Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

Beyond the borders of the Daxia Sword Sect, a group of strangely dressed figures stood in formation, their hierarchy plain to see.

Lan Xun stood beside Yu Bo, worry flickering in her eyes. “Head, if we show up now, won’t it look a bit too calculated? When the Mo Family pressed in with their cloud boats, we didn’t step in.”

Yu Bo, his figure slightly stooped, lowered his gaze. His tone remained calm, though a glimmer stirred in his eyes. “It’s fine. I didn’t expect the Mo Family’s leader to be killed, and they’ve stayed quiet ever since. It seems even Mo Qingyu, their ancestor, can’t move freely. The Daxia Sword Sect might be stronger than we thought.”

Lan Xun frowned and turned toward him. “If that’s true, why didn’t we intervene earlier? We were already in the area.”

The old man smiled faintly. “That’s how those of us from the old generation survive. At the time, who could say whether the Daxia Sword Sect would hold out against the Mo Family? If we had pledged ourselves too early, our dwindling kin might have been dragged into a slaughter. We could have been wiped out. The Spiritfish Clan can’t afford more deaths.”

As the clan leader, Yu Bo could not let his people die for nothing. He would not see the Spiritfish Clan perish under his watch.

Even so, they had been waiting a while. At last, one elder furrowed his brows and let out a cold snort. “Is the Daxia Sword Sect truly this lacking in courtesy? We’ve been here half an hour, and not a single person has come to receive us.”

Murmurs spread at once. Complaints rippled through the group, and some of the younger disciples wore faintly mocking smiles. They couldn’t understand why their clan leader insisted on abandoning their homeland only to bow before another sect. In their eyes, the Spiritfish Clan had the strength to form a sect of its own.

Yu Bo merely smiled faintly. He knew well that his offer was neither timely aid nor a prized gift. The Daxia Sword Sect’s aloofness was understandable.

But if they thought to raise their bargaining position through such tactics, they were mistaken. Yu Bo had lived for more than a thousand years. He had seen too many kinds of people to be bothered. He could wait.Buzz!

A man in white robes appeared before them in a flash of light. He was tall and handsome, with a straight posture and a dignified bearing. His gaze swept over the crowd before settling on Yu Bo, and he smiled gently.

It was Wu Bing.

Wu Bing clasped his fists and bowed. “I am Wu Bing, chief disciple of Heavenly Earth Peak. By my master Sect Master Lu Kangnian’s order, I welcome you seniors.

“My master is in seclusion, and the other peak masters are occupied with their duties, so he has sent me in his place. I ask your understanding.”

His words were impeccable, giving reasons for the others’ absence and offering respect in all the right places. But both sides understood the implication behind it.

Yu Bo’s smiled faintly, though his thoughts turned. The chief disciple? Not even an elder sent to receive the Spiritfish Clan?

Though displeased, his face remained gentle. “Then I must trouble you, young Wu.”

A youth with a cold expression stood beside Lan Xun. At Wu Bing’s explanation, his face darkened. His blue eyes locked onto Wu Bing as he sneered. “Tch. The Daxia Sword Sect certainly puts on airs. Our Spiritfish Clan comes to discuss matters, and they send a random disciple to greet us?”

From behind him, a little girl, Xuan Qing, tugged at his sleeve in alarm. But the youth, carried away by his temper, failed to notice the terror in her eyes.

Wu Bing’s eyes narrowed slightly, his smile tightening as he looked at the youth.

Before he could answer, Lan Xun’s face went pale. She clapped a hand over the young man’s mouth and hissed, “Di Cheng. Enough.”

She turned with an apologetic nod toward Wu Bing. She knew exactly how ruthless Li Guanqi was, and she would never allow the Spiritfish Clan to antagonize someone like him. To her, their current situation already felt like a warning, a quiet rebuke for their earlier inaction.

She sighed softly. Some matters were beyond her power to decide.

Di Cheng shot Wu Bing a resentful glare, but under Lan Xun’s firm stare, he could only grit his teeth and fall silent.

Wu Bing’s smile didn’t waver. He recalled Li Guanqi’s parting words before leaving and couldn’t help but smile to himself. When you receive them, some of them will probably give you a hard time. Just stomach it for now. I’ll settle the score for you later.

Wu Bing raised his hand and formed a seal. The sky rippled, and the sect’s blue barrier parted open. “Please, everyone.”

With their heads held high and a haughty air, the Spiritfish Clan followed Wu Bing in.

Hiss!

The moment they stepped through, gasps sounded everywhere. From outside, the interior had been shrouded. Now, the Daxia Sword Sect’s mountain gate revealed itself as two colossal peaks rising side by side.

The Heavenly Sword Peak and the Heavenly Son Peak loomed like twin giants. Seven more peaks formed a ring around them, and beyond those, in the rear mountains, countless jagged cliffs shot upward like pillars piercing the sky. Everything was shrouded in thick, misty spirit qi so dense that it had become fog.

For spirit qi to condense into fog, its abundance had to be staggering. And it wasn’t limited to the twin peaks. The seven surrounding peaks and even parts of the rear mountains were veiled in the same shimmering mist.

A crane cry cut through the air. A flock glided overhead while the shouts of disciples at morning drills echoed across the mountains. Each face was earnest, their training clearly no mere show for outsiders.

Figures streaked through the air, some riding swords, others simply walking across the sky. Every passing disciple paused at the sight of Wu Bing and bowed respectfully.

“Greetings, Senior Brother!”

Wu Bing nodded with a smile. “Tomorrow is Elder Li’s lecture day. Don’t forget.”

A young disciple grinned, teeth flashing. “Of course not, Senior Brother! Who would dare miss Elder Li’s lessons?”

With another bow, the youth flew off. Wu Bing turned back to the still-stunned Spiritfish clansmen, his voice steady as it cut through their awe. “Everyone, please follow me to the main hall.”