Chapter 146: Personal Disciple

Five miles away, several White-robed Swordsmen patrolled back and forth on the official road, not slacking off even in the middle of the night.

Ten miles away, a bonfire was lit in a small grove far from the official road, where over ten White-robed Swordsmen gathered together, keeping watch all night.

…

Mu Feng’s Spiritual Soul slowly extended through the air along the official road, carefully scouting the enemy’s movements and deployment.

As expected, the roads leading to Jianshui City were all blocked, with squads of White-robed Swordsmen stationed every few miles. In the jungle, hidden sentries lurked in secret, waiting for him to walk right into them.

Whether the guards on the official road or the hidden sentries in the jungle, they had all at least cultivated to the Middle Mortal Realm. Though no peerless experts like Yanyulou were seen, there were still many masters at the Late Mortal Realm and even Mortal Realm Peak. They wore uniformly styled white robes, with a sword-shaped emblem embroidered on their chests and long swords hanging at their waists. It seemed they were all disciples of the Sword Hall.

For a mere Sword Hall to deploy so many people in such a short time, one could imagine just how vast the entire Immortal Sword Sect was.

Mu Feng grew wary, his Spiritual Soul slowly drifting further outward.

The forces of the Immortal Sword Sect had already appeared, yet Blind Master’s spies were nowhere to be seen, making him even more uneasy.

Hu…

The higher and further his Spiritual Soul drifted, the colder he felt.

Slowly, Mu Feng felt threads of chill seep into his body, and the hairs all over his stood on end. This was a sign that his Spiritual Soul had drifted too high, encountering cold winds and Yin Energy, straying too far from his body. Forcefully drifting further out risked drawing the attention of powerful wraiths or even being surrounded by wandering spirits.

“Soul Roaming a Thousand Miles” was merely a beautiful dream for many ordinary cultivators.

The safe distance a Spiritual Soul could wander freely from the body was directly related to the cultivator’s own strength. Average Mortal Realm experts could only roam at night or during the day, with a truly limited roaming range. Otherwise, the entire Great Thousand World would be filled with drifting souls.

There were always stronger experts beyond the mountains. If a wandering soul was destroyed or forcibly refined, even the most powerful cultivator would suffer heavy damage, either dead or severely injured. Therefore, typically only those at the Elite Realm or above, with robust souls and surging Spiritual Power, dared to roam about more boldly.

A soul leaving the body to wander was a double-edged sword. It enhanced perception of the surroundings but also posed great danger. In an unfamiliar place, unless absolutely necessary, even powerful cultivators wouldn’t easily let their souls wander, lest accidents occur.

Mu Feng was well aware of the dangers of soul wandering. But circumstances left no choice; to probe the movements of the Immortal Sword Sect and Blind Master, he had to take the risk.

When his body shivered with cold and his soul’s night roaming distance nearly reached its limit, he finally spotted a group of black-clad figures above a distant ferry. Unlike the brazen, open White-robed Swordsmen of the Sword Hall, these either lurked in the dense forests along the riverbanks or hid underwater, their movements secretive. Clearly, they were spies secretly placed by Blind Master.

“The water route! Blind Master’s forces really all gathered at the water route!”

Mu Feng nodded, realizing his guess was correct.

After sending the Five Ghosts of Jianshui and Dao Duanliu to assassinate him, the cunning Blind Master quickly moved his forces to the water route, setting up an inescapable net in advance at the next ferry. If he had cut bamboo to make a raft and drifted downstream, he would have run right into the ambush and certainly died.

“The Immortal Sword Sect blocks the land routes, Blind Master guards the waterways—one light, one dark, setting an inescapable net. Could it be…”

Mu Feng’s heart suddenly stirred as he thought of a possibility.

The Immortal Sword Sect, equally determined to capture him, and Blind Master might have actually reached some kind of tacit understanding, joining forces to deal with him.

Two giants, one righteous and one evil, secretly cooperating—who could have imagined it? Who could stand against them?

Mu Feng broke out in a cold sweat, his robe quickly soaked through. His heart felt heavy, the pressure immense. Though he wanted to learn more about the specific forces and deployments of the Immortal Sword Sect and Blind Master, his soul hovering in the air dared not get too close to the ferry, lest it expose his whereabouts.

The North Flow Twin Ghosts, Dao Duanliu, the Five Ghosts of Jianshui…

Blind Master Bi Luotian himself was unfathomably powerful and elusive, and the experts he sent were no ordinary either. The distant ferry gave off a dangerous aura—killing intent palpable, blood energy soaring—clearly guarded by some peerless master. If his soul rashly approached, it might never return.

Hu…

The cold wind howled. High in the sky, a chilling breeze swept past, making Mu Feng’s Spiritual Soul feel even colder. Just as he prepared to turn back, he suddenly sensed unusual energy emanating from a hill far from the ferry. Unlike the cold energy of the black-clad figures around the ferry, this energy seethed with bloodlust, as if many were lurking together.

The densely wooded hill, not near the official road and far from the river—what kind of people lurked there together in the middle of the night?

Puzzled, Mu Feng’s hovering soul silently descended and stealthily approached the strange hill. Soon, a shocking scene unfolded before him.

Over a hundred elite White-robed Swordsmen held their breath, hidden in the jungle, coldly looking down at the ferry below from the high hill. They didn’t seem like forces blocking the river, but rather elites secretly monitoring Blind Master’s men. Each White-robed Swordsman was exceptionally skilled, no less than the two Devil Leaders, the North Flow Twin Ghosts.

“Sixth Brother, how long do we have to stay hidden here?”

Perhaps growing impatient, one White-robed Swordsman gently moved his neck and asked a young man lying motionless beside him. The latter had a full “Heavenly Court,” and the energy fluctuations within him were even stronger than that of the assassin Dao Duanliu. Two long swords were embroidered on his chest, marking him as the leader of the White-robed Swordsmen.

“Wait!”

The youth called Sixth Brother remained motionless; over a day and night, he hadn’t moved a finger, like an eternal stone statue. “Seventh Brother, don’t forget, our mission isn’t to ambush that scholar Mu, but to monitor those disgraceful evil heretics below.”

“Why just monitor? Wouldn’t it be better to just wipe them out?” The impatient Seventh Brother’s eyes flashed coldly, his sword humming, killing intent rising.

“Quiet! The master’s orders naturally have their deep meaning. As a personal disciple of the Sword Hall leader, Seventh Brother, you are too disappointing! Both sides are determined to capture that scholar Mu, but we want the sword manual—avenging the Young Master is secondary. Those evil heretics below want the person—they only want Mu’s head. Strictly speaking, we have no conflict this time. We’re hiding here only to prevent those evil heretics from snatching the sword manual after the kill. Seventh Brother, do you understand?”

Sixth Brother’s tone was icy, repeatedly calling him “brother,” but his eyes were cold, devoid of any emotion. If the latter hindered the mission, no one doubted he would be the first to strike him down. After this cold warning, just as he was about to say more, he suddenly turned sharply toward where Mu Feng’s soul was. “Who’s there? Show yourself!”

Not good, discovered!

Mu Feng was startled. His soul, hidden in the treetops, transformed into a streak of red light shooting skyward. Behind him, he heard a clang, and a cold gleam came whistling toward him at an astonishing speed.