A few hours later, Xu Yinglian regretted it at lightning speed.
Where had all these sycophants come from?
The adventure mission Qiu Changtian had accepted this time involved a Kunlun outer sect disciple accidentally discovering what appeared to be an entrance to a leyline on the western side of Long Mountain.
The so-called leylines were branches of the Nine Provinces' dragon veins. They were usually places where spiritual energy surged and cultivation was well suited.
Many ancient cultivators had also built simple retreats there. The benefits of whatever relics they left behind went without saying, but such places could also be riddled with mechanisms or occupied by demonic beasts—a risk and reward in equal measure.
The spiritual energy of this leyline was not particularly abundant. Even if ancient ruins existed inside, they would probably only benefit Foundation Establishment Realm disciples. Golden Core True Persons would not deign to come.
The Kunlun disciple who had invited Qiu Changtian had initially been somewhat uneasy, afraid that the Chief Disciple would weigh the risks against the meager benefits, put on airs, and refuse to come.
When he received the reply, however, he immediately burst into tears of gratitude and praised the Chief Disciple for his loyalty.
When Qiu Changtian and Xu Yinglian descended on their swords, more than a dozen Kunlun disciples were already waiting below. They surrounded them, respectfully calling them "Senior Brother" and "Second Senior Sister," trying to make themselves known.
Xu Yinglian had no patience for these sycophants and merely nodded coldly.
Qiu Changtian, on the other hand, showed no arrogance at all. He nodded and greeted each person in turn, his manner and tone as warm as a spring breeze. This made everyone feel close to him without being neglected, and their favorable impressions of him immediately soared.
[Invincible Persona, synchronization value +1.]
Kunlun Mirror spoke indifferently.
As the synchronization value continued to rise, the talent of Clear Dao Heart could also maintain a stable 100% performance. His cultivation had become outrageously powerful lately, practically an accelerator for leveling up.
"Senior Brother, please look. This is the entrance to the leyline." The disciple who had accepted the mission was named Duan Tianbao, and he naturally took responsibility for leading the way.
Qiu Changtian focused his eyes and sure enough saw a small opening leading inward in a depression among the rocks, faintly visible behind the vines.
"The spiritual energy here is extremely weak. It is already a rare feat to have detected it." Qiu Changtian smiled warmly. "But given how concealed it is, there may not be any cultivator relics inside. It might simply be an empty natural leyline. Everyone should prepare themselves mentally for this trip."
"That is only natural. If there truly are no ancient ruins, we can report to the sect and exchange this location for spirit stones. In any case, Senior Brother will certainly receive his share." The crowd spoke all at once.
"There is no need for that. I came this time to ensure your safety."
"If this is truly an empty leyline and I have done nothing, I will not accept any spirit stones."
Qiu Changtian laughed heartily. He raised his hand and cast Universal Clear Sound Minor Brightness Art, dispelling the darkness ahead, then led the way inside.
Xu Yinglian silently followed behind him. Senior Brother really is an interesting person. In public, he always puts on this refined, scholarly air that makes people feel as if they are bathing in a spring breeze. Who could know that his true nature is nothing like this?
I really should use a recording stone to record all those infuriating things he says and make these sycophants listen to them properly.
Everyone hurried after him. The cavern passage twisted and turned, narrow and difficult to traverse, with moss clinging to its surface and making every step wet and unsteady.
After descending more than two hundred meters, the darkness ahead still seemed bottomless. The disciples, who had yet to undergo Marrow Cleansing, continued climbing downward and were already panting heavily. They hurriedly cast their eyes toward the towering figure of their Senior Brother ahead.
With so many people silently pleading with him, Qiu Changtian had no choice but to grab Xu Yinglian, who wanted to keep moving, and signal that they should stop to let everyone rest.
The air inside the cavern was damp, and no light penetrated its depths. Echoes rang out again and again, making the longer they stayed the more sinister and terrifying it seemed. Quite a few disciples began to harbor thoughts of retreat and did not dare go deeper, so they asked Duan Tianbao to plead their case.
However, facing Qiu Changtian's warm smile, Duan Tianbao could not bring himself to say anything. Once he returned, he instead snarled, "Anyone who wants to leave can break away and go. Do not drag Senior Brother Chief Disciple into making this trip for nothing!"
The others exchanged glances, speechless for a moment.
After resting for a while, they continued onward.
After descending several hundred meters, they finally saw light. It came from luminous pearls embedded in the walls.
The road ahead had unknowingly changed from a natural cavern into a square, orderly corridor of an underground palace.
Seeing the blue bricks and gray walls, everyone felt both excited and afraid.
They were excited because this place clearly was not an empty leyline after all, but one that cultivators had once occupied.
They were afraid because the blue-brick, gray-walled surroundings seemed so sinister and permeated with evil energy, carrying an eerie, chilling air.
Qiu Changtian watched coldly and casually pinched a bit of material from between the wall bricks.
Hmm, as expected, bone ash has been mixed into it. Others might not be able to tell, but after Luo Yan had studied at Yuqing Temple for so long, how could he fail to recognize this sort of evil cult Artifact Refining method?
Judging by the style, this seems to be the Artifact Refining style of the early Yin Ghost Dao, not long after the ancient Jie Sect split apart.
It seems this underground palace must be connected to the ancient Yin Ghost Dao.
But as I said before, given the spiritual energy of this leyline, the ancient cultivator who occupied this place could not have been particularly powerful.
Qiu Changtian silently inventoried his own spells. He realized that both Yuyan Sword and Jade Pivot Thunder possessed some restraint against Yin ghosts and the like, so he called for everyone to continue forward.
The deeper they went, the colder the air became. From time to time, strange rustling sounds arose.
After a while, a shadow suddenly pounced from the darkness. It came so swiftly that the Kunlun disciples had yet to react when Qiu Changtian swiftly raised his hand and shot out a jade-colored streak of light, pinning the shadow to the wall. He calmly warned them, "This is a low-grade Corpse Spider. Everyone, be careful."
Hearing Senior Brother issue a warning, everyone drew their flying swords and focused their attention, standing on guard.
Qiu Changtian raised his hand again, and Yuyan Sword pulled free from the corpse and flew back.
Looking at the Corpse Spider's body, everyone was extremely excited. They could only think that Senior Brother truly deserved to be Senior Brother—even his swordsmanship was far more refined than theirs. Their worship and admiration of him grew even stronger.
[Invincible Persona, synchronization value +1.]
Only Xu Yinglian felt somewhat unwilling.
Her Yujia Sword was even faster than Yuyan Sword, yet just now, both her reaction speed and her speed of attack had been a step slower than her Senior Brother's. She had lost completely.
The group continued onward, clearing out every Corpse Spider they encountered.
This seemed to be their nest. They killed more than seventy of them from beginning to end, yet it still seemed as though they could never finish them off.
Not long afterward, strange sounds suddenly arose from both the front and rear. They were mournful and desolate. Large numbers of Corpse Spiders surged in from both directions, charging toward the Kunlun disciples in the center!
Qiu Changtian remained unruffled in the face of danger. He immediately shouted to rouse the stunned crowd and ordered them to form a formation and engage the enemy.
The dozen or so disciples on that side crouched or stood, arranged in three rows as they successively controlled their flying swords, attempting to drive back the attacking Corpse Spiders.
These Corpse Spiders were covered in hard bristles and possessed powerful defenses. Ordinary flying swords could not pierce them in a single strike; it took three or four strikes to kill one.
After only a few breaths of combat, the disciples' defensive line was already on the verge of collapse, nearly breached several times.
On the other side, Qiu Changtian controlled Yuyan Sword alone, slaughtering the Corpse Spiders surging toward him.
Yuyan Sword was a seventh-grade metal-element flying sword, and he himself had mastered the essentials of the Shu Mountain Sword-Controlling Art. Thus, the flying sword swept back and forth with such force that no spider could stop it. Basically, each one was pierced through by golden light the instant they met and killed outright.
He was handling his side with ease. Seeing that the disciples in the rear were struggling to maintain their formation, he hurriedly sent Xu Yinglian over to support them.
Ordered around by him, Xu Yinglian immediately developed a competitive spirit. Yujia Sword flew faster and faster as it wove endlessly back and forth among the swarm of Corpse Spiders.
In that moment, the two of them displayed exquisite sword techniques from opposite sides, firmly sealing all the Corpse Spiders several meters away.
[Invincible Persona, synchronization value +1.]
Everyone stared in stunned silence. The spider tide on just one side had already been too much for them to handle even with their combined strength, yet Senior Brother Qiu and Senior Sister Xu could each hold one side alone with ease. Their strength was truly unmatched.
Qiu Changtian calmly controlled his sword, his bearing graceful and elegant. Xu Yinglian steadily gathered her energy, her sleeves fluttering in the air. Beside them, everyone else felt even more ashamed of their own inadequacy.
What a perfect pair of immortal heroes!
Please, you two, become Dao Companions already! I beg you!
Before you continue