Chapter 210 : Clear Sky Sect Disciples Spread Across the World

Chapter 210: Clear Sky Sect Disciples Spread Across the World

Zhao Zhen sensed the aura of Hua Daozang. He slowly turned around and looked toward his mother’s second elder brother.

Hua Daozang looked at Zhao Zhen and could not help but feel a bit dazed. It was as if he had seen Zhao Lan, a Zhao Lan who was no longer tormented by illness.

Back then, when he married his younger sister off to Crown Prince Zhao Lan, he felt that it was the most brilliant thing he had ever done in his life.

Unfortunately, good times did not last long.

Before Zhao Lan could ascend the throne, he was executed by Zhao Zhi.

“I didn’t expect you to have grown this big already.” Hua Daozang sighed with emotion.

When Zhao Zhen was born that year, he had even traveled far to Zhongtian Province to visit Zhao Zhen and his mother.

The prosperity and liveliness of that day made him think that their family was about to rise and soar.

After Zhao Lan’s death, he brought his younger sister back to Tianxuan Mountain.

As for Zhao Zhen, who remained in the Clear Sky Sect, he had never dared to send anyone to fetch him. Because of this, his younger sister always blamed him.

Zhao Zhen looked at him and asked, “My mother was staying well at Tianxuan Mountain. How was she captured by the Xuanji Sect?”

Hua Daozang’s expression instantly turned ugly. Gritting his teeth, he said, “The Xuanji Sect sent people to Tianxuan Mountain to steal secret techniques. In the end, they abducted your mother. Without the Sect Master, Tianxuan Mountain could not stop the experts of the Xuanji Sect from leaving.”

At this point, his tone carried a hint of resentment, as if he were blaming the Clear Sky Sect for taking away the Yan Daozong.

Zhao Zhen continued to ask, “Then how can you be sure whether my mother is dead or alive?”

“I can’t be sure, but they left word saying that I should go to Cangzhou to ransom her. I’ve already brought along the supreme techniques of Tianxuan Mountain.” Hua Daozang replied. As he spoke, he took out several secret manuals from his robe.

Zhao Zhen looked at him deeply and said, “Since that’s the case, then lead the way.”

Hua Daozang nodded and turned around, walking toward the forest.

Ku Yi and Ku Er followed, positioning themselves between Zhao Zhen and Hua Daozang.

On the other side.

In the neighboring mountain forest, the spell-casting disciple opened his eyes and said, “Senior Brother Zhao Zhen’s mother was captured by people of the Xuanji Sect. They are preparing to head to Cangzhou.”

“Hua Daozang is lying. There were no Xuanji Sect experts sneaking into Tianxuan Mountain at all. He is plotting against Senior Brother Zhao Zhen!”

Hearing this, the other two disciples frowned. Although they had never interacted much with Zhao Zhen, they had seen him before. Who did not know that Zhao Zhen was the Sect Master’s treasured disciple and also the number one genius of the sect?

One of the female disciples asked in a low voice, “Should we warn Senior Brother Zhao Zhen?”

The spell-casting disciple pondered for a moment and said, “Third Junior Brother, you return to the Clear Sky Sect and inform the Sect Master of this matter. Second Junior Sister, you go make contact with Senior Brother Zhao Zhen and use sound transmission to tell him the truth. Do not let Hua Daozang hear it. In case Senior Brother Zhao Zhen is deliberately going along with the scheme, we must not ruin his plan. I will continue to stay hidden and follow them. If Senior Brother Zhao Zhen tells you to leave, you don’t need to look for me. Go to Black Wind Town and wait for me there, and also wait for Third Junior Brother to bring people over.”

Upon hearing this, the two disciples had no complaints. They immediately stood up and took action, without the slightest hesitation.

After the two left, the spell-casting disciple took out three paper figures from his robe and muttered, “Had I known this earlier, I should’ve bought more eavesdropping talismans.”

His name was Qiao Dingbei. He was a disciple of the Free Spirit Hall, and his cultivation was at the third layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm.

The three of them were spies cultivated by Zhang Yuchun.

Normally, their presence in the Free Spirit Hall was not very noticeable. In the current Clear Sky Sect, the third layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm was no longer considered a high level of cultivation.

Qiao Dingbei took a deep breath. His intuition told him that he had encountered something big.

The reason he left himself hidden was because he anticipated that Zhao Zhen would drive away Second Junior Sister. At that time, only he alone would be able to follow them.

Zhao Zhen was a top ten disciple. His troubles were definitely not something the three of them could get involved in.

However, since he had already run into this matter, Qiao Dingbei could not retreat. Doing so would betray the sect’s cultivation of them.

After Second Junior Sister had left for a period of time, Qiao Dingbei finally sneaked over.

……

Night fell.

A fire was lit in the forest.

Hua Daozang sat cross-legged beneath a tree, watching from afar as Zhao Zhen sat together with a female disciple of the Clear Sky Sect. His brows furrowed slightly, and unease rose in his heart.

Damn Clear Sky Sect. How was it that no matter where he went, he could run into their disciples?

Even he had to admit that the development of the Clear Sky Sect was far too exaggerated. How long had it been since Li Qingqiu took over as Sect Master?

It was completely built from nothing, and it had only been fifteen years……

Hua Daozang had never met Li Qingqiu. In his imagination, Li Qingqiu was a ruthless and overbearing tyrant-like hero. He did not want to encounter Li Qingqiu at all.

He could only pray that this female disciple of the Clear Sky Sect had merely passed by this place by coincidence.

Zhao Zhen chatted casually with the female disciple. In reality, they were conducting a sound transmission exchange.

After learning that Hua Daozang had deceived him, Zhao Zhen did not feel surprised.

“Then did you see any women going down the mountain?”

“There was indeed one, but she was escorted northward by Tianxuan Mountain disciples.”

“I understand. Thank you for reminding me. When I return to the sect, I will repay you. After dawn, you should head back. I will continue north with him.”

“Senior Brother Zhao Zhen, aren’t you afraid that he will lead you into a trap?”

“Hmph, what’s there to fear? I am already at the seventh layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm.”

Seventh layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm!

Upon hearing this, the female disciple almost stood up in shock.

She looked at Zhao Zhen with eyes full of admiration.

Fortunately, the night was dark, and Hua Daozang did not see clearly.

The two chatted for a while longer, then each sat down cross-legged to begin absorbing energy. Ku Yi and Ku Er took turns standing guard.

Hua Daozang was very curious about the cultivation methods of the Clear Sky Sect, but he did not dare to approach rashly.

At dawn the next day, the female disciple bid farewell to Zhao Zhen.

Hua Daozang secretly let out a sigh of relief.

After observing throughout the night, he knew that the female disciple had merely passed by coincidentally, and Zhao Zhen had not revealed the purpose of his journey.

This matter had passed without incident.

The four continued on their way.

Hua Daozang began to play tricks, choosing increasingly rugged paths, afraid of running into Clear Sky Sect disciples again.

From Zhongtian Province to Cangzhou, even traveling day and night, it still took them twelve days to reach their destination.

Zhao Zhen looked at the continuous mountain plains ahead. Dark clouds rolled across the sky. The trees on the slopes were withered, and crows gathered in flocks.

“Elder Hua, why would the Xuanji Sect hide in a place like this?” Ku Yi asked with a frown.

Hua Daozang pretended to be puzzled and said, “I’m not sure either. Everyone be careful. Beware of traps.”

Zhao Zhen glanced at him and sighed inwardly. No wonder Master always said that human hearts were unfathomable.

If not for that female disciple, he would truly have believed that Hua Daozang cared deeply about his mother.

The four continued forward.

The mountain land was barren. Even flowers and grass had withered away, and there was no greenery to be seen.

Along the way, they could even see the remains of wild beasts.

They continued onward.

After advancing about five li, they stopped and looked ahead. Between two mountains, there was an open area where many tents had been set up, resembling a camp, with many people moving about inside.

Some were sparring in martial arts, some were slaughtering mountain goats, and there were even people forging weapons.

A trace of suspicion flashed through Zhao Zhen’s eyes. These people were clearly dressed as Northern Barbarians. Could this matter really involve the Xuanji Sect?

Hua Daozang spoke up, “You wait here. I’ll go down first and take a look.”

After saying that, he stepped forward and walked down the mountain.

Ku Yi and Ku Er came to Zhao Zhen’s side and watched as Hua Daozang went down the mountain.

“There’s no ambush nearby.” Ku Yi said in a low voice.

Zhao Zhen nodded. He was filled with curiosity about what would happen next. He did not know what kind of tricks Hua Daozang was actually playing.

They watched as Hua Daozang conversed with the Northern Barbarian martial artists, then was led into one of the tents.

Not long after, Hua Daozang came out. It looked as though he had been pushed out. Immediately after, they saw one imposing Northern Barbarian martial artist after another walk out from the tent.

The leading man was tall, with a physique as robust as a bear. His armor was embedded with hooked spikes, making him look even more ferocious.

This man was named Tuo Zhenye. He was a direct disciple of the Xuanji Sect and also the master of this camp.

He glanced at Zhao Zhen from afar, then raised his hand and waved. Immediately afterward, two Northern Barbarian martial artists entered another tent and pushed out a woman whose arms were bound and whose mouth was stuffed.

When Zhao Zhen saw that woman, his brows furrowed.

He could no longer remember what his mother looked like. But seeing her disheveled hair and tattered clothing, killing intent arose in his heart.

Hua Daozang also frowned, clenching both hands into fists inside his sleeves.

Tuo Zhenye noticed his expression and snorted coldly. “Rest assured, our Xuanji Sect is not that despicable. It’s just that this woman was not well-behaved, so we had to teach her a lesson.”

Hua Daozang took a deep breath, walked to the woman’s side, and removed the dirty cloth from her mouth.

“Is that Zhen’er? How could you really call him here? Hua Daozang, what exactly are you trying to do?” the woman shouted angrily.

She was Zhao Zhen’s biological mother, Yu Mi.

Hua Daozang gritted his teeth and said, “I can’t just ignore you!”

Yu Mi cursed loudly, “Do you really think I’m so foolish as to be beyond saving? At this point, would I still believe you? You said that the Zhao clan left wealth behind in Cangzhou to help Zhen’er rise up. If that were true, why would Northern Barbarians be here?”

“Your target was always Zhen’er. No wonder you repeatedly made me write letters. Hua Daozang, you are utterly devoid of conscience. You even scheme against your own nephew. You are not human!”

Although Zhao Zhen was far away, he could hear Yu Mi’s words. He was not angry. Instead, he felt relieved.

His mother truly cared about him. Then his trip here had not been in vain.

What he feared most was that he would come, only to find that his mother did not care about him at all, or worse, that she had joined hands with Hua Daozang to scheme against him.

Ku Yi and Ku Er were furious. The reason they had helped Hua Daozang persuade Zhao Zhen was because Hua Daozang had promised that Tianxuan Mountain would help Zhao Zhen reclaim the realm. Yet Hua Daozang even deceived Yu Mi. How could his words still be trusted?

Zhao Zhen immediately walked down toward the mountain camp.

Boom—

The dark clouds in the sky released a dull rumble of thunder, as if a torrential downpour were about to descend.

Seeing Zhao Zhen walk down, the Northern Barbarian martial artists in the camp gathered together. Tuo Zhenye looked at Zhao Zhen with great interest.

Yu Mi looked at Zhao Zhen and stopped shouting. Her expression became dazed, as if she were seeing the youthful appearance of Zhao Lan.

When she first met Zhao Lan, Zhao Lan had been about the same age as Zhao Zhen now.

At that time, she was a genius young woman of Tianxuan Mountain, her martial arts having achieved initial success, while Zhao Lan was the Crown Prince who had come to Tianxuan Mountain to visit the previous Sect Master.

When they first met, she did not know Zhao Lan’s identity. She had even bullied the sickly Zhao Lan.

“Since you are all after me, you can release my mother. I will stay and talk with you.”

Zhao Zhen walked into the camp, looked at Tuo Zhenye, and spoke.

Tuo Zhenye raised his hand, signaling his subordinates to surround Zhao Zhen, then said, “Release her. Let her go.”

The two Northern Barbarian martial artists behind Yu Mi immediately untied her.

Yu Mi looked at Zhao Zhen and was about to speak when she was pulled away by Hua Daozang.

“We leave first. Staying here will only drag him down!” Hua Daozang said in a deep voice.

Yu Mi glared at him with hatred. Reason told her that he was right. She could only allow Hua Daozang to pull her away.

She looked at Zhao Zhen, who was surrounded, her face filled with worry.

Zhao Zhen glanced at her. For some reason, a thought suddenly surfaced in his heart.

“If Master were here, he definitely wouldn’t let me fall into an encirclement……”