Ch 295: A great battle is imminent; Pei Xingyun’s entrustment

Qin An, holding Pei Zihuan, stood among thousands of Fire Cloud Sect disciples.

Unlike the surrounding Fire Cloud Sect disciples, who were all cheering with excitement, he furrowed his brows slightly, a hint of worry on his face.

“Junior Martial Brother Qin, your brows are almost knitted together. What are you thinking about?”

Pei Zihuan cupped Qin An’s face with her small hands, curiously asking.

Qin An sighed, “Junior Martial Sister Pei, I have a question for you: If the Fire Cloud Sect and the Soul Burning Hall go to war, who do you think would win?”

Although Pei Zihuan was young, she knew a lot, especially about the Soul Burning Hall, far more than Qin An.

Tilting her little head, she considered the overall strength of the Fire Cloud Sect and the Soul Burning Hall, then whispered in Qin An’s ear:

“I…this Senior Martial Sister thinks the Soul Burning Hall has a higher chance of winning!”

She didn’t dare speak loudly, afraid of being overheard and reprimanded for undermining the Fire Cloud Sect’s morale and boosting the Soul Burning Hall’s prestige.

But she believed what she said was true.

Qin An asked with interest, “Why?”

Pei Zihuan said, “Because the Soul Burning Hall is a top-tier sect!”

“Their sect’s foundation is richer, they have more disciples, and their high-level members are stronger overall!”

“Also, their Sect Ancestor’s cultivation is at Foundation Establishment Level Nine!”

“I heard from Father that they also have a Formation Master in their sect!”

“So I think…we might not be able to win!”

Qin An nodded. Pei Zihuan’s assessment was standard for a top-tier sect in the Spirit Realm; it wasn’t unexpected.

He wasn’t optimistic about the Fire Cloud Sect, and that was precisely why.

Although most of the Fire Cloud Sect’s high-level members had recently advanced, and the Fire Cloud Sect Ancestor currently in Secluded Cultivation might also advance.

However, the Soul Burning Hall had a Foundation Establishment Level Nine Old Ancestor.

This one person alone was enough for the Fire Cloud Sect to contend with.

Not to mention the Soul Burning Hall’s foundation was far richer than the Fire Cloud Sect’s. Even in a protracted war of attrition, the Fire Cloud Sect couldn’t afford it.

Therefore, if the two sects went to all-out war, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the Fire Cloud Sect would undoubtedly lose.

“Junior Martial Sister Pei, what if, I mean what if, the Fire Cloud Sect loses, would you share the fate of the sect?”

Qin An pinched Pei Zihuan’s little face and asked softly.

He knew that once the two sects started fighting, it would be a battle for annihilation.

The Fire Cloud Sect disciples were full of courage, and most would choose to fight to the death, sacrificing themselves for the sect.

Qin An really didn’t want to see Pei Zihuan, such a delicate and lovely girl, perish with the Fire Cloud Sect.

Pei Zihuan blinked her eyes and said, “I’ll follow Father. If Father shares the fate of the sect, then I’ll accompany Father!”

“If Father leaves the sect, I’ll leave too!”

In her young heart, her father’s importance far surpassed the sect. No matter what her father did, she would follow him.

Qin An sighed inwardly, thinking that Pei Xingyun was a high-level member of the Fire Cloud Sect. If the Soul Burning Hall launched a major attack, they certainly wouldn’t spare him.

If Pei Xingyun died, Pei Zihuan would also be hard-pressed to survive.

“Junior Martial Sister Pei, aren’t you afraid of death?”

Qin An rubbed Pei Zihuan’s little head and asked.

Pei Zihuan’s spirits immediately sank, and she softly said, “I am afraid…”

“But I have an exotic poison in my body, and I won’t live for a few more years anyway, so it’s a matter of sooner or later!”

As she spoke, her big eyes suddenly filled with tears, and she cupped Qin An’s cheeks, sobbing:

“Junior Martial Brother Qin, I don’t want to die, I can’t bear to part with Father, and I can’t bear to part with you!”

“I still want to hear you tell the stories of Sun Dasheng and Zhu Bajie!”

“I still want you to take me everywhere!”

Qin An quickly wiped away her tears and coaxed, “Don’t cry, don’t cry, it’ll be alright!”

“Maybe we can defeat the Soul Burning Hall?”

He thought to himself, “If I forcibly take Zihuan away and avoid the life-and-death battle between the two sects, I wonder if she will resent me in the future!”

“Sigh, let’s take one step at a time!”

“Anyway, the Soul Burning Hall won’t attack so soon!”

After Han Qianshan issued the sect’s mobilization order, thousands of Fire Cloud Sect disciples, high and low, began to busy themselves preparing to fight the Soul Burning Hall.

To prevent a surprise attack by the Soul Burning Hall, Han Qianshan dispatched many disciples to scout for news of the Soul Burning Hall. As soon as there was any movement from their side, they would immediately enter a state of combat readiness.

Qin An sent Pei Zihuan back to Xuantian Peak and handed her over to Pei Xingyun.

He was about to leave when Pei Xingyun called him back.

“Qin An, take this, read it yourself later!”

“Don’t let others see it!”

Pei Xingyun handed an envelope to Qin An, then waved his hand, signaling him to leave.

Qin An roughly guessed what was in the envelope Pei Xingyun gave him. He looked at him deeply before silently turning to leave.

As an Inner Sect disciple, Qin An, like other Inner Sect disciples, remained on Kongling Peak for the time being to rest and prepare.

Although they didn’t have to guard the first line of defense outside the mountain gate, if the war began and the sect elders and elite disciples couldn’t hold out, these several hundred Inner Sect disciples would immediately go to support them.

Qin An returned to his residence, set up a formation in the room to isolate the inside and outside, and then opened the envelope Pei Xingyun gave him.

Inside the envelope was a piece of paper and two Magical Talismans.

The paper had a few lines of small writing, the general content of which was roughly what Qin An had guessed.

Pei Xingyun clearly also anticipated that the outcome of the war between the two sects would be unfavorable to the Fire Cloud Sect, so he requested Qin An to take Pei Zihuan away from the sect and flee if the situation became critical.

He also asked Qin An to take care of Pei Zihuan in the future and find a way to help her clear the exotic poison from her body.

If the poison was difficult to remove, he hoped Qin An would let Pei Zihuan spend her remaining years happily.

“With this letter, I’m relieved!”

“If I take Zihuan away later and she resents me, I’ll show her this letter!”

Qin An secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and a smile appeared on his face.

He treated Pei Zihuan like his own younger sister and really couldn’t bear to see her die so young.

As for the exotic poison in Pei Zihuan’s body, Qin An would do everything in his power to find a way to remove it.

If there was no other way, he would exchange Water of Life to prolong Pei Zihuan’s life.

Although Water of Life was precious, Qin An had obtained nearly two million Fire Spirit Stones from the Spirit Stone Mine in Fulong Mountain.

Since one drop of Water of Life required 200,000 Spirit Stones to exchange, Qin An’s current Spirit Stones could exchange for ten drops, enough to prolong Pei Zihuan’s life for ten years.

In Qin An’s eyes, two million Spirit Stones were far less valuable than Pei Zihuan’s life.

“These are…Wind Escape Talismans and Earth Escape Talismans?”

After reading Pei Xingyun’s letter, Qin An’s eyes lit up when he saw the two Magical Talismans.

Wind Escape Talismans and Earth Escape Talismans were both used for escape, several times faster than flying with a Magical Item, and were essential for many cultivators.

The two Magical Talismans Qin An held were high-grade talismans suitable for Golden Core cultivators.

Sticking this talisman on the body and injecting a wisp of Spiritual Energy, the speed of escape would be so fast that even Golden Core cultivators could not catch up.

Such talismans were for life-saving purposes and were very precious. It was unknown where Pei Xingyun obtained them.

And his giving these two life-saving talismans to Qin An showed that he had made up his mind to share the fate of the sect.

In the following few days, Pei Zihuan did not come to find Qin An to play.

Perhaps Pei Xingyun wanted to spend more time with his daughter, otherwise, once the war began, the father and daughter might be separated forever.

During these few days, Qin An did not go into Secluded Cultivation to rest and prepare like other Inner Sect disciples.

He had some ideas, examining the surrounding mountains and terrain, hoping to help the Fire Cloud Sect avoid a catastrophic annihilation.

As long as the Fire Cloud Sect didn’t perish, he and Pei Zihuan wouldn’t have to flee, and Pei Xingyun and Pei Zihuan wouldn’t have to suffer the pain of being separated by life and death.

“If I set up a Killing Formation here and lure the Soul Burning Hall’s Old Ancestor into it and kill him, not only will the Fire Cloud Sect be safe, but there might even be a chance to counterattack!”

Qin An looked at a mountain valley in front of the mountain gate and said, his eyes shining brightly.