Chapter 39: Discovering the Supreme Elder

Su Hao kept moving, the wind whistling past his ears. He could now clearly sense the five sisters not far ahead. A warmth surged in his heart, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly as he thought to himself, "They must know I would follow them, and now they are waiting for me there."

As he quickened his pace, he concentrated, using his profound cultivation to faintly catch the sound of the sisters' conversation. Initially as thin as the buzzing of gnats, the voices grew clearer as he drew closer.

He heard one of the junior sisters say with a hint of anxiety, "Senior Sister, why hasn't Brother Qingming caught up yet? That evil cultivator's methods were so insidious—could something have happened to him?"

Bi Luochun hurriedly comforted her, "Junior Sister, do not worry unnecessarily. Brother Qingming is highly skilled; he will surely be safe. He will likely catch up with us soon, so let us wait here for a moment."

Then, Su Hao heard Bi Luochun murmur in a lowered voice, filled with worry and concern, "Brother Qingming, you must come quickly. Only with you here do we feel truly at ease..."

Hearing these words, Su Hao felt a complex mix of emotions—touched by their concern, yet feeling the weight of his responsibility grow even heavier. He moved with even greater speed, wishing he could appear before them in the next second to put their worried hearts at rest and tell them he was safe, and that with him around, he would never let them fall into danger again.

With a few swift leaps, Su Hao appeared before the five sisters like a gust of wind. The sisters were startled at first, then their faces blossomed with surprise and joy. Bi Luochun’s eyes filled with tears, and she hurried forward to meet him, her voice trembling with excitement. "Brother Qingming, you finally arrived! You had us so worried!"

The other four junior sisters crowded around, chattering, "Brother Qingming, we thought you were trapped by those evil cultivators. We were terrified the whole way."

"Yes, yes! It is a relief that you are safe; otherwise, we would not have known what to do."

Su Hao looked at their faces full of concern and felt deeply moved. He smiled and said, "I have made you all worry. Those evil cultivators could never stop me. I have been hurrying to catch up with you."

At this moment, Bi Luochun paused, as if remembering something, and asked with slight hesitation, "Brother Qingming, you are not a disciple of our Biluo Sect, yet you came to find us regardless of the danger, and nearly fell into the evil cultivator's trap this time. This... how can we ever make it up to you?"

Su Hao scratched his head and said frankly, "Although I am not a disciple of the Biluo Sect, we have known each other for a long time, and you have always treated me like your own senior brother. How could I watch you fall into danger and do nothing? Besides, those evil cultivators have committed countless crimes and deserve to be punished; it is only right that I intervened."

The other sisters were moved and filled with admiration, nodding in agreement. One of them said, "Brother Qingming, you are truly righteous. If not for you, we would likely have been in grave danger."

Su Hao waved his hand and responded with a smile, "It was just a small favor. Let us not be so formal. By the way, this is no place to linger. Those evil cultivators might still be pursuing us. We should find a safe place quickly and decide what to do next."

Bi Luochun immediately agreed, "Brother is right. Let us head to the valley to the east. The terrain there is hidden; we can hide and plan our next move."

"Very well, let's do as you say."

Su Hao and the five sisters set off toward the eastern valley. Along the way, the sisters recounted their harrowing escape, while Su Hao offered words of comfort and shared his experience in dealing with evil cultivators. The bond between them seemed to deepen through this shared ordeal, and the gloom that had shrouded their hearts was gradually dispelled by the warm atmosphere.

As they carefully made their way along the mountain path in the moment before dawn, the surroundings were silent, save for their soft footsteps and the occasional chirp of insects. Suddenly, Su Hao keenly sensed an unusual fluctuation in the air—like a subtle ripple on a calm lake, faint but impossible to ignore.

His expression sharpened. He gestured for the five sisters to stop and put a finger to his lips, signaling them to remain absolutely silent. The sisters understood immediately, covering their mouths and holding their breath, looking at Su Hao with tension.

Su Hao held his breath and focused, slowly releasing his spiritual power. Like fine spider silk, it spread out to explore the surroundings. Soon, he discovered a very faint sound of breathing. It was intermittent, as if it might vanish at any moment, but it was accompanied by a powerful, heart-palpitating fluctuation of cultivation. Even though the energy felt chaotic, one could still sense the immense power contained within it.

"What is it, Brother Qingming?" Bi Luochun, unable to contain her curiosity and anxiety, leaned over and whispered into Su Hao's ear.

Su Hao frowned, his gaze fixed on a direction in the distance. He pointed and said softly, "There is the aura of a very powerful cultivator. Their breathing is shallow; it seems they are severely wounded. It is unclear whether they are a friend or foe, so we must be careful."

Bi Luochun looked in the direction he pointed, but could only see a hazy, shadowy mountain forest. A sense of unease surged in her heart, and she turned to look at the other sisters, noticing their faces were also filled with tension and alertness.

"What should we do now, Brother?" another sister asked in a whisper.

Su Hao thought for a moment and replied in a low voice, "Do not rush. We will approach quietly and observe the situation. But everyone must stay alert. If anything feels wrong, be ready to retreat immediately, understood?"

The five sisters nodded. They followed closely behind Su Hao, stepping lightly like cautious kittens, moving slowly toward the source of the aura. Everyone’s heart was in their throat; no one knew what awaited them.

As they crept closer, the air seemed to grow heavier. With every step, the powerful yet chaotic energy became clearer, as if an invisible hand were gripping their hearts. As they neared the source, Bi Luochun’s tense face suddenly flashed with a hint of surprise, but the smile vanished in an instant, replaced by deep sorrow, and her eyes turned red.

Her voice trembled as she pulled on Su Hao’s sleeve and whispered, "Brother Qingming, I can sense it. It seems to be the aura of our Sect's Supreme Elder. In the sect, she was always so majestic and powerful, like a towering mountain protecting us all, but now... how could her injuries be this severe?"

Tears welled in her eyes, filled with worry and confusion. The other four sisters were equally shocked and saddened, exchanging glances of deep concern.

Su Hao’s brow furrowed even deeper. While keeping a vigilant watch on their surroundings, he comforted them softly, "Junior sisters, do not be anxious yet. We do not know exactly what happened. Perhaps the Supreme Elder was merely caught off guard. With her cultivation, as long as we help in time, she will surely recover."

Bi Luochun wiped back her tears and nodded, though the unease in her heart did not dissipate. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, and said, "Brother is right. Let us go and see; we must not let any further accidents befall the Supreme Elder."

The group quickened their pace toward the center of the aura. Everyone felt anxious, longing to see the Supreme Elder yet fearing to witness her in such a critical state. Su Hao led the way, with Bi Luochun walking almost side-by-side with him, both filled with worry as they entered the forest.

The forest was suppressively quiet, with only their footsteps audible. Before long, they found the source of the powerful aura in a massive hollow tree—it was a middle-aged woman.

She sat propped against the inside of the tree, her once-magnificent robes soaked through with blood. Dark red stains covered every inch of the fabric, making it impossible to discern the original color; it was, as Bi Luochun had feared, truly a "blood robe." The sight was so shocking that everyone’s hearts tightened.

Upon seeing this, Bi Luochun and the other four disciples felt their eyes sting, and tears welled up and spilled over. Without a second thought, they ran to the tree hollow and knelt down in unison. Bi Luochun sobbed, "Disciple Bi Luochun pays respects to the Supreme Elder!"

The other sisters followed, saying in unison, "Disciples pay respects to the Supreme Elder!"

Their voices, filled with concern and anxiety, echoed around the small hollow. Seeing this, Su Hao frowned. Without hesitation, he focused his mind and searched his storage space. A moment later, he produced a demon core. It emitted a faint halo and contained extremely rich spiritual energy—one of the two he had obtained after a difficult battle with a demon bear.

He had already given the other one to Wei Chi Yuanhang to help heal his injuries; this was the last one he had left. Yet, with the severely wounded Supreme Elder before him, Su Hao only wanted to do what he could to help. He walked to the Supreme Elder’s side, knelt down, and said softly, "Supreme Elder, I am Su Hao. This is a demon core; it may be of help to your injuries. Please, take it."

He moved to place the core to the Supreme Elder's lips, his eyes full of anticipation, hoping it would help her condition improve.