HSSB1142: Operation Capturing Crane begins
Descendant of the World beyond Worlds’ Rinsing Flower Sect, Martial Grandmaster Li Lin.
This was the current identity of Martial Saint Xue Chuqing.
She had intentionally entered the ranks of the disciples of the Rinsing Flower Sect who had descended to a lower world around ten years ago, having kept a low profile within that lower world thereafter.
Now that a new batch of disciples from the Rinsing Flower Sect had descended to the lower world, their group was off rotation and should be returning to the World beyond Worlds.
Xue Chueqing did not try to stay in that lower world while the others returned, knowing that any overly deliberate actions would be discovered by her pursuers. After all, the people looking for her had eyes that were sharper than hawks; and what better place to hide a pile of leaves than in a forest?
The fate of the Rinsing Flower Sect’s disciple, Li Lin, was already destined to be very ordinary.
After returning to the World beyond Worlds from the lower world, she would perish in some unfortunate accident when out adventuring outside. This would avoid drawing any attention aside from those of the Rinsing Flower Sect whom she was closer to.
If she vanished in a lower world, where the so-called danger grounds were not all that perilous for any peak experts, it would naturally cause a greater commotion.
It was different in the World beyond Worlds, where countless people vanished every day.
Xue Chuqing was already well acquainted with this kind of lifestyle.
In order to avoid her location being locked down, she could not linger in the same place for too long.
Once in a blue moon, out of reverse psychology considerations, she would utilise her real name. Still, she went under aliases when hiding most of the time just like this.
While it seemed like her days of living as a fugitive would never end, Xue Chuqing was not eternally filled with panic and dread.
Even as she remained vigilant at all times, she possessed optimism that allowed her to obtain happiness even in the toughest of times.
This could be seen in how she was feeling troubled right now not about having to flee again but regarding her seniority issue with Yan Di.
“Tsk, how frustrating!” Xue Chuqing thought hatefully, “We cannot calculate it from that angle of Grand Master, grandparents and whatnot. We are not of the same lineage anyway, so it does not matter. Yup, that’s how it is!”
“What’s with you, junior apprentice-sister Li?” Someone asked her curiously, “Could it be that you cannot bring yourself to leave this place?”
Xue Chuqing, or rather, Li Lin, regained her wits, shaking her head in reply. “Of course not! I am also feeling regretful on not being able to make it for the grand occasion that is the Heavenly Mysteries Pavilion’s third anniversary.”
Everyone agreed with her, with someone saying, “That’s right. While our chances would not be great, how great would it be if we were selected by Chief and the Elders to go along with them in attending the auction.”
“If we were in the World beyond Worlds, there would at least be a chance. Down here, there is completely no chance at all.”
“It is the same for this new batch of fellow disciples that has descended. Speaking of this, they should probably be feeling even more regretful than us.”
Everyone continued with their discussion as Xue Chuqing fell silent again.
She actually did not feel regretful like the rest.
Xue Chuqing actually knew more than these disciples of the Rinsing Flower Sect.
They only knew how powerful the Heavenly Mysteries Pavilion was in addition to how close they were with the lineage of Northern High Peak’s Jade Capital Crag.
As for Xue Chuqing, she had only needed to hear that the one in charge of the Heavenly Mysteries Pavilion was Xiao Ai to know that this was the handiwork of Broad Creed Mountain, of her son and husband.
Still, she did not intend to go and look for Yan Zhaoge and Yan Di right now.
Despite being skilled in the dao of divination and possessing a wondrous treasure in the form of half the River Diagram, she never divined anything about Broad Creed Mountain so as to avoid others who were looking for her via divination finding traces of and targeting Yan Zhaoge and Yan Di.
While she had heard that Broad Creed Mountain had already gained stable footing in the World beyond Worlds and had a backer like the Sword Sovereign, she was even more vigilant as a result.
Those searching for her would be waiting for her to let down her guard specifically due to something like this; as a result, it was even more important for Xue Chuqing to be patient, despite how much she missed her family.
How was thinking about the matter of seniority between her and Yan Di for fun not a way to take her mind off things?
Xue Chuqing appeared perfectly normal outwardly as she rose into the air alongside her fellow disciples of the Rinsing Flower Sect, passing through the wound of the sky and returning to the World beyond Worlds beneath the protection of a treasure of the sect.
While she had already long since surpassed the third level of the Martial Saint realm, she would naturally act like everyone else at this time.
Still, as Xue Chuqing traversed the wound of the sky, some unease suddenly surfaced within her heart, a faint sense of crisis setting off a warning bell for her.
If this was really a minor crisis for her that was of no import, it should feel faint but distinct.
What she was sensing now that was weak to the point of being virtually indiscernible, almost like a hallucination-there could only be a single explanation for it.
An expert who was extremely proficient in the dao of formations was obscuring her senses!
While she appeared normal outwardly, faint light instantly flickered within Xue Chuqing’s left pupil.
“It cannot be viewed clearly even through the River Diagram…” Xue Chuqing knit her brows.
……
At this moment, jade green light was surging into the skies atop a mountain peak of the World beyond Worlds.
The green light transformed into all-encompassing radiance which expanded into the surrounding heavens and earth. As it expanded, the light gradually faded under the watchful eye of a figure atop the mountain.
A person’s voice still seemed to be reverberating by his ear.
The owner of the voice was that of the disciple of the Earth Exalt Wang Zhengcheng, the Earth Spirit Lord Li Junxin.
“This talisman originates from the Upper Exalt. The foundation of the Upper Exalt is the Origin Heavenly Scripture of the Earlier Heaven Three Scriptures of the Jade Clear lineage, one of the greatest divination techniques beneath the heavens.”
“This talisman can suppress the acute senses of that Snow Crane who can virtually sniff out and foresee danger before it even approaches her, even disrupting that half a River Diagram of hers.”
“If Master’s projections are correct, this chance should be arriving soon. Please project the general location so that we can better find clues and obtain accurate information.”
“With the help of the Upper Exalt’s talisman, even if the Snow Crane changes her position, we will still be able to track her for a certain period of time.”
“It is just that the time we have is ultimately limited. If we miss out on this chance, it would be even more difficult to trap this Snow Crane again.”
“At the same time, while Master already has suitable preparations in place for if that father and son of Broad Creed Mountain detect any abnormalities, it would be best to take care of things quickly just in case.”
“Having trapped that Snow Crane, you can decide whether to kill her or not. Still, please remember that Master wants to look through the various treasures that she has on her.”
The other party had not seemed worried that he might take all the treasures for himself.
Still, he indeed had not the time to consider so many things now.
To him, the best case scenario was him eliminating Xue Chuqing with that father and son of Broad Creed Mountain wholly unaware. That would be the greatest fortune. Otherwise, there would be endless potential trouble.
Sighing, he closed his eyes and silently performed a divination.
After a long time, his eyes abruptly opened before he vanished from the spot, speeding off in a certain direction.