Chapter 20: The Unknown Force
The sound of the drums from the Precipice of Zhangu had given an unprecedented shock to the members of the Yun Hai Sect. Each time they thought the beating sound of the drums would stop, another one was heard.
When the seventh drum sound was heard, the Yun Hai Sect members quieted down. Only the pure sound made from beating the drums was remaining in the total silence that had spread across the Sect.
The entire Yun Hai Sect was still in confusion but many had the feeling of good fortune arriving on the sect. It was as if the vibrations in the air and sound coming from those drums were the only things left in the universe. It was as if the entire Yun Hai Sect and even the entire universe was enveloped by the power of those drums.
Nan Gong Ling was standing with his hands clasped behind his back. He was gazing into the distance towards the Precipice of the Abyss with an amazed look on his face. Nan Gong Ling’s robes were swinging in the gentle breeze that was blowing over the area. Not a sound could be heard from him. Everyone else who was standing around him, Mo Cang Lan, Mo Xie, the Yun Hai Sect’s disciples, Lin Qian and even Chu Zhan Peng were gazing into the distance. They had the feeling that on that mountain was a god beating his war drum to announce he had been born. A new God of War had descended.
Inside the cave in the mountains, the old man wearing a black cloak had stood up and was looking at the overhanging cliff slightly surprised. He had a solemn and respectful facial expression.
The old man wearing the black cloak protected the Precipice of the Abyss, which was a sacred place for the Yun Hai Sect. Even though few people knew he existed, the Patriarch of the Sect Nan Gong Ling, when he saw this elder he would bow out of respect.
The old man had seen that Lin Feng was only at the eighth Qi layer and that his spirit was quite weak, so he had made him go through the passageway that led to the precipice with the hardest exam hoping that Lin Feng would be able to return in one piece once faced with the difficulties of the exam. He had never thought that considering the circumstances, a disciple of only eighth Qi Layer while using a weak snake spirit would be the first to successfully pass that exam.
What impressed the old man is that the beating sounds of the drums seemed to remain in the air for an extended time and the entire Yun Hai Sect was consumed in that sound. The seventh beating sound of the drums had already been heard.
In the thousand year history of the Yun Han Sect, such a miracle had never happened. Nobody had ever managed to make the drums beat so many times and on top of that the sounds were never this profound.
The old man entered the passageway towards the Precipice of Zhangu. He was walking up the flight of stairs step by step with the same respectful and solemn expression on his face as before. It looked like he was expecting the eighth beating sound of the drums.
At that moment, the sword Qi was still filling the atmosphere completely creating an unknown force, but now it was no longer disorganized. It was following Lin Feng’s hand in which he was holding his long sword. Lin Feng at that moment looked invincible.
“The force of the sword, it can be found everywhere.” Lin Feng thought while smiling. These drums were intriguingly marvelous. There had to be enough power in each attack for the drums to produce a strong enough counterattack which could then be used to produce a beating sound. This is what Lin Feng was precisely doing at that moment. He was producing more powerful attacks to increase the sword force in the atmosphere to attack the drums so that they could produce beating sounds.
“I already made the drums beat seven times. Let’s make them beat one last time. That would be eight beats for eight drums. The last one has to be perfect and I’ll pass the test of the Precipice of Zhangu. Then I will have to thank that Elder” Said Lin Feng. At that moment Lin Feng thought that this actually was the easiest test on Heaven Mountain within the precipice of abyss and the Elder really had been lenient with his request.
He held his long sword in his hand and the entire atmosphere was fusing with his sword and absorbing an incredible amount of energy.
“HERE COME THE DRUMS!” shouted Lin Feng. The Sword Qi turned into a radiant light and the drums beat one last time.
“GOOOOOOONNNNNNNNGGGG” the last drum emitted a sound which spread throughout the entire atmosphere of the Yun Hai Sect to the point that the mountains were vibrating. The vibrating sound lasted for a while. Lin Feng’s Dark spirit which was behind him vanished from sight. Triumphantly he sat down,with no power left he slumped his body across the floor.
“Now I should be able to find some pills which will cure Han Man.” Even though Lin Feng was exhausted, he had a big smile on his face.
A loud rumbling sound was suddenly heard. The large stone doors of the precipice opened. There was a silhouette to be seen inside the doorway. It was the old man wearing the black cloak who had pointed him to this trial.
Seeing that it was the old man and remembering the familiar black cloak, Lin Feng while struggling he once again rose to his feet. He then said to the old man: “Elder, did I finally pass the test? Will I be able to get the pills I need for my friend?”
The old man looked at Lin Feng who had a smile on his face while still looking completely stupefied. Immediately after that an unknown expression appeared on his face. Lin Feng wasn’t aware of what he had done but maybe he had angered this esteemed elder. He hadn’t come with the goal of achieving something unprecedented. He had just come to get some medicine for his friend who was injured and did not care about what he had achieved in the sect. Status and power meant nothing if he had no friends to share them with.
“Of course you can.” Said the old man in the black cloak while smiling. He took out a jar full of unknown profound pills and threw it at Lin Feng saying: “There are some healing pills inside. One is enough to cure your friend completely. How you use the others is something you can decide by yourself. These pills are precious and you might need them later.”
“Thank you, esteemed Elder.” Lin Feng was surprised. According to the old man, one pill was enough to cure Han Man’s injuries. Such a pill was beyond extremely precious and valuable. The old man had given him an entire jar. Understanding the old man’s status and strength, Lin Feng knew the old man wasn’t trying to fool him but was wondering why he would go so far for such an easy test.
“You passed the exam so you deserve it. However you should remember this, don’t share the fact that you passed the exam of the Precipice of Zhangu with random people.” Explained the old man to Lin Feng. Lin Feng had only reached the eighth Qi layer and had managed to produce eight drum beats. No matter how Lin Feng had done that, his talent in the Yun Hai Sect’s entire history was never seen before. He was a real genius. The old man hoped Lin Feng wouldn’t raise the attention of any evil people before he had the chance to fully bloom.
In the Xue Yue Country including the Yun Hai Sect, there were certain people who secretly hunted and killed extremely skilled and outstanding disciples before they could gain power. It was not a rare thing for jealousy to be born of those with talent. Today the sounds of the drums had been heard throughout the entire Sect’s territory, it would probably make him the biggest target within the Sect. It would be best if he could lay low and not cause any trouble, then after a few years he would shine, otherwise his path would be a truly bloody one.
“Alright.” Lin Feng didn’t clearly understand why the old man in the black cloak was saying that but he was still nodding his head.
The old man in the black cloak raised his head and looked in the distance: “Protector Bei, take him back.”
Lin Feng was stunned. There were only perilous cliffs and precipices here. One could see very far in the distance when looking around and there was clearly no one else around. Obviously the old man wouldn’t be talking to the air.
“Ok, old friend, let’s go back young’en.” Said a voice coming from the middle of the mountains in the distance. Lin Feng raised his head and saw someone falling down from the sky. This old man had a familiar looking face and had two gigantic wings, two dream-like snow-white wings. They looked like the wings of a crane. This was a crane spirit.
“Strong Cultivators can fly and they can even carry people through the skies. I would have never thought that the Yun Hai Sect had such Cultivators.” Lin Feng found the scene absolutely fascinating. He had the feeling a hurricane was coming and that he was unable to stand firm or move away.
Sand and small stones were flying around in the air. The crane-like silhouette landed on the overhanging cliff. Lin Feng was staring: it was him!
Lin Feng knew the person who had appeared. It was the old man of the Xing Chen Pavilion. He still looked sluggish and had a neglected appearance. He looked the same as the last time, but with a giant set of wings on his back.
“The Elder who was in charge of protecting the Xing Chen Pavilion was as expected, not even slightly ordinary.” Said Lin Feng to himself convinced.
“Young man, I will introduce you. My old friend is one of the protectors of the Yun Hai Sect. You can call him Protector Kong. I am one of the protectors of the Yun Hai Sect as well and you can call me Protector Bei.” The old man’s mood seemed to be particularly good. Protectors of the Sect have an extraordinary status in the hierarchy, to the extent that even if the Patriarch of the Sect was to see them, he would not dare be insolent.
The ones who became protectors showed extreme devotion and loyalty towards the Sect. Their abilities were far above that of other disciples. They only cared about the Sect; that was the only thing they had in their mind. How could the Protector Bei not be happy that Lin Feng had passed the test of the Precipice of Zhangu?
“Protector Bei, Protector Kong.” Lin Feng was smiling at the two old men. Two protectors of the Sect… They were probably within the strongest Cultivators of the Sect.
Protector Kong silently nodded his head. Shortly after, he went back into the cave. His body just vanished into the darkness of the passageway.
“My old friend spends his time in this cave every day. It’s common for him not to speak for days. He never did speak much so it doesn’t matter. “ Protector Bei was shaking his head. He then said to Lin Feng: “We’re leaving too.”
The crane spirit appeared briefly, its wings flapped in the air giving a hurricane-like sensation. Lin Feng only felt his body flying up in the air guided by a mysterious power. There was nothing under his feet, only the distant ground. Lin Feng had the feeling he was dreaming. In the previous world, it would have been impossible to fly up in the air like this without the assistance of technology.
However in the Continent of the Nine Clouds, extreme power and strength enabled some Cultivators to look down on the world from above.