Chapter 81: The Three Sword Brothers Seal the Gate, Lou Master Hong Forces Their Retreat
Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW
You can buy coins here to unlock advanced chapters: https://gravitytales.com/coins-purchase-page/
Inside the marketplace, Yu Xian strode forward with confidence.
A red maple leaf token hung from his waist, and although many cast doubtful or scrutinizing glances at the unfamiliar face, no one dared stop him.
There were rules within the market—otherwise, it wouldn’t be called a market. Assassinations and ambushes might happen outside, but within the marketplace, unless one had the power to ignore the will of several Foundation Establishment cultivators, causing trouble here was a surefire way to die.
Yu Xian ignored the small shops and street stalls completely. He had no time or interest in trying his luck for hidden treasures. He headed straight toward the largest building in the center of Maple Leaf Market.
Whether the goods were expensive or not didn’t matter to him. Major trading hubs like this saved him a lot of time. If this largest tower didn’t have what he was looking for, then nowhere else would.
Maple Leaf Tower.
As expected, the entire market seemed to have been built around this structure. Whoever controlled this building—or rather, the people behind it—must be the real rulers of Maple Leaf City.
But Yu Xian didn’t care about that. He followed the flow of people inside, glanced around once, and approached a counter with a smile.
“Brother, do you have a map of the Eastern Continent for sale?”
“A map of the Eastern Continent?” The cultivator behind the counter looked surprised and asked cautiously, “You mean the whole continent?”
“Yes,” Yu Xian smiled. “Do you have it?”
“Fellow Daoist, a full map of the Eastern Continent is very large. Even a rough version would be ten meters across. A detailed one could easily reach thirty meters in size. We do have a rough version, but it’s not for sale—you can view it for a bit and memorize what you can.”
Clearly, the man wasn’t used to such a request and added, “Would you like to take a look?”
“Of course,” Yu Xian beamed.
He didn’t need to memorize the whole thing. That would take weeks. He only needed to find a route from here to Qingyun Sect. That would be enough.
“But let me be clear,” the clerk warned, “Viewing costs twenty spirit stones per incense stick. You can stay as long as you like, as long as you keep paying. It’s a rare map that covers the entire Eastern Continent—it wasn’t easy for our building to acquire.”
“Twenty spirit stones for one incense stick’s time?” Yu Xian frowned. “Can’t you lower it to fifteen? I only need to look for a moment to find one route.”
“No can do.” The clerk shook his head. “The rules are the rules. Take it or leave it.”
“Alright, alright.” Yu Xian sighed. “Twenty spirit stones it is. One incense stick.”
“Very well!” the clerk laughed, “Hand over the stones.”
Yu Xian produced the stones and placed them on the counter. The clerk quickly stashed them away and shouted, “Xiao Yun, take this gentleman to view the Eastern Continent map for one incense stick!”
A young woman approached and respectfully said, “Please follow me.”
Yu Xian nodded and followed her through a side corridor into a dim room.
She lit an incense stick and a candle, smiling. “The time should be enough, Fellow Daoist.”
The room lit up. On the far wall hung a massive map—ten meters wide and five meters tall. Mountains, rivers, and roads sprawled across it, with countless cities and nations labeled so densely they looked like ants. It made the eyes dizzy.
Yu Xian stepped forward, eyes narrowing, searching quickly for his current location and Qingyun Sect’s.
Meanwhile, three sword-wielding men entered Maple Leaf Tower.
“Big Brother,” one of them said, “The Spirit-Seeking Mirror’s signal stops here. He must be inside.”
The trio’s expressions were cold. “He probably guessed we were chasing him and came to the busiest place to hide. The mirror can’t pinpoint him exactly.”
“Then what do we do, Big Brother?”
The eldest frowned, then said slowly, “We have no choice. Second, Third—seal the entrance.”
“Understood.”
The two drew their swords in unison.
Clang!
The ringing of precious blades filled the hall as sword energy howled. The two men stood at the gate, their presence alone sealing off the entire entrance.
All motion froze.
“What’s going on?”
“Why are they blocking the way?”
“Who are these people?”
“Let us out!”
The commotion grew, but no one dared truly confront them. The aura of the fourth-grade flying swords and two peak Qi Condensation cultivators was suffocating.
Anyone who tried… would die.
Then, the eldest of the three stepped forward and said calmly, “Fellow Daoists, don’t panic. We are disciples of the Tianyuan Sword Sect. We’re hunting an evil cultivator believed to be inside. To prevent his escape, we must take these extreme measures. We hope you understand.”
“Tianyuan Sword Sect…”
“Wait, they’re from that sect?!”
“So there is a demonic cultivator in here?”
The hall quieted down, though whispers still echoed. No one dared protest openly anymore.
Then, a calm voice rang out from deep within the hall.
“Oh? So you three are from the Tianyuan Sword Sect?”
A group of older cultivators—men and women, all at Qi Condensation peak—stepped out. Compared to the three sword cultivators, they clearly had weaker innate talent, but they still approached with dignity.
Their leader, a middle-aged man, said solemnly, “To block the gate of my Maple Leaf Tower without notice—don’t you think that’s a bit arrogant?”
The eldest sword cultivator replied without emotion, “What, you want me to bow and salute you instead? Are you even worthy?”
The middle-aged man’s expression darkened with anger. The others behind him were also incensed.
But the sword cultivator continued coldly, “Cooperate. Help us find the target. Once we catch him, we’ll leave. Don’t make this harder than it needs to be.”
“And you are…?” the middle-aged man said with restrained fury. “What gives you the right to command us?”
“Oh? You don’t know us?” The sword cultivator laughed and said, “Then remember our names well—we are the Flowing Light Three Swords, top outer disciples of Tianyuan Sword Sect, recently admitted into the inner sect under Peak Lord Jin Yun!”
“Flowing Light Three Swords…”
“You mean those three?! The ones who killed a Foundation Establishment cultivator?!”
Gasps and shock rippled through the crowd.
It was almost unthinkable—Qi Condensation killing Foundation Establishment?
Foundation Establishment could fly. They could simply bombard from the air. No Qi Condensation cultivator should be able to touch them.
But these three had a reputation—confirmed kills.
Most onlookers decided silently: best not to interfere. Even the middle-aged cultivator wavered, knowing full well who these three were.
Their names: Lu Huan, Lu Ming, Lu Deng.
But just as he was about to back down—
A cold, disdainful voice cut through the tension.
“Cooperate with you? You think my Maple Leaf Tower answers to you?”
The middle-aged cultivator and the others quickly bowed in fear. “Greetings, Tower Master!”
A young man in luxurious robes descended the stairs, expression indifferent, aura unreadable. But his youthful appearance alone spoke volumes.
He had already formed his Foundation—his appearance frozen in youth.
The true master of Maple Leaf Tower, and one of the three hidden rulers of the market:
Hong Feng.
Most cultivators had never seen him before, but a sense of dread washed over the crowd. Even without kneeling, they bowed deeply.
“Greetings, Tower Master!”
Lu Huan’s smile faded.
The two brothers by the gate grew tense, their swords now humming even louder, ready to strike.
Hong Feng waved a hand. “Rise.”
He approached Lu Huan, stared into his eyes, and said coldly, “Who do you think you are? You dare use the Tianyuan Sword Sect to pressure us rogue cultivators? You think I’ll let you just walk in and take someone from my tower?”
Lu Huan’s expression tightened. The pressure was immense.
He didn’t dare act rashly. This wasn’t like their past fights. This man was at least mid-stage Foundation Establishment!
Taking a deep breath, Lu Huan said quietly, “We three brothers took an inner sect mission to slay an evil cultivator. Such individuals must be eliminated. Surely, you wouldn’t protect such a person?”
“Protect?” Hong Feng laughed. “What a joke. If someone is in my tower, he is my guest. You think you can arrest him just because you suspect him?”
The pressure grew unbearable.
Lu Huan clenched his teeth and turned toward the exit. “We’re leaving.”
His brothers silently followed, their swords withdrawing.
Cheers and praise erupted from the crowd.
“Tower Master Hong is mighty!”
“Worthy of leading us rogue cultivators!”
“A true hero—unafraid of the great sects!”
Hong Feng raised a hand to quiet the crowd. “So long as one enters my Maple Leaf Tower, they are my guest. Unless I fail to protect them, I will never betray them—regardless of their background. Enough. Carry on.”
With that, he returned upstairs and vanished.
Outside, the Flowing Light Three Swords stood cold and still, watching the door.
They would wait. Eventually, the one who killed their corpse-refining target would exit.
When that happened—they would strike.
And the cause of all this…
Yu Xian.
Completely unaware of the chaos, he remained inside the dim, quiet room—carefully studying the massive map.
Focused solely on finding his path.
