Yue Zifeng Appears
It didn't take very long for the rest of the other Elders to arrive, and after every single Core and Inner Elder entered the main hall, Yue Zifeng started to discuss what measures that they should take in order to ensure that their Soaring Sword Sect managed to secure whatever created that phenomenon.
However, about half an hour into the discussion, a Core Elder suddenly remembered something and voiced it out.
Surprisingly it was the extremely polite and astute Core Elder that Xue Bai had met during the entrance exam registration.
The Core Elder, named Elder Zhuo, raised his hand and said, "Sect Leader, one of my disciples saw Young Duke Xue traveling toward the Barren Lands."
"Bai'er?" Yue Zifeng mumbled subconsciously.
'He told me he had sensed an opportunity. Does that mean he sensed whatever created that Divine Dragon phantom?!' Yue Zifeng, very quickly, using the limited information he had, reached a reasonable conclusion.
"Never mind the plans! I'll go myself. Bai'er is in danger!" Yue Zifeng shouted.
And before anyone could respond, he summoned his flying sword, shooting through the skies, going toward the Barren Lands.
'The powerhouses of the Southern Continent are going to converge onto Bai'er. I have to be there and make sure none of those old fogies make a stupid decision.' Yue Zifeng thought as he swiftly flew through the clouds.
Meanwhile, back at the site of the Azure Dragon phantom, Xue Bai finally regained consciousness.
Before the mountain range collapsed, he had dove over to Zhu Que and protected them both with the large block of Nine Serenities Jade.
He had purposely not poured any Spiritual Qi into it, making it stay elastic, so hopefully, when the many pieces of rubble would fall onto them, the flexible piece of jade would morph around them, protecting them in a 360 degree.
Thankfully while Xue Bai did fall unconscious because of the roar, the two of them were completely unharmed.
However, now there was a problem. Zhu Que was still unconscious on top of him, and there was an entire mountain range worth of rubble on top of them, most likely. And while the Nine Serenities Jade did protect them from any damage, Xue Bai had so little room to maneuver, it was like he was being encased in saran wrap.
Coupled with the fact that he was basically glued underneath Zhu Que, he was feeling extremely uncomfortable. And it wasn't because he was feeling any temptation from the unconscious Zhu Que, he was a man of morals after all, but rather, right now, Zhu Que was stuck in her hybrid form. So currently, not only was there a scaly 1.5-meter-long tail digging into his stomach but also a set of wings that hurt much more.
But since there wasn't much he could do until she woke up, Xue Bai would have to bear through the painful feeling.
Thankfully he remembered something.
Going into his spatial ring, Xue Bai crushed a communication token that would give his location to the Wang Twins.
The twins were both in the Law Manifestation Realm, so the collapse of a normal mountain range wouldn't hurt them whatsoever, and to be able to dig Xue Bai and Zhu Que out would be extremely simple.
So after sending the message, Xue Bai waited. There was nothing for him to do after all but sit tight and wait for his rescue.
Time passed slowly, and with an ice-blue dragon tail and a pair of wings digging into his stomach, it only went by slower. Luckily, however, before Xue Bai lost his mind and pushed Zhu Que out of the protective barrier, he heard a lot of movement above him.
The movement above him sounded like a dump truck carrying the rubble from a demolished building. And soon enough, Xue Bai felt his own body lift up as he was taken into the air.
Grabbing Zhu Que's thin waist, Xue Bai ignored the pleasant feeling and let his body be carried as he placed the Nine Serenities Jade back into his spatial ring.
Looking up, Xue Bai spoke, "Big Wang, quickly, we have to go back to the sect…." But he wasn't able to finish his sentence.
In front of him wasn't Little Wang or Big Wang, but instead, his Master, Yue Zifeng, floating on a flying sword.
"Ah, Master, how are you doing?" Xue Bai awkwardly spoke.
After being caught in such an awkward situation, Xue Bai truly didn't know how to speak. He was stuck under a mountain range of rubble, in a tight space, while holding a beauty by her waist.
It didn't take much of an imagination for someone to think odd things were happening in the Nine Serenities Jade.
"I see you've been cultivating well, Bai'er," Yue Zifeng said meaningfully.
"Master, please don't joke around," Xue Bai embarrassedly said, "Also, Master, how did you find me? I sent my location to the Big Wang and Little Wang, but how did you know where I was?"
"I didn't," Yue Zifeng said as he pulled Xue Bai onto his flying sword, "After seeing the Divine Dragon phenomenon, I rushed over here as fast as I could. But after I reached here, I managed to sense the soul imprint I planted onto you deep in the rubble."
"You placed a soul imprint on me?" Xue Bai asked.
'I didn't even notice!'
"Never mind that," Yue Zifeng's face suddenly turned dark, "Didn't you say that you sensed an opportunity for yourself? So how come it looks like you snuck out and went to pick up girls?"
While Yue Zifeng wasn't sure if the dragon girl in Xue Bai's arms was the reason for the phenomenon, it still didn't exempt the fact that Xue Bai was in such a situation.
He had let his precious disciple go out for almost a week delaying his vital cultivation time and had gone out picking up girls? It was reasonable for Yue ZIfeng to be angered,
"Master, it isn't what it looks like. I also gained a valuable opportunity. Look!"
WIlling his Sword Law, Xue Bai created another illusory sword, but compared to the last time, there was a stark difference.
The first time he had used it, the illusory sword was only almost two fingers long, but now the length had almost doubled, becoming just shy of a foot long.
"Small Success stage Sword Law?" Yue Zifeng asked with a raised eyebrow.
Xue Bai nodded rapidly as he withdrew it once more. Conjuring it now took a lot more Spiritual Qi than it did last time. And even though he withdrew it, it still sapped out more than a quarter of his Spiritual Qi.
'I should test that.' Xue Bai thought.
However, Yue Zifeng shook his head, "You said that you'd focus on your cultivation during your trip. I still remember you arrogantly claiming to reach the peak of the Bone Strengthening Realm before returning."
'I was confident I could, but I didn't think you'd put down your status and fly all the way over here.' Xue Bai mumbled inwardly.
But on the outside, he quickly changed the topic.
"Master, but look how filial a disciple I am for you. I have gotten you another heaven-defying talent to take on!" Xue Bai spoke as if he were a car salesman while gesturing toward Zhu Que in his arms.
"You mean this dragon girl?" Yue Zifeng spoke oddly, "Bai'er, I'm sure you know, but our sect is a righteous one. Taking in demonic beasts is something taboo. And while I don't care much for the rule, the other Elders in the sect do. If they find out that I took on a demonic beast as a disciple, my position would be in jeopardy."
In the Soaring Sword Sect, while Yue Zifeng was the second strongest man, the strongest person in the sect was the Grand Elder, who wouldn't appear or make a move unless the sect was about to be destroyed. So because of this, his words were law.
However, if enough Elders rose against him and wanted to impeach him, they could relay word to the main branch on the Central Continent and have him replaced.
Yue Zifeng was at the peak of the Southern Continent with his power, but in the Central Continent, people in the Spirit Severing Realm were a dime a dozen.
"Master, she is a human." Xue Bai voiced, "Don't you see she doesn't have any of the baleful Qi around her? She just has a demonic beast bloodline."
Taking another look at the unconscious Zhu Que in Xue Bai's grasp, he noticed that she didn't exude the baleful Qi that demonic beasts usually exuded when they took human form. But he still shook his head, even after realizing that.
"That doesn't make it better, Bai'er," Yue Zifeng said with a frown, "Human cultivators with demonic beast bloodlines are no better than the demonic beasts themselves."
Yue Zifeng didn't know about bloodline cores, but he did, however, know about humans with demonic beast bloodlines.
In the cultivation world, Martial Veins were the most important thing in a cultivator that decided how far they would go. But there were many unwilling people who didn't believe in their limits. So to go around that, they started looking for external ways.
And the first way they figured out was through demonic beast bloodlines. By taking in a high-grade demonic beast bloodline, untalented humans were allowed to go past their innate limits.
However, the consequences soon bore the fangs. When someone took in a demonic beast bloodline, they would soon lose their human nature, becoming more beast than man.
This was why Yue Zifeng didn't want this dragon girl in his sect, even though she didn't seem to be a demonic beast. He could obviously see that she wasn't emitting any of the baleful Spiritual Qi that demonic beasts usually do. But her being a human with a demonic beast bloodline didn't make her any more appealing to him.
If anything, it made it more of a deal breaker because, with a demonic beast, you could tame it and turn it into a mount. But with a human?
"Master, I promise that Sister Zhu is free from all of those emotional side effects." Xue Bai swore.
"Bai'er countless geniuses have done the same thing, thinking that they could overcome the changes but have still succumbed to the side effects." Yue Zifeng sighed.
"Master, these situations aren't comparable," Xue Bai persisted, "You saw it yourself. The phenomenon that Sister Zhu created was something far beyond the normal bloodlines you are talking about. I can even make a Dao Oath if you are still unconvinced."
Xue Bai didn't want to expose the existence of bloodline cores, as that would most likely cause Yue Zifeng to notice his. So he could only use the phenomenon as an excuse to persuade Yue Zifeng.
Yue Zifeng, on the other hand, seeing Xue Bai be so rebellious, was getting a little exasperated, but before he continued persuading Xue Bai otherwise, his facial expression changed.
"Bai'er, we'll continue this discussion later." Yue Zifeng spoke solemnly.
Then grabbing both Xue Bai and the still unconscious Zhu Que close to him, Yue Zifeng rapidly formed a dozen strange hand seals before shouting, "Lightning Body Flicker!"
And with a flash of golden radiance, Yue Zifeng disappeared from his original position.
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