IVYSCP - Chapter 125
Chapter 125
At the Ranking Tournament where the Hundred Immortal Sects gathered together, Shangtianqiong Sect had reined in its usual outwardly arrogant and discourteous manner. Disciples were arranged outside the sect to welcome the arriving guests. Piaomiao Sect arrived at the same time as Lingxu Immortal Palace and Wushi Sect. Ling Qingyue still clearly saw the contempt in the eyes of those disciples when they noticed the party from Piaomiao Sect.
Ling Qingyue crossed her arms and tapped her fingers silently against her elbow, already thinking about how to clean house.
Shangtianqiong. Now that she had returned, there was no way she would let it rot.
As the foremost immortal sect in the Immortal Realm, Shangtianqiong held countless mountains, rivers, and streams within its domain. Its spiritual veins numbered over a thousand, and its mountain peak cave dwellings were in the tens of thousands.
For this Ranking Tournament, Shangtianqiong had specially prepared peaks offering comfortable surroundings and breathtaking scenery to host the Hundred Immortal Sects, each sect granted exclusive use of one peak.
There were dedicated disciples responsible for guiding the guests. After they had led away the people from Lingxu Immortal Palace and Wushi Sect, another person approached the Piaomiao Sect party with a sour expression and said in an unfriendly tone, "Follow me."
Then she set off in the opposite direction.
Ling Qingyue narrowed her eyes. She had a rough idea where this person intended to lead them.
Not all of Shangtianqiong's territory was abundant land. There were also some desolate mountains and wild ridges that saw few visitors.
Within Shangtianqiong's borders, protected by the Sect Grand Formation, the sect's disciples possessed stronger aerial movement abilities. This guide disciple was likely harboring ill intentions, wanting to exploit this advantage to leave the Piaomiao Sect group far behind.
She pushed her aerial speed to the limit. After flying some distance and believing she had certainly shaken off that group, she stopped, intending to wait on the spot for them to catch up so she could mock them thoroughly.
Who could have guessed that the moment she stopped, she heard a light, airy voice: "Oh? Are we here?"
"…"
The disciple turned to look at her in alarm. It was not just Ling Qingyue. Not a single person from Piaomiao Sect had fallen behind. They were all right on her heels.
"You, you all…!?"
Ling Qingyue smiled at her, puzzled. "Us? What about us?"
The disciple choked on a bellyful of frustration, snorted coldly, turned around, and continued leading the way.
Ling Qingyue sneered inwardly.
She could map out every corner of Shangtianqiong with her eyes closed. There was no way she could be led astray.
After that, the disciple led the Piaomiao Sect group to a field of scattered rocks and casually pointed at a cluster of dilapidated thatched huts in the distance. "With so many immortal sects attending the gathering, the guest peaks are full. We can only ask everyone to make do."
The moment Lu Yao saw those thatched huts that looked ready to collapse at a gust of wind, she flared up and stepped forward to argue.
Previously, when Shangtianqiong had treated Piaomiao Sect in such a manner, Piaomiao Sect had still received them with courtesy during the Ancient Yao Forest Realm and had never been stingy with their accommodations. Now Shangtianqiong was directly dumping them in this wilderness! The dignity of the foremost immortal sect had been completely thrown to the ground!
Ling Qingyue raised a hand to stop her, watching as the disciple flew off on her sword until she was far away.
"Isn't this openly bullying people!?" Lu Yao was so angry her face flushed red.
Ling Qingyue laughed. "Who says so? They've clearly found us a fine place to stay."
As she spoke, she glanced at Yu Liuli. Yu Liuli naturally understood what she meant, pressed her lips together in a smile, and agreed. "It truly is a place that couldn't be better."
Lu Yao muttered quietly, "What fine place. It's just a pile of broken rocks."
"Trust me." Ling Qingyue patted her shoulder. With a shift of her figure, she appeared before the thatched huts.
The others followed and landed as well. Chu Qianshan glanced at those emotionally volatile young cultivators from Piaomiao Sect, thinking to herself that they truly lacked composure.
"This place conceals a formation."
Hearing her words, those impatient and angry young cultivators immediately quieted down and turned their gazes toward Elder Ah Xi at the front.
Ling Qingyue kicked aside the broken stones at her feet, formed a hand seal, and slammed it against the ground. A Teleportation Array appeared.
Although Chu Qianshan had sensed a hidden formation here, she had not expected the aura of this formation to be so familiar.
It was the handiwork of her good disciple Pei Yin, yet not something the current Pei Yin had made. The pattern of this formation, compared to Pei Yin's current work, still showed some immaturity, but one could still see the immense care poured into it. It should have been something Pei Yin made a hundred years ago during her time as a student.
Why did she make this?
Before Chu Qianshan could speculate further, someone else asked.
Lu Yao's eyes widened as she crowded close to Ling Qingyue and asked in surprise, "Senior, there's actually a Teleportation Array here?"
Ling Qingyue raised an eyebrow, even looking rather smug. "I made it."
"Senior knows formations too!?" Lu Yao immediately looked at her with admiration, stars twinkling in her eyes.
"That's right. Back then, I studied alongside Pei… mm, alongside someone very skilled in the art of formations to learn and make this." Ling Qingyue was insufferably proud as well. She never expected that the Teleportation Array she had made after burying herself in study for a period back then would still remain a hundred years later.
On the other side, Chu Qianshan's face had already darkened as she listened.
Judging by Ling Qingyue's expression, she was not lying. She genuinely believed she had made it herself. But Chu Qianshan was certain this Teleportation Array originated from Pei Yin's hand.
Did she even need to guess further? It was probably a certain Immortal Venerable who, after seeing the poor results of the formation Ling Qingyue had made, secretly and stealthily swapped it with one she made herself.
Chu Qianshan raised a hand to rub her brow, feeling a headache coming on.
Pei Congyi eagerly leaned in and said in a low voice, "So Xiao Yin already liked her back then."
Chu Qianshan said irritably, "Yes. She nearly moved all of Little Cangshan over here to give to her."
Pei Congyi laughed again.
Chu Qianshan shot her a sideways glare.
Still laughing! There were plenty of treasures from your personal collection in that too!
"Come, I'll take you all to wine and dine."
Ling Qingyue waved her hand grandly with the air of a local magnate.
The Piaomiao Sect cultivators behind her all looked at her with sparkling eyes.
The other end of this Teleportation Array also connected to a guest peak. That guest peak had originally housed disciples from various families who came to attend lectures. The location was superb, the spiritual qi abundant. Now, Shangtianqiong used it to entertain honored guests.
The Teleportation Array activated under the impetus of spiritual energy. In the blink of an eye, the Piaomiao Sect group arrived at a mountain peak. Looking up, they saw a courtyard of serene elegance nestled among green mountains and emerald valleys.
The courtyard was built in harmony with the mountain terrain, its layout staggered. The courtyard walls were all constructed from spiritual jade that was a warm, moist greenish-white. The flow of spiritual energy across its surface was clearly visible. The courtyard gate was a pair of half-open rosewood doors, above which hung a green jade token. The token was engraved with the words "Bamboo Courtyard," a faint glimmer of spiritual light flickering among the characters.
Among the four courtyards of Plum, Orchid, Bamboo, and Chrysanthemum, Ling Qingyue had liked this Bamboo Courtyard the most. Back then, Yue Shouming and Yu Liuli had both lived here. These two Teleportation Arrays had been made for the convenience of Ling Qingyue sneaking them out to play in the dead of night.
"Huh? You? What are you all doing here!?"
Someone cried out in shock.
The voice sounded somewhat familiar to Ling Qingyue. Turning around, she unexpectedly saw the very same disciple who had just led them to the rocky field. At this moment, that disciple was leading another immortal sect over.
Ling Qingyue smiled as she looked at her. "Weren't you the one who led us here?"
As she spoke, she turned to the elder leading that immortal sect and said with ambiguous meaning, "Fellow cultivator, just now you said the guest peaks were full. So it turns out you wished for Piaomiao Sect to share lodging with Wuliang Mountain."
The moment these words were spoken, the faces of everyone from Wuliang Mountain darkened.
Shangtianqiong was the foremost immortal sect in the Immortal Realm. Beneath it were Lingxu Immortal Palace and Wushi Sect. Following closely after them was Wuliang Mountain. Lingxu Immortal Palace and Wushi Sect were both assigned to one of the four courtyards. Wuliang Mountain ought to have been assigned a courtyard as well. Yet now, Bamboo Courtyard already had Piaomiao Sect, and they wanted Wuliang Mountain to share it with them. This was outright humiliation!
That disciple's expression changed sharply. She was merely an outer sect disciple responsible for guiding guests. How could she afford to offend Wuliang Mountain?
She glared furiously at Ling Qingyue. "You're spouting nonsense! When did I ever say such words!?"
The Wuliang Mountain elder gave a cold snort, flicked her sleeves, turned, and left with her sect members.
The disciple rushed off in a panic to chase after them and explain.
Ling Qingyue watched from afar in a very pleasant mood.
There, it was settled. This Bamboo Courtyard, they were staying in. Could it be that Shangtianqiong could drive them all out one by one? That would be far too petty.
"You all go in first and pick your rooms. I'm going to walk around for a bit."
With that, Ling Qingyue vanished in a flash.
Returning to Shangtianqiong, she was naturally excited and elated. She darted between the various peaks. The sights before her were familiar yet strange. Riding her sword through the air, she listened to the disciples of various families discussing and debating.
The topic discussed most among them was the likely champion of the tournament, followed by major events that had occurred in the Immortal Realm recently. And also that reclusive Immortal Venerable from Cangshan who rarely emerged, who had actually come this time as well.
After catching an earful of idle gossip about Pei Yin, Ling Qingyue quietly stopped.
"Isn't the Immortal Venerable in Secluded Cultivation?"
"But how come I heard the Immortal Venerable emerged from seclusion long ago and even, even has a Dao Companion."
"A Dao Companion? Ha ha ha, well that piece of gossip of yours is far too unreliable. Doesn't the Immortal Venerable cultivate the Emotionless Path? How could she possibly have a Dao Companion."
"It's not the Emotionless Path. It's the Supreme Detachment Path."
"Isn't that the same thing? The Immortal Venerable never gets close to anyone. I even saw her from afar yesterday. That appearance of being utterly free of worldly desires, cold of heart and indifferent of feeling. Where does she look like someone with a Dao Companion?"
"There really is one. From Piaomiao Sect. You didn't hear about the Ancient Yao Forest Realm a few months ago? The Immortal Venerable nearly came to blows with the Sword Venerable over a Guest Elder from Piaomiao Sect."
"Fake, fake. That sounds like pure fabrication. Some time ago there was even a rumor that the death of the previous Hidden Moon Lord was related to the Sword Venerable. How is that possible."
"True, true. Oh, right. Who do you all think will be the champion at this tournament?"
"Who else? Cui Heng, of course. You have to admit, the Sword Venerable truly dotes on this chief disciple of hers, to actually bring out the Jiuge Sword like that."
"It might not necessarily be Cui Heng. Recently, another prodigy has appeared in Shangtianqiong, with extremely high innate talent. The Sword Venerable even spoke up to take her as a disciple, but that person was so ungrateful as to refuse."
"Refused the Sword Venerable!?"
…
Ling Qingyue did not listen to the words that followed. She saw a familiar figure and pursued it.
That person held two swords in her hands, one a wooden sword and the other an exquisitely crafted iron sword.
She was very sharp. Upon sensing someone behind her, she vanished in a flash.
Ling Qingyue frowned.
Was that… Meng Qi?
She was somewhat uncertain. That person's figure and aura both closely resembled Meng Qi, but the cultivation level did not match. When Meng Qi left Linshui Town, she had just entered Qi Condensation. How could she have leaped directly to Nascent Soul in merely a few short months?
Ling Qingyue searched around once more. After not seeing her again, she returned to Bamboo Courtyard.
Deep into the night, Ling Qingyue sat meditating and regulating her breath in her room. Outside the door, a wind stirred, causing a bamboo leaf to sway.
Ling Qingyue opened her eyes, a smile brushing her lips.
Following that, a soft knock sounded on the door.
Ling Qingyue rose and opened the door. Before she could clearly make out the person before her, she was fiercely embraced and pushed back two steps.
The door closed. The woman's cool fragrance, mingled with the night chill, rushed into Ling Qingyue's nose. She greedily breathed in a little more.
"I missed you so much."
Pei Yin's voice was muffled by Ling Qingyue's ear. The cool, clear voice carried a trace of sticky sweetness.
The empty hollow of longing in Ling Qingyue's chest was instantly filled. She cleared her throat and spoke calmly, "It's only been two days since we parted."
Pei Yin pulled her head back. Those crystalline-clear eyes fixed intently on her. "Don't you miss me?"
Ling Qingyue immediately found herself unable to say the words to deceive her.
Their gazes met. Pei Yin could restrain herself no longer. She lowered her head and leaned in.
Being kissed lightly, Ling Qingyue suddenly recalled the idle gossip she had heard during the day. She curved her eyes, a smile piling up.
Sensing her distraction, Pei Yin nipped her lower lip with displeasure, grinding it lightly with her teeth. In the brief space between, she opened her mouth to ask, "What are you thinking about?"
Her voice was not that clear and bright anymore.
Ling Qingyue lifted her gaze to look at her. Her fingers hooked around the sash at the woman's waist as she stepped backward, retreating all the way to the bedside, pulling the woman down with her.
"I heard a few words today. About you."
Pei Yin's hand had already wandered to Ling Qingyue's shoulder. Her fingers traced back and forth there, the implication heavy. "What words?"
Ling Qingyue sat halfway onto the bed, raised her head to Pei Yin's lips, and breathed out. "They said, the Immortal Venerable cultivates the Emotionless Path. Free of desire, like a stone."
The fleeting warmth and softness made Pei Yin slow to react. She wanted to kiss Ling Qingyue, but the other kept teasing her, refusing to let their lips meet, always dodging. Pei Yin grabbed her shoulders and pressed forward.
What Emotionless Path. What free of desire. What stone. She did not know. It had nothing to do with her.
The desire in the woman's eyes blazed like fire. Ling Qingyue raised an eyebrow.
Free of desire?
She extended a hand to push against the woman's pressing shoulder. Ling Qingyue smiled with unreadable meaning. "Immortal Venerable, you really can pretend, can't you."
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