Spirit Tide

The stone hall's heavy doors were shut tight. A ring of moonstones embedded in the surrounding walls emitted a gentle luminescence, illuminating the vast stone hall with clear, bright light. In several areas lay meditation cushions and other furnishings, upon which several cultivators of Shangyuan Qingjing Palace were seated in deep meditation. A few Shangyuan Qingjing Palace cultivators stood beside the teleportation formation, explaining the situation to the newly arrived cultivators. "Fellow Daoists, the spirit tide is currently at its fiercest. Please wait in the hall for a while. Once the spirit tide abates, we will escort you all to Xuanlu Pass." Qin Sang had arrived with the first batch. Having been through it before, he was in much better shape than during his previous teleportation. Nodding to the fellow cultivators of Shangyuan Qingjing Palace, he found a random corner, adjusted his breathing for a brief spell, and quickly recovered. He still recalled that during his last visit, a celestial phenomenon had struck, yet the great formation here had been able to shelter the entire valley. Now, everyone was huddled inside the stone hall. The power of the spirit tide truly lived up to its name. The stone hall trembled continuously, the seven-colored restriction light on the stone doors flickering erratically, showing just how violent the buffeting outside was. The unknown was the most terrifying thing of all. Unable to see what was happening outside the stone hall, and with the restriction on the stone doors appearing so fragile, everyone felt an undercurrent of unease. Qin Sang stood up and approached the Shangyuan Qingjing Palace cultivator who appeared to be in charge. The man was dressed like a middle-aged Daoist, pale and clean-shaven, possessing a late Foundation Establishment cultivation. "Greetings, Senior Brother. I am Qin Sang of Shaohua Mountain." Shaohua Mountain and Shangyuan Qingjing Palace shared close ties, and their disciples often addressed each other as senior or junior brothers. The man looked Qin Sang up and down, then suddenly took on an expression of realization. Cupping his hands, he said, "No wonder you looked familiar! So it is the renowned Shadowless Sword, Senior Brother Qin in person! This poor Daoist is Chen Kuiqing. Greetings, Senior Brother Qin." "You flatter me..." Qin Sang acutely caught the strange look in Chen Kuiqing's eyes upon hearing his name. Not just Chen Kuiqing—several nearby Shangyuan Qingjing Palace disciples reacted the same way. Those with less steady temperaments showed it even more blatantly. This strange look was not born of respect or admiration; it certainly was not meant for the glory of the Shadowless Sword. Qin Sang had experienced this very gaze yesterday and already deduced the reason. The renowned Shadowless Sword was widely rumored to be the foremost expert beneath Core Formation in Shaohua Mountain, considered one of the Foundation Establishment cultivators in the Lesser Cold Domain with the highest hopes of forming a core. At the time, his cultivation had not even reached the False Core stage. Later, in the battle at Heaven-Pointing Peak, he had boldly seized the two miraculous herbs, the snow spirit lotus and the iris flower, stirring up endless envy and jealousy. In the eyes of others, once the Shadowless Sword consumed those two spirit herbs, achieving Core Formation would be a certainty, granting Shaohua Mountain yet another Core Formation expert. Who could have guessed that two years ago, word suddenly spread from Shaohua Mountain that after taking the herbs, the Shadowless Sword had actually failed to form his core, sparking an immediate uproar. "What an absolute waste of heavenly treasures!" Whenever the matter was brought up, countless people beat their chests and stamped their feet, cursing vehemently and wishing they could take his place—among them, reportedly, not a few Shaohua Mountain disciples. Fame was truly a burden! Qin Sang felt rather helpless and shook his head internally. He had indeed performed well in the Luandao Waters, but he had kept a relatively low profile. Moreover, neither of his two magic treasures could be used openly. He had hardly been dazzling enough to warrant such acclaim; his renown had simply exploded out of nowhere. Qin Sang knew his own limits. Back then, without drawing upon the ebony sword, he could not be counted among the truly supreme experts. Within Shaohua Mountain alone, there were many true disciples of Core Formation masters. They lacked no resources, enjoyed the protection of their seniors, and had no need to risk life and limb on the battlefield to earn a stepping stone for advancement. That fame had won him the opportunity to enter Heaven-Pointing Peak, but it had also pushed him onto the crest of the storm, leaving countless onlookers waiting to watch him become a laughingstock. *Just wait until I return from Ziwei Palace. I'll make your jaws hit the floor!* Qin Sang mused. Feigning ignorance of their thoughts, he maintained a composed expression and asked, "In Senior Brother Chen's view, how long until this spirit tide ends? I recall there is still some distance between here and Xuanlu Pass. Are there many dangers along the way?" No matter how fallen Qin Sang seemed, he was not someone they dared insult. Such thoughts were kept firmly within the minds of Chen Kuiqing and the others; outwardly, they remained exceedingly respectful. "To answer Senior Brother Qin: the spirit tide has been brewing to this point and is almost relentless, though fortunately it waxes and wanes like ocean tides. Basically every few days, there will be a brief ebb. You will have to use that lull to rush to Xuanlu Pass as quickly as possible. You need not worry about safety en route; during the ebbs, the Xuanlu Guard also venture outside the pass to cull the cloud beasts before their numbers get out of hand. One of their patrol routes happens to pass right by our hall. And if an accident truly does occur..." Chen Kuiqing paused, then subtly pointed toward the depths of the stone hall. "Martial Uncle will certainly intervene." Qin Sang understood. A Core Formation elder from Shangyuan Qingjing Palace was personally holding down the fort here. It was hardly surprising; this ancient teleportation array was of great significance and could not be compromised. ... After waiting patiently in the stone hall for two more days, the trembling of the stone doors noticeably began to weaken. Alerted by the attendants, everyone stood up and gathered before the doors to wait. The stone doors shook with diminishing intensity, and the restrictions upon them gradually stabilized. Yet Chen Kuiqing still made them wait another two hours before finally opening the doors to let them through. "Fellow Daoists, off you go!" Chen Kuiqing gave a wry smile. *Whoosh!* As the heavy doors swung open, a ferocious gust of wind suddenly roared inside. The breath was knocked out of the foremost Foundation Establishment cultivators, who stumbled backward in the blast, nearly crashing to the ground. Qin Sang was the first to flit out of the stone hall, and was immediately taken aback. Before his eyes lay an expanse of flat, open ground. The deep valley in his memory was gone, leaving only the cliff face behind him—the other half had been completely leveled at some point! What a terrifying spirit tide; it had altered the very terrain. Braving the gale, Qin Sang stood suspended in midair, gazing silently into the distance. Aside from the ceaseless howling wind, there were no lightning strikes, celestial fires, or blizzards—phenomena Qin Sang had grown accustomed to. At a glance, this seemed less frightening than an onslaught of celestial phenomena. Yet looking up toward the high heavens revealed the truth. High above, wondrous multicolored lights were everywhere, constantly shifting and mutating. They filled the entire sky without end. Only upon closer inspection did one realize that these extraordinary lights were reflections cast by spiritual energy condensed to the absolute limit, surging like a great tide. Looking farther ahead made it even clearer. Where sky met earth, spiritual energy surged like a tide, vast as an ocean, boundless and magnificent. Colossal waves crashed into one another, piling higher and higher until they formed monstrous, sky-spanning billows that brought terrible concussive forces, surging in every direction and running amok. Everyone felt as though an actual ocean hung overhead, pouring down from the heavens! As the monstrous waves raged, earth-shaking booms abruptly erupted, making everyone's hearts skip a violent beat. The spirit tide brought not only a breathtaking spectacle, but also an overwhelming pressure. From heaven to earth, omnipresent pressure bore down upon them, leaving everyone gasping for air. And beneath it lay a profound sense of helplessness. Only now did they realize just how tiny and fragile they were before the true might of heaven and earth.