When this sword was unleashed, a pale white radiance bloomed forth, dazzlingly brilliant, like a dazzling star. As it shot forward, it resembled a meteor streaking across the sky, not only carrying astonishing momentum but also possessing considerable power.
Such a sword strike arrived in the blink of an eye. As it condensed and manifested, it was one meter in size, then two meters, three meters, five meters... With each increase in size, the momentum within it grew stronger, and its power became more vast. By the time it reached Gu Qingfeng, it was a staggering nine meters in size, truly resembling an astonishing celestial body.
Opposite, Gu Qingfeng stood still, one arm cradling the unconscious young girl. As this star-like sword strike came at him, he neither dodged nor evaded. His sleeves did not flutter, his hair did not stir, and his expression remained unchanged. Only his brow furrowed slightly, as if the profound mysteries contained within this sword strike felt strangely familiar to him.
Then, he was seen slowly raising his arm, spreading his five fingers, and with a seemingly casual gesture, he blocked this star-like sword light. With a sudden exertion of force—without any visible radiance flashing or spiritual power condensing—the nine-meter star-like sword strike instantly disintegrated and vanished. It shattered into countless fragments like a mirror breaking apart, disappearing into the air.
Witnessing this scene, the man in mid-air was greatly shocked. The woman, who seemed as if shrouded in mist and clouds, also appeared deeply astonished. Seeing the man beside her about to attack again, the woman stopped him. The two descended from the sky. The man, holding a long sword, pointed it at Gu Qingfeng, his expression a mix of shock and anger as he shouted, "Who are you! Let go of my Junior Sister!"
Junior Sister?
Gu Qingfeng glanced at the young girl in his arms. At that moment, the girl seemed to wake from her unconsciousness. She looked at Gu Qingfeng, then at the woman opposite her, and called out, "Senior Sister!" before throwing herself into the woman's embrace.
The woman was draped in a thin, plain white cloth garment, truly as if she were amidst mist and clouds. She appeared to be in her early twenties, with long, jet-black hair naturally cascading down her back. Her entire being was snow-white, her features exquisitely beautiful and utterly refined, though her expression carried a hint of aloofness. Gazing at the girl in her arms, she asked with concern, "Xiao Mu, are you alright?"
"Senior Sister, I... I'm fine..." The young girl seemed to have suffered a great fright, her expression still unsettled.
The man beside them pressed urgently, "Junior Sister, who is that person? Did he do anything to you?" As he asked, he glared furiously at Gu Qingfeng, sword pointed, as if ready to attack without hesitation at the girl's word.
"Senior Brother, you've misunderstood! It's not like that... He saved me!"
"He saved you?" The man scrutinized Gu Qingfeng up and down, seeming somewhat skeptical.
"Mhmm!" The young girl, wearing a purple dress and looking petite and adorable, turned around and hurriedly thanked Gu Qingfeng. "This... Young Lord, thank you for saving me."
Gu Qingfeng responded with a faint smile and a nod, then, without another word, turned to leave.
"Wait." A clear, cool voice sounded. Gu Qingfeng turned back, looking questioningly at the speaker—the white-clad woman. She spoke with a hint of apology, "Just now, my Junior Brother was worried about our Junior Sister's safety, leading to a misunderstanding. Please forgive us, Young Lord."
Gu Qingfeng replied indifferently, "It's of no consequence."
"Thank you for saving my Junior Sister earlier. I am Shui Yunruo, a cultivator from Taixing Cave. This is my Junior Brother, Bai Yunfei, and our Junior Sister, Mu Xiaoyou." The white-clad woman, who seemed like mist and clouds, introduced herself softly, then inquired, "Might I ask your esteemed name, Young Lord?"
Gu Qingfeng, who had been about to leave, paused when he heard the woman was from Taixing Cave. A flicker of something unusual passed through his eyes. Looking at the three, he asked, "You are from Taixing Cave?"
The man named Bai Yunfei sheathed his sword and responded proudly, "Indeed!"
"Taixing Cave..." Gu Qingfeng murmured the name, as if recalling an old friend, fragments of long-lost memories surfacing in his mind. Remembering the woman's name was Shui Yunruo, he asked further, "Your surname is Shuiyun? Do you know Shui Yunying?"
"Hmph! How dare you utter the name of our Taixing Cave Master so directly!" Bai Yunfei barked sharply. "If not for the fact you saved my Junior Sister, I'd make you regret it today..."
"Junior Brother, mind your manners!" Shui Yunruo chided lightly. Bai Yunfei snorted coldly and fell silent.
"Shui Yunying is precisely my master's name," Shui Yunruo replied, her somewhat hazy eyes gazing at Gu Qingfeng with growing puzzlement.
Indeed, Taixing Cave was a reclusive cave sect, rarely known to ordinary people. Her master, Shui Yunying, was a hidden expert. Some elders from major sects or families in the surrounding regions might know of Taixing Cave's existence or perhaps her master's renowned title, the Shuiyun True Person. But as for her master's actual name, even she, as a disciple, had only learned it by chance. Shui Yunruo truly couldn't understand how this young man could know her master's name.
Gu Qingfeng merely smiled faintly and said nothing, only feeling it was quite unexpected to encounter people from Taixing Cave here, and that one of them was a disciple of Shui Yunying. After a moment's thought, he inquired, "Your master... is she... well?"
This question from Gu Qingfeng left Shui Yunruo momentarily stunned.
What did he mean, 'is she well'? That was the kind of greeting exchanged between acquaintances, wasn't it? Although this person before her seemed rather peculiar, judging from the natural spiritual aura emanating from him, his cultivation was merely at the True Body realm. Could he possibly know her master? That seemed unlikely, didn't it?
Baffled, Shui Yunruo nodded and replied haltingly, "My master... has always been well."
"That's good." Gu Qingfeng had initially wanted to ask more about Shui Yunying, because after being expelled from Yunxia Sect back then, he had spent some time at Taixing Cave. As for Shui Yunying... she was a woman he felt he owed a debt to.
"Young Lord, do you know my master?"
"I've heard of her." Gu Qingfeng smiled again, asked no further questions, simply gave a parting nod, and left.
"Young Lord, Young Lord..." Shui Yunruo called out, but Gu Qingfeng did not turn back, only waved a hand before quickly departing.
Watching Gu Qingfeng's retreating figure, Shui Yunruo couldn't help but sink into deep thought. The more she pondered, the stranger it seemed. For a young man to know her master's name was strange in itself, but for him to also ask if her master was well? And then claim he didn't know her, only had heard of her? How could someone who didn't know her master, only knew her name, ask about her well-being? That clearly defied logic.
What puzzled Shui Yunruo even more was that she had been using her divine sense to probe him the entire time and was absolutely certain his cultivation was indeed only at the True Body realm. Yet what she couldn't comprehend was how, when her Junior Brother executed the Taixing Sword Art, the other party had simply waved his hand and neutralized it without even mobilizing spiritual power, relying purely on physical strength. How could his physical body be so formidable? Her Junior Brother was a seventh-revolution Golden Core True Person. Although he hadn't used his colored spirit power, that sword strike contained the power of a seventh-revolution Golden Core, augmented by fifty-four layers of Taixing Profound Mysteries. An ordinary person would have been utterly unable to withstand it. Yet he had dissolved that strike with a mere wave of his hand.