Celestial Taoist

Chapter 25 Paying Homage to the Mountain

The swordsman in the distance was dressed in plain clothes, with a long sword wrapped in tattered cloth hanging at his waist, and he was walking slowly with his head down.

Li Mofan stepped forward and clasped his hands in greeting: "Young hero, please wait. We two are passing through this place and have unfortunately lost our way. May I ask where this place is? We would be grateful if you could point us in the right direction."

The man paused slightly upon seeing the two armored figures, then extended a calloused, cracked hand. Before Li Mofan could fully comprehend what was happening, a piece of silver was tossed from behind him, landing steadily in the hand.

The swordsman put away the silver and cupped his hands, saying, "Please ask, both of you."

"What major sects and powerful forces are around here?" Su Qingyao asked more directly.

The swordsman's gaze swept over Su Qingyao, and his voice became noticeably more fervent.

"Fairy, follow this bluestone path straight behind me. At the end is Xiaoyao Forest, the largest gathering place for martial arts practitioners in the area. People from all walks of life and various sects often gather there."

"In the immediate vicinity, Black Knife Tower is openly in control, while Lianhuan Dock, a water stronghold, also occupies the surrounding mountains and rivers. Ordinary travelers should simply stay on the main stone road and avoid venturing into the depths of the mountains and marshes to avoid trouble. As for the famous sects, they are a bit further away from here. Currently, within a radius of a hundred miles, the Jianghu situation is divided into three parts: Xiaoyao Forest, Black Knife Tower, and Lianhuan Dock."

Li Mofan glanced at Su Qingyao, who clearly had some understanding of this world, so he simply kept quiet and waited for her to ask a question.

Su Qingyao immediately stepped forward and stood beside Li Mofan: "Where is the nearest prestigious sect?"

"Reporting to the fairy, about three hundred miles southeast of here is the Wanjian Sect, the largest sect in Qingzhou, but they are a bit... a bit unwelcoming."

Upon hearing this, Su Qingyao quietly produced a silver ingot the size of a quail egg in her palm. She tossed the silver ingot around before saying, "It's alright, do you have a map on you?"

After obtaining the map, the two took to the air and flew southeast.

Seeing the two fly away, the swordsman's expression changed. He disdainfully wiped the silver in his hand in the grass beside him, muttering to himself, "Such superb lightness skill, she must be some old hag in disguise. Bah, what bad luck!"

In a short while, a considerable distance had grown between the two in the sky. The wind whistled in his ears, and beads of sweat began to appear on Li Mofan's forehead. With the map in Su Qingyao's hands, he could only grit his teeth and shout, "Captain! Wait for me! I can't keep up!"

Su Qingyao, who was ahead, glanced back at him, slowed down, and hovered in mid-air to wait: "So useless? You're already struggling so much after just forming your Dao Foundation. Are you afraid your foundation is unstable?"

Li Mofan quickly sped up and rushed to her side, explaining, "It's not that I'm flying slowly, it's that you're too amazing, Captain, you're flying so fast..." As he spoke, he inadvertently leaned closer, and the faint fragrance of Su Qingyao lingered around his nose.

Su Qingyao seemed to sense his approach and shifted her body slightly to the side, but did not fly too fast. However, her tone remained sharp: "Useless trash, keep up. I'll slow down. If you can't even keep up with this speed, you'll only embarrass me when we encounter the Wanjian Sect later."

With that, she turned and continued on her way, slowing down considerably so that Li Mofan could keep up steadily. The two flew side by side among the clouds, with rolling green hills and clear waters below them. The wind ruffled their clothes, and occasionally wisps of cloud drifted by.

More than half an hour later, a magnificent cluster of buildings vaguely appeared among the distant mountains. Su Qingyao pointed to the cluster of buildings, her tone becoming more serious: "The Ten Thousand Swords Sect is just ahead, but I don't know how strong they are." As she spoke, she increased her speed, leaving Li Mofan far behind.

Before the gates of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect, a neat row of disciples dressed in blue robes and with long swords at their waists stood, numbering about twenty or thirty. Each of them had a solemn expression, wide-open eyes, and their long swords were drawn half an inch from their sheaths, gleaming coldly. Their auras were tense as they stared intently at Su Qingyao in the sky.

Above the mountain gate, the disciples on duty held bows and arrows, the bowstrings drawn taut, the arrowheads pointing straight to the sky, their eyes alert, not daring to even breathe loudly.

Su Qingyao landed on an open ground not far from the mountain gate. Her dark armor stood out conspicuously among the disciples in green robes. She remained calm, her spiritual energy subtly receding. Her gaze swept lightly over the Wanjian Sect disciples who looked like they were facing a formidable enemy. A hint of surprise flashed in her eyes before she regained her composure.

Li Mofan quickly landed beside her and lowered his voice, saying, "Captain, they... they think we're the enemy?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the middle-aged man in dark blue, dressed in a tight-fitting outfit, strode forward, his long sword pointed directly at Su Qingyao and Li Mofan. His tone was icy and chilling, filled with intense wariness and hostility: "Who goes there? How dare you trespass on the territory of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect! State your name immediately, or don't blame us for being merciless!"

As his words fell, the Wanjian Sect disciples around him gripped their swords tightly, their expressions growing increasingly fierce, and their arrows were all pointed at the two men, instantly lowering the atmosphere to an icy level. Su Qingyao raised her eyes to look at the middle-aged man, saying nothing, but only slightly turning her head to glance at Li Mofan out of the corner of her eye. Her eyes were slightly raised, and her chin was slightly tilted, her expression and actions making it all too clear—she was clearly too lazy to get entangled with the other party, signaling Li Mofan to step forward and explain, as if she wanted her underlings to handle the situation.

Li Mofan understood immediately and stepped forward, blocking Su Qingyao's path by half a step: "My master and I are descendants of the hidden sect, Tianfa Sword Sect. Today, my master and I are passing through this place and have come to pay our respects to the sect leader of Wanjian Sect. We have no ill intentions and ask that you inform us."

As soon as he finished speaking, the middle-aged man's eyes narrowed, and he subconsciously gripped his longsword, but he did not immediately attack. His gaze swept over Su Qingyao and Li Mofan repeatedly. Although he did not know their true strength, he knew that the speed at which the two had arrived by flying through the air far exceeded the level of the top martial arts masters in Qingzhou.

The middle-aged man's tone remained cold, but now held a hint of caution: "A successor of a reclusive sect? Hmph, my Ten Thousand Swords Sect has existed for a thousand years, and we never easily receive people of unknown identity. Since you've come to pay your respects, you must abide by the rules of my Ten Thousand Swords Sect—those who come to pay their respects must fight one of our disciples. If they win, they can meet the sect master; if they lose, please leave on your own, and don't blame my Ten Thousand Swords Sect for being rude!"

Upon hearing this, the Wanjian Sect disciples around them all lowered their swords by half an inch. Their expressions remained solemn, but they were no longer as tense as before.

Upon hearing this, Su Qingyao raised an eyebrow slightly, a hint of amusement flashing in her eyes, but she still didn't speak. She only glanced at Li Mofan with a slight tilt of her head, her eyes clearly indicating that he should step forward to deal with the situation, still looking like she was too lazy to bother.

Li Mofan understood and stepped forward, his expression calm: "Since your sect has such a rule, we should abide by it. I will fight on behalf of my master. Please send someone to fight me."

Seeing this, the middle-aged man became even more certain that the two were very confident. Not daring to delay, he immediately turned around and shouted loudly towards the mountain gate, "Please invite Elder Xuanfeng!"

As soon as the words were spoken, a series of steady footsteps came from inside the mountain gate, and a figure slowly walked out. It was an old man with white hair, wearing a blue sword robe, with an ancient longsword hanging at his waist, and his eyes were bright and piercing.

Elder Xuanfeng walked to the middle-aged man's side, his gaze sweeping over Su Qingyao and Li Mofan. His tone was calm and authoritative: "So it's you two who want to pay respects to the sect leader. Are you willing to pass my test?"

Li Mofan bowed respectfully and said, "It is indeed I. I would like to ask the elder to witness the sword pellet technique of my Heavenly Slaughter Sword Sect." After speaking, he quietly activated his Dao Foundation, and a golden ball shot out.