A streak of Sword Light sped through the sky, slicing past white clouds and overtaking a flock of wild geese.

One of the birds, with a powerful aura, a fleshy crest on its head, and a tail of five-colored feathers, let out a clear cry. It seemed to have the idea of a race and gave chase.

It pursued him until they were almost out of the Black Mountain Range, but the distance between it and the Sword Light didn’t shrink. In fact, it grew wider and wider.

It shrieked twice in anger, spat out a ray of brilliant light that shattered several large boulders, and only after venting its frustration did it turn and fly back.

’The true depths of Black Mountain are as dangerous as they say. It’s not a place one can tread lightly... If it weren’t for that Cyan Simurgh—who may or may not still be slumbering—this would be an excellent place to test my sword in the future.’

Bai Zichen held a Mid-Grade Spirit Stone in his hand, doing his best to recover his spent Magical Power.

That large bird with the five-colored feathers was a Tier Two Peak Demon Beast. In any other situation, he would have been interested in drawing his sword to battle the beast.

But right now, he couldn’t afford to delay for even a second. He was in a race against time.

As he flew out of the Black Mountain Range, he vaguely sensed several locations along the way that set him on edge, places of hidden danger. They were likely lairs occupied by Tier Three Demon Beasts.

Fortunately, no Demon Beasts emerged to trouble him, allowing him to leave without incident.

The endless, towering mountains finally disappeared from his view. Bai Zichen pinched his fingers together to determine his bearings, checked them against the location of Xiaoyu Mountain, and continued to race onward.

Flying a long distance on his sword for the first time, he finally understood the advice his Senior Brother Pei Dongyong had given him years ago about why it was essential to have a Flying Magical Artifact.

Maintaining such a high speed consumed almost as much Magical Power as engaging in Sword Control combat. The Spiritual Liquid in his Qi Sea was visibly depleting.

After two hours, he had no choice but to switch to his Colorful Cloud Robe and begin meditating to restore his Magical Power.

Although it seemed he could fly for another thousand miles, he had to conserve some Magical Power for emergencies.

The moment he switched from Sword Flight to the Low-Grade Flying Spiritual Artifact, the difference in speed was immediately obvious. It was like the difference between the clouds and the mud.

’I don’t usually notice it, but the Colorful Cloud Robe’s flying speed is a bit slow...’

Bai Zichen held a Mid-Grade Spirit Stone in each hand. As soon as he absorbed them, he immediately replaced them with two new ones.

After about an hour, the Liquid Magical Power in his Qi Sea was mostly restored. He switched back to the Willow Leaf Sword and transformed into a streak of Sword Light once more.

When it came to Sword Flight, among his several Tier Two Flying Swords, the Sound Bamboo Sword was the slowest but consumed the least Magical Power.

On a normal day, that would be fine, but it was certainly not suitable now.

The Celestial Xin Sword and the Willow Leaf Sword had similar speeds, but controlling the Willow Leaf Sword required the most Magical Power.

Even so, Bai Zichen still chose the Willow Leaf Sword.

This was because besides being able to conceal its Sword Light, making it suitable for sneak attacks and assassinations, the Sword Light it produced was completely silent.

He didn’t want a flashy Sword Light that might attract trouble and delay him.

Senior Sister Zhou Suqing had told him that she inherited Ancestor Yang’s array treasures and had a Secret Treasure that could boost the array’s power in a critical moment, allowing it to hold for several days without issue.

But who knew if the Core Formation Cultivators from the Ghost Spirit Sect would play their trump cards right from the start.

If several Core Formation True Men really went all out, using all their trump cards, the Three Thousand Six Hundred Rings Water Smoke Array definitely wouldn’t last long.

However, for one, the Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators and the Blood Demon Sect’s Honored Guest Elders might not be entirely united. For another, if they were confident of victory, they might not be willing to use their trump cards.

He had set out at 7:00 AM, and as dusk approached, Bai Zichen finally reached Xiaoyu Mountain.

In just over half a day, he had crossed more than fifteen thousand miles, setting a new personal record for Sword Flight.

When the Sword Light descended, he was a little unsteady on his feet.

This so-called Xiaoyu Mountain was merely a small, thousand-foot-tall hill. Its Spiritual Qi was faint, and it was covered in jagged rocks, exposed stones, and yellow sand, with only sparse trees.

Bai Zichen didn’t have time to rest. He formed a hand seal and sent out a Magic Formula, causing a subtle wave of Magical Power to ripple outwards.

"Lad, are you a disciple of the Qingfeng Sect?"

A cyan shadow flashed, and a tall, imposing cultivator appeared abruptly without him sensing a single trace.

"Greetings, Junior Martial Uncle from the Five Elements Sect... This junior is Bai Zichen of the Qingfeng Sect. This is my Sect Token."

Bai Zichen’s heart went cold. ’As expected of a Core Formation True Man,’ he thought. ’I didn’t even notice how he appeared in front of me.’

’He must possess some wondrous Escape Technique. I’ve interacted with Ancestor Yang more than once, but I’ve never seen such an uncanny movement technique.’

The contact Magic Formula could be leaked or faked, but the Identity Token could not.

In a Sect like Qingfeng Sect, Elders and True Disciples would provide their Essence Blood to create a Soul Lamp. The Identity Token also contained a trace of Essence Blood that would resonate.

Only when activated by the owner would the bloodline resonate, causing the Identity Token to react.

This was also how the various sects prevented enemies skilled in altering their appearance and aura from infiltrating by impersonating a disciple who had fallen outside the sect.

But one’s own Essence Blood was difficult to fake, which basically eliminated the possibility of impersonation.

Seeing the Sect Token emit a Spirit Light, the tall cultivator’s expression relaxed slightly. He reached out and grabbed Bai Zichen’s shoulder.

Their forms flickered and shifted. Bai Zichen felt as if an immense weight was pressing down on him, and his surroundings became a swirling, dark Chaos.

In another flash, they had appeared inside a mountain cave.

Wood Escape!

A thought struck Bai Zichen, and he instantly knew the man’s identity.

The Five Elements Sect was famous for its Five Elements Magic. The sect was divided into the Five Peaks, and only a Core Formation True Man could assume the position of Peak Master.

The Five Elements Escape Techniques were also secret inheritances of the Five Peaks. Each Peak Master had cultivated the corresponding Escape Technique, giving them first-rate survival abilities.

But the Sect’s strongest Divine Technique was the Great Five Elements Annihilation Divine Light, which was said to be the bane of all Five Elements Magic and all things related to the Five Elements.

However, the Cultivation Conditions were harsh; the minimum requirement to even begin was to be a Core Formation Cultivator. As a result, no one had successfully cultivated it for several hundred years.

There was no way to know if the recorded power of the Great Five Elements Annihilation Divine Light was an exaggeration or if it was truly that formidable.

This was why Wei Dao had left a message in his transmission to Zhou Suqing saying that even if the two Junior Martial Uncles from the Five Elements Sect were heavily injured, as long as they could be found, escaping with the two juniors would be a simple matter.

Defeating them was easy, but killing them was another matter, unless there was a significant gap in cultivation and strength, or if an array had been set up in advance to negate their Escape Techniques.

Otherwise, it was nearly impossible.

"Greetings, Junior Martial Uncle Qingmu. Greetings, Junior Martial Uncle Hei Shui..."

After a Core Formation True Man from the Five Elements Sect became a Peak Master, they would no longer use their past name, instead being addressed by the name of their peak.

Since Bai Zichen had recognized the Wood Escape, how could he not realize that this tall, imposing, middle-aged cultivator was the Qingmu Peak Master?

The other man, sitting cross-legged on the ground with a somber and unpredictable aura, a pale face, and an unstable presence, was the Hei Shui Peak Master, who looked to be severely injured.

"Why have you appeared here? Did Nephew Wei send you?"

The Qingmu Peak Master’s voice was full of vigor. Even though he had been defeated by the Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators, he still maintained his confidence.

"I must ask you two Junior Martial Uncles to lend your aid. Our Sect’s Mountain Gate is safe, but Feiyue Lake is in grave danger."

Without hesitation, Bai Zichen directly explained the difficulties Feiyue Lake was currently facing and the purpose of his visit.

"Right now, the Feiyue Lake Grand Array should be under heavy assault, with only Senior Sister Zhou holding it up... I know a secret route that can lead us near Feiyue Lake. As long as we can break into the array and have the help of you two Junior Martial Uncles, the Tier Three Array will be as steady as a mountain!"

"I see..."

Qingmu Peak Master didn’t answer immediately, hesitating for a moment.

"We should go at once, but Junior Brother Hei Shui is severely injured... Originally, the two of us were enough to suppress White Bone True Man, but a few days ago, a mysterious Demon Cultivator appeared. He actually used a black lotus to trap Junior Brother Hei Shui, directly knocking away sixty years of his Dao Practice."

"The refinement of his True Essence has regressed by sixty years!"

"My injuries have stabilized. I’ll have no problem attacking three to five times at the Core Formation level for a short period."

The Hei Shui Peak Master stood up silently, having finished circulating his energy to heal his wounds at some unknown point.

"Back then, when the senior from the Qingfeng Sect traveled alone to Dian Country to save our sect from peril, did he spare any thought for his own safety? When he dragged his ailing body to slay a Tier Three Demon King, winning a Tier Three Demon Pill for our sect and worsening his own injuries, did he make any demands or expect anything in return?"

"So, Senior Brother, you need not worry about my injuries. Though I may be untalented, I still have the heart to emulate the sages of old... Besides, Feiyue Lake is mostly water, isn’t it? It’s suitable for my Water Escape to shine. If I encounter that Black Lotus Demon Cultivator again, I can at least tie him up for a while."

"That’s right. Feiyue Lake was originally the lair of a Tier Three Flood Dragon, which our Sect claimed during the last reclamation... It’s a lake of three thousand hectares, with numerous tributaries spreading out from it, a vast expanse of water."

Seeing Master Hei Shui’s gaze turn toward him, Bai Zichen quickly replied.

"Junior Brother is right. It was my own selfishness at play... We will depart immediately. We’ll take the route Nephew Bai mentioned and head to Feiyue Lake."

Master Qingmu frankly admitted his mistake and, with a wave of his hand, released a cyan Spirit Ship.

Bai Zichen boarded the Spirit Ship, pointed out the route on a map, and then his part was done. He just had to sit obediently on the ship.

He hadn’t expected to persuade the seniors from the Five Elements Sect so easily. He had been preparing a long speech, ready to argue from various angles the necessity of reinforcing Feiyue Lake.

No, it wasn’t his persuasion. The two Core Formation True Men from the Five Elements Sect had already decided to act.

’Everyone has selfish desires and a dark side; that’s unavoidable... But to be able to constantly reflect, remain vigilant, and admit one’s own mistakes is truly rare. The Qingfeng Sect really chose the right sect to be allied with. Our ancestors didn’t help the wrong people.’

As Bai Zichen felt the cyan Spirit Ship’s speed, which was a notch faster than his own Sword-Controlling Cyan Nether, he knew they could definitely return to Feiyue Lake before 9:00 PM. A great weight lifted from his heart.

The old story of "a pint of rice is a kindness, a bushel of rice is a grudge" was a common one. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Not every sect would remember a great favor like helping them through hardship and preserving their lineage.

Many sects would maintain warm relations, but at a critical juncture like this, an act like sending half of their top experts at the risk of losses was impossible. They would typically just find a random excuse, like the journey being too far or being busy with internal affairs, to brush it off.

A few might even secretly hope that your sect would be wiped out sooner rather than later.

That way, they wouldn’t have to forever remember this great debt and feel inferior every time they met.

For Master Qingmu to be able to so casually admit his mistake in front of a junior like him—to admit that his own selfishness had made him hesitate to answer the call for help from Feiyue Lake—was completely open and without pretense.

Bai Zichen believed that such character and magnanimity were rare even among Core Formation Cultivators.

"We’re here. Feiyue Lake is fifteen miles ahead!"

The cyan Spirit Ship was put away, and the three of them appeared in the air. Master Qingmu took out a Talisman and placed it on Bai Zichen.

Bai Zichen’s aura vanished, his skin withered, and his vitality slowed, as if he had turned into a dead tree.

"Nephew Bai, do not be alarmed. This is a Tier Three Withered Wood Substitute Death Talisman... It can temporarily transform your physical state, making you seem just like a plant. An ordinary Core Formation Cultivator wouldn’t notice you unless they looked very carefully."

Master Qingmu explained, and as he did, his own form changed, giving off the impression that he had become a towering tree.