The Science of Cultivation-Chapter 258: An Emergency Interruption

Almost every cultivator on Sword Saint Isle stared toward the west at the approaching dark clouds. However, few knew what was happening. Most could only sense something serious was going on, but none of the details.

“Sir Sword Saint,” Han Gu, the elder from the Rolling Tide Sect, called out, breaking the silence. “May I?”

Every elder nearby turned their eyes to the Sword Saint in question, who was still looking completely relaxed as he stared at the oncoming storm.

“No need, no need,” he nonchalantly remarked. “You old folks think too much. Just because some dark clouds are rolling up on my turf doesn’t mean it’s an ominous sign or anything. My little island here will be able to weather any storm that comes our way. All of you can relax.”

His warm voice thawed everyone who could hear him from their anxiety. The elders began to converse with each other in hushed voices, no longer staring at the clouds blankly. This relaxed atmosphere slowly spread from the platform where the elders were, down toward the rest of the venue. Soon, everyone calmed down, prompting the Sword Saint to nod appreciatively.

However, all the surrounding chatter died instantly when their guest of honor’s voice reverberated throughout the platform.

“Forgive me, everyone. It seems your Violet Isle has some matters to attend to. I’ll be returning to Sunset Peak while you sort things out.”

The tone of the speaker was neither too haughty nor deferential, but the meaning was clear. Zhang Hai, the guest from the mainland, allowed no room for misinterpretation that he wouldn’t lift a finger regarding internal matters of Violet Isle.

The two servants behind him swiftly summoned a lavishly decorated Skyrunner with plenty of inlaid gems and adornments made of precious materials. The two servants and master boarded their vehicle without delay.

“Young Master Zheng, please wait!” a voice called out from among the crowd.

A man wearing pale orange robes chased after the guest from afar, stopping only at the entrance to the Skyrunner. Young Master Zheng Hai stared coldly his way without a word, waiting for the man to explain himself.

“Young Master, please allow me to accompany you.”

“Oh? Don’t you have to deal with your internal matters?”

“It’s just a small matter. I’m sure all the mighty heroes gathered here today can handle it. I wouldn’t dare to leave an honored guest such as yourself alone just because of these small issues.”

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The young man nodded, quickly acquiescing to the elder hailing from Sunset Peak. It was different from the cold attitude he displayed throughout the previous day, where he barely replied to anyone. Many wondered if it was because he simply didn’t care or if it was due to not wanting to decline a request from a member of the sect hosting him.

Regardless, all the nearby elders didn’t bother to hide their displeasure at their peer running away. They didn’t mince their words.

“That Song Leiguang, does he have no shame?”

“Hmph, perhaps it’s because of the identity of that individual on the way here. Those presumptuous bastards from Sunset Peak don’t want to face their humiliating past. Some strongest sect, they are.”

Hearing all the criticism of himself, Song Leiguang still boarded Zhang Hai’s Skyrunner. His ear twitched, but he was otherwise expressionless. Zhang Hai didn’t seem to care for the drama either, and his vehicle soon took to the skies.

It hovered in the air for several moments before a glowing jade flew out in front of it. It expanded in size and grew brighter. Zhang Hai’s vehicle then flew straight into it. The light acted as a doorway, allowing the Skyrunner to disappear from view as it passed through. When the entire carriage passed through, the light folded upon itself before vanishing without a trace as well.

“You would think, with treasures like that, those mainlanders could at least give us a hand,” a member of the crowd muttered.

Sword Saint Jun Heng clapped his hands together, sending a thunderous shockwave throughout the entire venue before more disparaging could be heard. His next words were projected with power, enabling everyone on Sword Saint Isle to hear him.

“My friends, I am Jun Heng. The more uptight members amongst you may refer to me as the Sword Saint. I unfortunately have some bad news for you all today. I hereby declare the second day of the Dark Sea Arena canceled. We will inform you when it will resume at a later date. For now, please stay where you are, your seniors will come get you. Otherwise, if you’re here alone, you’re free to return to your lodging. My disciples will be more than happy to assist you.”

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His announcement caused the crowd to go from silent to uproarious in an instant. Everyone was speculating about what was going on, and how it related to the ominous storm headed their way. Thankfully, the elders acted quickly. Numerous experts materialized all around the venue, right before their disciples.

Even around Li Lang, he could spot half a dozen people abruptly appearing all around him. Jian Beiyun was one such expert, appearing right next to Sima Xue.

“Junior Sister, we have to go. Li Lang, would you three like to come with us?”

Li Lang almost instinctively answered yes, but caught himself a split second before he did. Of course, he wanted to say yes. He would be an idiot to not realize an emergency was happening. However, his students were spread all around the venue. He could only imagine what young teenagers like them were feeling in such situations. As their mentor, he had a duty to go find them. He didn’t have it in him to ask for Jian Beiyun’s help when he understood there were numerous Nightmoon Valley disciples for him to tend to as well.

“No, it’s okay. You go carry out your duty. We have to do the same.”

Sima Xue pulled on her senior’s sleeve, but he just took a deep breath, sighed, and nodded. Then the shadow beneath his feet shot up and engulfed them. A moment later, their figures were gone.

“Tell me that master of yours has a similar technique that can do that as well,” Li Lang asked his friend with the mask as he rested an arm on his shoulder.

“Can’t s-say I’ve seen him employ anything l-like it. My mentor is lying on t-the streets most of the time.”

Li Lang shook his head as he summoned his own Skyrunner.

“Which one of you wants to track them down? I’ll steer.”

“N-No, let Long Yi steer instead,” Wei Ping quipped. “I’ll track our stu-students down. You channel your fire so they c-can spot us.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

“No complaints here,” Long Yi chimed in.

With roles assigned, the trio was off. The venue hadn’t fallen to chaos yet, but numerous vehicles could be seen taking to the skies, retreating back to the city. One black Skyrunner joined the traffic, but it soon differentiated itself as it erupted into silverish-blue flames.

For them, the race was on. They had to gather all the students who were spread around the venue before what caused such a large reaction arrived.

***

The dark storm came to a stop at a hundred li from Sword Saint Isle for some reason. High in the skies above the seas, dozens of disciples of the Sword Saint could be seen facing off against the dark clouds. They all had their weapons drawn and were ready for a fight.

They waited patiently for the other party to make a move first, and soon, several figures emerged from within the storm. They all appeared young and were in the Foundation Establishment Realm.

The Sword Saint Isle disciples were just about to hail them when they suddenly made their move!

Several Qi arts were fired from a distance, and an intense battle soon ensued. At first, it looked like both sides were even, but the casualties told another story. Every few moments, a member of the Sword Saint Isle fell into the sea below or was engulfed by the dark clouds lurking nearby.

This didn’t escape the losing side’s notice for long, but there was nothing they could do about it. They held on for dear life, with none of them showing any signs of retreating. They fought resolutely, and it was for good reason.

Before long, a piercing sound of something shattering rang out. The space around the battlefield suddenly fractured, as if it was made of glass. A wide gaping hole formed in midair and numerous figures began emerging from it.

The defenders all looked relieved upon seeing the scene. That was especially so when they spotted the leading figure. It was naturally because they spotted their master, the current Sword Saint!

The entire place froze as all attention was directed to the newcomers. No matter their personality, no one present could ignore the presence the Sword Saint was giving off. They watched each of his actions carefully, waiting for him to take the lead.

“Oh, it’s been some time since you’ve come to visit our little island here. To what do I owe you that you’d bother raising a hand against these poor juniors?”

One moment passed, then two, then three, but no answer came. The Sword Saint didn’t seem to mind and asked again after some time.

“Hello? Can you hear me? It’s me, Jun Heng. The most magnanimous cultivator within the Violet Isles!”

This time, he finally received a response, but not in the way he wanted.

A hollow clacking sound filled the scene. Then, hundreds of figures emerged from the dark clouds. It quickly grew to thousands, then tens of thousands. As these shadows emerged from the cover of the clouds, their cultivation strength could be detected, along with their appearance. Almost all the Sword Saint disciples grimaced at the same time. They sensed the Qi of many Violet Core Experts coming from the wooden puppets emerging from the clouds.

In contrast to their serious expressions, the Sword Saint let out a chuckle.

“Oh, come on. I was hoping for more of a civilized talk, but I guess beggars can’t be choosers.”

He twirled the sword in his hand. It was the same round bamboo training sword he had been carrying throughout the event. Once he completed his warmup, he slowly held it up and slashed down, as if to just trace the motion. It was an exercise many beginner swordsmen did, but the moment the Sword Saint completed the entire motion, the surrounding area trembled.

A vertical slit appeared at the space his bamboo sword passed through, then numerous tree branches emerged violently. They kept splitting off into new branches at mesmerizing speed. The branches then homed in on their targets and their color abruptly darkened. To be precise, it wasn’t just their color. The branches did an instant changeover, turning into a sharp metal blade. It easily punctured through numerous wooden puppets at the same time.

Splinters of wood rained down to the battlefield, as the remaining puppets clashed head-on with the cultivations of Sword Saint Isle.