Chapter 76: A Persistent Shadow

The cool night descended, moonlight spilled across the earth like a veil of silver gauze, as Yin Tianfang led Liu Feng, racing through the darkness like a fierce wind. Not long after, they passed through a mountain valley. Yin Tianfang’s expression shifted slightly, and he darted toward the heart of the ravine.

At the entrance, Yin Tianfang paused. “You go in first,” he said to Liu Feng. Once Liu Feng had entered, Yin Tianfang cautiously surveyed the surroundings, then tapped his storage pouch and withdrew several flying swords. Carefully, he buried these swords beneath the earth, smoothing the soil so the area looked undisturbed.

Still uneasy, Yin Tianfang produced another item—a large black seal. When he had fled the Mystic Dao Sect, pursued by disciples of the Azure Cloud Sect, one of them had wielded this very seal in concert with another youth, nearly killing Yin Tianfang. The seal’s greatest power was its ability to increase gravity within its suppressed space, slowing all movement inside it.

After another sweep of the area, Yin Tianfang approached a massive boulder and embedded the black seal within it. Unless examined closely, its presence was nearly undetectable. With everything in place, he laid a restrictive ward around the area. Should anyone attempt to enter, the ward would trigger, unleashing the flying swords and the black seal’s destructive force.

Within the valley, Liu Feng sat cross-legged on the ground. Seeing Yin Tianfang enter, he looked up, his eyes filled with complex emotions. Back in the Mystic Dao Sect, they had clashed twice, and Liu Feng bore deep resentment toward Yin Tianfang. Yet, after two years apart, it was Yin Tianfang who had saved his life.

“Thank you for saving me,” Liu Feng said, rising and clasping his fists in gratitude.

“We are brothers of the same sect; there’s no need for such formality,” Yin Tianfang replied, helping Liu Feng to his feet. “Two years ago, our sect was attacked, but from what I saw recently, the Mystic Dao Sect did not seem devastated. What truly happened?”

On that day, Yin Tianfang had emerged from seclusion and visited the Mystic Dao Sect, observing it from afar. Its numbers remained large, and there were no signs of war’s ravages. The gates still stood, leaving him bewildered. By all rights, given the circumstances, the sect should have been destroyed—or nearly so.

“Those who remain within the sect now are all traitors,” Liu Feng said bitterly. “Cowards who surrendered to the Azure Cloud Sect’s tyranny, becoming their lackeys. The Mystic Dao Sect is no longer what it once was.”

As Liu Feng spoke, Yin Tianfang gradually understood that the Mystic Dao Sect had truly fallen. Two years ago, the Azure Cloud Sect had come with ill intentions. Yin Tianfang had once blamed himself, believing his presence brought disaster to the sect. But now, hearing Liu Feng’s account, he realized the Mystic Dao Sect would have been targeted regardless. Someone coveted the sect, and Yin Tianfang’s appearance merely hastened the Azure Cloud Elders’ assault.

In truth, it was thanks to Yin Tianfang that the talented disciples secretly cultivated by the Mystic Dao Sect survived. Had they waited for the next day’s tournament, those gifted disciples would have been exposed and slaughtered, leaving none alive within the Azure Cloud Sect’s grasp.

“Back then, Elder Xuan Yin and the Sect Leader instructed the elders to lead disciples in fleeing. The Azure Cloud Sect did not expect Elder Xuan Yin to be so powerful—he slew one of their early Nascent Soul stage men. But when the other elders tried to break out with their disciples, they were cut down, their bodies destroyed, and those they tried to save perished with them.”

Liu Feng’s expression darkened, his heart aching at the memory. Though he was arrogant and unruly, he still felt a bond with the sect that raised him.

“The Azure Cloud Sect was once equal in strength to ours, neither able to overcome the other. Their audacity to attack came from support by a powerful force behind them. I know nothing of their true backers, only that the Azure Cloud Sect now serves beneath them.”

“In that battle, their side deployed three late Nascent Soul masters. Elder Xuan Yin fought valiantly for the disciples but was ultimately defeated. The Sect Leader led us in escape, but he was gravely wounded.” Images of that day flashed through Liu Feng’s mind, and his eyes grew moist.

“The Sect Leader could have survived, but he fell into a bottomless abyss to save me. I am no saint, but I understand loyalty and gratitude. As long as I live, I will avenge him.”

“Elder Xuan Yin—” Yin Tianfang began.

“I don’t know his fate. Judging by what happened, I fear he may have perished,” Liu Feng replied.

Yin Tianfang’s heart clenched, as if crushed under a heavy stone. He gripped his fists so tightly his knuckles whitened. There were few in this world who truly cared for him; Elder Xuan Yin was one. Yet now, he had fallen—this was a truth Yin Tianfang could scarcely accept.

Nuo Lan and Elder Xuan Yin both suffered because of the Azure Cloud Sect. At this moment, Yin Tianfang’s hatred for the sect had reached its peak.

He took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, then walked to a quiet spot, sitting cross-legged to restore his depleted spiritual energy. Liu Feng, seeing this, fell silent and meditated as well.

The night passed uneventfully. At dawn, as the sun rose, Yin Tianfang opened his eyes, his cultivation once more at its peak. Liu Feng awoke too, though his face remained pale—his injuries were too severe to heal overnight.

“Be careful in the future,” Yin Tianfang advised. “If you lack the strength, don’t provoke the Azure Cloud Sect again. Otherwise, you’ll bring disaster to your family.”

“Let us part ways here,” Yin Tianfang said. Liu Feng was about to respond when Yin Tianfang’s expression suddenly changed and he cursed, “Persistent as a ghost!”

With a thought, a furious roar echoed at the valley entrance.

“Farewell for now. If fate allows, we’ll meet again,” Yin Tianfang said, vanishing in a flash toward the mouth of the valley.

At the entrance, a disheveled figure stood amidst the shattered remnants of several flying swords. The black seal, looming like a small mountain, was held aloft by an invisible force, unable to descend.