiao Yunluo, he had reaped a significant bounty, collecting the spoils of war from wherever they went.
Although everything they collected ultimately needed to be submitted to the Xuan Xing Sect’s Spirit Artifact Pavilion for inventory and distribution, there were numerous opportunities for kickbacks.
However, for Liang Zhu, these kickbacks were minor matters; primarily, following Pei Lianxue and Xiao Yunluo, he never found himself in dire straits, and the fighting was done entirely by Pei Lianxue herself.
All he needed to do was gather intelligence on the enemy and transport the spirit stones and magical artifacts from the demonic cultivators…
“In about a few hundred li, we will reach the Moonfall Gorge. From what I gathered earlier, the gorge is filled with Tian Mo Sect’s alchemy cultivators, who lack combat power… If there is a challenging opponent, it’s probably Yue Wuming, a mid-Nascent Soul magic cultivator who is the elder in charge of Moonfall Gorge.”
Xiao Yunluo nodded and said,
“Lianxue, don’t worry too much at that time; just charge ahead. Liang Zhu and I will gather the disciples of Tianyun Peak to assist you…”
Liang Zhu glanced at her and said, “Young Master Xiao, you flatter me with that title, I can’t bear it…”
“Anping and Lianxue both call you that. Anping is Liang Xiaoliu, Lianxue is Liang Xiaoxue, so I must be Liang Xiaoluo…”
“… …”
Hearing her words, Liang Zhu felt as if he wouldn’t live much longer and quickly waved his hand to signal her not to be silly. Then, he said earnestly,
“We’ve arrived; Yue Wuming has probably already received news. Considering combat strategy, he will most likely hold firm within the Moonfall Gorge. Though there isn’t any large formation inside, there are many dark tunnels. Pei girl, don’t charge too far ahead… getting surrounded is not a good thing.”
“Hmm, understood!!”
“I’ll head back to the cabin first.”
Liang Zhu cupped his hands in farewell, turned, and was about to step down from the platform towards the cabin.
After watching him depart, Xiao Yunluo smiled and leaned closer to Pei Lianxue, whispering,
“Lianxue, did you know? Before, I heard the disciples of Tianyun Peak say that during our crossing, the Empress and him have been constantly exchanging letters. Do you think he and Tong Zilan…”
?
Pei Lianxue raised her brows and looked at her in confusion, asking, “Yunluo, why are you inquiring about this?”
“Silly me… we took half a month to cross the river, and haven’t run into demonic cultivators or demonic beasts. I had nothing to do inside the cabin every day, so I figured I might as well listen to some gossip. Don’t you find it interesting? Wasn’t he the personal bodyguard of the Empress before…”
Pei Lianxue tilted her head with a blank expression, saying,
“Brother Liang is Ating’s adoptive father; Elder Tong is Ating’s biological mother, so I find it quite normal…”
As she said this, Pei Lianxue caught sight of a flying sword, shimmering with light, rushing toward her from outside the bow of the ship.
A disciple of Xuan Xing Sect who had gone forward to scout, appeared flustered as he landed in front of her and Xiao Yunluo.
Seeing her anxious expression, Xiao Yunluo immediately put on her Young Master demeanor, standing tall and frowning as she approached to inquire,
“What happened?”
“Xiao Young Master, there are around a thousand demonic cultivators in the Moonfall Gorge who have emerged and are heading straight towards us on flying boats…”
Before he had finished speaking, Liang Zhu suddenly dashed back with a confused look, asking,
“Is this news reliable?”
“Yes, junior has seen it with my own eyes. There are a total of ten flying boats filled with Tian Mo Sect disciples…”
“Yue Wuming has such confidence?” Liang Zhu frowned, resting his chin in thought. In no time, a possibility emerged in his mind as he stated, “Pei girl, Xiao Young Master, it seems that the Tian Mo Sect has sent reinforcements to Yue Wuming, and I wasn’t informed… I don’t know how many reinforcements there are or their strength, but it’s better to…”
Xiao Yunluo understood his implication and immediately commanded the Xuan Xing Sect disciple,
“Continue scouting… Liang Zhu, relay to the disciples to slow the boat down; we should retreat first and see what Yue Wuming wants to do. He seems to want to provoke us; we shouldn’t fall for it…”
Pei Lianxue had no objections; her senior brother had taught her how to fight, but not how to lead a group into battle.
Previously, when she was with Xiao Yunluo and Liang Zhu, there were seven of them; she would just kill whoever appeared, and if overmatched, they would run away.
But now, with over seven hundred disciples accompanying her, failing to manage properly could lead to many deaths.
So, she completely entrusted the command to Liang Zhu and Xiao Yunluo.
“Mm.”
The Xuan Xing Sect disciple acknowledged with a bow and quickly flew back toward the Moonfall Gorge on his sword, while Liang Zhu immediately went down to the deck to gather the Tianyun Peak disciples and adjust their course, increasing their vigilance.
However, it was unclear whether the previous disciple took too long to return or if the Tian Mo Sect’s flying boats were too swift.
Just as Liang Zhu finished directing the change in course, after only a short incense stick’s time, Pei Lianxue suddenly turned her head to squint at a black-capped mountain ahead, as if sensing something.
Beside her, Xiao Yunluo, who was directing the Tianyun Peak disciples with their things, noticed her serious expression and quickly asked,
“Lianxue… what’s wrong?”
“There’s killing intent.”
“Ah?”
Xiao Yunluo was stunned for a moment, then turned to follow Pei Lianxue’s gaze. Behind that mountain, the originally calm dark clouds suddenly flashed with a crimson spiritual light.
Whoosh—
Then, a blood-colored arc, skimming along the right side of the mountain, drew a perfect semicircle and shot straight toward Pei Lianxue and her position.
“Hiss—”
Xiao Yunluo gasped in surprise and immediately shouted,
“Enemy attack!! All disciples, form the array!!”
However, at a distance of several thousand zhang from the mountain, the arc covered the distance in a mere ten breaths.
The Tianyun Peak disciples, who were rushing around on the deck, heard her shout but took a moment to react, and after a brief freeze, they rushed to their respective positions to prepare the array and cover the immortal ships with a spiritual barrier, but they didn’t have enough time.
Fortunately, Pei Lianxue was the first to notice the blood-colored arc.
As Xiao Yunluo commanded the disciples to fend off the attack, she drew the Snow Jade Myriad Spirit Sword and leaped from the bow, raising her sword to intercept the incoming arc.
Clang—!
Zing—!
It wasn’t until Pei Lianxue caught the arc with her sword that she realized it was a completely black iron feathered arrow.
The rich bloody aura enveloped around the arrow collided with the ice-blue cold energy from the Snow Jade Myriad Spirit Sword in the air above the ship, thereafter bursting into countless streams of shimmering, blood-like light that scattered in all directions.
Pei Lianxue felt the force was significant, so she also exerted a bit more strength, pressing down with her arm.
Whoosh—
The ice-blue sword light swept over the arrow, instantly splitting the arrow and the forest beneath it in half.
“Yunluo, there’s a formidable opponent!!”
“Ah… there’s a formidable opponent…”
Xiao Yunluo froze for a moment before realizing that Pei Lianxue meant there was a strong demonic cultivator, and she couldn’t help but swallow.
After all, when Pei Lianxue says ‘strong demonic cultivator,’ it’s not just any strong…
At that moment, the Tianyun Peak disciples on the deck had also completed their formation, but before they could initiate their formation, countless spells imbued with killing aura suddenly surged from behind that mountain, arcing in parabolas toward the Xuan Xing Sect’s immortal ships.
The barrage of spell energy illuminated the dark world overshadowed by dark clouds.
Xiao Yunluo took a deep breath, immediately uniting her hands as she elevated herself above the seven immortal ships. Closing her eyes, she uttered a spell.
The spiritual energy of the Xuan Dragon surged from her entire being. Before the spells from the demonic cultivators could strike down, it condensed into a protective barrier, wrapping all seven flying ships within.
Booming—
The spells from the demonic cultivators exploded nearby, causing the ship to rock violently.
Liang Zhu had to take several steps to regain his balance as he regarded Pei Lianxue and Xiao Yunluo, quickly amplifying his voice with spiritual power to bring the attention of the Tianyun Peak disciples back, shouting,
“Disciples of Xuan Xing Sect, listen up; form the array!”
… …
