Chapter 112: Charging into Qingyun

The young man squinted and took a closer look. It was true—a woman in a veil, clad in golden battle armor and wielding a golden halberd, was walking straight toward the mountain gate, followed by an incredibly ugly man with white hair and a black robe.

Sensing trouble, the young man shouted loudly, "Halt! Who goes there? State your names!"

Ye Wuya and Jiang Xiaoxiao ignored him, continuing their steady, unhurried pace. Seeing them pay no heed, the young cultivator grew angry and roared again, "Stop! If you take another step, don't blame me for being discourteous!"

The two were now less than twenty meters away. Seeing they showed no sign of stopping and were approaching with such menacing intent, the young man realized a powerful enemy might be attacking. He quickly turned to his junior brother and whispered, "Brother, signal the sect immediately, then go to the Law Enforcement Hall yourself and fetch an Elder. Go, quickly!"

The younger boy also sensed the danger as an invisible pressure began to weigh upon them. Realizing these two were clearly hostile, he hesitated no longer. He pulled a bamboo tube from his belt, and with a sharp snap of the cord, a flare shot into the sky.

*Bang!*

The signal exploded, forming the shape of a yellow shield.

"Be careful, Senior Brother! I’m going to fetch the Elder!" With those words, the boy sprinted up the mountain.

"Master, should I stop him?" Jiang Xiaoxiao asked, watching the boy flee.

"Ignore him. Keep walking," Ye Wuya replied calmly.

Following the signal, figures began to swarm toward the mountain gate. Within moments, two or three dozen cultivators had gathered at the base. They drew their swords and blades, rushing toward Ye Wuya and Jiang Xiaoxiao.

From a distance of ten meters, the young guard shouted again, "Stop immediately, or we will be forced to act!"

As more cultivators arrived, Ye Wuya and Jiang Xiaoxiao were soon surrounded. Most of these men were merely at the Body Refining stage; only the young guard at the gate had reached the third level of the Spirit Gathering realm.

"Brush aside anyone who blocks our path, but remember: do not kill," Ye Wuya commanded. He had come to the Azure Cloud Sect only for a specific purpose. If he slaughtered their members, things would become complicated. Without reason, he had no desire to incur unnecessary blood debt.

"As you command, Master," Jiang Xiaoxiao replied.

She gave her halberd a sharp shake, and a surge of momentum erupted from her body. A golden wave of light radiated from her, expanding rapidly in all directions—carefully avoiding Ye Wuya.

*Bang, bang, bang, bang...*

The Azure Cloud Sect’s outer disciples surrounding them were all struck by the golden light, sent flying, and scattered across the ground in a chorus of groans. The aura of a Golden Core cultivator was far beyond what these novices, who had only just stepped onto the path of cultivation, could withstand.

The young guard stared in shock at his brothers writhing on the ground. A single burst of momentum had incapacitated them all. Seeing his companions moaning in pain, he gripped his sword and charged at Jiang Xiaoxiao. She merely waved her hand, releasing a burst of force that sent him flying until he fell unconscious.

The remaining disciples, witnessing the scene, trembled with fear. Most were only at the second or third level of Body Refining. Even their Spirit Gathering senior had been knocked unconscious in a single blow; how could they dare to throw their lives away?

As Jiang Xiaoxiao stepped forward, they retreated. Soon, hundreds had gathered at the gate.

"Those who block my path shall die!" Jiang Xiaoxiao shouted coldly.

Like a receding tide, the cultivators parted to the sides, trailing behind the pair, but none dared to obstruct them again.

Beside the mountain gate stood a massive boulder, upon which the characters for "Azure Cloud Sect" were carved with bold, vigorous strokes. A stone path, dozens of meters wide, led up toward the peaks. Unless one could fly, this was the only way.

"Halt!"

Up ahead, a formation of men stood blocking the center of a stone platform. To continue, they had to pass through this checkpoint. Ye Wuya looked up; there were dozens of such platforms on the mountain, and it seemed layers of defenses had already been set up.

Seeing this, the crowd that had followed from the bottom stopped and held back. There were over thirty cultivators here, and as Ye Wuya observed, they were far stronger than those at the gate—mostly between the fourth and seventh levels of the Body Refining realm.

"Clear them out," Ye Wuya said.

"Understood."

Jiang Xiaoxiao swept her arm, and a vast, surging force sent the blockers flying. They soon reached the second platform, where the cultivators were even stronger, ranging from the seventh to the ninth level. Again, with a wave of her hand, they were cleared away.

It was like advancing through a gauntlet. One by one, they cleared the stages. By the next platform, the defenders were at the peak of the Body Refining realm, all on the verge of opening their Dantian to enter the Spirit Gathering realm.

With a sweeping strike, they were all sent tumbling, groaning on the ground. Ye Wuya had long since become accustomed to this. He continued his unhurried ascent.

Gradually, the defenders transitioned to the Spirit Gathering realm. These cultivators had successfully opened their Dantian and formed energy vortexes, allowing them to utilize basic martial arts techniques. Yet, they couldn't even get close to Jiang Xiaoxiao before being struck down.

By the time they reached the mountainside, the cultivators had mostly entered the Form Condensation realm. They could now wield profound arts. Knowing they couldn't approach her, they unleashed chains of spiritual energy and manifested tigers and birds of prey to attack.

It was in vain. With a casual swat, Jiang Xiaoxiao shattered every beast and chain they conjured.

As they continued, Ye Wuya pondered a question: Why had no Elders appeared? Instead, it seemed as if these disciples had received orders not to fight to the death, but to step aside and yield the path once defeated.

*Could it be?*

Ye Wuya realized a possibility: Jiang Xiaoxiao had caused no fatalities, and with the impending war between the Blazing Sun Sect and the Azure Cloud Sect, the Elders were likely using them as live training targets.

"Clever," Ye Wuya thought, feeling both annoyed and amused. "Using me to train your troops? But then again, am I not doing the exact same thing with you to train Jiang Xiaoxiao?"