☆, Chapter 76 The Abyss Returns
Shen Qingqiu pointed out a seat to him again, saying, "The sect leader has just left."
He picked up the teapot on the table, and Mingfan hurriedly came to help, but he gestured for her not to interfere. Shen Qingqiu personally poured tea for everyone, and Liu Qingge finally sat down, picked up her teacup, took a sip, and remained silent.
Qi Qingqi said, "Of course, Senior Brother Sect Leader has been here. Junior Brother Liu, with that face of yours, I thought you were talking about Luo Binghe."
What was said in jest was taken seriously by the listener. Shen Qingqiu felt a sharp pain in his cheek and forced a smile, saying, "How could that be?"
Qi Qingqi slammed her teacup down on the table, raising an eyebrow and saying, "That's right. How could that be? If Luo Binghe dared to come to Cangqiong Mountain now, everyone would stab him with their swords!"
Sitting to the side with her sleeves tucked in, Mu Qingfang casually remarked, "But you'd have to be able to hit him first."
Shen Qingqiu chuckled. Qi Qingqi pointed at him and said, "Laughing? You still have the nerve to laugh? You're the most annoying one! Shen Qingqiu, let me tell you, it's good that you came back with your senior and junior brothers this time. If you had followed him without a word like last time, I would have been the first to expel you from the sect, and we'd see if you could still cause trouble then!"
What was meant as a caring warning was delivered in such a harsh tone, almost as if she were about to jump up and grab Shen Qingqiu by the back of the neck. A room full of people gathered around, some watching the spectacle, some drinking tea, and others cracking melon seeds (why didn't Liu Mingyan remove her veil while cracking melon seeds?). Shen Qingqiu, clearly afraid of her, quickly changed the subject: "How are you, Senior Brother? Has your injury from last time fully healed?"
Mu Qingfang said, "It's alright."
Although he said "it's done," he clearly had a sigh in his eyes. Qi Qingqi snorted, "If it weren't for Senior Brother's absolute refusal to draw his sword unless absolutely necessary, and his forced breakthrough after hearing about the strange event, Luo Binghe wouldn't have gotten the better of him. If you had come out a little later, you might have seen Senior Brother's Xuan Su drawn."
This made Shen Qingqiu somewhat eager to try it out.
You know, neither in the original story nor here has he ever witnessed Xuan Su drawing his sword. Well, this is another plot hole from the "shooting down a plane into the sky" trope!
All talk and no action, a lot of build-up in the beginning, but in the end—nothing!
Without any explanation, Yue Qingyuan was simply riddled with arrows and died. [Manual goodbye]
This is outrageous!
Ning Yingying had been standing to the side with her head down since she came in. Shen Qingqiu beckoned her to come up and asked, "What's wrong?"
Ning Yingying slowly scooted closer, raised her face, her eyes red like a little rabbit's, and mumbled with a nasal tone, "Master, this time you're back, please don't leave again, okay?"
I cried.
She cried again. Shen Qingqiu was dumbfounded.
What's going on? He's not someone who cries easily; he mostly sheds natural tears. So why are all the apprentices he raised so prone to tears?
Overwhelmed with emotion at the sight, Mingfan also wailed, "Master—"
This has absolutely nothing to do with pear blossoms in the rain!
Qi Qingqi immediately seized the opportunity to reprimand him: "Look! Look at your disciple, don't you feel sorry for him? You have more than one disciple! You only dote on that ungrateful wretch, what about the others?"
Shen Qingqiu patted Ning Yingying's back, comforting her gently while defending herself: "When did I only hurt one person?"
Liu Qingge drank the tea down to a third of its original volume, then lowered her eyelashes and said, "Since you're back, I'll leave it."
Of course we should keep it.
The Azure Sky Mountain Sect is such a great organization; once you're on board, you can't get off. Shen Qingqiu simply replied, "Mm."
Hearing his response, Qi Qingqi was extremely satisfied. Liu Qingge was about to say something when suddenly his brows furrowed, and a murderous aura emanated from him.
The people inside noticed the change in his aura and instinctively placed their hands on their swords. Liu Qingge suddenly stood up and instantly flashed to the window, causing Shen Qingqiu's heart to leap into her throat.
Liu Qingge suddenly pushed open the two lattice windows.
Above, there were sparse stars and a bright moon; below, a deep bamboo forest, and not a soul in sight.
Luo Binghe certainly wouldn't just stand there like an idiot; he must have left long ago.
The atmosphere in the room quickly relaxed. Mu Qingfang asked, "Senior Brother Liu, what are you looking at?"
However, Liu Qingge did not turn around, but instead stretched out a hand as if to catch something falling from the sky.
After a moment, he withdrew his hand, turned around, and said, "It's snowing."
Shen Qingqiu lay awake all night, and the next day, as soon as he heard the alarm bell, he rushed out of the bamboo hut.
The bell tolled faster and faster with each strike, its echoes reverberating and swirling across the entire summit of Cangqiong Mountain.
Disciples from each peak gathered at Qingjing Peak via the Rainbow Bridge. Outside the domed hall, crowds thronged, yet all was silent.
After settling the people from Qingjing Peak, Shen Qingqiu entered the hall. A white crystal mirror, over ten feet tall, stood to the side of the hall. Apart from a disciple acting as a clerk from Anding Peak, all the peak masters had arrived and stood before it, their expressions solemn.
The mirror reflects a wide, flat river, flanked by green hills and fields, with a row or a few white rooftops scattered about.
Yue Qingyuan said, "In the middle reaches of the Luo River, above."
Above this scene, a dark, cave-filled, eerie mountain range emerged from the clouds. It resembled a pitted, black skull, rising upside down from the rolling clouds, its hollow face gazing menacingly down below.
That is the Burial Ridge of the Demon Realm.
Yue Qingyuan said, "The news said it started at midnight last night. At first, all that could be seen was a jumble of rocks, but after less than an hour, it became clear that it was a mountain range."
One of the peak masters exclaimed in surprise, "Not even an hour has passed? This... is too fast!"
No. This is the normal pace of the merger. As expected, Tianlang-jun still chose the "best time and place" to act, as mentioned in the original work.
As expected, this strange phenomenon will appear in various places within half a day. Within two days, the two realms will be completely merged.
It's like tearing two paintings apart and then haphazardly piecing them back together.
Liu Qingge crossed her arms, holding Cheng Luan in her hand, and said, "So we have to be faster."
Yue Qingyuan said, "Each peak master shall select two-thirds of their inner disciples to accompany them. They shall arrive at the middle reaches of Luochuan within half an hour."
Upon receiving the sect leader's order, the peak masters all scattered in a flash.
They were to arrive within half an hour, leaving them less than ten minutes to prepare, so they naturally had to be quick. Shen Qingqiu was about to go back and check on the men when Yue Qingyuan stopped him: "You stay here."
really.
Shen Qingqiu turned around and said, "Senior brother, you know I have no choice but to go."
Yue Qingyuan's expression turned solemn as he asked, "Junior brother, besides Chuxue and Luochuan, what else do you know?"
Shen Qingqiu said slowly, "To stop the merger, we must first remove the Heart Demon Sword. It is stuck in the skull at Burial Ridge, and Tianlang Jun must be there supplying power."
In other words, the solutions are: ① Destroy the Demon Sword; ② Kill Tianlang Jun.
Yue Qingyuan insisted, "You stay behind."
Just as Shen Qingqiu was about to speak, Yue Qingyuan made a hand gesture, seemingly about to create a restriction that would directly seal him inside the dome-shaped hall.
The sect leader is about to take a hard line!
Shen Qingqiu's back tensed, unsure whether he should place his hand on Xiuya. Just then, a cacophony of exclamations came from outside the hall.
The two rushed out of the hall at the same time, and looking in the direction the disciples on the square were pointing, Shen Qingqiu secretly gasped.
Above the Azure Sky Mountain, the vast, surging clouds, like a raging sea, turned blood red.
Streaks of red light ripped across the sky, and boulders engulfed in flames, like fiery meteors, plummeted toward Cangqiong Mountain.
Yue Qingyuan remained unmoved, and with a flick of his wrist, Xuan Su, sword still sheathed, shot out, shattering the several boulders into dust. Countless tiny particles, like the residual heat of fireworks after an explosion, scattered outwards.
Within the crater-like red clouds, one could vaguely see countless human hands and screaming heads, tumbling and struggling in agony, like a scene from purgatory.
Grass! Mud! Horse! Of! No! Space! Deep! Abyss!
Shen Qingqiu roared inwardly: "Shoot an airplane into the sky!"
If you're so capable, write a merger statement! If you're so capable, clearly state that the location of Azure Sky Mountain is actually merged with the Abyss of No Return!
This is outrageous!
Cang Qiong Mountain has truly won the grand prize!!!
Cangqiong Mountain cannot be kept for the time being.
After this wave passes, who knows when the next one will arrive? Who knows how long it will take before it merges with the Abyss of No Return, becoming a magma scourge, a living hell.
Yue Qingyuan said to the acting disciple of Anding Peak, "Please invite the masters of Zhaohua Temple to come and lend their assistance."
He raised his voice and ordered, "Disciples who remain here, listen to my command: once the barrier breaks, retreat from the mountain immediately without taking anything with you!"
The thousand disciples in the square shouted in unison, "Yes!"
Yue Qingyuan turned his head and said, "Junior Brother Qingqiu, you should also go to Luochuan."
After finishing counting the disciples of Hundred Battles Peak, Liu Qingge returned: "What about you, Sect Leader?"
Yue Qingyuan said, "I will hold them off for a while and wait for Zhaohua Temple to come to their aid. I will arrive shortly afterward."
Shen Qingqiu said, "Senior brother, can you handle this alone? Maybe I should stay here..." Liu Qingge pulled him away, saying succinctly, "Let's go. He said he'd be there soon, and he will be there soon."
With disaster looming, the Cangqiong Mountain Sect finally realized its responsibility as the number one sect in a cultivation novel, and finally abandoned its leisurely pace of travel by carriage and boat.
Thousands of flying swords streaked across the sky at lightning speed, and if anyone looked up below, they would see a dazzling array of flowing stars.
What a magnificent sight! It's a pity that the strange rocks peeking out from the sky completely distract one from appreciating this magnificent and rare spectacle.
An Dingfeng was indeed a master of logistics, with extremely high efficiency. It was estimated that the reinforcements from Zhaohua Temple would arrive quickly and hold up the barrier. Yue Qingyuan also quickly withdrew and caught up.
In less than half an hour, they had reached the middle reaches of the Luo River.
Due to the large number of people, they had to land in batches and in separate areas. The banks of the Luo River were already crowded with cultivators from various sects and factions, who had received the news and noticed the unusual phenomena and came to investigate. The Taoists of Tianyi Temple were busy evacuating ordinary people from the banks of the Luo River. Wuwang and Wuchen led the group from Zhaohua Temple to join them.
Yue Qingyuan cupped his hands and said, "Thank you all for sending your disciples to help us. Otherwise, the Cangqiong Mountain Sect's centuries-old foundation might have been destroyed today."
Monk Wuwang, who was usually very talkative, was silent with a stern face today. Instead, Master Wuchen wiped his sweat and said, "Amitabha. It is not only your sect that has almost been destroyed in an instant, but Zhaohua Temple has also almost fallen into such a predicament."
Yue Qingyuan was slightly surprised: "Is that so? All the masters have sent a hundred disciples from the temple to Cangqiong Mountain... Do you still have the strength to protect the temple?"
Shen Qingqiu was also puzzled.
Could it be that Zhaohua Temple's enlightenment is so profound that it would rather suffer its own loss than fail to help other sects?
Wu Wang's expression grew increasingly grim.
Seeing that he still didn't speak, Master Wuchen had no choice but to continue speaking on his behalf, saying, "This... is really hard to say. It wasn't due to my own efforts, but rather with the strong support of others."
Yue Qingyuan asked, "Could it be Tianyi Temple?"
Tianyi Temple is known for its leisurely and carefree lifestyle, making it one of the most disorganized and undisciplined major sects. It made virtually no progress in the barrier expedition; if it truly survived only with the help of Tianyi Temple, that's quite remarkable.
Master Wuchen shook his head and said, "It is the Illusion Flower Palace."
Shen Qingqiu blurted out, "The Illusionary Flower Palace? That's..."
Wu Wang, his face ashen, said, "That's right. It is indeed Luo Binghe."
Suddenly, two soft laughs came from the side.
A clear and gentle voice said, "I am unworthy of your great help. If I had to say, I was only doing this to help my master."
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