"Crossing the tribulation—that's still a dream far beyond our reach. Sigh, enough about me. Let's discuss what to do with this baby instead." A flicker of worry crossed Jin Ming's heart and vanished; he hurriedly changed the subject.
"This is Qingyun Mountain territory. What's there to discuss?" Green Cloud Master replied at once, though his expression was somewhat unnatural.
"Tsk, tsk, Old Green, this place seems to be outside Qingyun Mountain already. Were you hoping to bluff your way through and claim this child for yourself?" Chi Yan's tone was light, with a hint of teasing.
"Uh, is that so? We're already far from Qingyun Mountain." Green Cloud Master's face reddened slightly.
"Let's follow the old rules. Everyone relies on their own strength; whoever wins gets the child." Yellow Millet Tower Lord glanced at Green Cloud Master, subtly coming to his rescue.
"Mm, let's do that." Everyone nodded in agreement. Only Green Cloud Master looked at Lingyun, who was still bent over, intently amusing the baby, his face full of worry.
Lingyun didn't look up, yet seemed to "see" Green Cloud Master watching him. His brows furrowed slightly as he said coolly, "You seem to have forgotten about me. I've already taken this child as my adopted son."
"May I ask who you are?" Jin Ming's expression turned hostile. If he hadn't sensed some connection between the man and Green Cloud Master, his temperament would have driven him to act already.
"This is my benefactor," Green Cloud Master interjected.
"Your benefactor? He hasn't even reached the Golden Core Realm. How could he be your benefactor? Are you trying to fool us?" Yellow Millet Tower Lord looked displeased, and even Bing Xin seemed surprised.
"Back then, my benefactor..." Green Cloud Master was cut off by a cold snort.
"Hmph!" Lingyun's expression turned stern as he glared at Green Cloud Master.
"Er, at any rate, he is my benefactor. There's no need to doubt it." As if remembering something, Green Cloud Master hurriedly changed his words.
"Although you discovered the child first, everyone knows that Heaven and Earth Divine Objects belong to those capable of claiming them." Jin Ming paused, then continued, "Still, out of respect for your benefactor, Brother Qingyun, we'll let him take part in the contest. Does anyone object?"
"Mm, no." Everyone except Green Cloud Master nodded in agreement. Their expressions made it clear they didn't take Lingyun, who hadn't even reached the Golden Core Realm, seriously.
"Hmph. I haven't fought in a long time, and now people are actually picking on me. Fine, fine. I'll show you what I can do." Lingyun let out a cold snort, his expression turning chilly.
Yellow Millet Tower Lord's face changed. He snapped, "What shameless arrogance! Your cultivation is weak, but your temper sure isn't."
"Enough talk. Let's begin." Jin Ming's face was so dark it seemed water could drip from it.
"Fine!" the others answered in unison.
All five of them except Lingyun quickly retreated, adopting defensive stances. Clearly, they were worried that if they stayed in the middle, the others might join forces and attack them. Xiong Xiong, Huang Se, Yuan Ming, and the rest had already retreated far away, speaking in lowered voices with a group of people who had appeared at some unknown time. They kept glancing at Green Cloud Master and the others, not daring to relax for an instant, likely afraid of being caught in the crossfire.
"Hmph, you didn't even have time to get into a defensive stance, and you still dare to compete?" Yellow Millet Tower Lord looked at Lingyun, standing motionless in the middle of the five, and grinned with schadenfreude.
"Heh." Lingyun looked completely unconcerned and continued amusing the baby, as though no one else were there and the contest had nothing to do with him.
"Maybe we should wait a moment. You should let someone else hold the baby first. We might hurt him when we fight. Oh, and the fox, too." Chi Yan couldn't bear the thought. He looked at the baby in the swaddling cloth and the white fox on Lingyun's shoulder, then kindly warned him.
"You're a kind young man, unlike those other schemers. But there's no need. You won't get the chance to hurt them. Heh." Lingyun looked at Chi Yan, unmistakable approval in his eyes. He was brimming with confidence, with the composure of a mountain collapsing before him without so much as changing his expression—a picture of unruffled calm.
"Since you're asking for death, don't blame us." Jin Ming's expression grew even more sinister, his voice cold as water.
"Rise!" Jin Ming shouted. A two-foot-long short sword emerged from his body and floated above his head. The blade was narrow and thick, yet razor-sharp, especially at its tip. It looked more like a spike than a sword, so keen was its point. Threads of swordlight spilled from its tip, adding to its sharpness. Without a doubt, it could pierce metal and split stone with ease.
"That's Golden Edge Sword Stab, Sect Master Jin Ming's famed weapon. He must really be angry—he rarely draws it," someone in the crowd with Huang Se muttered.
"That man brought this on himself. He hasn't even reached the Golden Core Realm, yet he wants to fight five sect leaders. What else could that be but suicide?" another man with a sinister expression chimed in.
"Exactly. If he wants to die, there's no need to send himself straight through the gates of hell." The others agreed.
"Sigh, Sect Master Jin isn't merciful. His main cultivation is the Refined Gold Killing Art. His killing intent is always surging; killing someone is as easy for him as killing an ant. That man in the middle is probably in for it." Though one person sounded concerned, his voice held a hint of schadenfreude.
"Maybe, just maybe, that man really does have the skills," a young cultivator said timidly. But he sounded so uncertain that even he probably didn't believe his own words.
"Heh, not even at the Golden Core Realm, and he's still supposed to be incredibly capable?" The first speaker was clearly annoyed that anyone would question his "authority."
"Look, the Crimson Flame Valley Lord has brought out his Crimson Flame Sword, too." When a thick, entirely scarlet sword emerged from the Crimson Flame Valley Lord's body, a cultivator exclaimed.
"This trip was worth it! Yellow Millet Tower Lord has brought out his weapon, too. The Mystic Earth Sword, infused with Mystic Earth energy—heavy and solid. Just as renowned as they say."
"Tsk, tsk, Ice Fairy's Ice String Sword is wrapped in cold energy, its blade thin as ice. It really suits her. If only I could join Ice River Palace and win Ice Fairy's favor. But what could I do to win her over?" A handsome young man drifted into a daydream. Let's ignore him while he's off fantasizing.
"What, Brother Qingyun, are you planning to spar with us empty-handed?" Yellow Millet Tower Lord said when he saw Green Cloud Master hadn't brought out a weapon.
"Sigh. Fine, fine. Benefactor, forgive my disrespect. Come forth, Azure Spirit Sword." At Green Cloud Master's shout, a long sword wreathed in rich Wood Spirit Energy appeared above his head.
"Benefactor, everyone, please!" Green Cloud Master cried.
"Please!" the other sect leaders shouted together.
In an instant, energies of every kind surged through the air. The fight was about to begin, and the spectators fell silent, holding their breath as they watched intently.
"Heh." Lingyun smiled calmly, in no hurry. He raised one hand, and the swaddling cloth floated beside him. Then he slowly drew the Jade Flute from his waist and began to play, ignoring everyone around him.
At first, the flute's melody was gentle and pleasing, pale as cool moonlight, light as wisps of green smoke dispersing in the air, and brushing over a pool of spring water without leaving a trace. Then the tune shifted, growing desolate and far-reaching, its notes rising and falling in winding turns.
At first, Green Cloud Master and the others paid it little mind. A moment later, they realized something was wrong. The spiritual energy within them was beginning to surge wildly, beyond their control, and the effect was clearly growing stronger. They hurriedly sat cross-legged, holding their breaths and steadying the energy in their bodies. The weapons floating above their heads swayed unsteadily, no longer under their control, let alone able to attack Lingyun.
The flute continued, its melody growing like mountains cleaving through mist, soaring and impassioned, with a hint of clashing weapons and battlefield slaughter.
Looking at Green Cloud Master and the others again, their expressions, which had been shifting between dark and light, gradually turned fearful. Beads of sweat appeared on their foreheads. They poured all their strength into resisting the flute, yet they were like a tiny boat upon the open sea, battered by one towering wave after another. The waves surged violently; at any moment, they might swallow the boat whole.
The fear on their faces deepened. They looked at Lingyun, "surrounded" in the center, as if they were staring at the most terrifying monster imaginable.
"Quick... quick, circulate your energy... seal your ears," Chi Yan managed to say haltingly. The others' faces were flushed, and they couldn't even speak. Perhaps Chi Yan's earlier kindness toward Lingyun had earned him a little less "attention" than the others, allowing him to remain somewhat more at ease.
At Chi Yan's words, Jin Ming and the others suddenly understood. Regret filled them, followed by silent self-reproach. They were sect leaders, yet so foolish! If they blocked their ears, they wouldn't be able to hear the flute. That was what they truly thought.
They hurriedly changed their hand seals, clearly summoning their spiritual energy to seal off their hearing.
Lingyun smiled faintly and continued playing. The flute rang out with a clanging melody, its metallic edge growing stronger. Gradually, its sound surged higher and higher, curving upward like towering cliffs and waves crashing into the sky—magnificent, strange, and unending.
"Ah, pfft..." Jin Ming was the first to succumb, spitting blood into the air. A mist of red spread across the sky, and his spirit sagged. Earlier, he had made no attempt to hide his killing intent toward Lingyun, so Lingyun had naturally given him a little extra "attention."
Clearly, the "brilliant plan" of sealing their ears hadn't worked as expected.
The others weren't much better off than Jin Ming; they were all on the brink of collapse.
Lingyun kept playing without pause. The melody turned again, rushing downward like a torrent. A faint sorrow spread through it. Gradually, a sense of deep weariness grew stronger, desolate as water, mournful as ice, and piercing to the soul.
"Pfft..." Yellow Millet Tower Lord was the second to succumb, blood spraying from his mouth. His bronze-colored face began turning waxen yellow, and his eyes grew dull and unfocused, drifting aimlessly. His mind had clearly suffered severe damage.
"Pfft, pfft..." Chi Yan and Bing Xin succumbed at the same time, their scarlet clothes soaked in blood. Spots of red stained Bing Xin's snow-white dress, like countless blossoms in full bloom. They looked at each other, then both turned toward Lingyun and let out a soft sigh, their expressions bleak.
"Pfft..." Green Cloud Master was hardly any stronger. Before long, he too spat blood into the sky. A fierce glint flashed in his eyes, then sank even deeper into hiding.
Lingyun lowered the flute and threw back his head, letting out a long, wild cry. His expression was crazed, as though grief-stricken yet heartbroken, and two trails of blood ran from the corners of his eyes. Blood tears streamed down his face. How desolate a sight!
A moment later, Lingyun lowered his head and sighed softly:
"Sigh, life is but a dream, and the white clouds change into gray dogs. What do right and wrong, kindness and hatred matter in the end? The sun and moon pass in silence, and water leaves no trace. Our loved ones may be gone, and even if we avenge them in blood, they will never return. What we've lost is gone for good; all that remains is a little regret, a little sorrow."
"Yip, yip..." Seeing Lingyun like this, the white fox was filled with concern. Her tail gently brushed his face, wiping away the two trails of blood. Faint smears of red marked her snowy-white fur.
"Mei'er, I know. You don't need to comfort me; it's just a passing feeling. Don't worry." Lingyun's eyes were gentle as water. After a slight pause, he continued, "We're together now. What could there be to be unhappy about? Heh."
"Yip, yip." The white fox was still worried.
"Heh, playing the Samsara Soul Song just takes a little of my mental energy." Lingyun smiled calmly. Only then did the white fox's expression ease somewhat, her gaze filled with tenderness as she looked at him.
"Thank you for showing mercy, senior. We offended you earlier. We hope you'll be magnanimous and not hold it against us juniors." By now, Yellow Millet Tower Lord, Jin Ming, and the others had taken healing pills. After resting and regulating their energy for a while, they had temporarily stabilized their injuries. They bowed deeply to Lingyun, asking his forgiveness.
"Enough, enough. You can all leave. This baby is my adopted son now, so don't even think about claiming him." Lingyun's voice was filled with boundless desolation. He waved a hand slightly, his expression edged with impatience.
Jin Ming, Huang Liang, and the others exchanged wry smiles. They were no match for him; what else could they do? They couldn't beat him, and the fact that he hadn't killed them was already an act of mercy. How could they complain that he'd slighted them? They shook their heads, clasped their fists to one another, and went their separate ways.
"Benefactor, I won't disturb your family time with your son. I'll take my leave." Green Cloud Master bowed slightly, then left with Huang Se and the others.
"Child, let's go, too. Mei'er, let's go." Once everyone had left, Lingyun teased the baby, glanced at Humei on his shoulder, summoned the flute, and drifted away.
The "Heaven and Earth Divine Object incident" at Qingyun Mountain had finally drawn to a close. With everyone gone, the excitement faded as well.