Chapter 113: Farewell, Mad Liu

The Burning Heaven Sect, the premier sect of the Southern Prefecture, sits nestled within a range of mountains to the north. It is a place that gathers the essence of the heavens and enjoys the brilliance of the earth; the concentration of primordial energy in the air is countless times denser than in the desolate corners of the Southern Prefecture’s frontier. A single breath is enough to reveal the vast disparity between the two.

The flying ship landed smoothly. Soon, the cabin door opened, and disciples, pale from a long absence of sunlight, emerged one by one, followed by a ripple of hushed murmurs.

"Let's go, get off. Remember, your current status is that of my nominal disciple. If possible, once you enter the sect, go straight to Flying Cloud Peak in the southwest and stay there. Do not go anywhere else, understand?" Li Feiyang spoke. As he did, he retrieved a waist token from his storage ring and handed it to Liu Pan. He cast a cryptic glance at Liu Pan before turning and walking off the ship.

Watching Li Feiyang turn away, Liu Pan frowned imperceptibly. He did not know what Li Feiyang’s true situation was within the Burning Heaven Sect, but he felt an inexplicable sense that things would not be so simple. In fact, he highly doubted he would ever make it to Flying Cloud Peak at all.

Liu Pan stepped off the ship, following behind Li Feiyang.

The moment he stepped through the hatch, Liu Pan’s brows flickered. He bypassed any inspection of his surroundings and fixed his gaze on a figure outside the sect’s gates.

Liu Kuang? Realizing his senses were correct, Liu Pan was stunned, nearly stumbling in his stride. Although he had known that Liu Kuang had come to the Burning Heaven Sect, he had never expected to see him right outside the gates.

There were not many people at the entrance. Eight disciples clad in crimson robes stood in orderly, respectful lines on either side, clearly acting as gatekeepers. Standing apart from them were several others, among whom was Liu Kuang.

Liu Kuang’s attire had not changed much; he was still dressed in black, with an extravagantly designed heavy blade strapped to his back. However, Liu Pan could tell at a glance that it was not the Great Desolate Blade.

Beside Liu Kuang stood a middle-aged man with a head of white hair. Though Liu Pan did not use his spiritual sense to scan him, he could feel that the man’s cultivation was not low—though it still paled in comparison to Li Feiyang, the second-strongest individual in the Southern Prefecture.

Before them, in the open space, stood seven or eight youths in their late teens or early twenties—the disciples recruited from Sky Sun City.

Having traveled so far only to recruit seven or eight disciples, all of whom barely qualified as outer sect members—when Liu Pan had first learned of this, he had been speechless. It was absolute madness!

"Senior Brother Li, you have returned. You have had a hard journey," the white-haired man said. His gaze, however, flickered unobtrusively toward Liu Pan, who was following behind Li Feiyang, his eyes holding a hint of something unreadable.

"Whether it was hard or not is no concern of yours. Speak, is the Sect Master looking for me again?" Li Feiyang replied, his tone devoid of courtesy, cold and sharp.

"Senior Brother Li is correct. The Sect Master cares deeply for the common people and is very concerned about the emergence of evil cultivators in the south, so he instructed me to wait here. Once you returned, I was to inform you to see him immediately." The white-haired man smiled, then turned his gaze to Liu Pan. "Beyond the matter of the evil cultivators, the Sect Master is also curious about this disciple you brought back personally—what charm he possesses to have moved you. Therefore, the Sect Master hopes you will bring him along."

Li Feiyang glanced at Liu Pan and said, "He is just a disciple I picked up on a whim. Aside from being diligent, there is nothing special about him. However..."

He paused for a moment before continuing, "If the Sect Master truly wishes to see him, it is fine to bring him along."

"In that case, let us go," the white-haired man said with a smile, gesturing for Li Feiyang to lead the way.

Without standing on ceremony, Li Feiyang walked toward the mountain gate.

Liu Pan turned to look at Liu Kuang once more. Just as he was about to step forward, the waiting white-haired man caught his gaze. The man immediately asked, "What? Do you two know each other?"

As these words were spoken, Liu Pan and Liu Kuang remained impassive, but Li Feiyang, who had already begun to walk, halted and turned back toward Liu Kuang.

Regarding the disciples recruited from the frontier, besides the eight or nine he had just brought back—including Liu Pan—there were the two that Zhang Zu had brought back some time ago.

Li Feiyang could not possibly be indifferent to those two. In fact, he was quite interested in one of them: Liu Kuang, who was from the same clan as Liu Pan.

For two disciples from the same clan to awaken their spiritual sense in the same generation was a rarity even in the great families of the Central Plains, let alone in the frontier of the Southern Prefecture.

Thinking of the strange power Liu Pan possessed, Li Feiyang could not help but wonder if Liu Kuang also harbored something special. He even paid close attention to the blade on Liu Kuang’s back. He remembered clearly that Wang Dadao had specifically mentioned Liu Kuang’s skill with the blade and his ability to command it.

Evidently, however, Li Feiyang was disappointed. Though the blade on Liu Kuang’s back was extravagant, it was merely a low-grade spiritual artifact, failing to pique his interest.

Liu Kuang was somewhat dazed. The moment he saw Liu Pan, he felt an inexplicable sense of relief. He had always believed that with Liu Pan’s ability, he would eventually reach the pinnacle. His arrival here was only natural.

Yet, upon sensing the thin, unstable ripples of primordial energy within Liu Pan, he began to doubt whether the person before him was truly the Liu Pan he knew.

Despite his disbelief, when the white-haired man asked his question, Liu Kuang nodded. "Replying to Uncle-Master, this person is indeed an old acquaintance."

The white-haired man raised an eyebrow, looking from Liu Kuang to Liu Pan, and finally cast a fleeting glance at Li Feiyang.

At this moment, he truly felt that the Sect Master’s idea to have Li Feiyang bring Liu Pan along was incredibly wise. This Liu Pan was certainly not as simple as he appeared. Otherwise, Li Feiyang would never have spent primordial stones to force him into such frantic cultivation.

Thinking of this, the white-haired man’s mood seemed to lift. "Knowing each other is fine, but there is no time for you two to catch up now. After all, the Sect Master is waiting."

"I am in no rush," Liu Kuang said. "Since we are both in the Burning Heaven Sect, there will be plenty of opportunities to meet in the future. Since the Sect Master wishes to see him, we must go there first."

The white-haired man nodded, beckoned to Liu Kuang, and followed Liu Pan and Li Feiyang toward the mountain gate.

From beginning to end, Liu Pan and Liu Kuang did not exchange a single word.

Watching the three figures move further away, Liu Kuang’s gaze, without a sound, rested on Li Feiyang, who walked at the front. A flicker of something unreadable danced in his eyes.