The Transcendent Immortal Chapter 120 Xiaoyue

Before long, as they flew farther and farther away, the view of the gorge slowly melted into the scene of lush and dense forests below their feet. Relieved at being able to make it out safely, Yu Yifeng finally asked, "What was wrong with you just now?"

Xiao Chen did not answer, merely shaking his head; his eyes were still trained towards the thick copse of forests far away, his mind still lost in the painful reminiscences of his past.

Yu Yifeng sighed wearily. "I do not profess to know about your history, my friend. But one should not dwell on the past. Many things are pre-destined that mere grit alone would do nothing to change them. Appreciate what you have presently. There's no point in brooding on your pains and regrets, lest you dishearten those who are waiting for you."

He paused for a beat, as if allowing his words to sink in. "You might have not noticed that Sister Luo had wandered alone to the brook at the bamboo grove earlier. Her eyes were inflamed, as if from weeping."

"Senior Sister Luo..." Xiao Chen's mouth opened as if he wanted to say something. But he merely breathed gloomily. "Brother Yifeng, please," Xiao Chen said suddenly, "Can you keep what that has happened here a secret?" The once-majestic stronghold of the Mystic Cyan Sect was nothing but ruins and rubbles, still, he wished that it could remain there, peacefully in slumber eternally without being disturbed.

Yu Yifeng nodded. "Persistence is nothing negative, but there should be moderation, lest it becomes a fixation that grips and devours you. There was once a friend of mine; he became too obsessed with the object of his pursuit, that he took the fateful step that past the point of no return..." He stopped, and a distinctive hint of misery fleeted by.

"Were you referring to a former junior of yours?" Xiao Chen asked, his head raising slightly, "He who formerly wielded the Unsullied."

Yu Yifeng turned to face Xiao Chen. "Was it Sister Mu who told you about this?" There was a faint smile on his face before he continued. "She was the one person I've spoken to about this. Wunian commanded greater potential than I. It's a pity that he succ.u.mbed to his obsession that in the end, he..." Yu Yifeng's voice faltered again.

Mu Chengxue had recognized the blade in Xiao Chen's hand as the Unsullied a month ago. It was then, she told him of Yu Yifeng's history. Knowing that it was a painful memory to Yu Yifeng, Xiao Chen decided to change the subject. "How did you and Sister Mu met?" he asked.

Yu Yifeng smiled benignly. "Seven years ago," he replied, "I discovered her unconscious outside a small hamlet in Qing Province and I brought her back to the Jade Qing Sect. Her memory was blurry when she woke up that she even failed to remember her name..."

They continued talking, as they slowly approached the Flying-cloud Stone that was waiting. The rest of their companions heaved breathes of relief. They were worried at the delay and were anxious to go down to check on them, but no one dared to disobey their Senior's commands. Two of Yu Yifeng's juniors exclaimed with joy, "Did you discover anything down there?"

Yu Yifeng landed on the Flying-cloud Stone. "There was nothing down there," he lied, shaking his head, "It's getting late. We should hasten for Wu Province as soon as possible."

Another junior, a girl, giggled. "Of course, we do not want the rest of the other sects to grumble that we of the Jade Qing Sect are proud and sn.o.bbish folk." Another junior, a boy this time, quipped, "I'd wager that your true purpose of wanting to reach Wu Province early is to visit the local bazaar, am I wrong?"

"Of course! It's not that we get to come out frequently like Senior Brother Yu! We should enjoy as best we can while we're at it!"

The disciples began bantering playfully, but Xiao Chen sat at a corner. His eyes peered into the distance as he tried vainly to search for the vestiges of the Mystic Cyan Mountain they left behind. Then again, Brother Yifeng might be right, he mused. There was no point in moping in the past. Obsession in the incidents that had transpired before. He would only be consigning himself into a never-ending vicious cycle of pain and misery. But with the recollections of his former life as vivid as yesterday, the herculean attempts to forget and not fret on his bitterness was hardly easy as it seemed.

"If I were to die one day, please bury my remains here, Brother Yifeng."

The chatters and bickerings atop the flying slab of stone instantly died down as a dead silence hung over them and everyone's stares rested on Xiao Chen. Yu Yifeng frowned dismissively. "Speak nothing of such ominous nonsense."

Xiao Chen felt the weight of everyone's stares on his back. "Heh heh!" He feigned an impish snicker. "I was just teasing you all! Come on! There's no need to be this serious!"

It was past mid-day when they arrived at Wu Province, no thanks to the momentary dawdling halfway. The bustling city paid no heed to the arrival of their Flying-cloud Stone; the city-dwellers of the locale had enough of their share of witnessing countless conveyances of similar nature flocking to and fro the metropolis every day. The stronghold of the Widespread Wintriness Sect perched up high on a mountain tens of miles outside the city. With its proximity to the city, there was no lack of disciples who slipped out to loiter and lull in the city with immaculate frequency.

The company did not stop at the city, heading instead directly for the stronghold. There were disciples waiting outside, charged to receive any guests. At the sight of the party from Jade Qing Sect arriving, the disciples stepped forth and led them inside to the main square, where two rows of banquet tables lined the flanks of a large aisle in the center of the square like a long and wide path that coursed to a great dueling dais hewn from rhyolite.

The entire square was teeming with about a thousand people from sects and guilds of various denominations as leaders and chiefs talked and exchanged greetings amidst the huge hubbub of chatter and laughter, adjoined by their students and disciples while enjoying an exquisite feast of the finest delicacies.

Their arrival was hardly unnoticed—a few leaders and representatives of other schools and sect rose to their feet to greet them. "Ah, it's young Yu! Did your teacher Perfected Immortal Qing Chen not come?"

"My teacher is still occupied by some business, and hence he has requested me to attend this meeting in his stead," Yu Yifeng replied reverently, returning their gestures with appreciation.

Xiao Chen scanned the crowd, hoping to see no one from the Teal Jade Sect here; he was afraid of meeting Liu Yunzheng and Liu Fenghuang, hoping not to deal with the embarra.s.sment and awkwardness that would ensue. But Fate seemed to be in his favor: there was no one from the Teal Jade Sect, save for a familiar face he never relished to meet: Ling Yingfeng.

But Ling Yingfeng too had realized his presence. A cold glare shot from his eyes and he was about to stand up, only to be held down by an elder beside him, cloaked in grey, who shook his head warningly to him.

But that did little to evaporate Ling Yingfeng's death stare. Xiao Chen shot a brief look and turned away. Even though he had indeed divested the Spiritual Meridian of Ling Yingfeng's brother, it was the latter and his cohorts who had tried to kill him in the first place. He would never accept that he was in the wrong for being the victim of that incident that had nearly cost him his life.

A recognizable voice rang into his ears suddenly, "Amitabha..." Xiao Chen heard the voice chanted as the chuckles of Yu Yifeng followed immediately, "Heh heh! Greetings, Master Xuan Ji and Senior Xu Gu."

Xiao Chen peered over the shoulders of those in front and saw the same monk, Xu Gu, whom he had encountered at the oasis in the desert. Beside him was an old priestly monk dressed in red garb.

"Brother Xiao, come! Meet Master Xuan Ji of the Wuyin Monastery," Yu Yifeng introduced with a smile.

Xiao Chen bowed to them, placing his palms together before his chest. "My respects to you, Master Xuan Ji." Xiao Chen could not help but suspect if this was an a.s.sembly of the Immortal's Practice. Even those of Buddhist sects were here, he thought, and this Xuan Ji monk wielded considerable powers himself.

The reserved Xuan Ji merely nodded with a gentle smile in response. Xu Gu chanted another "Amitabha" and began addressing Xiao Chen. "It is fated that we should meet again, Master Xiao. You should reconsider my offer of joining our order..."

Xiao Chen's head jerked upwards. "Look at the weather!" Xiao Chen exclaimed on a feeble attempt to change the subject to the climate, "The sky is dry, and the sun is bright with no clouds to menace us with rain and storm..."

Xu Gu giggled. "You jest, Master Xiao," he said, "I see not the sun hanging over us today..."

As the light-hearted chaffing continued, the company slowly shuffled to an empty table close to the dais. Master Xuan Ji of the Wuyin Monastery evidently commanded much respect from his colleagues, as many leaders and chiefs tendered their greetings to him with reverence.

Less than half an hour later, a rosy-cheeked elder with beards of snowy-white ambled up the dais. He addressed the crowd of guests with a warm smile. "Welcome, everyone! As you all know, we gather here today at the summons of the Thousand Feathers Sect, the remnants of the Ancient Immortal Clan, for a meeting of all following and schools of the Orthodox Path. In addition, with everyone here today as witnesses, we would commence the execution of a demoness that we had apprehended two months ago..."

He had barely finished, when voices from below the dais rang, "I say, Master Sikong! Surely this is no sham this time? The last time you caught a demoness, it turned out to be a common woman whose grievances had even bothered the emperor who blamed you for badgering the public!"

A round of laughing jeers rose like a tide from the seated guests, as Sikong Yun's fresh cheeks grew redder still with chagrin while ridicules and scornful mockery were pelted upon his gnarly self. He feigned a loud cough to regain the attention of the crowd. "Err... It was my mistake the last time. But this time we are positive..."

The raucous laughter took some time to die down and another voice spoke, "You mentioned that this meeting was called at the behest of the Thousand Feathers Sect. Where are they? The night is upon us, Master Sikong. Surely this not a farce with a phony token with feathers plucked from birds?"

Sikong Yun's cheeks burned bright-red as he managed a weak smile. "You just love teasing me, Junior Hu," he croaked hoa.r.s.ely, "I would never dare to forge a fake Thousand Feathers Mark..."

His frail voice was suddenly swept by a hollow voice that seemed to echo from the distant horizon, "I am Omnipresent, Omnipresence is Me; I have long arrived..."

The unearthly voice thundered from nowhere and everywhere, hollow and deep, yet angelic and divine at the same time, ringing in the ears of everyone seated around. The voice resonated strongly with everyone's inner spirits; some male disciples began to writhe and melt, stirring pa.s.sionately at the beautiful and melodious voice as if the kingdom of Heaven had come.

Standing under the plaque bearing the name of the stronghold of the Widespread Wintriness Sect was the lanky figure of a young woman. With every movement, her figure shimmered, leaving a cascade of her illusion spilling in her wake as she walked with the grace of a swan, stepping onto the dais and beheld the crowd before her.

Hers was a beauty that no other women possessed; an allure that would make all men swoon with desire for. Her coal-black hair was pulled back into a tail behind her back and her sparkling eyes, distant and captivating like the stars in the twilight sky above them, made her all the more a fairy among mortals. Clad in a dress of emerald green, she held in her grasp what seemed to be a horse-tail whisk, was in fact a sword; a weapon which magnificence was contained in the sheath in which the sword rested.

There she stood, a prima donna with equal opulence to the moon; her form slender and lithe, mirroring the grace of a willow tree; her skin fair and pure as the white of first snow, and her serene elegance, as calm as a gentle brook in the fall. Scores of men were deeply mesmerized by her as those handsome and dashing watched her with longing in their gazes, while those who look common and haggard felt their confidence withered, averting their eyes away with abashment.

Even as the host and leader of this stronghold, Sikong Yun could hardly resist being respectful to her. "Lady Xiaoyue," he addressed her, his head dipping slightly with awe.

This was Xiaoyue, the renowned prodigy of the Thousand Feathers Sect whose fame was hardly unknown. Scarcely twenty years of age, she was rumored to command powers that even eclipsed that of her own teacher, Perfected Immortal Su Nian.

Xiaoyue nodded imperceptibly in acknowledgment, her expression calm and emotionless like a pool of still waters. Like her name, one could only stare at her as how one would gaze upon the moon, distant and aloof.

Xiao Chen's stare was transfixed upon her. Noticing this, Yu Yifeng whispered to him, "This is the student of the Perfected Immortal Su Nian, the leader of the Thousand Feathers Sect."

Xiao Chen made no reply. His eyes remained riveted on the figure standing atop the podium, his hands now slick with a layer of sweat. He would have thought that this young woman and Qianyu Nishang were one and the same, if not for the difference in appearance. The aura and the poise that she exuded greatly resembled the Qianyu Nishang of old. Both were similar, if not equal, in the divine splendor that percolated from their sacred persons like G.o.ddesses from Heaven.

Thousand Feathers Sect? Was this indeed the order that Qianyu Nishang had founded with her own hands after eschewing herself from the Mystic Cyan Sect? But why did her Thousand Feathers Sect endured, while the Mystic Cyan Sect was now ruined and devastated?

Xiaoyue stood proudly atop the platform. Even though the crowd, she felt his stare, sensing that he was different from anyone else present. She looked at him, nodding gently to him.

Just then, a group of five strode up to the center aisle; the leader was a beautiful lady in white, whose eminence and stature was no less remarkable herself, flanked by two pairs of male and female disciples.

Xiao Chen looked intently at the group of newcomers. He had never expected that Xuanyue, Princess of Zhou State to be present. She too, had noticed his presence although she made no indication of it. She paced straight towards the platform, stopping at the bottom of the steps leading up. With the four of young men and women behind her, they bowed and greeted, "Senior Sister."

That explained it, Xiao Chen mused. He had always felt a whiff of familiarity from Xuanyue. Her ident.i.ty as one of the disciples of Thousand Feathers Sect lent much credence as to why he had seen a lot of Qianyu Nishang in her.

However, this would refute the claims that Xuanyue was the heir of the Ancient Immortal Clan. She was, at most, an Outer Disciple of the Thousand Feathers Sect. Rather, Xiaoyue possessed the stock and heritage to be acclaimed as the progeniture to the demised ancient caste of Immortals. Barely reaching twenty, Xiaoyue wielded powers and strength outshining any of her peers while cementing the rumors that she would inherit the keys to the Sect in the near future. Across the landscape of the Orthodox Path, the elder generations addressed her as "Lady Xiaoyue", while the younger crop of students and disciples looked to her as "Fairy Xiaoyue".