Chapter 25 – Worse Than He Could Imagine
Jun De stood at the edge of the barrier to the Inheritance site with his hands clasped behind his back and tried his best to remain composed. It took every ounce of willpower to keep his expression calm and not attempt to flee.
He truly didn’t want to go inside, and if it weren’t for the Elders standing behind them and watching his every move, Jun De would have tried to slip away during the days leading up to this moment.
But he never found an opportunity, which is how he found himself here, with no time left, as the barrier was about to fall.
A thousand Disciples of the Tranquil Mountain Sect waited in orderly rows behind him, their blue robes rustling softly in the wind. Some of them whispered amongst themselves, although none dared do so too loudly, not when Jun De was in front of them.
Jun De, the rising star of the Tranquil Mountain Sect. The rumoured reincarnated immortal and the man who had convinced the senior Disciples of the Outer Sect to follow him despite his youth, inexperience and low cultivation.
No one doubted Jun De’s dedication or abilities, and he had proven himself to them in the days they waited for the barrier to open. He had organized them into groups, settled disputes and distributed supplies and information.
All of this convinced the Disciples that Jun De was suitable for the position. And word of these accomplishments would have been news to Jun De.
He hadn’t personally done any of those things. He had asked Ren Qiu to help or speak to one of the group leaders amongst the Outer Sect Disciples, and they had made it happen. But Jun De would receive the credit.
It all meant that everyone, from the 1st Level of Qi Condensation newcomers to the seniors of the 6th Level who were seeking to enter the Inner Sect, willingly followed Jun De.
It was enough to make him have a panic attack if he focused on it too much.
Jun De let out a faint sigh, too low for anyone to hear or too subtle to be noticed, as the barrier shimmered in front of them with a faint spiritual energy that marked the edge of the Inheritance Site.
It was subtle and well hidden, and if it hadn’t been for the pillar of light that erupted a few weeks ago, no one would have found it. Now, a low hum filled the air as light surged along the length of the barrier, and it shattered with a sound like shattering glass as it fragmented into dust that drifted away on the wind.
The first layer of the barrier had fallen, allowing Qi Condensation Cultivators to enter freely. Silence fell as even the wind seemed to pause at that moment as all eyes turned to look at Jun De.
As the chosen leader of the Tranquil Mountain Sect Outer Sect Disciples, Jun De was the representative of the strongest Sect in the region, and therefore, it was expected that first Jun De, then the rest of Tranquil Mountain Sect would enter before the lower ranked Sects, Loose Cultivator and Rogue Cultivators would be free to act.
Jun De swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. He had dreamed about running away the moment the barrier fell, slipping away in the confusion in the opposite direction to avoid what lay ahead.
“Senior Brother, Tranquil Mountain Sect stands ready!” Ren Qiu stated, his voice booming as he announced to Jun De that they were prepared to enter the Inheritance Site. The young man practically preened at the attention as he felt the eyes of thousands of cultivator’s latch onto him.
“Thank you, Ren Qiu.” Jun De muttered, his voice filled with sarcasm that no one caught. Ren Qiu thought Jun De had spoken in seriousness, and he clasped his hands and gave a slight bow.
With a resigned breath, Jun De stepped through the barrier, and the faint remnants of spiritual energy swept pass him as he crossed the threshold.
‘Maybe it won’t be so bad?’’ Jun De thought.
Page Break
Mei Lian stood toward the rear of the Tranquil Mountain Sect’s formation of Disciples and could barely see over the shoulders of those standing in front of her. Still, despite the distance, her eyes never left the figure of Jun De, who stood at the front.
The wind tugged at the edges of his blue robe as he stared at the barrier in what Mei Lian thought was impatience or excitement. He didn’t flinch when the barrier shattered, and he didn’t hesitate to step through when Ren Qiu announced they were ready.
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She felt her cheeks flush and quickly looked down to hide the small, foolish smile on her lips.
‘He’s so brave! He’s the only person worthy of being our leader.’ Mei Lian thought.
It wasn’t long before the call came for the others to follow, and Mei Lian straightened, checked her sword and her storage bag one final time, and walked toward the now-invisible barrier where Jun De had vanished moments before.
As she passed through the boundary, it was like stepping into a wall of freezing water. The chill bit through her robes, prickled against her skin, and made her breath hitch in her throat. For a moment, she couldn’t breathe and couldn’t think of anything but the cold.
And then she was through and saw that the world beyond the barrier was completely different than what she had expected.
Through the barrier, the landscape just looked barren. But inside, the land was an endless stretch of grey and black rock and earth without a single trace of life, and the sky above was a deep, angry red with pitch-black clouds that seemed to travel quickly above her.
Everything here felt wrong as if the air was thick with tension. Mei Lian’s skin prickled from the strange spiritual energy, her heart beat faster, and she instinctively drew her sword an inch from its sheath as she gripped the hilt tightly.
She heard someone walk through the barrier behind her, and Lin Yue stumbled out a moment later, her eyes wide with surprise and terror. The young woman looked around at the hostile sky and desolate land with unease.
“Is it supposed to feel like this?” Lin Yue asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Mei Lian reached for her arm and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
“It’s just the residual spiritual energy from the battlefield. Don’t worry; Senior Brother Jun is with us. He won’t let anything bad happen.” Mei Lian said softly, her eyes tracking the distant figure of Jun De ahead of them as he talked to Ren Qiu and several other Disciples.
She could see him nodding at something they said and pointing in several directions, and she did not doubt that he was giving orders.
Lin Yue nodded nervously, and the pair waited patiently with their group as the Disciples all entered the inheritance site, followed shortly after by others from the crowd of loose and rogue cultivators. They would eye the Tranquil Mountain Sect Disciples warily before moving in another direction.
After several tense minutes of silence, the various group leaders amongst the Tranquil Mountain Sect Disciples chose their directions and were stirred to action. There were no marked paths here, and they could only rely on their instincts, intuition and great amounts of luck to succeed.
Disciples mounted spirit beasts with glistening scales and sharp eyes or summoned birds from their creature storage bags to ride through the red sky above. Others relied on movement techniques that caused their bodies to flicker forward in bursts of motion, like shadows gliding across the ground.
Flying was still out of reach for Qi Condensation Disciples, but that didn’t mean they would be forced to walk slowly through this place.
Mei Lian and Lin Yue stood at the edge of their group of Disciples and watched as other groups fanned out in different directions. The land remained lifeless, yet there was a sense of hostility in the air.
No one amongst them spoke loudly, as if they were afraid to wake something in the site with their words.
Shortly after the other groups left, Jun De approached them. His expression was calm, and he walked without urgency or care as if he were unaffected by the excitement or nervousness that infected everyone else.
Mei Lian’s heart lifted at the sight of him, and despite the bleakness of the landscape, he looked calm, composed and resolute.
“Mei Lian, Lin Yue.” Jun De greeted them with a gentle smile, nodding as he did so before looking at the dozen or so people around them. They were all in the 1st or 2nd Level of Qi Condensation and were the weakest of the Tranquil Mountain Sect Disciples to enter, gaining a place through their potential and talents rather than their current abilities.
“I’ll be leading this group of Disciples into the Inheritance Site.” Jun De declared, and Mei Lian reacted in surprise.
“Us? But won’t that slow you down, Senior Brother Jun?” Mei Lian blurted out.
“Wouldn’t it be better for you to lead one of the stronger groups? They would have a better chance at obtaining the inheritance.” Lin Yue added, her expression stunned at the announcement.
While she was delighted at the thought of Jun De staying next to them, she worried that Jun De was giving up too much by accompanying them.
Jun De shook his head while the smile never left his face.
“This expedition isn’t only about finding opportunities. The deeper we go, the more dangerous it will become. Someone has to keep an eye on the more vulnerable disciples, and I volunteered for that honourable duty.”
To Mei Lian and Lin Yue, the meaning was clear.
Jun De was giving up his chance at seizing the inheritance in order to protect them. The pair were touched to the core and were temporarily overwhelmed by the quiet nobility of their senior brother.
Finally, Mei Lian bowed low, quickly followed by Lin Yue and the other Disciples.
“Thank you, Senior Brother. We’ll do our best not to be a burden.” Mei Lian said in a voice choked with emotion.
“No one in my group will be a burden.” Jun De said firmly before he turned away and gestured for the others to gather and follow him.
While the Disciples were awed in Jun De’s sacrifice, he himself was delighted at the prospect of staying near the edges of the site, where it would be safer, and not fighting for the opportunities inside.
‘I can stick with this group, slowly look around, and hopefully, someone else will grab the inheritance so we can all leave as quickly as possible.’ Jun De thought as he snuck a glance at the barrier.
The restrictions on the inheritance site had allowed them to enter, but they couldn’t leave again until the prize at the center was claimed.
Jun De led his group at a steady pace, his eyes scanning the horizon for danger. The disciples around him spread out in a wide formation, leaving space between them to cover more ground as they searched for opportunities like hidden treasures, materials or special minerals.
As for the Disciples, they all felt safe with Jun De leading them, and they were confident he could handle any problems that arose. While Jun De played silently for his time in the inheritance site would pass in the most boring and easy way possible.
