Broken Clouds

The mountain wind was sharp as a knife, carrying a damp, cold breath through the mist and clouds, grazing her face. Yunxiu gathered the meager immortal energy within her body into the soles of her feet, and as her green skirt fluttered, she had already swept several feet away.

The dazzling golden light suddenly emitted by the jade pendant at her waist still lingered in her afterglow. The entire piece of warm jade transformed into a blazing light source, like the setting sun crushed in her palm, burning her knuckles to numbness.

——The barrier was broken.

This thought was like a needle tempered by ice.

The barrier surrounding Mount Yaoxi had been jointly constructed by Master and Senior Brother Yanxiu, drawing on their innate immortal energy to connect to the mountain's spiritual veins. It had remained flawless for as long as she could remember. That invisible barrier, like a mother's embrace, shielded her from external disasters while trapping the mountain's spiritual energy. But now, it felt like shattered glass, even the last bit of warmth rapidly dissipating.

The clouds and mist became extremely violent, no longer the soft and lingering appearance of the past.

They came at her with a scorching smell, like burning grass in the wind, crashing into the spiritual barrier held up by Yunxiu with a scorching heat. Each impact sent her blood surging, rippling the barrier. The hem of her green skirt had been ripped by the debris mixed in with the air currents, and the exposed skin oozed blood, numb from the cold wind.

What made her heart palpitate even more was the strange vibrations in the air. That power was as profound as an ancient mountain, carrying the majesty of time, yet also exuding an unsettling chill. As this vibration swept through her body, it felt as if something in Yunxiu's chest had awakened, trembling slightly along her blood vessels. It felt both familiar and unfamiliar, as if a memory dormant for a thousand years had suddenly revived.

She subconsciously pressed her chest, where she felt a faint burning sensation, which secretly resonated with this external force.

Yunxiu's brows furrowed even more, and he pushed his immortal energy to its limit. The distant sky had been dyed an eerie crimson. A dull explosion could be heard faintly, like a giant hammer striking at his heart.

Passing through the last swirling cloud and mist, the mountain gate suddenly came into view. Yunxiu abruptly stopped, barely dodging an attack.

The bluestone archway, which was originally as smooth as jade, was broken into three pieces. The mountain gate totem carved on the top was broken and incomplete, and the patterns that symbolized protection were dim at the broken ends.

A few strands of silvery-white debris were scattered among the rubble, gleaming faintly in the sunlight.

Whenever Yan Xiu used his magic, such silver feathers would always unfold behind him. But now they were scattered all over the ground like crushed stars, which was shocking.

The mountain gate was filled with dust as several figures engaged in a fierce battle. One figure, clad in a dark robe, stood out. His movements were ghostly, and each swing of his palm carried a suffocating pressure. Wherever his palms swept, spiderweb-like cracks formed on the ground.

The condensed fluctuations of immortal power emanated from him, carrying a unique aura of majesty, yet also revealing an undisguised murderous intent.

Immortal power? Yunxiu was stunned.

The immortal energy of all beings in Yaoxi Mountain bears the characteristics of their original bodies. Yunxiu's immortal energy carries a touch of the bird's aura, agile and sharp, but lacking in endurance. Master's immortal energy is like the massive rock of his original body, steady and heavy, but not light enough to allow for sneak attacks.

But Yunxiu couldn't sense any characteristics or aura from this person's immortal power. No characteristics, no flaws.

When Yunxiu calmed down and felt it, he was even surprised to feel a power in his body that he had never felt before, which was resonating uncontrollably with the immortal power of the man in black clothes.

She was stunned for a moment, and subconsciously stopped outside the flashing fairy light, feeling the surging in her body becoming more and more intense.

The other figure on the field was none other than Yan Xiu. He half-knelt on the ground, his left hand clutching his bleeding right shoulder. His white robe was already heavily stained with blood. As if sensing something, he turned his head and casually cast a spell, blocking Yun Xiu from the battlefield.

“Senior Brother!”

How could the now injured Yan Xiu be a match for Yun Xiu? Yun Xiu waved his hand casually, and the barrier shattered into thin air without a single blow.

Yunxiu used his inner energy to move closer. Although he couldn't see the black-robed man's face clearly, Yunxiu suddenly remembered Senior Brother Yuwei's warning—someone in this mountain wants to kill us all.

She saw the crystal pillar beside Yan Xiu.

The ten-foot-tall crystal pillar was the core of the Yaoxi Mountain barrier. Normally hidden within the mountains, it was unknown how the black-robed figure had revealed its true form.

It was covered in spiderweb-like cracks, constantly emitting tiny specks of light, like shattered stars drifting in the wind. This was the energy from the disintegration of the barrier, and also the essence of the mountain's spiritual veins.

Yan Xiu gritted his teeth and tried to inject his own immortal power into the crystal column to repair the cracks.

But just as he gathered a trace of silver-white spiritual power, the man in black noticed it, sneered, and swung out a palm wind.

Yunxiu immediately used his internal energy to resist, but he was no match for the black-robed man. The invisible wave of air struck the two men's chests like a heavy hammer.

Yunxiu groaned as she was sent flying, crashing heavily into the ancient pine tree behind her. Yan Xiu wasn't much better off, his brow furrowed, seemingly unconscious.

Yunxiu struggled to get up, feeling severe pain in his chest.

"Stop!" A furious shout echoed through the mountain gate. Master arrived and, seeing this, stopped Yunxiu Yanxiu behind him. A burst of immortal power blocked the black-robed man's subsequent attacks.

The master was surrounded by ochre-colored stone-type immortal power. The flowing light was like hard armor, but it could not hide the tense lines of his jaw.

"The ancient gods have long since vanished from the heavens and earth. Who are you? How dare you act so presumptuously in Yaoxi Mountain?"

Yunxiu checked Yan Xiu's injuries, but paused when he heard his master's words.

Ancient God? Why does Master think the other party is related to the Ancient God?

Could it be that that power... is not the immortal power formed by the transformation of living beings and cultivation, but the divine power of the ancient gods?

Yunxiu looked at his palm, but before he could figure out what was going on, he found that the man in black had attacked again.

She suddenly looked up - and then she realized that although her master's stone-based magical power seemed strong, he always maintained a defensive posture and did not actually launch an attack.

Master...are you trembling?

The black-robed man sneered at the words, but didn't reply. He gathered a ball of cold, white-glowing power at his fingertips and slowly raised his arm, aiming directly at the still-breathing Yan Xiu, clearly intending to kill him.

“No!”

Yunxiu didn't have time to think, and regardless of the severe pain in his wound, he immediately used his internal energy to resist.

The power within her body, resonating with the outside world, suddenly surged. Without a pause, she formed seals with her hands, gathering all the immortal energy she could mobilize into her fingertips. This transformed into a cyan arrow of light, which shot towards the figure in black. This was her most skilled technique, normally used only to drive away sparrows, but now it carried the sound of breaking wind and possessed the power to pierce through the clouds.

The moment the green light collided with the black robe, a dazzling flash of light erupted. The black-robed man paused abruptly, clearly not expecting Yunxiu to immediately counterattack.

He suddenly turned around, and his eyes from under his hood fell on Yunxiu, cold and sharp, with scrutiny and undisguised surprise.

It was as if... he was examining a treasure that had been lost and then recovered. Not only did he not retreat, he even approached Yunxiu step by step.

Yunxiu stumbled back, a sharp burning sensation emanating from her chest. The power within her body surged like a flaming flame, coursing through her veins. She instinctively pressed her chest, only to discover that the pendant hanging from her neck was glowing.

It was an amulet made from the most complete feather she had before she transformed. It was now emitting a green light and vibrating in sync with the power fluctuations around it, and each beat coincided with her heartbeat.

"This is..." Yunxiu raised her hand and held the pendant. The touch of the cool jade made her calm down a little.

This pendant has never had such a strange phenomenon before. Could it be related to the power that suddenly became active in her body?

When the man in black saw this scene, he became even more excited and leaped towards Yunxiu.

It was this moment of distraction that gave the master an opportunity. With a low cry, the stone-based immortal energy surrounding him suddenly surged, transforming into several thick stone chains that wrapped around the black-robed man's arms as if they had life, locking him tightly.

"Don't go near him!"

Yan Xiu had woken up at some point, and he struggled to raise his head and forcibly held down Yun Xiu's hand.

The amulet in Yunxiu's hand gradually calmed down.

"Back off! The barrier was forcibly torn apart. He's absorbing the remaining power from the center of the formation!"

The black-robed man was bound by stone chains, yet he showed no sign of panic. His divine power suddenly erupted, and a cold white light shattered the stone chains into pieces, emitting a dull cracking sound.

But he didn't continue to attack his master—he didn't even glance at him. Instead, he turned his gaze back to Yunxiu, his eyes complex and difficult to read, as if he was confirming something.

Everything had basically returned to normal. Yunxiu was about to stand up and fight again, but the other party suddenly seemed to be in a good mood and stopped pestering him. The black-robed man left only one sentence, which was like a cold wind that poured into the ears of everyone present:

"Get ready for your funeral. We'll see you soon."

When the voice faded away, the figure of the man in black had turned into a black shadow and merged into the mountains and forests. After a few rises and falls, he disappeared in the thick clouds and fog, leaving only the heavy fluctuations of divine power lingering in the air.

Yunxiu was about to catch up, but saw that his master hadn't moved. He quickly rushed to Yan Xiu's side and probed for his eldest brother's pulse. When he felt that faint beat, his master's shoulders visibly relaxed, but then tensed again. He whispered, "Yunxiu, quickly go get the Mind-Concentrating Pill."

"Master, that person..." Yunxiu asked, "Who is he? Why does he have the aura of an ancient god? Why didn't you just..."

"That's enough!" The master interrupted her sternly and helped Yan Xiu up.

Yunxiu was stunned for a moment - in the past, even when her master was at his most angry, he had never spoken to her so harshly.

However, after realizing it, Yunxiu's first reaction was not to shrink in fear, but to question:

"Did the disciple say something wrong? Or did he do something wrong?"

The Master was silent for a moment, then lowered his eyes and replied:

"It could be the remnant spirit of an ancient god causing trouble. The spiritual veins in the mountain are disordered, and strange phenomena are bound to occur."

He avoided Yunxiu's question about why he didn't try his best to stop it.

Yunxiu looked at his master's tense profile, and his doubts grew deeper.

Master was made of stone, possessing an eternal lifespan. He had experienced the ancient gods' peak of power and was most familiar with their aura. However, his reaction just now was far too abnormal; it was definitely not simply a case of facing a remnant soul.

Just as he was thinking, Yan Xiu coughed up blood again, and it was obvious that his injury could not be delayed any longer.

Yunxiu temporarily suppressed the doubts in his heart and turned around to get the pills.

After delivering the medicine to Yan Xiu's room, she was on her way back when her eyes were drawn to the broken mountain gate archway. Something seemed to be reflecting light in the rubble. She walked over and pushed the stones aside, revealing half a bloodstained jade pendant.

The style of this jade pendant is exactly the same as the one in Senior Brother Yu Wei's hand. Both are identity certificates of disciples of the mountain sect. However, the words engraved on the back have been blurred by blood, and only the word "Twenty" can be vaguely recognized.

Senior Sister Jing Ershi!

Yunxiu's heart suddenly sank. The girl who had sewed her hairband, Xibian Xiaohua, Senior Brother Yuwei's lover, had disappeared years ago after following her uncle down the mountain. Could it be that she, too...

"Xiao You!"

Master's voice suddenly echoed behind her, with unusual urgency. Yunxiu turned back to see Master walking quickly toward her, his eyes fixed on the jade pendant in her hand, his pupils suddenly constricted. He reached out as if to touch it, but paused mid-move.

The master's hand froze in mid-air, then he withdrew it as if nothing had happened, coughing twice to cover up his embarrassment: "Are you okay? The strange vision just now..."

"I'm fine." Yunxiu clenched the half jade pendant in his hand and said softly, "I just found this."

She handed over the blood-stained jade pendant: "It looks like it belongs to Senior Sister Jing Er."

The master stared at the blurred "Twenty" for a long time, and whispered, "Put it away first, and wait until Yan Xiu wakes up."

At that moment, several panicked figures came running down the mountain path. They were the surviving low-level disciples, supporting their injured fellow disciples, their faces filled with panic. Seeing the tragic state of the mountain gate, they couldn't help but gasp.

"Master! Senior Sister Yunxiu!" A round-faced disciple cried out in tears.

"That was terrifying! An outsider killed Senior Brother Qing, who was guarding the mountain gate! With one palm strike..."

"When the barrier was broken, the whole mountain was shaking!" another disciple added, clutching his bleeding forehead. "Brother Yan Xiu exhausted all his immortal energy in order to protect the center of the formation, and that's why he was injured by that evil guy!"

The disciples talked about what had just happened, and their words were full of fear of the man in black.

Yunxiu rubbed the rough, broken edge with his fingertips. Senior Sister Jing'er's disappearance, Senior Brother Yuwei's warning, the black-robed man's attack, the shattered barrier, Master's abnormal behavior... Countless doubts tangled like a tangled thread in his mind, overlapping with the vision he had just witnessed.

She looked towards the direction of the forest where the man in black had escaped, and the mist was still rolling.

Why her? What is the power within her? And what is her connection to the Ancient Gods?

The pendant on his neck was still slightly hot, and the fluctuations in his body were still surging like boiling water.

Yunxiu looked down at the amulet that had been with him for many years, and suddenly realized that his peaceful life of seventeen years might have come to an end.

The mountain wind blew through the broken archway, making a whimpering sound.