Bearing the blue sky

Chapter 328 Whirlpool

Previously, the blessing sang a sudden enlightenment, and the meaning of the final destination was understood.

Once the comprehension was complete, he was immediately placed under the intimidation of the New Year's Eve official.

When the officials arrived on New Year's Eve, it was a grand affair.

Although it wasn't for Zhuge, after all, Zhuge was just a side dish; the real main course was the Annihilation True Lord.

Even with his cultivation still intact, the True Lord of Annihilation was able to subdue the world.

When the news spread that the True Monarch of Annihilation had lost all his cultivation, the people of the world could no longer sit still.

Then, on New Year's Eve, the official arrived, and the Ten Heavenly and Earthly Officials appeared.

At that time, the incident happened suddenly. The official used his power to intimidate people, but Lin Zhi and other top talents from the "Sheji Bang" all came to Zhu Ge's side to support him.

They gathered around Zhu Ge because they knew the official would definitely take action on New Year's Eve.

Afterwards, most people simply walked away without a trace, keeping their achievements and fame hidden.

Only a few people stayed behind to talk.

Zhu Ge also learned from Lin Zhi and the True Lord of Extinction that such a thing had happened in the Great Sheng Dynasty before.

This refers to the matter of the Heavenly Officials oppressing young talents.

Back then, the young talents gathered together just like they do today.

The True Lord of Extinction supported young people in the first place.

It seems to have become a tradition for young people to band together to fight against the Heavenly Officials.

Now that he has passed by the sect where they live, it is only right that he pays them a visit.

It would be nice to have a friendly competition.

Please come with me.

An old man of the third realm appeared before Zhu Ge: "You may stop the carriage here."

"Thank you for your trouble." Zhu Ge nodded.

The carriage then stopped, and Zhu Ge continued walking uphill.

The corridors of the Yunxia Sect are much longer than they appear from the foot of the mountain.

Zhu Ge followed behind the old man in the gray-blue robe.

Passing through several archways covered with vines, and crossing a short bridge spanning the edge of the clouds, the bridge surface swayed slightly, like stepping on a layer of water ruffled by the wind.

The wisps of cloud seeped in through the gaps in the railings on both sides, reaching above my ankles, and felt icy to the touch, like stepping in shallow water in early winter.

Liu Jianjian walked a few steps behind him, looking around curiously, occasionally bending down to touch the wisps of cloud that seeped in through the gaps in the railing.

As her fingers passed through the clouds, the wisps of cloud scattered and then closed again like disturbed duckweed, leaving a damp coolness between her fingers.

"The clouds here move," she said in a low voice.

"The entire cloud layer is moving," Zhu Ge replied without turning her head. "It's just moving very slowly, so slowly that it's hard to notice."

The old man walking ahead did not stop, but turned his head to look at Zhu Ge, as if his words had hit on something he hadn't explicitly said.

After passing through the last archway, the view suddenly opened up.

A platform surrounded by crimson clouds appeared at the end of the corridor. The platform was not large, about five or six zhang square, and there were no railings on the edge. The clouds cascaded down the edge of the platform like a waterfall and disappeared into the deeper mist below.

A figure stood in the center of the platform, with his back to the direction he had come from.

He was slender and wore a dark gray robe with a dark red rope tied around his waist. At the end of the rope hung a jade stone the size of a thumb, which gleamed with a warm, dark light in the twilight.

His hair was tied up with a wooden hairpin, with a few strands of gray hair mixed in, as if the color had been weathered by time.

He didn't turn around, but when he spoke, his voice was clear and steady, with a smooth texture like that formed by a stream washing over stones for many years: "You've come."

Zhu Ge stopped at the edge of the platform: "I'm here."

"A few days earlier than I expected." The man turned around.

His face looked older than his voice; the lines around his eyes and mouth were deep, but his gaze was clear, like an old lamp that had been wiped clean.

He scrutinized Zhu Ge for a moment, his gaze moving from Zhu Ge's face to his shoulder, then to his waist, pausing briefly at the location of the Purgatory Star Staff before withdrawing his gaze.

"Greetings, Brother Yunyin." Zhu Ge smiled and cupped his hands in greeting.

Yunyin returned the greeting and said with a smile, "You've traveled quite a distance."

"It's alright." Zhu Ge shook her head. "I'm used to it."

Yun Yin gestured to a low table on the other side of the platform: "Sit."

On the low table sat a pot of tea and two teacups. The teacups were made of coarse pottery, unglazed, retaining the original texture of the clay.

The spout was still emitting thin, white steam, as if it had just been thoroughly heated.

Zhu Ge sat down on one side of the low table, while Liu Jianjian found a spot on the edge of the platform and sat down with her legs dangling over the edge of the clouds.

Yunyin sat down opposite Zhuge, reached for the teapot, and poured a cup of tea into each of the two teacups.

The tea soup is light brown with a light floral aroma, like the taste of dried wildflowers after brewing. It is not strong, but the aftertaste is long-lasting.

"You're looking for me because of what happened last time?" Yunyin asked bluntly.

"Yes." Zhu Ge picked up the teacup and took a sip. The tea was slightly astringent at first, but it quickly dissolved, leaving a sweet aftertaste on the back of her tongue. "Thank you for that day at the Qin border."

"Of course." Yunyin sighed, "Humanity is in decline, and Brother Zhu is a prodigy. He should not be humiliated."

Yunyin picked up his cup of tea and twirled it in his hand: "He, the New Year's Eve official, is waiting for you to enter Shengjing."

"I know," Zhu Ge said.

"You know that, but you still have to go in." Yunyin sighed again.

"Mm." Zhu Ge nodded.

Yun Yin remained silent for a short while, as if he was pondering the answer.

Then he changed the subject: "What are your plans after you arrive in Shengjing?"

"I haven't completely figured it out yet," Zhu Ge said frankly, "but I have a general direction."

Yun Yin looked at Zhu Ge, his gaze neither oppressive nor relaxed: "This time, even more people will follow behind you."

"The chaos in the world was mainly due to the death of the Holy Emperor, but it was also due to the ten officials, including the New Year's Eve official."

"If it weren't for officials like the Annihilation True Monarch who remain the backbone of our human race, perhaps the sects and clans of the world would have rebelled long ago."

This is true.

Zhu Ge was also aware of the current situation.

Many people remain corrupt and decadent, but the chaos is escalating, prompting many to ponder ways to save the world.

This feeling became even more pronounced after his newspaper started operating.

The world has suffered from chaos for too long.

The coming era of great strife will be an outlet for this venting.

"By the way, would you like to spar?" Yunyin asked with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Ge snapped out of her thoughts and smiled, "I couldn't be happier."

Yunyin put down the teacup very gently, making almost no sound when the bottom of the cup touched the table.

He stood up and walked to the open space in the center of the platform, which was covered by crimson clouds.

Then he turned to face Zhu Ge, his hands hanging at his sides with palms facing inward, without assuming any clear starting stance.

"What weapon do you use?" he asked.

"Staff." Zhu Ge drew the Purgatory Star Staff from his waist, its blade gleaming with a warm, silvery-red luster in the twilight.

Sometimes they also use fists and feet.

Yunyin's gaze lingered on the staff for a moment: "A fine staff."

He didn't draw any weapon, but simply raised his right hand, which was hanging by his side, palm up, as if he were holding something unseen.

The crimson cloud swayed gently beneath his feet, like a surface of water ruffled by a breeze.

"I do not use weapons," Yunyin said. "The tradition of the Yunxia Sect is to fight without weapons. We believe that weapons create dependence, and dependence obscures one's true nature."

No weapons required?

Yes.

Zhu Ge held the Purgatory Star Staff horizontally in front of him: "Then I won't use any weapons."

His martial arts, initially, also did not involve weapons.

Just as he was about to put the stick down, Yunyin raised his hand to stop him: "Go ahead and use it. I was just saying that disciples of the Yunxia Sect don't use weapons. You're a guest, so you don't need to follow our rules."

Zhu Ge thought for a moment and then didn't insist: "Okay."

He gripped the Purgatory Star Staff tightly again, not rushing to make a move, but first adjusting his breathing, feeling the elasticity and support of the crimson cloud layer beneath his feet.

The ground was softer than I had imagined, like stepping on a compacted layer of grass, which was both resilient and didn't make me sink too deep.

"please."

Yunyin's starting move was simple; he merely took a step forward, and the clouds around him began to change the instant he landed.

The crimson clouds that had been spreading calmly across the platform began to slowly converge toward him, forming a slowly churning wave of clouds at his feet.

The cloud waves weren't high, only about ankle-deep, but as they moved, the clouds that were originally still at the edge of the platform began to surge in rhythm with them.

"What do you mean?" Zhu Ge moved before the clouds had fully formed.

He took a step forward, and the staff swept towards Yunyin's waist in an almost horizontal arc.

The speed wasn't fast, but the silvery-red sheen on the surface of the stick left a brief afterimage as it passed through the air, like a stretched flame.

Yun Yin slightly turned his body, letting the tip of the staff glide past his waist, just a hair's breadth away.

As his body turned to the side, a very thin mist rose from the clouds beneath his feet, the force of which was small but continuous and steady.

Zhu Ge could feel a slight resistance coming from her ankle. It didn't feel like she was being gripped by something; rather, it felt like the clouds beneath her feet were undergoing subtle changes, slowly altering the softness and direction of the contact surface.

He didn't stop, but instead used the momentum of the staff to bring his body into the starting position for the next move. He flipped his wrist, and the staff changed from a horizontal sweep to a diagonal slash, falling diagonally from Yunyin's left shoulder to his right waist.

This time, Yunyin did not dodge to the side. Instead, he raised his left hand, palm facing forward, and met the falling staff at an extremely small angle.

At the moment of contact, he slightly turned his palm, allowing the force of the stick to slide to one side along the edge of his palm.

The force was dissipated into the clouds beneath his feet. The crimson clouds briefly dented at the point of contact before returning to their flat state.

"You have excellent control over your strength," Yun Yin exclaimed. "To be able to keep your blood energy completely attached to the surface of the staff, without it leaking out, is not easy even for many prodigies."

"This is the basic skill of body tempering," Zhu Ge said with a smile. "Those who temper their bodies are more sensitive to the contact surfaces of their bodies and weapons."

Without pausing, he withdrew the stick, took half a step back, and then thrust the stick forward again.

This time the speed was slightly faster than before, but the force did not increase.

After all, it was just a friendly sparring session, not a life-or-death battle.

Yunyin's figure maintained a smooth, fluid movement during the intervals between Zhuge's strikes.

His pace was slow, but each movement created a thin layer of moisture in the clouds beneath his feet.

Zhu Ge could feel his footsteps deflecting slightly when they came into contact with the moisture, causing his strike to be slightly off-center than he had anticipated.

"Are you using the clouds to influence my position?" Zhu Ge's eyes lit up.

Yunyin's intention is indeed very interesting.

"The clouds are the connection between me and this mountain," Yunyin's voice remained calm and composed. "They don't need to do anything deliberately. When I stood on these clouds, they were already flowing according to my own habits."

The two exchanged blows for another dozen or so rounds.

Zhu Ge's striking speed was gradually increasing. He was adapting to the effects of the moisture on him and trying to leave room for deflection angle before striking.

The Purgatory Star Staff in his hands was sometimes fast and sometimes slow, sometimes straight and sometimes curved. Every strike landed within a very close distance of Yun Yin's side, and none of them actually hit his body.

Yunyin never launched a counterattack, but maintained a defensive rhythm that focused on deflecting force.

But his breathing was slightly faster than before, very slightly, but Zhu Ge could notice the change.

"Again!" Zhu Ge looked down at her ankle.

The clouds there were a bit darker than before, turning from crimson to a dark red that was almost dark brown, like mud soaked in water, with a clear dividing line between the edges and the surrounding clouds.

The moisture had covered the area above his ankles, like a thin veil slowly gathering, gradually climbing upwards with his movements.

"You've been using the clouds to keep my position fixed in this area," Zhu Ge said, her face full of curiosity.

"That's right." Yunyin nodded: "The longer you stand in that spot, the stronger the cloud's grip on you will become."

"If you stay here, in a little while, it will take you 30% more effort to take a step outside than usual."

"I named it 'Cloud Vortex,' which is my own intention."

"Vortex of energy—" Zhu Ge did not immediately try to break free from the grip of the cloud, but instead stood still and felt the change in sensation at her ankle.

The feeling of being enveloped by the layer of clouds was even tighter than before, like fabric that had been repeatedly folded and was gradually tightening its edges.

He turned to look at Yunyin: "If I had chosen to withdraw from this area just now, would the cost have been less?"

"As expected of Brother Zhu, you truly are skilled." Yun Yin nodded. "But you didn't retreat. You kept attacking, so this cloud layer had time to gradually tighten."

Zhu Ge nodded slightly: "Shall we continue?"

Yunyin did not answer.

He took a step forward, and the moment he landed, the crimson cloud beneath his feet suddenly sank downwards and then bounced back up, like a spring compressed to its limit.

The rebound force traveled upwards along his legs, propelling his body forward a very short distance, almost simultaneously with the step he took.

Zhu Ge sensed the force the instant it reached Yun Yin's body. He immediately held the Purgatory Star Staff horizontally in front of him, and the staff made a dull thud when it came into contact with Yun Yin's palm.

"The power of the vortex is indeed impressive." Zhu Ge smiled. "Perfect, I'll also let Brother Yun try out my ultimate intention."