"Scholar Xia, wait... this... how is this possible?"
Watching Xia Yuancheng suddenly disappear without a trace, Han Lingsha cried out in shock. Murong Ziying, Liu Mengli, and Yun Tianhe were equally stunned. A man who seemed to be just an ordinary scholar had displayed such an unexpected ability.
"That's earth-elemental magic... so it can be used like this?"
Daniel Davis's expression was also one of surprise, not because Xia Yuancheng had disappeared—after all, Daniel already suspected that Xia Yuancheng was a wandering immortal and a mountain deity, even if he didn't look the part. What surprised Daniel was the power Xia Yuancheng used to vanish.
For a long time, Daniel had been deeply curious about the Five-Elemental Immortal Arts and had been diligently training in them, particularly the earth-element arts due to his connection with the Earth Spirit Orb. However, seeing Xia Yuancheng's method of disappearing made Daniel realize a critical mistake he'd been making—he had treated the Five-Elemental Immortal Arts as mere upgraded versions of ninjutsu. Influenced by their portrayal in games, Daniel had always focused on using them for offensive purposes, failing to consider their broader applications.
The way Xia Yuancheng used earth-element magic for movement completely changed Daniel's perspective. He now realized that these arts weren't limited to combat. Xia Yuancheng's disappearing act reminded him of the recall function associated with the Earth Spirit Orb in the game, which he'd previously thought impossible to achieve in the real world. But now, he saw that it was entirely feasible—it was essentially a form of "Shrinking the Ground to Inches."
Of course, while Daniel understood the principle, achieving it himself would require long, grueling practice. Xia Yuancheng could perform it effortlessly because he was a wandering immortal and a mountain deity. As a mountain deity, he likely enjoyed significant geographic advantages in his domain. His ability to instantly locate his daughter's voice and disappear was clearly tied to his mountain deity powers.
Even though Xia Yuancheng's strength seemed weak compared to higher-level immortals, he was still fundamentally different from ordinary mortals. This was the qualitative difference between mortals and immortals, much like the gap between ordinary humans and Asgardians.
While an average Asgardian might not seem particularly powerful, their lifespans of 5,000 years were on par with the entire development of human history on Earth. Xia Yuancheng, in a sense, belonged to this type of lifeform.
"It seems he's not an ordinary person after all," Murong Ziying remarked, nodding slightly as he looked in the direction where Xia Yuancheng had disappeared.
"So the Fox Immortal is likely somewhere in the mountain. We'd better hurry and follow him," Han Lingsha urged.
"Agreed."
After a brief pause, Murong Ziying nodded. Regardless of Xia Yuancheng's identity, their priority now was rescuing his daughter.
The group quickly took to the skies, flying on their swords at an altitude of about ten meters above the ground. Hidden Fragrance Mountain was vast, and searching for Xia Yuancheng on foot would be a waste of time. Aerial reconnaissance was much more efficient.
This wasn't a game where one had to navigate labyrinths and grind through enemies to reach a destination. The dungeon designs in the Sword and Fairy series could be incredibly frustrating—while Sword and Fairy IV was somewhat forgiving, Sword and Fairy III's "Asking the Way" expansion had driven Daniel to abandon the game four times due to its labyrinthine dungeons.
"Split up to search. If you find them, don't act rashly—send a signal immediately," Murong Ziying instructed.
"Understood," the others responded.
With that, the group of five split off in different directions, flying away on their swords. Shortly after, Daniel located the Fox Immortal, Xia Yuancheng, and the others. He quickly sent a signal to call Murong Ziying over.
For the others, finding the Fox Immortal and his captives depended on luck. But for Daniel, his Observation Haki made it easy to pinpoint their location.
Thanks to sword flight, they arrived quickly. If they'd been walking through the forest, it might have taken a significant amount of time to cover even the five-kilometer distance.
"Is that the Fox Immortal? And Scholar Xia...?"
Han Lingsha was the first to arrive, as she had been closest to Daniel. Seeing Xia Yuancheng collapsed on the ground, along with a young man and a little girl standing nearby, she hurriedly descended. Daniel had no choice but to follow her.
"A swordsman?"
As the two landed, the young man standing beside Xia Yuancheng frowned. Before he could say anything, three more streaks of sword light descended—Murong Ziying, Liu Mengli, and Yun Tianhe had arrived.
"That child must be Lotus Treasure," Liu Mengli said softly, noticing the little girl beside the young man. The girl's eyes were dull, devoid of focus or emotion.
"You vile fox! What did you do to Scholar Xia?" Han Lingsha shouted, pointing angrily at the young man.
"This is a matter between wandering immortals. It has nothing to do with you swordsmen. Leave immediately," the young man said coldly after glancing at Han Lingsha.
"Wandering immortals?" Han Lingsha repeated, then turned to Murong Ziying for clarification. While she had read extensively in the Qionghua Sect's library, she wasn't familiar with the concept of wandering immortals.
"I'll explain later," Murong Ziying said, understanding her questioning gaze but choosing to address the Fox Immortal instead. "Since you are a wandering immortal, it is your duty to protect the people. Why, then, do you harm them instead?"
"What a ridiculous question. Now that I've become an immortal, if I can't toy with mortals as I please, what's the point of becoming one?" the young man said with a laugh.
This young man was none other than the Fox Immortal known as Lord Hu San. Despite his human appearance, a yellow fox tail was conspicuously visible behind him. Whether it was intentional or he was unable to conceal it was unclear.
"You—!" Murong Ziying was momentarily at a loss for words. Raised in the Qionghua Sect, where the philosophy of slaying demons and exorcising evil was deeply ingrained, he struggled to respond to the Fox Immortal's shamelessness.
"Beasts that cultivate to immortality endure hundreds or thousands of years of hardship. Aren't you afraid of divine punishment for acting this way?" Murong Ziying finally retorted after a long pause.
"Divine punishment? What a joke. I'm already an immortal—what can divine punishment do, turn me back into a regular fox?" the Fox Immortal sneered.
"You—!" Murong Ziying's face darkened. He had never encountered such an arrogant immortal beast before.
"You mentioned wandering immortals earlier. Are you saying Scholar Xia is one as well?" Han Lingsha suddenly asked.
"Oh? So you didn't know. That guy is also a wandering immortal, a mountain deity, to be precise. But he's an embarrassment to our kind. Not only does he mingle with humans all the time, but he also adopted a dim-witted girl as his daughter. And as if that weren't enough, he constantly thwarts my plans to help these stupid mortals. Today, I decided to teach him a lesson," the Fox Immortal said, kicking the unconscious Xia Yuancheng.
For whatever reason—perhaps because they were both wandering immortals or perhaps due some other motive—the Fox Immortal seemed to have no intention of killing Xia Yuancheng.
"Why waste time talking? Let's just teach him a lesson and rescue Scholar Xia and his daughter," Han Lingsha said, unable to contain her frustration.
"Try it if you dare—"
The Fox Immortal had barely finished his sentence when his expression changed. He quickly raised his right arm to block Daniel's sudden kick.
Boom!
Although the Fox Immortal managed to block Daniel's attack, the force of the blow sent him stumbling back several steps before he regained his footing.
"Not bad for a Fox Immortal. I thought I could kick you flying," Daniel remarked casually. Instead of pressing the attack, he used the opportunity to rescue Lotus Treasure and the unconscious Xia Yuancheng.
"It seems they're under some sort of spell," Liu Mengli observed after examining the rescued pair. She looked anxious as she turned to the others.
"Hey, you mangy fox! Undo the spell on them right now!" Han Lingsha demanded, pointing at the Fox Immortal.
"You think I'm afraid of you swordsmen?"
Han Lingsha's attitude, coupled with Daniel's surprise attack, enraged the Fox Immortal. Ever since becoming a wandering immortal, he had never been treated this way. Even though Xia Yuancheng often foiled his plans, he still usually held the upper hand.
Now seething with anger, the Fox Immortal's body erupted with powerful spiritual energy. A violent wind surged outward, carrying debris as it rapidly expanded, threatening to engulf Daniel and the others.
"Don't harm them!"
As the windstorm neared, Murong Ziying suddenly appeared in front of the group. Four massive sword lights materialized around them, forming a barrier that completely blocked the storm. It was the Qionghua Sect's defensive sword technique, Four Directions Purification.
In the game, this move was purely defensive. However, in the real world, its applications were far more versatile.
"If you want me to undo the spell, fine—defeat me in battle first. I've been bored lately, and you've come just in time," the Fox Immortal said, retracting his windstorm. With a series of hand seals, he conjured a massive spiritual mountain nearly ten meters tall, which began to descend upon the group. This was the earth-elemental spell Mount Tai Pressure.
The mountain wasn't ordinary—it was entirely constructed from spiritual energy. The ease with which the Fox Immortal cast it demonstrated the remarkable power of immortal beasts.
Sigh... fine.
As the massive mountain descended, startling Han Lingsha and Liu Mengli, Daniel hesitated, unsure whether to intervene or let Murong Ziying handle it. Before either could act, Yun Tianhe instinctively drew the Wangshu Sword, nocked it like an arrow, and fired. A blue beam of light shot upward, piercing the mountain and shattering it into countless fragments that scattered in all directions.
"Ugh..."
At the same moment the mountain shattered, Han Lingsha let out a muffled groan. Her face turned pale, alarming Liu Mengli.
"Lingsha, what's wrong?" Liu Mengli hurried to her side, leaving Lotus Treasure in Daniel's care. She released a soothing aromatic mist to aid Han Lingsha.
"It's nothing. I just felt dizzy all of a sudden," Han Lingsha said, waving her hand dismissively.
"Wow, this sword is incredible," Yun Tianhe remarked, catching the Wangshu Sword as it returned to him. He seemed surprised by its power, having acted purely on reflex.
"Lingsha, are you alright?" Yun Tianhe asked, abandoning his admiration for the Wangshu Sword when he noticed her condition.
"Enough!"
Murong Ziying's voice rang out sharply. Forming hand seals, he summoned nearly a dozen sword lights that flew toward the Fox Immortal in rapid succession. This was the Qionghua Sect's technique, Manifestation of Truth Sword.
Faced with the relentless assault, the Fox Immortal abandoned his spells and extended his claws to fend off the incoming swords.
"As expected, without the leveling mechanics of the game, Yun Tianhe and the others are still far behind Murong Ziying in terms of skill," Daniel mused. In the game, levels and equipment dictated strength, but in this real-world Sword and Fairy, talent alone wasn't enough. Training and experience were crucial, and the Qionghua Sect had only taught them basic sword techniques, withholding advanced knowledge.
"If things continue like this, Yun Tianhe won't stand a chance against Xuanxiao. It seems a visit to Zhulong is unavoidable," Daniel thought. Unlike in the game, there were no experience points to grind for level-ups. Zhulong's aid was essential for Yun Tianhe to achieve a significant power boost in a short time—an indispensable step toward his destiny.
This was Yun Tianhe's unique opportunity, just as only he could wield the Shedding Sun Bow due to his pure, innocent nature. Anyone else attempting to approach Zhulong or Jumang would likely face severe consequences.
"Stop! Stop! I surrender!"
Unable to withstand Murong Ziying's relentless assault, the Fox Immortal finally admitted defeat. Murong Ziying immediately ceased his attacks, though he had been holding back all along. After all, the Fox Immortal was a divine beast, not a demon. Had it been the latter, Murong Ziying wouldn't have used Manifestation of Truth Sword, but rather the more destructive Thousand Lights Vanishing Sword.
Thus, while the Fox Immortal appeared to be gravely injured, closer inspection revealed only superficial wounds.
"Considering your thousand years of cultivation, I'll let you off this time. But if you cause trouble again, I'll scatter your spiritual energy and return you to your original form," Murong Ziying warned sternly.
After releasing the spells on Lotus Treasure and Xia Yuancheng, the Fox Immortal fled, activating a wind-element spell to hasten his escape, likely fearing that Murong Ziying might change his mind.
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