Chapter 93: Big Blade Blocking the Way

Peak!

A Celestial Soldier approached the barrier and leaned in to examine the content on the stone tablet. Soon, two, then three, then four more Celestial Soldiers, and gradually all those who were free, gathered to inspect it, forming a small crowd.

Shi Chun, to facilitate their viewing, displayed the content on the stone tablet clearly, accompanying it with a peculiar, captivating smile. As he continued to smile, he suddenly sensed something amiss. The expressions and reactions of the soldiers seemed somewhat unusual. Some soldiers glanced left and right at their comrades, while others looked at the pair, then at the stone tablet's content, repeatedly comparing them. Still others stared at the two with peculiar expressions.

One soldier spoke up, "Honestly, these casually carved characters on the stone tablet have quite a unique flair. Have you practiced calligraphy extensively?"

Beardo Chen replied, "I heard they're from the Land of Exile. Paper and pens aren't common there, so writing and drawing on the ground or stones is quite normal."

"Ah, no wonder they're so tanned."

"Then why do they claim to be from Xuanzhou? Tell me, Old Chen, are you sure you haven't mistaken them?"

Beardo Chen countered, "I'd like to doubt myself, but do you really think I could be mistaken? Even if there are plenty of tanned people around, and even if I somehow misidentified the tall one, I certainly wouldn't mistake that blade. If you can find a second one like it in the entire Heavenly Rain Meteorite Assembly, I'll swallow this blade whole!"

"So what are these two 'birds' up to?"

"Are they toying with us, or are they trying to deceive us?"

"What benefit would they gain by deceiving us?"

The group of soldiers couldn't explain it themselves, so, when in doubt, they asked. Following suit, they too noisily acquired a stone tablet and carved characters onto it. Although the quality of their carving wasn't as high as that of the uneducated person inside the barrier, the words were still perfectly legible.

Their reply was blunt: "People of Wukang Mountain, what are you doing?"

As soon as the contents of this stone tablet were revealed, Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang were both stunned. Even their sect's name had been pointed out. If they claimed not to know them now, they wouldn't even believe it themselves. Was this blatant deception a bit too excessive?

Wu Jinliang felt a pang of trepidation.

However, Shi Chun reacted quite quickly. He feigned turning the stone tablet over to re-examine it himself, then slapped his forehead as if realizing a mistake. He picked up his short knife and scraped off the character "玄" (xuán) from "玄洲" (Xuanzhou) on the tablet, recarving it into "生" (shēng). He then swiftly added a few more characters. He turned the stone tablet over and presented it to them again. The new content was essentially the same as before: "We are members of a sect from Shengzhou, looking for the Xunmen gate, which is the entrance for Shengzhou personnel. We've lost our way and would appreciate it if you, Celestial Generals, could point us in the right direction. That was a mere slip of the pen."

His smile, as he held the stone tablet, was even sweeter than before.

Wu Jinliang, craning his neck to read the content, also immediately nodded profusely, cupping his hands and bowing to everyone again, maintaining a posture of continuous pleading.

"Ah, this makes perfect sense now," the group of soldiers suddenly realized. "So that's what it was! No wonder everyone was so confused."

They immediately wiped their stone tablet clean, then swiftly carved a few characters to display: "Follow the barrier back the way you came; the next Xunmen gate is it." They also accompanied this with helpful pointing gestures, showing considerable kindness.

A soldier nearby asked curiously, "Why are they going back to the Xunmen gate they came from?"

Someone replied, "I don't know." Another speculated, "Perhaps they want to stay by the entrance and wait to go home." Someone else asked, "Does our action count as a violation?"

"It has nothing to do with the competition, so no," everyone agreed.

Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang, inside the barrier, appeared delighted, bowing repeatedly and cupping their hands in thanks. As they departed, they continued to bow and walk backward, seemingly expressing inexhaustible gratitude, truly embodying the proverb that excessive courtesy never offends.

Shi Chun took the stone tablet he had written on with him, not daring to leave any incriminating evidence behind, nor daring to destroy it on the spot, for fear of arousing suspicion.

After walking some distance in the direction indicated by the soldiers, Wu Jinliang finally mused, "That's odd. How did they recognize us as being from Wukang Mountain? Have we met them before?"

Shi Chun let out a cold snort. "What's so strange about it? It's all because of you."

Wu Jinliang immediately protested, "Chun Tian, your plan wasn't good. Don't pin it on me; what does it have to do with me?"

Shi Chun pressed on, "How is it irrelevant? They must have seen us during the outdoor assembly. No, it's not about me. In such a vast crowd, I'm not that conspicuous when standing among people. But your towering height makes it impossible not to notice you, and that large blade of yours is impossible to overlook. Anyone who's seen you before, seeing you again, who could possibly mistake you?"

Hearing this logical explanation, Wu Jinliang felt that he was indeed the most likely culprit. He knew this was plausible, as similar incidents had occurred before due to his noticeable features, causing him some embarrassment. However, he wouldn't admit it verbally and tried to find a loophole: "Even if they remembered me, how would they know which sect we belong to?"

Shi Chun couldn't be bothered to argue further with him. After reaching the back of a hillside, *crack*, he shattered the stone tablet in his hand. Pointing at the terrain, he instructed, "Go around that, and continue walking in that direction."

They knew the location of the Xunmen gate they had entered, which was also the closest one when they set out. The reason they had chosen a longer route instead of returning directly was their fear of being recognized. There was no need for that group of Celestial Soldiers to guide them back; returning there was out of the question. They had to bypass the soldiers' line of sight and continue searching for the next Xunmen gate.

Wu Jinliang, who was following closely behind him, moving stealthily, whispered, "What if the people at the next gate also recognize us?"

Shi Chun replied, "Then we'll just continue with the same method as before. I refuse to believe that everyone at every Xunmen gate will recognize you."

So the two bypassed the previous Xunmen gate, continued along their original route, and swiftly flew forward along the barrier.

It wasn't until the latter half of the night that they spotted the next Xunmen gate. As Shi Chun had anticipated, no one there recognized them. They attempted the same communication method, but the people at this Xunmen gate seemed reluctant to engage with them. Their reluctance stemmed partly from laziness, and partly because they weren't entirely sure which Xunmen gate the Xuanzhou contingent had entered from, making them disinclined to inquire for two perplexing strangers.

However, Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang were exceptionally willing to humble themselves and plead. The tall one knelt down as promised, his sincerity truly moving. The Xunmen guards there could not withstand their persistent earnestness and eventually helped inquire, informing the two of the location of the Xuanzhou entrance's Xunmen gate. Their destination was precisely the tenth Xunmen gate straight ahead from their current location.

The two departed, expressing boundless gratitude and heartfelt thanks, then embarked on a long journey.

A long journey with a clear objective is not daunting; it's the aimless wandering and chaotic bumping around that are truly frightening.

Days passed with sunrises and sunsets. They continued their journey without stopping, even when people greeted or called out to them. On the morning of the third day, the two travel-worn individuals finally found their destination Xunmen gate. They confirmed its identity with the local Xunmen guards; there was no mistake.

The two walked away from behind the barrier, leaped down a hillside, and with their backs to the Xunmen gate, squinted into the boundless desolation and vastness. Kangshan (Shi Chun) pointed behind them and said, "Shi Chun's contingent must have set off in that direction. With nearly ten thousand people sweeping through, if you head that way, it would be difficult not to encounter them." Wu Jinliang shouldered his blade, and with great resolve, declared, "Let's go!"

The two rose and swiftly flew away, searching as they went, heading towards the direction where footprints and other traces were most concentrated. The daily movements of nearly ten thousand people left extremely obvious marks, indicating that this force was so powerful there was no need for any concealment.

This perfectly matched the earlier predictions made by Kangshan and his companions: as long as they found the Xunmen gate at the Pengyue entrance, they would be able to locate Suyuan Sect at the fastest possible speed. There was absolutely no need to worry about getting lost; the effort spent on finding the Xunmen gate earlier was entirely worthwhile and not a waste of energy.

The two occasionally consulted their maps for comparison, then continued onward.

Compared to Shi Chun's large contingent at that time, the two had no other concerns on their journey and simply rushed forward at full speed...

The fighting and bloodshed grew increasingly fierce. In the Overlooking Heaven Mirror's reflections, bodies were constantly seen being transported to the training ground, with calls for people to claim them.

Many seats in the training ground had already become vacant. Some sects' participating disciples had been completely annihilated, and their fellow sect members who felt no need to remain naturally returned home in bitter regret, though some continued to stay and observe.

Bian Weiying, along with Elder Ke and Peng Yueshun, ardently wished that Elder Jian Lingzhen of Luoyue Valley would depart soon. Luoyue Valley had already been completely wiped out, so what was he still doing there? Yet, Elder Jian Lingzhen simply refused to leave, often glancing back at them with eyes full of lingering hatred, completely unable to let go of their resentment.

The matter had already transpired. Even if Sect Leader Bian Jixiong had known beforehand, his anger would have been futile.

As for those two unfilial disciples, Wukang Mountain had no idea where they had gone. No one would constantly stare at the "Ultimate Mountain and River Map." Moreover, since the two unfilial disciples had been hiding motionless in one spot, it was assumed they intended to remain hidden until the end, so little attention was paid. When someone eventually remembered to check again, they suddenly discovered that the two stubbornly immobile light points had vanished.

Once they were out of sight, finding them again became difficult. The "Ultimate Mountain and River Map" displayed millions of light points; once mixed in, who knew which was which? Unless they paid for a pinpoint location, Wukang Mountain had no interest in spending money on those two unfilial disciples. If they were to spend money, it would be on Elder Ke and the others.

Peng Yueshun's predicament made him lose the inclination to concern himself with Kangshan and their group. He didn't know what was happening with Elder Ke. He saw Peng Yueshun fighting alongside people from Biyun Mountain, even witnessing talismans flying out one after another. No matter how many talismans Bian Weiying provided, they couldn't endure such intense usage, especially since Bian Weiying's production of talismans was limited.

That was not the survival strategy Bian Weiying had devised for Elder Ke and his group for the grand assembly. However, a general outside the capital may not always adhere strictly to the ruler's commands, as those outside the arena could not easily make judgments without knowing what truly transpired on the field.

On the viewing platform of Young Master Nan's reserved hilltop, more and more noble guests came to watch the excitement every night. This was because they knew the fighting in the competition area was becoming increasingly fierce, and disciples from sects somewhat connected to the noble families also began to engage in intense battles on screen, which started to stir the nobles' hearts and increased their attendance.

Lan Qiaoyan and Miao Yilan also came for several consecutive nights, precisely because they noticed that the light points representing Kangshan and their group on the Mountain and River Map were brilliantly visible.

Miao Dingyi did not show up again. The mother and daughter would typically leave after half an hour at the shortest, or an hour at the longest.

Just as the mother and daughter rose from the viewing platform, about to leave, a sudden commotion from within the training ground caught their attention.

"Kangshan!" "It's that Kangshan and the tall one with the big knife!" "It's Peng Yue and Wu Jinliang!" "Kangshan, Wu Jinliang!"

Those names were very familiar to the mother and daughter. They immediately looked at the mirrored image, where they saw eight wounded individuals fleeing in utter disarray. Suddenly, two men, dressed in chestnut-brown clothes, sprang out and intercepted them. Among these two, the tall one had a notably wide, triumphant grin.

Who else could that tall fellow be but Kangshan and Wu Jinliang, who had disappeared? The mother and daughter immediately stopped to watch.

A sect master, who had just arrived from his sect, passed through the crowd, hearing the names "Kangshan" and "Wu Jinliang" being spoken everywhere. He glanced at the light screen a few more times, then walked to his sect's designated seating, sat down, and asked the person next to him, "Who is Kangshan?"

An elder sitting nearby immediately began to explain.

Bian Weiying and the Wukang Mountain group were somewhat perplexed. They looked around the entire arena, wondering why everyone could call out Kangshan and Wu Jinliang's names. How had these two unfilial disciples gained such widespread fame?

It wasn't just their names; everyone had even discovered that the two were from the Land of Exile. This information was initially uncovered by a few, then spread over time, leading most interested parties to become aware.

In the best viewing pavilions and towers, dozens of domain masters were also present. This was because the competitive fighting among the various continents had intensified, and those who paid attention began to attend in greater numbers.

The sudden sounds from within the training ground surprised dozens of domain masters. What kind of figures could be recognized by so many sect members, with their names even being called out so readily?

Not only them, but even Shengzhou Domain Master Wei Mo was somewhat stunned. He recognized the figures in the mirror and was deeply impressed by them, but he genuinely didn't know their names and hadn't bothered to inquire. Had everyone else found out already? Why did those two suddenly appear?

"Which two are Kangshan and Wu Jinliang?" a domain master asked, observing the two figures in the mirrored image.

Someone replied, "Just those two swarthy guys." "Why have I never heard of them? Who exactly are they?"