Chapter 100

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...

In a moment, they traversed a valley spanning dozens of miles.

Between the steep peaks ahead, a fissure opened, over a dozen zhang high and seven or eight zhang wide, shrouded in mist and faintly glowing. Or rather, it was more like a gateway, the Dragon Head Gate of the Azure Dragon Valley already wide open.

Wujiao moved swiftly, leaving a faint green shadow in the valley.

In the blink of an eye, he was near the entrance.

He plunged into the entrance but suddenly stopped, staggering with shock.

The Dragon Head Gate was a narrow cave that cut through the mountain wall for dozens of zhang. Inside, without the obstruction of clouds and fog, the view outside the cave was clear.

Outside the cave was another valley, surrounded by towering peaks.

This was not unusual, but dozens of cultivators, both old and young, stood a hundred zhang away, their expressions unfriendly, clearly prepared, and had sealed off the entrance tightly.

Most notably, some of them were not strangers.

The young man grinding his teeth should be He Tiancheng, who was knocked unconscious in his own cave a year ago. At that time, he should have killed him to eliminate the threat, but he was too merciful. The old man beside him was Zheng Su, the steward of Yellow Dragon Valley. Nearby were a middle-aged man and a young man, his uncle and nephew, who had even tracked him to Ancient Sword Mountain...

At this moment, a stern voice rang out: "Still not handing over the golden crystal mask? What are you waiting for!"

On either side of the entrance, two Foundation Establishment seniors were on high alert. Ancient Sword Mountain had a rule that disciples must return their masks after leaving Azure Dragon Valley.

Wujiao stood panting at the entrance, his heart racing. He forced himself to remain calm, bowed, and pretended to agree, but slowly retreated. Unexpectedly, the old man ten zhang away raised his hand, and the mask on his face suddenly flew over.

At this moment, a shrill voice cried out: "Uncle, that boy killed my brother—"

Someone then shouted angrily: "Trespassing into the immortal gate, injuring our disciples, impersonating, and infiltrating Azure Dragon Valley are unforgivable crimes! Capture him, dead or alive..."

The crowd had been waiting for a long time and could no longer hold back. A dozen Foundation Establishment seniors simultaneously summoned their flying swords.

Wujiao, suddenly without his mask, was caught off guard, his eyes wide with shock. He wanted to break through, but the sword lights were already whistling towards him. He had no choice but to retreat and run, instantly darting back into the valley. A group of figures, led by Meng Hu, were rushing towards him from a hundred zhang away. He couldn't help but cover his forehead, wanting to sigh to the sky, but dared not hesitate, and instead ran to the left.

A middle-aged man and an old man followed him into the valley, both riding their swords.

The disciples, seeing the seniors come to their aid, cheered and followed closely behind.

In the valley, a figure in green fled in panic. Behind him, two Foundation Establishment seniors and hundreds of disciples chased from all directions. The only way out was sealed, and he had nowhere to run...

Wujiao had no plan, only fleeing in despair. In an instant, the two figures riding swords were above him, clearly intending to capture him alive. Just as he noticed, a white light flashed, and he suddenly darted a hundred zhang away.

The two Foundation Establishment seniors, Zheng Su and Chu Yuan, were slightly surprised and chased closely. Each time they approached, the figure below would dart away like a rabbit, always escaping just before being caught.

They glanced ahead, slightly impatient, and with a wave of their sleeves, two sword lights whistled down.

After Wujiao fled again, he didn't have time to catch his breath, leaping up and rushing forward recklessly.

Ahead, a pond gathered, misty and hazy, and a stone tablet by the water's edge read "Dragon Saliva Bay."

In a flash, he passed the stone tablet. Ahead, a cliff blocked his path, and in his panic, he had reached the end of the valley.

Wujiao tried to turn, but it was too late. Suddenly, his spiritual power faltered, and he fell straight down. He struggled desperately, but the momentum was unstoppable. Closing his eyes, he cursed his bad luck!

After using the flash escape technique several times, his dantian and qi sea were nearly depleted, and even his meridians ached from the forced use of spiritual power. At this critical moment, he could no longer hold on!

"Plunk—"

He fell into the water, the cold penetrating his bones.

Wujiao shuddered, flailing his limbs, and plunged to the bottom, surrounded by mud and darkness. Even more deadly, two sword lights broke through the water, one after the other. He used the last bit of his spiritual power to protect himself and continued to sink. The earth-moving technique took effect, and he plunged over a dozen zhang into the ground. Still, he didn't dare to be careless and fled deeper underground with all his might.

At the same time, the two figures riding swords arrived above the pond, circled, and each waved their hands. The water broke, but the flying swords returned empty-handed.

Zheng Su looked down, surprised, and said, "Earth-moving technique? Brother Chu Yuan..."

The earth-moving technique was not something even Foundation Establishment cultivators necessarily mastered. The thief was extremely cunning, having fled deep underground, making it difficult to capture him now.

Chu Yuan hesitated for a moment and said, "I have a basic understanding of this technique. Let me investigate..."

Zheng Su nodded and reminded him, "Azure Dragon Valley will close in ten days, Brother Chu, remember!" As he spoke, the other person "plunked" into the water.

Many disciples arrived at this moment, their figures moving in the distance.

Someone pushed through the crowd, surprised, and said, "I heard Elder Quan say that Azure Dragon Valley is connected to Sword Pond, and the underground of Dragon Saliva Bay might have a secret passage..."

Hearing this, Zheng Su turned around.

This pond, large and small, surrounded the valley, like mirrors reflecting the sky in the mist. Dragon Saliva Bay, hence the name.

More disciples gathered, shouting and agitated.

The middle-aged man who spoke raised his voice, "If that person escapes from Azure Dragon Valley, it will be a disaster..."

"Shut up!"

Zheng Su shouted, then sternly said, "Everything will be decided by the elders. No idle talk! Leave the valley immediately, no lingering!" With that, he stepped onto his sword and flew away.

The disciples dared not question and hurriedly left.

Zheng Su flew out of the valley, landed, and was surrounded by a dozen Foundation Establishment cultivators. He briefly explained and worriedly added, "The thief's whereabouts are unknown, and Brother Chu Yuan is investigating. If there's an emergency, it will alarm the elders. I don't know where the two elders are, but I must report this..."

An old man responded, "Everyone knows that the sect leader is in seclusion at Sword Pond. The two elders have been accompanying him since last autumn..."

Zheng Su looked around, his anxious expression tinged with respect.

Sword Pond, officially known as Azure Dragon Sword Pond, was in this valley, just dozens of miles from the Dragon Head Gate. It was the forbidden area where the sect leader and elders were in seclusion, off-limits to ordinary people. From a distance, the misty peaks were majestic.

The old man continued, "Since the incident involves Yellow Dragon Valley, Brother Zheng will be hard to escape responsibility! I hope you report the details early and seek the elders' mercy..."

Zheng Su retracted his gaze, bowed, and said, "I understand."

He glared at two young men in the crowd and headed towards Sword Pond.

One was Chu Fang, the other He Tiancheng. The former was uncertain, his expression anxious; the latter was somewhat depressed, having been knocked unconscious and impersonated, a true victim, yet received no comfort and was instead shunned.

A moment later, more disciples poured out of the valley, but no one left, instead slowly gathering towards Sword Pond. The Foundation Establishment seniors did not stop them, leaving a few to guard the entrance, while the rest followed.

With such a big commotion on Ancient Sword Mountain, it was to be seen how the sect leader and elders would handle it.

"Junior sister... Liu Junior sister..."

"Ah... Senior Brother Tiancheng, you're not dead?"

"Hmph! That person is unlucky, Liu'er, don't pay attention to him!"

"Huang Qi, you're shameless..."

"Senior Brother He, be careful! Senior Brother Huang is a good person..."

"Junior sister Liu, you..."

"Hehe, Liu'er, this way..."

...

Sword Pond Forbidden Area.

Surrounded by peaks, covered in green, shrouded in mist, and rich in spiritual energy.

In the center was a thousand-zhang pond, calm and deep. In the middle of the pond stood a purple stone pillar, over three zhang long, shaped like a giant sword. At the foot of the mountain were a dozen rooms embedded in the rock, connected by corridors, winding and elegant. In the center was a closed door.

In a hexagonal stone pavilion on the hillside, three people sat facing each other.

In the middle was an old man with gray hair and beard, dressed in plain robes, his hands in his sleeves, eyes closed, sitting quietly. On the left was another old man, dressed in earth-colored robes, thin and gaunt, with three strands of gray beard, his expression showing some worry; on the right was a middle-aged man, dressed in a moon-white robe, with a smooth face and short beard, who hesitated for a moment and said, "I am very grateful for Brother's company in seclusion, I feel very indebted..."

These three were the sect leader of Ancient Sword Mountain, Jiang Yuanzi, and the two elders, Quan Wenzhong and Shen Bi.

Shen Bi, after apologizing, said, "The matter is significant, I had to disturb you..."

Jiang Yuanzi opened his eyes slightly, puzzled, "You two have been waiting for over a year, what for?"

Quan Wenzhong said, "It is said that the Divine Continent envoy has returned and will demand the whereabouts of the Nine Star Sword. I and Brother Shen dare not decide, so we seek your advice..."

Shen Bi nodded and added, "Our Ancient Sword Mountain is well-known, and we cannot escape the blame!"

Jiang Yuanzi, however, was unconvinced, stroking his beard, "The Divine Continent envoy is cold on the outside but warm on the inside, not a strict person. Moreover, for centuries, no immortal sect has handed over the Nine Star Sword. We can just follow the crowd..."

Quan Wenzhong smiled bitterly and said, "The Nine Star Swords of the major immortal sects are mostly lost, and any excuses are understandable. But our Ancient Sword Mountain is different!"

At this point, he looked down. Shen Bi followed his gaze and remained silent.

Jiang Yuanzi pondered for a moment and couldn't help but sigh, "The Nine Star Sword of our Ancient Sword Mountain is in the sword stone in Sword Pond. Whoever has the ability can take it. However..." He turned to the other two and continued, "I have been in seclusion here for a hundred years and have gained nothing. Even a high-ranking person like the Divine Continent envoy may not succeed!"

In the deep pond, the purple sword stone remained as it had for thousands of years, ancient, solemn, and mysterious, yet no one could figure out its secrets.

Quan Wenzhong was puzzled, "No one has ever figured out if the sword stone contains the whereabouts of the Nine Star Sword, a mystery for thousands of years!"

Shen Bi added, "It is said that the Nine Star Sword was created by our Ancient Sword Mountain's ancestor, Cang Qi, but the details are unclear. Given the long-term interests of the immortal sect, Brother, perhaps you could offer some guidance..."

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