Zhu Xian: The way of heaven collapses, and I only have one sword!

Chapter 2: The bloody incident in Cao Miao Village, first time entering Qing Yun Sect!
Perhaps it was because the shock was too great or because they couldn't endure it psychologically, but the three of them fainted one after another, lying in a mess on the blood-stained ground. There was deathly silence all around them, with only the occasional breeze, carrying a hint of blood, gently brushing across their faces.

After an unknown amount of time, Chen Qiye suddenly opened his eyes and sat up, breathing heavily. His body trembled uncontrollably, and he looked around helplessly.

This was a wing room, its furnishings extremely simple, with only a few tables and chairs and a large-looking bed. Zhang Xiaofan lay next to Chen Qiye, while Lin Jingyu's seat on his other side was now empty, leaving only the messy bed.

On the wall above their bunks hung a banner with only one big word on it: Tao!
Just as Chen Qiye was about to get out of bed to take a look, Zhang Xiaofan beside him slowly woke up, his eyes filled with confusion and pain. Upon seeing Chen Qiye, Zhang Xiaofan's lips moved, and he asked in a hoarse voice, "Brother Qiye, where is this? Caomiao Village... is it really gone?"

Chen Qiye felt a sharp pain in his heart and nodded slowly, "It's true, Cao Miao Village is gone, and the villagers are..."

Zhang Xiaofan closed his eyes, two lines of tears rolled down his cheeks, and his body began to tremble slightly.

Chen Qiye reached out and patted his shoulder, "Xiao Fan, we must be strong."

Zhang Xiaofan gritted his teeth, holding back his tears, looked to the side, and asked, "Where's Jingyu? Shouldn't he be with us?"

"Let's go out and take a look." Chen Qiye said, then got off the kang and put on his shoes.

The two men dressed neatly and walked out of the room carefully. The door was ajar. Chen Qiye and Zhang Xiaofan opened the door together. The sunlight suddenly shone in, making the two of them squint their eyes.

The corridor in front of the door led to the outside of the courtyard. There were several steps in front of the door, connecting the courtyard and the corridor. Lin Jingyu sat there in a daze in a corner of the steps. Perhaps the sound of the door opening startled him, and he slowly turned his head.

Lin Jingyu's eyes were filled with endless sorrow and anger, and tears still lingered on his face. He stood up and slowly walked towards Chen Qiye and Zhang Xiaofan.

"You're finally awake." Lin Jingyu's voice was low and trembling with a hint of something he couldn't hide. "This is Qingyun Sect's Tongtian Peak. Someone from Qingyun Sect found us unconscious and brought us here."

Zhang Xiaofan's mouth twitched, but he didn't look up and asked, "What should we do next?"

Lin Jingyu clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white from the force. "I don't care, I must find out who did it and avenge the folks of Cao Miao Village!" After saying that, he looked at Chen Qiye, as if seeking approval.

Chen Qiye took a deep breath, his eyes firm. "Jingyu is right. We can't just let this go. Now that we've arrived at Qingyun Sect, this is our chance to become stronger." He patted Zhang Xiaofan on the shoulder. "Xiaofan, let's work together. Only when we become stronger can we find the truth and kill our enemies."

Zhang Xiaofan slowly raised his head, his eyes filled with pain and unwillingness, but he still nodded heavily, "Okay, Brother Qiye, I'll listen to you."

Just as the three of them were about to say something else, a strange voice came from the corridor: "Are you all awake?"

The three of them looked back at the same time, only to see a young Taoist priest in a blue robe walking quickly towards them. He said, "It just so happens that our masters would like to meet you and ask you some questions. Please follow me."

The three followed the Taoist priest out of the courtyard and saw a long circular corridor. They walked along the corridor for a long time before reaching the end of the corridor, where they saw two wooden doors several meters tall.

Chen Qiye and the other two followed the young Taoist priest out of the door, staring at the scene before them in disbelief. Before them lay a vast square paved with white marble. Standing there, they looked dwarfed, their vastness stretching as far as the eye could see. One could only imagine its sheer size. In the center, nine massive bronze tripods were neatly arranged in three rows, horizontally and vertically, every thirty meters or so.

"Come, follow me this way." The young Taoist reminded the three people and continued to walk forward. "This is just a sea of ​​clouds, and there is a rainbow bridge ahead." As he said, the Taoist raised his hand and pointed.

The three of them walked while looking in the direction the Taoist pointed. Behind the thick fog at the end of the square, there seemed to be something shining. As the distance got closer, some strange sounds were heard.

At the end of the square is a stone bridge, but it has no base or piers. It is built across the sky, with one end connected to the square and slanting straight up to the sky. Under the sunlight, the entire long bridge emits colorful light.

Unlike Zhang Xiaofan and Lin Jingyu who were surprised, Chen Qiye seemed very steady. When the young Taoist saw this scene, he couldn't help but admire it again and again.

After they stepped onto the Rainbow Bridge, the young Taoist priest said, "You better be careful. There's a bottomless abyss under this bridge. If you fall in, you'll really die."

Zhang Xiaofan and Lin Jingyu were both startled, and quickly calmed themselves down, following Chen Qiye carefully.

After an unknown amount of time, they finally reached the end of the Rainbow Bridge. Directly in front of them was the Jade Purity Hall on Tongtian Peak. The Rainbow Bridge no longer rose, but instead arched in the air, landing beside the Jade Purity Hall's clear water pond.

The four of them walked down the Rainbow Bridge and came to the spacious stone steps beside the pond. Just as they were about to walk towards the upper gate, they heard a roar from the depths of the pond. Suddenly, a huge whirlpool appeared in the center of the pond. As the water was swept up, a huge figure jumped out.

The young Taoist priest seemed prepared for this, soaring into the air and stopping in mid-air. However, Chen Qiye and the other two below were unable to escape and were completely soaked by the splashing water.

Chen Qiye couldn't help but curse, and glanced at the young Taoist priest in the air with a resentful look: "You are so great, so noble, but you hide yourself and let the three of us kids get wet here."

As the water curtain descended, the three stared blankly at the behemoth before them. Chen Qiye frowned slightly. Before them appeared a unicorn, its body immense, several feet tall, with a dragon's head, deer antlers, lion's eyes, a tiger's back, a bear's waist, snake scales, horse's hooves, and an ox's tail. It was awe-inspiring, awe-inspiring presence.

The Qilin shook itself, and another wave of water splashed over. It seemed to have discovered something, and stretched its head towards the steps.

Zhang Xiaofan and Lin Jingyu watched it draw closer, pressing themselves together. Chen Qiye wore a calm demeanor, though he was actually a bit nervous, feigning composure. He leaned slightly to the side, shielding Zhang Xiaofan and Lin Jingyu behind him, his gaze fixed on the Qilin's every move.

At this time, the young Taoist priest floated back again, raised one palm in front of his chest, and said respectfully: "Lingzun, they were specially summoned by the masters."

Qilin glanced at him, rolled his eyes, then ignored the four of them, walked to the side, lay down by the pool and fell asleep.

The young Taoist gestured to Chen Qiye and the other two, and said as he walked, "Lingzun is the ancient strange beast Water Qilin that was subdued by Qingye Patriarch five hundred years ago. Now it is the guardian beast of our Qingyun Sect." As he spoke, he saluted to the Water Qilin again.

Seeing this, Chen Qiye and the other two followed suit and bowed to the water qilin. After bowing, the four of them continued to move forward, walked quickly up the stone steps, and saw the three big characters "Yuqing Palace" on the golden plaque from afar.

(End of this chapter)