140. Transfer Order

No one could have imagined that the words spoken by Perfected Gu all those years ago would actually come true.

When the demon cultivators of the Eastern Sea invaded, the various sects of Lingcang reacted swiftly and drove them back. Yet as the breach in the Abyss of Darkness grew wider and more demon cultivators poured through, the conflict gradually turned into a stalemate.

The people of the Western Sea had never known that, after ten thousand years, the Eastern Sea could possess so many demon cultivators. When they invaded, they blotted out the sky and covered the sun, so that not even daylight could be seen.

The eastern coast of the Lingcang Continent, together with the Starfall Sea, was dragged into a bitter struggle.

When Lingyu heard of the invasion, she had still been considering where to travel next and had paid little attention to it. Lingcang had enjoyed peace for far too long, and with so many high-ranking cultivators, surely the situation would be settled soon.

She was not alone in thinking so. Every disciple of the Supreme White Sect had assumed the same.

But before she could even set out, matters had already grown far more serious.

Ning’an City had nearly fallen. The demon cultivators advanced in force from east to west, and overnight, the signs of storm gathered on every horizon. The entire Supreme White Sect was thrown into unease.

Lingyu was somewhat surprised. With so many high-ranking cultivators in Lingcang, how had the fighting become so intense so quickly?

Then the situation began to develop in a direction no one had anticipated.

The leakage of the Abyss of Darkness in the Starfall Sea was especially severe, and had instead formed a natural barrier, keeping the demon cultivators outside. The Lingcang Continent, however, faced the vast sea to the east and stretched out in an unobstructed plain. It had become the hardest-hit region.

Faced with demon cultivators too numerous to count, the major sects finally began treating the matter with the seriousness it deserved. The mortals and cultivators living along the coast were all relocated inland. Taking the Starfall Sea as their model, they drew out the darkness leaking from Profound Ice Island to create an artificial line of defense. In the end, they divided the region into zones and established formations throughout.

In a mere year, beginning with the disappearance of Great Evolution City, the situation in the Azure Abyss Realm was turned upside down. A war no one had ever imagined descended upon them just like that.

No one could quite believe it was real. Everyone felt as though they were trapped in a dream.

But every day, when they went outside, they heard the latest battle reports, reminding them that it was all terribly real.

Lingyu’s travel plans had no choice but to be postponed again and again.

Among the major sects, the Ghost Cry Mound, Imperial Wind Academy, White Deer Convent, Scarlet Heart Pavilion, and Peaceful Return Temple lay closest to the sea. The Ghost Cry Mound stood directly on the coast, facing Profound Ice Island from afar.

The Ghost Cry Mound had always been an exceedingly mysterious sect. It belonged to the demonic path, yet had little contact with the other demonic sects, standing in lonely isolation in the northeast. Only now, when circumstances left it no choice, had it been drawn into the conflict. It was only then that the cultivators of Lingcang gradually came to understand the sect.

As it turned out, the Ghost Cry Mound practiced the art of spirit control. The most typical examples were the monsters on Profound Ice Island, which the sect called ghost spirits.

When Lingyu heard this, she could not help thinking of Mount Zhurong several years earlier and of what Xu Jibo had said about the Ghost Cry Mound. That junior sister Xu truly was astonishingly knowledgeable. The Ghost Cry Mound had never involved itself in worldly affairs, yet she had somehow known its peculiarities.

The Supreme White Sect was located in the central region of Lingcang, still some distance from the battlefield. Even so, the atmosphere of war had already grown intense.

Every month, the sect sent disciples to the front. It also received severely wounded disciples and brought them back to recover. Perfected Canghua had few disciples, so nothing unusual could be sensed from Cloudwatch Peak. But each time Lingyu went to the main peak, she saw disciples hurrying to and fro, worry weighing on every face as they discussed the battles along the coast.

As time passed, the scene became increasingly pronounced. Great numbers of disciples were sent to the coast, and the Supreme White Sect suddenly seemed half-empty.

At first, Lingyu had thought the matter had nothing to do with her.

Then one day, she received a transfer order.

It had been delivered by the Hall of Disciplinary Affairs: a blood-red jade tablet engraved with her name, impossible to mistake for anything else.

Lingyu toyed with it for a while, then sighed. To go to war? For a sword cultivator, what could be better suited to tempering oneself than a battlefield?

It was just that her master was still in secluded cultivation. Leaving without him seemed somewhat improper. Perhaps she should report to her grandmaster? Though the old man was rather cold toward her, it was only right to inform him. More importantly, she found the order somewhat strange. Normally, a disciple like her would require her master’s approval before being sent to the battlefield.

Unable to make up her mind, Lingyu simply went to find Fang Xinyan.

With war upon them, even the usually tranquil Pavilion of Ten Thousand Arts had grown restless. As soon as Lingyu arrived, she saw the disciples guarding the entrance discussing that day’s battle reports.

“Senior Brothers, it has been many days since we last met. How have you been?”

She smiled brightly and bowed to the two men.

The gatekeepers returned her salute. One of them smiled as well. “Thanks to Junior Sister Cheng, we are doing quite well.”

The other asked, “Junior Sister Cheng, you have come to see Senior Sister Fang, haven’t you? She was saying only yesterday that you had not visited in a long time.”

Lingyu waved her hand. “It has hardly been that long—at most half a month. I’ll trouble you two to announce me.”

“Not at all. Junior Sister Cheng, you are too polite.”

One of the disciples sent a communication talisman. Before long, Fang Xinyan came out to receive her.

“Junior Sister Cheng!”

Lingyu exchanged greetings with the gatekeepers, then followed Fang Xinyan inside.

“If you had not come today, I would have gone to look for you tomorrow.” Fang Xinyan led her into her meditation chamber and invited her to sit, smiling as she spoke.

Lingyu looked at her in surprise. “Senior Sister Fang, you can leave the sect now?”

They had known each other for nearly four years, yet Lingyu had never once seen Fang Xinyan go out. She had vaguely mentioned before that Fang Ruowei wished her to remain in seclusion within the Pavilion of Ten Thousand Arts for several years, completely erasing all traces of her former life.

Fang Xinyan nodded lightly. “Not only can I leave the sect, I am going somewhere far away.”

Lingyu’s heart stirred. She took out her transfer order. “Could it be that you received one too?”

“You received one as well?” Fang Xinyan raised her brows slightly, then smiled. “Perfect. We sisters can travel together and look after each other.”

Lingyu pondered this. Apparently, it was not only her. A whole group of disciples had received transfer orders.

“Senior Sister Fang, my master has not emerged from seclusion, so I have not heard much. What exactly is going on?”

“Junior Sister Cheng, there is no need to worry. It is not a bad thing.” Fang Xinyan sensed her unease and spoke slowly. “The battles along the coast are currently at a stalemate, and the demon cultivators are too numerous to kill. You and the others have never traveled beyond the Foundation Establishment stage. This is a good opportunity to gain experience. It is also the sect master’s decision.”

“Oh…”

Lingyu felt somewhat relieved. No wonder Wei Wuyang had not been notified before her transfer order was issued. It had been an order from the sect master.

“So it is not only us?”

“My master told me that Uncle-Master Duanmu and Uncle-Master Lu will be going as well, along with a group of disciples of Core Formation Perfected Ones like us.”

Duanmu Cheng and Lu Yingfeng were only at the Foundation Establishment stage, but they were disciples of Nascent Soul cultivators, and thus senior to Lingyu and Fang Xinyan in seniority. Disciples of the same cultivation level without formal masters might address them as senior brothers or sisters to show familiarity, but disciples with established lineages like theirs generally followed seniority strictly when addressing one another.

Only then did Lingyu feel completely at ease. Thinking it over, she even grew somewhat excited.

“So this is a chance deliberately given to disciples like us to prove ourselves?”

“It should be.” Fang Xinyan’s eyes held a trace of yearning. “This is a wonderful opportunity for us. The Azure Abyss Realm has been peaceful for too long. Before our generation, people could only broaden their horizons by traveling everywhere. We, however, can go to the battlefield and fight. It is easy to imagine that ours will surely be the strongest generation in terms of martial power.”

Disorder was not a good thing, but it was not necessarily entirely bad either. For cultivators like them, fighting to the death was a far more effective way to increase their strength than traveling.

“Junior Sister Cheng, make your preparations. We will probably set out in three to five days.”

After leaving the Pavilion of Ten Thousand Arts, Lingyu returned to Cloudwatch Peak with her thoughts in turmoil.

“Uncle-Master Cheng.”

The junior steward disciple responsible for sweeping saw her enter and hurriedly bowed.

Lingyu waved her hand. She could not even be bothered to answer before walking inside, leaving the young disciple’s words stuck in his throat. After thinking about it, he did not follow her. She would see everything once she entered anyway.

After passing the medicinal garden in front, Lingyu lowered her head and was just about to enter the house when something flew toward her and struck her squarely on the forehead.

“Ow!”

She looked down and discovered that it was a plum. Instantly furious, she shouted, “How dare you throw something at me? Have you grown so bold that you need to be taught a lesson—”

Her voice stopped abruptly.

Beneath the great tree, a handsome young man lounged on a reclining chair, looking at her with a cold smile. One brow arched.

“Need to be taught a lesson? I think you are the one who has grown bold!”

Lingyu immediately fell silent and hurried over with an ingratiating smile.

“Master, you have emerged from seclusion?”

“What? You are not going to teach me a lesson anymore?” Wei Wuyang took a bite of the plum.

“How would your disciple dare? I was only joking…”

“Hmph!”

Wei Wuyang did not seriously pursue the matter. He crooked a finger, and Abi, who had been standing beside him, immediately offered up the fruit platter with even greater enthusiasm.

It had to be said that although Abi was somewhat simple-minded, she was quick to read the situation. She knew that it was better to curry favor with Wei Wuyang than with Lingyu. Under the pretext of serving her master’s master, she waited on Wei Wuyang even more diligently than she did on Lingyu herself.

The tactic worked quite well. Wei Wuyang was soft-hearted rather than forceful, and even the slightest thing that slipped through the fingers of a Core Formation cultivator was enough to benefit Abi, a little Qi Refining vine demon, beyond measure.

After finishing the plum, Wei Wuyang dusted off his hands and sat up, pointing to the stone stool opposite him.

Lingyu sat down and placed her hands properly on her knees, looking every inch like a disciple awaiting instruction.

“I have heard about what happened.” Wei Wuyang went straight to the point. “It is not only you. I will be going to the coast as well.”

“Master, you have only just emerged from seclusion…” Lingyu looked up in surprise.

“What can be done?” Wei Wuyang sighed. “When a true dragon appears, storms are bound to follow… Four years. At last, it has come to pass.”

“What are you talking about, Master?”

After sighing with emotion, Wei Wuyang happened to meet Lingyu’s wide, curious eyes. He thought for a moment, then decided not to explain further.

“This is both a crisis and an opportunity. Since ancient times, heroes have emerged from troubled times. Cultivators tempered through battle are entirely different from those who merely wear away the years in peaceful cultivation. When we go to the coast, I will not protect you. Everything will depend on your own efforts and your own battles. Do you understand?”

Lingyu’s expression grew solemn. “Yes, Master.”

Wei Wuyang smiled with satisfaction and leaned back.

“These past few years, you have not been lazy. Very good. I believe that with your talent and diligence, you will surely fight your way into a world of your own.”

It was the first time he had ever affirmed Lingyu’s talent and diligence. In the past, she had always felt that Wei Wuyang had accepted her as a disciple on a whim. Though he devoted himself fully to teaching her, she had never believed herself to be the disciple he truly wanted.

Now, having received these words, she straightened at once.

“Thank you, Master!”