｜｜Next →
Warning: This chapter has a small b.l.o.o.d.y scene around the middle, please proceed with caution if you"re easily disturbed.
Unfortunately, while Sect Leader Yan was extremely conflicted regarding his feelings, Cheng Qian knew nothing of it.
At the moment, he had only put up an act of being unaffected by the surroundings. In their group, they had three out of four from the saying ‘old, young, sick, and crippled". Cheng Qian wasn"t a person with a peaceful heart, how could he fully meditate under these circ.u.mstances?
He"d only had a few chances to meet the Island Lord, and he was naturally the type to be suspicious of everyone, so he couldn"t trust that easily. At the moment, while making use of the time to regulate his breathing, he made some s.p.a.ce in his mind to listen to the surroundings and thought, Seeing this bewildering situation, they might break into a fight again. We"d better mingle in with the rogue cultivators — the rogue cultivators on Azure Dragon Island were all over the place, so these formidable masters might not pay much attention. We might be able to make use of the chaos to escape.
And then he thought, If that can"t be done… Then we"ll have to fight. At worst, I"ll die here. If I could hold these people off for the others, even just a little, I"d be able to rest in peace.
After coming to this conclusion, he somehow stopped worrying about everything. His core, which had been stagnating inside him, also eased out of its state.
Amid the crowd"s anxiety, the Island Lord finally spoke up, explaining, “Tens of years ago, I"d fought a great foe with some fellow cultivators. My soul had been damaged, so I"ve been cultivating in seclusion to recover. What exactly does everyone want to see?”
Bai Ji pressed on persistently, “So Island Lord Gu does not plan to show your reflection on this mirror now?”
The Island Lord looked at him coolly. An exhausted look crossed his face for a moment as he sighed, “If you truly want to frame me, you will find an excuse no matter what, even if it was such a preposterous crime — Palace Master Bai, you can choose whether or not you trust me. This humble person has never seen your grandson, and I most definitely have never had a Soul-Consuming Lamp. As for demonic cultivation…”
He laughed coldly in a low voice, the sound carrying a hint of mockery, as if he no longer wanted to go along with this farce.
Zhou Hanzheng raised his brows slightly, clapping his fan against his palm, “Let me say something for the sake of justice. Saying that someone like the Island Lord is a pract.i.tioner of Ghostism is frankly laughable — in the great battle tens of years ago, one of the Four Saints had died while the remaining three were injured. It truly was a vicious fight. Since the Island Lord had explained about his damaged soul and the reason he"d been cultivating in seclusion, I think we don"t need to use this Soul Mirror anymore. I believe his words, in any case.”
As Zhou Hanzheng spoke, he made a pinching gesture with his fingers to return the Soul Mirror. Bai Ji, who had been pushing the Island Lord earlier, was instantly left standing alone. It was as if Zhou Hanzheng was truly a fair man of justice!
Bai Ji felt so awkward that his face instantly turned red. From behind, he could hear someone laughing coldly, “Could it be, Old Man Bai"s life force has almost been exhausted. Looking for your grandson is a lie, you"re actually trying to ascend through any possible means, aren"t you?”
Bai Ji exploded in fury, “Who is it? Get out here!”
A group of people stepped forward in response, a middle-aged man standing at the forefront. His demeanor was cool, his bearing giving off the impression that he wasn"t someone to be messed with. He looked scornfully at the surroundings, as if he was looking at various states of dog manure, and finally turned to the Lord of Azure Dragon Island. “I am Tang Yao from Mulan Mountain. The head disciple of my sect, Tang Zhen, has been missing for a century. Recently, I heard that there was news of him in this place, so I"ve come to drop by. I wasn"t able to greet the Island Lord before this, please pardon my slight.”
Tang Wanqiu was stunned the moment she saw the newcomer. After a long while, she finally spoke slowly, “… Sect Leader?”
On behalf of their being from the same sect, Tang Yao looked at her condescendingly. He wasn"t particularly friendly either, only nodding at her lightly.
Tang Yao and Bai Ji seemed like they had arranged beforehand to look for their people on Azure Dragon Island. One of the parties involved was her own sect, so even if Tang Wanqiu had left the sect for so many years, she couldn"t help feeling stuck in the middle.
Zhou Hanzheng said derisively, “How fascinating. Has the Azure Dragon Island become a place to find missing people?”
The people of Mulan Mountain might have been naturally straightforward and to the point. Hearing those words, Tang Yao said expressionlessly, “I"m not here to find him. It"s just that recently, someone had sent a letter to Mulan Mountain, saying that they had sighted Tang Zhen"s primordial spirit around the East Sea. I don"t know who would have such a n.o.ble heart, that they would be so concerned with another sect"s member after more than a hundred years. Does Master Zhou have any thoughts on this?”
Zhou Hanzheng said mildly, “Of course, there are always righteous people.”
“Righteous? I"ve only ever heard of the saying ‘The fall of the Great Dao causes the necessity of righteousness, the rise of intelligence causes the existence of deception".” Tang Yao, whose stance in the conflict was a mystery, did not give Zhou Hanzheng any face as he spoke. He turned to the Island Lord and said, “Gu Daoyou, I have never interacted with you, but this unworthy disciple of mine has become your ally and received your care for so many years. I"ve come this time to inform you of one thing — we had originally come to the East Sea to look for information, but happened to hear a rumor. It is said that the demonic cultivator the Four Saints had fought back then was a Lord Beiming, and the demon lord had a mystical stone in his possession that ended up on Azure Dragon Island afterward.”
Tang Yao didn"t consider the Island Lord"s face as he continued, “They said that you had been injured by the demon lord and should have long since died, that you had only been surviving because of that mystical stone and become an arrow at the end of its flight for so many years. Palace Master Bai must have heard of this too, and has come today for that stone?”
Bai Ji didn"t expect to be seen through so completely, so he became enraged due to his shame, “Absolute nonsense!”
Tang Yao, “Palace Master Bai naturally knows whether it is truly just nonsense. I heard that the mystical stone had otherworldly abilities and was called the ‘Wish-Granting Stone". It could produce miraculous effects, so improving one"s cultivation was most definitely within its capability. What is it, Palace Master Bai has been living for so long, are you worried about your life force now? Why don"t you consider what kind of item it must be, to be under the possession of the great demon of Beiming!”
Zhou Hanzheng said meaningfully, “Sect Leader Tang, are you trying to say that the Island Lord"s survival is reliant on a demonic stone? This… this isn"t a very good thing to say.”
Yan Zhengming felt extremely anxious listening to Tang Yao and Zhou Hanzheng"s words. The others might not know the whole story, but he knew of Lord Beiming"s origins. That said, he only knew that in the Fuyao Sect, there was a senior who had fallen into devious paths — when was there ever a demonic artifact?
When he thought deeper about this, Yan Zhengming felt cold sweat drenching his back. It felt as if they had been exploited and added to the list of casualties.
But the Island Lord didn"t reply, saying instead, “Master Zhou, you have concealed your ident.i.ty on my Azure Dragon Island for decades, you must have quite a great scheme in your plans.”
He completely avoided answering all of Zhou Hanzheng and Tang Yao"s prodding and questioning, but for everyone else, he had practically admitted to it.
Seeing the change in direction, Bai Ji immediately said, “Gu Yanxue, you"ve been relying on a demonic artifact to survive, is your t.i.tle as one of the Four Saints also gained by deceiving the people?”
The rogue cultivator"s voice was even louder, “The cultivation method of a sect has always been a secret kept away from outsiders. Island Lord Gu is the only person who would accept rogue cultivators every ten years, do you think he was really such a generous person, do you think he was really just showing kindness out of true benevolence? Stop dreaming, who in the world would have that much kindness to give!”
When he reached the end of his words, the rogue cultivator"s voice broke into a sob. Amid the sound of the waves behind them, his hoa.r.s.e voice made the bystanders feel a strange sympathy usually shared with a like-minded person in distress. The flood dragon, which had originally been subdued, was agitated once again and seemed about to break through the water. The disciples of Azure Dragon Island and Xixing Palace raised their weapons again, but this time, the rogue cultivators on Azure Dragon Island simultaneously backed off, fully alert.
It was unknown who had struck first, and it was unclear just how many different parties there were on the island. Everything fell into chaos instantly.
At that moment, a strange low buzz was heard from an unknown place. Among the rogue cultivators who had originally retreated, tens of them suddenly burst out of the crowd. These people were extremely strange, all of them unfearing of death as they went straight for the people of Xixing Palace.
The rogue cultivators" cultivation weren"t very high. The one at the forefront was instantly struck by Bai Ji"s personal attendant and reduced to smithereens.
But right then, a frightening thing occurred.
The rogue cultivator"s innards became a b.l.o.o.d.y mist, splattering everywhere, but the dismembered body parts continued moving forward, like a possessed marionette.
Though the sword cultivator from Xixing Palace was quite powerful, he had never seen this kind of spectacle, so he immediately took three steps back in shock.
Looking closer, these rogue cultivators" eyes were bright red. There were visible clouds of dark energy behind them, fangs bared and claws brandished.
Bai Ji exclaimed in shock and anger, “Gu Yanxue, what kind of excuses can you give!”
Before he could finish his words, the rogue cultivator who had been speaking vehemently earlier suddenly let out an inhuman howl. His entire person had burst open from the chest, his skin split open inch by inch, exposing the blood vessels and veins underneath. The b.l.o.o.d.y man struck at Bai Ji from behind with his bare hands.
Bai Ji had been cultivating for almost a thousand years, of course he wouldn"t be struck so easily. He turned his hand and produced a palm-sized demon-vanquishing club from his sleeve. He swung the club twice, lengthening it to about the height of a man, and mercilessly stabbed it through the top of the b.l.o.o.d.y man"s head, nailing him in place.
But the b.l.o.o.d.y man was not killed. Even after being skewered, he still struggled ceaselessly. After a moment, he suddenly blew himself up, turning himself into countless pieces of bloodied flesh covered in dark aura.
Screams immediately sounded from everywhere in the crowd. Those pieces of bloodied flesh were lethally poisoned and mustn"t be touched.
Zhou Hanzheng"s expression changed, “This is the Soul-Painting Art of demonic cultivation. It places an invisible charm onto other people"s souls without their notice, and makes them obey anything the Soul-Painter orders.”
The moment these words were spoken, a large s.p.a.ce was immediately cleared out around the Island Lord. Even the disciples of Azure Dragon Island were looking at him uncertainly — among the current formidable masters, other than the Four Saints, who could have had the ability to draw invisible charms?
Tang Yao seemed to have been waiting for these words. He turned to the Island Lord, brandishing his long sword. Fine sparks had formed on the blade, the result of his core"s concretion.
Tang Yao said, “Island Lord Gu, how would you explain this?”
The Island Lord laughed bitterly, “This is beyond justification.”
Tang Yao asked, “So the mystical stone really is in your possession?”
He finally showed his true intentions. Even though he"d concealed his thoughts carefully, he was still aiming for the stone after all.
But someone refused to understand the situation. Tang Wanqiu immediately came forward to stand next to the Island Lord and said stubbornly, “Sect Leader, I guarantee with my life, the Island Lord can"t be a demonic cultivator, and most definitely can"t be coveting a demonic artifact!”
“Shut your mouth,” Tang Yao roared in a low voice, “Tang Wanqiu, you"ve become more and more impudent. Even if you"ve completed your apprenticeship, you"re still a part of Mulan Mountain, do you intend to turn on your own seniors?”
Tang Wanqiu"s eyes widened hearing the shameless ill will. At this moment, no matter how she tried to deceive herself, she still understood: Even though the Sect Leader of Mulan Mountain spoke more dignified words than Zhou Hanzheng, his true intentions were even more malicious.
Tang Wanqiu turned pale. After a long moment of silence, she spoke haltingly, “Then… Then I ask of the Sect Leader to expel me from the sect.”
The Island Lord sighed, “To be famous in this world is to fool everyone under the heavens. It"s alright, Wanqiu, you don"t need to do this.”
Tang Wanqiu clenched her teeth and remained unmoved.
The Island Lord was about to speak again, but he heard Zhou Hanzheng speaking slowly amid the sea of carnage, “I still don"t believe it, could the Island Lord be the type to keep things unlawfully? Sect Leader Tang, how did you learn that the mystical stone was on Azure Dragon Island? Couldn"t it have been destroyed with the great demon lord? Have you figured out the true origins of that Lord Beiming?”
The moment these words were spoken, the Island Lord"s demeanor finally changed. His figure seemed to have grown, his hand striking toward Zhou Hanzheng. The temperate man who had always seemed tired was finally angered, “Who are you working for?”
Zhou Hanzheng miserably dodged the attack, speaking with half-genuine alarm, “I"m clearly trying to defend the Island Lord, what is the meaning of this?”
Tang Yao b.u.t.ted in and placed himself in between Zhou Hanzheng and the Island Lord, “What, are you about to kill the witness to prevent your secrets being exposed?”
While these formidable masters began to exchange blows, the utterly confused Yan Zhengming could hear the Island Lord"s voice speaking in his ear, urging him, “Take your Shidi and mingle in with the rogue cultivators. Hurry and leave in the confusion. From now on, don"t ever mention Fuyao Mountain, much less your Shizu — you know nothing!”
Amid the bright flashes of lightning and fire, Yan Zhengming"s muddled brain finally figured out something — Zhou Hanzheng clearly knew of Fuyao Sect and Lord Beiming"s history, this was a threat.
If the Island Lord refused to admit that the stone was in his possession, Zhou Hanzheng was going to bring up the fact that Lord Beiming was originally from the Fuyao Sect. If the stone wasn"t in the Four Saint"s possession, of course it was in Fuyao!
With this kind of wish-granting artifact, just the slightest bit of suspicion could get you in great trouble, would anyone care whether you were innocent or guilty?
Witnessing the carnage in front of him, Yan Zhengming felt like he had become a prey among predators, danger lurking and waiting to pounce no matter where he turned.
Despite his fear, he knew that at this moment, he should pick Xiao-Qian up and take everyone in his sect out of here. But how could he leave the Island Lord here without being weighed down by his own conscience?
For a moment, Yan Zhengming remained frozen in place, unable to decide.
The Island Lord suddenly exclaimed, “Tang Wanqiu!”
Hearing this, Tang Wanqiu looked like she had been struck by lightning. Her complexion shifted a few times, and at last, she clenched her teeth and turned to Yan Zhengming, “I"ll escort you all, go.”
Yan Zhengming, “But…”
Tang Wanqiu"s eyes sharpened, “Why are you stalling? The affairs of the previous generation had nothing to do with you, don"t be a hindrance here!”
Li Yun was quicker to think, so the things that would occur to Yan Zhengming, he would most definitely consider. At this moment, his only fear was their Sect Leader tactlessly trying to act the hero, so he hurried to exclaim, “Eldest Shixiong, Xiao-Qian is injured, Shimei is still very young… Listen to the senior!”
Yan Zhengming turned to him in a daze. Right then, he heard the Island Lord"s voice in his ear again, speaking without any room for argument, “I"ll send you off.”
The Island Lord, who was fighting viciously with Tang Yao in the air, abruptly spat out a small colorful pot. Tang Yao was surprised. He saw that things didn"t look right and immediately tried to back off, but it was too late. A typhoon was kicked up around the pot, indiscriminately sweeping over everyone on the ground, as if a wind dragon had risen.
There was a buzzing sound in Yan Zhengming"s ear. Before he could react, he had been dragged into the whirlwind. Countless shouts were mixed in with the sounds of the wind as he was carried off into the distance. He didn"t know how far he had gone, nausea coming over him and causing his head to throb.
The next moment, Yan Zhengming felt pressure around his waist. A long piece of cloth had come toward him, coiling around his middle. Yan Zhengming was dragged off by the mysterious force and fell onto the ground again. When he struggled to open his eyes, he saw that the other end of the cloth was held in Tang Wanqiu"s hand. Afterward, Tang Wanqiu tossed another person his way. Yan Zhengming reflexively caught that person and saw that it was Cheng Qian, whose complexion didn"t look very good.
“The Island Lord couldn"t trust anyone else and told me to send you off. Since he had entrusted this task to me, I must fulfill this responsibility,” Tang Wanqiu said, “Get up and go.”
Li Yun urged him in a soft voice, “Eldest Shixiong, let"s hurry.”
Yan Zhengming couldn"t help looking at Cheng Qian, who had gotten to his feet with the sword in his hand for support. Regulating his breathing must have returned some of his strength. He met Yan Zhengming"s gaze and didn"t speak much, only saying simply, “I"ll listen to you, you decide.”
Fierce winds and dark clouds rolled over the island. The Island Lord"s wind dragon had sent them out to a great distance. Looking from afar, the Island Lord"s form was hidden amid countless roars, so they couldn"t even see his figure anymore. Yan Zhengming"s heart ached so much that it felt as if there was a raging sea inside him.
At this moment, he finally realized that ‘return to Fuyao Mountain and cultivate away from the world" was only a dream, an unreachable idea that he"d had while he knew nothing of the outside world.
The tides of the world were constantly turning. Even someone like the Island Lord had to resign to going with the tide, how could they ever hope to compete?
Why must the path of cultivation be so difficult?
“Go,” Yan Zhengming said in a low voice, “Let"s go.”
But where should they go?
Their group carefully followed Tang Wanqiu and pa.s.sed through the hills and forests. The yells and sounds of violence slowly faded into the distance.
When they reached the sh.o.r.e, Tang Wanqiu tossed the tattered strip of cloth into the air. The cloth grew in size until it was several meters long and hovered in midair. She motioned for them to get on, saying, “Finding a boat is impossible, you can only leave this way. My cultivation isn"t that great, this strip of cloth can"t last for long, so it can"t directly send you across the sea. Find an uninhabited island nearby to rest for a while. Figure out a way after the danger has pa.s.sed.”
Yan Zhengming"s throat tightened, “Senior, what about you?”
“I have places I need to be,” Tang Wanqiu turned toward the center of Azure Dragon Island, “Sect Leader Yan, you don"t need to be troubled. The Island Lord isn"t doing it for you all. That Zhou person had infiltrated the Azure Dragon Island for so many years, and there were also those cultivators who had been caught with the Soul-Painting art… which means that someone had deliberately schemed against him, the Greatest Master Under the Heavens. He"d told me that no matter what, I must send you all out of this place safely. The Island Lord"s life force had almost been exhausted, so he wouldn"t have been able to live for much longer. But as long as he was alive, he would continue to fulfill his promise to his old friend and keep protecting you all.”
Tang Wanqiu rolled up her sleeves and brought Han Yuan, Zheshi, and Shuikeng onto the tattered cloth, “From now on, there is n.o.body to protect you. Look out for yourselves.”
Afterward, Tang Wanqiu jumped onto her worn out sword and paid them no further attention. She charged straight into the battle and disappeared completely.
Other female cultivators were usually referred to as ‘female celestials". Even if a female celestial were to become so downtrodden that she"d lost her flowing white silks, she must still have her red hair string. But Tang Wanqiu could only procure a tattered strip of cloth, which she might have used as a waistband usually.
Cultivators weren"t affected by the impurities of the world, their marrows and bones cleansed from any filth. Even if they weren"t so beautiful that they could cause the fall of a city, they were all quite pleasing to the eyes. But she was an outlier, with her messy brows and face of a debt collector.
She did not know her own limitations and often offended other people. Each time she spoke, she would definitely speak of the things that shouldn"t be spoken of…
Perhaps, other than being strong, Tang Zhenren really had no other saving grace.
｜｜Next →
If you liked this, please consider donating to keep this website going!