Chapter Sixty-One: Azure Pool

Chapter Sixty-One: The Azure Pool

Chapter Ten: Sword Dance in the Empty Mountains – Purple Lightning Startles Evil, Fiery Clouds Enshroud Taihang, Ancient Crossing Contested for Strange Relics (Part One)

Ye Hua traveled swiftly down from the Grand Fu Lingjiu Monastery, passed through the mountain gate, and turned to gaze back at Lingjiu Peak. Amid shifting clouds and radiant mist, an aura of immortality soared into the sky. Recalling the events of the past ten days, everything seemed more like a dream than reality. With a silent sigh, Ye Hua reached out and summoned the Scarlet Crow Dagger. Black light surged before him, transforming into a streak of silvery brilliance that shot straight into the heavens, faster than a rocket. In a flash, it vanished into the azure firmament, leaving no trace.

Though the distance from Lingjiu Peak to Ye Dou Peak was not far, even with Ye Hua traveling at full speed, it still took some time. Clouds and rosy mists streamed beneath his feet, but Ye Hua paid them little heed. Suddenly, his heart stirred and he blurted out, “Xiaoyao!” Looking to his left into the distance, he saw, just as he expected, a black dot appear on the horizon. A piercing cry of an eagle echoed across the sky; within moments, the dot resolved into a giant golden eagle, its wings spanning over ten feet, slicing through the air like lightning.

As the golden eagle drew near, it banked its wings and slowed, gliding up beside Ye Hua and calling out to him in a tone full of affection. Overjoyed, Ye Hua steered his sword closer, then nimbly flipped onto Xiaoyao’s back, hugging the eagle’s neck with a laugh. “Ha! Brother Xiaoyao, how is it that you’re here?”

Since they’d been separated at Jade Elephant Gorge, Ye Hua had relied on a thread of blood connection to sense that Xiaoyao was unharmed and nearby while recuperating at the Boundless Hall. When he returned to the Youlan Zen Courtyard, he’d assumed Xiaoyao had already returned to Ye Dou Peak with the others—how unexpected to find him here!

The giant eagle let out a couple of long cries, its manner clearly indignant. Ye Hua couldn’t help but laugh. “Are Fourth and Fifth Senior Brothers pestering you again, driving you to distraction? So you slipped away for some peace?” Another piercing cry from the eagle made Ye Hua laugh all the harder, picturing his two mischievous senior brothers eyeing the eagle greedily, unable to hide their covetous intent.

“I wonder how Senior Sister is… Did the competition go smoothly?” Ye Hua murmured, hugging the eagle tightly, lost in thought for a while. Before he could ask more, the eagle suddenly gave a sharp cry and, in a flash of greenish light, shot south like a falling star, circling around a towering peak before veering east.

Clinging to the eagle’s back, Ye Hua felt the wind whip against his face, making it hard to breathe. Confused, he shouted, “Xiaoyao, where are we going? Aren’t we heading back to North Terrace? This isn’t the right direction!” But the eagle did not answer; instead, it picked up speed. Ye Hua’s suspicions grew—Xiaoyao must have a reason for this.

Soon enough, a range of cloud-wreathed peaks loomed ahead, their dramatic formations both bold and enchanting, rare in all the world. Nestled among these peaks was a great valley, shrouded in mists and poisonous vapors, making it impossible to discern anything inside. The eagle slowed, circled above several times, then landed halfway up the valley’s slope.

Ye Hua leapt down, steadied himself, and looked around. Ancient trees stood thick and ominous, casting heavy shadows. A short distance ahead lay a pool of jade-green water, its surface clear as a mirror, deep and still. The grass on shore was just as green, and the water lapped close to the bank, so clear it was hard to tell where land ended and water began. Behind him, a smooth white stone cliff rose; all around were perilous crags and strange rocks, with ancient pines clinging to the cracks, ivy and creepers dangling down, and thick old vines as thick as a man’s thigh crawling over the stone. Moss and flowers adorned the scene, their fragrance mingling with the mountain air.

Ye Hua couldn’t help but marvel at the beauty of it all. He smiled and asked the golden eagle, “Xiaoyao, why land here? Are we just here to admire the view?” The eagle merely fixed its gaze on the azure pool and gave a low cry, as if waiting for something. Ye Hua grew even more curious and decided to watch patiently. As evening approached and the sun set, the silver moon rose—a cold disk pouring forth icy radiance, its beams slanting across the pool. Suddenly, a ghostly blue light emerged from the center of the water, rising with the moonlight. Ye Hua started, then understood: “So that’s it. But what exactly is in the pool?”

As he pondered, the blue light in the pool grew steadily brighter. Xiaoyao gave another low call. Ye Hua, now alert, swept his spiritual sense over the area and faintly detected two hidden surges of power in the sky. His heart tightened; he quietly readied the Scarlet Crow Dagger, prepared for anything. Clearly, others were here for the treasure in the pool.

When the moon reached its zenith, the blue light in the pool shot skyward, crackling with purple lightning and the distant rumble of thunder. With a sharp cry, Xiaoyao leapt upward, his talons glowing gold as two shimmering claws materialized, locking onto the blue light in the pool. The blue light flared wildly, struggling to break free, but the golden claws held it fast, not wavering in the slightest.

Ye Hua was watching intently, delighted to see Xiaoyao restrain the blue light so easily. Suddenly, the pool began to spin, and a column of water erupted, morphing into the form of a fierce flood-dragon, which reared back and lunged toward Xiaoyao.

“Watch out!” Ye Hua cried, hurling the Scarlet Crow Dagger. Black light flashed as it slashed through the water-dragon’s body, but the blade passed straight through while the dragon barely slowed, surging toward Xiaoyao.

The golden eagle shrieked, sweeping its wings. Dozens of small whirlwinds sprang up, intertwining and growing in size, forming a vast wall of wind. The water-dragon crashed into the wind barrier, howling in pain as it was torn apart, dissolving into mist in the blink of an eye.

The wind wall pressed on, but before it could reach its target, a flash of black light revealed two figures in midair. Ye Hua, watching from a distance, realized, “No wonder I sensed something hidden in the air earlier—there were two cultivators lurking here. But who are they?”

He moved swiftly to Xiaoyao’s side and looked on. Both newcomers were burly men dressed in yellow Daoist robes, their faces heavy and brutish, eyes squeezed to narrow slits. They looked exactly alike and sneered at Ye Hua and the golden eagle.

As the wind wall neared, the two men raised their hands in unison, and a shimmering curtain of water appeared around them. The wind ruffled its surface, but the watery shield held firm, resisting the onslaught until the wind finally dissipated.

Ye Hua was secretly astonished. “What a pure water-element technique! No practitioner at the Seven Treasures stage could wield such power—only those of the Three Truths realm could manage this!”

He and Xiaoyao watched the pair warily as the purple light in the pool grew even brighter. Whatever was hidden within the pool was on the verge of emerging, but Xiaoyao’s talons still gripped it tightly.

Seeing the commotion in the pool, the two newcomers’ eyes gleamed as they sneered, “If you two leave now, we, the Twin Flood-Dragons of Cloud Mountain, might just spare your lives!”

Ye Hua’s heart sank. “The Twin Flood-Dragons of Cloud Mountain! They’re rumored to be the prized disciples of the Black Wind Patriarch from Black Wind Cave in Cloud Mountain, Northern Ji. Twin brothers, infamous for decades. Though notorious, they usually remain in the north, and their strength is such that even heroes of the realm can only grit their teeth and bear it. What are they doing here?”

The golden eagle let out an angry screech, its golden talon projections glowing even brighter, the blue light within them beginning to stabilize. Ye Hua thought, “They’re after the treasure in the pool, too. If so, I must strike first—just a moment’s distraction will do!” With that, his figure blurred into multiple shadowy forms, which encircled the Twin Flood-Dragons. At his command, clouds and mist swept in from all directions, swiftly blotting out the moon. Black clouds rolled across the sky, and in a flash, countless chains of black mist shot toward the Twin Flood-Dragons.

The brothers felt their breath catch and cursed in unison, “Wretched brat!” Their four hands moved quickly, conjuring countless crystal droplets around them. “Go!” they shouted, hurling the droplets into the black mist. Explosions thundered as the droplets burst, their combined force scattering much of the black fog, revealing several of Ye Hua’s shadowy doubles.

One of the brothers darted toward a shadow, pointing a finger. An icicle shot out, striking the figure’s chest. The shadow froze, then dissolved into mist. Even as the brothers prepared for the next attack, more black mist crept in, slowly forming a new shadow. This time, the figure whipped a black chain toward the other brother, while the surrounding darkness thickened further.

White light flared in the other brother’s hand as he produced a jade ring, meeting the black chain with a resounding boom. Though he blocked it, the force made his hand tremble. “Impressive strength—this youngster has real skill!” he thought, as countless more black chains attacked.

The Twin Flood-Dragons exchanged a glance and sneered, “You do have some tricks! But let’s show you some real power!” Together, they wove a complex incantation and thrust their hands toward the sky. Instantly, a massive vortex appeared overhead, slowly spinning.

“Heh, boy, to die at the hands of our Spirit-Devouring Abyss is a privilege!” they jeered. Even before they finished speaking, the vortex spun faster, emitting multicolored rays that enveloped the black mist, generating a tremendous suction. The black chains and fog were dragged inexorably toward the vortex’s core. In moments, half the mist was gone.

Ye Hua’s form emerged from the dissipating blackness, only to feel a powerful force dragging him upward into the vortex. Alarmed, he summoned his inner strength, golden light blazing around him, followed by a surge of green energy. With a mighty slap, he forced himself free, using his ghostly movement technique to split into several afterimages and escape.

Moments later, the last of the black mist vanished, and the vortex faded away, leaving the sky empty. In the distance, golden light flashed as Ye Hua reappeared, his face pale. “Worthy of the Three Truths realm—truly formidable! With just a taste of their true power, they shattered my Nine Yin Ghost Arts!”