"Wan Hong'an! We are both disciples of the Seven Great Sects. Why are you ambushing me?!" Ye Jingwen glared furiously at the three cultivators before him.
The leader was a man around thirty to forty years old, his features rather regular, but the two slender mustaches he sported made him look rather slimy.
This man sneered at Ye Jingwen. "Seven Great Sects? Hmph, don't make it sound so high and mighty. Your Xuanqing Sect hasn't been any less opportunistic. Now that the Demon Beast Rebellion has just settled, who isn't taking the chance to profit?"
"You—" Ye Jingwen's face flushed, then paled. He naturally knew that relations between the seven sects weren't harmonious. While he himself hadn't done such things, he was aware of what some of his fellow disciples had done. Though the Seven Great Sects were considered righteous, there were always those with unstable dispositions who took advantage of situations. For the sake of the greater picture, the sect turned a blind eye. In the end, no sect's foundation was completely clean.
After looking Ye Jingwen up and down, the man stroked his mustache and chuckled to his companions. "Let's wrap this up after today's job. This kid has quite a few good things on him!"
"That's right," one of them said, giving Ye Jingwen a malicious look. "He's killed quite a few demon beasts these past few days. His storage must be overflowing with materials. Let's do him a favor and take them all off his hands!"
"Well said! How kind of us, haha…"
The three of them drew closer, pulling out their swords.
Seeing this, Ye Jingwen moved his fingers slightly, and the sword on his back flew out of its sheath.
Seeing this, the cultivator named Wan Hong'an turned and laughed to his companions. "Look at him—our Ancient Sword Sect is the true sword cultivator sect, and he dares to draw his sword before us!"
The three of them burst into laughter.
Ye Jingwen's expression didn't change as he gripped several talismans in his hand. While the Xuanqing Sect's cultivation method was a Daoist heart technique, their combat arts were eclectic, with branches of talisman cultivation, medical cultivation, and sword cultivation. Ye Jingwen was a sword cultivator disciple. However, the Ancient Sword Sect was the largest sword cultivator sect, gathering Kunwu's most elite sword cultivation talents. Pure sword cultivators had a harder time advancing than ordinary cultivators, but in combat, they were stronger than cultivators of the same stage. Moreover, the Ancient Sword Sect had cultivated sword arts for generations and possessed various secret sect techniques. Ye Jingwen couldn't afford to be careless.
Of the three Ancient Sword Sect cultivators before him, one was at Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment, and two were at Early-Stage Foundation Establishment. He roughly estimated in his heart. This Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment cultivator was older than him and naturally had more experience. If he had cultivated some secret technique, his chances of winning were slim. As for the two Early-Stage Foundation Establishment cultivators, he might be able to fight them.
In an instant, Ye Jingwen had made up his mind. He wasn't arrogant enough to think he could win a direct fight, but he was confident he could break through the encirclement and escape. As long as he could run back to the Qianmen Ridge outpost, these men wouldn't dare to act—the person in charge there was Senior Brother Kuang Zhu. Although this senior brother rarely took action, he was a Late-Stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. Combined with the other Foundation Establishment fellow disciples, they were more than enough to deter these few.
Having decided this, he didn't wait for the three to fully encircle him. His sword shot out abruptly, aiming straight for Wan Hong'an. At the same time, he flipped his other hand and threw out a handful of talismans without any regard for cost.
The three cultivators, who had been laughing, immediately turned serious upon seeing his move. Wan Hong'an met Ye Jingwen's sword with his own, while the other two quickly stood together. Each raised their sword and formed a sword seal. A light barrier extended from their swords, instantly enveloping the two of them. The talismans blasted against them but were deflected by the barrier.
Seeing this, Ye Jingwen secretly regretted it. The art of talisman-making was quite difficult. Most of the talismans for Foundation Establishment cultivators were bestowed by their masters. He couldn't make them himself yet. This handful contained at least three to five talismans, yet these two Foundation Establishment cultivators could easily avoid them—the strength of the Ancient Sword Sect truly lived up to its reputation.
However, he believed he wasn't a pushover either. From entering the sect as an ordinary child disciple, to becoming an inner disciple, then a personal disciple, from Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment, and advancing to Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment in a short time, he believed he had put in immense effort every step of the way. Even if they wanted to capture him now, it wouldn't be that easy!
After several exchanges, Wan Hong'an was in a somewhat sorry state. He had naturally seen Ye Jingwen act within the same outpost, but he never expected this kid to be this strong, not inferior at all to the elite sword cultivator disciples of their Ancient Sword Sect! He retrieved his flying sword and blustered, "Kid, hand over your things quickly, and we'll spare your life!"
Hearing this, Ye Jingwen, whose sleeve had just been cut, gave a bitter smile. "What, are you afraid to die?" If he truly couldn't escape, he could risk his life, and Wan Hong'an might not survive either!
Even in such a situation, he refused to lower his head. Wan Hong'an paused, anger rising in his heart, and glanced at his two companions.
Receiving his look, the two Ancient Sword Sect disciples immediately changed direction, stepping into several positions.
Ye Jingwen's expression tightened as he heard Wan Hong'an sneer, "You refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit! Let me show you our Ancient Sword Sect's Myriad Stars Array!"
The three took up positions around Ye Jingwen, each raising their sword, closing their eyes, and reciting an incantation.
Seeing this, Ye Jingwen immediately retrieved his flying sword and watched his surroundings with extreme caution. The Myriad Stars Array was a supreme sword array technique of the Ancient Sword Sect, requiring a minimum of three people and a maximum of thousands. Once deployed, it was filled with lethal traps. However, this sword array wasn't easy to set up; it required an unimaginable amount of spiritual energy. These three certainly wouldn't have an easy time either!
Before the three could fully deploy the sword array, Ye Jingwen flicked his wrist. His sword shot out of his hand, seemingly aiming for Wan Hong'an. Just as they moved to block, he slapped a spiritual talisman and instantly disappeared underground.
"Earth-Escaping! It's an Earth-Escaping Talisman!" Wan Hong'an shouted, waving his hand. A sword aura shot out from his hand into the ground, and they could see a visible trail of spiritual energy rapidly escaping into the distance.
"After him!"
Mo Tiange stood on her White Silk Handkerchief, the Flying Sky Shuttle in her hand. She no longer restrained her aura, and the imposing presence of a Foundation Establishment cultivator immediately spread out. At the same time, she launched the Flying Sky Shuttle, aiming straight for the leader's head.
That person shouted, "Who's there?!" Turning around, he barely avoided the Flying Sky Shuttle. Seeing the few strands of hair floating down, he broke out in a cold sweat.
Mo Tiange said coldly, "And who are you, actually besieging my Xuanqing Sect senior brother!"
The three saw her appearance clearly and exchanged glances. Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment.
Ye Jingwen had already emerged from the ground and cried out joyfully, "Tian Ge!"
Seeing that the three already intended to leave, Mo Tiange snorted. The Flying Sky Shuttle shot out again, several flying needles hidden within the golden light. At the same time, her substantial divine sense quietly probed out.
Ye Jingwen reacted extremely quickly as well. With a wave of his hand, his flying sword shot out again, coordinating with her Flying Sky Shuttle to block the counterattacks from the two Early-Stage Foundation Establishment cultivators.
All of this happened in an instant. Before their Myriad Stars Array could be deployed, Wan Hong'an only had time to dodge sideways when he heard an "Ah!" One of his companions fell down. He turned his head to see the other companion, face ashen, barely blocking Ye Jingwen's flying sword.
Wan Hong'an felt at his waist, slapped a talisman onto himself, and vanished in an instant, actually abandoning his companion and escaping.
Neither Mo Tiange nor Ye Jingwen gave chase. Instead, they attacked again to intercept the Early-Stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. With two Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment cultivators attacking together, and the opponent in a state of panic, there was no room for resistance. He was killed on the spot.
After the combat ended, Ye Jingwen glanced in the direction Wan Hong'an had fled, sheathed his sword, and turned to Mo Tiange. "Tian Ge, why are you here? I heard you went missing during the great battle at the Danding Sect two years ago. Are you alright?"
Mo Tiange nodded to him with a smile. "Brother Ye, do I look like I'm not alright?"
Ye Jingwen was taken aback. He looked her over and said in surprise, "You've advanced to Mid-Stage?"
His exclamation made Mo Tiange curious. "I advanced to Mid-Stage two years ago. Didn't you know, Brother Ye?"
"Ah?" Ye Jingwen was confused. What was going on?
Mo Tiange glanced at the ground. "Brother Ye, let's talk slowly on the way back."
"…Alright."
The two disposed of the two Ancient Sword Sect disciples' corpses and slowly flew back together.
"Tian Ge, first tell me what happened to you? I remember you only formed your Foundation three years ago. How did you reach Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment two years ago? And what about your disappearance?"
"Well… I encountered some opportunities two years ago, so I directly advanced to Mid-Stage. The sisters at Luoyan Cliff all knew about it at the time. I thought you knew too…"
"I was outside with Master at the time. When I returned, you had already left with Uncle-Master Xuanyin. The opportunity you encountered actually allowed you to directly advance to Mid-Stage? That's no ordinary opportunity!"
Mo Tiange smiled but didn't elaborate. She continued, "Two years ago, I was chased by a Fifth-Rank demonic beast. Fortunately, I had an escape artifact on me, which allowed me to escape alive. Later, because I was injured, I didn't dare show myself and found a secret place to heal. My injuries just healed recently, so I dared to come out."
"So that's how it was… Spending two years healing, your injuries must have been severe."
Mo Tiange said, "It was alright. I was unconscious for several months at the time. Luckily, I didn't encounter any dangers. Brother Ye, why are you here?"
A bitter smile appeared on Ye Jingwen's face. "The fighting has been too brutal these past two years. Because our sect issued the mountain-sealing order early, the Qi Refining disciples were unharmed, so the impact wasn't too great. But about one-third of our Foundation Establishment disciples perished, shaking the sect's foundation in one blow."
One-third meant at least seventy to eighty disciples—with so many Foundation Establishment disciples, it would take at least a century to recover vitality. Considering the other sects, the losses of Kunwu's major sects this time could be considered severe.
"We elite disciples initially followed our masters into battle, but later, due to various missions or crises, we scattered across the land. The reason I'm at Tianhuo Mountain is that I was dispatched to reinforce the Danding Sect after the great battle two years ago and haven't been able to return since…"
The two talked about some events during the Demon Beast Rebellion. Mo Tiange learned that the Xuanqing Sect had lost three more Core Formation cultivators later on. The sect's Supreme Elder was furious, and two of the five Nascent Soul cultivators took to the field, finally stabilizing the situation around the Xuanqing Sect.
After three years of fighting, the Demon Beast Rebellion was preliminarily settled. The forests no longer had endless demon beast reinforcements, and the strength of Kunwu's large and small sects had been nearly exhausted. Ye Jingwen said this war exceeded the scale of past conflicts, and it was estimated there wouldn't be another war with demon beasts within a century.
Because of this, Mo Tiange secretly felt fortunate. Luckily, she had hidden in the Void Heaven Realm for two years. Otherwise, forget about whether she could keep her life; like the three senior sisters, she would likely have been injured numerous times within a few years, and her cultivation would probably have stagnated.
"Tian Ge, you're truly fortunate. Not even thirty yet, and already at Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment. It really makes this brother envious."
Mo Tiange shook her head. "Just opportunities."
"Opportunities are also part of one's strength. You don't need to be so modest."
"…"
The two chatted as they made their way to the Qianmen Ridge outpost.
Along the way, Ye Jingwen exchanged insights about being at Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment and instructed her on many precautions, letting Mo Tiange experience his long-windedness for the first time. Perhaps because she had seen that Xiaoguzi yesterday, watching Ye Jingwen often repeat things several times, Mo Tiange couldn't help but overlap their images and secretly found it amusing.
Before the two even entered the Qianmen Ridge outpost, they saw someone rushing toward them. "Two Masters!"
Mo Tiange looked closely. It was that Xiaoguzi from yesterday. The child grabbed both of them and cried, "Two Masters, something bad has happened!"
Mo Tiange and Ye Jingwen exchanged a look. Ye Jingwen reached out and held him, asking, "What's wrong?"
Xiaoguzi pulled the two aside and whispered, "Did you have a conflict with Ancient Sword Sect cultivators?"
Ye Jingwen nodded, his brows furrowing. "What, that Wan dares to come complain?"
Xiaoguzi looked helpless. "Exactly? We knew what happened as soon as we heard, but that Wan called over all the Ancient Sword Sect people here. He insists that Master Ye tried to kill them for treasure, and when he couldn't win, he called for fellow disciples. Senior Brother Kuang Zhu definitely doesn't believe it, but that Wan is clearly using his sect's influence to pressure us!"
Hearing this, Ye Jingwen snorted coldly. "This Qianmen Ridge outpost is managed by our Xuanqing Sect. We have even more Foundation Establishment cultivators than the Ancient Sword Sect. They actually dare to do this!"
Xiaoguzi showed disdain and agreed, "Exactly! They're taking advantage of the fact that Senior Brother Kuang Zhu doesn't handle affairs much. Besides, even if something happens, Senior Brother Kuang Zhu, as the person in charge, will be the one held responsible!"
Mo Tiange sneered. "They're probably feeling guilty, afraid we'll deal with them, so they're taking preemptive action. Right and wrong don't matter anymore. That Wan is clearly dragging the Ancient Sword Sect into opposing our Xuanqing Sect. Once it escalates to a sect conflict, others won't care whether he wanted to kill for treasure or not!"
"That's exactly the idea…" Ye Jingwen thought for a moment, then looked at Xiaoguzi. "What's Senior Brother Kuang's attitude?"
Xiaoguzi said helplessly, "Senior Brother Kuang Zhu doesn't want to deal with it, but they're making a fuss…"
"If that's the case, we might as well take action!" Ye Jingwen glanced at Mo Tiange, seeing she didn't object, and continued, "Xiaoguzi, go tell Senior Brother Kuang that this matter won't end peacefully. We might as well strike hard!"
Xiaoguzi was startled and instinctively looked at Mo Tiange. "This…"
Mo Tiange knew that although Ye Jingwen treated her amiably, from the moment they first met when he killed Li Yushan who had kidnapped her, it was clear he was a decisive person when it came to killing. Besides, she had the same idea herself. She smiled at Xiaoguzi. "How many of them are there, and what are their cultivation levels?"
Seeing the two of them looking completely unconcerned, Xiaoguzi swallowed hard before saying dryly, "There are five of them in total. Two are at Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment, three are at Early-Stage Foundation Establishment, and there are also some Qi Refining disciples…"
"Only five people dare to act?" Mo Tiange was somewhat puzzled. "What about us? Brother Ye and I are at Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment, Senior Brother Kuang Zhu is at Late-Stage Foundation Establishment, Junior Brother Bai is at Early-Stage Foundation Establishment—are there any other Foundation Establishment cultivators?"
"Well, there are two other Masters here, but they're not around recently…" Xiaoguzi carefully looked around. "Two Masters, Senior Brother Kuang Zhu and Senior Brother Bai aren't afraid, but since we're supposed to be allies, how do we explain it if we take action?"
"Explain?" Ye Jingwen snorted. "If they're all dead, we'll do the explaining!"
"This…" Since entering the sect, Xiaoguzi had followed Senior Brother Kuang Zhu, Zhan Bai, and his younger sister. Kuang Zhu and Zhan Bai focused on alchemy and healing arts besides cultivation. He and Xiaozui rarely experienced combat. Even during these years of the demon beast war, they were in the rear. Hearing Ye Jingwen and Mo Tiange calmly talk about besieging other cultivators now inevitably made his heart tremble.
Seeing his expression, Mo Tiange couldn't help but reach out and pat his head. "Xiaoguzi, go report to Senior Brother Kuang Zhu. Then Brother Ye and I will pretend we just returned. How to act then, you can secretly signal us."
"…Alright." Xiaoguzi gritted his teeth. "Since the two Masters say so, I'll go relay it to Senior Brother Kuang Zhu." He would have to get used to such things.
Ye Jingwen nodded with a smile. "Thank you for your trouble."
Watching Xiaoguzi enter the outpost, Mo Tiange and Ye Jingwen exchanged a glance, both seeing killing intent in each other's eyes.
After their cooperation just now, Ye Jingwen had a new understanding of the current Mo Tiange. The Mo Tiange before him was a genuine Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, precise in her strikes and decisive in her schemes, no longer the little girl he had saved back then. He couldn't help but feel emotional. Counting, it had only been seventeen years. When he saved that little girl, he never imagined this day would come so quickly—she had grown to the point where they could fight side by side.
"Tian Ge, be careful later. Their Ancient Sword Sect's Myriad Stars Array is difficult to deal with. It's best to kill them before they deploy the sword array, or at least disrupt them. If they manage to set up the sword array properly, we'll be helpless and must escape immediately."
"Yes, Brother Ye, you be careful too."
The two waited silently for a while, gave each other a look, and walked into the outpost together.
Spreading her divine sense out, Mo Tiange immediately collided with another's divine sense. Not knowing who it belonged to, she didn't provoke it but didn't avoid it either.
Stepping into the main hall, it was quiet inside. The wounded had been moved away. Several Ancient Sword Sect cultivators stood together, glaring at them hostilely. Xiaoguzi and Xiaozui were at the very back, with Zhan Bai shielding them. Kuang Zhu sat at a table, mixing some kind of ointment as if nothing else existed.
Mo Tiange looked toward Xiaoguzi and saw the child glance at the Ancient Sword Sect cultivators, then wink.
She exchanged a look with Ye Jingwen. It seemed Senior Brother Kuang Zhu agreed.