C18 Five Great Sects

The little Master responded with a detached "Oh," before strapping the invaluable soulstones around his waist, which bulged enticingly with wealth.

With the Cloud Boats available, even Wu Pingfan, who lacked the cultivation to fly on a sword, could glide through the clouds. A Cloud Boat was worth 30,000 mid-grade soulstones, equivalent to 300 high-grade soulstones. This meant that for the little Master, the Senior Sister had extracted 300 high-grade soulstones from the sect to purchase a Cloud Boat.

The disciples of Starfall Peaks felt immensely proud.

Previously, sword flying was a privilege thought to belong solely to the Sword Sect disciples. Now, the Starfall Peaks disciples looked at the little Master with heartfelt appreciation.

Then they watched as the little Master swiftly plucked a chicken, the scene somewhat gruesome.

But the little Master's chicken feast was truly scrumptious, with the aroma of roasted chicken permeating the entire cloud layer.

Nearby, the disciples of Wandering Blossom caught a whiff of an odd but intense fragrance.

Hua Su, the Eldest Senior Sister, drew her sword.

"Enemy attack! Form up!"

At Hua Su's command, the Wandering Blossom disciples quickly disengaged from the scent and arranged themselves into the sect's defensive formation.

As the potent fragrance drew nearer, Hua Su's brow furrowed. "Cover your mouths quickly. The scent could be toxic!"

Once the fragrance had dissipated, Hua Su clutched her chest, her heart racing with the sensation of a narrow escape.

She was the Eldest Senior Sister, burdened with great responsibility. If she couldn't protect her junior sisters, how would she face their Masters?

"Check if any Junior Sisters have fainted," she instructed Hua Xu, her Junior Sister standing nearby.

Hua Xu glanced around and reported, "Senior Sister, the fragrance doesn't seem to be targeting us. Aside from a bit of dizziness, all the Junior Sisters are safe."

Hua Su sighed in relief, silently commending her own wisdom.

Meanwhile, a young Junior Sister stood with arms crossed, pouting. It was clearly the aroma of roasted chicken. Why was she being prevented from enjoying it?

This is just terrible!

After three days of travel, the silhouette of Heaven's Wall City began to emerge more clearly. The Lord of Heaven's Wall City had a penchant for liveliness, infusing the entire city with a vibrant energy. The scent of smoke and festivities hit them even before they got close.

A spark of excitement flickered in Wu Pingfan's eyes.

Could this be the Mortal World his Master had spoken of?

It was said that the Mortal World was a place every cultivator must pass through. Wu Pingfan had been with his Master since childhood and had never experienced such a life. A longing gaze crept into his eyes for a brief moment.

"Junior Master, are you fond of the Mortal World?"

Xiao Xiao approached him, noticing his unwavering gaze fixed on Heaven's Wall City.

She laughed softly, "I forgot to mention, Junior Master, that the Mortal World is rife with cunning and deceit. There aren't many good people out there. Someone as kind-hearted as you, Junior Master, would be better off staying at Starfall Peaks."

Wu Pingfan nodded solemnly, then slowly shook his head, "Master says I lack passion and am too detached. Maybe here, I can find what I've lost."

The Cloud Boat landed in the open space of the Keep, and Fang He and his companions came forward to greet the newcomers, curious to see which celestial sect had arrived. But upon seeing the familiar shorts fluttering above the vessel, they recognized it.

Starfall Peaks...

A thunderous realization struck Fang He.

"Is this Starfall Peaks?"

An elder from the Northern Mountain Gate blurted out in surprise, "Since when did Starfall Peaks acquire Cloud Boats?"

No one could say when Starfall Peaks had managed to get their hands on Cloud Boats.

Nevertheless, the Northern Mountain Gate was the third-ranking sect among the five great immortal sects. The Sword Sect was renowned for its austerity and swordsmanship, holding the title of the foremost sect, while Gentledawn was known far and wide for its wealth and prowess, ranking second.

The Northern Mountain Gate, holding third place, had its own distinctive feature. Its disciples practiced Qi Gong, cultivating energy so potent it could move mountains. The fourth in line was Wandering Blossom, known for its mastery of the Rippling Wave and Ghost Shadow Clone techniques.

And then there was Starfall Peaks.

What indeed was Starfall Peaks famous for?

Starfall Peaks was neither short on funds nor lacking in cultivation techniques. They even had chickens that consumed pills daily. Their Immortal Master, Zhuo Xianqun, once managed to scare off an entire army with nothing but a pair of shorts.

It was the sect most looked down upon by cultivators.

The elder from the Northern Mountain Gate was notably haughty.

"That old woman, Zhuo Xianqun, is sure to be leading their group. Does Starfall Peaks have any other powerful warriors to send?"

Indeed, among all the sects, only Zhuo Xianqun from Starfall Peaks seemed noteworthy.

At that moment, a young man, appearing to be in his late teens, leaped from the Cloud Boat. Dressed in the attire of Starfall Peaks, he cradled a big black dog in his arms.

With a wave of his hand, dozens of Starfall Peaks disciples disembarked from the Cloud Boat in succession. The most striking among them was the youngest disciple who had reached the Spirit Absorption Realm by the age of one hundred.

He was also the eldest senior brother of Starfall Peaks.

There was another warrior. But why was this person carrying a pair of scythes and also a warrior?

They stood on either side of Wu Pingfan, resembling a pair of protectors.

Fang He immediately noticed that the young man had no cultivation, yet he stood at the forefront, with the other disciples keeping a respectful distance and awaiting his commands.

Could this be a concealed master of Starfall Peaks?

He then recalled that an esteemed hermit had recently joined Starfall Peaks, elevating their reputation.

But how could such a master lack cultivation?

He approached cautiously and inquired, "Which of you is the leader of Starfall Peaks?"

All eyes from the Starfall Peaks disciples turned to Wu Pingfan.

"This is our Master," Xiao Xiao declared, and then added, "The dog he's holding is our Master's dog, Coal!"

Coal, the big black dog, seemed weary and gave Fang He a languid glance.

Fang He read the message in his eyes: too lazy to engage.

The elder from the Northern Mountain Gate scoffed, "He's just a boy without any cultivation. Starfall Peaks has really outdone itself this time, not even presenting an elder with cultivation."

"Elder Bei Zhen, remember that all who come are guests; let's extend them some courtesy," Fang He interjected, attempting to defuse the tension.

He couldn't fathom why Zhuo Xianqun would send someone without any cultivation to lead the charge. It was as if he didn't take these disciples seriously. Yet, that couldn't be entirely true. Even the most gifted eldest senior brother from Starfall Peaks was present, prompting a single thought in Fang He's mind: this young Master must possess some exceptional qualities that made him someone not to be trifled with.

"Is that not Elder Bei Zhen?" A resonant voice suddenly filled the air. The crowd looked up to see dozens of Sword Sect disciples poised on their swords above them, their sword formation exuding a formidable presence. The white-bearded elder at the forefront was none other than the Sword Sect's esteemed Chief Elder, the Sword Arts Elder, who was looking down at Bei Zhen with a genial smile.

Standing next to the Sword Arts Elder was his prized disciple, Liu Qingshan, whose complexion had recently become a shade fairer.

"Is Elder Bei Zhen picking on the youngsters again?" The Sword Arts Elder casually glanced towards the Starfall Peaks disciples.

Hold on, the person clinging to someone's legs looked oddly familiar.

His eyes widened in recognition, and he quickly turned to look behind him.

Where had his sizable disciple gone?

Liu Qingshan, with his keen eyesight, spotted Wu Pingfan and immediately went over to embrace his legs.

"Little Junior Brother, I've missed you terribly! Come here and give your Senior Brother a warm hug."