Ye Jing was quietly crying alone. In the end, she still did not have the heart to tell Xiaofang the lie that she no longer loves him. There was no way she could lie to him because they were linked together by the Dual Cultivation. She was really afraid that she may drag him into a bottomless pit.
"Jing'Er, where are you?" It was Xiaofang calling out for her.
When she had heard Xiaofang calling out for her, she quickly swiped away her tears and left behind no traces of her unhappiness. Instead her voice was jovial as she shouted, "I'm coming."
She muttered to a red bird that was chirping around her, "Come Yu'Er…"
She had immediately returned to her group where they were waiting for their martial practice.
Xiaofang and Gong Nanyan were already waiting for her with their swords.
Ye Jing laughed softly, "What? I have two golden celestials that are waiting to beat up a poor gray eye cultivator?"
She was thinking, "I have just recently attained the Middle Stage of the Crisis Divinity so it may be good that I got to test out my strength…"
Her near life and death experiences in the Celestial Annihilation Array had elevated her Early Stage of the Crisis Divinity to the Middle Stage.
Xiaofang grinned, "Jing'Er, you are a saintess now. One to one, we may not be your match."
Ye Jing winked her eyes and turned to Li'Er, Chu Yunfeng and Luo Bihua who were watching by the side, "Did you guys hear that, they are ganging up on me. Poor me."
Luo Bihua smiled and said, "Master Teacher, you will surely win. I have faith in you!"
Chu Yunfeng said to Luo Bihua and Li'Er, "Don't be distracted. You are supposed to be practicing your sword skills now. Focus on repeating your strikes until your hands are steady. Only by repetition can you be one with your sword and allow your strikes to be your second nature."
Li'Er was smiling, "Their duel is much more interesting. Isn't there a saying that says when the experts fight, the bystanders benefit from insight?"
Ye Jing was using an ordinary sword and she had flashed forward to exchange strokes with Xiaofang and Gong Nanyan.
Gong Nanyan gasped as she raised her sword to parry Ye Jing's quick strokes, "What an extraordinary speed…"
Gong Nanyan immediately displayed the epitome lightless skill of the Lofty Snow Palace the Floating Snowfall as she burst high up with just a gentle tiptoe. But Ye Jing was able to leap even higher than her as she sent the graceful figure of Gong Nanyan to stumble back to the ground like a blue icy phoenix.
Ye Jing was like a phantom that moved between them as she laughed softy, "Xiaofang, don't tell me you are still warming up?"
Xiaofang put aside his ordinary sword and displayed his immortal sword on his left hand. Immediately there was a suppression that appeared in the vicinity…
Ye Jing could feel that that her movements were affected by the suppression that was caused by his sword. Therefore she unsheathed her divine sword to negate the suppression by a little. In a fight, every little counts.
Then Xiaofang grinned as he aimed three flying sword bursts at her, "Jing'Er be careful…"
Gong Nanyan was startled as she turned panicky to Xiaofang, "You can't be serious…"
But it was too late. Ye Jing had evaded two of the flying sword bursts but one of the sword bursts had exploded directly on her and had knocked her back.
As Ye Jing landed, she swung her divine sword to dissipate the lingering sword energies that were around her as she asked, "Not bad Xiaofang. How much strength did you use?"
Xiaofang answered, "50%…"
Ye Jing frowned lightly, "It is just 30% of your martial strength…" With her acute divine sense and through their Dual Cultivation, she knew instinctively that Xiaofang had reported a higher number to make her feel better."
Gong Nanyan bowed with her hands, "Sister Jing, your Sister Nanyan willingly concedes to you."
Ye Jing smiled, "Sister Nanyan, your swordplay and lightless skill are also formidable. I can tell that you have not fully used all your strength yet."
Gong Nanyan smiled faintly, "It is only a practice. Moreover Sister Jing, you are a saintess with a formidable divine sword. Even if I use all my strength, I will still lose 9 out of 10 matches."
Ye Jing nodded lightly, "We should practice more every day as we get nearer and nearer to the Unmoving Mountains."
Gong Nanyan nodded. The battle ahead of them would not be easy. Once the battle started, it would be every person for their own survival…
Although their fights were brief, Chu Yunfeng, Li'Er and Luo Bihua were watching with disbelief and their jaws almost dropped. Their forms and sword strokes were many but they really could not see clearly, Moreover Ye Jing and Gong Nanyan swiftness and lightless skills were a little too heaven defying for them to even attain…
Ye Jing said gently to her group, "Now that I have almost recovered my strength, we should move on. I will go and look for my godparents in the camp first. Afterward, we will break camp and head directly to the Unmoving Mountains."
They had spent several days in this hidden enclave so that Ye Jing, the Celestial Liege and the Confession Lady could cultivate and recover their celestial strength. Now it was the time for them to move on.
Xiaofang asked after her, "When we reach the Unmoving Mountains, how do we get into the Ancient Ascension Sect?"
Ye Jing laughed with a mysterious smile as she took a glance at Gong Nanyan, "Naturally I've already thought of someone that will help us to get into the Ancient Ascension Sect."