"Roar!" The powerful roar shook the earth, and the lantern-like eyes and the huge gaping mouth reappeared about ten meters ahead!
"The monster is coming!" Xiaokai's voice trembled. "Qinghong, grab onto me quickly!"
As he shouted, he darted forward, wanting to grab Qinghong. However, Qinghong seemed to have no intention of escaping at all. Her eyes were filled with fighting spirit, and with a sweet shout, she actually raised her long sword and charged towards the monster. Xiaokai's attempt to pull her in was in vain.
"Oh my God..." Xiaokai felt cold all over, seeing the tiny figure charging at the enormous monster. It was like an ant colliding head-on with an elephant, with absolutely no chance of winning!
Although despairing, Xiaokai had some courage. Since he had brought Qinghong here, he absolutely could not leave alone. Seeing that Qinghong would not go, he quickly looked around and saw a broken tree branch on the ground. It was as thick as his thigh. Xiaokai picked it up, intending to go support Qinghong.
But before he could step in, Qinghong’s long sword glided through the air like it was cutting through tofu. With a series of slicing sounds, she ran with her sword drawn from the front of the monster to the back, cutting it in half as if it were soft as tofu. The monster's body was cleanly cut into two sections by Qinghong's sword.
"Boom!" A sound rang out, and the upper half of the monster fell to the ground, making a thunderous sound, and blood spurted out like a fountain.
"Erm..." Xiaokai couldn't believe it as he rubbed his eyes and pinched the flesh on his leg to confirm if he was dreaming, "It... it's dead already?"
"Brother Xiaokai, am I amazing?" Qinghong's face turned slightly red, with a healthy blush from exercise. Inside the Gate of the End of the World, without any true essence or talismans, her performance was purely based on instinct, mixed with a bit of fear, a bit of novelty, and a bit of courage. Sweat had already appeared on her forehead by then.
Xiaokai reached out to wipe the sweat from her forehead and complained, "I just told you to run, why didn't you?"
"Hehe, I forgot," Qinghong pulled Xiaokai's arm with a sheepish look, "I've killed many wild beasts while traveling with my master before, and I didn't find it scary at all. So when I saw the monster, I instinctively rushed up to it. After rushing up, I remembered that flying swords can't be used here."
"Fortunately, fortunately..." Xiaokai nodded with lingering fear, unable to help but sigh, "This monster looked so imposing, I didn't expect it to be just a paper tiger."
"Wow, Xiaokai, you're amazing too," Qinghong suddenly stepped back and said, "You lifted that thick branch with just one hand."
"Erm..." Xiaokai looked down and saw that it was true. A branch as thick as a bowl was being lifted by him with one hand, and it didn't feel heavy at all. He couldn't help but shake his arm, feeling light. Holding such a large branch in his hand, it felt weightless.
Qinghong reached over to pat it and smiled, "Xiaokai, the things here look intimidating, but it's all just for show."
Xiaokai didn't say anything and smiled self-mockingly, remembering the first time he was scared witless by a monster, he suddenly felt a bit feverish.
"Shall we continue forward?" Qinghong asked.
"Not for now," Xiaokai thought for a moment and said, "Since we can't use magical treasures here, next time I'll prepare more weapons before coming back in."
Although magical treasures couldn't be used, Qinghong's long sword could be used, indicating that tools could be used inside the Gate of the End of the World. Xiaokai's plan was well thought out. He planned to go back and buy chainsaws, shotguns, spears, and big knives, prepare everything, and then come back here for adventure.
The two of them left the Gate of the End of the World and restarted the Seven Treasure Gold Ship, flying directly to Kunlun.
This time, in less than an hour of flying, they felt a sudden tremor under their feet. The Seven Treasure Gold Ship started to shake, and Xiaokai and Qinghong hurriedly looked down, only to see a bright flying sword coming towards the Seven Treasure Gold Ship, hitting the outer light shield and being bounced off.
A voice from below shouted loudly, "Who dares to fly recklessly within the boundaries of Kunlun, overstepping the rules of my Kunlun?"
Qinghong quickly bent down and said in a gentle voice, "Qinghong, disciple of the Cloud Pavilion, has come to visit the head of your sect on behalf of my master. Please don't misunderstand, friend."
However, the person below did not stop and snorted, "If you really intend to visit, you should walk over and submit your name card. Flying all the way here without even a greeting is clearly provoking our great Kunlun sect!"
"Kunlun?" Xiaokai chuckled, "Don't they just call it Kunlun?"
Qinghong couldn't force a smile and said with a bit of worry, "The people of Kunlun are very particular about their reputation. Additionally, they established the sect very early, and their history dates back thousands of years. So they insist on calling themselves the Great Kunlun Sect."
After answering Xiaokai's question, she raised her voice to the person below, "We didn't know the rules. If we have offended you, please forgive us. We will apologize in person when we meet the head of your sect."
Xiaokai also leaned over to look and saw a person below in a green robe with a green hat. He looked like an ancient servant and was controlling the flying sword in the sky, trying to attack the Seven Treasure Gold Ship. However, it seemed that his strength was not great. After attacking for a while, he didn't manage to break the outer light shield of the Seven Treasure Ship, and in a blink of an eye, the ship had landed.
Qinghong and Xiaokai walked out of the ship, and Qinghong casually turned the ship into a hairpin and held it in her palm. The green-clothed person's flying sword suddenly lost its target and flew straight towards Xiaokai.
Not having any other weapon, Xiaokai had already taken out the Essence of the Thousand-Year Dark Iron, which surprised Qinghong. She quickly grabbed Xiaokai and said in a low voice, "Xiaokai, don't lose your temper."
Releasing her own flying sword, she just touched the tip of the green-clothed person's sword, and with a "clang," the person's sword soft and dropped to the ground, showing a considerable difference in skill.
The green-clothed person let out a miserable cry, "You destroyed my flying sword cultivated over ten years, you're so malicious!"
"You really destroyed his sword?" Xiaokai asked, "A light reprimand should have been enough."
"I didn't mean to," Qinghong's face became red, "He's just too weak. I just lightly touched it, who knew... who knew the sword would be ruined so easily."
The green-clothed person's ears were sharp, and he heard Qinghong's words. He immediately cursed loudly, "Evil woman, not only did you destroy my ten years of hard work, you... you also insulted me. Don't think I'm afraid of you just because you're a disciple of the Cloud Pavilion. I'm telling you, no one from our Great Kunlun Sect is afraid of you. Just you wait, I... I'm going to tell my master!" After saying this, he turned around and ran, not even caring about the flying sword he left behind on the ground.
Xiaokai looked at Qinghong, and the two were quite speechless. After a moment of silence, Xiaokai asked, "Where are we?"
Qinghong looked ahead at the lush bamboo forest and said, "If I'm not mistaken, this should be the second barrier to enter Kunlun Mountain: the Maze Forest."
Xiaokai was a little curious, "Do you have to go through barriers to enter Kunlun Mountain? It doesn't seem like there are so many rules at your Cloud Pavilion."
Qinghong smiled, "As I said, the people of Kunlun Mountain are very particular about their reputation. That's why they have set up three barriers to test visitors. The implication is, if you can't pass all three barriers, you are not qualified to visit Kunlun Mountain. But when I came with my master before, we didn't have to pass the barriers, after all, Master Feihe still has to give them face."
Xiaokai nodded, "Since this is the second barrier, it means we already passed the first one, right?"
"Yes," Qinghong said, "Because we passed the first barrier, that fellow just now said we didn't respect Kunlun Mountain."
Xiaokai thought it was all just a game. He looked at the bamboo forest ahead, "So do we need to... go through the barrier now?"
Qinghong smiled slightly, "There's no need. These three barriers are for beginners. For us, they are just a formality. Let's go."
As soon as the two of them took a step, they saw a person in a green robe and green hat rushing out of the maze forest, shouting loudly, "Where are these bandits from? They actually dared to bully my disciple. Come out and face your death!"
He was holding a long sword and raised his head, but was surprised to see a lively young woman and a young boy in front of him. He was taken aback, "Where is your master?"
"Friend, you've misunderstood," Qinghong tried to explain, "We've come from afar to visit the head of your sect. But we accidentally crossed the first barrier and collided with the rules of your sect, so your disciple wanted to teach us a lesson. I acted in self-defense at the time and didn't expect to inadvertently ruin your disciple's flying sword. If you don't mind, I'm willing to compensate your disciple with a new flying sword."
"Oh, I see," the green-clothed person drew his sword and said, "You little girl, you have a pretty face but are so deceitful. Taking advantage and then acting innocent. Do you think our Great Kunlun Sect is so easy to bully? Come, let Master Ting Yun battle you for three hundred rounds!"
"But I have no intention of fighting you," Qinghong wanted to say something more, but was interrupted by Ting Yun, "You little girl, if you want to fight, just fight. Don't waste time with so much nonsense. Draw your sword quickly, otherwise, don't blame me for bullying you."
Qinghong couldn't say another word. She realized that the lower disciples of Kunlun Mountain were quite unreasonable, which reminded her of the saying, "While the King of Hell is fierce, the little ghosts are troublesome."
"Hey, green hat, let me ask you a question," Xiaokai suddenly chimed in, "What's your disciple's name?"
The green-clothed person glared at him, "You dare speak to a third-generation disciple of our Great Kunlun Sect with such an attitude, who are you, a demon or a monster?" He paused and continued, "My disciple's name is Puyunzi. What about it?"
Xiaokai smirked, "Your disciple is Puyun, and you are Ting Yun. I assume your master is Fei Yun, right?"
The green-clothed person was suddenly shocked, "How do you know the name of my master? Oh, my master's name is so precious, how dare you call it out so casually. Come out and face your death!"
But Xiaokai didn't step forward. Instead, he took a step back and said, "Since your master is Fei Yun, then your master's master should be Fei Yun, right?"
The man in green was even more furious, cursing, "You are indeed here to cause trouble, you even managed to find out my master's name. Who are you, reveal your names quickly." He threw his head back toward the bamboo forest and shouted, "Obedient disciple, go and inform your master, these two monsters don't look easy to deal with!"
Xiaokai guessed correctly twice, feeling quite proud, wanting to tease Ting Yunzi again, he pretended to calculate with his fingers, nodding, "I guessed it right, Fei Yunren is already considered a master in the Kunlun Sect, compared to Fei Hezhang, who is of the same generation as him, he is just a step behind."
The Fei Hezhang mentioned in his mouth is none other than the head of the Kunlun Sect.
The monikers of the Kunlun Sect are quite interesting, from Flying, Walking, Stopping, to Climbing, as time goes by, each generation seems to be inferior to the previous one. If a few decades pass, perhaps "Sitting in the Clouds" or "Lying in the Clouds" will appear.
Xiaokai laughed happily, while Qinghong had a somewhat pale face, secretly pulling Xiaokai's sleeve and forced a smile, "Ting Yunzi, we are indeed not bad people. I am Qinghong, the third disciple of the current head of the Blue Pavilion of the Floating Clouds, so please help us inform the head. Feihezhang will understand naturally."
At this moment, Ting Yunzi, how could he be willing to believe her, instead, he was even more furious, taking two steps back, his face already pale, saying, "You demoness, you claim to be a disciple of the Blue Pavilion, that means you are the second-generation disciple of the Floating Clouds Pavilion. Although I have been practicing for more than thirty years, I am only the third generation disciple of the Kunlun Sect. You have wickedly schemed to gain an advantage over me out of thin air. If I hadn’t been quick-witted, I would have been deceived by you!"
Qinghong was suddenly stunned and speechless, encountering such an extraordinary daoist friend, it was really useless to say anything.
Suddenly, a long sword broke through the air from above, a blue-clothed man swiftly came over, and with a swish, the sword aura stopped, a blue-clothed man standing beside Ting Yunzi, said in a deep voice, "Ting Yun, where are these demons you spoke of?"
This blue-clothed man is none other than Xing Yunzi, since he was able to come using a flying sword, it is obvious that compared to his extraordinary disciple and his rotten son, he is indeed a true master.
Qinghong was somewhat relieved, and quickly handed over a jade pendant, "Master Xing Yunzi, we are not demons, but rather come from the Floating Cloud Pavilion, looking for the head of your sect for an important matter. This is the token of the head, please inform your head."
Xing Yunzi, took the jade pendant with a faint look at Qinghong, then looked at Xiaokai, frowning, "If you are from the Floating Cloud Pavilion, who is this person then?"
Qinghong said, "He is the chosen leader, who has come with me to visit your sect's head."
"Oh." Xing Yunzi had obviously heard of Xiaokai's reputation, his expression slightly shook, then quickly calmed down, saying, "In that case, please wait here for a moment."
Xing Yunzi came and went quickly, riding a sword aura, and instantly went into the mountain, while Ting Yunzi looked at the two of them warily, silent.
Xiaokai breathed a sigh of relief, "I finally get to see Master Feihe."
"Not so simple," Qinghong's face showed a hint of worry, "According to what my master said, the Kunlun Sect values its reputation, and Feihe is particularly protective, never willing to suffer losses. By trespassing the first hurdle today, and offending his disciples here, even if he doesn't show it on the surface, he will hold a grudge against us."
Xiaokai rolled his eyes in disdain, thinking, "It's just a small misunderstanding, not that serious." But he couldn't be bothered to argue and remained silent.
After waiting for about five minutes, they heard a powerful voice from afar, "Fei, Xing, Ting, and Pa, all fourth-generation disciples, position yourselves and activate the 'Yaochi Illusionary Formation' of the Kunlun Mountain, fiercely attack the intruders!"
Standing in front of the two, Ting Yunzi's face suddenly changed, and she swiftly rushed into the bamboo forest. At the same time, they heard the sound of whistling winds from all directions, and saw flashing sword lights from all sides, an extremely severe killing intent enveloped the place where the two were standing, covering them from all directions!
Episode Seven