Chapter 460: Regret Upon Separation and the Nine-leaf Lotus
Yun Wuji’s loss of his rational mind was merely his final struggle after he decided to die. In truth, since the day it was reported that the combined efforts of the seven great sects and the ten elders have failed, he knew his fate was sealed.
The several thousand disciples from the ten holy lands and the core elites surrounded the Yun Sect. The people of the Tian and Luo Sects were not fools. Having offended a Nine-leaf cultivator, they would never let the main culprit off lightly.
Nan Gongwei and Feng Yizhi had given the Yun Sect many troubles. The conflict between the Three Sects had reached its breaking point.
Yun Wuji was now a sinner of the Three Sects. Not only would he suffer a gruesome end, but he would also be cursed at for the next 1,000 years. How could he be willing to accept this? He hesitated as he looked at Mings.h.i.+ Yin who was clearly provoking him. His 90-feet avatar wavered slightly. It was incredibly taxing to maintain the Hundred Tribulations Insight avatar for a long time. He knew he had no choice. Otherwise, the Yun Sect would have to pay for it. In the end, he looked at Mings.h.i.+ Yin and said, “Very well.”
“Die over there…” Mings.h.i.+ Yin said irritably.
“…”
None of the disciples of the Three Sects dared to interrupt. n.o.body spoke on Yun Wuji’s behalf.
An aggrieved expression appeared on Yun Wuji’s face as though he had been wronged. When saw the apathetic expressions on everyone’s faces, he suddenly felt that, perhaps, he had made a huge mistake. The more he thought about it, the more aggravated he became. ‘Why? Why must I share the benefits with everyone if I succeed? But now that I failed, I have to shoulder the blame on my own?’
The thoughts of men were often as fickle, it could change at a moment’s notice.
Yun Wuji suddenly retreated further and further away. ‘Kill myself for these people? No, no, it’s not worth it!’
The disciples on Heaven’s Virtue stared at Yun Wuji while the Yun Sect disciples paid extra attention to him.
Yun Wuji continued to retreat until he was between several barriers.
Whizz!
Yun Wuji’s avatar shrunk.
The barriers resonated loudly, creating ripples on the surfaces.
In just a blink of an eye, Yun Wuji shot out of the barriers.
“Hm?” Mings.h.i.+ Yin widened his eyes. “Hey, hey, hey… he ran away?”
The disciples of the Three Sects were dumbstruck. They looked at the fleeing Yun Wuji, completely frozen like a wooden chicken. They had difficulty believing what they were seeing. Just a moment ago, Yun Wuji was still questioning them in a forceful and righteous manner, but now, he was running away?
“Uh…”
The barriers buzzed.
Yun Wuji flew further and further away. He had been maintaining his avatar for a long time. With his grand technique, he pa.s.sed through three barriers in just a blink of an eye.
“Master, I’ll chase after him… and…” Mings.h.i.+ Yin said before he stopped abruptly. He saw Lu Zhou was already nocking an energy arrow.
Bam!
The arrow was fired.
n.o.body noticed this since their attention was on Yun Wuji. For a brief moment, they had completely forgotten about the greatest elite in the world.
Zuo Yushu’s attention was caught by the sound of the arrow being fired. When she turned around, she saw the arrow sailing through the air.
The shot was neat and simple.
Everyone widened their eyes when they finally saw the energy arrow pa.s.sing through the barriers. Its speed exceeded their expectations. When Yun Wuji was the size of a fist in their eyes, the energy arrow landed true! No sound could be heard. After a slight delay, they heard the loud bang.
The sound wave spread out in the horizons.
All they saw was Yun Wuji suddenly coming to a halt in midair. The energy arrow had pierced his back.
Yun Wuji widened his eyes as he lowered his head to look at the energy arrow that pierced through his back to his chest. “How? Impossible! A Nine-leaf… G-G.o.dly… Archer?”
Yun Wuji was a Seven-leaf elite, after all. When he was fatally hit, he managed to maintain his alt.i.tude. However, this merely lasted for a short while. Shortly after, his Primal Qi leaked into the surroundings from his dantian’s sea of Qi. Yet, the energy arrow did not fade away, stubbornly lodged in his body. Eventually, he could no longer maintain his alt.i.tude and plunged to the ground into the forest below, vanis.h.i.+ng from everyone’s sight.
“Ding! Killed a target. Reward: 1,500 merit points.”
Silence descended on Heaven’s Virtue.
When Yun Wuji fell, the others were still in a daze. Their eyes were br.i.m.m.i.n.g with awe. This included Zuo Yushu. The Ji Tiandao she knew did not have such great mastery of the bow. How did he easily shoot a Seven-leaf elite from this distance? Who else could have achieved this, if not a Nine-leaf cultivator?
The people of the Evil Sky Pavilion felt relieved. This was not their first time witnessing Lu Zhou taking out a Seven-leaf cultivator in a flash. At first, they were awed by his might. In hindsight, they felt there was nothing to be surprised about. After all, what was so surprising about a Nine-leaf cultivator easily killing a Seven-leaf cultivator?
Lu Zhou did not think much about this. When he recalled Unnamed, he gauged the Heavenly Writing’s extraordinary power. He was left with half of the power. He had used much more power than necessary just to be safe. If it had been a shorter distance, with Unnamed, he would only need to use one-third of his extraordinary power to kill Yun Wuji. He would never allow Yun Wuji to escape from under his nose.
Mings.h.i.+ Yin made a spitting noise and broke the silence first. “It would’ve been better if he had just killed himself. At least, he would be able to retain what little is left of his dignity.”
Little Yuan’er chimed in, “That’s right Running away like that. He’s more shameless than Fourth Senior Brother!”
“…”
Lu Zhou glanced at Mings.h.i.+ Yin. His expression remained unchanged as he said apathetically, “If he wishes to die, I’ll fulfill his wish.”
The holy land was quiet once again.
Lu Zhou looked at everyone and asked in a calm tone and a moderate volume, “Who else has anything to say?” However, his words were very domineering.
After a moment’s silence, Nan Gongwei, the Sect Master of the Tian Sect Master, bowed and said, “We have nothing to say about this. He deserves to die.”
“Yes, he deserves to die!” Feng Yizhi chimed in.
When the two of them bowed, they gulped and wiped the cold sweat off their faces.
As the saying went, ‘Boil the hound once it caught the rabbit, hide the bow once the fowls were killed’.
n.o.body sympathized with Yun Wuji, he did not deserve any sympathy, after all.
At this moment, the stone door at the secluded cultivation spot in Heaven’s Virtue slowly opened.
Yun Tianluo was brought out in a wheelchair. He seemed dispirited. His gaze was lifeless, and his aura was weak.
“Patriarch!”
“Greetings, Patriarch!”
The disciples of the Three Sects bowed.
Nan Gongwei and Feng Yizhi looked over as well.
The crowd parted.
Yun Tianluo seemed as though he was going to breathe his last breath at any given moment as he sat on the wooden chair. He struggled to look up. His gaze was despondent as he looked at Lu Zhou. He managed a faint smile as he said, “I knew… t-that you’d come.”
Lu Zhou stepped forward with his hands on his back.
The others backed away from the center of the holy land.
Lu Zhou stood before Yun Tianluo. With a casual glance, he understood the situation immediately. He asked, “Your great limit is already here, and yet, you’re still holding on?” He could sense that Yun Tianluo was only left with his final breath.
When he said this, Nan Gongwei, Feng Yizhi, and the disciples of the Three Sects were in turmoil.
Yun Tianluo, however, did not seem to mind as he said, “You can tell, Brother Ji?” After a violent coughing fit, he continued to say, “I have some regrets. That’s why… I don’t want to leave yet.”
Lu Zhou shook his head and said, “Stubborn.”
“Yes, I am…” Yun Tianluo nodded.
“You could’ve lived for a decade more… Who hurt you?” Lu Zhou asked.
As the saying went, ‘A single pebble gave rise to a thousand waves’. This was the effect of Lu Zhou’s words.
Nan Gongwei and Feng Yizhi looked shocked. They fell to their knees and kowtowed in unison.
“Patriarch, which b.a.s.t.a.r.d is so bold as to attack you? Why didn’t you tell us?”
“How dare he harm our patriarch! I vow to tear him to shreds!”
Yun Tianluo waved his hand and said, “There’s no need.”
The two of them were puzzled.
Yun Tianluo said, “Didn’t Yun Wuji get what he deserved?”
“It was Yun Wuji?”
“That scoundrel deceived his master and denounced his predecessors! That’s how low he had stooped. Men!”
Several elders nearby stepped forward.
“Your orders?”
“Find Yun Wuji’s corpse. Let it lie under the hot sun for three days before tearing it to pieces,” Nan Gongwei said.
“Understood!” The elders rose into the air and flew toward the forests.
The disciples who heard this shuddered. The Tian Sect’s Master was rather vicious once he steeled his heart.
The Yun Sect disciples pulled long faces. They were still feeling uneasy. With the death of their sect master, the conflicts between the Three Sects had completely escalated. What followed would certainly be vicious cycles of vengeance.
At this moment, Yun Tianluo said tonelessly, “Those who have no business here should leave.”
“Get lost!” Nan Gongwei said at once.
The disciples of the Three Sects instantly scattered.
Only the core members of the Three Sects were left. Several hundred cultivators, who were mostly elders or greater, remained on the holy land.
Lu Zhou stroked his beard and said, “Do you know why I’m here?”
Yun Tianluo said, “Oh? Perhaps, my sentiments are reciprocated… I thought you’re suddenly inspired by kindness, Brother Ji, and came to help me resolve my regret.”
“That’s not completely untrue. What are your regrets?” Lu Zhou asked. Although his attainment of the Nine-leaf stage had practically nothing to do with Yun Tianluo, he could not think of an excuse. Moreover, he did not wish to explain himself.
Yun Tianluo sighed deeply and said, “I’ve studied the Nine-leaf stage for many years and longed to pa.s.s through those doors. Alas… I’ve known nothing but failure and am now in this state. I’ve brought this upon myself, I’m sure of that. Over the past century, there’s only one thing that I’ve done right…” With a deeper tone, he said, “And that’s entrusting the thing inside the chessboard to you, Brother Ji.”
Lu Zhou’s expression remained unchanged, but inwardly, he complained, ‘That’s too much, you old thing. Do you truly think that my attainment of the Nine-leaf stage has anything to do with your stupid chessboard?’
“All my life, the only thing I wanted is to have a peek into the Nine-leaf stage… That’s my greatest regret. Brother Ji, if you can help me resolve this regret… even in death, I’ll remember your kindness. Otherwise… I won’t be able to rest in peace.”
“…”
The words were truly burdensome.
At this moment, Zuo Yushu spoke up. “Yun Tianluo, you’ve grown sentimental since our last meeting years ago.”
Yun Tianluo was stunned. He turned to look at Zuo Yushu. “Who are you?”
“I’m Zuo Yushu.”
Upon hearing this, Yun Tianluo widened his eyes. An image of a peerless beauty with fair skin, charming curves, and a moving smile from 500 years ago surfaced in his mind. For a time, he had difficulties reconciling the image in his mind to the old woman in front of him. “Miss Zuo?! It’s you?!”
Ughhh!
Mings.h.i.+ Yin who was standing at the side made a vomiting gesture. However, n.o.body paid any attention to him
Zuo Yushu frowned slightly. “You’d better change that form of address. I’m worried that I won’t be able to sleep soundly at night.”
“…” Yun Tianluo looked awkward.
Zuo Yushu was once a popular candidate for marriage proposals. However, the Zuo Yushu back then had an unyielding temperament like a man. She pursued the Confucian path wholeheartedly and had no interests in romantic affairs at all.
500 years have pa.s.sed. Blue seas had turned into mulberry fields. Her appearance aged. Time changed but not the memories of the past.
“How do you want me to resolve your regret?” Lu Zhou asked.
“I’m not asking for much… All I want is to see what the Nine-leaf stage is like,” Yun Tianluo said.
Upon hearing this, many of the people present had an eager and expectant expression on their faces.
Zuo Yushu was the same. More than anyone else, she wanted to see a Nine-leaf avatar.
Mings.h.i.+ Yin, Leng Luo, Hua Wudao, and Little Yuan’er wanted to see the Nine-leaf avatar again as well. Seeing it once was not enough for them.
Lu Zhou cursed inwardly, ‘You’re lucky I have the Disguise Cards right now. Otherwise, you won’t be able to die in peace, you old thing.’ Outwardly, he said, “Very well.”
Lu Zhou raised a hand and activated his dantian’s sea of Qi. A Disguise Card appeared in his palm, then, he shattered it. A surge of unique power gathered inside his dantian’s sea of Qi, and his avatar appeared…
Whizz!
There was a strong resonance of power that resounded across Heaven’s Virtue.
The core disciples of the Three Sects widened their eyes. They looked at the 150-foot avatar. Because they were too close, they had to crane their necks to have a look. Even then, they could not see the top of the avatar. Soon after, they lowered their gazes to the huge Golden Lotus that was s.h.i.+ning brilliantly. Nine lush leaves were slowly spinning around the Golden Lotus.
Everyone felt their breaths caught in their throats.
This… was a Nine-leaf Golden Lotus avatar! An actual Nine-leaf Golden Lotus avatar?!
Their bodies trembled in excitement, and they were overwhelmed by emotions. This was the goal that many dreamt about. This was an avatar that many wanted to possess!
Its radiance and every blade of leaf were ostentatious and dazzling! Also, how could it be so huge?
Zuo Yushu staggered backward, completely in awe of the Nine-leaf avatar.