Chapter 69 — The Past
劍問蒼天 · Page 2 of 6
Zhang Qingyue's heart all but leaped from his chest; his mouth opened wide, yet no sound would come. Just then, a white shadow flashed—a figure stood before Tian Lingsu, hands sweeping, and at once sent both treasures flying back. From the distant darkness came several furious shouts and several cries of alarm.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and looked toward the figure: it was none other than their master's wife, Su Wan.
Su Wan turned quickly and looked Tian Lingsu up and down. "Ling'er, are you all right?"
Tian Lingsu, still shaken, nodded. "I'm fine, Mother."
Su Wan's brows were tightly knit. The demon cult followers were pressing in again, and she said urgently, "Go, all of you, quickly! This place is no place to linger! Once you break out, leave this island—we'll meet in Changhe City in the East Sea."
Song Dayi, Tian Lingsu, and the others were startled, but seeing Su Wan's stern face, they dared not argue. Tian Lingsu assented, and the Dazhu Peak group fell back.
The field was in chaos now, the fighting desperate beyond measure. Su Wan darted left and right; wherever she saw a young orthodox disciple in peril, she rushed to the rescue and sent them retreating. Her cultivation was high, far above the ordinary demon cult followers, and in the night her figure drifted and swayed with graceful poise, betraying not the slightest sign of urgency.
When a gap came, she lifted her head and gazed upward: the clouds above were heavy and dark, yet light flashed wildly through them. There in midair were Cangyan Daoren and Tian Buhui, locked in battle with the demon cult's Baidu Zi and the Elder Duanmu.
Her heart was full of worry, but seeing that Tian Buhui, though he had just fought the old blood-sucking demon, still did not fall behind against Elder Duanmu, she was somewhat comforted.
By now, after several charges and rescues by Su Wan, many of the orthodox disciples had already gone their separate ways; those left on the field were mostly Lu Xueling and others of deeper cultivation, far fewer in number. But on the demon cult's side as well, many appeared to have gone off in pursuit, so although the orthodox side was still at a disadvantage, for the moment there was no great danger.
Only, Su Wan's heart grew more and more anxious, for there ahead of her, from first to last, the demon cult's most mysterious Nether King and that Qinglong had stood there all along, smiling as they watched the play.
On the demon cult's side, the Nether King and Qinglong stood side by side, watching the orthodox disciples flee one after another. Qinglong said mildly, "Do you mean to let these people go?"
The Nether King smiled. "These young disciples are of no consequence. Besides, we did not come to Mount Liubo this time to fight the orthodox sort to the death!"
Qinglong nodded, looked up at the sky, and said, "These two—they were among those five the Canglan Sect chased into the wilds back then, were they not?"
The Nether King said, "Indeed. Cangyan Daoren, Tian Buhui, and there were Shang Zhengliang, Zeng Shuchang, and one more, Wan Jiangu—those five."
Qinglong sighed softly. "A hundred years pass in a hurry. Back then these men were no more than hot-blooded young killers; now they all stand on their own."
The Nether King smiled faintly. "Brother Long, you were away on business then. Otherwise, with you four Holy Envoys present, our Holy Cult might not have turned the defeat at Canglan Mountain, but at least we would not have lost so wretchedly!"
Qinglong shook his head. "Impossible. A hundred years ago was the height of the three great orthodox sects; those old devils who would not die all came out of seclusion, and even we could not have withstood them. But heh—heh—laughable, that after thousands of years of our Holy Cult, in the Holy Hall of the wilds, five men should have charged in and sent us crumbling at the first wind..."