Chapter 542 - A Dog Chases People

Immortal mist drifted lazily at the Emotionless Sect. Birds sang and flowers bloomed, making it seem like a real paradise. Inside an ornately decorated cave dwelling at the back mountain, a thrilling three-way battle was unfolding. Even though the battleground was small, both sides moved and dodged with exquisite footwork, each trying to conquer the other in this confined space.

The sounds of thrusting and pleas for mercy rang out incessantly. After a long while, both sides withdrew, having fought to a standstill. Heat and desire still lingered in the air after the passionate exchange.

On the jade bed, an alluring woman drenched in sweat chuckled softly. “Fifth Junior Brother, you’ve worked hard.”

Not far away, a tall, handsome young man smiled. “Fourth Senior Sister, you’re just being nice. With Eldest Senior Brother away, it’s only right that I share his burdens.”

His tone carried an indescribable pride. After all, taking on two at once was quite the boast-worthy feat.

Another woman gazed at him wistfully. “Senior Brother, will you come again tomorrow?”

The young man appeared troubled. “Well... Tomorrow is Fourth Senior Sister’s turn.”

“What if we do it together?”

The young man’s expression shifted slightly, and he quickly begged for mercy, “Sixth Junior Sister, I can only do so much! Perhaps we should wait for Eldest Senior Brother to return—”

The woman sighed. “What troublesome times. Master fought Gu Chen earlier and seems to have taken quite a beating. Eldest Senior Brother and Seventh Junior Sister are off, acting all mysterious. Who knows where they went. Luckily, the Kunling Relic Site is about to open, and Third Senior Brother should be coming out of seclusion soon. That’ll spare you some of the strain, Fifth Junior Brother.”

The first woman’s eyes flickered with a strange light. “Not just Third Senior Brother, but Junior Sister Leng should be coming out of seclusion soon too, right?”

The second woman’s tone carried a hint of sourness. “Yes. Master put so much effort into grooming her. Even though she joined recently, when she comes out... I’m afraid her cultivation will catch up to ours. Ah... We can’t even compare.”

The young man laughed. “You can’t say that. We all know Junior Sister Leng’s talent. She’s better than Junior Sister Mo. I wouldn’t be surprised if she reached the Ascension realm within a hundred years.”

The woman’s expression turned cold. “She’s just a replacement for Junior Sister Mo. Hopefully she won’t walk the same path as Junior Sister Mo—”

The young man’s expression shifted. “Sixth Junior Sister, mind your words! Don’t ever let Junior Sister Leng hear that, let alone Master. When she comes out, we have to be more careful too. If the past repeats itself, I doubt Master would go easy on us again.”

The two women grew cautious.

The young man shook his head. “Enough. Gu Chen keeps pressing us. Our relationship with the Ancient Cang Realm is like fire and water. A great battle seems inevitable, and when it comes, we’ll be dragged in as well. I heard earlier that quite a few from the Ancient Cang Realm went to some continent seeking fortune, only to suffer a huge loss. Their realm’s in chaos now, so it’s good news for us.”

One woman said with concern, “If war breaks out, what about the alliance rules...”

The young man sneered. “Alliance rules? Alliance Master Yun’s been gone for ten thousand years. Who still cares about his rules? Even without Master and Gu Chen’s grudge, the Seven Realms would’ve gone to war sooner or later. This is just a bit early, that’s all!

“Speaking of which, that Sword Prince of the Profound Sword Sect can’t stop thinking about Junior Sister Leng after one meeting with her... What a fool! How dare he covet what belongs to Master? If war weren’t imminent and the Profound Sword Sect Master weren’t still useful to Master, how could some insignificant Sword Prince have the chance to show off like that—”

Just as he finished speaking, a red jade talisman pierced through the cave’s restrictions and hovered before him. It appeared identical to the one held by the Hehuan Sect, only larger, with several cracks along its surface.

The young man swept his divine sense over the message left on the talisman. After a moment’s thought, he said, “Senior Sister, Junior Sister, it seems that dog Third Senior Brother’s been raising at the Hehuan Sect is having some problems. He can’t go right now, so I’ll go in his stead and see what’s going on.”

The two women said reluctantly, “Come back soon!”

He waved dismissively. “Don’t worry! Once I’ve dealt with things, I’ll bring the Hehuan Sect Master back for a while too. It’s been years since I’ve seen her... I’m sure she’s learned plenty of new tricks!”

The two women exchanged glances as excitement flashed in their eyes, and urged him on. “Go, go!”

***

As the giant beast chewed, the Hehuan Sect Master’s screams grew fainter. After a few moments, it swallowed her whole. Having done so, the beast threw back his head and howled. His demonic qi grew even more violent, and a hint of green light gleamed in his black eyes. He was still hungry. The Hehuan Sect Master was just a snack, hardly enough to fill his belly.

Yet deep within his frantic, savage gaze hid a flicker of confusion, identical to the look in Ah Gou’s eyes earlier. He sniffed the air back and forth as if tracking something. After a moment, he raised his head and looked into the distance, howling again. Demonic qi surged skyward, and he vanished without a trace.

***

Out in the wilderness, the young man’s face was flushed bright red. He squeezed every last drop of cultivation he had, fleeing without pause, no longer caring about the Hehuan Sect Master’s fate. He liked the Hehuan Sect Master but he loved his own life more. As he fled, a violent qi suddenly closed in from behind. In the blink of an eye, it drew level with him. A sword in his right hand, and a rooster in his left. Who else but Gu Han?

The young man’s face went pale, his voice filled with despair. “Fellow Daoist, at a time like this, you still want to chase me to the end?”

Gu Han glanced at him. “Kill you? I don’t have the time.”

The young man let out a breath of relief. But when he sensed a faint demonic qi closing in from behind, his expression shifted dramatically. “Fellow Daoist! He’s chasing us! Let’s join forces! You’ve seen his strength! Even an Ascension realm cultivator might be swallowed in one bite! Only by working together can we have any hope of survival!”

“No thanks.”

“Why?!”

Gu Han gave him a strange look. “I run faster than you.”

Isn’t that obvious? Do I really need to spell it out for you?

He sped up again, leaving the young man in the dust. In just a few breaths, he was already out of sight. After another moment, a violent demonic qi descended right behind the young man, and a massive maw lunged straight at him.

***

Inside a cave, Chen Qing mournfully stared at the storage ring from Gu Han, sighing deeply. After Gu Han had tossed him out, he’d run desperately with his three disciples until they could run no more, then carefully found a desolate spot to rest.

Thinking of all the kindness Gu Han had shown him, he grew melancholic. “Senior, please stay safe. I’m so useless! I’ve received so much from you, yet I can’t even lend a hand—”

Just as he was wallowing in self-pity, a disciple guarding the cave entrance pointed at the sky excitedly. “Master, I see Senior!”

Chen Qing was overjoyed. “What?! Where?!”

The disciple pointed to the sky, but his expression turned strange as he stammered, “There! S-Senior looks like he’s being chased by a dog?”

Chen Qing was flabbergasted.