The Good-For-Nothing Cultivator

There were no formality exchanges between them except for a quick greeting and thank you.

"Good bye Mother…" Yan"Er said delightfully.

Unlike the celestials that tended to viewed farewells with heartfelt emotions, Yan"Er was equally delightfully when it was time for her to say her farewell to her "mother". It was as though she was simply just going out for a short while and would be coming back soon.

Lu Qingyun had simply stated to the Guardian Spirit Endless Abyssal Sea that they were now ready to leave the Endless Abyssal Sea and the portal was formed in front of them.

"Leave in peace and tell no one of your experiences here." The Guardian Spirit Endless Abyssal Sea simply said without any emotions.

When they had left, the Guardian Spirit Endless Abyssal Sea simply said to herself before she sunk into the great lake. "Lu Qingyun…I remember your desolate force from long ago…"

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When Lu Qingyun, Yin Shisi and Ouyang Xue were on the road for five days, they were now approaching the vicinity of the Moon Demon Forest and was far north by now.

As they made a turning on the mountain trail, they were startled to hear the sounds of sword clashes and the bemoaning sounds of the desolate beasts.

Yin Shisi was the first to react, "I"ll go and take a look."

Lu Qingyun quickly called after her, "I will come too."

"We shall all go together then." Ouyang Xue had sped together with them and she had flashed her sword.

As they sped through the forested mountain trails, the fighting sounds intensified and they could hear the screaming sounds of several cultivators.

They soon come to a forest clearing and were startled to see that there were three monstrous fifth rank reptilian devious monsters that were fighting against dozens of cultivators. From the situation below them, things were not looking good for the cultivators.

These three reptilian devious monsters were all as tall as three men and were walking upright. They had a name as well and were known as the Headhunter for their fondness to snap off the heads of those that they had slewed. These Headhunters devious monsters were extremely vicious and formidable. Even though there were dozens of cultivators but there were no cultivators that were higher than the fifth realm level that could really fight a Headhunter and moreover there were three.

Against a lone Headhunter, perhaps the dozens of cultivators could still have a slim hope.

There were a few exceptional cultivators that were holding the advance of the three Headhunters; a maiden with a steel whip and a man with a white spear were slowing the advances of the Headhunters. But for the look of it, they were on the brink of exhaustion.

"Gongsun Ya?" Lu Qingyun had recognized her as one of the trial compet.i.tors from the Alluring Blossoms Palace.

Yin Shisi was the first to speed down the mountain trail into the valley below as she interrupted the attack of a Headhunter. She was promptly followed by Ouyang Xue and Lu Qingyun, startling the dozens of cultivators who suddenly saw a ray of hope.

Gongsun Ya gasped softly as she recognized Lu Qingyun who had pushed her out of the way of the brutal claws of the Headhunter that she was fighting. "The good-for-nothing Lu Qingyun…"

Lu Qingyun had flashed his half-step divine sword as he parried the on-slaughter rush of the Headhunter. He was quite startled that he was able to send the Headhunter to take a step backward and he immediately threw his Sword Two, Sword Three and Sword Four in a continuous sequence as piercing projectiles; his attacks were all too successful as all his flying divine swords pierced through the thick armor of the Headhunter, sending it into a behemoth outrage.

This momentum halt in the Headhunter was all Lu Qingyun needed as he quickly displayed his "Alpha Soaring Heavens as One." Now this new sword art of his was even more formidable than the one that he had displayed when he had killed the fifth rank Hundred Eyes Beast back in the Misty Desolate Valley.

The Headhunter did not even have a second chance to resist Lu Qingyun as it immediately crumbled onto the ground, shocking Gongsun Ya and many of the cultivators that were struggling to even fight a single Headhunter.

As for Ouyang Xue, she was a fifth realm golden celestial now and that made her on par with the Headhunter. But because of the pureness of her profound strength, her sword strokes were so packed with her lethal martial power that it took her only less than twenty strokes to completely cut down the Headhunter that she was facing.

By the time Ouyang Xue had settled the Headhunter, Yin Shisi had already long dispatched the first Headhunter.

In just a few rounds of melee, all three Headhunters were quickly dispatched and this caused all the onlookers to be dumbfounded by the newly arrived cultivation experts.

Gongsun Ya and many of the relieved cultivators quickly greeted Yin Shi and Ouyang Xue, "We thank the honorable golden celestials for coming to our aid. How do we address our saviors?"

In the Nine Celestial Fraternity, golden celestials have a lofty status and hence, all the cultivators were respectful to Ouyang Xue and Yin Shisi.

"Celestial Grand Elder Ouyang Xue of the Heavens Ridge Villa." Ouyang Xue said quietly.

"Saintess Elder Yin Shisi of the Heavens Ridge Villa." Yin Shisi added.

When Yin Shisi had spoken her celestial t.i.tle, all the cultivators were startled and they were immediately humbled. It was because there were only a few seventh realm experts in the entire Heavenly Fragrance Divine Realm.

Gongsun Ya was stunned. She had heard of Yin Shisi and had thought that she was only a sixth realm expert and now she was a saintess?

She quickly said, "Gongsun Ya of the Alluring Blossoms Palace greets the honorable golden celestials."

The man with the white spear greeted, "Huo Mushou of the White Jade City pays my homage to the golden celestials."

"Tie Kai of the Tailwinds Sect…"

"Nan Xianyue of the Celestial Jade Sect…"

"Xie Jinxuan of the White Cherry Palace…"

In front of the two golden celestials, the core protégés dropped their Immortal Celestial and Enlighten Celestial t.i.tles. Their celestial t.i.tles were a way to distinguish themselves from the other lower ranking cultivators and were not the recognized celestial t.i.tles in the eyes of the golden celestials.

The only official celestial t.i.tles were Celestial (fifth realm), Supremacy (sixth realm) and Saint (seventh ream).

One by one, the core protégés of the various celestial clans reported their names and the celestial clan of origin.

When everyone had finished their introduction, Lu Qingyun greeted them back. "Lu Qingyun, senior brother of the Heavens Ridge Villa."

It turned out that this group of fifty cultivators was actually consisted of seven celestial clans that were going to the Moon Demon Forest.

Some of them were actually moving together on their destination and some of them had actually encountered one another when the Headhunters had attacked.

As there were hundreds of celestial clans that were moving to the Moon Demon Forest to rendezvous with the Heavenly Fragrance Villa, it was all too easy for these celestial clans to encounter each other and they were lucky that they had the strength of numbers to fend off the three Headhunters that had emerged from the desolate mists below.

The same could not be said for the thirty cultivators that had perished earlier.

Gongsun Ya was astonished by the swordplay that was displayed by Lu Qingyun. She could not believe her astonished eyes as she turned her attention on him now.

But Lu Qingyun was standing coolly at the side and there was no expression on his countenance.

She was not the only one.

Huo Mushou was one of the final trial compet.i.tors in New Empyrean City and he had recognized Lu Qingyun as the good-for-nothing cultivator that had rode his way to the trials completion. But when he saw the astonishing speed which Lu Qingyun had displayed his sword, he knew that Lu Qingyun"s swordplay was superior to any cultivator that he had known.

He had really underestimated this Lu Qingyun…

Many of the cultivators were all ashamed by their earlier appraisals of Lu Qingyun and the Heavens Ridge Villa. As a matter of fact, many of them were gossiping about the events that had unfolded in New Empyrean City and the other trial places as they traveled together. One of the hottest topics was the good-for-nothing cultivator Lu Qingyun and the Heavens Ridge Villa that was the undeserved weak host of the regional Divine Fragrance Tournament.

Half of the cultivators presented were from the other regions and did not know Lu Qingyun but they had certainly heard of him from the others.

"Is he really the good-for-nothing Lu Qingyun?"

"They are really from the weak Heavens Ridge Villa?"

"A seventh realm saintess is among their group…"

"Even the Heavenly Fragrance Princess has only just reached the lofty seventh realm level…"

While many of the cultivators were muttering or thinking among themselves, Yin Shisi merely said. "Since we are all going to the Moon Demon Forest, we can all travel together. After all, the dangers of the vicinity of the Moon Demon Forest are well-known."

Many of the cultivators were relieved that there were two golden celestials that would be in their company.

Although their celestial clans had no lack of golden celestials but there were none on this trip. It was because this was not the Heavenly Fragrance Tournament where the golden celestials could meet and have exchanges with one another but an experiential expedition into the dangerous Moon Demon Forest.

Therefore most of the celestial clans had only sent a token escort party to accompany their core protégés. There were even many of the celestial clans that had prevented their core protégés from going to the Moon Demon Forest as they were afraid they may lose their precious pool of talents.

Gongsun Ya was ashamed of herself. It was because she had always looked down on the Heavens Ridge Villa and had thought that her Alluring Blossoms Palace should have the honor of hosting the regional Heavenly Fragrance Tournament instead of the Heavens Ridge Villa. After all, her celestial clan was one of the four major powerhouses in its region.

She walked to Lu Qingyun and said quietly, "Earlier, thank you. If it is not for you, I would have already been dead."

Lu Qingyun returned an awkward smile, "We are all fellow celestial pract.i.tioners of the way and are all fellow cultivators. There is really no need to say thanks. Who knows if I may need your help in the future too?"

Gongsun Ya smiled gently, "You are a good man."

Lu Qingyun: ???