Chapter 303 - An Open Gate and Old Rivals

Chapter 303: Chapter 303 - An Open Gate and Old Rivals

The battlefield remained quiet for a long while after the final traces of spatial distortion disappeared.

The unease left behind by those unfamiliar artifacts had not disappeared, and Li Xuanzong knew that the questions surrounding them would eventually demand answers.

For now, however, the battle was over.

The questions could wait until everyone had recovered enough to ask them properly.

A victory was still a victory.

Li Xuanzong finally turned away from the empty sky and faced the four visiting Void-Shattering cultivators.

He cupped his hands.

"Fellow Daoists, Radiant Sky Sect will remember your assistance during these troubled times."

The Zhuge Clan expert stared at him for a moment before laughing.

"Old Li, you are still as stiff as ever."

He glanced toward the mountains, then toward the suppression field that had only recently imprisoned eight demonic cultivators.

"Although after seeing all of that, I am beginning to wonder whether you actually needed us."

The woman from the Glass-Lotus Holy See looked toward Radiant Sky Sect with considerably more interest than before.

"Need is irrelevant. Six Void-Shattering Demonic Cultivators died here today."

Her gaze swept across the newly completed formations hidden throughout the mountains.

"It seems Radiant Sky Sect has recovered far more of its former strength than the outside world realizes."

Li Xuanzong did not respond to that assessment.

The Great Elder from Myriad Swords Sect stepped forward instead.

"Our sects may have competed in the past, but rivalry among righteous factions should remain rivalry."

His expression remained completely dignified.

"When demonic cultivators cross the border in such numbers, standing aside would have been disgraceful."

The Scorching Sun Valley expert slowly turned his head.

He stared at the Myriad Swords Sect cultivator with such obvious disbelief that the latter finally glanced back at him.

"What?"

The Scorching Sun Valley expert remained silent for another breath before his expression became equally solemn.

"He is correct. Whatever disagreements existed between our sects, today concerned the greater righteous path."

The Glass-Lotus woman looked from one man to the other.

Her expression did not change, but the silence lasted long enough to say everything she needed to say.

Neither man reacted.

Their faces remained perfectly composed.

Beside Shen Youran, Lu Canghai watched the exchange with growing amusement.

"Shameless old men."

Both experts clearly heard him.

Neither turned around.

A vein nevertheless appeared near the Myriad Swords Sect expert’s temple.

The Scorching Sun Valley cultivator’s eyebrow twitched once before becoming completely still again.

Li Xuanzong ignored all of them.

His attention returned to the four visitors.

"Since you have already come this far, enter the sect with us. We will hold a small banquet and discuss what happened today."

For the first time since the battle ended, genuine surprise appeared on several faces.

Even Jian Wushuang looked toward him.

The four visitors stared at Li Xuanzong as though they had misheard.

The Zhuge Clan expert was the first to recover.

"Inside Radiant Sky Sect?"

Li Xuanzong nodded.

"That is what I said."

The man’s expression became strange.

The reaction was understandable.

Li Xuanzong had never been known for hospitality. He had allowed outside delegations into Radiant Sky Sect before, but those who entered had always been below the Void-Shattering Realm.

Void-Shattering cultivators were another matter entirely.

Years ago, shortly after Li Xuanzong became Sect Master following the Great Fissure, several senior cultivators had come personally to congratulate him.

They had expected to be received inside the sect.

Instead, Li Xuanzong tightened Radiant Sky Sect’s defensive formations and met them without ever allowing them past the inner boundary.

In the end, the visitors could only leave helplessly, already familiar enough with his temperament to know there was little point arguing.

Even Lu Canghai had laughed about it afterward.

Now the same man was openly inviting four foreign Void-Shattering cultivators into Radiant Sky Sect.

The nearby Peak Masters exchanged looks.

It did not take them long to understand what had changed.

Several gazes shifted toward Shen Youran. Her expression remained cold.

Lu Canghai almost laughed again.

The explanation was obvious.

The newly completed Sect-Scale Suppression Formation had changed the situation entirely.

Before today, allowing several foreign Void-Shattering cultivators into the heart of the sect meant accepting an uncomfortable amount of risk. Even allies could become enemies, and at that realm, a moment of betrayal could cause enormous damage before the sect’s formations responded.

Now Shen Youran could suppress them across the entire territory if necessary.

Li Xuanzong had apparently decided that this was sufficient reassurance.

The four visitors reached the same conclusion.

The Zhuge Clan expert smiled bitterly.

"So this is why you suddenly became generous."

Li Xuanzong looked at him.

"You can remain outside if you prefer."

The smile disappeared.

"I never said that."

The Scorching Sun Valley expert cleared his throat.

"I have always heard that Radiant Sky Sect preserves many ancient structures from earlier eras."

The Myriad Swords Sect cultivator glanced at him.

"You were speaking about the greater righteous path a moment ago."

"I can support the righteous path while appreciating architecture."

The Glass-Lotus woman quietly walked past both of them.

"If the two of you intend to argue at the gate, I will enter first."

They stopped immediately.

Li Xuanzong turned toward the sect.

The others followed.

As they crossed deeper into Radiant Sky Sect, the four visiting experts became noticeably more attentive.

None behaved rudely enough to sweep their spiritual senses across restricted areas, but their eyes moved constantly.

Old buildings stood among newer structures. Mountain paths disappeared into mist. Formation lines occasionally flickered beneath stone before vanishing again.

Farther away, several peaks carried traces of inheritances that had existed long before most current sects were founded.

Radiant Sky Sect was still alive.

The traditions, structures, and people connected to those ancient foundations had never completely disappeared.

For cultivators of their generation, entering this far into the sect was something almost nobody outside Radiant Sky had experienced.

The Zhuge Clan expert looked around with poorly concealed interest.

"Entering the sect really may be rarer than finding a treasure."

The Myriad Swords Sect expert immediately replied, "Do not say that too loudly. Old Li may decide to charge admission."

Li Xuanzong kept walking.

Lu Canghai answered instead.

"That is not a bad idea."

The group continued toward the inner peaks.

Not far ahead, Su Bai and several others were still waiting where they had watched the battle.

The four visitors noticed him almost immediately.

Their attention sharpened at once.

They had never personally met Su Bai.

But they had certainly seen his face.

Portraits had already circulated among the senior figures whose juniors had formed Covenant Oaths with him inside Fallen-Star Sanctuary.

More importantly, those juniors had spoken about him far too often for the name to remain unfamiliar.

Li Xuanzong noticed their reaction.

He slowed slightly.

"It seems introductions are necessary."

Lu Canghai’s steps became noticeably lighter.

Su Bai saw that expression and immediately felt something unpleasant approaching.

His master only looked that pleased when he was about to boast.

Li Xuanzong stopped in front of them.

"This is Martial Nephew Su Bai."

He glanced toward Lu Canghai.

"Brother Lu’s only disciple."

Lu Canghai landed beside Su Bai at once, stroking his beard with the dignity of a man who had contributed personally to every achievement his disciple had ever made.

Su Bai pretended not to notice.

He stepped forward and bowed.

"Greetings, Seniors."

The Zhuge Clan expert’s laughter immediately echoed through the mountains.

"So this is him!"

Su Bai looked up.

The man was already walking toward him.

Something told him the quiet part of the day had just ended.