Chapter 7: A New Destiny and an Ancient Feud

Su Yun opened her eyes once more, glancing at her body. Seeing that it remained distinctly feminine, she couldn’t help but let out a long sigh.

She knew, with a certainty that chilled her, that her destiny had irrevocably shifted onto a new path, starting from this very day.

“Indeed,” Su Muxue explained, seeing Su Yun return to her normal appearance, “you’ve inherited a portion of her bloodline. You’ll need to retract that bloodline power to revert from your previous form.”

There was no point in dwelling on these matters any longer; what was done was done. Su Yun had to adopt a more open-minded perspective. At the very least, she was no longer a useless individual.

She could now sense her Sea of Consciousness, which indicated she possessed at least the first level of Qi Condensation cultivation. Her body felt immeasurably lighter and more comfortable than before.

“Mother,” Su Yun inquired, “I saw a fiery phoenix in my Sea of Consciousness. Is that pervert from earlier somehow connected to a phoenix?”

Su Muxue nodded.

“Yes, she is from the Ancient Phoenix Clan, named Feng Xuan. Years ago, I encountered danger during my travels and she saved me. At the time, she appeared in a male form…” Su Muxue recounted the broad strokes of her history with the other party.

Upon hearing her mother’s narrative, Su Yun etched the name Feng Xuan firmly into her memory.

“I understand now. How infuriating! When I finally meet her, I’ll make sure she regrets it. But Mother, what about my current identity? If we don’t resolve this issue, I fear I won’t be able to remain in the Moonfall Sect.” Su Yun declared.

Matters had to be addressed one by one. For now, the most pressing issue for Su Yun and Su Muxue was Su Yun’s current predicament regarding her identity.

Su Muxue fell into a thoughtful silence. Then, she retrieved a set of moon-white robes from her spatial storage and presented them to Su Yun.

“Yun’er, wear my clothes for now,” Su Muxue instructed. “I’ll take you to meet your Grand Ancestor. As long as your Grand Ancestor is willing to help, your identity will be easily explained.”

Su Yun gazed at the garments Su Muxue offered, feeling utterly helpless. She had no other choice; any male attire she touched would burst into flames. She couldn’t possibly remain nude or in her previous form indefinitely.

As she accepted the moon-white robes, Su Yun silently cursed a certain pervert in her heart.

With Su Muxue’s assistance, Su Yun changed into the same flowing, soft attire worn by her mother. These were the robes of the Moonfall Sect Master, grand and aesthetically pleasing.

Indeed, Su Yun at this moment was practically a carbon copy of Su Muxue, though her figure wasn’t quite as developed as her mother’s, befitting her youthful age.

“Hmm, excellent, excellent. Truly my daughter, Su Muxue’s child. You look almost exactly as I did in my youth,” Su Muxue praised.

‘This woman’s way of addressing me changes so quickly,’ Su Yun thought, though she didn’t bother to dwell on the altered address.

Su Yun felt deeply uncomfortable in her elaborate attire. She suspected she would have to constantly hold up her skirt when walking, as the hem was quite long and not something she could easily grow accustomed to.

From a purely tactile perspective, Su Yun didn’t find the clothing uncomfortable; it was merely restrictive to her movements.

“Mother,” Su Yun asked curiously, “don’t you women find it inconvenient to move around in such elaborate outfits?”

Su Muxue chuckled, then reached out, taking Su Yun’s hand.

“I don’t need to walk, so naturally, I don’t feel much impact. Besides, this is within the sect. If we were truly venturing out for training, this attire would certainly be unsuitable. Come, let’s go see your Grand Ancestor. Rest assured, your Grand Ancestor is trustworthy.”

Having spoken, Su Muxue transformed into a streak of white light, carrying Su Yun as she soared out of their residence, flying towards a certain peak within the Moonfall Sect.

****

Meanwhile, ten li outside the Moonfall Sect, a contingent of cultivators flew forth, harnessing their magical artifacts. This group was clad in cloud-white robes adorned with azure cloud patterns, led by a white-haired middle-aged man who appeared to be in his thirties.

Lightning crackled around his body, allowing him to fly without the aid of a magical artifact, a clear sign that he was a Golden Core realm cultivator. As for the others, they all rode various styles of flying swords, indicating they were merely Qi Condensation or Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Their party comprised eleven individuals: eight men and three women. Particularly striking were a pair of twin sisters, almost identical in appearance.

They seemed to be around Su Yun’s age, outwardly appearing fifteen or sixteen, though in reality, they were likely only twelve or thirteen.

Cultivators naturally matured faster than ordinary mortals; a twelve or thirteen-year-old cultivator was generally comparable to a fifteen or sixteen-year-old mortal.

These twin sisters were like a pair of conjoined snow lotuses, exuding an an aura of chilling coldness—a duo of ice-cold beauties.

This group hailed from Spirit Sword Mountain, one of the Ten Great Sects of the Southern Barrens.

Their leader was Spirit Sword Mountain’s Grand Elder, Ning Chong, a cultivator at the late stage of the Golden Core realm. It seemed they were bound for the Moonfall Sect.

It was a common practice among the cultivation sects of the Southern Barrens: whenever their own sect produced exceptional disciples, they would take them to ‘pay a visit’ to a rival sect during one of their major events.

While nominally a ‘visit to the mountain,’ it could also be considered a provocation, though such incidents typically only occurred between sects with strained relations.

Coincidentally, Spirit Sword Mountain had accepted two remarkably talented disciples a few years prior. Furthermore, a lingering animosity seemed to exist between the ancestors of Spirit Sword Mountain and the Moonfall Sect, leading these two major powers to constantly vie against each other.

Of course, this conflict wasn’t outright hatred; it was more a penchant for mutual comparison and a desire to make the other side lose face.

“Is that the Moonfall Sect ahead? Grand Elder, why do I feel like the Moonfall Sect is more beautiful than our Spirit Sword Mountain?” one of the twin sisters suddenly asked.

This remark immediately displeased Ning Chong, who was flying at the forefront.

“What nonsense is that? Our Spirit Sword Mountain’s gate is ancient and magnificent! How could it possibly compare to the Moonfall Sect’s effeminate, gaudy entrance? Lin Shuang, remember this: our Spirit Sword Mountain is superior to the Moonfall Sect in every single aspect.” Ning Chong declared, spouting utter nonsense with a straight face.

The other twin sister couldn’t help but chuckle upon hearing this.

“Grand Elder, this place is clearly a paradise, a blessed grotto-heaven! Everyone knows that in terms of scenery, the Moonfall Grotto-Heaven, where the Moonfall Sect resides, is the most beautiful among our Ten Great Sects. How does it become ‘effeminate’ when you describe it?”

“Hmph? You two little brats, why do you always like to boost others’ morale? What good is beauty? Can you eat it? Practicality is the true principle!” Ning Chong emphasized once more.

The twin sisters speaking were Lin Xue, the elder, and Lin Shuang, the younger. They were the most talented disciples to join Spirit Sword Mountain in nearly a thousand years.

The sisters shared an innate telepathy, as if a single soul had split into two distinct beings. Both possessed rare ice-attribute spiritual roots, and after just over three years of cultivation, they had already reached the seventh level of Qi Condensation.

In contrast, among the Moonfall Sect’s newly admitted disciples of this generation, the strongest had only reached the sixth level of Qi Condensation.

“Practicality is important, but beauty is too; the two aren’t mutually exclusive. Oh, and Grand Elder, why is our Spirit Sword Mountain choosing to visit at this particular time? As far as I know, the Moonfall Sect is holding its sect assembly these past few days. Isn’t going now just asking for trouble?” Lin Shuang asked.

However, Ning Chong’s next words left everyone speechless.

“If it weren’t for their sect assembly, we wouldn’t even bother going,” Ning Chong stated with a solemn expression. “‘Paying a visit’ is just a polite term; in reality, we’re going there to cause trouble. Just don’t worry about it; our Spirit Sword Mountain and the Moonfall Sect have an ancestral feud.”

What exactly was this ancestral feud between the two powers? Strictly speaking, it wasn’t true enmity. It stemmed purely from the founding ancestors of both sects, who were once a pair of Dao companions.

Due to differing philosophies, they each established their own mountain gate. This initial disagreement was then inherited by their descendants, generation after generation, ultimately becoming a defining characteristic of both sects.

With their mountain gates situated so close to one another, competition between them was inevitable.

Turning back to Su Yun, Su Muxue had now brought her to the secluded cultivation grounds of Su Muxue’s master.

They descended from the sky, landing before a sealed stone gate.

“Master, your disciple has something to discuss with you,” Su Muxue immediately transmitted, bowing towards the stone gate after they landed.

Soon, a woman’s voice, tinged with curiosity, emanated from within the stone gate.

“Muxue, who is this young girl beside you? Why does she resemble you so closely?” the woman wondered aloud.

Su Muxue offered a graceful smile.

“Master, please let us in first. It’s not convenient to discuss this out here,” Su Muxue reiterated.

The woman inside the stone gate pondered for a moment before opening it, allowing Su Muxue and Su Yun to enter.

Beyond the first stone gate lay a dimly lit corridor. At its end was another stone door, and only after passing through it did the two arrive in a brightly illuminated stone chamber.

In the center of the chamber sat a silver-haired woman, also clad in moon-white robes.

She was the previous sect master of the Moonfall Sect, Sun Biyue.

Sun Biyue, like Su Muxue, was a Great Perfection Golden Core cultivator. However, she was over a hundred years older than Su Muxue.

Golden Core cultivators could live for four hundred years, and Sun Biyue was already over 380. If she couldn’t break through to the Nascent Soul realm, she would soon pass away within the next decade or so.

Thus, she largely disregarded sect affairs now, focusing solely on her cultivation and awaiting the arrival of her breakthrough opportunity.