The journey on the cranes was slower than on a flying ship, but it had one advantage: their great number allowed the sect to carry out separate operations.

Thus, instead of spending months traveling through several cities and tombs with a single ship, in less than a month, all the cranes had reached most of their targets.

At that moment, in a forest slightly distant from the Eternal Sovereign Sect, crane number 1 had landed.

Aotian, along with five other core disciples, sat cross-legged on the ground. Bai Yan and Bai Jingjing were the only core disciples absent, as on the day of departure, Lie Zheng had taken them to change cranes — they had a vendetta to settle.

The elders had also disembarked and sat near the disciples, waiting calmly.

The crane and the tiger rested on the ground, recovering from the long journey, as they were the main means of transportation.

In the sky, Bao Wuji silently kept watch over everyone, something only Aotian and his avatars knew.

They had already been there for some time, only to give the disciples and beasts proper rest before combat.

Aotian did not intend to wait for everyone to reach their respective cities before launching the attack, as he had done last time. His knowledge was much greater now, and he knew that these Golden Core sects did not possess advanced communication methods like the Sound Transmission Jade so often mentioned in the xianxias he had read.

According to Rihai, such artifacts did exist, but only cultivators in the Void Refining Realm were capable of making them.

There were lower-level communication methods, but those were easily intercepted and, even then, not something a Golden Core sect in a desert continent would possess.

Therefore, there was no point in waiting. Even if someone escaped and tried to warn others, as long as it wasn’t a Golden Core cultivator, they would never be faster than the cranes, which would already be ahead by then.

When everyone seemed rested, Tian Zhu and the others stood up.

Seeing the elders rise, the disciples and beasts also gathered.

Surrounded by everyone, Tian Zhu, with his hands clasped behind his back, gave his orders:

“The Eternal Sovereign Sect has two Golden Core cultivators. Elder Jian will face the sect leader. The Red Tiger will handle the great elder.”

He spoke firmly, receiving nods from the two mentioned, especially Jian Huiyin, whose gray eyes burned with determination.

Tian Zhu’s gaze then turned to the disciples, including Aotian’s main body.

“You six, along with our ten outer elders, will deal with the remaining members of the Eternal Sovereign Sect. The inner elders will supervise your performance, and the better you do, the more contribution points you will receive.”

His tone was firm.

The disciples clasped their hands and bowed.

“Yes, Sect Leader! We won’t disappoint you!”

“Good.”

Tian Zhu nodded and raised his hand, creating a gust of wind that gently lifted them.

“Let’s go.”

With the order, everyone returned to the crane, including Aotian and Rihai, since the tiger would participate in the fight, so they would not ride it this time.

The crane flapped its wings, rising from the ground, while the tiger accompanied them, running through the air.

Aotian kept a serious gaze ahead, but in truth, he was immersed in thoughts.

‘It’s good to let Jian Huiyin and the Tiger fight. I also get feedback from elders who aren’t my avatars and from the sect’s beasts. The only problem is that the beasts’ combat experience isn’t very useful to me for now. As for Jian Huiyin, maybe during this battle she’ll gain some insights that push her sword intent to a higher level.’

He pondered seriously.

Despite trying to improve the sword intent he had copied from Jian Huiyin through self-study — and, with the terrifying talents of the Sword Pavilion elders, having made some progress — he had only refined what he had already copied from her.

Without detailed information about the next stages of swordsmanship, he didn’t know how to advance. That’s why he hoped that, through this fight, the patterns of Jian Huiyin’s spiritual roots might help her push further along the sword path.

‘Honestly, I believe I could succeed even without her. As a certified xianxia reader, I have plenty of ideas on how to proceed on the sword path. But it would still take over a year to see any progress, maybe much more. If I want quick results, Jian Huiyin is a shortcut. Still, even if she succeeds, I won’t give up on pursuing my own path in parallel.’

A determined gleam shone in Aotian’s eyes.

‘Sword Heart. Unity of Man and Sword. No Sword in Hand, But Sword Everywhere…’

He remembered the sword realms he had read about in his past life. He didn’t know if they truly existed in this world, nor if it was possible to create such paths, but he had avatars and could allocate some to test theories without falling behind. That’s why he didn’t hesitate to invest in these ideas, even if they seemed absurd.

Throughout all his time in this world, Aotian had never simply stood still, just following the normal path of cultivation. No, he had tried to apply many crazy ideas he had as a reader — unfortunately, most without success.

And, certainly, his biggest disappointment was failing to trigger epiphanies with the kinds of phrases that, in novels, induced instant enlightenment.

‘Damn it, why can’t I just become a god of the cosmos by saying things like…’

‘The Dao is not found in the mountains, but in the heart.’

‘The void is not the end, but the beginning of true understanding.’

‘Water flows without intention, yet it shapes mountains.’

‘The sword doesn’t need to be sharp if the spirit is unbreakable.’

‘Born…’

He recalled, frustrated, having tried every kind of phrase in different situations — while cultivating, walking, even bathing — but no epiphany ever happened.

In truth, he had never completely given up and, from time to time, still tried.

Shaking his head to chase away those foolish thoughts, he focused again. The enemy sect was already in sight.

…

In the Eternal Sovereign Sect, Wu Juntian, the sect leader, sat on his red throne, his face resting on his hand.

He looked down grimly at several elders kneeling humbly on the floor.

“Not even a single special physique in over a hundred years…”

His voice was slow and heavy, and the elders lowered their heads even further, fear clear in their hearts.

“I don’t ask for much, just one… damn… special physique.”

He spoke with apparent calm, but the armrest of the throne began to crack under the force of his grip.

His aura surged, leaving no doubt about the anger consuming him.

It had been over a hundred years that he remained stuck at the 5th level of the Golden Core stage, without taking a single step forward. His only hope was to offer a high-level talent to some peak sect of the continent, which might grant him an opportunity to break through.

But special physiques were far too rare, even across the entire continent.

Even the second-best offering — perfect single-element spiritual roots — were also extremely rare.

Unfortunately, although he had found two or three of these latter roots, they weren’t enough to convince the high-level sects to help him advance. What he needed was to offer a talented seedling with a special physique.

When Wu Juntian’s cold and oppressive aura began to weigh heavily on those present, a figure emerged from the shadows. His casual stride contrasted with the heavy atmosphere, immediately drawing everyone’s attention.

“Leader… we have no news of new special physiques, but some information that might interest you arrived a few months ago and was recently confirmed.”

The man, dressed in black robes with an amused look, spoke naturally.

Wu Juntian narrowed his eyes, and his aura eased slightly.

“Great Elder, I hope you are not bringing me useless nonsense. You know the consequences.”

His gaze was cold, and there was a faint tone of irritation in his voice.

“Don’t worry, Leader. This news will definitely interest you.”

The shadowy man waved his hand carelessly and smiled with a malicious gleam in his eyes.

“Jian Huiyin, the woman you nearly died trying to capture and sell, apparently submitted to an unknown sect that no one knows the origin of.”

Bang!

The red throne shot across the hall at full speed, shattering against the wall.

Floating in the air, clenching his fist in anger, Wu Juntian glared with bloodshot eyes at the great elder, who instinctively stepped back in fear.

He had only wanted to provoke him a little, not enrage him to this extent.

“What did you say? Repeat that…”

“I-I-I…” To the great elder’s horror, the suffocating aura of the sect leader began pressing down on him.

Luckily for him, at that very moment, a powerful aura enveloped the sect, and bells began ringing nonstop in every corner.

Wu Juntian’s eyes grew even darker, and his rage was about to reach its limit.

“Go see what’s happening.”

His voice was as cold as ice as he withdrew the suffocating aura.

Immediately, they fled the hall without looking back. They would rather face the enemy than the furious sect leader.

The frightened great elder also gave a quick bow before leaving in a hurry, sighing in relief.

Alone in the hall, Wu Juntian grabbed the collar of his robes and pulled it slightly, revealing a horrible scar running across his chest.

Taking a deep breath, he suppressed his anger and left the hall.

At first, he felt only the presence of a second-level beast. But soon after, the pressure of a third-level beast appeared.

And then, an even more imposing aura emerged, making his expression turn serious:

The pressure of a cultivator at the mid-stage of the Golden Core.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep