After all, the man had saved his life. Even if he felt taken advantage of, Su Fei had no choice but to let it slide.

After some conversation, Zhu Ju realized the man before him was a chatterbox. Once a topic was started, he would talk nonstop, making it completely unnecessary to fish for information.

"The Sword Sect today is nothing like it used to be." Su Fei said from his horse, shaking his head.

"Back then, when the Sword Sect was destroyed, its core legacy was lost, and all its top experts perished. The status of Cultivators like us, who practice with Treasures, also plummeted."

"Later..."

"Some Outer Sect Disciples of the old Sword Sect and a few Loose Cultivators who used Treasures banded together for survival, and that’s how today’s Sword Sect came to be."

"The Sword Sect is divided into Four Veins, which we usually call the four halls."

"Fire Separation, Sharp Gold, Mountain Shattering, and Talisman."

"The Fire Separation Hall is in charge of smithing equipment, the Sharp Gold Hall is mostly made up of Demon Catchers, the Mountain-Shattering Hall runs all sorts of businesses, and the Talisman..."

"The Talisman Hall mainly produces things like Sword Talismans."

Zhu Ju understood.

Compared to its former status as the number one Cultivation Sect in the world, the current Sword Sect was more like a business collective that had banded together for survival.

It focused more on business than on Cultivation.

"Which hall do you belong to, Brother Su?"

"Sharp Gold!" Su Fei puffed out his chest.

"The second disciple of Kan Feichen, Hall Master of the Sharp Gold Hall, and the strongest in both Cultivation and power among all my martial brothers."

"That’s me!"

?

Zhu Ju’s expression turned strange.

Su Fei only had the strength of a Mage. Without that Seven-Star Sword set he wore, his power wouldn’t even be considered exceptional among Mages.

’And this level of strength makes him number one among the second-generation disciples of the Sharp Gold Hall?’

’Has the Sword Sect really fallen this far?’

’No wonder they’re so obscure.’

’Even back in Yidu, there was no mention of the Sword Sect. Most Cultivators believed it had long ceased to exist, that the Sword Sect of today was not the true Sword Sect of old.’

He didn’t suspect Su Fei of bragging, though. The young man was talkative, but he didn’t seem the type to make empty boasts.

If he said he was number one, then he really was number one.

"Who is the strongest in the Sword Sect?" After a moment’s thought, Zhu Ju asked.

"Who is the Sect Leader?"

"The strongest among the Sword Sect’s four halls is Master Jiang Qiu of the Talisman Hall. His Invisible Sword is an inherited Treasure of the Sect, and its power is astounding when paired with the Invisible Sword Technique." Mentioning Flying Swords and experts made Su Fei’s eyes light up.

"There’s also Martial Uncle Xiaoo Meng of the Mountain-Shattering Hall. They say her Demon-Slaying Sword Technique has reached the highest Realm. If it weren’t for her subpar Flying Sword, she’d probably be even stronger than Master Jiang."

He shook his head with a look of regret as he spoke.

"As for the Sect Leader..."

He sighed.

"The current Sword Sect doesn’t have a Sect Leader. The four Hall Masters take turns acting in the position. All matters, big or small, are decided by discussion among the four halls, with the minority submitting to the majority."

"Because of this, there are a lot of problems. The people from the Fire Separation Hall, in particular, put in the most work and also complain the most."

At the mention of this, even the talkative Su Fei just shook his head and sighed, unwilling to discuss it further.

Zhu Ju frowned at his words.

"The Sword Sect has no True Man?"

"None," Su Fei shook his head.

"Forget the Sword Sect. Among all the Cultivators in the world who practice the Treasure Visualization Technique, there’s probably only one True Man."

"And that person is on bad terms with the Sword Sect."

But as for who that person was and why they were on bad terms with the Sword Sect, he was unwilling to say more.

"HYAH!"

The bamboo horse galloped swiftly, charging toward a low, verdant mountain ahead.

As the mountain peak drew near, Su Fei finally grew excited. He stood up on his horse’s back and pointed ahead.

"Our Sharp Gold Hall’s base is right up ahead! Master will definitely be happy to know you’re here."

"HYAH!"

WHOOSH!

Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, Su Fei leaped nimbly off his horse. He put away the bamboo steed with a flick of his hand and hurried up the mountain.

The Sword Sect Disciple guarding the mountain gate was dozing off. He heard a gust of wind and opened his eyes, only to see two figures disappearing into the distance.

They went up the steps.

A massive plaque came into view, bearing four large words.

Sword Sect, Sharp Gold!

The two words "Sharp Gold" were written with an imposing sharpness, while the preceding words "Sword Sect" were plain and unremarkable. It looked mismatched, likely the work of two different artists.

"Halt!"

"Stop right there!"

As they neared the Sharp Gold Hall’s base, the number of guards clearly increased.

Several Flying Swords shot out from the side, blocking their path. Sharp Sword Qi was aimed at their vital points.

"What are you doing?"

Su Fei’s brow furrowed as he shouted.

"Don’t you recognize me?"

"Well now," a lazy voice drawled.

"If it isn’t our Second Senior Brother."

"I heard you went out with someone on a mission to capture a Demon. How come you’re back after only a few days?"

A person walked out from behind a building ahead.

The person wore a bright red flower in their hair and had their lips painted a vivid red. Their clothes were garish, and though they were dressed like a woman, they were clearly a man.

"It’s you."

Seeing the other man, Su Fei’s face darkened, his eyes showing displeasure.

"Zhang Guo, can’t you stop being so disgusting? Dressing yourself up like a sissy every single day."

"I like it!" Zhang Guo’s eyes snapped open as he said coldly.

"What business is it of yours?"

"It’s not my business, and my business is not yours." Su Fei pursed his lips and started walking forward, ignoring the Flying Swords.

"I want to see Master!"

"Hold on!" Zhang Guo raised a hand. The nearby men immediately formed Sword Formulas, and the sharp Sword Qi flared.

They clearly had no intention of letting him pass.

"Zhang!" Su Fei’s expression changed drastically.

"What do you think you’re doing?"

"Nothing much," Zhang Guo shrugged.

"You can see Master whenever you want, I’m not stopping you. But this person with you—what’s his origin?"

"I can’t just let some unidentified person enter the mountain as they please."

"You..." Su Fei slapped his Sword Box, furious.

"I’d like to see who dares to stop me!"

ZING!

Seven Flying Swords shot out from his Sword Box, their sharp Sword Qi pointing forward, causing the expressions of the men present to change.

"Se... Second Senior Brother," one of them stammered.

"Please, don’t get excited. We’re just following the rules. We have to at least know this friend’s identity, right?"

"What are you afraid of him for?" Zhang Guo shot them a cold glance as a seven-colored Flying Sword, wreathed in a poisonous miasma, appeared by his side.

"Even a Sect Disciple isn’t allowed to bring an outsider up the mountain without prior approval. If you’ve got the guts, try forcing your way through."

"You..." Su Fei was speechless.

He was indeed in the wrong on this matter.

But with his status, bringing someone into the mountain was a trivial matter, and normally, no one would dare question it.

Now, his opponent was seizing on this minor infraction and pressing him relentlessly.

If he backed down now...

’How could I ever show my face in the Sharp Gold Hall again?’

"I am Zhu Ju." Just as Su Fei’s eyes showed his struggle, Zhu Ju, who was behind him, stepped forward and cupped his fist.

"I am from Yidu, here to visit the Sword Sect at the request of a good friend."

"Brother Zhu," Su Fei said, turning his head. He then took a deep breath and said in a low voice:

"Now you know. Step aside."

"What’s the hurry?" Zhang Guo rolled his eyes, took out a booklet, and said officiously:

"I’ll just jot this down."

"Zhu Ju..."

"What Cultivation Method do you practice, and what Realm is your Cultivation at?"

"Hmm..." Zhu Ju looked thoughtful for a moment, then spoke slowly:

"I practice the ’Mist Banner Visualization Image,’ and my Cultivation... is Great Mage."

Great Mage?

At these words, Zhang Guo’s wrist trembled. He snapped his head up, his eyes filled with astonishment. An unnoticeable sheen of sweat had appeared on his temples.

"A Great Mage?"

He repeated.

"That’s right, a Great Mage," Su Fei sneered.

"On my way down the mountain this time, I was deceived and ended up in a ’Meat Market.’ It was Brother Zhu who saved me."

"I see." Zhang Guo’s eyes flickered, and he slowly took a step back.

"Then... Fellow Daoist Zhu, please proceed. I’ll go patrol elsewhere."

With that, he prepared to take his leave.

"Wait a moment."

But Zhu Ju had no intention of letting him go. He looked at him with profound meaning in his eyes.

"What are you afraid of?"

"Afraid?" Zhang Guo’s body stiffened, but he forced himself to look calm. "What would I be afraid of?"

"It seems you don’t know much about Great Mages, or how sharp a Great Mage’s Spiritual Soul Perception is." Zhu Ju clasped his hands behind his back and slowly approached, his voice low.

"Just now, when you saw Su Fei, your expression was clearly one of surprise. The fluctuations of your Divine Thought revealed a sense of confusion."

"As if you were very surprised he was able to come back alive."

"Could it be that you knew he was being deceived on his trip down the mountain, and that it was supposed to be a one-way trip?"

Hmm?

Su Fei’s expression changed. As if he had realized something, his eyes suddenly went wide.

"Zhang! You knew Old Guo and the others! You knew they were in the meat-peddling business?"

"You..."

"You were trying to kill me?"

No wonder everything had gone wrong since he left the mountain. He had felt puzzled, but it turned out someone had been plotting against him in the shadows.

"No!" Zhang Guo retreated a step, his head covered in sweat. "I didn’t!"

"You didn’t?" Zhu Ju spoke unhurriedly.

"When you heard I was a Great Mage, your heart filled with panic, and your first instinct was to run away."

"What are you afraid of?"

"And who do you think is going to save you now?"

His voice was calm and steady, his steps unhurried as he drew closer, yet it felt like an invisible mountain was bearing down on them.

That slow tone was like the low drone of a Hellish Evil Ghost, lingering in his ears, shaking his Divine Soul and assailing his reason.

Soul Capturing Technique!

Celestial Dragon Eight Sounds!

A Buddhist Sect’s Magic, meant to bring enlightenment, could have other wonderful uses when applied correctly.

Zhang Guo’s body trembled, his eyes vacant and lifeless. His mouth opened and closed subconsciously, then suddenly his eyes focused, and he roared:

"Attack!"

WHOOSH!

The Seven-Colored Flying Sword shot forward.

The distance between them was negligible. The Seven-Colored Flying Sword was like a phantom, flashing forward as if by Instant Teleportation.

Even a Great Mage would find it difficult to dodge.

The other men nearby, also suffering under the invisible mental pressure, were spurred on by Zhang Guo’s words and reacted instinctively.

SHIING!

Several Flying Swords crisscrossed as they attacked.

"Watch out!"

Su Fei roared, wanting to intercept but it was too late.

This was especially true of Zhang Guo’s Flying Sword. Although he disliked Zhang Guo’s cross-dressing, he was well aware of his strength.

At close range,

even a Great Mage was not guaranteed to win against a Swordsman wielding a Flying Sword.

Sword Cultivators were inherently deadly fighters!

CLANG—

Just as the Flying Swords were about to land on Zhu Ju, a five-colored halo of light appeared, sending all the attacking swords flying.

WHOOSH!

The five-colored halo suddenly expanded outward like unfurling clouds or a gentle breeze washing over the area. The scene abruptly fell silent.

PFFT!

PFFT! PFFT!

Zhang Guo’s body went rigid. A sword mark appeared between his eyebrows. It was the same for all the others who had attacked with him.

They were all dead!

"Looks like we won’t be getting any answers out of him," Zhu Ju shrugged, glancing back at Su Fei.

"Who’s up the mountain?"

"Who?" Su Fei was still in a daze, his gaze fixed on Zhang Guo’s corpse on the ground, his eyes vacant.

"Master!"

His eyes flickered, and his expression changed dramatically.

"It’s Master!"

WHOOSH...

Zhu Ju reached out and grabbed his arm. With a light tap of his foot, the two of them shot toward the summit as if riding a gentle wind.

They leaped a hundred meters in a single bound.

After a few more steps, the main hall at the summit came into view.

The sounds of shouting, of clamor, and...

The sound of battle!

Bodies were strewn around the main hall. The once-lively disciples of the Sword Sect’s Sharp Gold Hall were now nothing more than lifeless, frozen figures.