That was by no means an easy task.
Yelin slipped swiftly into a dense patch of forest, pulled down a mass of leafy branches to conceal his entire body, and held his breath, though his heart felt as if it were about to burst from his chest.
Every moment dragged by with agonizing slowness.
After waiting twenty breaths, an ugly, middle-aged woman in scarlet robes entered Yelin’s field of vision.
Perched upon her shoulder was a giant bat that let out a continuous series of squeaks.
"Is there a little one hiding here? Received!"
"Little one, shall we play a game of hide-and-seek? As long as I find you, you're coming back with me to be my caulron boy!"
With that, the middle-aged woman licked the drool from the corner of her mouth and walked past the thicket where Yelin was hidden.
After waiting a long time without seeing the middle-aged woman return, Yelin could hold his breath no longer and began to gasp heavily.
Yet at that very instant, a hand suddenly seized Yelin's left foot!
"Hahaha... found you, little scoundrel! Not a bad-looking lad, either!"
Yelin was nearly frightened out of his wits and instinctively lashed out with a fierce kick from his right foot, but it had no effect whatsoever—his right foot was grabbed by the ugly woman as well.
Then, like a helpless chick, he was hauled upside down by the woman.
Yelin bent his body and clawed wildly at the woman's face, but she merely leaned back and easily evaded him.
"Such a fiery spirit! That's just my type! Come along home with me, little fellow, hahaha!"
The ugly woman burst into a wild cackle.
At that moment, a palm-sized black shadow flashed past, followed by a dull *thud*. A massive hole had already opened in the ugly woman's head.
The ugly woman's smile froze instantly!
She saw that the young man before her wore a gaze colder than any she had ever encountered, and perched atop her head, goodness knows when, was a colossal cockroach—a bizarre creature equipped with two enormous pincers!
"Demonic wretch, die! Die! Die!"
The cockroach raised its razor-sharp pincers and churned violently inside her skull, sending a spray of white and red fluid bursting outward.
At this critical juncture, Yelin could no longer afford to hold back; he had unleashed Xiaoqiang!
At such close range, striking while the woman was completely off guard—and with Xiaoqiang's pincers now capable of boring straight through steel plates—the woman's skull was utterly defenseless.
Ambushed by Xiaoqiang, she didn't even have time to let out a scream before she was killed in a flash!
Chapter 9: The Cruel World of Immortal Cultivation
Almost simultaneously, Xiaoqiang melted back into a black shadow and vanished into the Ancient Ring on Yelin's finger.
Yelin had no idea how great the gap in cultivation was between Xiaoqiang and the woman, but he understood one thing: had the woman been on her guard, Xiaoqiang could never have succeeded in an ambush so effortlessly.
Only by being suddenly released for a close-range strike could Xiaoqiang reliably secure a one-hit kill!
Yelin did not panic and flee; he cast a cold glance at the woman, then tiptoed stealthily into another patch of woods a few dozen meters away.
The situation was far too chaotic right now; it was by no means an opportune moment to run, as he might well walk right into the sight of some other demonic cultivator.
Under these circumstances, his only choice was to wait, stalling for as much time as possible to avoid being captured.
Once the Taixuan Sect arrived with reinforcements, the demonic cultivators would inevitably scatter like birds and beasts, and he would be completely safe.
As for how to explain the woman's death, Yelin would simply plead complete ignorance; after all, no one had directly spotted Xiaoqiang, nor had anyone perceived the Ancient Ring.
After waiting another several dozen breaths, Yelin heard the sound of footsteps approaching briskly. This time, there were two demonic cultivators!
"Such a heavy stench of blood. It seems to belong to a cultivator. Could someone from the Taixuan Sect have fallen to their death?" muttered one of them, a figure in scarlet robes, with a slight frown.
The other said, "I just saw the ugly hag head over this way. Why can't I sense her aura anymore?"
At this, the two demonic cultivators grew extremely vigilant. They crept closer to the woods concealing the woman's corpse, pushed aside the foliage, and discovered her dead body!
"Oh no, the ugly hag is dead!"
"The ugly hag was a Qi Condensation 5th Heavenly Layer cultivator herself—how could she have died here without a sound?"
"This wound... her skull looks like it was smashed by a blunt magic tool. Most likely she was ambushed by a magic tool. It seems there are other cultivators still on the flying boat, though they shouldn't be very strong, or they would have run away long ago. Let's be careful and root them out."
"Dammit, this torrential rain has covered up so many scents, otherwise our man-eating bats would sniff out their target every single time!"
Yelin held his breath. At that moment, his heartbeat seemed to slow to a crawl. Crouched deep within a dense cluster of leaves, he watched the two searching demonic cultivators draw closer and closer.
"The smell of blood is very strong here. He's hiding nearby!"
Yelin clenched his teeth tightly, trying his best not to make a single sound, but he was injured, and the blood from when Xiaoqiang had bludgeoned the woman to death was splattered all over his body.
Yet Yelin did not panic. Holding his breath, he prepared himself to suddenly release Xiaobai and Xiaoqiang for another ambush. But whether they would succeed this time was an absolute unknown!
These two men were on their guard.
Furthermore, he had already deployed Xiaoqiang once just now; if he were to release both Xiaobai and Xiaoqiang simultaneously now, he feared his mental strength would not hold out.
Just as the two demonic cultivators were only two zhang away from him, a streak of light suddenly flashed across the sky, and Yelin felt a terrifying aura descend abruptly!
"Wretches of the Blood Shadow Sect, you have some nerve trying to intercept and kill the Taixuan Sect's escort flying boat! Prepare to meet your doom!"
Almost simultaneously, a crimson beam of light shot up into the sky.
"Hmph, and why wouldn't we?! All of you, fall back quickly—I shall hold this Daoist Xuanling off!"
The two demonic cultivators, who were on the verge of finding Yelin, felt their expressions shift slightly upon sensing the arrival of a Taixuan Sect Foundation Establishment cultivator. Hearing the order to retreat, they exchanged glances; one of them grabbed the woman's corpse and leaped onto a flying sword, while the other cast one last look at the thicket where Yelin was hidden before leaping onto a flying sword as well.
The two demonic cultivators turned into streaks of crimson light and plunged deep into the dense jungle.
Hoo...
Yelin panted wildly, taking huge, greedy breaths.
His face had turned pale from holding his breath for so long—he had nearly suffocated himself to death!
Up in the sky, a Taixuan Sect Foundation Establishment cultivator clad in a light blue Daoist robe was locked in battle with a demonic Foundation Establishment cultivator in a scarlet robe. With Yelin's current level of cultivation, he could only make out a blue afterimage and a crimson afterimage clashing repeatedly. The violent sounds of magic tools colliding echoed ceaselessly, and from time to time, lightning bolts struck toward the crimson afterimage, which invariably relied on the thick spiritual energy barrier around its body to withstand them.
The two fought for dozens of breaths without a victor emerging. Yelin could vaguely tell that the Taixuan Sect Foundation Establishment cultivator had the upper hand, forcing the demonic cultivator to dodge repeatedly.
Once all the demonic cultivators on the ground had completely retreated, the demonic cultivator no longer wished to linger in the fight.
"Daoist Xuanling, we shall meet again. It won't be long before I step into the Foundation Establishment (mid), and when that day comes, I shall return to measure ourselves against one another!"
With that, the demonic cultivator spat out a large mouthful of blood and vanished from Yelin's sight as a streak of crimson light.
The cultivator known as Daoist Xuanling wore a deep frown that formed a character of three vertical lines upon his brow. Surveying the tragic devastation covering the ground, he gritted his teeth and muttered in a low voice, "Such a sin!"
"Sooner or later, this poor Daoist shall storm your Blood Shadow Palace and exact bloody revenge for every fallen fellow sect member!"
Before long, several more streaks of light arrived. However, the newcomers were all Qi Condensation realm cultivators of the Taixuan Sect; standing upon flying swords, they bowed respectfully to Daoist Xuanling.
"Uncle-Master Xuanling!"
Daoist Xuanling let out a long sigh. "We have arrived too late, and I failed to prevent the demonic wretches from escaping. Go and search the area—I sense that there are still survivors. Also, properly gather the remains of our fallen sect members, cremate them, and place them within the Taixuan Pagoda for burial!"
"Understood!"
The torrential rain finally ceased, the dark clouds scattered, and the crimson glow of dusk slanted down to illuminate the devastated forest.
Confirming there was no longer any danger, Yelin stepped out from the woods with an exceptionally pale face.
He saw the tragic, mutilated corpses of two female cultivators whose garments had been torn away, their eyes filled with despair and agony.
He saw the head of Senior Brother Wang, who had been responsible for testing Spiritual Roots; his torso was nowhere to be found.
He saw the young masters and misses who had been full of anticipation for the future just that morning—whose enthusiasm had not been quenched even by the torrential rain—now crushed beneath the wreckage of the flying boat after falling from the sky, severed limbs scattered everywhere.
A demonic Foundation Establishment cultivator leading a large number of Qi Condensation cultivators had ambushed three Taixuan Sect Qi Condensation cultivators. Once the flying boat was crippled, there hadn't been much of a battle to speak of.
The moment the flying boat plummeted to the ground, two outer sect female cultivators had been subdued, and Senior Brother Wang, who possessed the highest cultivation among them as an inner sect member, was instantly executed. What followed was a frenzy of slaughter by the demonic evil cultivators.
They had abducted all the surviving children and violated the two female cultivators!
Yelin clenched his fists.
Just this morning, they had been immortals revered by tens of thousands of people; now, they were wandering ghosts who had suffered endless humiliation before their deaths!
"Is this... the world of immortal cultivation?" Yelin murmured.
A young female cultivator clad in a well-fitted, light blue Daoist robe managed a strained smile toward Yelin.
"That's right, this is the world of immortal cultivation. To survive is already a supreme blessing!"
"You have not yet officially entered the sect. According to the sect rules, you may choose not to join the Taixuan Sect, and we will send a flying boat to take you back."
"Are you afraid?"
Yelin shook his head.
"Senior Sister, I am not afraid. I have already experienced things far more cruel and heartbreaking than this."
Chapter 10: Bestowing Pills
"Senior Sister, I am not afraid. I have already experienced things far more cruel and heartbreaking than this."
The female cultivator froze slightly, looking at Yelin with a hint of astonishment.
"So young, yet you feel so world-weary. Quickly state your name so Senior Sister can enter you into the registry. You... seem to be the only one who survived; the rest either died or were abducted by the demonic wretches. Alas, poor children."
"Reporting to Senior Sister, my name is Yelin."
"Mm, I am Lin Xiaoxiang. You may call me Senior Sister Lin from now on. I am currently an inner sect disciple."
Yelin froze for a fraction of a second.
"I wonder if Senior Sister recognizes Lin Xiaoyu? Your names are quite similar. She is the young miss of the Lin family's drapery shop in Luoyun Province."
Lin Xiaoxiang's expression suddenly altered drastically.
"I—I recognize her, she is my sister, my own flesh-and-blood sister!"
Lin Xiaoxiang could no longer spare any thought for other questions; she hurried to scramble across the ground, frantically searching through the collected remains before finally speaking with a choked voice.
"Xiaoyu... she might have been taken!"
"I still remember when I left the Lin family home, she was only six years old, wearing her hair in a long ponytail—a very clever and lovely little girl... She's only twelve or thirteen years old, only twelve or thirteen..."
Unable to contain her emotions any longer, Lin Xiaoxiang burst into bitter, torrential tears.
Yelin was somewhat baffled. "Senior Sister, didn't you just say that to survive is a supreme blessing? She's at least still alive! We can go to the demonic sect and rescue her in the future!"
Lin Xiaoxiang only shook her head frantically, weeping like rain in a storm.
"You don't understand!"
At that moment, a male cultivator sighed and explained to Yelin: "For her, dying here might actually have been a release. Junior Brother Ye, do you know what a cauldron is?"
Yelin shook his head.
He truly did not know.
The male cultivator said, "You will understand in time. In short, it is a fate worse than death!"
Yelin vaguely comprehended something. He clenched his teeth and fell silent, feeling as though a boulder weighing tens of thousands of catties were pressing down upon his heart, and he spoke not another word.
As night fell, blazing fires ignited throughout the forest, reducing all the cultivators and children who had perished here to ashes and smoke.
During this time, several more batches of cultivators arrived. Most wore the Daoist robes of the Taixuan Sect, while others wore the robes of various other sects, though Yelin did not know which sects they specifically belonged to.
A few were Foundation Establishment cultivators, while the majority were Qi Condensation cultivators.
Upon witnessing the tragic devastation on the ground, they could only shake their heads and sigh before departing.
As the fires burned themselves out, their ashes were gathered into a large urn, which Lin Xiaoxiang then placed into her Qiankun pouch.
"The matter is settled, let's go."
Lin Xiaoxiang had recovered somewhat from her grief and anguish, but she remained silent, her pretty face deathly pale—a clear sign that she had suffered a monumental blow.
Up above, standing at the bow of the flying boat, Daoist Xuanling had witnessed everything.
One of the male cultivators leaped onto a flying sword, then grabbed Yelin and lifted him up toward the flying boat.
...
"Greetings, Uncle-Master!" Following the example of the others, Yelin bowed respectfully to Daoist Xuanling.
Daoist Xuanling was a handsome male cultivator with temples of silver hair yet not a single wrinkle upon his face. His gaze felt as tangible as solid objects; as it swept over Yelin, Yelin felt as though every secret within his body were completely laid bare.
Daoist Xuanling spoke indifferently, "Rise. Child, your name is Yelin, correct? You are the only one who survived this disaster and lived to see rescue. Answer me a few questions."
Yelin said with some nervousness, "Please go ahead, Uncle-Master."
"The Taixuan Talisman only indicated that the flying boat had suffered an unknown attack. How exactly did the flying boat fall and break apart?"
"The flying boat was struck by lightning twice in succession, though it blocked them both relying on a protective barrier. Afterward, the underside of the flying boat was attacked and it shattered apart. I grabbed the railing and hid in a recess, miraculously avoiding being crushed to death." Yelin answered truthfully.
"I see. It appears the Blood Shadow Sect calculated that there would be a thunderstorm today and also learned the whereabouts of the escort flying boat. They concealed their auras in the mountains, waiting for the flying boat to pass, and then used a lightning-attracting array to strike it twice in succession, exhausting the protective spiritual shield of the flying boat before launching a surprise attack from below."
Daoist Xuanling asked further, "How did you hide without being detected by the members of the demonic sect? Disciples of the Blood Shadow Sect are skilled in raising man-eating bats, which can catch the scent of a living person hundreds of meters away."
Yelin replied, "After the flying boat crashed, I hid in the thicket the entire time, trying my best not to breathe and not to make a single sound. When the wretches came over, I held my breath completely, and only when they had gone far away did I quietly attempt to breathe lightly."
"Later on, the demonic sect's man-eating bats did discover me, but by then Uncle-Master had already arrived, and the wretches were scrambling for their lives, leaving no time to waste on capturing me."
Hearing this, Daoist Xuanling nodded slightly.
"Your aura concealment is not bad, but the greater factor in your survival was sheer good luck. In a torrential rainstorm, the noses of man-eating bats are not terribly sharp."
Daoist Xuanling retrieved a bronze-colored compass from his Qiankun pouch.
"The disciple who tested your Spiritual Root has perished. We shall test you once more now for the purpose of your sect entry registration."
With that, he channeled a strand of spiritual energy into the compass.
The compass hummed loudly and floated above Yelin's head, where, under the watchful gaze of dozens of people, the five grand characters for "Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth" all flashed with brilliant light.
Daoist Xuanling paused in slight surprise, and the surrounding crowd wore expressions of astonishment as well.
"Mid-grade Spiritual Roots in all five elements... That is indeed a rarity. While it may not quite make you a supreme prodigy, your aptitude is still exceptional!"
"Child, in the future you may cultivate all five elemental spells and mental cultivation methods without restriction or taboo. However, you must always remember the principles of mutual generation and mutual restriction among the five elements. If your cultivation methods involve conflicting elements like water and fire, there is a risk of bursting apart and dying!"
Yelin bowed deeply.
"Although your nephew does not yet understand the principles of the mutual generation and restriction of the five elements, I shall forever engrave Uncle-Master's teachings in my heart!"
Daoist Xuanling nodded slightly and produced a small porcelain bottle from his Qiankun pouch, causing the eyes of all the surrounding cultivators to light up, many wearing looks of envy.
"These are five Qi Gathering Pills. After swallowing them, your efficiency in absorbing and breathing in spiritual energy will be greatly increased. The medicinal effect of each Qi Gathering Pill lasts for three days. Take them to advance your cultivation."
Yelin did not refuse, accepting the pills with both hands.
"Thank you, Uncle-Master!"
Daoist Xuanling continued, "To survive an environment where nine deaths were certain, you must be a person of great fortune. You must cultivate diligently in the future, lest you squander your destiny, and strive to relieve the sect of its worries and rid the mortal world of demons!"
"Understood!" Yelin placed the small porcelain bottle containing the Qi Gathering Pills into a small pouch at his waist and bowed respectfully to Daoist Xuanling once more.
With a wave of Daoist Xuanling's hand, the colossal flying boat slowly rose into the clouds, heading toward the Seeking Dragon Mountains and its ultimate destination—the Taixuan Sect!
Lin Xiaoxiang reported respectfully, "Reporting to Uncle-Master: in this disaster, one inner sect disciple died, two outer sect disciples died, twelve unregistered children died, twenty-four are missing, and the sole survivor is... just one!"
Gazing into the distance with a grave expression, Daoist Xuanling nodded slowly and said, "The activities of the demonic sects are growing increasingly frequent, and dark currents are surging beneath the surface in the cultivation world of the Seeking Dragon Mountains. Ahead of us all lies an uncertain path... We must all cultivate earnestly; if our strength falls short, the next one to die will be ourselves!"
Chapter 11: A Warm World of Immortal Cultivation
The world of immortal cultivation that Yelin had always imagined was a wonderful place. The immortals could all traverse the heavens and the earth, achieve eternal youth, roam proudly between heaven and earth, and pursue the grand Dao of eternity.
Yet now, even before Yelin had officially entered the Taixuan Sect, this cruel world of immortal cultivation had revealed its ferocious and vicious side.
He felt immensely fortunate that he had spent the journey sitting in a corner practicing breathing exercises right up until the flying boat crashed, allowing him to grab the railing and hide in a recess during the fall so he wasn't crushed to death.
He was equally fortunate to have raised Xiaoqiang, who possessed terrifying strength, and to hold the Ancient Ring.
Had it not been for that, his path of cultivation might have come to an abrupt halt just as it was beginning.
Exhausted in body from his narrow escape, Yelin had quickly drifted off to sleep leaning against the ship's railing after being rescued. When he opened his eyes again and regained his energy, he found that the glow of dusk had faded, night had fallen, and the flying boat was gliding smoothly through the boundless expanse of the night sky.
Above, the stars twinkled like scattered diamonds, and the moonlight shone like water.
The vast majority of the Taixuan Sect cultivators sat cross-legged in various spots across the flying boat to practice meditation. Yelin could clearly see wisps of pale purple spiritual energy being continuously drawn into their bodies.
Daoist Xuanling still stood alone at the bow of the flying boat, his semi-white hair and Daoist robe fluttering in the night wind. He gazed out into the night sky, whether keeping watch or lost in contemplation, none could tell.
Yelin stood up, stretching his somewhat stiff joints. He looked down as the flying boat glided slowly over range upon range of overlapping mountain peaks, vaguely hearing the roars of fierce beasts echoing from the forests below.
This was already deep within the Seeking Dragon Mountains, a truly untrodden realm. Legend had it that not only immortal sects but also demons and monsters lurked within the Seeking Dragon Mountains, and even the most capable hunters dared not venture deep inside.
In the night air after the rain, the atmosphere was exceptionally fresh. Yelin's mood improved considerably, and the gloom in his heart had mostly dissipated.
Having been a servant and a slave since childhood, Yelin had endured all manner of hardships; his psychological resilience far surpassed that of other thirteen- or fourteen-year-old youths of his age.