Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 197 - 190: The Giant Tree Part 2

Chapter 197: Chapter 190: The Giant Tree Part 2

"Indeed, he is my elder brother from the main family." Hua Lin also showed a flash of pride in his eyes when he heard of the achievements. "If my brother continues like this for another hundred years, he will surely become a Golden Core Daoist Master!"

"Of course, such talent..." Lin Xin said with a hint of envy. He didn’t envy their strength, but the ease with which they obtained it.

In comparison with these geniuses, every bit of his cultivation was drenched in blood and filled with hardship, struggling out from between life and death. The gap between people, sometimes, was just that vast.

"You should go back and rest." Hua Lin was obviously still injured and very tired, so he took his leave first.

Lin Luo also took the opportunity to leave and go back to practice his Inner Strength.

Lin Xin stood alone in the forest, with the camp right behind him.

The moonlight washed over everything.

He stood quietly for a while, then gently took out a jade flute and placed it to his lips.

"That night you were under the moon, with sleeves fluttering like wine, you were like the river and I was like the willow..." The words once sung by Xiao Lingling seemed to echo with the sound of the flute.

He closed his eyes, then slowly reopened them, and a flash of red appeared far in front of Lin Xin.

Xiao Lingling was leaning against a tree trunk in the distance, smiling at him playfully.

A glint of tenderness flashed through her eyes.

The sound of his flute by his lips became even more serene and melodious.

A speck of red light silently emerged from under his feet and entered the scabbard of the Red Flower Sword at his waist.

Threads of warm current slowly flowed from the blade’s Yin Mantuo and into his meridians, turning into strands of dark red Spiritual Energy entering the Return to Origin Core.

His cultivation increased slowly yet steadily, but Lin Xin paid it no heed.

In the distance in the forest, Hua Yunu stood on a horizontal tree branch, slowly wiping the blade in her hand with a white scarf. Hearing the distant flute sound, soft like the tender whispers between lovers, she seemed to recall her own past, and her gaze softened.

*********************

The next morning, Hua Lin returned to stabilize the team’s morale, and the group set off again, this time without encountering further trouble.

Passing a deep blue lake, they startled a large herd of deer. At last, the giant tree was now within reach.

The group stood before the tree trunk, its brownish-yellow surface like a protruding wall that seemed endless on both sides.

On the barren yellow ground in front of the tree trunk, three groups of people had already gathered, close to a hundred in each crowd.

Hua Lin led Lin Xin and the others into the clearing, passing some tree stumps, and a woman stood on one of the largest stumps.

The woman was in a black dress and veil, and her earlobes adorned with a pair of black fish earrings with silver moon danglers.

"Oh~~" The woman’s eyes were electrifying, and her gaze fell directly on the team brought by Hua Lin.

"Another group from Pine Forest Sword Sect has arrived."

The woman’s lips were purple, and her hair was braided with many small braids that cascaded down her shoulders like a shawl, wearing a black and purple long dress that accentuated her slender waist. Just as when Lin Xin had seen her many years ago.

"Fairy Su Wan. We don’t know how long it will take for the Wind-Riding Sect to assemble completely, but most of our people have already arrived," said Hua Yunu, standing in front of the group, toying with a stick of purple flowers in her hand.

"What’s the rush? Pine Forest still has people who haven’t arrived, don’t they?" Su Wan said indifferently.

She seemed to have completely forgotten Lin Xin, her gaze only casually sweeping over Lin Xin and the others before moving on.

"I’m just assisting. This area primarily belongs to Pine Forest; if we let this insect master escape, it would be no small trouble."

"Escape? With me, Dugu Lin here, an insect master is nothing. Are you afraid, Su Wan?"

At that moment, a silvery gleam of Sword Light burst forth in the distance, shooting over like a shooting star before crashing down amidst the group of people.

Bang!

The earth was smashed into a crater, sending dust flying. Those around were experts and swiftly moved out of the way.

The woman who appeared in the pit had a fierce expression, with long black hair cascading down like a waterfall and a faint silver vertical mark on her forehead, resembling a third eye. It was Dugu Lin from the Pine Forest Sword Sect.

"You, a junior, want to test your skills against me?" Su Wan, however, started laughing ominously.

"I’ve long wanted to ask for guidance from the senior sister. Now that we’ve met, how could I miss this opportunity?" Dugu Lin’s aura was as sharp as a sword, her entire being like an exceedingly sharp blade, such that even a lingering glance seemed to cause harm.

"Both of you! Why get into a fight as soon as you meet? If someone gets hurt, wouldn’t that damage the goodwill between our sects?" Hua Yunu hurriedly interjected to smooth things over, "With a common enemy before us, let’s unite and deal with the insect master first. What do you say?"

"Young Master Hua is correct." Su Wan’s emotions changed rapidly; just a moment ago she was chillingly cold but now her smile was blooming like a flower. "If junior sister has any grievances that she can’t vent, she might as well direct it at the insect master above us."

"The insect master is one thing; the senior sister is another. It’s just a matter of sooner or later." Dugu Lin’s Sword Intent was almost bursting at the seams, ready to be unleashed.

Lin Xin stood to the side, watching the three Foundation Establishment experts face off, his heart also slightly moved. It had been a long time since he had taken action; he only felt that he should not be too much weaker than the three in front of him, but the actual outcome of a fight would depend on the situation at hand. After all, who could be clear about hidden trump cards?

Su Wan was once a being he looked up to, but now she was truly standing in front of him. She was stuck at the Foundation Establishment Stage, while he was getting closer and closer.

"Now that everyone is here, it’s time we discuss how to deal with the Bug Masters above," Hua Yunu took the lead. He looked around; the leaders of several major areas all respected him, but among them was also the area led by Dugu Lin.

What puzzled people was that Dugu Lin, the only one who could contend with him for leadership, seemed completely indifferent to any status or power, and stayed silent as if disinterested in the whole affair.

Hua Lin also naturally spoke out to show support. "My side supports Brother Hua as our leader."

Su Wan was just assisting and did not speak, merely observing from the sidelines.

After everyone made their stance clear, the three strongest individuals—Hua Yunu, Su Wan, and Dugu Lin—each took a group of followers and stationed themselves on three sides of the trunk, forming a triangle along the tree.

Over five hundred people were mostly Inner Strength experts, with a few being elite Qi Cultivators. The teams of Qi Cultivators were led by Foundation Establishment Cultivators from the major areas, all under the command of Hua Yunu.

At his command, everyone set up camp to rest, lighting piles of bonfires around the trunk.

Time slowly passed, and soon, the sky grew darker. Under the shadow of the giant tree, it became much darker than the outside.

The sky gradually darkened.

In the nearby Giant Tree Forest, a faint blue light eerily emerged. The largest of them, the Black Wind Tree, slowly began to release clusters of blue light from between its canopy.

The clusters of blue light, like raindrops, slowly descended, densely packed and covering the sky, lighting up the surrounding space.

Hua Yunu began commanding people to get ready to climb the tree, meticulously instructing them on precautions, his care and attention evident.

Lin Xin stood with the people from Spirit Heart Villa, looking up at the vast canopy above.

The blue light that filled the sky slowly fell, each cluster over a meter in diameter.

When the light touched the ground, Lin Xin looked closely and discovered that each cluster actually contained a miniaturized blue flying elephant.

The little flying elephant was shaped like a regular elephant, but it had a pair of flesh wings on its back, constantly flapping. It was plump, pure white, and the long trunk swung around playfully, looking very adorable.

A flying elephant was only half the height of a person. Just after landing, it flew toward the crowd with cute cries.

"So cute!!"

Dugu Lin ran out excitedly with a fanatical expression on her face.

Shh!

A sword thrust through the flying elephant, spiritual energy unleashed, instantly setting the elephant ablaze like a torch.

"Another species I’ve never seen, I wonder how it tastes?"

As she roasted it, she mumbled, nearly drooling with anticipation.

A group of people fell silent.

Hua Yunu, too, was helpless. Seeing the many flying elephants rushing at them, he unfolded his Sword Technique, weaving in and out of their attacks with an ease that belied his form, like a fish through water. With each stroke of his sword, a flying elephant fell, never to get up. Occasionally, he soared into the air, moving as swiftly as lightning, at times taking down a swath of them.

The others began to act at this point.

Su Wan struck out with her bare hands, and with a slap, a flying elephant was sent tumbling into several others, all of them eerily expanding, crying out in agony, and then exploding with a bang, raining down flesh and blood, injuring additional nearby elephants. She did it with a casual, bloody efficiency.

Compared to the three of them and the other Foundation Establishment experts, it was not so easy for the rest. The flying elephants were tough, and even innate sword techniques could only penetrate a little, not enough to kill with one hit. One misstep and the weapon could get stuck in the wound, and before they could dodge, they were easily struck and injured by the swiping trunks.

Lin Xin didn’t make a move. These lower beings were of little use even if killed, and in the presence of the three great experts, he dared not rashly release Yin Mantuo to absorb and devour flesh and blood. Moreover, his main hope for this expedition was to encounter stronger creatures for combat.

"Don’t let these creatures tie us down. Each of you pick one, ride on them, grab their trunks and pull up! They will automatically take us to the top of the tree!" Hua Yunu transmitted his voice to everyone.

The Flying Sword beneath his feet inclined upwards, carrying him soaring skywards.

Dugu Lin had already tried the elephant meat by now, spitting it out with successive "ptui ptui ptui" sounds—apparently, it tasted awful.

Seeing the others flying up, she followed suit, taking off into the air. As she left, she caught a glimpse of Lin Xin, surprised to see that he too had been summoned by the edict.

"Stay close to me, I have no idea what they’re calling you up there for," she transmitted, frowning in confusion.

"Thanks," Lin Xin nodded. He found a flying elephant, leaped, and landed precisely on its back, then grabbed its trunk and lifted sharply. The little elephant cried out in pain and hurriedly flew upwards.

By this time, the others had also grasped the trick and were riding the elephants into the sky.

Hundreds of people rode on elephants, shooting up toward the top of the giant tree, some crisscrossing and others rising or sinking.

A number of people turned as pale as death, occasionally looking down at the increasingly high ground, showing hints of vertigo.

After a short while, they reached a height of about a kilometer, the ground below had become a tiny yellow dot, almost invisible. In the distance, the forest spread to the edges of the Snow Mountain. The fierce and cold wind stung their faces. The blue lights around them became more concentrated, and many small elephants attempted to attack the crowd.

"Dugu Junior Sister, please," Hua Yunu called out loudly.

Dugu Lin replied and with a flick of her scabbard, the invisible Sword Shadows suddenly vanished in the air. All the flying elephants that had been lunging at the crowd instantly deviated from their course, turning on each other. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit qidian.com to cast your recommendation votes and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)