Chapter 43: CH-43: I choose you dodo duckling

Gu Changsheng looked around the surrounding in disbelief, he couldn’t understand how...

"...We’re outside?"

They had clearly been inside the Sword Sect just a moment ago.

They certainly were walk to the western passage, yet somehow spawned here suddenly.

Ye Che’s expression changed suddenly, remembering something important.

"Someone used an illusion upon us!"

The moment he said those words, Gu Changsheng’s heart sank. Even though he himself didn’t know about illusion, the word itself made it clear.

They had been walking through an hypnotic illusion without realizing it, the entire path they had taken wasn’t real, but a mirage.

The group had somehow been separated from the main body of disciples and led outside the sect without noticing.

There was even a backhand entry point which none of them knew about itself is creepy.

"This is bad, we need to return quic—"

An Jian immediately looked behind them, yet he had barely taken a step when an unfamiliar voice suddenly echoed through the forest.

"There’s no need to return, now that you’ve come all the way here, STAY!!"

Everyone froze to the voice that resounded through the forest. A figure slowly walked out from behind the trees.

He wore a long red robe, his face partially hidden beneath the hood, and a faint smile rested upon his lips.

The man’s presence wasn’t overwhelmingly powerful like Jian Yulan’s, yet there was something about him that made every instinct in their bodies screamed...

Run! Run away!

"Who are you?"

Said Ye Che, while signal the others to run, trying to buy some time for them.

However, the red-robed man didn’t answer.

Instead, he looked towards the group calmly before his gaze stopped on An Jian, his expression becoming slightly weird.

"Have you been well, little one?"

An jian(ʕಠ_ಠʔ): "???"

Ye Che immediately moved in front of the little boy, telling An Jian to stay behind himself.

"You are quite protective."

The red-robed man smiled, appearing like a gentle uncle, it was as if he wasn’t the one who lured them here.

Ye Che didn’t respond, or simply can’t respond, because the moment the man’s spiritual pressure spread through the forest, Ye Che’s entire body suddenly stiffened.

The difference in strength was overwhelming, his spiritual pressure alone making it hard to breathe for them.

Dong Mulan instinctively grabbed his sleeve, while Ning Rongrong’s face became pale and Su Mingyue immediately turned into a defensive stance.

Then suddenly, the red-robed man disappeared.

*Boom*

Ye Che was sent flying through several trees before crashing into the ground.

"Senior Brother!"

Su Mingyue rushed forward, but the red-robed man appeared in front of her.

*Bang*

With a single strike, Su Mingyue’s body was sent flying sideways, while Ning Rongrong barely managed to avoid the same fate by pulling herself backward.

Gu Changsheng’s expression changed completely.

He wanted to help, he genuinely wanted to help but his mind told him to run away, specially considering the pressure surrounding them.

And he did, just as the red-robed man hit Su Mingyue, he grabbed Dong Mulan and ran with all his strength.

But the red-robed man clearly doesn’t want that, appearing beside them almost instantly.

Gu Changsheng barely managed to raise his arm before an overwhelming force struck him, his body was slammed into the ground.

He heard Dong Mulan shouting his name before another impact sent herself flying away.

『A/N: You dare hurt the panda!?! The audacity!!』

"YOU F*CKER!! COME AT ME IF YOU DARE!?! LET HER G—"

Gu Changsheng’s voice was cut short as immense pressure crushed his body against the ground.

The red-robed man leisurely walked towards him, seemingly not minding the swearing.

For the first time since arriving in this cultivation world, Gu Changsheng felt completely helpless.

Such demonstrated the importance of strength in this world.

He desperately tried to move his body, but every attempt resulted in more blood spilling from his injuries.

The red-robed man looked at him with a faint smile.

Gu Changsheng gritted his teeth, understanding running is futile, he tried to aggravate the red-robed man, taking his attention away from others.

"Go... to hell..."

The red-robed man chuckled, amused by Gu Changsheng’s persistence.

"Still capable of talking?"

He raised his hand, going for the final blow, but before the next strike could land, a faint golden light suddenly flashed from somewhere nearby.

The red-robed man’s eyes narrowed slightly as he dodged the attack. His gaze shifted towards the camping sniper, An Jian.

He had already struggled back onto his feet. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, yet he stubbornly stood up to strike.

"D-on’t, don’t touch my friends! You j*rk!!"

The red-robed man stared at him for several seconds, smiling as he pulled back his hand.

"...How very interesting."

The next several moments became a blur.

Ye Che was beaten down, Su Mingyue and Ning Rongrong were knocked unconscious. An Jian tried to resist despite his small body, only to be overwhelmed in an instant, one of his hand torned apart as ’punishment’.

An Jian, probably: "Agggrrhhh!!"

And Gu Changsheng could do nothing, even he himself getting lost one of his eyes, ostensibly relieved that Dong Mulan got away with the beating.

Gu Changsheng, probably: "Aggrrhhffff!!!"

The forest that had once been peaceful had become completely silent except for the sounds of their desperate struggles and agonizing moans.

Yet throughout it all, the red-robed man never once appeared panicked. He acted as though everything had already been decided, as though this entire encounter had been planned from the beginning.

Just as Gu Changsheng was struggling to remain conscious beneath the man’s pressure, a sudden voice made the red-robed man tensed for the first time.

"Alright, alright, play times over. Now, F*CK OOFFF!!"

A massive white figure slowly descended from the sky, its enormous wings spreading as it landed upon a nearby tree, causing the branches beneath its claws to bend under the sheer weight of its body.

It was a beautiful white crane, the guardian beast of the Cloud piercing sect.

Its feathers were spotless, its long neck remained elegantly raised, and a pair of cold eyes stared down at the red-robed man as though she had been watching the entire scene for quite some time.

In fact, she had been here for a while now.

The guardian beast of the Cloud Piercing Sect had arrived here upon Elder Ye’s request, and after reaching the area, she had chosen not to interfere immediately, quietly observing the entire ordeal from the sky while waiting for the right moment to act.

That moment had apparently arrived.

The red-robed man’s throat moved slightly as he stared at the enormous crane.

He could clearly feel the terrifying pressure radiating from her body, and his instincts immediately warned him that fighting her was nothing short of suicide.

The white crane slowly tilted her head.

"Why are you still standing there?"

Her voice carried a faintly annoyed tone, almost as though she was scolding someone for wasting her time.

The red-robed man immediately became humble.

"This junior didn’t know that they were under your protection, Senior."

The white crane snorted softly, seemingly displeased by his answer, before looking towards the battered group lying around the forest.

"Hmm... You seem to have already punished them quite thoroughly."

The red-robed man nodded immediately.

"Yes, Senior, I have no intention of causing further trouble."

"Then leave."

The red-robed man nearly sighed in relief.

He immediately bowed deeply towards the white crane.

"Thank you for showing mercy, Senior."

With that, he cautiously turned around and began walking away, each step carrying his body farther from the terrifying beast.

Gu Changsheng had already lost consciousness by this point, his mind completely unaware of the sudden appearance of their savior, while Dong Mulan and the others remained unconscious or barely conscious around him.

The red-robed man had already walked several dozen meters away when the white crane suddenly narrowed her eyes.

"Wait."

His body froze.

The red-robed man slowly turned around.

"Senior?"

The white crane looked at him for a moment before calmly speaking.

"Forget it."

The red-robed man’s expression became slightly confused, but he didn’t question her and immediately continued walking.

Then, without any warning—

BOOM!

A terrifying beam of white spiritual energy pierced straight through his chest.

His body stiffened midway through his step as blood slowly dripped from his mouth, his eyes widening in disbelief.

The white crane casually looked away.

"I said leave."

The red-robed man’s body collapsed to the ground, completely lifeless.

The white crane then spread her enormous wings, gently gathering the unconscious group within her spiritual energy before taking them away from the battlefield.

"Such troublesome children."

She muttered under her breath, though her tone carried more annoyance than actual malice.

And somewhere within that protective cocoon of spiritual energy, Gu Changsheng remained unconscious, completely unaware that the person who had saved their lives had just casually erased their opponent from existence.

The battle between the Sword Sect and the Blood Moon Sect continued to rage.

The elders of the Sword Sect were still fighting... Jian Yulan was still unleashing her fury upon the Blood Moon Sect elder.

...

The battle outside the Sword Sect continued for quite some time after the white crane had left the forest, yet eventually, the intensity of the clashes began to decrease as the Blood Moon Sect cultivators gradually retreated from the battlefield.

The Sword Sect elders initially believed that their opponents were simply attempting to reorganize themselves, but after several more moments passed without another attack, they finally realized that the Blood Moon Sect had completely withdrawn from the surrounding area.

Nobody knew exactly why they had suddenly retreated.