Luo Lingfeng gazed at Yun Dan, her eyes dark and deep.
During her decades with Wei Yunshu, she had learned quite a bit about her.
The previous Cloud Sovereign, Yun Qingzi, came from Cloud City’s foremost noble family, as lofty and unattainable as the distant mountains veiled in mist, just like all Cloud Sovereigns before her. She naturally wouldn’t speak of Wei Yunshu’s affairs to others. As for Wei Yunshu herself… when she ascended to the position of Cloud Sovereign, although many disciples and followers surrounded her, they were only drawn to her power and status; she had not a single close confidant. After all, in thousands of years, Wei Yunshu was the first to rule Cloud City without a noble family background.
If Yun Qingzi had not perished due to her haste in breaking through her realm, she could have cleared some more obstacles for Wei Yunshu. But unfortunately, her cultivation had reached a point where she had to press forward. Alas, attaining the Dao Fruit was merely a dream; her Cavern Heaven body was utterly shattered. The Fu Li Immortal Realm had not seen anyone successfully attain the Dao Fruit and ascend to the upper realms in three thousand years. The more this was the case, the more those who had reached a certain cultivation level were driven to try, to become the first person in those thousands of years.
The dream of longevity, how absurd.
Luo Lingfeng felt somewhat dazed. Slowly, a mocking expression returned to her face. Thinking of Wei Yunshu, those four words, “Do not hate anymore,” echoed repeatedly in her ears, causing her immense annoyance. Seeing someone who resembled Wei Yunshu at this moment, her emotions became even harder to suppress. She no longer looked at Yun Dan and casually waved her hand, saying, “I will take you as a registered disciple for now. As for other matters, we can discuss them when we return to Cloud City.”
Yun Dan immediately bowed. “Disciple greets honored master!”
Luo Lingfeng responded faintly and then vanished into a wisp of smoke, leaving.
Yun Dan stood up. She remained silently in the hall for a long time, her brows furrowing involuntarily. Although she had successfully entered Cloud City as she wished, she couldn’t shake off an ominous premonition, as if something was slipping out of control. Luo Lingfeng’s attitude was truly cold and indifferent, her emotions unpredictable. Was it not said that she deeply loved the Cloud Sovereign and turned white overnight for her? Was she not seeking Wei Yunshu’s “substitutes” everywhere? Was she not learning enough to be a match? She slowly took out a booklet from her sleeve. This was a book compiled in the mortal world, detailing the life, temperament, and preferences of the Cloud Sovereign. The noble family disciples looked down on the Cloud Sovereign, but those who struggled in the mud greatly admired her because they saw a glimmer of hope for entering the Dao in her. The path to the blue clouds, anyone could ascend!
The path to enlightenment? Yun Dan scoffed lightly, a hint of malice flickering in her eyes, and she tucked the booklet into her sleeve.
After all, Luo Lingfeng was the Luoshui Divine Maiden, who commanded great attention, and every move she made could spark discussion. She acted without restraint and with no intention of concealment. Before long, the news of her taking a young girl as a registered disciple spread throughout the streets and alleys. Even Wei Yunshu and Xie Zhichao heard about it.
The moon was high in the sky, its clear light like water.
Xie Zhichao sat on the railing. Even she, an accomplished drinker, was showing signs of intoxication. She turned to look at Wei Yunshu and sighed, “That young girl has such good fortune, to be taken as a registered disciple by her directly. Although not a true disciple, that person is unlike others; she has already cultivated to the Cavern Heaven realm. Even if she’s just registered, there will be many who curry favor with her in the future.”
“I thought there was little in the way of worldly affairs in Buzhou Peak,” Wei Yunshu said with a faint smile. She circulated her Xuan cultivation technique, and the alcohol aura around her instantly dispersed. A cool breeze blew, and her hair gently stirred, obscuring the expression in her clear eyes. Among the Four Great Sects of the Immortal Realm, Buzhou Peak had the fewest cultivators, only a few hundred people. However, each one was skilled in the way of the sword. They pursued the ultimate, cultivating only the sword. Therefore, although they carried a heavy aura of conflict and could fight at the slightest disagreement, in reality, they possessed a rare pure heart.
Xie Zhichao said, “Of course, we at Buzhou don’t need it! But I have to descend the mountain eventually. My Senior Sister told me all these things. She’s always worried I’ll be deceived after going down the mountain. Fortunately, I was found by disciples of Buzhou. If I had fallen into the hands of the other three sects—”
Xie Zhichao shook her head and didn’t continue. Without status and position, there were no resources for cultivation. Without cultivation resources, progress in one’s cultivation would be difficult, and one would not be valued by teachers. Without being valued by teachers, one would naturally be bullied in myriad ways, and even the best talent would be stifled. The path of cultivation is long; while innate talent is important, wealth, companions, and location are also indispensable. She had heard too many stories of talented individuals being destroyed. Without growing to maturity, even with the favor of heaven and earth, it was useless.
Wei Yunshu smiled and did not respond. She was fortunate to have been brought into Cloud City by her master, and with her master’s support, she had never lacked resources for cultivation. Her ascent through the ranks of her peers was due to her own cultivation, and these accomplishments were, in a way, provided by Cloud City.
“The evil cultivators in Funeral Heaven Pass have been apprehended. There are no further injustices here. Daoist Friend Bo, where do you plan to go?” Xie Zhichao abruptly changed the subject.
Wei Yunshu had no specific destination; she simply wandered the lands at her whim. Therefore, when Xie Zhichao asked, she replied, “I travel freely to the ends of the earth.”
“What a coincidence.” Xie Zhichao’s eyes lit up. “I’m also traveling around. But I heard some news earlier and plan to go and see the Sunset Burial Mounds.”
Wei Yunshu exclaimed in surprise, “Isn’t that the territory of the Luoshui Divine Palace?” The Sunset Burial Mounds were indirectly adjacent to the Northern Continent’s Corridor of Sins, simply because a “Chaos Tree” that could not be cut down grew there. This type of tree had extremely developed roots, making it an important material for refining spatial artifacts and teleportation talismans. However, the majority of this tree’s roots in the Sunset Burial Mounds extended into the Corridor of Sins. Because of this, Sunset City had become a deadly place for fighting evil cultivators, transforming into a vast graveyard.
“The Luoshui Divine Palace is now divided among its four clans, which has somewhat affected that area. Now, the Luoshui Divine Palace has directly issued the Luoshui True Invitation, inviting cultivators from all directions with Dharma artifacts, spiritual pills, and Cloud Sands. I heard they are even offering a Heaven-tier Cloud Sand,” Xie Zhichao said. She didn’t care about Dharma artifacts or spiritual pills, but Cloud Sand was an indispensable item for cultivators to improve their cultivation. It was condensed from the essence of heaven and earth. Meditating could also absorb spiritual energy from heaven and earth, but the efficiency was too low, far inferior to absorbing Cloud Sand refined by true fire. You might meditate in a Cavern Heaven blessed land for a hundred years, but perhaps not gain as much cultivation as one hu (a measure of volume) of Cloud Sand. For Buzhou disciples, after becoming Golden Core cultivators, the monthly allowance from the sect was completely insufficient for further progress; they had to seek it out themselves.
“Is this a smoke screen?” Wei Yunshu chuckled lightly. Recruiting cultivators to deal with demonic forces did not require Cloud Sand; it was clear they wanted to keep people there. The Luoshui Divine Palace had four clans: the Luo family of Luoshui Divine Palace, the Jiang family of Yunmeng Marsh, the Wen family of Xiaohan Mountain, and the Tang family of Guangyuan Marsh. The Palace was governed by rotation among the four clans. The current Palace Lord was Luo Hengjun, the head of the Luo family. However, this person indulged in carnal pleasures and acted immorally, angering the other three families. When the Luoshui Divine Palace encountered trouble before, he had even sent a letter to Cloud City requesting support, but Luo Lingfeng had refused this matter.
“I think so, but if there’s Cloud Sand, why not take it?” Xie Zhichao said. She weighed her empty wine gourd and regrettably put it down. Resting her chin on her hand, she squinted at Wei Yunshu. “Daoist Friend Bo, you have no sect inheritance. It must have been difficult to cultivate to this point in the mountains, right? You probably descended the mountain to find items that could enhance your cultivation, so you could advance to Nascent Soul as soon as possible? If so, it’s best to visit places like this. We cultivators fight against heaven and against people; we must never yield.”
Wei Yunshu no longer cared about cultivation. Her current state did not require items like Cloud Sand. However, if there were demonic disturbances in the Sunset Burial Mounds, she still wanted to go and see. Therefore, she smiled at Xie Zhichao and said, “Daoist Friend Xie is right. Since there’s nothing else to do, let’s go together.”
The two sat by the railing, drinking under the moon, conversing with great pleasure. Suddenly, Xie Zhichao’s brow furrowed. She brought her right hand’s two fingers together and drew a line in the air. With a chi sound, a paper crane folded from a talisman appeared, then broke into two pieces and fell to the ground. Since she didn’t sense any killing intent, Xie Zhichao’s attack was not overly fierce. Her face darkened, and she said towards the front, “Who is it?”
As soon as the words fell, two disciples in white robes with flowing wide sleeves, adorned with cloud patterns, arrived on their swords under the moonlight. Their faces were slightly pale. The one in the lead bowed to Wei Yunshu and Xie Zhichao. “I am a disciple of Cloud City, tracing the traces of evil cultivators. We did not intend to disturb the two Daoist friends.” They were only at the Foundation Establishment stage and could not discern the cultivation levels of Wei Yunshu and Xie Zhichao. In fact, one of them could not even see their faces clearly. They only saw that both of them possessed extremely pure and righteous energy, implying they were above them, hence their respectful demeanor.
“So, that’s what it is,” Wei Yunshu nodded. Before she could utter the rest of her words, she heard a loud shout.
“Have you found the person who interacted with the evil cultivator? Why are you still babbling?” Then, a brilliant stream of light streaked across the moonlight, appearing before everyone in an instant. As the light dispersed, a young cultivator wearing an ornate hat and formal robes, with a proper appearance, stood on his flying sword. His expression was arrogant, brimming with sharp intent. He assumed Wei Yunshu and Xie Zhichao were unknown rogue cultivators. After reprimanding them, he arrogantly said, “You two killed that evil cultivator? We have questions for you. Please accompany us.”
He spoke casually, without any trace of politeness in his actions.
Wei Yunshu’s expression was indifferent, while Xie Zhichao’s brow furrowed deeply. As a disciple of a major sect, how could she endure such treatment? She placed her right hand on her saber and said coldly, “What if we refuse to go? What do you intend to do?”
