The Peak Appears

Above the murky Luandao Waters, the sky was blanketed by countless streaks of escaping light, converging upon Stargazing Island like a meteor shower in a truly magnificent spectacle. Just as Qin Sang had expected, everyone had received orders, and the cultivators throughout all of Luandao Waters were stirred into motion. The flash of the crimson light portended momentous events. “Junior Brother Qin, what happened?” Mu Yifeng stepped up to walk shoulder to shoulder with Qin Sang, looking toward the distant silhouette-crowded Stargazing Island with unconcealed concern. This was the first time Mu Yifeng had experienced such a scene. Three years ago, Mu Yifeng had been gravely wounded, but turned misfortune into a blessing by being allowed to return to their sect to recover. Not only did he avoid the most perilous period, but he had also reaped substantial gains from that battle. After three years of bitter cultivation back in the sect, he had made astonishing progress, and the False Core stage was now within his sights. This time, when dispatched to Luandao Waters, his strength should have qualified him to lead a squad of his own. However, because he was unfamiliar with the current situation, he had been assigned to Qin Sang’s side to get used to the battlefield. It was simply Mu Yifeng’s rotten luck that just after returning and participating in a single deployment, a major disturbance broke out. Qin Sang could not explain the reason either and could only tell the members of his squad to stay sharp. …… When Qin Sang arrived, several hundred cultivators were already gathered at Stargazing Island, arrayed in formation midair, with an endless stream of cultivators still pouring in. Sweeping his gaze around, Qin Sang spotted their Shaohua Mountain fellow disciples gathered together, and he led his group over. With these sect brothers and sisters, he had at least a nodding acquaintance, while with some he had cooperated a few times. “Senior Brother Rong, Senior Brother Kong…” Qin Sang exchanged greetings one by one. The others were equally polite to Qin Sang and Mu Yifeng. The man standing at the very center was none other than Senior Brother Rong, who had taken over for Qi Yuanshou back then to guard Xuanlu Pass. By now, he was already an expert at the False Core stage. His mastery of Five Elements incantations was extraordinarily subtle and refined, and ever since he was summoned to Luandao Waters, he had shone brilliantly on the battlefield. His reputation was by no means inferior to Qin Sang’s. Among the Foundation Establishment disciples of Shaohua Mountain in Luandao Waters, Senior Brother Rong was currently the strongest. Before him, it had been Teng Zhaogang, but unfortunately, during the fighting in the first year, Teng Zhaogang had fallen into a trap set by the Heaven-Traversing Alliance, nearly having his dantian shattered and ending up in critical condition. Fortunately, Qin Sang and the others had discovered him in time, rescued him, and sent him back to the sect for treatment. Word was that his condition remained grim; though his life was saved, Core Formation was likely out of reach. Experts who suffered fates like Senior Brother Teng were not few in number. It was precisely their encounters that repeatedly served as a warning to Qin Sang: he could never afford to let his guard down. “Junior Brother Qin, Junior Brother Mu, you’re finally here.” Senior Brother Rong was also very courteous toward Qin Sang. After greeting them, he could not help but ask, “There was no warning beforehand, so why so sudden all of a sudden… I heard you and Junior Brother Mu just went on a mission outside. Did you notice anything unusual with the Heaven-Traversing Alliance?” Stargazing Island had summoned everyone, yet gave no further explanation. Qin Sang shook his head, looking left and right. “Everything was normal out there. Is Junior Brother Zhan not here?” Zhan Yi was Che Yutao’s closed-door disciple and his most favored. Since Che Yutao presided over Stargazing Island on behalf of Shaohua Mountain, Zhan Yi was bound to be the first to know of any inside information. Senior Brother Rong sighed helplessly. “Junior Brother Zhan comes and goes like a dragon hiding its head in the clouds. Everyone is waiting for him!” Speak of the devil and he appears. Just as Qin Sang and Senior Brother Rong were conferring with the others, Zhan Yi finally deigned to show his face. Compared to three years ago, Zhan Yi’s cultivation had deepened considerably. Many had lost their handy magic tools, suffered wounds, or even lost their lives in the grand war, but a rare few had profited from this great upheaval. Qin Sang and Zhan Yi belonged to the latter group. Surrounded and pressed with questions by Qin Sang and the rest, Zhan Yi grew overwhelmed. In the end, he waved his hand to cast a sound-isolating restriction, cautiously looked in all directions, and lowered his voice: “The sect elders have already departed ahead of us… I heard from Master that Heaven-Pointing Peak has supposedly emerged.” “Heaven-Pointing Peak?” Qin Sang was startled and uncertain. He glanced sideways at Mu Yifeng, who gave a slight nod. Naturally, they would never forget. Three years ago, Mu Yifeng had followed Senior Fang and the others to search for that so-called Heaven-Pointing Peak and was ambushed. That battle had served as the very fuse that led both sides to deploy their forces in standoff across these waters. However, from that point on, no one had ever mentioned Heaven-Pointing Peak again. None present were fools. For the emergence of Heaven-Pointing Peak to trigger such a massive uproar, coupled with the orders from Stargazing Island over the past few years, they immediately realized that Heaven-Pointing Peak was undoubtedly tied to the spatial fluctuations! “Did someone locate the spatial fluctuations?” “What on earth is this Heaven-Pointing Peak?” “Why mobilize us all so abruptly? Could it be that the Heaven-Traversing Alliance discovered it at the same time? Are we heading into another massive battle to fight over Heaven-Pointing Peak?” …… The crowd continued their inquiries, but Zhan Yi did not know much either. Even so, everyone had a general idea in mind. “I wonder which fellow cultivator found the spatial fluctuations. They’ve struck it rich!” A senior brother remarked with a face full of envy. Judging by the expressions of the others, they clearly agreed with his words. An edict from Stargazing Island had promised handsome rewards for whoever discovered the spatial fluctuations. Stargazing Island represented the prestige of the prestigious great sects in the Lesser Cold Domain; how could they possibly brush someone off with empty promises? Qin Sang reckoned that if he had found the spatial fluctuations, asking for a magic treasure as a reward might be unrealistic, but requesting a top-grade medicinal pill to aid Core Formation would certainly be no problem. Adding the Lesser Cold Domain and the Heaven-Traversing Alliance together, thousands upon thousands of Foundation Establishment cultivators had scoured back and forth for three years, searching who knew how many times, practically turning the silt at the bottom of the lake in these waters upside down. Qin Sang had refused to lag behind either, conscientiously searching all the while, yet he had remained empty-handed throughout. Unfortunately, someone else had beaten them to the punch… A missed opportunity was missed. One could only say that the other person enjoyed towering fortune, which was simply beyond envy. Faster than words could tell, cultivators flew with great speed. Before Qin Sang and the others could finish their brief conversation, all the cultivators in Luandao Waters had assembled. Above Stargazing Island, escaping lights of various colors intertwined like a vast, resplendent expanse of sunset clouds. Inside, a dense throng of figures stood—every single one a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Such a spectacle was something ordinary cultivators rarely saw even once in their lives. The battle formation had long been drilled, and was maintained fairly tightly. The disciples of Shaohua Mountain were arrayed on the left flank of the battle formation, surrounded by their righteous dao peers, while the demonic sects occupied the right flank, maintaining their mutual non-aggression. Just as the battle formation took shape, a figure suddenly flew out from Stargazing Island. It was Vice Island Master Xiao. Seeing no other Golden Core Masters, the crowd broke into murmurs. “Silence!” Vice Island Master Xiao shouted with displeasure, his gaze sweeping across the battle formation. Murderously, he ordered, “All hear my command! When encountering scoundrels of the Heaven-Traversing Alliance, show no mercy—slay them on the spot!” “Understood!” With that, Vice Island Master Xiao summoned his flying sword. Ringed by sword-light, he turned and sped out beyond the Mist Sea. The crowd followed in silence. In an instant, the sunset clouds formed of escaping light flowed toward the Mist Sea like water. Passing through the Mist Sea and emerging outside the grand formation, they saw Vice Island Master Xiao flying continuously via sword-flight, heading straight toward the southeast. Vice Island Master Xiao was likely being considerate of disciples with lower cultivation, keeping his flight speed moderate enough for everyone to maintain the battle formation without disorder. Before they had flown very far, cries of astonishment broke out in waves across the formation. At the far reaches of their vision, between the water and the sky: Dark clouds veiled the moon, and serpents of lightning galloped.