Chapter 88: The Search

Chapter Eighty-Eight: The Search
Part Eleven: Hidden Triumphs in the Capital Forest, Seven Heroes Stir Chaos in the Spring and Autumn (18)

Lu Yunke lowered his head to gaze at the ground, dazed for a long moment as if lost in thought, as though it were not he who had cleaved through that bloody cloud. After some time, he finally turned to the others and offered a gentle smile. “I must have given you all reason to laugh. This time, I was only able to rid us of that person thanks to your help.”

With that, he turned his gaze skyward, where faint flashes of thunder could be seen. He frowned slightly. “Brothers, if we join forces now, perhaps we can break through the void and escape. However...”

Ma Fei’s heart was filled with both joy and curiosity. “However what? Brother, please speak plainly.”

Lu Yunke smiled calmly. “The only concern is that our brothers from the Fifth Transmission Institute are still locked in intense battle ahead. If we abandon them for our own safety and leave now, how could we justify ourselves? As for Brother Zhang and Brother Ye, if they wish to leave, we can lend them our aid.”

Ma Fei, Shi Lei, Zhang Ke and the others exchanged glances. Ma Fei pondered for a while before speaking: “Perhaps it is best for Brother Shi, Sister Zhang, and Brother Ye, who are already injured, to leave now. The rest of us—myself, Brother Zhang, Brother Gu—will follow and assist the Daoists from the Fifth Transmission Institute.”

Zhang Ke stepped forward. “Indeed. We are also closely connected to Grandmaster Qingling, and her disciples are our peers. If we do not help, it would be contrary to the Dao.”

Shi Lei, Zhang Lan, and Ye Hua all shook their heads upon hearing Ma Fei. “Brother, how can we leave at this moment?” Ma Fei sighed. “If you were uninjured, I would not say this. But soon we may be drawn into more conflict, and with your wounds, it would be most unwise.”

Ye Hua interjected, “Brother, I know my own injuries well; they are no longer serious. Let Sister Zhang and Brother Shi leave instead. Besides, my cousin is still fighting ahead; I cannot rest easy unless I go myself. Brother, please do not try to persuade me further.”

Seeing Ye Hua’s resolve and knowing his profound abilities, Ma Fei realized that keeping him would be a great asset. He nodded, “Very well, then I will not press the matter. But Sister Zhang and Brother Shi must leave; there is no further debate.” Zhang Lan and Shi Lei wanted to protest, but knowing their own injuries, they understood that staying would only hinder the group, so they fell silent.

Lu Yunke watched as the group reached their decision. “So be it. You all disregard your own safety to help others, showing true righteousness and valor.” Tian Liang stepped forward and saluted. “Brothers, your noble spirit is something I will never forget. On behalf of the Fifth Transmission Institute, I thank you all.”

Ma Fei replied, “Brother, there is no need for thanks. Let us depart at once; we must not delay, lest circumstances change.” Lu Yunke nodded, “Then let us join forces to break the barrier. No matter how formidable, it cannot withstand our combined strike.” Ma Fei nodded, “Brother, lead the way.”

Lu Yunke glanced at everyone, “Follow my lead in a moment.” With that, his long sword appeared in his hand, and he stared at the sky. When lightning flashed overhead and a barely perceptible fissure opened up, his eyes gleamed coldly. He shouted, “Brothers, strike!” His sword slashed forth, a silver radiance flashed, and everyone heard a thunderous roar as the sky itself shone brilliantly. A silvery fissure appeared, almost hidden.

Everyone quickly unleashed their magical treasures, beams of light flashing in succession. In moments, they converged at the fissure, and under the barrage, the crack widened, revealing the verdant sky beyond. The group rejoiced. Soon after, Lu Yunke called urgently, “Brothers, hurry and leave!”

Zhang Lan and Shi Lei summoned their own radiances and flew toward the fissure. The others watched as the two streaks of light pierced the sky and breathed a sigh of relief, withdrawing their magical treasures. The fissure in the sky slowly closed, as though nothing had been forcibly opened.

Lu Yunke addressed the group, “Brothers, let us depart immediately. Most of the Fifth Transmission Institute's disciples are to the west, so we head that way.” Everyone nodded, determined their direction, and sped forward.

After flying for some time, they realized they had traveled a hundred miles. They knew this was the power of the formation, employing the arts of the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams to conjure fantastic realms—a world within a world, with rivers and mountains as real as any outside. After a while, they saw ahead, suspended in midair, a giant three-headed bird locked in battle with dozens of young disciples on the ground. Tian Liang looked closely, “Brother, those are disciples of the Qing Hall. They have the advantage; let us not intervene.”

Lu Yunke nodded, “You’re right.” With that, they watched from afar for a moment before continuing their flight. After another stretch, they saw a giant lion roaring and leaping. They observed from a distance, and Tian Liang signaled again. They moved on.

In this manner, they encountered five or six groups of disciples before finally finding a group from the Fifth Transmission Institute, numbering several dozen. The group joined forces, and in no time, they scattered the demon wolves attacking them; the opposing cultivators fled in terror. A young disciple shouted joyfully, “Brother Tian!” and the group gathered around.

Tian Liang stepped forward, “Brother Zhang, Brother Li!” The group bore only minor injuries. He continued, “Fortunately, none of you are seriously hurt. Have you seen Brother Gao Lu or Sister Jingyun?”

The young man surnamed Zhang shook his head in worry. “At first, I was with Brother Gao and Sister Jingyun. Then three cultivators from the Great Temple, all in the Three Truths Realm, attacked us and seemed intent on capturing Brother Gao. In the chaos, Brother Gao and Sister Jingyun led a dozen disciples eastward. Since then, we have encountered many groups, but not them.”

Tian Liang looked to Lu Yunke, “Brother, what should we do?” Lu Yunke listened, nodded, “We will search east, but with so many, it’s inconvenient. Since most here are lightly wounded, it’s best to break the barrier and send them away.”

Tian Liang agreed. “Brother, wise words.” He turned to the young man surnamed Zhang, “Soon we’ll break the barrier. Everyone, leave quickly and report to Master at the Jinghua Martial Hall.” The young man nodded, “We’ll do as you say.” Lu Yunke smiled, turned to Ye Hua and the others, “Once again, I must ask you to help break the void with me.”

Ye Hua and the others nodded. As before, they joined forces to break the void, allowing the previous group of disciples to escape. Only then did they stop. Though Lu Yunke exerted himself fully, he kept an eye on the others, closely observing their abilities. When he saw Ye Hua unleash his sword, he was secretly astonished.

“This Brother Ye truly has profound inner strength, as Second Brother said. He may be the most accomplished among them—perhaps even comparable to myself. Yet his method of cultivation seems less advanced than his inner strength. His realm may only be at the sixth or early seventh stage.” The thought startled him even more. “If it’s the seventh stage, that’s impressive enough; but if he’s only at the sixth, then... then that is truly remarkable!” He stole another glance at Ye Hua.

Ye Hua noticed Lu Yunke looking at him and smiled slightly. There was something strange in his eyes, but Ye Hua did not know what Lu Yunke was thinking. He returned the smile, lowered his head, and withdrew his magical treasure.

After a while, Tian Liang addressed the group, “Brothers, let us continue searching ahead.” Everyone nodded, moving forward. In this way, they encountered dozens more groups, many of them familiar faces. At first, they relied heavily on Lu Yunke, who single-handedly fended off attacks from Three Truths Realm cultivators, giving the others time to act. In less than a few dozen rounds, they dispatched the monsters or drove off the enemy cultivators, broke open the void, and sent the group away.

As time went on, this repeated itself three or four dozen times. Those with keen minds tallied the numbers: those they had helped escape now numbered three or four hundred, with many insisting on staying. Their current party numbered forty or fifty, and whenever they met fierce battles, they rushed forward, crushing the enemy. If the opposing cultivators were ordinary, most perished instantly, with not a single chance of escape.