386: Reverse Life (Part 4)

The return journey was not peaceful.

Zhu Wen followed closely behind Wang Yun, feeling the chaotic air currents that brushed past him from time to time.

But for some reason, those lethal Chaos Storms seemed unable to harm him.

Seeing the flickering light of the Formations on the Dao Boat in the distance getting closer, Zhu Wen knew he was about to escape danger.

He also knew that once they returned to the fleet, he might never cross paths again with this benefactor he had met by chance.

He finally summoned his courage.

“Fellow Daoist...”

He spoke cautiously.

“I still do not know your name.”

Wang Yun's footsteps did not stop.

His heart, however, was filled with a thousand emotions.

The most recent Emperor, the Heavenly Evolution Emperor, was seventy thousand years ago.

Old friends had long since turned to dust; even Venerable Bei Hong had become the 'Ancestral Master' who existed only in the mouths of later generations.

In this era, there was no longer a place for the Supreme Body, Wang Yun.

That was fine too.

The past was like smoke; it was the perfect time to start from the beginning.

“Yun.”

A plain word came from his mouth.

“You may call me Yun.”

Zhu Wen etched this name deep into his heart... On the Heavenly Sword Sect's Dao Boat, the Disciple responsible for keeping watch suddenly let out a cry of surprise.

“Something is approaching from ahead!”

This shout immediately drew the attention of everyone on the deck.

Everyone's gaze shifted toward it.

In the chaotic mist at the edge of the Boundary Sea, two faint black dots could be seen moving toward the fleet.

“What is it? A Chaos Behemoth?”

“No, it looks like... people?”

The Disciples on the deck all swarmed to the side of the ship, staring nervously and curiously at the two gradually clarifying figures.

As the distance closed, a Core Disciple with excellent eyesight let out a cry of shock.

“It's two people! Heavens, one of them is Zhu Wen! He's actually still alive!”

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire deck completely erupted into a frenzy.

“What? Zhu Wen? Wasn't he swept into the Chaos?”

“Who is that person beside him? How did they get out of the Boundary Sea?”

The schadenfreude on Li Ran's face instantly froze.

He stared fixedly at the slowly approaching figure, his eyes full of shock and malice.

How could this trash's life be so resilient?

Just then, several powerful Auras descended from deep within the flagship Dao Boat.

Several Heavenly Sword Sect Elders responsible for leading the team were disturbed by the commotion and arrived together.

At their head was an old man with white hair and a youthful face, his Aura restrained; he was the Third Elder of the Heavenly Sword Sect.

They looked at the unharmed Zhu Wen and the stranger beside him with an ordinary Aura, their eyes similarly filled with shock and suspicion.

“Zhu Wen, you...”

Just as the Third Elder spoke, Zhu Wen had already pulled Wang Yun onto the deck.

He bowed respectfully to the Elders, yet his expression was neither humble nor arrogant.

The Elders ignored these formalities; their eyes were all burning with focus on Zhu Wen.

“How did you survive the Chaos?”

“What did you see inside?”

An impatient Elder asked eagerly.

To them, the secrets hidden deep within the Chaos were far more important than the life or death of an ordinary Disciple.

“Zhu Wen, if you can truthfully recount what you saw, the Sect will surely reward you heavily!”

“A Supreme Grade Cultivation Technique and ten Divine Grade Medicinal Pills, how about that?”

The Third Elder offered a price that made all the Disciples' eyes turn red with envy.

However, Zhu Wen shook his head.

He glanced at the calm Wang Yun beside him.

Then, he turned to the Third Elder with an incredibly firm attitude.

“Elder, this Disciple does not want any reward.”

The entire area went into an uproar.

Everyone thought Zhu Wen had gone mad.

Zhu Wen took a deep breath and stated a condition that was unexpected by everyone, including the Elders.

“Fellow Daoist Yun saved my life.”

“This Disciple has only one request: I implore the Sect to grant Fellow Daoist Yun the status of an Inner Sect Disciple.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire field fell silent.

Everyone looked at Zhu Wen as if they were looking at a fool.

Inner Sect Disciple status?

Just that?

The Elders were also stunned.

They subconsciously swept their Divine Sense over Wang Yun.

With this sweep, their brows furrowed even deeper.

A Mortal Body.

A Mortal Body through and through.

There wasn't a single trace of spiritual energy fluctuation within his body.

He was just a Mortal.

The Third Elder's face darkened.

Letting a Mortal become an Inner Sect Disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect?

If word of this got out, wouldn't the Heavenly Sword Sect become the laughingstock of the entire Northern Region?

“Nonsense!”

The Third Elder scolded coldly.

“Zhu Wen, do you know what you are saying? How strict is the recruitment of my Heavenly Sword Sect! Inner Sect Disciples are the best of the best; how can we let a Mortal fill the numbers!”

Just then, an untimely sound of mocking laughter rang out.

It was Li Ran.

“Hahaha, this is truly killing me with laughter!”

He pointed at Zhu Wen and Wang Yun, laughing so hard he was doubled over.

“Zhu Wen, has your brain been blown apart by the Chaos Storms? What do you think our Heavenly Sword Sect is? A place for collecting trash?”

“You worked so hard to get your life back from the gates of hell, yet instead of asking for benefits for yourself, you want to shove a piece of trash in?”

“I suspect this 'benefactor' of yours is probably some swindling charlatan!”

His words were extremely biting, causing several of his followers beside him to join in the laughter.

Zhu Wen's face instantly turned bright red.

He suddenly turned around and stared fixedly at Li Ran.

“Li Ran! You can humiliate me, but you absolutely cannot humiliate my benefactor!”

“If you dare speak such insolent words again, don't blame my sword for not recognizing people!”

A resolute Sword Intent rose from his body.

Li Ran was startled by this Aura and subconsciously took half a step back, then became angry from the embarrassment.

“Presumptuous! You dare threaten me?”

Seeing that a conflict was about to break out between the Disciples, the Third Elder finally lost his patience.

“Enough!”

He gave a cold shout, and his powerful pressure silenced both of them.

His gaze fell back on Zhu Wen, carrying a trace of disappointment.

“Zhu Wen, considering your contribution this time, I can overlook your earlier defiance.”

“But this request is absolutely impossible. Change it to something else.”

Zhu Wen straightened his back, not yielding in the slightest.

“This Disciple has no other request.”

His voice was not loud, but it carried an unyielding stubbornness.

“If the Sect cannot even accommodate my savior, then what is the point of me staying in the Sect?”

“I am willing to trade this contribution, as well as all my future prospects in the Sect, just for the status of an Inner Sect Disciple for Fellow Daoist Yun!”

The Third Elder's face turned completely gloomy.

He hadn't expected this usually obscure Disciple to have such a fierce side.

The scene fell into a stalemate.

One of the Elders whispered beside the Third Elder:

“Senior Brother, why not just agree to it? It's just one Inner Sect Disciple slot; our Heavenly Sword Sect is vast and can afford the loss. If we force away a Disciple with potential, it would be worse.”

The Third Elder weighed the pros and cons.

Zhu Wen had survived the Chaos and his Heart-Nature had changed greatly; his future achievements were limitless.

For the sake of a mere title, it was indeed not worth forcing away such a Disciple.

Finally, he let out a long sigh and made a compromise.

“Very well.”

He looked at Zhu Wen with a complex gaze.

“I shall grant your request.”

“But you must know, the Inner Sect Disciples of my Heavenly Sword Sect never support idle people. The Sect has a grand competition every year; if one's strength is insufficient, their status will be stripped, and they will be demoted to the Outer Sect or even to a Handyman.”

“Take care of yourself.”

This was both a warning and a way out.

Upon hearing this, joy finally appeared on Zhu Wen's face.

He turned to Wang Yun and said excitedly:

“Fellow Daoist Yun, did you hear that? It was a success!”

Wang Yun had been a mere bystander from beginning to end.

Watching this dispute, which seemed like a farce to him, his heart remained calm.

He simply gave Zhu Wen a faint nod... The fleet returned to the Heavenly Sword Sect.

The Heavenly Sword Sect was situated on a series of continuous immortal mountains, with Sword Qi piercing the sky and a magnificent Aura.

In the Sect's main hall, Zhu Wen took Wang Yun to complete the entry formalities.

When Wang Yun received the jade pendant representing his status as an Inner Sect Disciple, his gaze was drawn to an ancient sword hanging in the very center of the hall.

It was a pitch-black heavy sword; there were no ornate decorations on the blade, yet it emitted a heavy and vast Sword Intent.

A trace of reminiscence flashed in Wang Yun's eyes.

He remembered.

That was after Bei Hong had become a Saint; he had exhausted everything to forge a Saint Weapon of his own.

Because of his own terrifying physical insights from the Major Achievement Supreme Body, he had casually given a few pointers while the other was forging the sword.

“Great skill requires no artifice; a heavy sword needs no edge.”

“A single force can break ten thousand techniques.”

He hadn't expected that the other had actually taken it to heart.

Even more unexpected was that after countless ages, this sword had actually become the guardian treasure of the Heavenly Sword Sect.

Things remained, but people had changed; the present was nothing like the past.