That bolt of golden light brought Wu Yu back from the brink of despair.
"It must be the Immortal Kingdom Supervisory Order that alerted him. And although Elder Shentu's roar just now could not reach the Bipo Mountain Range, if Master was nearby, he could home in on this location!"
It had to be Feng Xueya alone.
Lan Huayi would definitely have to stay at the Bipo Mountain Range to defend against a bait strategy.
But even Feng Xueya alone could take on three people at the 10th tier of the Qi Condensation Realm without trouble.
"Eh?" The Thunder Seabird was just preparing to eliminate Night Wishes for Snow, who had not stopped challenging him.
He was still above the Sky Region Forest, and very alert for changes outside. And he had noticed Feng Xueya's golden light soon after Wu Yu.
"A powerful Jindan opponent - Feng Xueya!"
The Thunder Seabird left without ado, giving up the attack on Night Wishes for Snow. He flapped his huge wings and let out thousands of bolts of lightning before taking off.
Pitter patter!
By the time Feng Xueya arrived, the Thunder Seabird had already escaped tens of kilometers away, if not more.
Wu Yu could only watch as he was carried even further away from Feng Xueya.
He could not help but give a bitter laugh.
It seemed like he had used the Immortal Kingdom Supervisory Order to save everyone, but the Thunder Seabird had been too quick, so he had not been rescued.
And being so far away, Feng Xueya would definitely go to save the rest, and he would not see the tiny speck that was Wu Yu in the distance.
As Wu Yu had guessed, Feng Xueya had indeed not seen him.
"The Thunder Seabird has left!" They were on the verge of killing Elder Shentu when Shen Erjun suddenly noticed that the Thunder Seabird had vanished. He paused, suddenly smelling a rat.
"Seventh Sister."
Shen Erjun looked like all brawn and no brain, but he was a canny one. He halted, actually giving up on his opponent. He rushed towards Qi Yunji, who had also drawn away from her opponent, rushing towards him. The two collided into each other, shifting into black fog that sped away in the opposite direction. They vanished quickly into the Sky Region Forest.
They were ghostly cultivators, and therefore very sensitive to the aura of powerful orthodox cultivators. They had vaguely sensed a terrifying presence approaching from the Heavenly Sword Sect!
And it was Jiang Ding who was left absolutely confused.
"Thunder Seabird, Shen Erjun, you guys!" His face was shocked. At this moment, his instinct told him that he should run. But with Jiang Junlin dead, he could not return to face Jiang Xie empty-handed. He would not be content!
Just a moment of hesitation!
Huo!
A bolt of golden light shred through the tree branches and appeared before him. Jiang Ding saw that it was Feng Xueya, bathed in golden light!
Feng Xueya's expression was cold. His sword qi poured out!
"Run!"
No matter how discontent Jiang Ding was, he forgot all of it the moment he saw Feng Xueya, and turned to run for his life.
"Thinking of leaving?"
Feng Xueya chased after him in an instant. The entire patch of forest shook. The golden sword qi was devastating. The forest was completely leveled in a radius of one mile!
"Respected Master!"
"Sect Leader!"
Seeing Feng Xueya appear, the doomed disciples finally saw hope. They hugged each other, hot tears of relief flowing.
They had been on the verge of death, and then were pulled back by Feng Xueya.
This was a huge coincidence.
Even Elder Shentu had not expected Feng Xueya to appear. He had simply been making his last stand!
Bang, bang, bang!
Ahead, the forest continued to wring, the golden sword qi still hounding its opponent.
And then it suddenly stopped.
Pa!
A figure fell to the floor. It was Jiang Ding, beaten silly by the immortal treasure. He was bleeding all over. On closer look, one could see that Feng Xueya had cut off both his hands and legs.
And he rolled on the floor, shaking. His face was white as a sheet, but he was unable to move.
Feng Xueya's face was grim. He moved forward to inspect them. Night Wishes for Snow was injured, and the rest in better condition. But he realized that there were three missing. Wu Yu, Zhao Changtian, and Yi Qingfeng.
Only now could Su Yanli manage to speak.
"Master, Wu Yu has been carried away by the Thunder Seabird!"
"What?!"
Of the missing three, Feng Xueya naturally cared about Wu Yu the most. By this time, Elder Shentu had recovered a little, and Feng Xueya flew into the air without another word. He cast his gaze about. But in the time that he had been attacking Jiang Ding, the Thunder Seabird had already vanished to gods knew where.
All around, there was no trace of the Thunder Seabird at all.
Ghostly Cultivation specialized in concealment. Within the Sky Region Forest, it was impossibly difficult to find them.
Feng Xueya's expression was ugly. He chased in the direction of the Thunder Seabird's retreat for an hour, but found nothing. Evidently, the enemy had veered off course some time before.
The other disciples were still by Elder Shentu's side, and Feng Xueya was worried that some enemy still lingered in the area, so he could only turn back.
Seeing Feng Xueya return empty-handed, they knew the outcome.
"Sect Leader!" Elder Shentu fell to his knees, his eyes anguished. "I did not protect them well. It was all my fault!"
Feng Xueya took a deep breath. The fire in his eyes was raging hotly. Of course, this was not directed against them, but at their enemies.
"What happened?"
He helped Elder Shentu up.
In truth, the fact that Elder Shentu had achieved so much under such dangerous circumstances was already an admirable feat.
At least he had saved five disciples.
Mo Shishu was the first to calm down. He recounted the story of Wu Yu's Sumeru Pouch, and Feng Xueya understood what had transpired.
"Master, how did you know we were in danger?" Mo Shishu asked.
Feng Xueya was silent for a moment, before he finally said, "Wu Yu crumbled the Immortal Kingdom Supervisory Order that I once gave him."
Only then did they realize that although Wu Yu had been captured, he had actually saved them all.
"Zhao Changtian and Yi Qingfeng were killed by the Thunder Seabird. And Wu Yu was captured?" Feng Xueya asked, his face green.
Su Yanli's eyes were brimming. She clutched at Feng Xueya's arm waveringly, saying: "I... Go and save Wu Yu.... We are alright now, they won't dare to come."
This shock had caused her to become unfocused.
Feng Xueya shook his head irritably. "The Thunder Seabird's speed is no less than my own. And with a head start, catching up is impossible. But against you all, he did not use all his powers. Clearly, this mission was not his primary goal."
Feng Xueya understood the Thunder Seabird much better than Jiang Ding and the others did.
This was suspicious.
Elder Shentu said, "Yes, Wu Yu killed Jiang Junlin, but he would not kill Wu Yu, instead capturing him. When Jiang Ding demanded him, still he would not give Wu Yu up. And yet he killed Zhao Changtian and Yi Qingfeng without hesitation. This means that Wu Yu must be of great value, and that they will not kill Wu Yu."
All of this made a lot of sense.
Hearing this, Su Yanli calmed down a little.
Feng Xueya looked at his young disciples. After this harrowing struggle, they were a little disturbed.
He put his sword on Jiang Ding's neck. "Tell me. The Thunder Seabird captured Wu Yu. Why?"
Jiang Ding barked an angry sneer. "All of you are dead. I can't be bothered to reply."
From the side, Su Yanli said coldly, "Master, on the chase, he argued with the Thunder Seabird, but the Thunder Seabird would not give Wu Yu to him. Clearly, he does not know the reason. The Thunder Seabird must have played his cards close to his chest."
Feng Xueya frowned and considered this. "Wu Yu is of no use to the Thunder Seabird. It must be some plan of the Ninth Spirit, and no good news...."
"Master, what should we do...."
Feng Xueya looked at Jiang Ding and said, "To Jiang Xie, this Jiang Ding is very useful. I will immediately send a message to let Jiang Xie know that Jiang Ding is in my hands. Even without speaking of an exchange, he should know that he cannot touch Wu Yu if he wants to protect his younger brother's life. Otherwise...."
Otherwise, his life would be forfeit.
That was all that could be done.
Wu Yu was as dear to Feng Xueya as Jiang Ding was to Jiang Xie. But Jiang Ding was at the 10th tier of the Qi Condensation Realm, and a powerful person in battle.
All in all, the Heavenly Sword Sect had taken down a strong general, and it was still their victory.
As for Zhao Changtian and Yi Qingfeng, that was fate and could not be helped.
Feng Xueya looked in the direction of the Thunder Seabird's escape and could not help heaving another sigh.
"From the start, you were besieged by nothing but trouble. I hope you can survive this too. Pressure can forge steel, and I hope you emerge stronger."
Capital Wu, Valley of Immortal Fate, Sky Region Forest!
He had even survived the Valley of Immortal Fate, testament to Wu Yu's godly luck.
......
Zhongyuan Dao Sect, Lower Yuan Peak.
On the mountain, Jiang Xie and Tian Yijun were currently locked in a match.
Both had subordinates and brothers watching the chess game silently.
The wind blew cold.
Suddenly, Tian Yijun gave an embarrassed laugh. "Sect Leader Jiang is truly superior. It is my loss."
"It is but a single game. Tian Yijun's talent is exceptional. In a few more games, I will probably be humbled." Jiang Xie stroked his long beard, smiling.
"Jiu Er, how about a game?" Jiang Xie looked towards the palanquin within the horde of demons. Until now, Ninth Spirit had yet to show her true face.
Legend had it that the Ninth Spirit was the ultimate femme fatale of femme fatales. She could not freely show her face, or mortals and ordinary cultivators would be incensed to battle over her looks.
Her voice alone was almost unbearable.
"Jiu Er is not good at chess. My thanks to Brother Jiang...." The soft voice that came from the palanquin was mesmerizing, as though one was drowning in the bosom of a beautiful woman.
That endearing term in the form of "Brother Jiang" had even melted Jiang Xie's old heart.
"The charms of a fox demon are indeed sinful. No wonder so many are willing to exchange their lives for a single night."
But it was also ill-mannered for the Ninth Spirit to not show her face.
After all, the three were allied and equal.
At least, that was the agreement before profits were divided.
They had already discussed this.
The Zhongyuan Dao Sect would take the Bipo Mountain Range, and nothing else.
The Scarlet Sea's Seven Ghosts wanted half of the immortal treasures, immortal essences, and other such miscellaneous items, and all the sword dao techniques.
The Ninth Spirit wanted the other half of the immortal treasures and immortal essences, and all the disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect as captives, whether dead or alive.
They had each divided up according to their needs. It was perfect.
Jiang Xie seemed like he wanted nothing. But in truth, the dense spiritual qi in the Bipo Mountain Range was the real treasure.
"Once they capture those disciples, we will almost be ready to commence our attack," Jiang Xie said.
"Yes."
They were playing chess to kill time while waiting for Jiang Ding and the others to return.
In truth, all three forces had already been marshaled and were ready.
The moment they had hostages or corpses, they would proceed.
Just at this moment, the Thunder Seabird's visage appeared in the sky, and they all smiled.
