Chapter 162: The Three-Man Vanguard

I talked with Old Li for a long time—about family, careers, and many other things we had encountered or might encounter in the future.

As Old Li put it, now that we had embarked upon the path of cultivation, we were destined never to return smoothly to the ordinary world.

The cultivation world actually offered a deeper understanding of the warmth and coldness of human nature. The cultivators who championed justice represented its warmth.

By contrast, the villains who committed every imaginable evil represented its coldness. That was why even the smallest of people could still give you hope.

That was the cultivation world. There was little pretense there—only spiritual energy and cultivation.

Whenever I spoke with an adult, I always learned a great deal about the ways of the world. That was why I preferred opening my heart to mature people.

It was pitch-black outside the window. Apart from the faint glow of the warning signs along the nearby highway, I could not see another car.

It was already past midnight. We had only traveled half the distance, yet I was not in any hurry.

Where there is a mountain, there will be a path; where there is a river, a bridge will eventually appear.

It was obvious that Li Zijian and Chen Chen were truly exhausted. Their faint snores had begun, and they slept without moving an inch.

I looked outside through the sunroof. The weather was still perfectly clear, and countless stars glittered in the sky.

“So this is the mortal world after all...”

I murmured softly, then began to recall the past.

Once, I had been fairly popular at school and in my class. Every day after lessons, I would fool around with my classmates. Sometimes, we would even climb over the school wall to visit an Internet café.

But now? After the sudden appearance of the Ghost King, two classes of a hundred students had been reduced to only six survivors.

Those six could not be said to possess extraordinary abilities, but they had all entered this unknown and wondrous world of cultivation.

And I had somehow become a little hero in this area. I suppose it was a blessing in disguise.

......

Gradually, I began to feel sleepy, so I lay back in my seat and fell asleep.

The car drove very smoothly, and I slept soundly. When I woke again, it was because a ray of sunlight had fallen across my face.

I opened my eyes groggily. Chen Chen and Li Zijian were already awake, admiring the scenery outside.

I glanced at the time on my phone. It was already past four, nearly five. After speeding through the night, the car was also close to its destination.

“Brother Yao, it’s beautiful here!”

Chen Chen leaned over the car window to look outside. He was originally a young master from a wealthy family, yet he looked as though he had never seen the world before.

Li Zijian, on the other hand, remained perfectly calm. Leaning lazily against his seat, he gazed out the window, seemingly lost in thought.

Gradually, we passed the place where I had encountered wild beasts on my first visit.

The memories of that time remained vivid. Only, the leaves surrounding us had all fallen, giving the area a somewhat desolate appearance.

In their place stood row after row of chrysanthemums. There were many varieties, and their colors were exceptionally vivid.

As the car continued forward, I slowly caught sight of that towering gate that seemed to pierce the clouds. It appeared that we had entered Tianyang Mountain.

The weather was bitterly cold, with temperatures close to freezing. Old Li even said that it would snow today.

Speaking of which, my Snow Blade grew more powerful in cold environments. Combined with my excellent condition, everything seemed to be in my favor.

I was filled with confidence about facing today’s enemies.

The car drove onto the stone road, and even Old Li could not help sighing.

“This truly is a great sect...”

When I had first come here, I had reacted much like them. But after a while, the grandeur no longer impressed me.

As we were nearing the gate, I heard the clash of blades and swords.

“They came this quickly?”

Old Li asked the question, but I had no answer. I was just as puzzled.

“Get out. We’ll run over.”

With that, I was the first to leave the car and ran toward the gate, dragging my long robe behind me.

From a distance, I could see two groups of people fighting. There were only three opponents, while more than twenty disciples of Tianyang Mountain were engaged against them. Yet they were still losing, and many had already been injured.

Those three had to be members of the Xia family. One of them shouted,

“You worthless trash! Hurry up and hand this blessed land of Tianyang Mountain over to us! Hahahaha!”

Seeing how fierce the battle was, I instantly changed direction and climbed straight up a towering tree nearby.

From my elevated position, I surveyed the area. For the moment, there seemed to be only those three.

I gathered strength in my legs and leaped down. In midair, I shot forward a considerable distance.

That carried me directly to the front of the gate. By then, many disciples were pointing at me overhead.

“Who is that? His shadow looks so familiar...”

“Could he be here to attack us?”

“No, wait... Isn’t that Lin Yao?”

“It really is Lin Yao! Our guest elder!”

While they were speaking, I drew the Snow Blade in midair. After adjusting my distance, I swung it directly at the three men.

At the same time, I swiftly summoned five bolts of lightning. I did not realize it then, but the disciples of Tianyang Mountain later told me that I had looked incredibly impressive that day—a white figure diving from the sky at tremendous speed, accompanied by five bolts of lightning.

But back to the matter at hand: those five bolts of lightning were faster than I was. They struck the three men before I reached them.

Yet the three men did not die. They even managed to get back on their feet.

But by then, it no longer mattered.

With a single slash, one man’s head fell to the ground. I landed steadily before the gate.

Two slashes. Three slashes.

The remaining two men were also cut down.

“It really is Lin Yao! Quickly, call the elder out!”

An elderly man soon emerged from behind them, and everyone bowed together.

He should be the only elder remaining at the sect. I did not know many of Tianyang Mountain’s elders, so I could not recall his name.

By then, Chen Chen, Li Zijian, and Old Li had also arrived.

“I am Yan Gan. Greetings, Elder Lin.”

I was still not accustomed to being addressed as an elder. I waved my hand, then said to Elder Yan,

“My name is Lin Yao. Greetings, Elder Yan. You may simply call me Lin Yao.”

I was certain that I had never met Elder Yan before. He wore the standard robes of an elder, and his cultivation was at the first rank of the Spiritual Lotus Realm, roughly the same as the other old men.

The only difference was that tucked into his waist was a smoking pipe and tobacco pouch similar to Second Uncle’s.

Elder Yan smiled in satisfaction and hurriedly invited us inside.

“Please tell me what happened.”

Chen Chen and Li Zijian followed behind me, admiring the scenery and praising it repeatedly. I, however, had no time for such leisure.

“The Xia family kept quiet for a while, but now they’ve started causing trouble again. This time, they chose our Tianyang Mountain.”

“There are no other sects near Tianyang Mountain, so our friends from the allied sects have not arrived yet. No one expected the Xia family to come so early.”

“Those three were merely the Xia family’s vanguard. The Xia family is still recruiting people and gathering forces, hoping to wipe out Tianyang Mountain in one decisive strike.”

“Most of the elders and core disciples from the mountain have gone out to train. We have already sent word to them, but they will not be able to return until this afternoon.”