Chapter 291 - Five Shadows and an Unmoved Sect Master

Chapter 291: Chapter 291 - Five Shadows and an Unmoved Sect Master

The final stages of the Sect-Scale Formation continued beneath a tension that none of the elders bothered to voice.

Li Xuanzong had already disappeared beyond the mountains.

At first, Jian Wushuang and the others still could not detect what Su Bai had sensed through the mark. The distance was simply too great, and whoever was approaching had concealed themselves well enough that even the spiritual sense of a Void-Shattering cultivator had failed to catch them.

That changed some time later.

Jian Wushuang’s hand suddenly stopped above the command node he was stabilizing.

Lu Canghai raised his head almost simultaneously.

Several of the stronger elders reacted a moment after them.

Far beyond Radiant Sky Sect, powerful fluctuations had finally entered the range of their spiritual senses.

Su Bai immediately looked toward the horizon.

Li Xuanzong had already reached the edge of the approaching disturbance and stopped in midair.

He was not particularly far from Radiant Sky Sect. At his cultivation, retreating the remaining distance would have taken little effort.

Yet he did not move.

For several breaths, nothing happened.

A black-robed figure finally emerged from the distant clouds.

Su Bai recognized the aura immediately.

That was the one.

The same Void-Shattering demonic cultivator who had seen him emerge from Fallen-Star Sanctuary.

Before Su Bai could say anything, another presence appeared.

A third followed from a different direction.

By the time the concealed auras stopped revealing themselves, five figures surrounded Li Xuanzong.

The hands of several formation elders froze.

Su Bai blinked.

He had sensed one.

Of course he had sensed only one.

The mark connected him to that particular cultivator. It had never promised to inform him about whoever else happened to be traveling alongside him.

Su Bai quietly revised his opinion of his own warning.

Perhaps saying that one demonic cultivator was coming had been slightly incomplete.

Lu Canghai glanced toward him.

Su Bai pretended not to notice.

More importantly, none of them had expected five Void-Shattering cultivators to appear together.

The oppressive auras spreading across the distant sky were enough to distort the clouds around them. Even from this far away, weaker disciples throughout the mountains were beginning to feel an instinctive pressure without understanding its source.

Several formation elders exchanged uneasy looks.

Lu Canghai’s voice cut through them before the hesitation could spread.

"Keep working."

They looked toward him.

Lu Canghai remained remarkably calm.

"Old Li already saw them. If he believed he needed help immediately, he would have come back or called Jian Wushuang."

Jian Wushuang gave him a sideways glance but did not disagree.

Lu Canghai stroked his beard.

"Besides, all those illusory needles wandered through the sect before, and none of us saw one point out anything useful about him."

Huo Yan looked up from the formation.

"You are still using that as evidence?"

"I am choosing to have confidence in our Sect Master."

"You were mocking him about it yesterday."

"Confidence can develop quickly."

Huo Yan snorted and returned to the command node.

The brief exchange did what Lu Canghai intended.

The formation elders resumed working.

Su Bai looked back toward the distant confrontation.

Li Xuanzong had barely changed his posture.

Five Void-Shattering cultivators had surrounded him, yet the Sect Master’s expression remained the same as when he had left Radiant Sky Sect.

There was no panic, no attempt to retreat, and not even the slightest release of killing intent.

He simply watched them.

Su Bai could not hear what was being said from this distance. The spiritual fluctuations surrounding the five demonic cultivators also made it difficult to read their lips through spiritual sense.

Whatever they were saying, however, appeared to be growing increasingly unpleasant.

One of the demonic cultivators gestured toward Radiant Sky Sect.

Another spoke for considerably longer.

Li Xuanzong did not reply.

His face remained unreadable.

The man who had spoken began looking noticeably angrier.

Su Bai stared for a moment.

They were too far away for him to see the man’s complexion clearly, but his expression reminded Su Bai strangely of a tomato that had been left beneath the sun for too long.

Apparently, being ignored by a Sect Master was far more offensive than receiving an insult.

Before Su Bai could enjoy the thought, movement from below caught his attention.

The righteous visitors in the mortal city had sensed the confrontation as well.

Until now, Su Bai had paid them little attention.

With his concentration divided between the formation and the approaching threat, he finally took a proper look.

Most of the visitors were Nascent Soul elders accompanied by smaller groups of disciples or attendants. Su Bai did not recognize any of them personally, although the emblems on their robes were familiar enough.

None belonged to the forces whose younger generation had formed Covenant Oaths with him inside Fallen-Star Sanctuary.

Several of the sects had not entered the Sanctuary at all. Some had never received a slot, while others simply lacked the resources to pay the million Spirit Stones required to participate.

Their reasons for coming now were not particularly difficult to guess.

Radiant Sky Sect had suddenly become the center of several enormous developments. Fallen-Star Sanctuary had returned. Strange treasures were appearing. Communications throughout the righteous side were becoming unreliable, while demonic activity continued spreading.

Coming early, showing concern, and establishing a friendlier relationship with Radiant Sky Sect cost considerably less than entering Fallen-Star Sanctuary ever had.

Su Bai could understand the logic.

The five Void-Shattering auras in the distance immediately tested how much courage accompanied that logic.

Several visiting elders had already risen into the air above the mortal city.

One took two steps toward the mountains before stopping.

Another looked toward his companions.

A third appeared to be explaining something very seriously while pointing toward Li Xuanzong, although the fact that none of them actually moved made Su Bai suspect the explanation involved why someone else should go first.

One elder finally started flying toward Radiant Sky Sect.

The man beside him caught his sleeve.

Su Bai watched silently.

Perhaps receiving guests in the mortal city had been the correct decision for more reasons than one.

If those elders had rushed into the confrontation, Li Xuanzong might have needed to protect them while fighting five opponents at his own realm.

Shen Youran remained with the visitors.

Her presence alone appeared sufficient to prevent the situation below from descending into embarrassment.

No one fled.

Unfortunately, nobody volunteered either.

Su Bai sighed and looked away.

At least they had enough self-awareness not to become additional problems.

Just then, violent fluctuation suddenly spread across the distant sky.