Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 277 - 270 Trouble

Chapter 277: Chapter 270 Trouble

"So now our side is vulnerable... Haven’t you seen that even the White Belt has come?" Chen Ming said helplessly. "People from the Shape-shifting Cave are getting bolder."

He sighed.

"Nowadays, all our eastern branches are short of personnel, mainly of experts. Without a high-level expert to take charge, it’s troublesome. With many affairs unmanageable, and Shape-shifting Cave’s people growing ever more rampant. It used to be said, ’To the east, the Gongsun clan; to the west, the White Blade.’ Sadly, since the White Blade hero passed away, and Mr. Gongsun was called to preside over the headquarters, we are even more..." He didn’t finish his sentence, but the meaning was clear.

"That’s true. I’ve heard from my grandfather, the old pillars of the society died or went into hiding, and now the association is in troubled times. That’s why..."

Out of respect for the Si Jue present, he didn’t continue, but he sighed again.

"Now, the Sect Leader of Red Spine Sect dominates Lin’an, and across the vast world, there are barely three and a half who can roughly compare with him. Yuan Qiuque of the Nine Queues Chain Formation is one, the Head of the headquarters and the Great Demon Venerable of the Shape-shifting Cave count as two, and the half-point is considering that the Green Clear Dao might have hidden powers."

"No matter how strong Red Spine Sect is, it can’t cover the sky with one hand. The sky is high and the Emperor is far away. There are some things they just can’t control," Zhao Ke said with a laugh.

"Besides, aren’t there many experts on the Heavenly List who haven’t really crossed hands with them? Assessment is one thing, but when it really comes to a fight, victory or defeat is another story."

Lin Xin listened from the side and gained a rough understanding of the overall situation in Central Prefecture.

He had met Yuan Qiuque and even received a copy of the Eternal Slumber Nine Injuries Divine Skill from him. He never thought that Yuan represented the highest echelon in the entire Central Prefecture.

After chatting for a while, Chen Ming had someone show them to their accommodations. Lin Xin, however, took a brief look around before returning to the small garden to find Chen Ming alone.

"Branch Chief, I have a question to ask."

"Please, speak. Mr. Red Flower has set a high bar in the society, no need to be so polite," Chen Ming said with a smile.

Lin Xin fell silent for a moment, then talked about the encounter with the Green Fish Lantern.

"I want to inquire about treasures like the Green Fish Lantern, which should be associated with which regional sect or territory in Central Prefecture?"

For ordinary people, the Green Fish Lantern was indeed a very mysterious and miraculous Magic Artifact, but for someone of Chen Ming’s caliber, it was just a common artifact.

Every year, many relics turn up various kinds of artifacts rumored to be capable of this or that. Having seen plenty, they no longer seemed strange to him.

It was just that in the Southern Prefecture, magic treasures were so scarce that people fought and competed for them. Even so, the level of contention was just at the Foundation Establishment phase and not worth mentioning.

He asked Lin Xin to take out the Green Fish Lantern for him to look at.

"This kind of thing contains a very special power, it seems like I’ve seen it somewhere before."

He pondered.

Lin Xin grew tense, now the power of the Green Fish Lantern was weakening, seeming as if it could be exhausted at any moment, and he had a feeling that once the power was used up, the gem would become an extremely ordinary piece of jewelry, with no special properties left.

His body was now decaying more severely; aside from his chest and heart protected by the power of the Green Fish Lantern, even previously healthy skin was showing faint mottling.

So he recalled the Red Flower Sword Master’s reminder about the far west and, considering the effectiveness of the Green Fish Lantern’s power, he decided to ask Chen Ming for information, hoping to find enough clues to delay the decay temporarily.

Chen Ming thought carefully, and his brows finally relaxed.

"It seems I remember now."

He placed the Green Fish Lantern in the palm of his hand, and with the index finger of his other hand, he gently touched it.

Whoosh!

A faint green light suddenly shot out from the Green Fish Lantern, the mark as viscous as flowing water squeezed out from the stone, flowing into the other palm. Then it gathered to form a strange, complicated rune.

As the rune solidified, Chen Ming casually pinched it to take a closer look.

"I should be right. This is a special power I once saw by chance in the west. People there call it ’Yin.’"

"Yin?" Lin Xin perked up, finally a clue. "Then where must I go to find this ’Yin’?"

"...I don’t know about that," Chen Ming shook his head. "If it’s urgent, I can help you look into it."

Lin Xin then said earnestly.

"Then I thank the Chief!"

"No need for thanks. We’re all brothers in the society; you’ve come from far, if I don’t help you, then who will?" Chen Ming spoke frankly. "Alright, go rest for now. You’ve had a long journey. If there’s any news, I’ll notify you immediately."

"Okay!" Lin Xin turned and left the garden.

However, he hadn’t walked far before he faintly heard a barely perceptible noise coming from within the garden.

Even with the weakening effect of the Formation, his senses were extremely sharp. With his amplified physical constitution, he was incomparable to ordinary cultivators, so even an extremely faint sound could be picked up by him.

"It’s Wei Longpo again! This is too much!" It was Chen Ming’s voice, seemingly very angry.

"Many brothers and sisters have been injured... If only... currently hiding in Huagu Valley in the northwest slope waiting for rescue, Brother, you must make a decision soon!" Another person spoke rapidly and in low tones, with some interruptions.

"Huagu Valley... Is Sister Gong Hong there?"

"She hasn’t returned from the western forest."

"Damn it!"

Chen Ming cursed furiously for a while.

"With so few people, if Mister Gongsun were still here, our small branch wouldn’t have fallen to such a state! What did the higher-ups say?"

"They told us to solve it ourselves, they can’t spare any more hands either. I asked, and their troubles are much larger than ours," the person said helplessly.

Silence lingered for a moment.

"Let’s go! To Huagu Valley!" Chen Ming finally spoke.

"They must be trying to lure you into making a move, which will draw the tiger away from the mountain!"

"So what?" Chen Ming said resignedly. "I’m the only Intent Level master here; if they bring Wei Longpo, the balance of power will be lost. The losses from the last battle were too heavy, they are treating the Radiance Society as if we have no one!"

"What about the few newcomers, can they be of help?"

"They’re new; the only one with real strength is also gravely ill... I saw his arm, the flesh decayed, it seems he was poisoned severely. Better not to count on that..." Chen Ming sighed.

Hearing this, Lin Xin also slowly walked away. If branch chiefs were all at least Golden Core Daoist Master level, indeed, this was not something ordinary characters could interfere with.

On the Daoist Master level, Si Jue and Zhao Ke’s strength could be outright ignored. However, for himself, he just needed more blood food for Yin Mantuo’s recovery...

"It might be appropriate to bring a gift for our first meeting, as a gesture to the Branch Chief."

The corner of his mouth slightly lifted, and Lin Xin’s figure suddenly appeared outside the pharmacy, looking back at the signboard—Hui Chun Building.

"Huagu Valley." He remembered the rescue location mentioned by the person just now.

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

Huagu Valley was located in a gorge between the Kunlin Sword Sect and Shi Ri City.

The water murmured, apes called from the green mountains, clouds and mist wrapped around, the surrounding mountain paths were steep, inaccessible to ordinary people.

At this moment, a group of people dressed in red and energetic attire was searching back and forth in the gorge.

The leader was a portly man with a saber—a fat man with a greasy face, big ears, and not a single hair atop his shiny bald head.

A young woman in white clothes and skirt, adorned with bell bracelets on her hands and feet, stood by his side. The gentle movement of her limbs produced a faint jingling sound.

"Those brats from the Radiance Society were pretty arrogant just now, but as soon as Miss Wei shows up, they all turn into damn turtles with their heads pulled in!" the fat man spat disdainfully.

"A bunch of them shouting about invincible justice, but when it comes down to it, they still desert in the face of battle!"

"They’re all trash!" Ms. Wei said with contempt. "I can slash two at once with my sword, what’s the use of a fancy name like ’Divine Sword Yue Wang Symbol’? They’re all trash! Trash!!"

"Miss is absolutely right!" The fat man hurriedly put on a flattering smile. "All those so-called masters of the Radiance Society are nothing but chickens and dogs in front of you!"

"What! You dare say they’re chickens!!" To his surprise, Ms. Wei’s expression darkened sharply, staring at him dangerously. "If chickens were as weak as them, my Shape-shifting Cave would’ve been wiped out long ago! Three hundred years before my transformation, I was nearly killed by a mere chicken demon. It’s embarrassing, but the fact remains that even a bullied chicken can be deadly!"

"Yes, yes, yes..." Sweat beaded on the fat man’s forehead as he quickly agreed, cursing in his heart about the inconvenience of serving the old demon from the Shape-shifting Cave, each having spent hundreds or thousands of years in hard cultivation in the mountains, coming out still simple-minded—white, stupid, naive—they were tailor-made for them.

Yet ironically, each of these shape-shifting demons was terrifyingly formidable.

He sneaked a glance at Ms. Wei’s behind, where a golden monkey tail swung back and forth. She was clearly a monkey in human form.

But now, since they needed her strength, they had to endure.

"Good that you understand." Ms. Wei nodded with satisfaction. "You humans, everything’s fine except your minds are too simple. You should learn more from me in the future, got it?"

"Yes, Ms. Wei’s words are like the enlightening elixir, opening one’s mind," the fat man said, his flattery sounding sincere.

Meanwhile, inside a hidden cave within a cliff in Huagu Valley.

A group of people, covered in bloodstains, dare not even breathe loudly, huddling in the cave.

They waited until the footsteps on the outside cliff had passed before they relaxed and took a breath.

A Confucian scholar deeply inhaled, eyes filled with resentment.

"This duel, it’s my fault for involving you all. I never expected that they would bring a great demon from the Shape-shifting Cave to a battle of life and death!"

"The formation has been broken, we’re all seriously injured, and with the sudden appearance of that great demon, no one can blame you," an elder shook his head. "We are all brothers in the society, you paid the price to ask for our help, we were prepared for such outcomes when we agreed."

"Alas... If we can survive this great disaster..." the Confucian Scholar said helplessly.

"The Shape-shifting Cave wasn’t so brazen before, interfering with territorial private conflicts. But ever since Mister Gongsun left, our branches everywhere have declined day by day," a lady in green clothes said with difficulty.

"If only..." A burly man couldn’t help but speak but was suddenly interrupted by the elder’s raised hand, signaling him to be quiet.

At this moment, a faint sound seemed to come from outside, apparently from the people searching outside.

"It seems, someone is coming!?" The elder’s eyes widened.

Everyone fell silent and held their breath, indeed hearing someone shouting outside. (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly passes. Your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users please go to m.qidian.com to read.)