Chapter 85.1

Editor: Sahloknir

The young girl kneeling on the ground looked at Shi Qing incredulously with a pale face and trembling lips. “Sh-Shizun…”

Shi Qing glanced at her, radiating the authority of one at the Amalgamation stage. Even though his cultivation was built through pills, it was still enough to intimidate his little Nascent Soul stage disciple into silence.

In a split second, the immortal in white waved his sleeve and transported her away.

Qiao Lingyu, who had been sent to the foot of the mountain, wiped her tears before walking towards a small wooden hut in the distance.

Qing Jian Peak was famous for its ideal cultivation environment. As the eldest disciple of this peak, Rong Jue should have been living with his junior martial siblings on the essence-rich Qing Jian Peak. However, he was sent by his Shizun to the foot of the mountain, where there was little essence in the air, when he was a teenager.

Living in this small wooden hut, he had a harder time cultivating than any of his junior martial siblings due to this.

Qiao Lingyu couldn’t understand why Shizun was always so harsh to Da-shixiong. He had already brought much honour to Qing Jian Peak, even as a child. It was also Da-shixiong who took time out to teach the rest of them patiently while Shizun went into closed-door cultivation, as he often did.

But respecting one’s teachers was an integral part of the cultivation world. No matter how many doubts were in Qiao Lingyu’s heart, she would not dare to question her Shizun. She could only sob quietly on the way to Rong Jue’s residence.

It was hard to believe that a disciple on the cusp of reaching the Void Refining stage was staying in such a humble wooden hut. Inside, a handsome but pale man was lying on the bed with a bloodied abdomen. At his bedside was a youth of about 17 to 18 years old, who was carefully preventing his cultivation from dissipating.

Qiao Lingyu’s gaze fell on the weakened Rong Jue whose eyes were closed.

With his sword eyebrows and well-defined features, Rong Jue could be considered a rare beauty, even in the cultivation world where there was no lack of beautiful people. This, along with the faint smile that seemed to always be present on his face and his impressive cultivation for his age made Rong Jue the center of attention wherever he went.

But now, such an exceptional Da-shixiong could only lie here and wait for death.

Qiao Lingyu could no longer hold back her sorrow as she thought of this. She lowered her head and continued to sob, as if she had done something wrong.

Her second Shixiong, who was doing his best to protect Rong Jue, saw her in this state. He grit his teeth, “Is Shizun still unwilling to heal Da-shixiong?”

Qiao Lingyu shook her head and choked out, “Shizun said that Da-shixiong’s loss disgraced Qing Jian Peak. He won’t heal him or allow us to help him either. If we do, Shizun said that we would be expelled from the sect.”

Her second Shixiong’s face also paled.

Normally in the cultivation world, disciples would only be expelled from their sects if they committed a grievous error. It would become a stain on their reputation, preventing any other immortal sect from accepting them for the rest of their life.

But Da-shixiong would die if he wasn’t treated soon!

He muttered, “Is Shizun…really this cruel?”

He was related to Shi Qing through his mother’s family, and he had been sent to study at Qing Jian Peak as a child. He could very clearly sense that Shizun favoured him the most among his students, which he thought was because they were related.

He had always admired his Shizun. Even though he knew that his Shizun was harsh to his Shixiong, he thought it was because Shizun was a strict teacher. But this time Shizun was obviously after Shixiong’s life!

The youth once again grit his teeth and got up fiercely, “I’ll go and ask Shizun for an explanation!”

Rong Jue, who seemed to be asleep because his eyes were closed, slowly opened them. His tone was indifferent. “Don’t go.”

Qiao Lingyu cried out and ran to his bedside, feeling joy and worry in equal measure. “Da-shixiong, you’re awake!”

With difficulty, Rong Jue moved his fingers and said to his equally hopeful Shidi, “Don’t waste your efforts. Shizun isn’t going to change his mind.”

“That can’t be. Da-shixiong shouldn’t be so pessimistic. Shizun is just frustrated that he lost face. You’re Shizun’s best disciple, so he’ll definitely come help you once he’s cooled off.” Qiao Lingyu tried to comfort Rong Jue, “You’re almost at the Void Refining stage now, there’s no way Shizun will give up on you.”

A Void Refining stage disciple was definitely rare, even in Chi Yun Sect, the number one immortal sect in the world.

Rong Jue’s pale face, however, showed a touch of mockery.

Of course Shizun could give up on him.

Who else would the concealed spiritual energy in Rong Jue’s body preventing him from healing have come from?

That distant immortal with a faint smile was nothing more than a hypocrite.

But why would he do such a thing?

Has Rong Jue not been obedient and respectful enough for all these years?

Rong Jue’s originally staunchly righteous beliefs began to crumble, as a ma.s.s of dark energy surrounded his heart.

The other two didn’t notice, but the eyes of the man who was once favoured by heaven gradually turned pitch black.

The other bloodline hidden in Rong Jue’s body took the opportunity to invade his very foundation.

It greedily consumed everything.

Righteous, kindness, compa.s.sion, warmth—

Rong Jue’s other hand that was hidden under the blanket clenched into a fist as he slowly closed his eyes.

“You two should head back. Since Shizun has made his stance clear, you shouldn’t invoke his wrath.”

His Shidi was still reluctant. “But if we don’t do something soon, Shixiong’s cultivation will…”

“My cultivation is almost gone as it is. There’s no point in delaying the inevitable. I am no better than a mortal now, so you shouldn’t go against Shizun for my sake. Go back, I know what I’m doing.”

Rong Jue’ words made his Shimei tear up even more.

His Shidi still wanted to say more, but the man on the bed sternly rebuked them. “What, my younger martial siblings will no longer listen to me now that I’m crippled?”

Rong Jue has always been kind and gentle. He’s never used this kind of cold and mocking tone with them. The two were a little scared to be honest, but they didn’t take offense. They thought Da-shixiong was acting this way to avoid implicating them.

Not knowing what to do, the two could only leave the place with lowered heads in the end.

It was only after they left that Rong Jue slowly opened his eyes.

His eyes were a light brown colour that shone with sincerity. He treated everyone courteously regardless of status.

Due to his gentlemanly demeanour, many of his Shijie and Shimei wanted to become his cultivation partner. However, Rong Jue had always devoted himself towards the Dao, he tactfully and gently rejected them all.

But now, the pair of eyes that had always contained warmth and kindness were dark and sunken, as if they had fallen into an abyss.

Rong Jue struggled to sit up, using his right index finger to make a hand sign before touching his abdominal injury. Expressionlessly, he plunged deep into the wound.

How could it not hurt to reopen the injury? However, Rong Jue remained impa.s.sive. Only his paling and sweating face betrayed how much pain he was in.

Slender fingertips trailed along the blood to his abdomen as he used all the spiritual energy he had left to probe around his body. Finally, he traced the source destroying his cultivation to his dantian. He tried to approach it.

As soon as that pale white spiritual energy came into contact with his, it brutally destroyed it.

“Ahhh-”

Even Rong Jue couldn’t help but make a sound as his last portion of spiritual energy was destroyed. With a bloodless face, he slowly removed his hand from the wound.

Shizun…

It seemed like he was determined to cripple Rong Jue this time as well.

Ever since his cultivation was destroyed, there wasn’t a moment when Rong Jue wasn’t in pain.

It felt like someone was using a knife to sc.r.a.pe off pieces of flesh from his body while he was alive, even going as far as to chip into his bones.

From the time he was. .h.i.t with that hidden move until now, Rong Jue’s eyes may have been closed, but he was always awake.

Awake and suffering in agony.

Awake and reliving the first half of his life.

His admiration towards Shizun was worn away by endless, cold dismissal.

His excitement after managing to break through to a new stage was also met with merciless rejection.

It seemed like Shizun despised him more the harder he worked.

Everyone knew that Immortal Shi Qing of Qing Jian Peak had three disciples, with the eldest one being the most outstanding.

However, his younger martial siblings on Qing Jian Peak all received gentle smiles from Shizun, and even occasional guidance when he was in a good mood.

There was none of that for Rong Jue.

Instead, there was admonishment, disgust and all kinds of attempts to trample him into the dirt.

The Rong Jue from before would have thought:

Why is Shizun doing this to me?

Am I just unable to understand his well-intentioned actions?

Is Shizun just more strict with me because I’m the most talented?

But when he was struck by that hidden move while going all out against his opponent, when all of his cultivation crumbled…

The words he had once used to comfort himself became a joke.

What a devious tactic.

Rong Jue lowered his eyes, the self-ridicule on his face growing more and more p.r.o.nounced.

He exhausted every method, but he was still unable to extract this spiritual energy. It seemed like this trace of Shi Qing would follow him to his grave.

Naturally, that high and lofty Immortal could take his life with a mere thought.

Even if Rong Jue knew who harmed him, what could he do?

Who would people believe—a cripple or a cultivator at the Amalgamation stage?

All of the Chi Yun Sect elders, including the Sect Master, had watched Shi Qing grow up and owed favours to that now ascended cultivator. How could they not know how Shi Qing had treated Rong Jue over the years?

It was just that Rong Jue wasn’t as important as Shi Qing to them, so they turned a blind eye.

This so-called immortal sect was no better than the demonic cultivators they despised so much.

No, it was even more despicable.

At least the Demon World would never hide their evil deeds. The immortal sect wore a mask of benevolence, but it allowed Shi Qing to ruin his own disciple’s cultivation.

Rong Jue could clearly sense a hidden malice within him, guiding his thoughts towards the demonic cultivation he had once despised with all his being.

But he didn’t mind.

Why would he?

On the bed, the handsome yet pale man with dark eyes slowly lifted his blood-soaked hand and quietly stared at the vivid crimson colour.

The righteous faction couldn’t tolerate him.

So what was stopping him from turning to the other side?

Now that his cultivation was destroyed, he could no longer practice immortal cultivation.

However, demonic cultivation was another story.