“I’ll do it,” Pei Mufeng said calmly. He stepped forward, positioning himself next to the stardust stone, and asked, “Is this how it works?” He paused, then suddenly added, “What happens if the person I trust is in the Earthly Camp?”
“Your junior brother?” Meng Qi suddenly remembered something and asked, “Xu Zijun?”
“Yes,” Pei Mufeng nodded.
“I see…” Meng Qi hadn’t considered this scenario before. She hesitated briefly, then raised her voice calling out, “Excuse me, Senior, are you still there?”
“I’m here,” the voice responded after a moment, just as Meng Qi was about to call out again. “What is it?” It was the voice from the first challenge in the poison swamp, the one who had given Meng Qi the Karmic Fire Red Lotus.
“If the external aid we summon is from the Earthly Camp, what happens?” Meng Qi asked.
“Nothing much. One less person there, one more here, and then just quickly die, die, die, die… die the required number of times and get out,” the voice replied irritably.
Meng Qi stuck out her tongue slightly; she had noticed that the senior seemed much more grumpy this time around.
“Heh, even if you pull three people from there, the outcome will be the same. So hurry up and go die,” the voice added.
Meng Qi shrugged helplessly. She didn’t actually dislike the senior; aside from the strange way he spoke, his sharpness couldn’t even compare to Ji Wujiong. Besides, the senior had genuinely helped her; if not for that Karmic Fire Red Lotus, she might still be trapped at the start of the second challenge, utterly helpless.
After saying this, the voice disappeared. Pei Mufeng gently pressed into the box and then placed his hand on the stardust. Flecks of starlight danced from the stone into his chest. Soon, the starlight flew back out of his chest and returned to the stardust stone.
With a soft whoosh, a tall and handsome young man emerged from the stone.
“Senior Brother?!” Xu Zijun looked around in surprise, “Fellow Daoist Meng, Fellow Daoist Xue? You… why am I here?”
“In short, you’re now on our side,” Meng Qi explained.
“This…” Xu Zijun still looked bewildered. Pei Mufeng walked him aside to explain further, “I’ll explain; you guys continue.”
“Alright,” Meng Qi nodded. Xu Zijun, who had fought alongside them in the Starfallen Sea, and whom Pei Mufeng so deeply trusted, was a perfect addition.
“Next…” Meng Qi looked at Qiao Ran. As a skilled cultivator from the Duankong Sect, he surely knew a lot of sword cultivators. Having another one could be beneficial. “Can you do it?” she asked.
“I…,” Qiao Ran hesitated, “I can, but…” He wasn’t sure how to express his concerns to Meng Qi.
“Then go ahead,” Meng Qi waved him on, “Please.”
“But…” Qiao Ran stepped forward, looking hesitantly at the red box.
“What’s wrong?” Meng Qi asked.
“No, it’s just…” Qiao Ran explained, “Previously, we were told that the summoned person could only have the strength up to the peak of the Spirit Severing stage.”
“Right,” Meng Qi nodded.
“To be honest, the person I trust is very powerful, really, really powerful. But I don’t know what he would be like at the Spirit Severing level,” Qiao Ran was cautious, not wanting to take any risks when it involved Junior Sister Meng Qi. And to be honest, the thought of summoning this person was making him nervous.
“It’s okay,” Pei Mufeng spoke up, “The peak of the Spirit Severing stage is enough.” He quickly explained the whole situation to Xu Zijun and returned.
“Well…” Qiao Ran placed his hand in the box, gritted his teeth, and said, “Here goes.”
Meng Qi: “…”
When she first met this Qiao Ran, he was following the formidable Sect Leader Ling Ji of Duankong Sect. Her impression of this young man at the time was that he seemed very strong and aloof, but it turned out not to be the case.
Qiao Ran’s hand was already pressed against the stardust stone. Similar flecks of starlight danced about, and then with a whoosh, a figure in a dark blue robe stepped out from the stardust stone.
Meng Qi: “???”
Meng Qi: “!!!”
The newcomer was clad in a dark blue robe and black hairdress, looked to be in his forties yet his hair was still jet black, and his appearance not losing to any of the younger generation present. The sleeves of his long robe draped over his hands, hiding them, but even with empty hands, he himself seemed like the sharpest sword. Even Pei Mufeng, when stood before him, seemed somewhat overshadowed.
Qiao Ran had already turned around, bowing respectfully to the man: “Master.”
Meng Qi had never expected Qiao Ran’s most trusted person to be his master, the newly appointed leader of Duankong Sect, Ling Ji, who had once stopped her mysteriously to swear that her talent in swordsmanship was second to none.
Ling Ji’s gaze swept around coldly, finally landing on Meng Qi’s face. He paused, his voice slightly hoarse as he called, “Xiao… Meng Qi.”
What’s ‘Xiao Meng Qi’? Meng Qi couldn’t help but silently complain to herself. Still, she bowed politely to Ling Ji, “Greetings, Sect Leader Ling.”
“Hmm? Oh… yes, yes,” Ling Ji seemed slightly confused but nodded anyway, “What’s this about?”
Meng Qi glanced at Qiao Ran, who had quietly moved aside, his head bowed deeply and even his breathing seemed to go shallower, as if trying his best to erase his presence. Seeing him so passive, she had no choice but to take over the role. She quickly relayed the whole situation to Ling Ji, concluding with, “So, we may need Sect Leader Ling’s help against the people from the Earthly Camp for a while.”
“No big deal,” Ling Ji said nonchalantly. Then, in a somewhat regretful tone, he added, “It’s a pity I only have the peak strength of the Spirit Severing stage. If it were Void Comprehending, even just one realm higher…” He slightly lifted his chin, his tone casual yet filled with arrogance, “Not to mention a mere hundred people, even a thousand would pose no threat!”
Qiao Ran: “…”
Meng Qi bowed again, “Thank you, Sect Leader Ling.” She stood up, genuinely surprised at how smoothly this had gone; Ling Ji and Xu Zijun were powerful additions that had practically doubled their combat effectiveness.
“One last person,” Xue Chengxuan looked at Meng Qi, “Meng Qi, will you do it?”
“Yes,” Meng Qi nodded. She took a deep breath and stepped forward. Who should she choose? Xingxing? She would surely be willing to join her. Besides her, Meng Qi also deeply trusted Li Che; even though in her previous life Li Che had come to fall for Lu Qingran, he was kind-hearted and had never harmed her.
In fact, there is another person…
Meng Qi’s eyelids drooped slightly, her long lashes casting a shadow on the light in her eyes. The person she trusted most was naturally Sovereign Qingyan. But no, he must be focused on his tasks and could not be distracted; by no means could she disturb him.
Immersed in her thoughts, Meng Qi raised her palm and gently pressed it onto the stardust stone.
Xingxing…
She silently called out in her heart: Sikong Xing would be the best choice, and the girl would surely be happy to be with them.
Flecks of starlight flew from the stone into Meng Qi’s chest. She felt a strange warmth spreading, warming her chest. After a while, the twinkling lights flew back out from her and returned to the stone.
“Heh—” Meng Qi suddenly heard the senior’s grumpy voice again, “Naive!”
She quickly looked around but realized that everyone was quietly watching her, apparently not hearing the voice this time.
Naive? Meng Qi was puzzled. However, before she could think further, the stardust stone emitted a familiar whoosh sound, and ripples spread across the mirror-like reflective surface of the stone.
A slender hand emerged from the stone first. That hand was clearly not a woman’s; it was clean, beautiful, and the nails were neatly trimmed, but it was much larger than Sikong Xing’s.
Meng Qi’s heart leaped to her throat, suddenly beating wildly. The figure of the girl in red she had anticipated did not appear; instead, following the hand, the corner of a white robe was revealed. Before Meng Qi could react, a man in a white robe stepped out from the stone.
So-sovereign Qingyan?!
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