Chapter 5 The Moon Is Gone, My Former Close Friend
"Young Sect Master, it seems to be a Spirit Devouring Beast." The cultivator dressed in the robes of the Nanheng Sect respectfully reported the situation to the woman in front of him.
"Young Sect Master?" Some cultivators around were surprised to hear his title. "Is he Su Fuying, the music cultivation genius? The former close friend of the young master of the Yaotai Realm?"
My dearest friend from the past...
Just listening to it makes people feel sad.
Upon hearing the cultivator's words, Su Fuying regained her composure slightly, feeling a bit of a headache.
Spirit-devouring beasts, as the name suggests, are magical beasts that can devour spiritual energy. The magical beasts that the Immortal Alliance ordered all cultivators to work together to capture are mainly spirit-devouring beasts.
The Spirit-Devouring Beasts themselves are not a significant threat, but this very lack of threat allows them to gnaw at barriers constructed of spiritual energy. When their numbers are small, they are not particularly dangerous. The barriers can be repaired in time, enough to restore them to their original state before the beasts have taken too much of their energy. However, if their numbers become too large, they can not only tear through the barriers but also devour the spiritual energy of cultivators.
However, Su Fuying frowned slightly as she looked at the newly repaired barrier in front of her. Such a crack could only have been caused by hundreds of spirit-devouring beasts gnawing at it together. How could the patrolling cultivators have missed such a large-scale commotion?
The cultivators from the Nanheng Sect around her, seeing her still deep in thought, spoke again, "The young master of the Yaotai Realm is also in this town."
His intention was to remind her to avoid the other person, since former close friends were now like strangers, and it would be very awkward to see each other again.
Su Fuying was slightly taken aback.
What is she doing here?
"Young Sect Master! Something terrible has happened! A large number of demonic beasts have appeared in the south. The disciples repairing the barrier in the south are about to collapse!"
Upon hearing his words, Su Fuying gathered her thoughts and headed south.
The disciples in the south ultimately couldn't hold out. The cracks in the barrier at the edge of the town grew larger and larger. Even the intrusion of a large number of magical beasts meant that the sword energy that had been hovering over the town couldn't completely annihilate them all at once.
The first magical beast entered the town, and its target was none other than the disciples of the Nanheng Sect who were still trying to prevent the crack in the barrier from widening!
As the monster's sharp teeth and claws drew closer, he instinctively wanted to withdraw his hands to defend himself, but then he remembered that once his spiritual power was withdrawn, the barrier he was barely maintaining would collapse. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead as he decided to withstand the monster's attack head-on.
The monstrous beast, poised to pounce, lunged at him. He nervously closed his eyes, but the expected pain did not materialize.
"It's Young Master Yao! We're saved!"
Hearing the shouts of the disciples who were helping to maintain the barrier, he opened his eyes. The ferocious beast that had been preparing to attack him lay to the side, its wounds still radiating icy coldness.
He looked up and saw a white figure weaving through the horde of monsters. The spirit sword in her hand gleamed coldly in the moonlight. Wherever she went, she left behind only frost and monsters that crashed to the ground.
The surrounding cultivators cheered. Some of them might dislike Fu Yunyao, but over the past ten years, they had reached a consensus that as long as this mortal young master and the Rangchen Sword in her hand were there, they would be safe no matter what dangers they faced.
Suddenly, the crack in the barrier widened again. A disciple, having exhausted his spiritual power, could no longer hold on and fell. With him gone, the pressure of maintaining the barrier fell on the remaining few. Instantly, their spiritual power was drained, they coughed up blood, and collapsed to the ground.
The barrier finally began to crack inch by inch.
Amidst the horde of demons, Fu Yunyao turned her head and vaguely saw the figure rushing towards her. She unleashed her sword energy to block the demonic energy that was beginning to surge wildly towards the town, but in doing so, she also exposed her back to the ferocious demonic beast.
"Young Master Yao!"
The cultivators cried out in alarm as a flute melody rang out, stopping the demonic beasts that were lunging at Fu Yunyao. The flute melody swirled around them, instantly killing them.
Su Fuying stood on the city wall, looking down at the figure whose plain clothes were stained with blood.
When she arrived, she saw the barrier break. She knew that Fu Yunyao would turn around and swing her sword to block the demonic energy, so she played her flute to stop the demons behind her.
Fu Yunyao raised her eyes and met her gaze through the veil of her bamboo hat, a smile playing on her lips.
She didn't have the noble sentiment of sacrificing herself to save others; she only knew that with Su Fuying here, everything would be safe and sound behind her.
The Nanheng Sect cultivators who arrived behind Su Fuying quickly set up a barrier again. Fu Yunyao withdrew her gaze and returned to the horde of demonic beasts.
Su Fuying also played the flute, stopping the crack in the barrier, and a new barrier slowly formed.
A cultivator exclaimed in alarm, "Young Master Yao is still outside the barrier!"
Before Su Fuying's flute music could be disrupted, at the very last moment before the barrier was about to close, Fu Yunyao retreated into the barrier and casually unleashed a sword aura that merged with the newly closed barrier.
Su Fuying stopped playing the flute and looked down at the figure below again. It turned out that ten years had passed since that day.
Such tacit understanding, yet they are... former close friends.
Fu Yunyao shook off the frost from the dust-covered sword, and the veil on her bamboo hat fluttered slightly, revealing glimpses of the girl's gentle features.
Su Fuying avoided her gaze and instructed the Nanheng Sect disciples around her, "In the next few days, send more people to patrol around the border. Also, call on more cultivators to go out of the barrier together to hunt down the spirit-devouring beasts. It's best to go in groups of three and not be alone."
The disciple acknowledged. Su Fuying sighed softly, and when she looked up again, the white-clad figure was no longer in sight.
It wasn't until Su Fuying left that the surrounding cultivators began to talk.
"I had long heard that the young master of Yaotai Realm had broken ties with his old friend, but I never expected it to be true."
"I knew it! The reason why the Dust Sword Master perished and the Dust Sword recognized a mortal as its master must be because of something wrong with her! Otherwise, why would the other geniuses break with her and not say a word to each other when they meet now?"
"The mortal you call problematic just saved your life."
The cultivator who had spoken earlier said awkwardly, "It's not that I don't acknowledge that Fu Yunyao is indeed kind and gentle, but no one is perfect."
"You can't say that. Maybe it was just a minor disagreement?"
"What trivial conflict could cause several close friends who were once inseparable to have no contact for nearly ten years?"
"But didn't the young sect master of Nanheng Sect just stop the demonic beast that was attacking Young Master Yao? Her subconscious action clearly shows that she still cares about her."
"In that situation, anyone with the ability would have made a move. Don't forget how much the cultivation world needs someone like her who can use the Dust-Slaying Sword. If something happens to Fu Yunyao here, the Nanheng Sect will have to bear the wrath of the other four major sects and the Immortal Alliance."
Now that the seal on the Demon Realm has been broken, the only thing that can deter the demons is the Rangchen Sword. However, the Rangchen Sword is arrogant, and its master is dead. The only person in this world who can use the Rangchen Sword is Fuyun Yao.
One cultivator sighed, "If only the Sword Master Chen were still here."
These words silenced the surroundings once more. No one refuted them, for it was indeed the consensus of everyone in the cultivation world. Those who had liked him in the past, and those who had disliked him, were left with only regret on the day he perished in the South China Sea.
...
"Fuying, how is the South China Sea? I just received news that the barrier around the town in the South China Sea is broken. I'm on my way there now."
A clear, yet somewhat anxious, voice came from the jade slip.
Su Fuying replied, "The barrier has been temporarily repaired, but the cause of the problem is still under investigation. I should stay in Qiushui Town for a while longer."
The voice on the other end of the jade slip paused, presumably in thought, "The Linglang Secret Realm just closed, and the barrier of Qiushui Town malfunctioned. I have a feeling it can't be a coincidence. Why don't I go over there first and investigate with you?"
"Mm," Su Fuying replied.
The jade slip continued to murmur, "It seems that Wen Ci has gone to the Endless Sect again. Just like before, he was kicked out before he even got close. I don't know what he was thinking. After being turned away by the Endless Sect, he actually went to the Yaotai Realm. After all these years, hasn't he seen how cold and heartless that person is? He goes every year, but he never sees him."
He said a lot but received no response, which he found strange. "What's wrong with you today?"
Su Fuying pursed her lips. "I saw Yun Yao today."
The jade slip immediately transmitted a somewhat angry voice, "She came looking for you? She actually dared to come looking for you!"
"I met her in Qiushui Town. She was probably there to add a sword aura to the barrier of Qiushui Town, but she just happened to run into the barrier breaking."
There was silence on the other end of the jade slip for a long time, so long that people thought the transmission had been cut off.
The jade slip on the table was still gleaming, and Su Fuying sighed.
"Is she... alright?"
He asked in a low voice, with hesitation.
Su Fuying didn't know how to answer. Was she alright? She didn't know either.
"She was wearing a bamboo hat, so I couldn't see her expression, but her sword intent was even stronger than before."
The other side fell silent again, and after a long while, he spoke again in a hoarse voice.
"Tell me, how did we end up like this?"
Su Fuying looked out the window, thinking of the figure in white under the moonlight.
Yes, how did we end up like this?
Under the candlelight, Su Fuying spoke slowly.
"Yu Bai, actually, sometimes I still think about the past, about the time when all six of us were together."
...
"Ten years ago, Fu Yunyao, the young master of Yaotai Realm, was a close friend who could entrust their lives to each other. They met and got to know each other during the cultivation competition and relied on each other for life and death in many dangerous situations. The path of cultivation is so arduous. How lucky it is to have such good friends to accompany you."
Perhaps because of the barrier breaking last night, Fu Yunyao and Su Fuying were able to fight side by side again to some extent, and the cultivators in the teahouse were once again discussing their past.
Some people were puzzled, "They used to be close friends? Then why haven't we heard any news about Young Master Yao being with them these past few years? I even heard that when Senior Brother Wen went to Yaotai Realm, he couldn't even get into the edge barrier each time."
"That's all in the past. They're like strangers now. Didn't you see when the barrier broke last night? Fu Yunyao and Su Fuying didn't even say hello."
"Huh? Why?"
A monk said mysteriously and with a sigh, "It is said that it is because of one person."
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