Song of Plum Blossom Mountain (梅花山之歌)

Chapter 5

The hooded giant strolled slowly into the center of the arena and the four disciples. Although quite rude, there were, occasional challengers who arrive late or seek a last-minute match, so while surprising, the figure was not perceived as much of a threat. The crowd murmured and chattered excitedly amongst themselves. Usually, such challengers could be separated into two categories; those who are extremely skilled and those who have overestimated their own abilities. Either way, the peanut gallery was in for a show.

Mu YangXi had realized something wrong when the cloaked figure pulled out a small glass bead surrounded by demonic qi. His eyes widened in shock and immediately tried to jump towards the arena but it was too late. The bead had been shattered on the ground and a dark, ominous barrier enveloped the stage, trapping the four disciples within. Mu YangXi grit his teeth and descended hastily into the outer ring of the arena along with the other peak masters.

"Direct the citizens to safety," he instructed the Qing Tang disciples calmly as the crowd around the arena noticed the irregularity and grew panicked. As the surroundings began to clear out, he condensed his qi and struck the barrier, in a futile effort to break through. The black dome remained firm.

Luo FeiHong placed his hand on the barrier, his expression growing more distraught.

"It's a Soul Barrier. The caster is likely a demon considering the demonic qi it's emitting. The demon must have sacrificed a large portion of their soul to create such a strong barrier." Luo FeiHong paused uncomfortably before continuing, "Since it naturally repels spiritual qi, we have no way of damaging it from the outside or going in until it burns itself out."

Mu YangXi hit the barrier once again in frustration with the side of his fist. His heart tightened once again at the thought of Mu RongXue. He should've taken action against the unnatural interruption as soon as it happened but for some reason, he believed there was nothing wrong. Although his character was not naturally suspicious, he had not let his guard down to this state, or so he thought. Was he mad? How had it come to this? It was as if he had no control over his actions until it was too late.

"Mu shixiong, how should we proceed?" Lu XiaWei asked quietly. Shen BaTian and Luo FeiHong looked at their shixiong nervously, they had almost never seen him so enraged before.

Mu YangXi's fists were clenched so tight that his nails had broken skin. Blood stained the tips of his fingers as he slowly loosened his grasp, "Lu shidi should aid the disciples in settling the public and treating anyone who may have been injured in the panic. I will search the archives to see if there is any other way to forcefully dispel or weaken the barrier. Luo shidi and Shen shidi should stay in case something happens."

The three peak masters expressed their consent and dispersed to fulfill their own duties.

In the original novel, Yu TianMin was the one trapped in the barrier in Chen ChiHao's place. The protagonist had been Chen ChiHao's final challenger and won, contrary to expectations. However, before she could even celebrate her victory, a mysterious figure trapped the four disciples in a Soul Barrier. It's then revealed that the cloaked man is the infamous Demon General Shan, the right hand of the reigning Demon Emperor, here to abduct the head disciples for reasons unrevealed.

Mu RongXue and the other two head disciples were already quite worn out from fighting the various challengers and were no match for the Demon General at the mid-Nascent Soul. Instead of trying to work together, Mu RongXue coldly suggests that the protagonist should act as bait while the other three attack, since Yu TianMin had more stamina. Despite her protests, the other two head disciples agreed and the matter was settled. Ultimately, Yu TianMin is targeted as the weakest of the four and is caught almost immediately by the demon general. The demon had no need for a regular disciple so he attempts to coerce the three head disciples by threatening to kill the protagonist. As General Shan's grip tightens around her neck, Yu TianMin looks pleadingly at Guan HeLan, Xia ChenChao, and finally, Mu RongXue, for help, only to be met with varying degrees of pity and indifference.