Chapter 595: Holy Mountains
It was early morning as the first rays of the sun had just broken through the horizon, and the mist that had pooled in the valleys was evaporating leaving an otherworldly atmosphere to the tranquil world.
A mountain range rose in the distance, and this mountain range was the destination for a small group of travelers.
The group consisted of four elders, three youngsters, and a guard. This group was clearly Hui Yue, the elders of the Celestial Sword Sect, Pei Ze, Pei Feng, and Wei.
They had been traveling for a full four months to reach the Celestial Sword Sect's world, and now they had finally arrived. The mountain range in the distance was the Celestial Sword Sect's main branch.
The trip had been rather pleasant. No one had the guts to attack them, but considering all things attacking a group with five Immortals of Creation was rather suicidal. Not many bandit groups would have the people needed to attack such a powerful group of cultivators.
Back in Youdu, Hui Yue had been given a few days to sort everything out before he was told to join the Celestial Sword Sect's elders in returning to the sect. He was to stay with them until he managed to reach the Immortal of Creation rank.
He had visited the Divine Beast World in the Universe Box and had talked with his friends. All of them, including Huli, decided to stay within the Divine Beast World while Hui Yue was in the Celestial Sword Sect.
They were not allowed to enter the main sect and thus they could not be with Hui Yue even if they left the Divine Beast World. Since this was the case they would rather be at their own homes and just be summoned should the need arise.
Huli decided to stay back to control the Formation of Life and ensure that everyone would be able to become Gods while Hui Yue was becoming an Immortal of Creation.
Hui Yue had promised to visit them regularly, but as things were, it was the best decision to stay within the Universe Box. Not even Wei had been given permission to enter the main sect. He had to stay with one of the vassal sects, similarly to the one the Fu brothers belonged to, but once a month he was able to meet up with Hui Yue to check up on him. He was an important person from Diyu after all, and he was the one who would have to report any news to Yanluo.
"We will arrive soon," Pei Ziqi informed everyone. Her mood was somewhat foul after having been separated from King Qinguang, and everyone did their best to heed her commands. Recently, whenever she spoke, everyone did their best to show respect and listen intently.
"When we arrive a feast will begin. The elders in the sect have already prepared everything and every member of the inner sect will participate."
"This feast is to celebrate Pei Yue became the new Judge of Hell, and it will be very similar to the banquet you participated in back in Youdu, the one hosted by Yanluo."
"We have not invited the vassal forces for this celebration, only the inner sect is allowed to participate, but there will be a lot of members from the younger generation. They will do their best to challenge one another and show how much they have grown from their training."
"But even so, I am quite certain nobody is stupid enough to challenge you," she looked at Hui Yue and said. "After all they know you defeated the number one genius of the younger generation, but if someone does challenge you, feel free to give them a beating."
"Although the sparring matches are important, the main reason to gather the sect to participate in this banquet is to have you meet everyone from the inner sect. You are going to live with them, so getting to know them is a good idea. We will use the fact that you became the judge to introduce you."
"Your father has been in charge of this banquet. He is probably the happiest for you out of all the members of the Celestial Sword Sect; he is almost bursting with excitement. However, I should warn you."
"Although your father is proud of you, there are more than a few elders and members of the sect who are hostile towards you. We cannot very well explain to them how you managed to survive those many years ago, and thus they all think that you are the result of your father breaking the sect rules."
"As such there are still people of the opinion that you should be killed, and although they are less active now that you are the Judge of Hell, many are unhappy with you."
"Had Yanluo not specifically requested for you to come back with us to the Celestial Sword Sect, then I would have preferred you to stay in Diyu. At least you would not have to deal with too much ridicule there."
"Still, although there is a large group of experts who are uncertain about whether or not you truly belong in the Celestial Sword Sect, there are not many who would dare to act on their feelings. You are the only son of an ancestor, and you are also the Judge of the Second Court of Hell."
"I will introduce you to the Celestial Sword Sect as soon as we arrive, but for now, all you see within this world is under the protection of the sect."
"We don't interfere with the mortals and their wars, however, if immortals suddenly interfere in mortal affairs then not only will we judge the immortal, but also the ones siding with him."
"As a member of the inner sect, you can use the vassal forces as you please as long as you do not break any of the sect rules."
"You can travel the world as you please without guardians, but if you leave the Celestial Sword World, then you’ll need to have guardians with you and permission from the elders."
The more they spoke, the closer they came to the mountain range. Soon they were greeted by a group of ten experts, all of them Immortals of Creation.
"Greetings to the elders," they called out in unison before bowing.
"They are a group of the patrolling guards we have around the perimeter of the main sect." Pei Ziqi explained as she nodded to them in a greeting. "We have hundreds of such groups patrolling at all times to ensure that we do not suddenly get ambushed by the enemy. To become a guard, you need to be an Immortal of Creation and have comprehended at least three daos. This is the most prestigious position for the vassal sects, and also the one which gives the best rewards."
"One can only be a guard for a hundred years at a time, after which one is barred for another hundred years before they can apply again."
Hui Yue could sense that although these were not members of the true Celestial Sword Sect, they were still a force that the elders took pride in. Seeing the proud faces of these guards, he bowed towards them after a bit of hesitation. He felt that he would lose nothing in being polite towards them. Neither Pei Ze nor Pei Feng seemed to notice them, but their arrogance came from having grown up in this mountain range. They had seen cultivators like them all throughout their lives while Hui Yue had never before met such a strong lineup apart from when he saw the Kings of Hell.
The faces of the many guards were apprehensive as they looked at Hui Yue. They were all rather uncomfortable about the fact that an outsider was capable of becoming an inner sect disciple when they had not even been able to become one, but after seeing his display of respect, their opinion about him rose.
"We will not hold you up," the leader of the team said with a slight bow towards the elders before he turned to leave. Hui Yue could not help but follow them with his eyes as they vanished into the distance.
"Truly capable of being considered one of the strongest sects," Hui Yue praised in a low voice. Patrolling just this mountain range alone were thousands of Immortals of Creation which had comprehended at least three daos. This alone was a shocking display of power, but as he thought about this, he could not help but wonder if the inner sect had even more experts than the vassal forces.
Pei Ziqi led everyone to the ground, and the rest of the distance was traversed on foot. They no longer flew but walked up a mountain slope towards an opening between two mountains. As they reached this location, Hui Yue saw two people he knew. It was the Fu brothers, and he could not help but smile seeing them. Although he had not spent much time with them, he had a good impression of the two.
The moment they saw Hui Yue and the entourage, they instantly bowed deeply. "Elders," they called out respectfully, and the elders all looked at them before nodding in reply.
"This is where you split up with the guard that's been following you," Pei Ziqi said. "He will follow the Fu brothers to their sect and will be their esteemed guest. He will not in any way be mistreated or forced to participate in sect matters."
"Once a month you can visit him, or he will be allowed to come here and request an audience with you," she continued to explain. "But even so, he cannot set foot on our holy mountains. I am afraid only those with the bloodline of the Great Roc can set foot in these mountains."
Hearing this, Wei just shrugged his shoulders casually. He had expected as much, and he sent Hui Yue a glance and a smile.
"Be careful in this den of dragons. Don't do anything that might get you into problems; I will have a hard time explaining to King Yanluo if you end up dead."
Hui Yue could not help but laugh as he heard the words spoken by the young man, and he shook his head, "I will be careful." He promised as he glanced towards the mountains that Pei Ziqi had referred to as the holy mountains. Was there some sort of formation that kept everyone else out, or what was the secret? Hui Yue was quite curious.
"I will see you next month," Hui Yue said as a goodbye, and the Fu brothers took Wei and led him away from the holy mountains, towards the southwest.
"Let’s continue," Pei Ziqi said as she once more started flying forward. The elders and youngsters followed behind quietly, not uttering a single word. A strange atmosphere descended upon the entire group, a mixture of anxiety and excitement.
Pei Ze and Pei Feng were both excited to be home again. The elders were also rather eager to return to their own families, homes, and regular lives after having spent so much time in Diyu.
At the same time, although all of them were excited. They were also nervous and slightly anxious. They each had their own reasons for their anxiety. Pei Feng was worried about his position being taken away from him by Hui Yue as the possibility of becoming the new Sect Leader was not very great anymore.
Pei Ze was anxious because he had not seen his friends for a long time, but also because he feared how everyone would receive Hui Yue. Although he had not known Hui Yue for as long as many of his other friends, he had known him long enough to know that he was a good person. He truly wished the best for Hui Yue.
The elders shared this kind of thought. What if the majority of the sect was against Hui Yue? Could they really protect him? If not… Then what would happen?
The one who was the calmest of all of them was Hui Yue. He believed that no matter what, he would be okay. Without pressure, he would not be able to increase his strength!