Nameless Territory Arc Chapter 70: These Were His Words

The six of them exited the Xuanqi Hall. With a charming smile, Xu Yuhan asked Zhou Xuanhong, “Ah Hong, did you miss your senior sister? It’s been more than ten years! How did you manage to stay in seclusion for so long?”

It wasn’t just Xu Yuhan; even Mao Yishan and the others were full of curiosity. It truly seemed unbelievable—a mere disciple at the early Foundation Establishment stage had managed to stay in seclusion for over a decade. Such a thing would be considered extraordinary anywhere.

Zhou Xuanhong smiled and explained, “Does it seem that long? I hardly felt it. I was so absorbed in the mysteries of formations that I lost track of time. While studying formations and improving my cultivation, the years just slipped by. I was surprised myself!”

Qiao Yixue covered her mouth and laughed, “You’re too modest, junior brother. Ten years is not a short time for any of us, let alone for someone your age. You’re not even thirty yet, and a third of your life was spent in seclusion. I couldn’t do that.”

Mao Yishan also expressed his admiration, “Truly impressive. To endure what most people could not—such hardship and loneliness—even I would struggle.”

Zhou Xuanhong chuckled, “Perhaps. As cultivators, our mindset is crucial. We’ve arrived at the Mission Hall. Let’s pick out a task!”

The six of them entered the Mission Hall. Many disciples passing by stopped to pay their respects. Mao Yishan and the others were all famous figures in the sect, with even the lowest in rank being a personal disciple.

“Greetings, senior brothers and sisters!”

As for Zhou Xuanhong, most disciples didn’t recognize him. Half of them had joined the sect during his seclusion, and his appearance was quite ordinary—nothing stood out. Even those who had known him found their memories of him blurred by the passage of ten years.

Naturally, Zhou Xuanhong would never announce, “I’m a core disciple—why aren’t you greeting me?” He preferred to keep a low profile, hoping to be overlooked as much as possible.

The Mission Hall was bustling with activity. The screen in the hall displayed countless missions, far more than there had been ten years prior. Nearly all of them were related to the Yin Corpse Sect, and most were extremely perilous, involving rescue, assassination, infiltration, or reconnaissance.

At the very top of the screen were missions to hunt down disciples of the Yin Corpse Sect, as well as targets associated with factions allied to them—such as the Five Spirits Pill Valley.

Since the sects had now completely fallen out, Xingyan Sect no longer showed any leniency toward the Five Spirits Pill Valley. “You help the Yin Corpse Sect refine pills? Fine, then we’ll come for you as well!”

A tense, murderous air hung over the entire hall. Many cultivators reeked of blood, evidence that they had taken many lives.

The arrival of Zhou Xuanhong and his companions drew the attention of many disciples, who stepped aside respectfully to make way.

“Junior brother, take a look at these missions—choose whichever you wish. But I’d suggest you pick ones that involve combat. After all, you’ve been in seclusion from early to late Foundation Establishment, and you may be a little rusty.”

Zhou Xuanhong nodded. “No need—I’ll pass on the other tasks. Let’s head straight for the hunt!”

Mao Yishan laughed heartily, “Excellent! Let’s hunt. Sister Ran, let’s go!”

With that, Zhou Xuanhong, Mao Yishan, and Ran Ziyu left the Mission Hall. There was no need to formally accept a hunting mission; as long as they had a recording stone, or brought back tokens or heads of Yin Corpse Sect disciples, or any other proof, they could claim their reward.

But for disciples of their stature, these rewards hardly mattered. They lacked for nothing in cultivation resources. What they sought was a true battle of life and death.

Xu Yuhan said to Zhou Xuanhong, “Ah Hong, be careful. I have to manage the Alchemy Hall and can’t go with you. Here are some pills—don’t be frugal, your life is more important!”

She handed him a storage pouch, but Zhou Xuanhong shook his head. “Thank you, senior sister, but I won’t need them. You should give them to someone who does.”

With those words, Zhou Xuanhong turned and mounted his flying sword, departing the Xingyan Sect, with Mao Yishan and Ran Ziyu close behind. The three soon vanished into the distant sky.

At the entrance to the Mission Hall, Xu Yuhan stood with her hand still outstretched, holding the pouch, gazing after Zhou Xuanhong’s departing figure. A familiar ache welled up in her chest.

Nearby, many bystanders whispered among themselves with great interest, “Wow, who is that? He even refused Sister Xu’s kindness so decisively. Impressive!”

“Oh! I remember now. That’s Zhou Xuanhong—the core disciple who was in seclusion for ten years. I saw him a couple of times a decade ago, and now he’s finally come out!”

“No wonder he’s so unusual. Even in the face of a beauty like Sister Xu, he’s unmoved—a true example for us all!”

Xu Yuhan drew a deep breath. She knew Zhou Xuanhong’s heart had no place for her. Perhaps it was time to let go once again. Was her charm really so lacking?

At her side, Qiao Yixue tried to comfort her. “Yuhan, don’t be sad. Don’t take it too hard. Look at me—I’ve pined for Senior Brother Luo to no avail. Some things just can’t be forced. Who knows, maybe someone more suited to you is waiting ahead.”

Xu Yuhan shook her head and smiled at Qiao Yixue. “Don’t worry, I’m not forcing anything. Everyone has their own world, and in my world, I am the protagonist. In this world teeming with people, I will cherish my self-worth, love myself, and be free. If I stay trapped beneath the shadow of another, my world will forever be overcast. But if I part the clouds, I’ll see the blue sky, a brilliant rainbow, and all the beautiful hopes the future holds.”

Qiao Yixue was stunned by her words, her breath quickening. “I didn’t expect you to see so clearly. ‘In this world teeming with people, I will cherish my self-worth, love myself, and be free’—that’s beautifully said!”

Xu Yuhan shook her head. “Those aren’t my words. He said them.”

“Who?”

“The one who left.”

Nearby, Jiang Ti, just awakening to romance, felt awkward and quickly took his leave. Yet his regard for Zhou Xuanhong rose several notches in his heart.

A short while later, several figures left Xingyan Sect one after another. They were spies planted by various factions, sent to gather intelligence.

There was little the sect could do about this. With so few members, they had to recruit widely, making it all too easy for agents with motives to slip in.

“A core disciple who spent ten years in seclusion has emerged and left the sect to undertake a hunt.”

“Zhou Xuanhong has come out, accompanied by Mao Yishan and Ran Ziyu.”

...

Two days later.

Zhou Xuanhong and his companions arrived at a mountain range teeming with beasts. The rugged terrain and dense vegetation made it an ideal hiding place for disciples of the Yin Corpse Sect. It was a frequent battleground between the two factions.

All three were at the late Foundation Establishment stage and formidable in strength. Along their journey, they had slain four mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators, all killed by Zhou Xuanhong’s sword technique.

Mao Yishan could not help but praise him. “Impressive! Junior Brother Zhou’s sword control is truly terrifying. To simultaneously wield ten spirit swords so effortlessly, with a killing range of over a hundred meters—your spiritual power must be at the peak of Foundation Establishment, not far off from mine!”

Zhou Xuanhong smiled, “Indeed. Given that the Xingyan Art cultivates both soul and body, it’s only natural for my spiritual power to be strong. Otherwise, I wouldn’t still be at the seventh stage of Foundation Establishment.”

Ran Ziyu covered her mouth with a laugh. “With your current strength, I doubt you’d have any difficulty defeating me. Ten years of seclusion has certainly paid off.”

They pressed deeper into the forest, ignoring the many lesser beasts along the way.

Yet Zhou Xuanhong’s ten swords continued to circle within a hundred-meter radius, striking down low-level beasts—creatures already slain and turned into corpse puppets by the Yin Corpse Sect to serve as sentries.

Mao Yishan asked, “Why don’t I take over? This must be draining your spiritual power.”

Zhou Xuanhong shook his head, “No need. Senior brother, senior sister, please fall back. Up ahead is a Yin Corpse Sect disciple at the ninth stage of Foundation Establishment. It’s time I test my own strength.”

Mao Yishan was startled; even his own spiritual sense hadn’t detected the foe, and yet Zhou Xuanhong had already noticed. Did this mean Zhou’s soul power surpassed his own?

Sure enough, ahead, four figures were locked in battle: a Yin Corpse Sect cultivator at peak Foundation Establishment, two Xingyan Sect disciples at the eighth and seventh stages, and a Sword Pavilion disciple from Mount Song at the seventh stage.

Remarkably, the Yin Corpse Sect cultivator was holding his own against all three, even gaining the upper hand—a testament to his formidable power.

Behind him stood two more Yin Corpse Sect disciples at the eighth stage, evidently there to prevent the trio from escaping.

The three embattled allies, previously in despair, were overjoyed to see reinforcements arrive—especially two at peak Foundation Establishment, one of whom was none other than Mao Yishan, the sect’s chief disciple.

The faces of the three Yin Corpse Sect members darkened. The peak-stage cultivator forced the trio back and retreated to his own side, so that the two groups now stood facing one another.

The Xingyan Sect disciple at the eighth stage called out, “Wonderful! Senior Brother Yi, Senior Sister Ran, you arrived just in time. Let’s attack together!”

Mao Yishan shook his head and gestured for the three to fall back, leaving both sides a little puzzled.

“You’ve done well—rest now. The rest is up to us.”

With those words, Zhou Xuanhong rose on his sword, hovering above the battlefield, a spirit sword pointed at the peak-stage corpse cultivator. He said calmly, “Let’s fight one-on-one. You can use this chance to wait for reinforcements if you wish.”

The corpse cultivator was momentarily stunned, then cackled, “So you want to use me as a whetstone? You, a mere late Foundation Establishment novice—since you’ve come courting death, I won’t hold back!”

He suddenly caught sight of the token at Zhou Xuanhong’s waist and was delighted. “When did Xingyan Sect gain a new core disciple? That makes your head all the more valuable!”

Without hesitation, he mounted a beast corpse puppet and rose into the air, flying to the center of the battlefield, a hundred meters from Zhou Xuanhong. The battle was about to begin!