The disciples of the Shenxiao Sword Sect encountered a flock of Blackwater Crows in the sky.
Although the Elders were constantly clearing away the Blackwater Crows on the perimeter, due to their sheer numbers, quite a few still managed to break into the crowd.
Everyone took out their swords from their Qiankun Bags, slaying the Blackwater Crows while performing Sword Flight.
Eighty percent of a Blackwater Crow's combat power lay in its cry.
Their method of combat was to first use their cries to trap their prey in an illusion, then kill and devour it.
Once their cries lost their effect, the Blackwater Crows' strength would be greatly diminished.
Lin Feng also drew an ordinary sword, dealing with any Blackwater Crows that occasionally came near him.
However, to remain inconspicuous, he did his best to make it look like he was struggling.
The battle continued.
A constant stream of Blackwater Crows were slain, falling into the dense forest below.
From time to time, a disciple or two from the Shenxiao Sword Sect would also fall.
A few minutes later.
Several Blackwater Crows closed in on Lin Feng, letting out a piercing shriek in unison.
Just as he was about to draw his sword and slay them, he suddenly saw a figure moving rapidly towards him. He immediately feigned a momentary daze.
Only after all the Blackwater Crows around him were killed did he slowly come back to his senses.
"Many thanks for the rescue, Junior Sister Ye!" Lin Feng said, cupping his fist in gratitude.
The figure he had just seen was none other than Ye Qingxuan. To avoid revealing his true strength, he had chosen to hold back and wait for her to come and save him.
At the same time, two hostile gazes fell upon Lin Feng.
As the chosen daughter of heaven in the Shenxiao Sword Sect, Ye Qingxuan had no shortage of secret admirers, many of whom were geniuses themselves.
Her cold and aloof personality meant she rarely spoke to anyone, so her taking the initiative to help naturally aroused the dissatisfaction of certain people.
As it happened, among the four True Disciples heading to the Jiuyou Secret Realm, both Zhu Jie and Yang Fan were fond of Ye Qingxuan.
"No need to thank me. Since I promised Master I would protect you, I will do my utmost. You should stay by my side from now on. If any accidents happen, I won't be able to answer to Master and Martial Uncle Su," Ye Qingxuan replied, her face devoid of expression.
"Then I'll have to trouble you, Junior Sister Ye."
Although Lin Feng wanted to stay far away from Ye Qingxuan, she was, after all, trying to protect him.
*I'll just wait until we enter the Jiuyou Secret Realm to find a chance to leave,* he thought.
Afterward, Lin Feng followed by Ye Qingxuan's side, watching as she continuously swung her sword, killing one invading Blackwater Crow after another.
Ye Qingxuan was truly worthy of being Leng Hanshuang's True Disciple; her strength was definitely at the apex among her peers.
Her Dao heart was strong, and the cries of the Blackwater Crows had no effect on her whatsoever.
Before long, all of the annoying creatures were finally eliminated.
In this battle, about twenty to thirty disciples of the Shenxiao Sword Sect were left behind forever in the Ten-Thousand Mountain Range.
After dealing with the Blackwater Crows, the Seventh Elder, Gu Mingzhou, led the group onward to their destination, showing not a hint of pity or sympathy for the fallen disciples.
The Blackwater Crows were arguably the lowest level of danger in the Ten-Thousand Mountain Range. The Elders had already blocked the vast majority on the periphery. If the disciples couldn't even survive this, they could only blame their own lack of strength.
They had already lost more than ten people before even reaching their destination. The world of cultivation was just that cruel.
Two hours later.
The group from the Shenxiao Sword Sect arrived at a valley.
This was their destination—Jiuyou Valley.
This place wasn't originally called Jiuyou Valley. However, after the Jiuyou Secret Realm first opened, its name was changed, a name that has persisted for a full ten thousand years.
When Gu Mingzhou led the Shenxiao Sword Sect disciples to Jiuyou Valley, many small and medium-sized powers, as well as rogue cultivators, had already arrived ahead of them.
They looked up at the massive contingent performing Sword Flight in the sky, their eyes filled with envy.
Other powers used large-scale magical artifacts to transport their disciples.
Only the Shenxiao Sword Sect came on their own via Sword Flight.
Being a Sword Cultivator was the dream of the vast majority of cultivators.
Not only were they powerful, fighting those of a higher level was as common as eating a meal, but the act of Sword Flight alone was cool beyond measure.
One must know that cultivators who had not reached the Controlling Sky Stage could not fly in the air for extended periods.
They could only rely on flying-type magical artifacts.
And every single flying artifact was worth a fortune, not something just anyone could possess.
It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from "pawread.com".
But Sword Cultivators were different. They only needed to reach the Condensing Sea Stage to learn the art of Sword Flight.
This was something other cultivators could only envy.
If not for the exceptionally strict aptitude requirements for becoming a Sword Cultivator, the Shenxiao Sword Sect would have likely become the number one power in Lizhou long ago.
"Wow! The Shenxiao Sword Sect is here! That's Sword Flight! So cool! If only I could find a disciple from the Shenxiao Sword Sect to be my Dao companion, then I could go on Sword Flights with them. So cool!" a woman exclaimed.
A man immediately retorted.
"In your dreams! Every disciple of the Shenxiao Sword Sect is a genius. Why would any of them look twice at you?"
"Can't I even dream about it?"
"Aunty! Let's be realistic! It's broad daylight, stop daydreaming."
"You're the aunty! Your whole family are aunties!"
This conversation was just a small snapshot of the scene.
Whether they were from small and medium-sized powers or were rogue cultivators, when they saw the people of the Shenxiao Sword Sect, their faces all showed expressions of immense envy.
They wished they could be one of them.
The contingent of over two thousand people flew over the gathering area below and continued onward to a small mountain very close to Jiuyou Valley. This was the Shenxiao Sword Sect's encampment.
Every time the Jiuyou Secret Realm opened, they would set up camp here to send their disciples in, and then wait for three months.
There were four such small mountains.
Corresponding to the Four Major Powers of Lizhou.
They were the Shenxiao Sword Sect, the Qingyun Sect, the Wu Ji Demon Sect, and the Seven Kill Sect.
The Shenxiao Sword Sect and the Qingyun Sect had a relatively good relationship, while the Wu Ji Demon Sect was closer to the Seven Kill Sect.
The Four Major Powers formed a kind of balance.
Recently, however, the Wu Ji Demon Sect seemed to want to break this balance.
The Shenxiao Sword Sect was not the first to arrive. Before them, the Qingyun Sect and the Seven Kill Sect were already there.
Several thousand people had just set up camp.
A voice called out.
"Brother Gu, long time no see! I didn't expect you to be leading the team."
The speaker was Wang Chuan, the Law Enforcement Elder of the Qingyun Sect. Behind him followed three young people, two men and a woman.
"I also didn't expect the Qingyun Sect to send Brother Wang," Gu Mingzhou said, stepping forward to greet him.
The two were old acquaintances.
"Luoyi, you three go and get acquainted with the esteemed disciples of the Shenxiao Sword Sect. Once you enter the Jiuyou Secret Realm, you'll need to cooperate with each other. Brother Gu and I have matters to discuss," Wang Chuan said to the three disciples behind him.
"Yes, Law Enforcement Elder!" the three replied in unison.
Inside a temporarily erected tent of the Shenxiao Sword Sect, Wang Chuan casually asked while sipping his tea, "Brother Gu, I heard your Shenxiao Sword Sect has run into some trouble recently?"
"Just a small problem. We've been fighting the Wu Ji Demon Sect for so many years, and aren't we still doing just fine? What can they do to us?" Gu Mingzhou replied nonchalantly.
"That's true! But Brother Gu, you all should still be careful. That bunch from the Wu Ji Demon Sect are constantly thinking about dominating Lizhou. If you ever need help, my Qingyun Sect will not shirk its duty."
"Then I thank you in advance, Brother Wang."
"By the way, it's said that a mysterious Sword Cultivator, after annihilating Luosha Gate, scared off that fiend Qian Dao Xiong with a single sword strike. I wonder which expert from your Shenxiao Sword Sect that might be?"
"On that matter, please allow me to keep you in suspense, Brother Wang," Gu Mingzhou said, not answering the question.
The truth was, he didn't know either.
The upper echelons of the Shenxiao Sword Sect had even gathered to discuss this matter, but they had reached no conclusion.
They didn't even have a suspect.
The Sword Cultivators in Lizhou who could scare off Qian Dao Xiong with a single strike could be counted on one hand, and all of them were in the Shenxiao Sword Sect.
They had never heard of a Sword Cultivator from any other power possessing such strength.
Of course, Lizhou was vast. It wasn't impossible that some old monster who used a sword was cultivating in seclusion, but what reason would they have to help the Shenxiao Sword Sect?
"Since Brother Gu doesn't want to say, I won't press the matter. For this trip to the Jiuyou Secret Realm, let our two sects join forces as we always have. I have a feeling that bunch from the Wu Ji Demon Sect are planning to stir up trouble."
"If they want to start something, we will gladly oblige!" Gu Mingzhou replied, his face filled with killing intent.
Meanwhile.
The three True Disciples from the Qingyun Sect—Li Luoyi, Xu Wei, and Yang Guangzhi—gathered with the Shenxiao Sword Sect's Ye Qingxuan, Lin Feng, Yang Fan, and Zhu Jie.
Since they were all True Disciples, they had common ground for conversation.
In a situation like this, the Inner Sect Disciples of the Shenxiao Sword Sect were not qualified to participate.
Li Luoyi and Ye Qingxuan were both chosen daughters of heaven, and they quickly became acquainted.
Xu Wei, Yang Guangzhi, Zhu Jie, and Yang Fan also got along splendidly.
Only Lin Feng remained in a corner by himself. It wasn't in his nature to engage in such superficial pleasantries.
*Don't be fooled by how happily they're all talking now. The moment their own interests are at stake, they might turn on each other in an instant.*
After a while, Li Luoyi looked towards Lin Feng and asked, "And who might this Junior Brother be?"
"Senior Sister Li, he's no Junior Brother. He is our Shenxiao Sword Sect's Senior Brother, Lin Feng," Zhu Jie answered with a smile.
"So it's Senior Brother Lin!" Li Luoyi said politely.
Xu Wei and Yang Guangzhi both looked over with curiosity.
Lin Feng himself was not famous, but the title of Senior Brother of the Shenxiao Sword Sect was a different matter entirely.
Everyone knew that the Senior Brother of the Shenxiao Sword Sect was a good-for-nothing shut-in who didn't even participate in the sect's grand competition. They never expected to have the honor of seeing him today.
The three of them sized up Lin Feng with curious gazes.
Lin Feng didn't mind. The more others looked down on him, the happier he was.
Proofreader: Peter Pan