Chapter 537: Senior Brother, A Chance Encounter
Boom—!!
On the wind and snow-covered mountain peak, dark clouds gathered, unleashing over a hundred crimson lightning strikes.
“Form the array!!”
As a hoarse female voice echoed, seven already wounded Snow-clothed Guards quickly used their long spears to ward off the demonic cultivators before them, retreating behind Xu Mulan, who was clad in silver armor below, and channeling their spiritual energy into her.
Xu Mulan thrust her silver spear into the ground, gazing at the scene unfolding in the sky above. She gritted her teeth.
She saw a demonic cultivator wearing a crimson ghost mask had formed an array with ten Core Formation stage demonic cultivators. The killing aura drew crimson blood lightning, which in turn caused the heavens and earth to change.
She didn’t know the name of this array, nor its true power.
But she could sense that with herself and the seven Core Formation stage Snow-clothed Guards beside her, they couldn’t withstand it or evade it.
Among the Hantian Kingdom cultivators who came to the Eastern Domain, no one could guarantee they would return to the Northern Region intact after this great war between the immortal and demonic factions.
Previously, when the Hantian Kingdom had attacked the Ghost Spirit Sect, she had watched helplessly as many elders she once admired perished before her eyes.
At that time, Xu Mulan felt that she too might fall into the dust like those elders in a future battle with demonic cultivators, unable to return to the rivers and mountains of the Northern Region where she was born and raised.
She had always believed she was mentally prepared for this.
However, now, as death truly loomed, she realized she wasn’t as fearless as she thought.
—Her sister Xu Xiyue was still waiting for her triumphant return in the Northern Region…
—Those new recruits in the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stages were still waiting for her, their commander, to return and teach them a lesson…
—And then there was Young Master Ye and Residence Master Li, with whom she had shared a brief month-long acquaintance. She had promised Young Master Ye and Residence Master Li that she would bring Xu Xiyue to visit the Chi Long Mansion and Hundred Lotus Sect in the Western Regions when she had the time…
… …
Her parents who raised her, the Hantian Kingdom’s Grand Tutor Chen Yin, the Snow-clothed Guards she had trained since childhood, Xu Xiyue, Li Longling…
And Ye Anping.
Countless faces flashed through Xu Mulan’s mind one by one, finally lingering on Ye Anping’s face.
Xu Mulan remembered encountering that Core Formation stage body cultivator in the Northern Region.
Just as he was about to shatter her Golden Core, Ye Anping had burst out from the forest behind her, blocking the body cultivator’s gauntlets for her.
Looking at the killing aura now converging around the masked demonic cultivator in the sky, Xu Mulan couldn’t help but harbor a sliver of hope: if he could save her just once more…
Alas, it could only be a wish.
How could Young Master Ye possibly be here?
“Huu…”
Xu Mulan closed her eyes and exhaled, then gritted her teeth and poured all her spiritual energy into the Spirit Taming array, attempting to forcibly withstand the masked demonic cultivator’s killing array technique.
Seeing her fierce expression, the man wearing the crimson ghost mask showed no mercy in his eyes. He murmured softly, “If you had turned a blind eye and let us leave, you wouldn’t have met such an end. Don’t blame me for being ruthless, Commander Xu.”
The man raised his hand slightly, and the killing aura around him condensed into a colossal blood spear capable of piercing mountains. The spearhead trembled as it aimed at Xu Mulan below and the seven veiled Snow-clothed Guards behind her.
However, just before the blood spear descended.
The man’s eyes suddenly darted to his left.
Whoosh—
Boom—!!
A silver Spirit Sword shot out from the sky, tearing through the clouds with a sonic boom. It struck the vital point of the blood spear with perfect accuracy.
With a single blow, the killing array formed by the masked demonic cultivator was shattered.
The vast killing aura within the array instantly exploded outwards in a ring of bloodstains, pushing him and nearly ten surrounding Core Formation stage demonic cultivators away with their own spiritual energy.
“What?!”
Xu Mulan and her companions, who had already formed the Spirit Taming array below, stared blankly at the silver Spirit Sword descending from above the clouds.
The next moment, a youth wearing a bamboo hat descended from the clouds on a flying sword, hovering between them and the group of demonic cultivators. He raised his hand, retrieving the silver Spirit Sword into his right hand, and swept it to the side.
Hummm—
“This is as far as you go!”
Ye Anping glanced at Xu Mulan below, then turned his back to her, facing the man in the crimson ghost mask directly.
Xiao Tian, perched on his bamboo hat, pointed at the masked demonic cultivator and reminded him, “Anping, this masked one is from the Cui Xin Palace. I just looked at his Storage Bag; he has an ink-character token.”
Upon hearing this, Ye Anping tightened his grip on his sword hilt and raised the brim of his bamboo hat, revealing his face.
As he had expected, the masked demonic cultivator hesitated for a moment upon seeing his face, but then immediately signaled his subordinates to sheathe their swords and bowed respectfully with clasped fists. “Young Master, why are you here?”
Seeing this, Ye Anping also breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed Mo Chi Ling had given him a heads-up beforehand.
If this person hadn’t recognized him, he would have had no choice but to draw his sword and cut down Mo Chi Ling’s subordinate.
Loosening his grip on his sword hilt slightly, Ye Anping glanced at Xiao Tian beside him and gave him an implicit signal.
Xiao Tian immediately placed a hand on his brow and quickly scanned the surrounding hundred li with his Spiritual Sense. “Anping, no one is peeking around. Don’t worry.”
“Mm… Your Excellency, please disembark first.”
The masked demonic cultivator looked at the Snow-clothed Guards below. After a moment of hesitation, he raised his hand and ordered his twenty subordinates to land on the snowy ground below.
Xu Mulan and her group were also bewildered. They had thought the person who suddenly appeared was an immortal cultivator, a helper, but now that he seemed to know the enemy, they became vigilant again.
A Snow-clothed Guard behind her asked in confusion, “Commander Xu, whose side is this person on?”
Xu Mulan interrupted him with a raised hand, her gaze fixed on Ye Anping’s back. She ordered softly, “I don’t know. Don’t let your guard down, but don’t attack either. Let’s…”
As she spoke, Ye Anping finally turned to the side.
Upon seeing his deep purple eyes and handsome profile, Xu Mulan’s eyes widened. She thought she was mistaken, blinking repeatedly, and couldn’t help but take a step forward.
But she quickly regained her composure and withdrew her step.
Xu Mulan felt her head swimming. She couldn’t understand why the demonic cultivators who had been trying to kill them were bowing to Ye Anping.
She and Ye Anping had only met once, and that was several years ago…
However, seeing Xu Mulan’s vigilance, Ye Anping merely shrugged. He glanced at the Snow-clothed Guards behind her and said, “Commander Xu, it’s been a long time. If I recall correctly, it’s been three years…”
“…Mm.” Xu Mulan nodded slightly, gripping her silver spear and resting it on her shoulder. “Young Master Ye, you actually…”
Before she could finish, Ye Anping tossed a Jade Slip towards her.
Whoosh—
Xu Mulan quickly raised her hand to catch it, her confusion deepening.
“This is…”
Ye Anping didn’t explain. He interrupted her, “Commander Xu, please act as if you saw nothing, met no one, and return directly, alright?”
“And… if I don’t?”
Ye Anping lowered his gaze, gripping his Spirit Sword again and furrowing his brow slightly. “Then I cannot honor our past acquaintance and allow you and the Snow-clothed Guards behind you to leave this place.”
At these words, the eyes of the Snow-clothed Guards behind Xu Mulan froze. They gripped their long spears tighter, becoming vigilant once more.
However, after a moment of thought, Xu Mulan glanced at the over twenty demonic cultivators standing behind Ye Anping, and then raised her hand to stop the actions of the Snow-clothed Guards behind her. She said, “All Snow-clothed Guards, listen up. We pursued these demonic cultivators to this location and fought them for several days, but we unfortunately allowed them to escape.”
Ye Anping nodded in acknowledgment. “Thank you.”
“…Mm.”
Xu Mulan bit her lip slightly. Honestly, she had so many questions she wanted to ask Ye Anping.
Who were these people?
What was he doing?
… …
But she also understood that this was not the time for her and Ye Anping to talk.
Xu Mulan nodded and opened her mouth slightly. “Young Master Ye…”
Ye Anping shook his head and interrupted her. “We will meet again. Commander Xu, I have one more piece of advice: do not go to the Tian Mo Sect…”
“… …”
Xu Mulan frowned slightly and said no more. She simply nodded and waved her hand, ordering, “Return to camp!!”
“…Yes.”
Although the Snow-clothed Guards were bewildered at this moment, they obeyed Xu Mulan’s orders and dared not say anything more. They cupped their fists in response and summoned their flying swords, then flew northwest from this mountain peak together with Xu Mulan.
Ye Anping looked up as their figures disappeared into the clouds above the mountain. He then breathed a sigh of relief, turned to look at the masked demonic cultivator waiting behind him, and asked, “What was going on just now?”
“Reporting to Young Master, we were ordered by the Palace Master to secretly assist the Hantian Kingdom in breaking through the upper reaches of the Blood River, but we were inadvertently exposed. Upon discovering us, the Snow-clothed Guard commander mistook us for an ambush from the Tian Mo Sect and pursued us for nearly seven hundred li. In desperation, I had no choice but to fight back…”
“I see…” Ye Anping nodded, understanding. He then glanced at the demonic cultivators behind him and asked, “Are these people trustworthy?”
“These are all trusted confidantes of the Palace Master. Please rest assured, Young Master. It’s just that Commander Xu just now…” The masked demonic cultivator paused for a moment, then asked with clasped fists, “Although the Palace Master said that if we encounter Young Master outside, your orders are no different from her own. However, I am still worried about that Snow-clothed Guard commander…”
“I know, the overall situation is always the priority.”
“It is good that Young Master understands…”
As the masked demonic cultivator spoke, Ye Anping suddenly tightened his grip on his Spirit Sword and threw it with a raise of his hand.
Whoosh—
The silver Spirit Sword grazed the mask on his face, passed by his ear, and plunged straight into the forest behind him, pinning a raven that had just descended from the sky to a tree trunk.
“What?!”
The masked demonic cultivator turned his head. Upon seeing the raven, cold sweat beaded on his face beneath the mask.
He hadn’t noticed the raven at all. If they were to return to Mo Chi Ling like this, Mo Chi Ling would be directly exposed to Yu Yan and He Buqun.
Ye Anping walked slowly, retrieved the Spirit Sword from the tree trunk, and returned it to his Storage Bag. “This place is no more than two thousand li from the Tian Mo Sect. You all should be cautious.”
“Thank you, Young Master.”
“Coincidentally, I was just preparing to go find your Palace Master. Since we’ve met, let’s go together.”
The masked demonic cultivator hesitated for a moment, glanced at the raven that had been pierced, then nodded in agreement and cupped his fists. “Yes.”
… …
——-
On the other side, two thousand li away.
Beneath a desolate mountain with no one around, a temporary cave dwelling had been excavated at some point.
Although it was a temporary dwelling, it boasted golden towers and jade walls, with spirit jade flooring.
Sun Juehu, clad in a golden dragon robe, lay listlessly on a couch, yawning periodically. In front of the couch, Chen Yin, the Hantian Kingdom’s Grand Tutor, was holding Jade Slips from various departments of the Hantian Kingdom, acting as a tool and reading the contents of each slip to her.
“Your Majesty, according to the news from the Snow-clothed Guards, the Western Regions’ immortal sects led by the Xuan Xing Sect have now approached the heartland of the Tian Mo Sect. While the Taibai Sect and others from the Southern Region are a little slower, they have reached the Quicksand Valley, seven thousand li south of the Tian Mo Sect…”
“Mm~ They are indeed fast.” Sun Juehu raised an eyebrow, lazily picked a grape from the fruit stand beside her, and brought it to her lips, licking it. “The last great war, from when the immortal families entered the Eastern Region, how long did it take to cross the Blood River?”
“Reporting to Your Majesty, it took about two hundred years in total.”
“And this time?”
“One year…”
At Chen Yin’s answer, Sun Juehu’s face broke into a strange smile.
To be honest, she hadn’t expected this campaign against the demons to be so smooth.
She had experienced the last great war between the immortal families and demonic cultivators.
She still remembered that it had taken the immortal families several decades just to breach the three passes connecting the Northern, Central, and Southern Regions to the Eastern Domain.
But this time…
—Donghuang Immortal City in the Central Domain fell within one day.
—Seven Star Pass in the Southern Region was breached by the Taibai Sect within six days.
—Hanxue Pass in the Northern Region was taken by the Hantian Kingdom in just seven days.
The progress was incredibly fast, so fast it felt unreal.
It was as if an unseen hand was pushing the immortal families of the three regions forward.
Chen Yin also seemed to discern Sun Juehu’s thoughts and nodded in response. “Your Majesty, someone anonymously sent the map of the Eastern Region to the immortal families of the three regions. Furthermore, during the immortal families’ sieges, most of the demonic cities experienced internal strife, or their original grand arrays failed to activate properly.”
“Meaning, there was a mole within the demonic sects?”
“It should be so. Moreover, this person is intimately aware of the movements of the demonic sects and the immortal families, as if they had eyes of heaven.”
“Is there any information about this person?”
“Not yet. This old minister has dispatched people to search, but this person is very well-hidden, and there is no clue so far.”
Sun Juehu lowered her gaze slightly and took the Jade Slip from his hand, reading it with her Spiritual Sense. “What about Ye Anping?”
“Uh…” Chen Yin looked puzzled. “Your Majesty is referring to the Young Master of the Hundred Lotus Sect?”
“Are there other people named Ye Anping in this world?”
Sun Juehu looked at him with displeasure and asked, “Dan Yue Shang Xian values him highly. But why have I not seen his name in the battle reports from various places in the Eastern Region?”
Chen Yin pondered for a moment, then understood Sun Juehu’s meaning and asked, “Your Majesty means that Ye Anping is secretly helping the immortal families capture territories? But he is only a Nascent Soul stage cultivator, and he only recently broke through. Even if he is a genius, to turn the tide of the immortal-demonic war by himself, isn’t that… a bit too much?”
“Who knows?”
Sun Juehu waved her hand indifferently. At this moment, a Snow-clothed Guard entered the cave from outside and knelt on one knee before the couch. “Your Majesty, Commander Xu has returned injured, but the group of demonic cultivators who scouted this cave dwelling have escaped.”
“Is that so… I understand. Tell her to rest and recover well.”
Sun Juehu pondered with lowered eyes for a moment, then looked at Chen Yin and asked, “What does Grand Tutor think of Xu Mulan?”
“She has practiced martial arts since childhood, her background is clear, and her aptitude is good. She only has one younger sister. In this old minister’s opinion, she can be heavily utilized.”
“Mm…” Sun Juehu pondered with lowered eyes for a moment. “I remember when I first met Ye Anping in the Northern Region, Xu Mulan seemed…”
“… …”
Sun Juehu pursed her lips in thought for a moment, then said, “Chen Yin.”
“This humble servant is here.”
“Remove Xu Mulan from her position as Commander of the Snow-clothed Guards and promote her to personal attendant to this sovereign.”
“Yes!”
… …
