Chapter 1643: Everyone Pays Their Respects to Han Yan
Chapter 1643: Chapter 1643: Everyone Pays Their Respects to Han Yan
"Unexpectedly, such a secret is hidden within the Luoshen Abyss, and more unexpectedly, they managed to escape unharmed!" A man wearing a silver mask remarked from a distance, it was Yun Qianmo.
"Her improvement is faster than I imagined, it seems I may have to act sooner than expected." Beside him, a man wearing a gold mask said in a deep voice.
"Master..." Yun Qianmo’s gaze revealed a look of reluctance, seemingly hesitant to speak.
"Qianmo, have you forgotten what our years of efforts were meant for? I brought you to the Luoshen Abyss for a reason, do you not understand?" The man in the gold mask reprimanded sharply, then spoke more seriously.
"But, perhaps things are not as severe as we anticipated." Yun Qianmo hesitated for a long time but still voiced his thoughts.
"Ha, you’re oversimplifying things, do you think relying on a single Divine Artifact can turn the tide? Back then, Lu Guantian thought he unraveled the Heavenly Secret, only to falter at the end." The man in the gold mask sighed.
"Master, is there really no other way?" Yun Qianmo asked, eyes dimmed.
"What do you think?" The man in the gold mask snorted coldly, then drifted away.
Yun Qianmo gazed at the departing figure of Mu Hanyan and the others, finally sighed deeply, and followed suit.
...
Reembarking on the journey, Zhuang Ping’an and others realized that Mu Hanyan was not just speaking idly. Throughout the journey, Mu Hanyan and Ye Lanfeng trailed behind the team, every crises had to be detected and faced by themselves. Although Mu Hanyan occasionally offered reminders, those were at critical moments when lives were at stake.
Along the way, they had to deal with increasingly strong and chaotic Heaven and Earth Power, while also focusing entirely on sharpening their Divine Sense to detect potential threats. Despite this, countless times they faced the terrifying Desolate Storm and the sudden appearance of formidable Exotic Beasts in front of them.
To survive, the Exotic Beasts living in the North Abyss Misty Plain are more ferocious, following only the law of the jungle. Generation after generation of survival of the fittest has honed their strength far beyond their counterparts in the Longyan Mountain.
Finally, after half a year of heart-pounding progress, Zhuang Ping’an and the others climbed the hillside just a few miles from the Heavenly Curtain.
Everyone stopped simultaneously, gazing excitedly at the white light curtain that pierced the heavens and the earth before their eyes. They felt the presence of an Array in front of the light curtain, clearly set by predecessors, and with this Array, the Heavenly Barrier had been preserved for a million years without fading, ensuring the stability of the Holy Court Continent.
Under the radiance of the Heavenly Barrier, within a few miles ahead, there was no trace of mist, and the Heaven and Earth Power along with the Law became much more gentle and calm.
They knew they were finally safe.
"We have finally arrived," Zhuang Ping’an cried out long and loudly with a joyful smile on his face, tears of happiness glistening in his eyes.
"We’ve arrived, we really have," the others raised their arms in jubilant cheers, tears streaming down their faces.
The others also cheered loudly, and for a moment, the shouts were thunderous.
Everyone appeared in tattered apparel akin to beggars, and at the very moment they reached the Heavenly Barrier, blood still dripped from many of their wounds.
However, they had arrived. The hardships of the journey bestowed great benefits, each of their strengths increased significantly, their resolve grew unprecedentedly firm, and most importantly, they had to constantly sharpen their Divine Sense to search for hidden dangers, causing a transformative change.
"Young Master Mu, we’ve owed our survival up to the Heavenly Curtain to you," after a long while, Zhuang Ping’an paused, gratefully said to Mu Hanyan.
"Young Master Mu, thanks to you," the others also turned to Mu Hanyan, gratitude in their eyes.
"Everyone, there’s no need to be so formal, reaching the Heavenly Curtain was due to your own efforts. I didn’t do much," Mu Hanyan said humbly.
Despite her words, the gratitude in Zhuang Ping’an and the others’ eyes did not diminish. Truthfully, Mu Hanyan didn’t do much, only helped occasionally during the most perilous moments or offered timely reminders, yet without her crucial assistance, all previous efforts would have come to naught.
"Young Master Mu, please accept my salute!" Zhuang Ping’an didn’t say much more, directly dropped to one knee, hand on chest, solemnly saluted Mu Hanyan.
This is the highest etiquette among swordsmen, reserved for grand ceremonies when household members salute the Sect Master. With the dignity of a swordsman, even facing a monarch, they wouldn’t perform such a salute.
"Young Master Mu, please accept my salute, Sang Qinghe."
"Please accept my salute, Nan Aotian."
...
All Descendants of Divine Guardian knelt to the ground, expressing the highest respect to Mu Hanyan.
"What are you doing, please get up," Mu Hanyan said awkwardly, extending a hand to help them up.
Others may be different, but even Yue Fanchen kneeling before her was something she couldn’t accept. He was her uncle, after all, an older family member—she hardly wanted to shorten her lifespan.
Although they saw Mu Hanyan’s embarrassment, no one rose until they completed the salute respectfully, even Yue Fanchen.
His injuries healed thanks to the strong Sword Soul Mu Hanyan gifted him in the Holy Soul Illusion Realm. Despite his increase in strength after healing, he had little confidence navigating the numerous crises of the North Abyss Misty Plain just to reach the Heavenly Curtain alive, all thanks to Mu Hanyan’s help.
However, unlike the others, his gaze at Mu Hanyan contained not just gratitude but deep pride, pride as a descendant of the Yue Family.
Seeing them determined to complete the ceremony before rising, Mu Hanyan had no choice but to let them be.
Like them, Mu Hanyan was equally excited at the moment, not because of reaching the Heavenly Curtain—this posed little challenge for her—but because of her rapid advancement, just one step away from becoming a Sword Saint.
Throughout the journey, she never idled, secretly protecting Yue Fanchen and others while continuously refining the Xuanhuang Stone.
Pure and gentle power flowed into her Heart Meridian, influenced by the laws within the Xuanhuang Stone, causing the Heaven and Earth Power within a foot of her body to also become much more gentle.
Her strength continuously increased, finally reaching the limit of the Great Sword Master Peak. Yet at this moment, no matter how hard she tried, the Xuanhuang Stone couldn’t be further refined, and she remained unable to step across the final barrier between Great Sword Master and Sword Saint.