In the void.
Four elusive and unpredictable figures quietly concealed themselves, with a deep and obscure pressure permeating around them, surpassing the realm of Heavenly Fate cultivators.
Faced with such powerful experts, Qi Yalan’s high-grade treasures were no longer able to hide her whereabouts.
“…I found that girl!”
“Yes, her talent and aptitude are truly exceptional. Her potential… almost surpasses my most outstanding grandson!”
“What’s even more rare is her exceptional fate and fortune. If we carefully count, there may be disciples in our sect with better talent and aptitude than her, but in terms of luck… she falls a bit short.”
“It’s strange. Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace has been declining for a long time, and its influence is nowhere near that of our Azure Fall Divine Sect. How can there still be such a talented and beautiful disciple in the sect?”
“With her potential, it is inevitable for her to ascend to immortality in the future. If given enough time, she might even surpass us old folks. Mu Yinghua is quite lucky to have found such an outstanding disciple.”
“It’s a pity that this girl won’t have a chance. Elder Li Qingtian wants to pave the way for his favored descendant, so that the little girl can meet the standards for marriage with the young master of Bright Moon Sword Sect.”
“It is indeed a pity.”
The four figures sighed at the same time.
The art of “Moving Flowers and Transplanting Trees” and “Reversing Fate” were beneficial to the recipients. As for the victims who had their aptitude, talent, and fortune stolen, their fate would undoubtedly be extremely tragic. Even if they temporarily preserved their lives, they would be no different from ordinary mortals, plagued by various illnesses and not living for many more years.
Moreover, the forces that practiced this forbidden technique would usually choose to eliminate any future troubles. After the success of the technique, they would usually choose to silence the victims, even refining their divine souls into ashes, ensuring that no traces were left behind to avoid revenge in the future.
In recent thousands of years, Bright Moon Sword Sect’s strength had been expanding rapidly, and their relationship with Azure Fall Divine Sect had always been good. Therefore, Elder Li Qingtian intended to marry his most favored direct descendant to the talented and promising young master of Bright Moon Sword Sect, further deepening the strategic alliance between the two sects.
However, although the appearance of that girl was quite good, her aptitude and talent were lacking. Even if a massive amount of resources were invested in her cultivation, it was uncertain whether she could survive the Great Tribulation of Heart Demons in her lifetime. Therefore, she was not favored by the high-level members of Bright Moon Sword Sect and they kept dragging their feet without agreeing.
After much thought, Elder Li Qingtian turned his attention to the forbidden technique. On one hand, he sent people to investigate and find suitable targets in the Great Void Starry Sky. On the other hand, he prepared generous gifts to visit the powerful figures of Calamity Fate Palace, persuading them to lend a hand.
As a result, he actually found several good candidates, among which the most satisfying one was the direct disciple of Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace’s Sect Master. Coincidentally, she was also a sword cultivator, and the relationship between Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace and Bright Moon Sword Sect had always been tense and hostile. As long as this matter was accomplished, it would be a great success.
Therefore, after receiving a positive response from Calamity Fate Palace, Elder Li Qingtian put his plan into action and sent four of his trusted experts to capture them.
After observing from a close distance, these four experts couldn’t help but be amazed by Qi Yalan’s aptitude and fortune. They were even somewhat unwilling to hand her over to Elder Li Qingtian. Wouldn’t it be better to keep her for themselves?
However, this impulse was just a thought in their minds. After all, they were acting together as a group of four, but they only had one target. It was simply not enough to divide, and Elder Li Qingtian, a prominent figure in Azure Fall Divine Sect, was not someone easy to deceive.
“…Huh? There’s something strange about the boy beside her. His aptitude and fortune… are not inferior to hers!”
“Let me take a look. Something seems off. It seems like someone has used a powerful technique to confuse the heavenly secrets, reversing the yin and yang, making it difficult for even us to see through his true aptitude. Interesting, interesting!”
“It’s alright. His cultivation level is still low. We can capture him together and examine him slowly. It seems that he was brought out for training by this girl, who should be another direct disciple of the Sect Master?”
“Hehe, Mu Yinghua’s luck is really outrageous. Not only does she have Xuebing Xuan, but also Qi Yalan and this boy with an unknown background. How come all the talented individuals are taken by her?”
“Alright, let’s make our move. Our luck this time is quite good. We can accomplish a task and even get a bonus. Elder Li Qingtian will definitely be very pleased when we return.”
As the four experts communicated, they had already arrived above the area where Qing Muling and Qi Yalan were.
With a slight movement of his mind, one of the white-haired old men caused ripples of water to surge around him, instantly condensing into a giant azure palm with a radius of more than ten zhang, swiftly grabbing towards the two figures below.
In their eyes, personally taking action against a Heavenly Fate realm girl would be enough with just one move. After all, the higher the realm, the more difficult it was to challenge someone of a higher level. Even if the opponent possessed powerful treasures, it would be difficult to resist.However, at this moment, a golden, exquisite bamboo mat suddenly appeared, blocking the path of the giant azure palm. A fraction of a second later, the giant palm vanished into thin air, leaving the bamboo mat unscathed.
“A Guardian?”
The white-haired elder was slightly surprised, but quickly realized. Such an outstanding new generation talent, wouldn’t the higher-ups of the Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace arrange a Guardian to accompany him?
“What kind of people are you? To disregard your status and attack two juniors, you are truly unworthy!”
A sigh echoed, and a tall, slender figure appeared before the four. She was dressed in a deep green dress, her features obscured by a veil. Smoke and mist rose around her, her terrifying aura concealed yet palpable.
“Who are you? A Supreme Elder of the Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace?”
The four men looked grim. This woman had appeared without warning, and they hadn’t sensed her presence despite their cultivation levels. This showed how unfathomable she was.
“You don’t need to know, and I have no interest in asking your names or origins. After I kill you, I’ll search your souls, and I’ll naturally know everything I need to know!”
The woman in green spoke lightly. The exquisite bamboo mat spread out effortlessly, and with a casual roll, it enveloped the four old men.
After a few screams, the place was empty, as if nothing had happened.
On the ground.
“Sister Lan, do all the important core disciples in the sect have a Guardian accompanying them when they travel?”
Qing Muling’s gaze swept across the sky as he casually asked.
Qi Yalan dismembered a Spirit Devouring Demon Tree not far away with a sword, thought for a moment, and then said, “Not everyone has one. It depends on the disciple’s aptitude, cultivation level, potential for development, contributions, and the power behind them. Of course, someone like Senior Sister definitely has one, and not just one.”
This was not surprising. Xuebing Xuan was basically being cultivated by the higher-ups of the Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace as the next Sect Master. It concerned the future of the sect, so they couldn’t be careless. When she went out, several Supreme Elders would secretly protect her to prevent her from being harmed by the powerhouses of other sects.
“So, does Sister Lan have one?”
“I’m not sure. The arrangement of the Guardians is decided by the higher-ups in secret discussions. Given my status, I should have one, but I’ve never seen them.”
“That’s because Sister Lan has never faced a life-or-death crisis, right?”
“That’s part of the reason. Unless facing the risk of death or being captured, the Guardian will not take action, so as not to make the core disciples dependent and affect their cultivation of the Dao.”
“What about me? How many Guardians do I have?”
“You?”
Qi Yalan looked at her Junior Brother beside her, smiled, and rubbed his face: “You must be enjoying the highest treatment from the sect! I’m not sure how many you have, but one thing I can confirm is that whenever I go out with you, if we encounter any trouble that we can’t solve, I will benefit from your presence!”