Wait and See What Happens Next...

The next day, the Tengyun Pavilion led the Central Plains Wulin forces to strike camp. Gu Feidi and Su Yang found the secret mark Luo Yu left for them nearby. In the encrypted message, this war was planned by Su Huaizhu and Gu Ruohai. If following the alliance was unsuitable, he asked the two juniors to go straight to the Phantom City to find Su Huaizhu.

Gu Feidi was worried that his father’s group would encounter E’Luo Gui Faction’s ambush along the way. After discussing with Su Yang, they decided to follow the pace of the alliance’s force for the time being.

Two days later, the righteous group finally arrived at the edge of the Phantom City.

Because the city was deep into the wasteland, the surrounding terrain was no longer flat. Instead, there were sporadic boulders around, forming a rare place to take shelter in the plain.

Gu Feidi and Su Yang hid behind these boulders and gradually shortened the distance from the large group. But even then, they didn’t dare to get too close so as not to be discovered by scouts and cause any needless trouble.

In these two days, Gu Feidi and Su Yang encountered two more fights.

The first was during the day when they bypassed an enormous boulder to hide behind. As luck would have it, they ran into the Evil Sect scouts who had been lying in wait there to observe the Tengyun Pavilion’s movement.

It remained unclear why the moment the scouts saw Su Yang, it was like they didn’t recognize their own Young Master at all as they took the lead in launching an attack. Their assaults were fiercer than the prior ones, each aimed to take a life.

In self-defence, Su Yang and Gu Feidi had to kill the two scouts.

The second was during the night when they were ambushed by a party of five people dressed in black. The assassins had crossbows, bolts, and curved swords at their disposal. When they were at close combat distance, the five looked ready to put their lives on the line.

In that battle, the two fought into a corner, enough to force Su Yang to counter with Drunkard’s Plum Wine Slash which Gu Feidi cooperated with using his new but still preliminary sword technique. They managed to silence every last one of them. 

Gu Feidi was stabbed in the shoulder in order to protect Su Yang’s blind spot during the battle. Su Yang was distressed, he blamed himself and his offensive technique, but also vented his hatred toward those assassins.

“I’ve long known that this trip to the wasteland will be dangerous. You scold them, but they will still continue to come, one after another.” Gu Feidi was feeling frustrated, but he ended up laughing at Su Yang’s foul language toward their attackers. “Besides, there is no way to escape unscathed in the Jianghu. It’s but a small scratch, not enough to mend it. There is no need for you to always beat yourself up.”

Su Yang flattened his lips. “You don’t allow me to feel distressed for you?”

Gu Feidi smiled affectionately. “Why would I not permit it? You feeling distressed for me...makes me very happy.”

Su Yang put his palm against Gu Feidi’s face and pushed him away, pretending to feel disdain toward the loving fool.

* * *

As the righteous party arrived closer to the Phantom City, boulders appeared more and more frequently. The wind that blew all year round in the wasteland was suddenly disturbed by this magical-array-like giant stone forest. The wind’s direction changed. When it passed through the holes and gaps on the rocks, it would whistle out a continuous, eerie sound.

The boreal owls that were hovering above them seemed to be agitated by the natural flute sound and stopped their trailing. The birds rested on the rocks in the distance before they scattered away, leaving not one in sight.

The righteous elite members that had been on guard at all times due to the boreal owls were relieved to see the sky clear.

Behind a piece of rubble not far from them, Gu Feidi and Su Yang, with scarves wrapped over their faces, crouched down and hid in the shadows. They also noticed the boreal owls departing from the area.

“No wonder the Phantom City never has to worry about the boreal owls. It turned out that the birds were frightened away by the howling wind.” Gu Feidi exclaimed. “Last time I was here, there weren’t any boreal owls around. Why didn’t I notice such an advantage with these boulders?”

Su Yang had long been tamed by the surprising and wonderful setting of the world. He just smiled in response to Gu Feidi’s words, and his eyes continued to focus on the forces in the distance.

“Why aren’t they charging in?” Su Yang wondered as he frowned. “They are right at the Phantom City’s entrance. What are they quarrelling about?”

Gu Feidi observed for a moment and shared with a smile, “The more people there are, the more difficult it is to execute their plans. The Phantom City is notorious even in the Central Plains. I bet some people from other sects are unwilling to take the risk.”

Within the Phantom City, there were many pinnacle stones formed by wind erosion. Each of them looked very similar, making it easy to get lost.

In such a dry wasteland, with great temperature differences between day and night, once lost, it was difficult to survive—that was how the city received its name.

That was why some fighters were unwilling to take risks, which was within Gu Feidi’s prediction.

He focused his internal energy around his ears and tried to distinguish the contents of the quarrel.

—“How can Alliance Leader Gu be sure that there’s a way out after we enter the Phantom City?” Listening to this voice, it was from Fan Xi. However, there was displeasure in his tone when talking about the Tengyun Pavilion, which was obviously completely different from before.

Gu Ruohai’s personal guard, Feng Lin, said, “At the pre-assembly, we clearly stated that we are going to attack the Evil Sect’s Sanctuary as a group. That means we need to enter the Phantom City. Now we are at the point of no return. Do you dare to incite the people to retreat? Are you harbouring malicious intentions?”

Fan Xi sneered and said, “The people of the Evil Sect are crafty and will set up ambushes in the city. We are not familiar with the terrain. Once we enter the Phantom City, we will become easy prey out in the open...I think it’s better to send someone in to deliver a challenge and ask the Evil Sect’s Leader to lead the people to fight out in the wasteland!”

Feng Lin, who was beside Gu Ruohai, didn’t rebuke. But Pu Lingyun in the Tengyun Pavilion’s party made a disdainful snort.

“Who do you think the Evil Sect’s Leader is? If you send a challenge invitation, will he come out of the city to fight honourably with you?” She huffed. “Who do you think you are?”

Fan Xi snapped, “Pu Lingyun! I know my infatuation toward you was in vain, but I would never have thought you would disregard our friendship in the House of Jade! I even brought forces from my Sect to help you at the risk of my Sect facing the Evil Sect’s wrath. You dare to speak that way to me!?”

Pu Lingyun didn’t back down. “Since you are infatuated with me, why don’t you trust Alliance Leader Gu?”

Fan Xi pondered for a moment and explained, “How can I trust him? Alliance Leader Gu does not know the marks in the Phantom City left by the Evil Sect. What’s the difference between entering the city and dying? If the Alliance Leader knows the road signs...I can’t help but be more worried. Didn’t the Alliance Leader and the Evil Sect’s Leader have a history? Could they plan to send our elite fighters to the Evil Sect as an offering?”

Then he turned back and instigated the other sects of various sizes behind him. “I call on everyone to think. Isn’t this logical? The Evil Sect’s Young Master abducted Gu Feidi. Maybe the Tengyun Pavilion was colluded with the Evil Sect even now—”

These smaller sects within the group immediately whispered among themselves, creating a loud buzz. 

Xi Yunzhan, representing his village as its leader, declared, “Alliance Leader Gu has broken contact with the Evil Sect’s Leader for a long time now, and has expelled Gu Feidi from his pavilion. This war is not only to find the whereabouts of the sword sage’s inheritance but also to capture Young Hero Gu back. We believe that Alliance Leader Gu will not act on an impulse.”

Then, he looked aside at the leader of the Tongyun MonasteryRed Veil Monastery and the Xuanji TempleSuspended River Temple.

The two leaders couldn’t remain silent and had to finally agree in words. “I urge the crowd to remain calm. We, the Tongyun Monastery and the Xuanji Temple, will assist the Tengyun Pavilion in managing the battle. We will also oversee all of the Alliance Leader’s actions. Please cease your worries and stop the quarrel on this matter…”

However, it seemed Fan Xi was unable to listen to these repetitive speeches, and sneered, “Our Qinglian Sect is not willing to take the risk of going into the Phantom City. How about this, we’ll garrison the surrounding areas outside the city. If there are any escaping Evil Sect members, we can help clean them up. How does that sound? We of smaller sects can’t afford to lose our best fighters. No objection to this division of labour right?”

“If that’s all, then we’ll handle things this way.” Gu Ruohai finally spoke. “Anyone that doesn’t want to enter the Sanctuary will defend here. Those who are willing to join my pavilion to march into the Phantom City and fight against the Evil Sect in their Sanctuary, they must listen to the Tengyun Pavilion’s command the entire way. Otherwise, you have only yourself to blame if things go badly.”

Feng Lin added, “Those who wish to enter the Phantom City with the Tengyun Pavilion, prepare to set out.”

Out of nowhere, the Wujiang Sect, who made zero comment throughout the quarrel, suddenly had someone that rebuked, “Wait! We came here to annihilate the Evil Sect for the sword sage’s inheritance...If we act separately, how do we know that your Tengyun Pavilion won’t take the opportunity to embezzle the technique?” 

Fan Xi raised an eyebrow and turned to Gu Ruohai, exchanging a look with him.

Gu Ruohai narrowed his eyes and motioned to Feng Lin, who said, “I’ll answer on my pavilion’s behalf. My pavilion represents all the righteous fighters in the Central Plains Wulin. We conduct ourselves to everyone’s expectations. If we did obtain the inheritance, we will not monopolise it for ourselves. If anyone still can’t rest assured, then the Tengyun Pavilion can make this in a written oath.”

Fan Xi immediately made a loud clap and said, smiling, “That’s even better!”

That member from the Wujiang Sect wanted to interrupt, “But—”

“Then we will have that oath in writing!” Fan Xi quickly ordered someone to bring out paper and brush. He came forward with the writing materials to Gu Ruohai. “Could I please have the Wulin Alliance Leader write the oath down, how the Tengyun Pavilion will not monopolise the sword sage’s inheritance, and please stamp it with your official seal!”

Gu Ruohai chuckled and wrote the written pledge. Fan Xi took back the paper and stored the note into his robe. “Pleasure working with the Wulin Alliance Leader!”

Then he turned around and waved to members of the smaller sects. “If anyone doesn’t want to enter the Phantom City, just stay out here with my Qinglian Sect! We have the Wulin Alliance Leader’s promise in writing, so we don’t have to worry about them taking the inheritance!”

Several sects gathered together to discuss. After a long time, most of them decided to stay outside with the Qinglian Sect.

And those who were determined to enter the Phantom City were basically the elite forces from Tengyun Pavilion, as the leader of the group, the Village of Mount Qianfeng, along with the Tongyun Monastery, the Wuanji Temple, and the Wujiang Sect. All these were large, individual forces that couldn’t afford to stay or they risked lowering their reputation.

Seeing that the main forces were moving separately into two sides, Gu Feidi stopped the eavesdropping and said to Su Yang, “Xu Yunzhan, Fan Xi and Lingyun are all in the Tengyun Pavilion’s team.”

Then he said the next part with a smile, “Fan Xi’s way of acting was really convincing. Those fighters sent by small sects were easily incited by him. Now they will be staying behind outside the Phantom City.”

Su Yang didn’t understand. “But won’t this put them at a handicap because of split forces? What would happen if they can’t defeat the Evil Sect?”

“Don’t need to worry about that.” Gu Feidi comforted the other man. “Many forces had doubts about this battle in the first place, so they didn’t send out their best fighters from the start, and for the smaller sects, most likely appointing only the weaker disciples. While my pavilion and Yunzhan’s village sent all of their elites. Even without the support of small sects, they can protect themselves in battle…”

He pondered for a moment before including, “Plus, the news left by Senior Luo made me think that the Evil Sect won’t go full force on this battle.”

When that news was brought up, Su Yang was still doubtful. “But why does the Evil Sect’s Leader want to join forces with your pavilion to launch an attack on his own sect?”

Even if there were many cold-blooded murderers in the Evil Sect, there were also innocent bystanders living in the Sanctuary. He really didn’t understand what the Evil Sect’s Leader was thinking.

“Did you forget about Lan Wu?” Gu Feidi mentioned. “There are Hall Elders inside the Evil Sect trying to seize power. Your Sect Leader may also want to take this opportunity to clean up the Evil Sect.”

Then he muttered to himself irresolutely, before saying, “And I always thought there should be another purpose behind having someone else do his dirty work...Let’s wait and see what happens next.”