Chapter 28

At sunset, a golden little sword trembled slightly as it pierced into Zhang Yan's cave dwelling.

Zhang Yan reached out to catch it, opened the letter attached to the golden sword, and was surprised to read, "Am I to move out of Wangxing Peak and go to Zhuoyue Peak for cultivation?"

He chuckled lightly and casually tossed it aside.

He saw through Du You's intentions at a glance; it was nothing more than an attempt to force him to leave Cangwu Mountain in disgrace. However, he was completely unconcerned and instead began to play with the golden little sword in his hand.

This should be the legendary Xiaozhe Golden Sword.

During the Xuanwen Dharma Assembly, Ai Zhongwen had proposed that Zheng Xun use the Xiaozhe Golden Sword to invite Zhang Yan to fight Mo Yuan. However, Zheng Xun and the other disciples believed that Zhang Yan was just a commoner and not worth inviting with the golden sword, so they all disagreed.

But now, with Zheng Xun in the Upper Academy and Du You as the head disciple of the Lower Academy, they used the Xiaozhe Golden Sword to send a letter, asking Zhang Yan to move to another cave for cultivation. Although the purpose was different, it was clear that Zhang Yan was no longer the same as before and had to be taken seriously by the disciples of the Xuanmen families.

In just a few months, he had risen from an obscure registered disciple to a formal disciple through the Dharma Assembly, and even Du You, a disciple of a noble family, dared not move him lightly due to the possible background behind him, and could only use his position as head disciple to indirectly force him to leave the mountain.

Every step he took, although seemingly dangerous, was taken with the right momentum, and he had never truly been in a dead end.

"Golden sword, golden sword, you didn't come that day, but you will eventually pass through my hands."

Zhang Yan also knew that Ai Zhongwen had proposed that Zheng Xun use the golden sword to invite him that day. Now, using the object to refer to the matter, it implied that what was destined to be his would eventually return to him, sooner or later.

As for the "bestowal" from the Upper Academy, he paid no attention to it. Throughout his journey, the Upper Academy had never helped him in the slightest.

However, it seemed that his recent prominence was not a good thing.

But he had already intended to use the cave that Luo Xiao mentioned to open his meridians. The trouble of a formal disciple leaving the mountain was considerable, and he was just worried about not finding an excuse. This matter came at the right time, allowing him to avoid the attention of others and have a reasonable excuse.

This showed that things were not absolute; good things could turn into bad, and bad things could turn into good.

Once he successfully opened his meridians, his status would change even more, and he would no longer need to care about the attitudes of the Lower Academy disciples.

After making up his mind, he put away the golden sword and said loudly, "Luo Daoist, it seems I will have to leave the mountain for a while."

Luo Xiao's eyes twinkled, and she put on a pitiful look, saying, "Now I am homeless, I beg you to have mercy and not abandon me..." She looked as if she was about to cry, her eyes red and swollen. If he didn't know her well, he might have been deceived.

Zhang Yan laughed and said, "Luo Daoist, your way of comforting people is quite unique. Do you think I am being forced to leave the mountain? Nonsense. In the past two months, I have diligently studied the Xuan Yuan Secret Book and feel that I have grasped its mysteries. Now I can go to seek the true essence of the Beiwang and open my meridians."

Luo Xiao exclaimed, "It seems that Daoist Zhang is not discouraged."

Zhang Yan laughed, "Why should I be discouraged? I should be laughing with joy! The Lower Academy is just a temporary place on my path to cultivation. Would I be attached to this place? Now, I only see the opening of my meridians and advancing to a higher level. When I return, the door of the Upper Academy will be open for me!"

Hearing Zhang Yan's words, Luo Xiao immediately put away her weak appearance and said seriously, "Daoist Zhang truly has a great heart and spirit! However, your words are true. External things are like passing clouds. If you are overly attached, you will only confuse your true self, lose your wisdom, and become disoriented. Only by maintaining a clear mind can you see through the fog and perceive the true essence."

Zhang Yan felt that Luo Xiao's words seemed to contradict what Ning Chongxuan had said not long ago, hinting at something and corroborating each other. He couldn't help but wonder if these two people were subtly pointing out something he might encounter when opening his meridians.

However, since neither of them was willing to speak directly, it was futile to think too much about it. As long as his resolve was firm, he didn't need to worry about these things.

"Since you know the way to the Beiwang field, I will need your guidance." Zhang Yan remembered that Luo Xiao had said the Beiwang field she discovered was near the Yingyun Beiwang field.

At that time, the Lingcang Sect had not fully occupied the Beiwang field, and the control was not strict. The current situation was certainly different, and they might encounter Lingcang Sect disciples on their way.

Zhang Yan expressed his concerns, but Luo Xiao waved her hand confidently and said, "No problem. I remember there is a large marsh in front of the cave. If there are Lingcang Sect disciples on guard, we can first travel through the water and then swim into the marsh. They will definitely not notice us. Moreover, when I was chasing the five Upper Academy disciples, I left a drop of my essence blood there to find my way back. It should not be difficult to find the cave again through the blood connection."

She then frowned slightly, "My only concern is the Beiwang. Although the longer the Beiwang cultivates, the better the true essence is for opening the meridians, its nature is violent and can easily cause the earth to tremble, which might alert the Lingcang Sect disciples."

Zhang Yan smiled, "Before we see the Beiwang, we shouldn't speculate. We will make plans once we enter the cave."

Luo Xiao nodded, "That's right."

Zhang Yan asked, "I wonder how many days it will take to get from Cangwu Mountain to the Beiwang field?"

"Why walk? You underestimate me too much, Daoist Zhang." Luo Xiao waved her hand lightly, a hint of pride on her face, "I will ride the Xuan Light to carry you."

Zhang Yan carefully examined Luo Xiao's condition and smiled, "You are still recovering from your injuries. We have plenty of time, so there's no need to force it."

Luo Xiao huffed, "Although my injuries are not fully healed, I have condensed a thread of Xuan Light. Flying for two to three hours a day should be fine. The sooner we get there, the sooner I can use the true essence of the Beiwang to recover my injuries."

She sighed and got up from the cushion, circling the Longxing Sand Cauldron, "It's a waste to leave this treasure cauldron here. If I were not injured, it would be easy to take it with me. Now, I am not strong enough. It's a pity. If this cauldron were a magical treasure, it could change size at will, and we wouldn't need to worry about it."

Zhang Yan was quite relaxed, "We can bury it in a mountain or valley and come back for it later."

"That's the best we can do."

Luo Xiao originally wanted to take the cauldron to refine medicine, but now she had to give up on that.

The two of them packed up, found a mountain on Wangxing Peak to bury the treasure cauldron, and took all the remaining pills. They left the mountain quietly at night without telling anyone.

To avoid attracting the attention of the Lingcang Sect's Upper Academy disciples, they did not fly for the first ten days. Only after leaving the Hongzhou territory of the Great Wei Dynasty and far from the influence of Cangwu Mountain did they feel at ease.

"From here, it will take about six days to reach the branch of the Yingyun Beiwang field by following the Qu River."

Luo Xiao smiled seductively at Zhang Yan, "Daoist Zhang, please hold on tight. Do not open your eyes when the Xuan Light rises."

Zhang Yan did not hesitate and boldly hugged Luo Xiao around the waist, feeling the warmth and softness of her body.

Luo Xiao's eyes twinkled, showing a hint of coquettishness. She glanced at Zhang Yan and shouted, "Up!"

A beam of Xuan Light rose into the sky, heading north!

Half a month after Zhang Yan and Luo Xiao left the mountain, Du You also received a letter from his family, instructing him to go to the Yingyun Beiwang field to open his meridians, and a "Juyun Flying Boat" was sent to him for transportation.

This flying boat was crafted by a cultivator skilled in alchemy from the Du family, capable of carrying a hundred people, resisting flying swords, and flying much faster than ordinary cultivators. The family also provided him with additional support.

For this journey, Du You was accompanied by Du Bo, two Mingqi-stage disciples from the Du family, ten strong guards, and over fifty servants.

As Du You watched the mountains and clouds pass by, he felt a sense of accomplishment and patted the flying boat, saying, "I've heard that the Beiwang field is called the Yingyun Beiwang field. This Juyun Flying Boat is a good omen, isn't it hinting that I will capture the Beiwang?"

Du Bo glanced at him, smiled slightly, and sat calmly on the cloud canopy of the flying boat.

After a day and night of flying, Du You felt a bit bored and said, "With Uncle Bo accompanying me, I can subdue the Beiwang and absorb the true essence. But I wonder how powerful the Beiwang is?"

Du Bo laughed, "The more powerful the Beiwang, the better the true essence, and the higher the quality of the meridian opening. I hope this Beiwang does not disappoint me, Uncle Bo."

Du You asked curiously, "Although Uncle Bo is already a Xuan Light Third Stage expert, I've heard that the Beiwang is violent and extremely powerful when hiding in the cave, with a pair of hard shells that even flying swords cannot penetrate. How do you plan to deal with it?"

Du Bo stroked his beard and smiled, "Nephew, you don't know. The Beiwang is greedy, especially fond of a small fish called 'Yinlei Fish' in the water. Just capture some and place them at the cave entrance. Once the fishy smell spreads, the Beiwang will surely come out. Once it leaves the cave, it will have nowhere to hide and can only be at our mercy."

"Really?" Du You was puzzled, "I've heard many stories about the Beiwang from my mother, but I've never heard of this. I only know that whenever a disciple of the Upper Academy opens their meridians, they invite a Huadan-stage expert to catch the Beiwang."

Du Bo chuckled, "Nephew, although the Beiwang cannot transform due to the nourishment of the earth's veins, it has intelligence. This method can only be used once. If used too many times, it will not work. The Beiwang in the Yingyun Beiwang field has never experienced this method, so you don't need to worry. With me here, it will be enough!"

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