Chapter 385: Cyan Nether Sword Sect

After hearing the gatekeeper’s words.

"Oh?"

The young man named Wu, who had been silent, slowly turned around. He looked at Shen Daoxing, sizing him up from head to toe.

When he saw the Jade Token in Shen Daoxing’s hand, his expression froze for a moment. Then, looking back at Shen Daoxing, he burst out laughing. "Hahahaha, so you’re the grand-disciple of our Grand Martial Uncle! I never would have thought the old master had his own lineage in the Martial Kingdom of the East Continent. This is wonderful! Absolutely wonderful!"

The young man then turned to the two disciples at the side with an indifferent look. "What are you two still standing there for? Move aside and let our new Junior Brother in."

"Yes, Senior Brother!"

The two gatekeepers were stunned for a moment before realizing what was happening. They hastily cleared a path and apologized profusely to Shen Daoxing.

"Junior Brother, please don’t take offense. This was all a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding."

The young man quickly gestured for Shen Daoxing to follow and led the way. "My name is Wu Cheng. From now on, we’re family. You can just call me Wu."

Shen Daoxing, walking behind him, looked puzzled. "Wu, why did they say the Cyan Nether Sword Sect only has four Immortal Islands now?"

Hearing this, Wu Cheng suddenly fell silent, his expression turning grim. He paused, as if carefully choosing his words. After a long moment, he sighed and said, "Junior Brother, since you aren’t from our Cangzhou, there are things you wouldn’t know. It’s true. In the past, our Cyan Nether Sword Sect did indeed have five Immortal Islands: Penglai, Fusang, Yingzhou, Tan Yuan, and Pengze. And Penglai was the foremost of them all."

At this point, Wu Cheng’s expression grew sorrowful. "However, over a decade ago, no one could have expected it. Xu Fu, the Island Master of Penglai Immortal Island, suddenly betrayed the Cyan Nether Sword Sect. He threw the entire sect into chaos, and many of our Sword Sect’s disciples died. It was a time of great turmoil. In the end, our Sect Leader had to come out of seclusion and personally intervene to resolve the matter."

"And because it was such a disgraceful affair for the sect, the Sect Leader destroyed Penglai and concealed all information about it. That’s why the new outer sect disciples don’t know about these things."

Wu Cheng explained slowly.

Shen Daoxing was stunned. ’The Island Master of Penglai Immortal Island betrayed the sect? Then what does that make me, a grand-disciple from Penglai?’

As if sensing Shen Daoxing’s worry, Wu Cheng couldn’t help but smile. "Don’t worry, Junior Brother. The Sect Leader is magnanimous. He didn’t pursue charges against any of the Penglai disciples who weren’t part of the rebellion."

Wu Cheng paused, then added, "Although the Cyan Nether Sword Sect no longer has a Penglai, you are, after all, one of the few remaining disciples of the Penglai lineage. You’ve inherited its legacy, so you are naturally an Inner Sect Disciple of our Cyan Nether Sword Sect."

Shen Daoxing bowed respectfully in thanks. "Thank you, Wu."

Just then, Wu Cheng paused again, suddenly stopping to look at Shen Daoxing. "By the way, Junior Brother, what about that Jade Token you had just now?"

’The Jade Token?’

Shen Daoxing took the Jade Token out from his robes again.

Wu Cheng paused, then said, "Junior Brother, please give the Jade Token to me."

Shen Daoxing looked suspicious. He turned to look at Wu Cheng but didn’t move.

Wu Cheng laughed. "Junior Brother, don’t worry. Your status is special, after all. I need to take this Jade Token to the Elder Hall to verify your identity. Once everything is confirmed, I will naturally return it to you."

Shen Daoxing nodded and handed the Jade Token to Wu Cheng.

Wu Cheng smiled faintly, tucked the Jade Token into his robes, and said, "Please stay here for a few days, Junior Brother. Once I’ve confirmed your identity, I will send someone to escort you to the Inner Mountain and officially accept you as an Inner Sect Disciple."

Shen Daoxing nodded.

"Oh, right, Junior Brother."

Wu Cheng suddenly seemed to recall something and added a reminder,

"Junior Brother, the Penglai rebellion was a huge affair. The rebellious disciples of the Penglai lineage killed many disciples from the other Four Vein Disciples of our Cyan Nether Sword Sect. The Inner Disciples harbor a great deal of hatred for the Penglai lineage. To avoid unnecessary trouble, once you enter the Inner Sect, please do not reveal your identity as a member of the Penglai lineage."

Shen Daoxing nodded.

Then, Wu Cheng put his fingers to his mouth and blew a sharp whistle.

Suddenly, a colossal Xianhe descended from the sky.

Wu Cheng took a light leap and landed on its back.

"Junior Brother, please wait for my news."

With that, Wu Cheng and the Xianhe slowly rose into the air.

"SCREECH~"

With a cry, the crane slowly disappeared into the distance, over the center of Yun Meng Lake.

A short while later, a woman dressed as a handmaiden came to Shen Daoxing’s side and led him to a residence.

And so, a simple night passed.

「The next day.」

"Disciples heading to the Inner Mountain, assemble."

A loud, resonant voice rang out.

Shen Daoxing slowly opened his door and stepped outside. A large crowd had already gathered, all of them outer sect disciples of the Cyan Nether Sword Sect. They were all looking up at the sky, as if anticipating something.

Just then, a young Inner Sect Disciple in a green robe descended on a giant Xianhe.

But it wasn’t yesterday’s Wu Cheng.

The young Inner Sect Disciple took out a small booklet and began to read from it. He slowly called out names one by one. Each outer sect disciple whose name was called looked overjoyed as they leaped onto the Xianhe.

Shen Daoxing waited patiently, until at last the Inner Sect Disciple slowly called his name. With a single leap, Shen Daoxing landed on the Xianhe’s back.

The Xianhe then spread its massive wings and began to flap them slowly. Shen Daoxing felt the scenery on the ground shrink as they flew higher and higher.

"SCREECH~"

A clear crane’s cry echoed.

The Xianhe turned its colossal body, flapped its wings, and flew toward the depths of Yun Meng Lake.

Ahead, the calm surface of Yun Meng Lake shimmered, with a hazy mist rising from it.

’As expected of the Celestial Essence Spirit Lake,’ Shen Daoxing thought. He could feel that the surrounding Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi was dense, even denser than it had been in Taoyuan Town within the Huangliang Secret Realm.

And as the Xianhe flew onward, the concentration of Primordial Energy continued to rise.

The Xianhe was very fast. One moment it soared high in the sky, the next it playfully skimmed just above the lake’s surface, which blurred into streaks as it receded behind them.

They passed through a stretch of hazy mist.

Suddenly, the view before everyone opened up.

A tall mountain, floating and suspended in the sky, appeared before them. The mountain’s peak was flat, while its base was pointed, like an inverted peak. On either side, a long, slender waterfall cascaded from the summit down into Yun Meng Lake.

As the Xianhe continued forward, more and more of these inverted mountains came into view, a continuous, undulating range in the sky. Partially obscured by the hazy mist rising from the lake, it looked like a paradise on earth.

"SCREECH~"

A clear cry from the crane rang out.

The Xianhe suddenly flew toward one. The crowd saw a high mountain cliff appear before them, followed by the surging waterfall at its peak, with torrents of water pouring down right in front of them.

"WHOOSH!"

In the next instant, they shot past it.

The crowd suddenly saw a colossal figure appear before their eyes.

It was a Kun Ship, even larger than the Xianhe, and it brushed right past them.

Shen Daoxing looked up and saw the giant eye of the flying kun appear before him, its lid slowly blinking.