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

Chapter 47: Establish your authority and explore the ancient cave of ten thousand bats!
Li Xun had clearly not expected the Qingyun Sect's members to be so arrogant. Born in Fenxiang Valley, he had been highly regarded by his teachers since childhood, taught the true Daoist arts, and, coupled with his own exceptional talent, had distinguished himself among his peers, fostering a haughty and arrogant personality.

Being provoked by Chen Qiye, his face immediately darkened. He stared at Chen Qiye and said, "So, Senior Brother Chen's cultivation is far superior to mine. I would like to learn from him."

Chen Qiye's lips curled up in a mocking arc as he took a leisurely step forward. His aura instantly soared, and the spiritual power of the Upper Purity Realm burst forth without reservation, forming a visible vortex of spiritual power around him, causing everyone's clothes to rustle.

On the other hand, Li Xun, though also a leader among Fenxiang Valley's younger generation, couldn't help but bead beads of sweat on his forehead in the face of Chen Qiye's overwhelming momentum. He forced himself to remain calm, quickly forming seals with his hands, his spiritual energy circulating frantically. A magical sword emitting a blazing flame instantly appeared in his hand, the flames dancing on the blade seeming to demonstrate its power.

Li Xun shouted loudly and swung the magic sword in his hand violently. A flaming sword energy several feet long, wrapped in scorching heat, roared towards Chen Qiye like an angry fire dragon.

Chen Qiye's gaze was as cold as ice as he stared at the surging flaming sword energy, neither dodging nor evading. Just as the flaming sword energy was about to strike him, he clenched his right fist and thrust it forward. Instantly, golden spiritual energy converged on his fist, forming a massive spiritual fist shadow. With devastating momentum, it collided with the flaming sword energy.

There was a loud "bang", as if the heaven and earth were shaking. The huge impact force caused cracks in the surrounding ground, and flying sand and rocks filled the air.

As the smoke and dust gradually cleared, exclamations of surprise rang out from the crowd. Li Xun's powerful flaming sword energy was shattered by Chen Qiye's punch, while the golden fist shadow he had condensed continued to move forward, rushing towards Li Xun like a golden meteor.

Li Xun's face changed drastically, his eyes widened in horror, and he wanted to dodge but found that his body seemed to be imprisoned by an invisible force and he could not move.

At this critical moment, Fashang's expression suddenly changed. He tapped the ground lightly and rushed towards Li Xun like a flash of lightning. At the same time, he muttered something and danced his hands rapidly. A golden Buddha seal emitting a soft glow instantly appeared before him. Fashang suddenly pushed the Buddha seal out, and it instantly enlarged several times and met Chen Qiye's golden fist shadow.

With a dull "bang", the golden fist shadow collided heavily with the Buddha's seal. The powerful force made the Dharma image retreat several steps. Every step back left a deep footprint on the ground beneath his feet.

Li Xun, despite having narrowly escaped death thanks to the Dharmadhatu's full-strength defense, was now pale as paper, with a trace of blood oozing from the corner of his mouth, his eyes filled with terror and disbelief. He had never imagined that he would be so vulnerable to Chen Qiye, forced into a desperate situation in just a short encounter.

Chen Qiye stood with his fists clenched, looking at everything in front of him calmly. He glanced at Li Xun indifferently and said coldly, "Nothing more than that."

Faxiang steadied himself, frowning, and looked at Chen Qiye with a wary look in his eyes. He clasped his hands together and muttered a Buddhist mantra, thinking to himself that Chen Qiye was so powerful, no wonder he dared to act so arrogantly in front of everyone.

"My Qingyun Sect never cares about anyone's face. If I am stronger than all of you, then I am the truth. Whether you accept me or not, I, Chen Qiye, will establish my authority here!" Chen Qiye's voice was like a huge bell, echoing in the mountains for a long time.

Everyone was stunned by his domineering words, and for a moment, no one uttered a word. Li Xun's face was filled with shame and indignation, and he gritted his teeth. Hatred surged in his heart, but he knew the disparity in strength between him and Chen Qiye, so he didn't dare to provoke him again.

The Dharma Image clasped his hands together, looked at Chen Qiye with a complicated expression, and said slowly, "Junior Brother Chen, your strength is exceptional, and I admire you. However, we are both from the righteous path, and this time we are both here to explore the Ancient Cave of Ten Thousand Bats. If we let a momentary quarrel ruin the harmony, I am afraid that others will laugh at us and we will also miss out on our mission."

Chen Qiye nodded slightly, his eyes swept over the crowd, and he said loudly: "Brother Fashang is absolutely right. I was also impulsive just now. However, my Qingyun Sect has always acted in an open and aboveboard manner. If anyone looks down on us without reason, don't blame us for being rude." After saying that, his eyes looked at Li Xun intentionally or unintentionally. Li Xun snorted coldly and turned his head away, but did not dare to say anything more.

"In that case, let's go down the mountain first and then go back up to investigate tomorrow morning." Fashang nodded and said.

At this point, everyone naturally had no objections, so Faxiang led the way, and everyone followed him on his sword. Soon, they arrived at a hill thirty miles from Kongsang Mountain. Near the hill was a clear spring, just what Chen Qiye and his companions needed. After Chen Qiye and his companions washed themselves and changed into new clothes, they reunited with Faxiang and his companions.

Because Lu Xueqi was a woman, she felt a bit more awkward and reserved when washing and changing. She found a more secluded corner, out of sight, and quickly and gently dressed herself. When she reappeared, her hair was still slightly damp, gleaming in the sunlight. Her elegant and refined features, against the backdrop of the mist, looked even more radiant.

The eight most outstanding disciples from the three sects sat in a circle, chatting away. The four had only just learned from Fashang and the others that the bats in the Ten Thousand Bats Cave on Kongsang Mountain were the very same species the Demon Cult had once raised.

After the demonic cult's stronghold here was destroyed eight hundred years ago, a few bats remained. Over time, they proliferated remarkably, reaching their current size. They fly out every night to hunt, rendering the area within a radius of five hundred miles completely deserted. However, these bats are apparently afraid of sunlight, so they are active only at night, hiding in the Ancient Cave of Ten Thousand Bats during the day.

Zeng Shushu frowned and asked Faxiang, "Brother Faxiang, since those beasts are all in the Ten Thousand Bats Ancient Cave, how can we go in and investigate?"

The Dharma Image hesitated for a moment and said, "These beasts are hanging upside down on the ceiling of the ancient cave during the day. Perhaps we can use them to get in."

"In that case, let's investigate. If anything unexpected happens, we will retreat." Chen Qiye nodded and said.

The night was as dark as ink, slowly falling, enveloping the entire hill. The moonlight was like water, sprinkling down on everyone. After the morning's friction, the people from the three major sects went to sleep separately. The night was as thick as ink, and the moonlight gently sprinkled on the hill where everyone rested. Lu Xueqi slowly approached Chen Qiye, her cheeks slightly flushed. After a moment's hesitation, she gently leaned on his shoulder.

Chen Qiye felt the weight on his shoulders, the corners of his mouth unconsciously rose, and his eyes became softer. He adjusted his sitting position slightly to allow Lu Xueqi to lean more comfortably.

His hand unconsciously rose and gently covered Lu Xueqi's hand. As their fingers intertwined, Lu Xueqi's heartbeat suddenly quickened. She moved slightly, trying to hide her inner panic, but was reluctant to leave this warm support.

Chen Qiye noticed her little movement, smiled softly, and whispered in her ear: "Go to sleep, I'm here." The warm breath sprayed on Lu Xueqi's ears, causing her to feel numb.

Lu Xueqi's cheeks were burning hot. She hummed softly and buried her head deeper, feeling the warmth from Chen Qiye's palm, and her heart was filled with peace of mind.

After an unknown amount of time, Chen Qiye heard Lu Xueqi's even breathing and knew that she had fallen into a deep sleep. He stared at her sleeping face quietly. The moonlight sprinkled on her face, outlining her delicate features. Her long eyelashes cast a faint shadow on her cheeks, which was so beautiful that it was breathtaking.

Chen Qiye raised his hand and gently covered Lu Xueqi with his clothes. He sat there quietly, his eyes always on Lu Xueqi's face.

At some point, a gentle breeze blew by, ruffling Lu Xueqi's hair, and a few strands fell on her cheek. Chen Qiye leaned forward slightly, raised his hand, and gently tucked the strand of hair behind her ear.

The next morning, the sun shone through the mist and onto the hills. Lu Xueqi slowly woke up, looked at herself covered with Chen Qiye's clothes, then raised her eyes to look at him who was still sitting beside her, and a warm feeling surged in her heart.

Chen Qiye noticed her movements and lowered his head to smile gently: "Awake? Did you sleep well?"

Lu Xueqi nodded slightly, handed her clothes to Chen Qiye, coughed lightly, trying to hide her shyness, and looked at the people who were getting up one after another.

At this time, the Dharma Image also stood up, clasped his hands together, chanted a Buddhist name, and said, "It's getting late. We should set off for the Ten Thousand Bats Ancient Cave."

After packing their belongings, everyone, led by Faxiang, headed towards the Ancient Cave of Ten Thousand Bats. Faxiang and his companions had already explored the area for several days and had already located the location. Soon, they arrived at the entrance.

This was a huge cavern halfway up the mountain, nestled in the shade and extending underground. It was completely dark. Standing a dozen meters from the entrance, everyone could sense a chilling breeze blowing out, accompanied by a rustling sound.

Chen Qiye looked at the pitch-black cave entrance, feeling a wave of fear. After all, the unknown was the most terrifying, even though he had the advantage of the plot. He turned his head and said, "Let's go in. Let's all prepare our own magical weapons, just in case."

This was a matter of life and death, so no one dared to neglect it and took up their magic weapons. When Li Xun, Yan Hong, and the two monks from Tianyin Temple saw Zhang Xiaofan take out a black fire stick, they were all stunned, their expressions startled.

However, everyone's focus at the moment was clearly not on this. Chen Qiye, holding the Autumn Water Sword, was the first to walk into the dark cave. Lu Xueqi, not to be outdone, clutched the Tianya Sword and followed closely behind Chen Qiye, stepping into the mysterious Ten Thousand Bats Ancient Cave. Everyone followed suit.

However, they had just entered the cave and had only taken a few steps when they felt their feet go weak and they sank down. At this time, everyone was in darkness, but the light emitted by their magic weapons and immortal artifacts illuminated the surroundings.

Everyone looked down and felt sick. They were stepping on the bat droppings. They felt sick, their stomachs churning. But now they were deep in the cave, with no way out. The boys were okay, forcing themselves to endure the discomfort and continue forward, but the girls, Lu Xueqi and Yan Hong, had eyes filled with shame and disgust.

After walking for a distance, Chen Qiye, who was at the front, suddenly stopped and signaled everyone behind him to stop. Chen Qiye held his breath and slowly raised the Autumn Water Without Trace in his hand. The sword shone brightly, and everyone looked over and saw countless black bats hanging upside down at the top of the cave.

In the darkness, the bats illuminated by the blue light felt uneasy, but they did not fly away. Instead, they moved away into the darkness without any intention of attacking. This discovery also made everyone feel relieved.

The Dharma Image whispered, "Fortunately, my judgment was correct. Let's move on."

After the words fell, everyone continued to walk deeper into the ancient cave. The darkness around them grew thicker, and the bat droppings under their feet grew thicker. Under the blue light of Qiu Shui Wuhen, the number of bats hanging from the cave ceiling also increased. After walking for an unknown amount of time, everyone suddenly felt something was wrong under their feet, as if they had stepped onto solid ground.

(End of this chapter)