Volume 3 Chapter 91 / Chapter 258: Senior Brother, The Flea Challenges the Giant
Boom—!
In an instant, dark clouds loomed over the city as lightning filled the skies above the forbidden grounds of the Shadowmoon Sword Sect. Thunderous flashes lit up the thousand-acre expanse, shaking heaven and earth.
Over a dozen elders of the Shadowmoon Sword Sect joined forces, focusing their combined might on the boundary stele of the forbidden grounds. The earth itself seemed to twist and convulse like a dragon awakening. Violent gales rose, as if threatening to level the mountains and rivers within a thousand miles at any moment.
Thirty miles east of the boundary stele, before an ancient, weathered cave, a lone figure stood silently. He gazed up at the towering spiritual lights emitted by the Nascent Soul cultivators.
“Hah—”
Ye Anping let out a soft breath, though he couldn’t help but feel a pang of awe. When Nascent Soul cultivators truly unleashed their power, someone like him, a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, couldn’t even dream of catching up. The difference between their realms was like heaven and earth.
Facing a Core Formation cultivator head-on was already a tremendous challenge. For someone at his cultivation level, victory was possible only by identifying a weakness and making meticulous preparations in advance.
However, if the opponent was a Nascent Soul cultivator, no amount of strategy or cunning would suffice.
There was a saying: when a mother’s child is in danger, she can unleash strength a hundredfold her usual capacity, lifting objects weighing several tons with ease.
A hundredfold is the physical limit of human muscles and bones.
The difference between Core Formation and Foundation Establishment realms—whether in physical body or spiritual soul—is a hundredfold. For Nascent Soul cultivators, this disparity multiplies further, far exceeding what courage or love can bridge.
And yet, what he was about to attempt was precisely that—a flea challenging a giant.
“I really am overestimating myself, aren’t I? Heh…”
“Senior Brother, I’m ready!”
A voice called from the cave behind him, pulling Ye Anping out of his thoughts. He summoned his spiritual sword from his storage bag and turned to enter.
The cave was overgrown with weeds and vines. Within, Pei Lengxue stood before a cracked and weathered stone stele, holding the Snow Qiong of the Myriad Spirits Sword in her hand. She was dressed in golden-white celestial robes, with feathered sashes fluttering around her. Spiritual energy shimmered faintly around her figure.
It’s often said that after a night of intimacy, a young woman gains a newfound air of maturity. Yet, as Ye Anping looked at her now, she seemed unchanged. Her clear eyes still sparkled with the naive curiosity of a girl.
“Are your legs still sore?”
“They’re fine! In fact, I feel much more energetic than before. My spiritual energy flows more smoothly now.”
“Well, that’s to be expected. Let’s prepare to break the seal.”
Ye Anping sighed wryly. When he had checked his junior sister’s meridians earlier, he discovered that much of the cultivation base he had accumulated from the Qiong Peak Incident had somehow been transferred to her.
Under normal circumstances, Dao Companions were supposed to complement each other, sharing strengths and advancing together. However, whether due to her subconscious actions or her unique physique, his junior sister had absorbed his spiritual energy as if he were merely a cauldron furnace. As a result, his own cultivation base had been significantly depleted, while hers had surged ahead by leaps and bounds.
Fortunately, thanks to his cheat-like abilities, he always had an overflow of spiritual energy and cultivation base, so her absorption didn’t have much of an impact on him.
But while it was fine for now, continuing like this would inevitably lead to problems.
Typical methods of cultivation involve meditative absorption, drawing from the earth’s spiritual veins, or even direct infusion from spiritual springs. Each method is a field of study in itself. If performed incorrectly, these methods could not only fail to enhance cultivation but could also lead to catastrophic consequences, such as damaged meridians or even self-destruction.
Having no prior knowledge of dual cultivation techniques, Ye Anping realized he would need to seek guidance from someone knowledgeable in this area.
But from whom?
If he sought advice from his mother, she would undoubtedly explain everything to him in meticulous detail.
However, knowing his mother’s personality, Kong Yulan would almost certainly insist on staying by his side during the act to supervise and instruct…
Being watched by his mother while cultivating with his junior sister…
It might be acceptable by the norms of this world, but Ye Anping found the idea deeply unsettling.
Perhaps he could consult Sima Xuanji?
But if he asked her, she would almost certainly insist on personally demonstrating him the dual cultivation techniques.
Hm…. personally demonstrating…
Ye Anping glanced down at his own slender frame, unsure whether he could handle the demands of a demonstration from a Void Return Realm cultivator.
There’s also the fact that Yunluo mother is probably going to do demonstration with him many times after the first one, probably using ‘worried that he might forgot how to do it’ as an excuse
As Ye Anping stood frozen in thought, contemplating his situation, Pei Lengxue tilted her head curiously, her soft voice breaking the silence.
“Senior Brother, what’s wrong? What are you thinking about?”
“It’s nothing…” Ye Anping shook himself from his daze, offering a faint smile. “Just thinking about a few things.”
“What kind of things?”
“Nothing important. Saving Yun Xi is what matters now.”
He exhaled slowly, channeling spiritual energy into his right hand. Lifting his sword, he prepared to assist his junior sister in breaking the barrier before them.
The Shadowmoon Sword Sect’s forbidden grounds were protected by Yun Tianchong’s formation. No one could enter without meeting certain conditions. Breaking the restriction required specific methods: using Yun Xi’s Yun family bloodline alongside the Sword Inquiry Technique, as Zhuang Yan had done, or relying on the combined power of multiple Nascent Soul cultivators like Yun Yiyi.
Ye Anping intended to bypass these requirements by using Immortal Yun Jian’s Snow Qiong of the Myriad Spirits Sword in conjunction with their two sword techniques to breach the barrier.
Just as he readied himself, Pei Lengxue unexpectedly lowered her sword and approached him, grabbing his hand with a slight pout.
“Senior Brother!”
“Hmm?”
“If there’s something troubling you, you can tell me. I can help!” Pei Lengxue frowned deeply, speaking in a rare burst of eloquence. “Didn’t you say I’ve grown up? Then from now on, you can rely on me more. Whatever it is, we can think of a solution together. Every time before, you’ve always carried the burden alone… thinking everything through for my sake. I don’t want you to exhaust yourself like that.”
“…”
“I want Senior Brother to take a moment to rest too. Just lie in my arms for a while, like I used to rest in yours. Don’t think about anything, just listen to me. It felt so light and carefree back then. In the future, you can be like that too. I’ll think everything through for you. You can depend on me—I’ll protect you!”
“Phew—” Ye Anping couldn’t help but laugh softly. He reached out to tap her lightly on the forehead. “Silly girl, you’re still far from ready. Planning ahead requires looking three steps forward, strategizing a thousand moves in advance. You can’t even beat Atin in a game of chess, and now you think you’re some kind of master strategist?”
“I’m not silly… I’ve been following you for so long, I’ve picked up plenty just by watching.”
Amused, Ye Anping decided to test her:
“Alright then, if Yun Xi knew we were here, what do you think she’d say?”
“Hmmm…” Pei Lengxue pondered for a moment, holding her chin. “She’d probably think, ‘Oh, Junior Sister Pei brought Senior Brother to rescue me!’”
“No, she’d just scold us.” Ye Anping chuckled. “She’d shout something like, ‘Junior Sister Pei! Stop showing off your love with your Senior Brother! Can’t you see I’m about to die here?!’”
Pei Lengxue considered his words and found them plausible. Embarrassed, she nodded.
“You’re probably right…”
“Then don’t just stand there. If we’re any later, she might really be out of time. Yun Kunwu is an arrogant man, and while Yun Xi tends to submit to force, to him she’s nothing more than a toy. He wouldn’t kill her outright, but when Elder Tian Xing and the others arrive, Yun Kunwu will likely use her as a shield, putting them at a disadvantage.”
“So, what’s our plan?”
“Timing, location, and harmony. Timing is determined by the heavens, and harmony is something I’ve already prepared. All that remains is to shift the advantage of location toward Elder Tian Xing’s side, helping them kill Yun Kunwu and Zhuang Yan. Let’s go. Break the barrier.”
Pei Lengxue nodded in agreement, stepping five feet away and raising her spiritual sword alongside Ye Anping.
Powerful energy surged around their blades, transforming into dozens of sword shadows that struck the ancient stone stele before them. Dust and debris filled the air, enveloping the pair in a thick cloud.
When the dust settled, their figures had vanished.