My Friends Went Forth with Swords in Hand

Fang Zelin sighed softly.

"The current sect leader is Qin Xuzi, who seems to be somewhat acquainted with you, senior."

The disciple from Jade Void Mountain in front of them continued speaking at this moment.

Fang Zelin frowned slightly upon hearing this, "Qin Xuzi?"

He didn't recall ever hearing that name before.

"Senior Fang?"

Just as Fang Zelin was filled with doubt, a joyful voice rang out from the main hall.

Then an old Daoist priest soared into the sky, flicked his whisk, and swiftly arrived in front of Fang Zelin.

The old Daoist priest in front of me was dressed in a Daoist robe, with white hair and eyebrows, but his complexion was ruddy and his skin was fair and tender, making him look quite energetic.

Fang Zelin looked closely and vaguely felt that it looked somewhat familiar.

"Greetings, Sect Leader!"

Upon seeing the old Daoist priest arrive, the disciple standing nearby immediately bowed in greeting.

Qin Xuzi nodded slightly, but her eyes were fixed on Fang Zelin.

"This fellow Daoist looks somewhat familiar."

Fang Zelin thought for a moment, but couldn't quite recall where he had seen this fellow Daoist before.

"Senior Fang must have forgotten that you needed a flying sword to refine the treasure gourd back then, when I was just a beginner disciple."

"My fellow disciples all felt this was a great fortuitous opportunity for you, senior, and thus they gave it to me, allowing me to meet you."

Seeing that Fang Zelin couldn't quite recall where they had met before, Qin Xuzi quickly recounted the events of that time in detail.

Upon hearing this, Fang Zelin suddenly realized what was going on.

"Yes, that was indeed the time. Fellow Daoist Yang Xiang brought several junior brothers to Yingping Peak, and you were among them."

"Time flies, and I've almost forgotten what happened back then."

Upon hearing the other person's reminder, Fang Zelin immediately recalled the events.

Back then, he was just a newly initiated disciple, and his fellow disciples took good care of him.

Unexpectedly, the other party has now become the leader of Jade Void Mountain.

And, it has grown so old.

It's no wonder Fang Zelin didn't recognize him immediately.

"Yes, hundreds of years have passed in the blink of an eye, and the sect leader and the others are no longer here."

Hearing Fang Zelin's words, Qin Xuzi couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness, her tone tinged with longing.

"Back when you encountered the Devil Cultivator, why didn't Fellow Qingyun use divination techniques to determine my location?"

Fang Zelin asked with some doubt.

Given the other party's skill level, surely they could figure out my location?

"Senior, for some reason, when the sect leader used divination to calculate your location back then, he was unable to determine it. Even Senior Yunzi of Northern Liang, who also used his magic, was unable to do so."

"They say there's some kind of magic operating around you, obscuring the secrets of heaven."

After hearing this, Fang Zelin was taken aback.

"The secrets of heaven have been obscured"

Yes, at that time, when he was meditating, his whole body was filled with the flow of Daoist energy.

Given the circumstances at the time, even if someone tried to use Daoist magic to calculate his location, it wouldn't work.

"Well, it's all in the past now, and I didn't make it anyway."

Thinking of this, Fang Zelin sighed inwardly, "Did Daoist Priest Qingyun leave me any words back then?"

"Yes, please follow me, senior."

With that, Qin Yunzi made a gesture of invitation.

Seeing this, Fang Zelin followed, and after thinking for a moment, he couldn't help but ask, "I'm quite familiar with some of the fellow Daoists in Northern Liang. I wonder if Yunzi and the other fellow Daoists are well? Are Fellow Daoist Zhenke and the others still alive?"

"Senior Yunyi also perished in the battle against the Devil Cultivator back then. As for Senior Zhenke, she is now an ancestor at Jade Willow Mountain and is doing well."

"I don't know much about the fellow Northern Liang, but I do know that Senior Yunzi is well. As for the other seniors, many of them perished back then."

Hearing what the other person said, Fang Zelin sighed inwardly and then nodded.

After following them to the main hall, the other party quickly produced a brocade box.

When the brocade box was opened, the bamboo slips inside were revealed.

Fang Zelin reached out and took it, and saw some words left to him by Daoist Priest Qingyun.

"Fellow Daoist Fang, I have already divined the outcome of this battle, and it is more ominous than auspicious. Cultivators should naturally seek good fortune and avoid misfortune, but unfortunately, the Devil Cultivator intend to disrupt our lineage of cultivation and sever the path to immortality for future generations."

"Although my cultivation is inferior to Fellow Daoist Fang's, I can only rely on my crippled body to protect the younger generation of cultivators."

"Fellow Daoist Fang Fang's cultivation is so high that it is rarely seen in my life. If you were here, there would be no need for me to be in this crippled state. However, since you are traveling around in the immortal realm, I suppose this is also the will of Heaven."

"This humble Daoist is departing now. From now on, the younger generation of Jade Void Mountain will have to rely on your guidance on the path of immortality."

The message on the bamboo slip was not long, but as Fang Zelin looked at the handwriting, it was as if the Daoist Priest Qingyun had spoken these words to him in person.

My mood became somewhat heavy at this moment.

Thinking of this, Fang Zelin couldn't help but sigh heavily, his face showing a hint of self-reproach.

"If I had known that Devil Cultivator would cause trouble, I shouldn't have traveled around back then."

"Senior, please don't blame yourself. Our ancestor once said that this was the will of Heaven."

Upon hearing this, Qin Xuzi immediately spoke up.

It wasn't just the patriarch who left back then; many of his fellow disciples also left.

At that time, all of those senior brothers had already attained extremely profound levels of cultivation.

Even after they left, countless more perished.

Those Devil Cultivator were all exceptionally powerful.

"Has Fellow Daoist Qingyun been buried on the mountain?"

"It's on the back mountain, please follow me, senior."

Knowing that Fang Zelin wanted to pay his respects, Qin Xuzi quickly stepped forward to lead the way.

After leaving the main hall, we followed the road to the back mountain, and soon came to a beautiful place with clear water and lush mountains, where we saw a row of tombstones standing in front of us.

The tombstone was nothing special; it was just a wooden board with the name and a brief biography engraved on it.

There was nothing else besides that.

In comparison, such a tomb seemed rather poor, but it perfectly suited the tastes of the cultivators.

He didn't crave wealth or material possessions; he was solely focused on cultivating the Tao.

Why make such a grand spectacle of death?

Fang Zelin glanced around and saw many familiar faces on the tombstones. He immediately took out some wine and poured it in front of each of the tombstones.

In a daze, I saw those familiar faces from years ago standing before me, bowing in thanks and exclaiming, "Good wine!"

"A good friend of mine went off with his sword, cutting down all the spring breezes, yet he refused to return."

Thinking of the bamboo slips from earlier, Fang Zelin couldn't help but sigh softly, then murmured aloud.

Qin Xuzi was standing to the side, was stunned upon hearing this.

Looking at the back of the Senior Fang in front of me, I suddenly felt a sense of disorientation.

Fang Zelin, however, stood rooted to the spot, motionless for a long time.