Li Chejing stood on the towering light gray walls, gazing down at the frenzied beasts below in silence.
His appearance was untouched by the passage of time. He still retained his youthful appearance, though his demeanor now carried the weight of maturity.
Fighting at the southern border for the past five years had honed his swordsmanship to a remarkable degree.
Mastering various sword techniques of the sect, Li Chejing had carved a name for himself. Everyone knew about the existence of a formidable little sword immortal with unparalleled swordsmanship.
Wiping the blood from his longsword, Li Chejing exhaled deeply. A wisp of pure white spiritual qi escaped his lips as he faced the rising sun.
“Yi Mountain City truly stands strong,” another disciple from the Azure Pond Sect remarked with a smile. He was none other than Deng Qiuzhi, with dharma beads hovering on his hand.
Li Chejing nodded, then consumed the spirit elixir in his hand and concentrated on recovering his mana as swiftly as possible so that he could handle the upcoming wave of enemies more easily.
“Great, this is just our luck. The moment we’re assigned to Yi Mountain City, we’re greeted by not one, but multiple beast tides!” Deng Qiuzhi remarked with a cold sneer. The sarcasm in his tone drew the attention of those around him.
Observing Li Chejing’s unwavering concentration on his cultivation, Deng Qiuzhi sat down and murmured ominously, “It’s unfortunate that the others have to die here simply because these beasts want to devour you and me.”
“He's losing it again...”
“Isn’t that typical of the Deng Family?”
Murmurs began to spread among the crowd as curious and wary eyes fixed on Deng Qiuzhi.
Li Chejing frowned upon noticing the murmurs and said, “Enough chatter. Focus on replenishing your mana unless you fancy needing to be rescued once more.”
Deng Qiuzhi appeared to be caught off guard by the comment and began laughing while shaking his head.
However, a sudden cheer from below interrupted them. “They’re retreating! The beasts are finally retreating!”
The siege of the beasts had finally ended, offering the defenders a much-needed respite. Joy erupted as they descended from the city walls.
Li Chejing, too, allowed a rare smile to grace his lips, pondering over writing a letter home as he made his way down.
Deng Qiuzhi followed behind him persistently. Facing the dazzling morning sun, he smiled and asked, “Doesn’t something feel off to you?”
“In what way?” Li Chejing raised an eyebrow at him as he returned his sword to its sheath.
He looked at Deng Qiuzhi and teased, “You’ve been acting rather peculiar lately. Could it be that delving deeply into that cultivation method has caused a qi deviation?”
The two had weathered countless battles together on the southern border for over five years. The initial misunderstanding between them had long been forgotten and transformed into a deep bond of camaraderie.
“Every time we’re at our limit, the beast tide just conveniently withdraws as if on cue. Curious, isn’t it?” Deng Qiuzhi asked smilingly, yet his eyes shone with seriousness.
“The battle has left every disciple here exhausted, not just us,” Li Chejing dismissed him, smiling as he greeted one of the men at his side.
Deng Qiuzhi patted him on the shoulder and then said, “Think about it; If you were the demon king, would you squander your forces in vain? Why not consume their hearts yourself to bolster your power? Do you really think these demonic beasts are enough to breach Yi Mountain City? It’s foolish to send these beasts to the enemies from the three sects and seven gates.”
He continued, “And if the demon king truly wants to kill the disciples of the sect, it could just send these beast tides relentlessly to wear us down. These intermittent, half-hearted assaults seemed more like feeding us than fighting us...”
Li Chejing greeted another passerby with a smile, interrupting Deng Qiuzhi. Feeling annoyed, Deng Qiuzhi glared at him and leaned in toward his ear, whispering, “Do you know when was the last time Yi Mountain City was breached?”
With a smile on his face, Li Chejing replied, “Twenty-five years back, a catastrophe occurred that claimed the lives of many from the three sects and seven gates. Among them was Yu Yuxie, a cultivator of the Foundation Establishment Realm, who had practiced the Coiling Qi Jade True Technique and absorbed the Supreme Yin Moonlight.”
Shock filled Deng Qiuzhi’s eyes as he stuttered in realization, “So... you knew...”
“Of course,” Li Chejing affirmed with a smile. Both of them ascended the mountain silently and entered the cave dwelling where Li Chejing stayed.
Once inside, Li Chejing cast a spell to isolate themselves from the outside world to protect their privacy. He then turned to Deng Qiuzhi with a solemn look.
“It’s been five years since I came to this hell hole. I’ve read every document available in the city. With what happened in the Mushroom Forest Plain, of course, I can tell that something's amiss. But one question remains—when will they act? How long are they going to continue feeding me...? But you... why are you here too?”
Deng Qiuzhi clenched his fists and replied through gritted teeth, “The Azure Pond Sect has long stopped the legacy of the Supreme Yin Moonlight. Due to the unique constitution of the Deng Family members, every generation of the family is coerced into practicing that secret technique to refine a panacea to trade with the demon king of the southern border for spirit resources.”
“The secret technique wasn’t perfected in earlier years, so everyone in my family who practiced it eventually lost their minds. With modifications made to the secret technique progressively over the centuries, practicing it no longer affects us mentally. However, we have to continue feigning madness...”
Li Chejing listened in silence, taking off his robe and settling at the stone table where he began to prepare tea.
Deng Qiuzhi sighed deeply, then said, “I took a look at the spirit elixirs and pills provided by the sect... All of them have lasting effects... They’re meant for... refining Human Pills.”
“Human Pills?” Li Chejing filled their tea cups to the brim, his tone remaining light despite the dark topic. “I wonder which demon king in the southern border is aiming for a breakthrough. That’s really a huge deal.”
Although Deng Qiuzhi felt slightly better after seeing the smile on Li Chejing’s face, he could not help but remark in exasperation, “I can’t believe you can still laugh about this.”
“What choice do we have?” Li Chejing shook his head and continued, “The Azure Pond Sect is extremely powerful. Both of our fates are already sealed. If I were to perish here, it would be seen as a sacrifice for the sect on the surface. At least my family would receive compensation and gain something from it. We can’t simply flee and bring destruction upon our family.”
Deng Qiuzhi sipped on his tea, then hung his head indignantly. “You have a point... But to think that our lives are mere fodder for demons...!”
The smile on Li Chejing’s face faded, replaced by a somber expression as he said, “We’re nothing but fish on the chopping block, subject to the whims of those more powerful. Your family has endured through generations, haven’t they? The Azure Pond Sect’s reign may have spanned five centuries, but nothing lasts forever. There will come a day of decline. As long as our families endure and continue to quietly amass strength, there will come a time for vengeance.”
“Immortal cultivators live long lives. Rarely does the retribution of today get resolved tomorrow. Each generation has its own mission to carry out.”
He slowly rose from his seat, his gaze resting on the sword in his hand. “Our duty lies in sustaining the Azure Pond Sect, providing our families a moment of respite amidst the turmoil. But beyond that, what can we do? It’s not as though we can attain the Purple Mansion Realm overnight and force the Azure Pond Sect to retract their commands. We must play the long game.”
Settling into a meditative posture, Deng Qiuzhi echoed the sentiment with a heavy heart, “Escape is not an option. Fleeing Yi Mountain City would only spell doom for our families back home.”