Chapter 364: Encountering the Protagonist at the Foot of the Mountain

Chapter 364: Encountering the Protagonist at the Foot of the Mountain

Lin Nuo received the message that he needed to return to Xuanyun Sect, though the specifics were still unclear.

He didn’t think much of it; after all, he had gathered information from the underworld, leaving him with less from the righteous side.

Ultimately, the information from the righteous path was what mattered most.

Who knew what new antics Xuanyun Sect might be up to this time?

Before returning to Xuanyun Sect, Lin Nuo naturally needed to change his clothes and appearance, restoring himself to the image of a spirited young man in white.

He stood before the bronze mirror for quite some time, admiring his reflection.

Indeed, his handsome looks were hard to hide, and he couldn’t help but remark on how noble he appeared.

He had to admit, his fair complexion really suited the plain white daoist robes, accentuating the vigor of youth without unnecessary embellishments.

In contrast, the dark face he wore while mingling in the underworld, complete with scars and dark spots, merely obscured his brilliance.

Nonetheless, he still preferred the black battle robe he donned during fierce battles; that was the majesty a king of the demon path should have.

But at present, he wasn’t qualified to wear that battle robe.

Because he lacked sufficient strength.

That was the robe meant for a king at the pinnacle of the demon path, symbolizing both will and power, not something to be worn just by claiming to be the villain.

Thinking of the battle robe reminded Lin Nuo of the master tailor he had stumbled upon; that battle robe was crafted by him.

Sure enough, both the robe and the demon sword came about just by coincidence, both were products of meeting that kind of master with exceptional skills.

Now that he was reborn and the timeline had shifted, honestly, recreating the same demon sword or battle robe would be extremely difficult, let alone having both.

Find another tailor to make a battle robe?

No, it was like it had been made just for him.

He had stepped into many battlefields, enduring smoke and heavy blows, yet the battle robe stood firm, much like himself.

The robe matched perfectly with his abilities, as if it had been enchanted; it could block countless attacks in the chaos of battle, and even if damaged, it could recover over time.

So it was like a teammate to him.

However, now it could only exist in his dreams.

No, he couldn’t even dream about it.

“Time to go back.”

Lin Nuo picked up his sword and stepped out of the small house, facing the perilous mountain forest outside. He waved lightly, and the sword flew from its sheath to hover in front of him.

Returning to Xuanyun Sect naturally meant flying on the sword.

Lin Nuo stepped onto the spirit sword, channeling his spirit energy into it.

Wooooosh, lift-off!

The spirit sword soared into the sky, Lin Nuo placed his hands behind his back, gazing ahead proudly as the sword cleaved through the air, soaring away.

……

At the foot of Tianling Mountain, all was quiet and serene.

A girl in powder-pink robes halted at the mountain’s base, gazing up at the steep, rugged Tianling Mountain.

She reflected on how treacherous the peaks were; back when she first entered Tianling Mountain, she had intended to climb to Xuanyun Sect on foot, but after a little ways, she was utterly exhausted and nearly fell from the peak.

Fortunately, Han Fairy had been watching her from the shadows and prevented her fall.

Ultimately, she managed to reach Xuanyun Sect within Tianling Mountain via Han Fairy’s flight on her sword, and later spent years cultivating inside.

As for descending and ascending the mountain, most disciples opted to fly on their swords for convenience. The rugged terrain of Tianling Mountain was exhausting to climb on foot.

Of course, there were a few cultivators who chose to trek up the mountain, but that was mostly a rare mood-driven decision.

However, there was one person who walked back up the mountain nearly every time after going out.

That was Lin Nuo.

People seldom saw him return flying on a sword.

Right, seldom.

Most of the time, fellow cultivators or elders would see Lin Nuo climbing back up the mountain.

Such determination was truly admirable.

“Senior brother is really strong. He always walks back, whereas I rely on sword flight every time,” Su Kexin murmured, her fists clenched tightly.

“I must follow my senior brother’s example! This is part of my training too; he utilizes every opportunity to cultivate, which is why he has such extraordinary skills now. If I don’t step up, I’ll be left far behind!”

Su Kexin gazed up at the treacherous Tianling Mountain and stepped forward.

Time to trek up, no matter how tough it gets.

Just as she was about to enter the mountain from the foot, a handsome guy descended on his sword, landing a short distance away and then leaping down.

He looked up at the steep Tianling Mountain, frowning.

Seriously? More climbing? This annoying Xuanyun Sect is way too high, and the mountain is steep and dangerous. What’s wrong with you guys picking such a crazy place?

And can you please lay off the spirit walls? Crossing those drains spirit energy!

You need to consider the feelings of lower-tier folks; crossing the spirit walls drains their energy, and they could fall from their sword!

There are spirit walls near Xuanyun Sect, and flying through them requires consuming spirit energy, which the sect’s Master or elders detect when someone arrives.

Thus, they don’t encourage low-tier cultivators to fly out; otherwise, they’d collapse after crossing the spirit wall upon returning.

Of course, if they manage to cross back successfully, low-tier cultivators are fine.

Basically, most returnees can skillfully traverse the spirit walls.

Except for Lin Nuo, of course.

Everyone in Xuanyun Sect believes he can easily cross the spirit walls and return.

Except for him.

Even trekking up Tianling Mountain encounters spirit walls, but it isn’t a big deal; walking up, crossing the walls drains energy, but since he isn’t riding a spirit sword, it’s not too major.

Every time Lin Nuo returned, he complained loudly; if he could fly back, who would want to walk up?

That would be just foolish!

Forget it, better to walk; next time, he’d have to arrange with Master Zhao’s white tiger to come down and give him a ride up.

That’d be safe, but he needed to train a spirit pigeon to communicate with the white tiger normally—it needed to understand the pigeon!

But in reality, the white tiger would likely just eat the pigeon on sight.

No worries, if he nurtured it carefully, it would work out.

Time to move.

Lin Nuo took a few steps and sensed someone watching him nearby.

As a careful villain, he became alert.

Who could it be?

Lin Nuo glanced over and spotted a girl in a pink robe and white stockings.

What the?!

Lin Nuo rubbed his eyes, doubting if he was mistaken.

No, he wasn’t wrong.

It was Su Kexin.

What was she doing here?

Was she specifically waiting for him?

Su Kexin saw Lin Nuo and bounced with excitement:

“Senior brother~ Senior brother~!”

She joyfully hopped in front of Lin Nuo, tilting her head slightly.

“Senior brother, long time no see! How have you been lately~?”

Lin Nuo: “…”

Things were going pretty well up until now, but it’s not going so good now.

Not only is it not good, but it’s downright bothersome.

But…

Seeing the protagonist eased his heart a bit.

After all, without seeing her, who knew what kind of training she had been up to?