“Looks like a massive battle is about to break loose… I wonder how many people will live after this war…” Shang Xia muttered to himself.
In the hall, countless battle plans were thrown out and they eventually decided on the entire course they were going to take. A huge battle loomed over their heads.
Contrary to the oppression Shang Xia should be feeling, he felt a trace of excitement bubbling in his heart.
After he gave them the intel on the Origin Tide, the upper echelons of the Tongyou Institution quickly predicted the actions the Four Spiritual Peak and Rose Party were going to take.
Even without Liu Jitang and the men he brought away, those in the hall felt as though their chances of winning had increased.
No one spoke about abandoning the Tongyou Peak any longer.
Now that everyone was of one mind to charge straight into battle, the undercurrents that were brewing around the Tongyou Peak stopped instantly. Every single individual of importance left the main hall of the Patrol Hall and started their preparations.
Countless pieces of information flew out of the Tongyou Peak. Many reports and orders were thrown out in a hurry.
Seeing as nothing would concern him at the moment, Shang Xia decided to return to the Shang Pavilion to continue his cultivation.
Even though the battle could break out at any time, Shang Xia felt that any amount of strength he could accumulate would prove to be invaluable.
Since he just entered the Martial Extremity Realm, it was time for him to increase his strength as much as possible! Especially since he just started training in his secret art.
He didn’t wish to waste a single second!
Who would have thought that before Shang Xia could return, Shang Quan would appear to drag him back to the Patrol Hall.
By the time he returned, most of the people had already left. The only ones left were Ji Wenlong, Shang Ke, Ji Min, Yun Yishu, and Shang Bing.
“Kid, I heard that you managed to capture a live Mutated Rain Swallow. Why don’t you bring it out for us to see? Are you afraid that it will run away?” Shang Bing spoke the moment he arrived.
Shang Xia didn’t know how to react.
Out of those present, Shang Bing was known to be an extremely serious man. No one had seen him joke around with an ordinary disciple before.
Shang Ke beckoned Shang Xia over and said seriously, “You managed to tame the Mutated Rain Swallow but you allowed it to run free all this while. Are you sure it will still listen to you? The bird is extremely crucial to our future plans. I hope you don’t let us down at the critical moment… This concerns the safety of our Tongyou Peak…”
Shang Xia stared at them in silence, but a smile soon formed on his face. “Of course it does!”
Shang Ke looked at Ji Wenlong and nodded slightly.
Receiving the confirmation, Ji Wenlong said, “Ji Min, you should stay here and start our battle preparations. Shang Ke, Brother Shang Bing, Little Yun, let’s go see the kid’s pet.”
The Four Spiritual Peak was located thousands of miles away from the Tongyou Peak, and it was made up of four mountains. It was the location where experts of the Azure Spiritual Race gathered in the battlefield between two worlds.
This time, Ji Wenlong and the others went straight towards the steepest of the four peaks, the Spiritual Swallow Peak.
The distance between the peaks could be crossed by Ji Wenlong in a mere hour. After all, he was able to travel through the air by manipulating the qi in the air.
As for Shang Ke and the others who were at the Martial Realm, they could probably arrive in slightly more than two hours.
Due to the fact that they had to bring the kid who had barely broken through to the Martial Extremity Realm, they took four whole hours before arriving.
The only reason they moved so quickly was because Shang Ke taught Shang Xia a movement technique along the way, the Irregular Steps!
Otherwise, they would have to waste more time waiting for Shang Xia to move at his own pace!
Shang Xia’s desire to learn a movement technique had already been ignited when he was hunted down by Yan Ming the other time.
In the Scripture Depository, he wanted to look for a suitable one but he felt that they were far too lacking compared to the Shang Clan’s Irregular Steps!
The movement techniques available to the general population of cultivators were either focused on close combat battles or traveling far distances. Only rarely would one find movement techniques that did both.
Of course, focusing on both would mean that they couldn’t bring out the benefits of either side fully.
The Irregular Steps was praised by Kou Chongxue to be the second best movement technique in Tongyou City! It only lost to the Yun Family’s Delicate Cloud Steps.
His evaluation was enough to prove the technique’s worth.
Due to the fact that the Irregular Steps focused on speed, it was the only aspect that was better than the Yun Family’s Delicate Cloud Steps. With Shang Ke’s teaching and experts at the level of Yun Yishu and Shang Bing giving Shang Xia pointers at the side,, he managed to learn it extremely quickly. His speed increased visibly, reducing the burden he brought to the rest.
Naturally, Shang Xia only managed to gain a preliminary understanding of the Irregular Steps. He had to practice a lot more in the future.
Ever since Shang Xia entered the Martial Realm, he hadn’t truly cultivated a technique that belonged solely to the Shang Clan. Now that he was imparted the Irregular Steps, it was the first inheritance technique he received.
As they approached the Four Spiritual Peak, the five of them started to withdraw their aura as they selected the most complicated of terrain. They needed to avoid detection at all costs.
In the last fifty miles, Ji Wenlong brought out five talismans and handed them to everyone in the party.
When Shang Xia held the talisman in his hand, he could feel that it was made with a type of special material.
He looked at the runes inscribed on it and saw that it was much more complicated than what he had drawn in the past. He had no idea what the runes represented.
“This is a concealment talisman. It can hide our aura and prevent it from leaking to the outside world.” Shang Ke’s voice entered Shang Xia’s ear and he introduced it briefly.
Shang Xia followed Shang Ke’s instructions and imbued his inner qi into the talisman. After doing it, he slapped it against his chest.
As the light around them started to distort, their figures became blurry.
“This is only effective for two hours at best. Once we see that old swallow, let’s wrap it up as soon as we can.”
That was the first time Shang Xia heard Ji Wenlong say anything during the entire trip.
His tone was firm and there was no room for negotiation. Shang Xia wouldn’t dare to say anything that went against him, but Shang Ke and the rest seemed to be accustomed to it.
“Two hours… It would be a little difficult to convince that old hag…”
“You should know how cautious they are… They won’t give us anything without obtaining some benefits upfront. Now that we’re looking for them in such haste, they’ll definitely try to rip us off!”
Ji Wenlong snorted, “Alright. I’ll do the negotiating then.”
Shang Xia might not be able to see anyone who spoke but he could guess how ugly Ji Wenlong’s expression was.
When Shang Xia let his thoughts run wild, a formless hand slapped his shoulder and Yun Yishu spoke in an unwavering voice. “Enough! Little brat, you’ll be in charge of negotiating with the old hag!”
As they approached the Spiritual Swallow Peak, they avoided several patrol squads and went towards a hidden entrance.
Ji Wenlong’s voice rang in their heads all of a sudden. “She’s here…”
A chuckle came from the depths of the valley as soon as he spoke. “Since all of you are here, why don’t you reveal yourselves? Are you waiting for me to personally welcome you?”
Ji Wenlong was the first to reveal himself. He walked straight into the valley.
Shang Xia slowly tore off the talisman from his chest. He discovered that the talisman was completely intact but it started to leak heaven and earth qi.
Shang Ke and Shang Bing did the same, but Shang Xia discovered that he couldn’t feel the slightest trace of Yun Yishu.
“Head on in. I’ll keep a lookout.” Yun Yishu’s voice echoed in Shang Xia’s mind.
That was the Yun Clan’s secret concealment technique. It was also the reason why the Yun Clan was in charge of the Outreach Division in the Tongyou Institution.
Shang Xia kept the talisman in his robes before following behind the three seniors.
As soon as they entered, they saw a kind old lady looking at them.
She held a staff that was much taller than her, but the smile on her face didn’t fade as she looked at those who came.
Shang Xia’s gaze quickly fell on the person behind the old woman.
It was someone extremely familiar, and he was greeted with a glare. As their gazes clashed in mid air, Shang Xia cursed in his heart.?Why is she here?!