Nine Evolutions of the True Spirit
chapter-335-30041322

"Junior Uncle, where are we going?"

Lu Ping hurriedly followed Liang Xuan-Feng towards the center of Silver Sword Island.

"Run, we must run from this island."

Liang Xuan-Feng answered solemnly without slowing his pace. Although he retained his dashing demeanor, Lu Ping picked up the subtlest hint of distress in his eyes.

Lu Ping was hesitant. "Junior Uncle, I don’t think it’s appropriate to leave right now."

Liang Xuan-Feng looked askance at him, then he sighed and said, "Great Ancestor Kong Shang is just the beginning, the island won’t hold up long against the monster tide. We have to leave before the island closes the teleportation formation, effectively forcing those on the island to help defend against the invasion."

Lu Ping finally recognized the severity of the situation. He sucked in a long breath of cold air to calm his unsettled heart, then replied in a hushed voice, "We should alert the other cultivators about this, save as many lives as we can."

Liang Xuan-Feng immediately chided him, "How many would believe you? The Sky Cleaving Sword Sect will not abandon the island, not until the last moment. This is especially so as one of its three main islands. The sect won’t hesitate to kill you for affecting the island’s morale if you alert the cultivators."

Alarmed, Lu Ping kept silent. So Sky Cleaving Sword Sect knows about the invasion, but it’s not alerting the cultivators just so they’ll stay and defend the island, or at least, somehow slow down the onslaught.

Great Ancestor Kong Shang had taken all of Great Ancestor Miao-Jian’s attention, so when the duo arrived at the teleportation formation, it was still active. In fact, there were many cultivators that were coming in to help after hearing that monsters had breached the island.

Liang Xuan-Feng and Lu Ping exchanged a look—long-distance teleportation required more time and an entire set of processes, but they had no time to go through all of that now.

"To Golden Sword Island."

Liang Xuan-Feng passed over a bag of spirit stones to the officer in charge, then they entered the formation. The teleportation formation started shining with a white light when suddenly, a team of sword cultivators rushed towards them.

The team leader approached the officer and said something inaudibly. Immediately after that, the officer swiftly turned around and ordered his crew, "Close the teleportation formation, from now on, no one shall leave the island!"

But it was too late. As the teleportation formation shone brightly, Liang Xuan-Feng and Lu Ping quickly disappeared.

…

Three days had passed since Liang Xuan-Feng and Lu Ping left Silver Sword Island. After they teleported to Golden Sword Island, they made their way to Qian Yuan City. At such a time, long-distance teleportation was clearly an effective and efficient mode of transport.

If not for the additional time, the hefty fees, the troublesome process of applying for spots and divulging their destination to the officers, they would’ve reached Qian Yuan Island three days ago.

During these three days, Lu Ping briefed Liang Xuan-Feng about important events that happened to him in the past few years.

Liang Xuan-Feng nodded in approval and commended him, "I didn’t expect you would actually raise a power of your own in Fallen Rift. That place is full of treasures, so if you manage your group right, you won’t have to worry about cultivation resources anymore. What a pity. If not for the urgency, we could stop by your Wave Listening House for a visit."

Lu Ping asked curiously, "Junior Uncle, why the hurry? We only need two days to visit Ashen Mountain Island. Don’t we have time?"

"I’m afraid we can’t. I’ve received Great Ancestor Tian-Xiang’s order; we are to return immediately to Shocking Sting Island. Rest well tonight, we leave tomorrow at first light for the depths of Fallen Rift. There shouldn’t be any danger ahead of us, but we must remain cautious as the human-monster war has begun. Move slowly and quietly—it will take us half a month to get there."

Lu Ping hesitated for a second, "Junior Uncle, are you here for Melodious Inn’s Enlightened Master Mei?"

Liang Xuan-Feng looked deeply at him, then said, "That is correct."

"Has she advanced to the Avatar Realm yet?"

"No, not yet, but she has made it through the most dangerous phase of fusing the Heaven-class wonder item and forged an eighth-grade Golden Core. There remains some obstacles to overcome, but they pose no challenge to her. She can take care of the rest on her own now."

As Liang Xuan-Feng spoke, a hint of envy flitted in his eyes. After some thought, he warned Lu Ping, "She is… heavily related to the sect, but now is not the time for answers. Do not ask or mention her anymore, it will do no good to anyone."

After one night’s rest, the duo was about to leave when they heard a piece of news that shook the East Ocean.

Silver Sword Island had fallen to the monsters!

The East Ocean immediately fell into an uproar!

The Sky Cleaving Sword Sect was one of the top five sects in the East Ocean, and Silver Sword Island was one of its three main bases. The island was guarded by a Great Ancestor all year round, so it wasn’t possible that the island would fall so easily in just three days!

Soon, more details arrived and revealed the situation, shocking all those who heard it.

As the initiator of the war, the Kun race spearheaded the battle with three Great Ancestors, including Kong Shang. The other monster races had also dispatched three Great Ancestors. In total, six Great Ancestors had participated in the siege of Silver Sword Island.

In response, the Sky Cleaving Sword Sect sent out another Great Ancestor, and the sects nearby also reinforced the island with two Great Ancestors. But the human Great Ancestors still fell short in number and were overcome in the end.

The human Great Ancestors had injured two monster Great Ancestors with the help of the island’s protective formation. Unfortunately, Sky Cleaving Sword Sect’s Great Ancestor Wu-Jian, who had come to support the island, was left with severe wounds.

After the island’s protective formation was breached, a bloody battle had ensued. Both races suffered heavy casualties, with the humans eventually suffering the greatest losses and forced to retreat, leaving the island behind for the monsters to seize.

According to the news, more than thirty human Enlightened Masters died in the siege and many more injured, not to mention the casualties among the Blood Condensation Realm disciples.

On the other side, the monster race suffered even heavier casualties of more than forty Enlightened Masters due to the protective formation, but the treasures obtained from capturing Silver Sword Island were enough to cover their losses.

Rumor had it that Great Ancestor Kong Shang had initiated the invasion to avenge one of his fallen grandsons who had been killed by a human cultivator.

The rivalry between the human and monster race had been a long time coming. It was only natural that they would kill and be killed by each other. Perhaps, Great Ancestor Kong Shang was genuinely furious about Kong Liang’s death, but the monster race as a whole was mostly using this matter as an excuse to launch an invasion.

As the rumor spread, the identity of the mystery human cultivator who killed Kong Liang began to gain a lot of attention. Many talents were suspected but no one could confirm anything.

At this time, this mystery man was following Liang Xuan-Feng as they carefully threaded their way into the depths of Fallen Rift. The inner layer was occupied by the various power forces from the human sects, monster races, and also powerful independents.

Most islands were guarded by at least one Late Core Forging Realm Enlightened Master, and some even had Avatar Realm Great Ancestors stationed on the island. The precarious situation in Fallen Rift made it evident that trust and bonds were almost non-existent between the races. Everyone here would exercise extreme caution and assume the others were hostile.

As a result, Liang Xuan-Feng deliberately released a faint trace of his Late Core Forging Realm cultivation base. This would keep the others at bay so they could safely travel to their destination.

Just like that, they flew for a dozen days until they spotted a medium-sized island in the distance.

As Zhen Ling Sect’s outpost in the East Ocean, Shocking Sting Island was guarded all year round by one of the three Mid Avatar Realm Great Ancestors, Great Ancestor Tian-Xiang.

Before the two could reach the island, two cultivators carefully approached them.

"Is this Senior Brother Xuan-Feng?"

Liang Xuan-Feng laughed. "Xuan-Rong, Xuan-Tong? Yes, I’m Xuan-Feng."

As they closed the distance, Lu Ping finally saw the two cultivators clearly. Both looked to be in their forties, but Xuan-Rong had a mustache and Xuan-Tong didn’t.

"Senior Brother, this is…?"

Xuan-Rong saw Lu Ping and asked curiously.

"Hahaha, this is Senior Sister Xuan-Ling’s disciple, Lu Xuan-Ping."

Liang Xuan-Feng pointed at Lu Ping and introduced him to the two.

Lu Ping bowed slightly. "Greetings to the junior martial uncles."

Xuan-Rong and Xuan-Tong looked at each other in surprise. "Spare the formality, Junior Nephew Xuan-Ping."

Then, Xuan-Rong looked at Lu Ping’s young appearance and said, "We’ve heard about the male disciple Senior Sister Xuan-Ling accepted a dozen years ago. The Eighth Layer Blood Condensation Realm young disciple who went missing during the monster tide. It’s been a few years since then, and look at you now, a Core Forging Realm Enlightened Master young pillar. How amazing."

Although Xuan-Rong and Xuan-Tong addressed him as a nephew, they spoke to him like they were equals.

Lu Ping smiled back. "I was lucky to come out alive from that trap. I ended up in the East Ocean and broke through to the Core Forging Realm here."

Xuan-Tong nodded in sympathy. "We’ve heard of what happened. Senior Sister Xuan-Ling took matters into her own hands, so you returned just in time for a great show."

Lu Ping didn’t quite understand, while Liang Xuan-Feng looked startled. After a moment’s pause, he said joyfully, "Could it be…"

Xuan-Tong nodded. "That’s right, Senior Sister Xuan-Ling has made it. She is now the sect’s eighth Avatar Realm Great Ancestor. A month from now, she will be having her Avatar Realm forum. The various sect representatives will be attending to congratulate her advancement. I believe Junior Nephew Lu’s return will multiply her joy even more."

Elated, Lu Ping asked, "Is that true?"

But he quickly realized that this was essentially doubting his junior martial uncles, as if he was questioning their credibility.

Xuan-Tong didn’t take it to heart as he could understand Lu Ping’s joy, so he smiled and reassured him, "Of course it’s true. Come, let’s return to the island. Junior Uncle Tian-Xiang has been waiting for Senior Brother Xuan-Feng."

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Editor: MilkBiscuit