Chapter 137: The Gathering of the Five Elements Protectors

I stood beside my master, and Xiangfang also ran over, holding a long sword. The five of us faced the two Wei Wuchi brothers. Master gave a cold smile and said, "The Five Guardians share a common breath and branch, and though one is missing, the remaining four united together are a force that even ordinary mid-sized sects dare not provoke. They may not dare to provoke you, but I dare. Your second brother should be Wei Wutian, where is he? And where is Wei Wjiang now? I advise you to speak out before I get serious, otherwise, your fate will be just like Wei Wuxin's."

When Master mentioned the fifth member with the surname Wei, Wei Wuchi and Wei Wuhua on the opposite side furrowed their brows slightly and looked at Master with some irritation. With a gloomy face, Wei Wuchi said, "Our fifth brother's name is not something you can just throw around. I said it before, if you want to know our eldest brother's whereabouts, defeat us first. Once our second brother arrives, let's see what you will use to fight us."

Hearing this, Master smiled even more brightly and said, "Well, I must say, you defeated opponents, why are you still trying to show off? If you have the guts, call your second brother out and let's see."

Master's words were extremely overbearing, showing no fear of them whatsoever. Wei Wuchi frowned and was just about to speak when a voice came from the air behind them, saying, "I heard someone calling me, is that so?!"

As the voice faded, a figure with a black umbrella tucked at his waist landed steadily beside Wei Wuchi and the others. Seeing this person, Wei Wuchi and Wei Wuhua said in pleasant surprise, "Second Brother, you're here!"

The man nodded. Master stood with his hands behind his back, looking at him with a chuckle, and said, "Talk of Cao Cao and Cao Cao arrives. The Second Guardian, Wei Wutian... Finally, someone who can actually fight. Just now was truly boring."

As soon as Master finished speaking, we all stared at him in a daze. Wei Wutian also stood with his hands behind his back, looking down at Master as he said, "You certainly talk big, but I wonder how your skills actually match up."

Master smiled, crooked a finger, and said, "You'll know once you try."

With that, Master flicked his finger slightly. The hilt of the Azure Lotus Sword appeared faintly, though it had not fully materialized. Wei Wutian nodded, licked the corner of his mouth, and without wasting any more words, charged straight forward. He drew the black umbrella from his waist. The umbrella seemed to be equipped with a mechanism, as a row of short blades instantly slid out along its body. Wei Wutian thrust fiercely at Master's head. Master, who seemed motionless, had actually been prepared all along. Before the black umbrella could strike, the Azure Lotus Sword fully materialized. With a sharp clang, Master dodged the blow with a tilt of his head and directly used the Azure Lotus Sword to block Wei Wutian's onslaught.

Wei Wutian was taken aback and glanced at the Azure Lotus Sword. With a twist of the black umbrella, he pressed right up in front of Master. Master closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, a terrifying golden light flashed abruptly from his eyes. Caught off guard by the sudden golden light, Wei Wutian took the full brunt of it and was sent flying backward. Yet, his body was extremely agile; he spun mid-air and landed steadily on the ground. The golden light in Master's eyes faded as he smiled and said, "Trying to close in on me—for the Second Guardian, you were far too careless."

Frowning, Wei Wutian demanded, "What kind of spell is this? It looks so familiar. Who on earth are you, and why are you causing trouble for our assassination organization?!"

"Causing trouble for you? Heh, just ask your eldest brother, Wei Wjiang, and you'll find out," Master said coldly.

Wei Wutian furrowed his brow and said, "I admit, your strength is indeed impressive. You can be considered a master within our circle."

Master gave a cold smile and said nothing. As Wei Wutian watched Master's expression and opened his mouth to speak again, the sound of bells echoed from the distance. We all turned our heads to see a figure slowly walking toward us, one hand tucked into a pocket while holding a black umbrella in the other. Upon seeing him, Master sneered, "Wei Wjiang, you've finally come out."

I was startled and looked closely at him, comparing him to the photo in my mind—this figure, this posture of holding the umbrella—it was undoubtedly Wei Wjiang from the photo. Seeing Wei Wjiang, the three brothers of the Five Guardians shouted in unison, "Eldest Brother!"

Wei Wjiang said nothing, walking step by step. A row of bells hung from his black umbrella. After a moment, Wei Wjiang reached the three Wei brothers, and Wei Wutian immediately spoke up, "Eldest Brother, where have you been these past few days? Why hasn't anyone seen you? Our organization is practically having its doorstep beaten down."

Holding the black umbrella, Wei Wjiang looked at Wei Wutian and replied simply in a gloomy voice, "I took an assignment and went out of town."

Wei Wutian was stunned. "An assignment? What kind of task did the higher-ups assign this time? And where did the people at the top go? Someone is challenging us right at our door, and they aren't even showing up?"

Wei Wjiang gave a cold smile. "He is in seclusion. Organization matters are temporarily managed by me. Have all of you grown so idle lately that you can't even deal with him—a person whose cultivation has been sealed?"

At the end of his sentence, Wei Wjiang pointed toward Master. Wei Wutian and the others were dumbfounded, looking at Wei Wjiang in confusion. Wei Wutian glanced at Master and asked uncomprehendingly, "Eldest Brother, what do you mean by that? What do you mean by a person whose cultivation has been sealed?"

Wei Wjiang let out another cold laugh. Facing Master, he slowly spoke, "Well, I can't entirely blame you. This man was a supreme powerhouse in our circle back in the day, someone even those old Taoist priests of Mount Mao held in awe. After all, the Nether Pass is not a place just anyone can provoke."

Wei Wjiang used the word "supreme" to describe Master, offering him the highest praise. Master smiled and remained silent. Hearing their eldest brother utter the words "Nether Pass," the three Wei brothers were too shocked to speak. Sister Yu was the same; she whipped her head around to stare at Master's profile, her mouth agape. Just moments ago, she had been talking about the Nether Pass, and now a genuine member of the Nether Pass had actually appeared right before her eyes. This left her both shocked and pleasantly surprised, for as she herself had said, the Nether Pass had disbanded long ago, and catching a glimpse of a member from such a massive faction was harder than reaching the heavens.

Looking at Sister Yu's shocked expression, I smiled and said, "Sister Yu, don't be too surprised. It's normal."

Sister Yu turned her agape mouth toward me instead. I couldn't help reaching out to nudge her chin upward. As Sister Yu came to her senses, I stammered, "Sorry, ah, just a reflex, purely a reflex."

Sister Yu shook her head, holding no grudge, and asked, "Your master is a member of the Nether Pass?"

I nodded. Sister Yu then asked further, "When did he join? The Nether Pass disbanded nearly a hundred years ago. Your master looks so young, how could he be a person from the Nether Pass? And what is your master's surname?"

Hearing Sister Yu's questions, I was stunned as well. The Nether Pass disbanded nearly a hundred years ago? Wouldn't that make Master over a hundred years old? I frowned and looked again at Master's profile—this face clearly looked to be only in its thirties. Good lord, at this thought, my heart suddenly gave a jolt. Sister Yu patted me and urged anxiously, "Lin Xuan, speak! What is your master's surname? The Nether Pass has always been my ultimate idol faction!"

Startled back to my senses by Sister Yu's prodding, I replied, "Master's surname is Tan. Why?"

As soon as those words left my mouth, Sister Yu's eyes widened once more, and she let out a shriek, crying out, "Surname Tan? You're saying your master's surname is Tan?!"

Dumbfounded, I nodded. Sister Yu now looked like a zealous little fan girl obsessing over a celebrity as she muttered under her breath, "Surname Tan... Surname Tan... Could it really be him? Could he truly be the leader of the Nether Pass..."

Before Sister Yu could finish, Master glanced in our direction and cleared his throat. Since Xiangfang was the head of an association, he understood nuances better and pulled Sister Yu's hand. Sister Yu turned her head in confusion to look at Xiangfang, who gave a slight shake of his head. Then Sister Yu looked back at Master, who stared at her expressionlessly. Having spent a long time navigating the supernatural circle, Sister Yu quickly caught the deliberate concealment in Master's eyes. Then she looked back at me, finally clamped her mouth shut, and reined in her overwhelming excitement.

By this point, I could no longer describe my state of mind as merely bewildered. Master, Xiangfang, and Sister Yu—the three of them acted as though they had rehearsed beforehand, communicating entirely through subtle glances. Looking at Master, I asked in puzzlement, "Master, what did that *ahem* mean?"

Master paused, then gave an awkward laugh. "Dry throat. What of it?"

I looked at Master in utter disbelief and then turned to Xiangfang, asking, "President Xiang, what was that head-shaking about?"

Xiangfang started, then awkwardly replied, "Stiff neck. Just a stiff neck."

Next, I looked at Sister Yu. Before I could even open my mouth, she snapped, "What are you staring at me for? Careful or I'll hit you!"