HIDDEN EVIL [XIAO SHUXIANG THE SERIES]

HIDDEN EVIL [XIAO SHUXIANG THE SERIES]
50 - Cloud Sea Sect

Ling Qing Zhu along with the other four cultivators who had first arrived at the top. There were two stone monuments on either side of them that read 'Sekte of the Cloud Sea'. 


Ling Qing Zhu and the four cultivators who were with him were greeted by a 50-year-old looking male cultivator. The man smiled, saluted and welcomed them.


"My name is Nan Zhen. I was assigned to welcome you guys who first arrived at this Cloud Sea Sect," Nan Zhen put both hands together and returned to salute in a slightly bent-body position.


Ling Qing Zhu and the four cultivators who were with him joined in replying to the respect of this white-clothed man before them. He and the four people who were with him could not read Nan Zhen's practice. So there was a high possibility, the man in front of them had a very high practice.


"Master Nan Zhen," a male cultivator standing not far from Ling Qing Zhu started to make a sound. He introduced himself as a disciple of the Blood Spirit Sect named Wu Shi.


Other cultivators followed Wu Shi to introduce their names and sects. Ling Qing Zhu himself was the last to do so.


Nan Zhen was initially stunned when he looked at Ling Qing Zhu's figure. She was clearly amazed, moreover the white-haired girl was extremely beautiful even though her face was obstructed by the thin veil. Although in the Upper Cultivation Realm many women were also beautiful-but somehow this Ling Qing Zhu's beauty surpassed all of them.


Nan Zhen coughed lightly as he regained his senses. He politely said, "I will take you to your rooms, rest well. Explanations about this place and so forth will begin to be explained tomorrow, you have worked hard and must be very tired now. So let's follow me,"


"Thank you,"


Wu Shi, Ling Qing Zhu and the other three cultivators also thanked him and followed Nan Zhen from behind. They were given their own rooms as a place of rest.


The room reserved for Ling Qing Zhu herself was spacious with a soft soothing pink feel. There is a set of chairs, two wooden bulkheads and a sizable bathtub.


The decoration in this room is not too festive, but so charming. Ling Qing Zhu liked it, moreover there was a study place close to the window. 


The view outside the window is even beautiful. Although this was not Ling Qing Zhu's home, it felt like this room reserved for her made her feel like she was returning home.


Ling Qing Zhu was the third person that Nan Zhen had ushered into his room. He was asked to instantly rest, while the man escorted the other cultivators.


After Ling Qing Zhu closed the door, she walked over to look around her room. It was just that the feeling of awe he had felt a few minutes before slowly faded away as his chest started to ache.


His hands stretched out, he opened the veil that covered his face and instantly vomited blood. Ling Qing Zhu's facial expression remained unchanged, yet her eyes were slightly different. The blood he spewed was the result of the deep wounds he had sustained while walking up to this place.


Every cultivator who passed through China must have received an internal wound. Not only was it a sense of exhaustion, but it was also a feeling like the body was pressed to the ground. Ling Qing Zhu himself got a deep wound because of the two, moreover it looked even worse as he never rested.


"......."


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Along the way, Xiao Shuxiang saw many cultivators resting. Some are seen sitting while straightening their legs and some are sitting cross-legged while closing their eyes and seem to absorb Qi in a spirit stone.


Those who had rested earlier were less than seeing clearly the figure of the young man walking beside them. But when he knew it was Xiao Shuxiang, many people widened their eyes in shock.


Those cultivators were many who exclaimed inwardly. They actually wanted to make a sound, but their bodies were too tired to speak a word.


Xiao Shuxiang himself just walked past them just like that. Occasionally his eyes met a glance with some shocked cultivators, but Xiao Shuxiang quickly returned the focus of walking.


Every now and then the dazzling young man saw the scenery on his left and right. He didn't notice anything strange, but the longer he stepped - Xiao Shuxiang started to think about things.


"I guess I understand why those cultivators were asked to climb these hundreds of steps..."


Xiao Shuxiang exhaled. "I can see how tired those cultivators are, they must be thinking about the life lived all along. I'm sure, these cultivators are going through various inner conflicts."


Xiao Shuxiang exhaled, "Yeah... The highest level of a cultivator was not actually a god-like power and immortality. But loneliness..."


Xiao Shuxiang fixed the position of the basket he was hugging and started muttering. "In comparison to loneliness, I care more about my clothes. This is the best quality of fabric and it should be scuffed because it comes in contact with this vegetable basket. Not to mention my hair... Oh my goodness, why should Xiao Shuxiang be treated like this?"


Xiao Shuxiang managed to climb up the more than 500 steps and reached the top in the afternoon. He was immediately greeted with two monuments inscribed with the 'Sekte of the Cloud Sea' on either side and there was such a vast floor before him. It was like a field where training and such.


Along the climb up the steps earlier, Xiao Shuxiang was actually looking for the whereabouts of Ling Qing Zhu and also Mo Huai. But the two men were not found. He also thought that his two friends had arrived at this place.


Xiao Shuxiang circulated a glance around and then muttered. "Mh... If you look again... This place was no different from a big sect in general. So what makes this place so highly admired--!!"


Xiao Shuxiang's eyes instantly rounded as his eyes caught an unusual sight. He looked up and saw a large object floating in the air.


!!


The thing? No. gabe. It looked like an island that was lifted up and floated in the air. Due to the setting sun, the island looks amazing.


"What's possible..." Xiao Shuxiang was speechless when his sense of sight caught one more thing, then another. They're all... It was a floating island!!


"It's incredible..."


Admiration was clearly visible on the gaze and facial expression of Xiao Shuxiang. He had actually seen an island floating in the air. Even some small islands appear to move slowly as when the eye sees the movement of clouds.


"In the Elf World there is no land that can float like that... Whoa..." Xiao Shuxiang muttered, "What was it about when the island was destroyed... The debris will fall or not, huh? What is holding up the islands? I even saw there was an island with a mountain inside. Tsk, tsk, tsk... It's amazing."


"Excuse me...?"


?!!


Xiao Shuxiang was startled and spontaneously turned his head. There was a beautiful girl in red garb with flowers standing beside her. The presence of the long-haired figure he was unaware of and this made his heart almost collapse.


"What do you want?" xiao Shuxiang's voice was cold and the look in his eyes was rather frightening. He surprised his interlocutor.


"I-I'm sorry." The beautiful girl was so nervous, she got downcast by it. He always seems to be holding a handkerchief.


Xiao Shuxiang regained his senses with his attitude just now and exhaled. He said softly, "I apologize. I'm too shocked,"


"Ah.." the beautiful girl slowly looked up, she looked at the face of the young man in front of her and said timidly. "I should be the one apologizing. I made Young Master surprised,"


"Now I'm fine, so it doesn't matter. What then? What does Miss want from me?"


"I... Seeing You. So then... Um... I'd like to ask. Thou... Is he lost?"


"Oh, actually I came to bring this food. There's a wooden token here, but I don't know where to go." Xiao Shuxiang showed the side of the wicker basket that had a token on the girl in front of him.


The red-clothed girl looked at the inscription on the token engraved with 'Dao Fang An'. He gasped and looked back at the dazzling young man before him.


There was a look of disbelief in the girl's eyes, but quickly the expression disappeared. He muttered softly, "You're apparently a waiter..."


"Mn?"


"Ah... My Mean. You must be looking for a kitchen. The place is behind the building on the right of it."


"Oh, thank you. Then I go there first," Xiao Shuxiang thanked him after knowing where he should bring the vegetable basket he was carrying. He left the red-clothed girl who was still faithfully standing staring at his back.


The beautiful girl continued to pay attention to the young man whom she did not even know his name. He held tightly onto his handkerchief and only showed a sad expression when he no longer looked at the young man's back.


"Because he was too amazed at his face... I didn't realize that the practice was that weak. Though she looked strong.." the red-clothed beautiful girl exhaled. He was clearly fascinated with Xiao Shuxiang's face.


On the other hand, Xiao Shuxiang was a little similar in feeling the same. He sighed and clucked softly, "Damn. Being too amazed by this place, my vigilance dropped to the point of not realizing that there was someone beside me. That girl looks young, but I can't read her practice. This nature... I guess I'll meet people like that foreign girl a lot,"


******