Chapter 138: The Moving Castle

"Why does it seem like there are two places?" Yuan Qingling noticed something was amiss. The thunderclouds, which were originally converging on a single location, now showed a tendency to split toward another area.

This meant that people in two different places were committing acts that provoked the wrath of both heaven and earth, whether similar or distinct.

"Should we split up?"

"No, absolutely not. We cannot separate. Uncle-Master, back then, Eldest Senior Brother and I lost each other precisely after we separated."

"We'll go to the place where the thunderclouds first gathered," Yuan Qingling made the final decision.

If that latter location truly was the result of his Master's actions, then she certainly wouldn't want him leading people rushing over there. He knew his Master's capabilities well; his Master could not possibly meet with any misfortune. The only ones who could be in trouble were Eldest Senior Brother and his faction.

What about Yang Wennan's mishap? How did he inexplicably end up lame? Did it seem related to the ancient, exterminated Soul Clan?

And had his Master also taken in a junior disciple-brother?

It was rumored to be the only conscious child rescued from the hundred-ghost banquet of the Demon Clan?

Furthermore, the servants used by the demons to capture people bore tattoos formerly used by the White Deer Group's slaves?

Weighing it all up, protecting Eldest Senior Brother's side would clearly demonstrate more value!

"Are you certain?" Shan Hongxing did not object.

He had secretly undermined Wen Jinge a bit. Now that Wen Jinge was dead, he no longer needed to worry about whether that old demon could track Wen Jinge down, lifting that psychological burden from his shoulders.

As for Wen Jinge's disciples, he would save them if he could.

He would do his utmost and leave the rest to fate!

"I'm certain. Let's go find Eldest Senior Brother first, and then go collect my Master's corpse. Anything that has ever existed in this world will inevitably leave traces. To be honest with you," Yuan Qingling let out a chuckle, "in my imagination, my Master's exit should be tragic and heroic, certainly not such an inexplicable self-inflicted suicide. Just wait and see! Master will definitely return."

"Listen to you and your rebellious talk!" Shan Hongxing sighed. He realized that this time down the mountain, he was living more and more like that person from the past.

Back then, his own Master used to sigh like that too, filled with helpless resignation as he watched his disciples bicker and play.

Only one person had always been quiet in front of the Master, sitting upright and proper. Although she mostly dozed off during the Master's lectures, she was always the one who made the fastest progress in her assignments.

Once the Master was gone, she would stir up trouble in the sect like a duck taking to water, lying with a straight face. Many elders had come to the Master to complain about her back then, but she put on such a flawless act in front of the Master that he couldn't bring himself to scold her. To appease the public anger, he had no choice but to ruthlessly throw her into various large and small illusion realms.

At that time, the Master was always sighing as well. When asked what he was sighing about, the Master would reply that she would understand when she grew up.

Later... Wen Jinge's personality changed drastically. Her swordsmanship reached the pinnacle, yet she rarely showed her face, remaining unseen throughout all four seasons of the year. Then later, when Feng Ling ran into trouble, she acted like a hound catching the scent of meat—just as Feng Ling got into trouble, she hurried over on the heels of the disaster to save the day.

After that, there were numerous instances of her coming to the rescue, with far too many coincidences. Many voices within the sect claimed she was doing it on purpose, acting as both the perpetrator and the savior...

Before long, those voices died down.

Wanzhang Peak was sealed off. Aside from Wen Jinge herself opening the mountain, no one was permitted to enter Wanzhang Peak.

"Master..." Lu Feiyu sensed something amiss with his emotional state, and felt that his Master, who had just entered the Second Grade, vaguely showed signs of breaking through to the First Grade.

Although Lu Feiyu's abilities were insufficient to see through the cultivation of a high-grade practitioner, a person's surrounding aura and personal momentum could never deceive.

"Strange!" Shan Hongxing muttered.

This feeling was truly bizarre.

Because of that old demon, he had inevitably entered the Second Grade. Whenever he fell into a daze, he could often catch a fleeting thought, but it would vanish in a flash, dissipating before he could fully process it.

Moments like this were frequent.

Yet now, even before he could clearly discern what those thoughts were, he could feel the mysterious energy within his body gradually growing full and abundant, as if the spiritual energy of this world had suddenly multiplied.

"You... No! Golden Crow!"

The Golden Crow shivered. They were pressing forward through the pouring rain, heading right toward that place of flashing lightning and rolling thunder—how could it not be afraid? Yet once it boarded the pirate ship of these madmen, what choice did it have?

It was terrified of Shan Hongxing, because this man possessed immense power and wore a stern face that made it feel unsafe.

"W-what are you calling me for?" The Golden Crow shivered, its beak clamping tightly onto Yuan Qingling's sleeve. "A-are you having a breakthrough?"

Shan Hongxing had originally thought the remark was addressed to him, but then he saw the Golden Crow shifting between human and beast forms, clinging to Yuan Qingling and wagging its tail like a dog. "Quick, quick, give me a hand. I-I'm about to get drunk on this."

Yuan Qingling: "..."

Seeing everyone's gazes sweep toward him with a strange intensity, he laughed bitterly, "C-could it be that I'm about to turn back into a little kid again?"

"Just let me absorb enough of it, and you won't change."
"It's over, I'm done for. My late integrity is ruined!" Yuan Qingling muttered, noticing that Shan Hongxing's gaze was still fixed on him. "Uncle-Master, is there something you'd like to ask?"

"I already have the answer."

Yuan Qingling offered a self-deprecating smile. "This place is indeed quite bizarre! Suddenly... all those weather patterns wandering between heaven and earth are rushing directly into our bodies, without any need to circulate the Qi ourselves."

"What are you all talking about?!" Lan Yezhou looked utterly bewildered. "Why aren't I..."

Suddenly panicked, he hurried after Shan Hongxing, who was walking ahead. "Master, Master, help me! My foundation is unstable, I can't advance in grade right now, I..."

Lu Feiyu walked at the very end with a complex expression. It seemed that everyone's cultivation here was progressing rapidly—why was it that she felt absolutely nothing?

Uncertainly, she looked up at the sky. It was drawing closer. Perhaps it was because she hadn't entered the Sixth Grade yet!

If she walked deep into the thunderclouds, she might just be able to cross this major Sixth Grade bottleneck.

Unawares, she quickened her pace.

Ahead, a city loomed indistinctly. When the lightning struck, the city appeared; when the lightning faded, the ground was nothing but a flat plain.

"A-a mirage?"

"Then where is the real place?"

"No, it's not like that." Qiao Yu began wildly letting her imagination run away with her:
"Junior Sister said before that they encountered a household out in the wilderness. The woman and child in that family weren't human, and the woman told Junior Sister that Qianyan had already fallen. Every time a storm came, the princess of Qianyan would sit in a sedan chair to capture stray men... Could this city amidst the lightning be the same thing?"

"A moving city?" Shan Hongxing paused, realizing that as they followed the thunderclouds, they had indeed changed directions several times before getting on the right track. "Then let's block its path and let this city carry us inside to find people."

"Can we do that?"

"We have to, even if we can't." Yuan Qingling gritted his teeth. "Master hates nothing more than seeing me look like a little child. I want to put an end to this damn forced advancement path."

"Aren't I here too?"

"You've even grown a fourth leg. A four-legged Golden Crow is unheard of."

"Hey, the Nine-tailed Fox has nine tails too!"

Yuan Qingling clicked his tongue. "Doesn't look good! I want to chop it off and make roasted chicken drumsticks!"