NOVGO.NET Chapter 261 - The Quiet Departure and an Unexpected Encounter
Chapter 261: Chapter 261 - The Quiet Departure and an Unexpected Encounter
Yue Cangyu still had many questions.
Far too many, in fact.
Su Bai had explained what had happened inside the Fallen-Star Sanctuary, but Yue Cangyu was not foolish enough to believe that he had heard everything.
There were obvious gaps.
The most glaring one was how Su Bai had managed to destroy things that even Immortals had been forced to seal rather than eliminate.
Yue Cangyu had wondered about that several times during their conversation.
Yet in the end, he asked none of those questions.
Curiosity was one thing.
Prying into another cultivator’s secrets after that person had already answered the questions that had burdened his family for generations was another.
More importantly, the things Yue Cangyu had truly needed to know had already been answered.
The responsibility passed down through generations of City Lords had, for all practical purposes, ended.
Everything else was merely curiosity.
Yue Cangyu could live with curiosity.
He was less certain that Su Bai should remain inside Azure-Jade City much longer.
His gaze shifted toward the young man sitting across from him.
"I think you should leave this place soon."
Su Bai looked up.
Yue Cangyu’s expression had already become serious again.
"Powerful factions may arrive at any moment. Some are already moving toward the Sanctuary, and once word spreads that the entire region has returned to the outside world, there will be even more."
Su Bai’s eyes narrowed slightly.
He did not need Yue Cangyu to explain the danger.
There would be people searching for inheritances, ancient weapons, lost records, rare materials, and anything else they believed had survived inside the Sanctuary.
The real problem was Su Bai himself.
He had remained inside the Sanctuary long after the others had already returned, and now he had appeared again with more than a dozen ancient artifacts at his side.
That was enough to make anyone suspicious of what he had encountered, or what he might have brought back with him.
On top of that, a genuine Void-Shattering cultivator had already left a hostile spiritual mark on him.
Remaining in the city while more powerful factions gathered nearby was unnecessarily risky.
"Then I won’t take more of Senior’s time."
Su Bai stood.
Before he could turn away, Yue Cangyu raised a hand.
"Wait."
Su Bai paused.
Yue Cangyu studied him for a moment.
"Are you certain that mark is not affecting you?"
His concern was genuine.
He had watched the demonic cultivator leave that mark behind.
He had also heard Su Bai insist that the result had somehow become beneficial.
Unfortunately, Yue Cangyu still could not properly understand Su Bai’s condition.
Even after reaching the Sixth Stage of the Void-Shattering Realm, he could not see through the strange stillness surrounding the young man’s aura.
It was unsettling.
Su Bai smiled.
"There won’t be any problem, Senior."
Yue Cangyu watched him for another breath before finally relaxing.
"If you say so."
He still did not understand how Su Bai could speak so calmly about a mark left by someone stronger than himself, but after everything he had heard today, that particular mystery had lost some urgency.
Yue Cangyu glanced toward the ancient weapons gathered around the room.
"I would prefer to escort you personally, or at least send several people with you."
Su Bai understood the problem immediately.
"But that would draw more attention."
Yue Cangyu nodded.
"Everyone already saw you return with those ancient weapons following behind. Right now, most of the attention is on this mansion."
Su Bai’s eyes narrowed slightly as he understood what Yue Cangyu meant.
As long as the watching forces believed he was still inside speaking with the City Lord, he had a chance to leave quietly before anyone noticed.
Yue Cangyu had allowed that attention to gather around himself deliberately.
A trace of gratitude appeared in Su Bai’s eyes.
"Besides, I cannot leave Azure-Jade City unguarded right now," Yue Cangyu continued.
That was even more obvious.
The ancient danger beneath the Fallen-Star Sanctuary might have disappeared, but powerful factions were already beginning to converge on the area. If enough of them gathered, Azure-Jade City could soon find itself surrounded by thousands, perhaps even tens of thousands, of cultivators with very different intentions.
Su Bai could already imagine Yue Cangyu’s future headache.
Yue Cangyu’s gaze moved toward the ancient saber hovering nearby.
"As for your companions..."
He turned toward the wall behind his desk, pressed two fingers against an inconspicuous section of carved wood, and released a small thread of Qi.
A hidden compartment opened.
Su Bai’s eyes immediately followed his hand.
Yue Cangyu withdrew a dark-green pouch covered in faint spatial patterns and tossed it across the room.
Su Bai caught it.
"This is?"
"A Spirit Beast Pouch."
Su Bai’s eyes brightened.
The saber stopped moving. Several other ancient weapons immediately turned toward the pouch.
For once, Su Bai and the Artifact Spirits reached exactly the same conclusion.
This was useful.
Artifact Spirits could technically remain inside storage rings. Their weapon bodies were still artifacts, after all.
The problem was that ordinary storage rings were designed to preserve objects, not sustain conscious spiritual existences.
For a short period, there would usually be no serious issue.
Keeping a fully awakened Artifact Spirit inside one for too long was another matter.
Their perception of the outside world became heavily suppressed, sometimes completely severed, and the stagnant environment could gradually weaken or destabilize the spirit.
Su Bai had no intention of treating ancient Artifact Spirits that had followed him out of the Sanctuary like spare swords stuffed into a warehouse.
A Spirit Beast Pouch was different.
Its internal space was specifically stabilized for living creatures and other conscious spiritual entities. Air and spiritual Qi circulated naturally inside, and the space itself was designed to sustain activity rather than suppress it.
The Artifact Spirits could remain conscious. They could communicate. More importantly, they could recover.
Su Bai inspected the pouch briefly before looking back at Yue Cangyu.
"Senior, this is considerably more useful than you probably realize."
Yue Cangyu replied, "That is why I gave it to you."
Su Bai expected to spend several minutes convincing the Artifact Spirits.
Instead, the ancient weapons began entering the pouch one after another without complaint.
Even the saber only grumbled before following the others.
They clearly understood the situation as well as he did.
More than a dozen ancient weapons openly following one Golden Core cultivator was practically an invitation for trouble.
Su Bai did not even need to command them.
That pleased him more than he expected.
At least his new companions possessed enough common sense to recognize when being conspicuous was dangerous.
Su Bai calmly tied the pouch to his waist.
He cupped his hands toward Yue Cangyu.
"Thank you for the pouch, Senior. More importantly, thank you for answering my questions and explaining what happened outside while I was gone."
Yue Cangyu waved a hand.
"You answered far more important questions for me."
He rose from behind the desk.
"Come. I’ll show you another way out."
Su Bai followed him through a side corridor behind the office.
The passage twisted through several quiet sections of the City Lord Mansion before ending at a plain wooden door guarded by a formation.
Yue Cangyu opened it.
Beyond lay a narrow alley behind several administrative buildings, far from the mansion’s main entrance.
There were no crowds waiting outside.
Su Bai immediately understood why Yue had brought him here.
"This should save you some trouble."
"It will."
Su Bai stepped outside, then turned and bowed once more.
"Senior Yue, take care."
Yue Cangyu gave a faint smile.
"You as well."
Su Bai left without looking back.
Yue Cangyu remained beside the doorway until the young man’s figure disappeared beyond the alley.
Only after Su Bai had completely vanished from sight did Yue Cangyu’s expression slowly change.
There were still too many questions, but those questions could wait.
Once the situation surrounding Azure-Jade City settled, he intended to visit the Radiant Sky Sect personally.
He wanted to understand more what kind of place had produced someone like Su Bai.
For now, however, there were more immediate problems.
Yue Cangyu raised his head.
Far beyond the city walls, several powerful auras were approaching.
Some were still distant. Others were already close enough that he could feel the pressure rippling faintly through the surrounding spiritual Qi.
More forces were coming.
Yue Cangyu’s expression hardened.
The Sanctuary’s ancient danger might have ended.
The trouble surrounding it had only begun.
...
Su Bai left Azure-Jade City aboard his flying sword.
His destination was the Radiant Sky Sect.
After everything that had happened, he wanted to see Lu Canghai and the others with his own eyes.
More importantly, he had acquired several questions that only became more irritating the longer he thought about them.
Most of those questions involved Su Qingshan.
Su Bai had barely traveled beyond Azure-Jade City before discovering that Yue Cangyu’s warning had not been exaggerated.
The sky was far busier than he remembered.
Flying ships crossed the distance. Large spiritual tools occasionally passed through the clouds. Groups of cultivators moved together rather than traveling alone.
Most were heading in the same general direction.
Toward the Fallen-Star Sanctuary.
Su Bai’s spiritual sense spread quietly through the surrounding area.
Its range and control had improved enormously during his months inside the Sanctuary.
He could often detect an approaching group long before anyone among them noticed him.
Whenever a large flying vessel or powerful group entered the edge of his perception, Su Bai immediately descended.
His flying sword disappeared into his storage ring.
He continued along the ground until the force passed.
It was inefficient, but it was also safer.
Several times, curious spiritual senses swept across him.
Su Bai never reacted.
His complexion remained naturally pale, while his aura gave almost nothing away.
To an unfamiliar cultivator passing at a distance, he looked more like someone recovering from a serious injury than a person worth investigating.
Most spiritual senses lingered for only a moment before withdrawing.
After the third time this happened, Su Bai touched his cheek thoughtfully.
’Perhaps looking half-dead has finally become useful.’
He had spent years receiving concerned looks because of his complexion.
Apparently it also worked as camouflage.
Su Bai decided not to complain about it again for at least several days.
Once the passing cultivators moved beyond his spiritual-sense range, he summoned his flying sword and continued.
The process repeated several times.
Travel. Detect approaching force. Descend. Wait. Continue.
It was painfully inefficient.
Su Bai accepted it anyway.
He would rather arrive at Radiant Sky Sect several days late than arrive missing half of his body.
He had survived the Fallen-Star Sanctuary.
Getting robbed by opportunistic cultivators immediately afterward would be humiliating enough that he might never forgive himself.
Another group entered the edge of his spiritual sense.
Su Bai descended again.
A large flying ship passed far overhead several minutes later.
Its bow carried the emblem of a faction he did not recognize.
The vessel never slowed.
It continued toward Azure-Jade City.
Su Bai watched it disappear.
He thought briefly of Yue Cangyu.
The old man had been unexpectedly pleasant.
Patient, responsible, and considerably less arrogant than many powerful cultivators Su Bai had encountered.
He hoped Azure-Jade City would survive whatever was coming next.
Su Bai sighed.
Worrying from several hundred miles away would accomplish nothing.
He summoned his sword again.
The farther he traveled from Azure-Jade City, however, the more the landscape began to change.
At first, the signs were subtle: broken trees, scorched earth, and abandoned roadside buildings.
Later, entire stretches of land carried unmistakable traces of recent fighting.
One village had lost several outer buildings to fire.
A mountain road had been split open by what looked like a large-scale sword technique.
Farther ahead, Su Bai saw the remains of a defensive formation surrounding a ruined estate.
Su Bai slowed.
Hearing Yue Cangyu describe the regional conflict was one thing.
Seeing its aftermath was different.
Eight months was long enough for maps to remain the same while everything living on them changed.
Su Bai continued forward more cautiously.
Several dozen miles later, a disturbance entered the edge of his spiritual sense.
Su Bai slowed his flying sword.
Several cultivators were fighting ahead, and the repeated collisions of Qi and weapons were strong enough to carry through the surrounding area.
Su Bai moved toward the disturbance without approaching directly.
His spiritual sense spread farther ahead.
The battle was not particularly large, with only a few dozen cultivators involved.
One side wore mismatched clothing and carried weapons that looked as though they had been gathered from anywhere they could find them. Their movements were equally disorderly, lacking the coordination expected from disciples of an established sect.
Bandits, most likely.
Su Bai’s eyebrows rose slightly.
The other side was more surprising.
Several cultivators dressed in black and dark-blue robes were surrounded by traces of dark Qi as they fought defensively, trying to break through the encirclement.
Demonic cultivators.
Su Bai slowed even further.
Seeing bandits fighting demonic cultivators was not exactly a common sight.
He considered going around them.
Neither side had anything to do with him.
There was no reason to involve himself in every battle that happened along the road.
His spiritual sense swept across the battlefield one final time.
Su Bai stopped.
A familiar strand of cold Yin Qi appeared within his perception.
His expression changed.
He looked more carefully.
A woman stood near the center of the demonic group.
Her hair swept behind her as she turned aside a saber strike with a layer of freezing Yin Qi.
Her face had matured slightly since Su Bai last saw her.
Her aura had changed as well, but there was no mistaking her.
Su Bai stared at the distant battlefield.
Of all the people he could have encountered after leaving Azure-Jade City, he had not expected this one.
Ning Shuang.