Sword Shadow Alliance Leader
“Sword Shadow Alliance Leader? Can I be the leader?” Xiaoshuai effused.
Qiao Xue caressed Xiaoshuai’s head. “No. You can be the cute mascot, though.”
“Impressive. Sadly, I know you too well, Dad.” Mu Yu launched a formation at the leader’s eight trigrams diagram at his feet, dispelling the formation.
The eight immediately pulled back, with the leader blustering, “Lord Ku Mu said one has to be above Ascension Realm Second Layer to defuse the formation! You’re a mere Body Synthesis Realm cultivator!”
“You can stop now, Hong Sheng.”
The middle-aged man turned to the spectre and genuflected. “Lord Ku Mu.”
“He calls himself Lord Ku Mu, ahaha.” Xiaoshuai commented, “I can’t get used it, Gramps Ku Mu.”
“Watch your manners!” erupted Hong Sheng.
“He’s Mu Yu, your alliance’s leader,” Ku Mu stated. “Can’t you tell?”
“H-he really is Lord Mu Yu?” Startled, it took a few seconds for Hong Sheng to regather himself and kneel down. “Please forgive me for not knowing better, Lord Mu Y-”
Mu Yu pulled Daoist Hong Sheng up cheerfully. “Don’t worry about it. Fulfilling your duty is the right thing to do.”
“Thank you, Lord Mu Yu.” Daoist Hong Sheng liked Mu Yu’s humble character. After all, someone of Mu Yu’s standing and calibre with so much humility was rare in the cultivation world and a first for him.
“Come in first, and then we’ll talk. Hong Sheng, stay on guard duty.” Ku Mu teleported Mu Yu and his friends into Revealing Cauldron.
“Lord Ku Mu,” Mu Yu called in a teasing tone. “Can you give me a rundown of what’s going on? How did Sword Shadow alliance become part of Pill Cauldron Sect?”
Ku Mu raised a hand to clobber Mu Yu over the head for the teasing but stopped himself as it was inappropriate as it would undermine Mu Yu’s leadership and authority. “You’re now a leader and beacon of hope, so conduct yourself like one.”
“Oh, so I’m immune to Lord Ku Mu’s clocking now?”
Whack!
“No.”
Everyone but Mu Yu laughed.
“You should’ve been around to hit him sooner, Adopted Father,” expressed Tian Ran.
“Qiao Xue humbly greets you, Lord Ku Mu.”
As Ku Mu opened his mouth to speak, Xiaoshuai chimed in. “Adopted Father, Lord Ku Mu my foot. It’s Father-in-law.”
A-Dai voiced, “Xiaoshuaishuai, I thought that’s reserved for the son-in-law.”
“Oh, you’re right. I guess it should be Lord Adopted Father Ku Mu.”
While the two girls were flustered, Mu Yu bravely said, “Daughters-in-law, you should just call him ‘Dad’ since you don’t get to meet him often.”
The two girls shot Mu Yu a glare and then politely addressed Ku Mu as “Dad”.
Put on the spot, a smile still came to Ku Mu’s lips. “I, umm, I haven’t prepared any introductory gifts. This is too sudden. I don’t know what to… Let’s see, I…” Agitated with Mu Yu’s sudden announcement, he shot the former a glare.
“We apologise for the sudden announcement and not bringing you a gift,” Qiao Xue expressed.
“Everyone being courteous is making me feel awkward. Just give me some roast duck as a present,” Xiaoshuai commented.
Mu Yu scrubbed Xiaoshuai’s head vigorously. “Dad, what happened? Why does the alliance… I thought you did not like to hear ‘Sword Shadow’.”
Ku Mu, out of consideration for Tian Ran, refrained from dissing Sword Shadow Dust Gale, thereby dodging the question. “During the year you’ve been gone, foreign races have occupied Third Heaven and cities. Pill Cauldron Sect and Formation Sect are the human race’s last bastions. Follow me.”
Ku Mu led them up into Pill Cauldron Sect’s airspace, where they could see formations and more formations enveloping Pill Cauldron Sect, each formation sealing a building. Each levitating building housed cultivators and non-cultivators. There were over five hundred thousand residents at Pill Cauldron Sect.
Ku Mu elucidated, “Pill Cauldron Sect is no longer just Pill Cauldron Sect but mankind’s barricade against the foreign races. When Greater Heaven Caster Lu came to see me, he informed me you established Sword Shadow. As much as it grinds my gears, I went along with the name because of his and your influence. I made the call to form the alliance from members who had yet to fall and instated you as its leader. They started addressing me as so because I’m your dad. Mind your image from now. Stop being a brat.”
“I’m still being bossed around,” Mu Yu grumbled under his breath.
“Not happy?”
“Not at all.”
“Tell me what happened during the time you were absent.”
“This is A-Dai?” Ku Mu eyed A-Dai after listening to Mu Yu’s detailed recount. “You’re part of the titan spirit race?”
“How did you know? I thought only Master knew. A-Dai listens to Master.” A-Dai scratched his head.
“They a strong race?” Mu Yu inquired.
“Very. They’re an ancient race from another world, but they’re an extremely small population. Their existence is a threat to numerous races. Unfortunately, their simple minds resulted in their extinction at the hands of other races. I thought they were all gone based on the ancient texts I read.”
“Dad, what are the foreign races up to?” Mu Yu queried, studying A-Dai with his eyes.
“Twenty-one races have arrived, with Bai Jie at the helm. As far as we’re aware, they have fifty Apotheosis Realm adepts, at the very least, while we only have four. The enormity of the injuries Nilei and Daoist Chu Buqu suffered whilst clashing with Bai Jie a year ago are still lingering, so they’re still recuperating. Although the five archfiends can still put up a fight, you can see what the odds are. Your return has provided us with a second wind. There’s one more Apotheosis Realm adept you should meet?”
“And that is?”
“Me?” The owner of the indifferent voice met with Mu Yu – Nameless Swordsman.
“Colour me surprised.”
“Where’s Gu Yitian?” questioned Nameless. “He needs to return my sword.”
“He’s at Forbidden Mountain with my first brother.”
“You were a measly Golden Core Realm cultivator when we first met. How you’ve improved.”
“I had no idea I met an Apotheosis Realm adept. My apologies for my ignorance.”
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