Chapter 159: The Ones of Old Have Ridden the Yellow Crane, Leaving Only the Empty Tower Behind

After leaving the White Tiger West territory, the area where the Beast Tide had erupted grew more and more distant. The Venerable Elders slowed their pace, having carved out a safe path for the larger group behind them. Now, they were simply waiting for the others to catch up.

As the stragglers who’d been dragged along, Lian Mu and her group, along with Shen Wuxie and Gu Qingyu, had no choice but to fight demonic beasts alongside the Elders. They witnessed firsthand just how terrifyingly powerful these Venerable Elders were—any one of them could easily wipe the floor with juniors like themselves.

Compared to that, the so-called top disciples suddenly didn’t seem so impressive. None of them dared to show off in front of the Elders, not even Shen Wuxie, who had noticeably toned things down.

Two hours later, the main forces of the Four Great Sects finally caught up with them, just as they entered the skies above the Azure Dragon East territory.

Murong Yi tossed Lian Mu and the others back into the Returning Immortal Sect’s formation. The group exchanged glances with Guan Huailin, all of them looking equally bewildered.

Standing atop his sword, Guan Huailin floated level with Lian Mu’s silver kite. He asked, “You really ran into a Venerable Elder? Venerable Murong didn’t punish you, did he?”

Wen Yun replied, “Senior Brother Guan, we’re fine.”

Guan Huailin let out a breath of relief. “Good. Don’t run off like that again. Venerable Murong happened to be in a good mood today—next time, you might not be so lucky.”

Lian Mu sat cross-legged on her silver kite, her hair whipping wildly in the wind. The gusts in Azure Dragon East were indeed fierce. Even though they were flying slowly, the wind still felt strong enough to blow them right off their swords.

She glanced around casually, her eyes drifting toward the Azure Profound Sect. Remembering something she’d heard earlier, her gaze lingered a moment longer on Ying You, who was leading the sword formation.

Ying You didn’t notice her. He kept his eyes fixed straight ahead, his white sect robes billowing in the wind. From Lian Mu’s angle, she could just make out the sharp lines of his profile.

“…”

After a moment’s thought, Lian Mu called out, “Ying You, didn’t you say you wanted to be friends with me?”

The moment she spoke, disciples from several sects turned to look.

Ying You tilted his head slightly and saw her smiling at him. He blinked, puzzled. “You…”

“Who wants to be friends with you?” Gu Qingyu cut in. “Don’t flatter yourself. Our Team Leader wouldn’t associate with someone like you.”

Lian Mu raised an eyebrow. “Oh really?”

Xu Xianxing immediately jumped in. “She was talking to Ying You, not you. Why are you butting in?”

Before Ying You could even respond, the two sides had already started arguing.

Gu Qingyu snapped, “Our Team Leader is on a whole different level than you. You’re a sword cultivator too—don’t you know your own place?”

Ji Mingyue, understanding Lian Mu’s intent, chimed in, “Wasn’t it your Team Leader who first said he wanted to be friends with Lian Mu?”

That remark stunned everyone.

Lian Mu heard Gu Qingyu’s words and noticed Ying You staring at her, as if waiting for her response.

His serious expression amused her, and she smiled. “Actually, I’m not interested in your Team Leader. The one I want to get to know is the person beside him.”

Ji Mingyue: “…”

Why reveal your target right off the bat?

The person beside Ying You… who could that be?

Everyone instinctively looked toward the spot next to Ying You. Even Guan Huailin couldn’t help but be curious.

“Fengyun Yi?”

From the Clear Thought Sect’s ranks, Shen Wuxie blurted out, “Lian Mu’s interested in Fengyun Yi?”

Why would Lian Mu suddenly want to get to know Fengyun Yi? And even go so far as to strike up a conversation with Ying You for it?

Shen Wuxie’s eyes widened in realization. “Lian Mu, don’t tell me… you like Fengyun Yi?”

Tang Wuxun immediately smacked him upside the head, then turned to the Returning Immortal Sect with an apologetic smile. “Please don’t mind him. He’s just talking nonsense.”

Fengyun Yi was from the Azure Profound Sect, and Lian Mu was not someone to be trifled with. Was that something you could just blurt out?

The Clear Thought Sect had just received a challenge from the Azure Profound Sect. If they ended up provoking Lian Mu too, they might as well withdraw from the rest of the competition.

Tang Wuxun’s palms were sweating. He glanced nervously at Lian Mu, but her expression hadn’t changed in the slightest. Instead, she was staring directly at Fengyun Yi.

Fengyun Yi looked completely lost, eyes wide in confusion. He glanced helplessly at Ying You, who remained expressionless, lost in thought.

After a long pause, Ying You finally spoke. “I see.”

“If you want to get to know our sect’s Chief Alchemist, you can go to him directly. There’s no need to go through me.”

With that, he turned around and continued flying forward on his sword, not sparing another glance.

Fengyun Yi and Lian Mu exchanged a look. She gave him a smile.

Fengyun Yi lowered his eyes and pressed his lips together. Without a word, he stepped onto his silver kite and hurried after Ying You.

Silence fell over the group. “…”

Truth be told, hardly anyone believed Lian Mu actually liked Fengyun Yi. Most figured she had her eyes on the Azure Profound Sect’s spirit herbs and pills again. She was probably trying to win Fengyun Yi over so he’d lower his guard—just another setup for a future heist.

“Lian Mu, you…” Ji Mingyue hesitated.

Lian Mu patted her hand. “It’s fine. I know what I’m doing.”

With so many people watching, Ji Mingyue couldn’t say much more. She only managed a single sentence: “Just be careful.”

The Azure Profound Sect’s group picked up speed and quickly surged ahead. Once they were out of sight, the other sects’ disciples withdrew their gazes and focused on the journey.

Half an hour later, the group finally caught sight of the endless sea at the edge of Azure Dragon East. From a distance, the sky and water met in a seamless expanse of blue.

The Azure Profound Sect’s group had long since vanished into the distance, leaving the three sects behind to fly at a leisurely pace. As they soared through the skies, they joked and bantered while admiring the scenery of Azure Dragon East.

This region was relatively safe, so the Venerable Elders allowed them to mess around. The overall route remained unchanged; they were simply flying slower.

“Where’s the Crimson Sky Sect?” Xu Xianxing sat on the edge of the silver kite, legs swinging in the air without the slightest concern about falling. “Didn’t they say their sect is half on land and half in the sea? Why haven’t I seen anything yet…”

“The Crimson Sky Sect is over by the Endless Sea. There are five islands in total on the Endless Sea, and Crimson Sky Sect is on Yinghui Island. The largest of them all is Penglai Immortal Island,” Bai Li Que explained. “It was also the former site of the Penglai Sect.”

Lian Mu looked up and saw a glowing palace suspended in the distant sky, refracting a rainbow of colors under the sunlight—dazzling and radiant.

“That’s a natural illusion unique to Azure Dragon East. It only appears over the sea after rain when the skies clear. Mortals can’t see Penglai Island itself—they only see the illusion in the sky and believe that heavenly palace is where the immortals of Penglai live,” Bai Li Que said. “But it’s all just an illusion. Back in the day, Penglai Sect cultivators didn’t live in the sky.”

Xu Xianxing sighed, “What a shame the ruins of Penglai Sect are sealed off. I really wanted to see what the sect that once stood shoulder to shoulder with the Returning Immortal Sect looked like.”

Wen Yun added, “A long time ago, my mother took me there once. The Penglai Sect grounds were filled with flowers and plants unique to Azure Dragon East, blooming year-round, with rare spirit herbs growing everywhere. But the people were gone, and no matter how lush the flowers, the cultivators of Penglai Sect would never return.”

They had sacrificed their entire sect to perish alongside the demon race. In the chaos that followed for centuries, only the Penglai Sect had dared to make such a stand—and only they had succeeded.

That glorious, tragic legacy had been remembered ever since. As the inheritor of that legacy, the Crimson Sky Sect had earned its place among the Four Great Sects, even without any earth-shaking figures at its founding.

“Hold on tight, we’re about to reach the Profound Water,” Murong Yi flew over and gave Xu Xianxing, who was still perched on the edge, a kick back into place. “You troublemakers—if you fall into the Profound Water, you’ll lose more than just your skin.”

Lian Mu peeked her head out. The silver kite was descending lower and lower, nearly brushing the ground. Before long, they flew into a vast body of water.

On the shore stood an old, weathered sign whose age was impossible to tell.

There were eight large characters written on the wooden board, but Lian Mu couldn’t read them—it seemed to be a local script unique to this region.

The water beneath the silver kite was pitch black, and one could faintly see their own reflection on its surface.

Xu Xianxing reached out to test the water, but Murong Yi smacked his hand away. “Don’t touch that.”

Xu Xianxing rubbed his fingers. “Why not?”

Murong Yi replied, “The Profound Water won’t accept you. If your hand goes in, your bones will melt.”

Lian Mu asked, “Only people from the Crimson Sky Sect can touch it?”

Murong Yi shook his head, “Not even many in the Crimson Sky Sect dare to touch it. But this is the only way to reach the Five Islands. If it weren’t necessary, we wouldn’t be bringing you through here. This water only acknowledges disciples of the Penglai Sect—or those deemed worthy of entering it.”

“Does the Penglai Sect eat people or something?” Xu Xianxing muttered. “This place is way too dangerous.”

Murong Yi smiled faintly. “The Profound Water only recognizes those who are free of desire and wholly devoted to the Dao. Anyone burdened with too much emotion or attachment will be devoured by it. This used to be one of the ways Penglai Sect selected its disciples—only those who could pass through this water were qualified to join.”

“It’s turned black from consuming too many people driven by desire.”

Guan Shize, who had just been about to test the water himself, quickly pulled his hand back. “So the Penglai Sect was just full of emotionless people?”

“Mostly,” Murong Yi said. “But their methods are outdated. Cultivators are still human, after all. Until you ascend to immortality, you’ll have desires—it’s nothing to be ashamed of. These days, people value emotion and loyalty. The Penglai Sect’s way of choosing disciples doesn’t fit anymore.”

“So sit tight and behave. Don’t stir up trouble on the Profound Water. If you fall in, even I won’t be able to save you.”

Just as he finished speaking, a scream rang out from the Clear Thought Sect’s side.

Shen Wuxie clutched his hand, writhing in pain on the silver kite. The part of his finger that had touched the Profound Water was already stripped to the bone.

Feng Huanyin, exasperated, stuffed a pill into his mouth. “Serves you right. We told you not to touch it, but you just had to. Why not just jump in and take a bath while you’re at it?”

Shen Wuxie howled in agony and nearly rolled right off the kite. Thankfully, Tang Wuxun reacted quickly and grabbed him in time.

With Shen Wuxie’s unfortunate demonstration, everyone else grew far more respectful of the Profound Water. No one dared to test their luck anymore—they just wanted to get across safely.

Lian Mu realized her seat was a bit too close to the edge, so she scooted inward. But as she moved, the silver bracelet on her wrist shifted as well. After a few twists and turns, it transformed into the shape of a scorpion.

Lian Mu had a bad feeling. She reached out to grab Green Bean, but just as her fingers twitched, Green Bean let out a soft *plop* and jumped straight into the water. Its dark body blended instantly with the black surface, vanishing without a trace.

Lian Mu: “……”

If I’d known earlier, I wouldn’t have brought it along—it’s nothing but trouble for her every single day.