Hanging from the gate tower of the ancient city was none other than Yue Qianren, the long-lost elder brother of the head of the Forging Sky Forge, Yue Qianlian. "Five minutes... that should be enough," he mumbled to himself. After several unsuccessful attempts, the dark forces surrounding them could only helplessly envelop the iron sword, aiming to erode this object that did not belong to the ancient city.
"Big brother!" someone called out.
"What? Do you have a problem with that?"
"Big brother!"
"Xue Ling, what are you doing here?" Bai Qiuran scanned the area with his spiritual sense, confirming that the current spirit of Yue Qianren was still safe in the purple palace of his consciousness. Nodding, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Five minutes... that should be enough."
"Her name is Ming Ying, my subordinate and lover," he added casually. At that moment, Su Xiangxue reminded everyone around.
Bai Qiuran shot a displeased glance at Xue Ling. The disciples of Forging Sky Forge surrounded him, while others gathered near Bai Qiuran. Elder Xu from the Mystic Law Academy asked, "Exalted Sword Master, how is the situation inside?" Bai Qiuran contemplated for a moment before pulling a sword from his spatial pouch. Infusing his qi into the sword, he casually thrust it into the stone path before the gate tower.
"Living too long is a curse; even ghosts want to show off!" Xue Ling turned his head to glance at the nearby hill. There, Su Xiangxue spoke in a programmed manner but seemed distracted as she glanced over at Bai Qiuran. Retracting his gaze, he coldly remarked, "Hmph, self-inflicted trouble, cannot live."
"Excluding the possibility that you entered the ancient city causing it to hesitate, it should take about five minutes from appearance to disappearance," he concluded.
With a mighty leap, he retrieved Yue Qianren from the gate tower and carried him out of the ancient city. Everyone’s spirits lifted as they turned their eyes toward the ancient city, and indeed, they saw Bai Qiuran charging out again. The entrance was still blocked by numerous dark creatures, and the bell had not ceased ringing.
Moreover, it seemed that Bai Qiuran was carrying someone on his shoulder. Yet, this did not seem to impede him. He supported the figure with one hand and fought his way through the encirclement of darkness with the other, heading straight for them.
Upon reaching the hill, Bai Qiuran set down the person he carried, and Su Xiangxue immediately rushed forward with the others to greet him. If they could not stop the ancient city from moving, he could always destroy it completely.
"Her name is Ming Ying, my subordinate and lover," Bai Qiuran repeated. Then he leaped again to retrieve Yue Qianren from the gate tower, carrying him away from the ancient city.
As soon as Bai Qiuran left, the surrounding darkness rushed back, seemingly intent on eliminating the iron sword he had left behind as a "foreign object." However, each time the darkness surged to extinguish the iron sword, a burst of terrifying sword light would erupt from the sword's body, repelling the surrounding darkness.
Xue Ling glanced once more at the hill where Su Xiangxue continued to speak programmatically, distractedly glancing in Bai Qiuran's direction. He coldly scoffed, "Hmph, self-inflicted trouble, cannot live."
After several more futile attempts, the dark forces remained perplexed, surrounding the iron sword and attempting to digest this foreign entity. Bai Qiuran observed the ghostly figure of the female in question and asked, “Could she be…?”
While others busied themselves, Elder Xu from Mystic Law Academy began analyzing the recorded footage of the ancient city’s disappearance, while Su Xiangxue and her group approached Yue Qianlian to express concern for Yue Qianren.
Huangfu Feng cupped his fists, quickly finding an excuse to run over and check on his friend without meeting Bai Qiuran’s gaze.
"Her name is Ming Ying, my subordinate and lover," Bai Qiuran said as he faced Xue Ling. Behind Xue Ling, a female ghost also asked, “Brother Xue, can this living person see us? Who is he?”
Bai Qiuran shook his head and flipped the body on the ground over, revealing the face.
He scanned his surroundings, discovering a familiar figure beneath a nearby tree. Noting that no one else was paying attention, he approached.
"No problem, no problem," Xue Ling embraced the female ghost's shoulders. Upon hearing his sudden move, she let out a small gasp, a hint of color momentarily flashing across her pale face, though she did not object.
At that moment, Su Xiangxue reminded everyone, "The city has disappeared..."
Upon a high hillside, dozens of miles away from the ancient city, Su Xiangxue, Huangfu Feng, Master Wei Chen, Zhang Ruifei, Elder Xu, Li Pengfei, along with the ghostly elder of the Yin Ling Sect and Yue Qianlian all stood firm, gazing at the distant ancient city.
"...Oh right, the people from the Qingming Sword Sect can feel their own swords..."
"No problem, no problem." At that moment, Bai Qiuran, feeling quite idle, suddenly sensed a familiar spirit energy.
While observing the ongoing situation ahead, Xue Ling suddenly heard a familiar voice coming from behind him. He turned to see Bai Qiuran lazily walking over. Just moments ago, Bai Qiuran had successfully charged into the city; now they awaited his report.
"Don't worry; we’re not here to capture you," Xue Ling reassured.
If worse came to worst and they could not stop the city from shifting, he could always destroy it entirely without a second thought.
"...The city has disappeared..."
"Oh right, the people from the Qingming Sword Sect can feel their own swords..."
Everyone looked up, their spirits reinvigorated as they turned toward the ancient city. Indeed, they saw Bai Qiuran charge out once more, with dark monsters still crowding the entrance, the bell still tolling, and him seeming to carry someone on his shoulder. This did not seem to affect him as he fought his way free from the dark monsters, charging right toward them.
“Hmm…” Bai Qiuran patted his shoulder, glancing around the area.
And so it continued, the struggles and entanglements of those aspiring for strength in the face of all odds.