269Chapter 268 Accidental or Intentional Some Things Are Hard to Explain

Senior Brother Guo!?”

At that moment, Yu Xian suddenly exclaimed in surprise and rushed towards Guo Pin: “How could this be!?”

The numerous Foundation Establishment cultivators watching from all around were completely stunned!

Guo Pin… is injured!?

With such a large bloody hole torn open in his chest and abdomen, his entire dantian must have shattered!

If his dantian is shattered and his qi sea is destroyed, wouldn’t he be completely useless?!

You Xiaohua stared blankly at Yu Xian, a complex emotion welling up in her eyes…

The seven vines that briefly appeared made her even more certain of one thing.

He… is that damned guy who fought me in the alchemy battle back then!

Even though he had his face covered by a bamboo hat and his voice was hoarse at first, the sense of familiarity grew stronger over time, and she often felt that Yu Xian was someone she had met before.

At this moment, she could finally be certain…

But isn’t he Li Shuxian’s disciple?

How did he become a disciple of the White Cloud Sect?

How could my senior master have discovered it?

My senior uncle also hinted that… he seemed to have saved my senior uncle’s life?

No wonder this guy refused to learn alchemy from me… because his alchemy skills are actually better than mine…

Looking back now… this guy even pretended to be clueless about alchemy in front of me, using clumsy methods to cover it up, making me waste a lot of breath to teach him carefully… wasn’t he just messing with me? It’s infuriating!

One more thing…

Was Xiaocao’s alchemy furnace really something he bought from some market?

You Xiaohua fell into deep thought, her gaze becoming increasingly complex.

At this moment, Yu Xian was filled with shock and regret as she rushed towards Guo Pin, shouting, “Senior brother! Your magic power is insufficient, why did you insist on taking the blow? Why?! It hurts so much! I didn’t mean to!!”

“You…ah!”

Blood gushed from Guo Pin’s lower dantian, and his internal organs were clearly visible. Flowing spiritual energy emanated outwards, and his dantian was completely shattered!

His eyes widened, blood spurted from his mouth, and he lay in the distance watching Yu Xian rush towards him. Suddenly, he screamed in pain again before completely losing consciousness.

The destruction of the dantian and the annihilation of the qi sea are definitely one of the greatest pains a person can experience!

Many “geniuses” have to go through this process to unlock their cheat codes, then forge ahead unstoppably and become invincible…

Now, Yu Xian seems to have become a “major villain” who destroys people’s dantian and ruins their cultivation.

“Senior Brother Guo!”

Yu Xian exclaimed again, rushing to Guo Pin’s side, helping him up, and with a wave of his hand, taking out a fourth-grade pill, intending to put it into Guo Pin’s mouth.

But before he could make a move, a burst of energy arrived in an instant, landing directly in front of Guo Pin. With a flick of her delicate hand, a gleaming pill flew into Guo Pin’s mouth.

Hong Shao frowned, pressing her hand against Guo Pin’s abdominal wound to stop the bleeding and allow it to heal quickly.

She turned to look at Yu Xian.

Yu Xian quickly took two steps back, looking regretful, and said, “Sect Master, this disciple… this disciple really couldn’t stop! This disciple truly didn’t know that Senior Brother Guo had reached his limit! This disciple was wrong! I am willing to accept the Sect Master’s punishment!”

Hong Shao frowned at Yu Xian, and after a moment said slowly, “This matter cannot be blamed on you. Injuries are inevitable in battle. This was caused by my failure to pay full attention, and it is my fault.”

In fact, Hong Shao did not pay full attention to Guo Pin.

Her full attention was focused on Yu Xian!

Unexpectedly, Yu Xian’s sudden counterattack was so fierce. The seven vines merged into one, increasing their killing power sevenfold! This instantly pierced through Guo Pin’s protective magic shield and even destroyed his dantian!

Even Hongshao couldn’t stop it in time.

“This disciple attacked too heavily and failed to stop in time. It is this disciple’s fault! How can you blame the sect leader!?”

Yu Xian shook his head, looking at Guo Pin lying unconscious on the ground, and said with a face full of guilt, “If Senior Brother Guo is injured because of this and cannot recover, I will truly, truly be unable to atone for it even if I die a hundred times!”

The Foundation Establishment cultivators who were watching all around suddenly stood up and craned their necks to look at Guo Pin, their faces full of shock.

Things are moving too fast!

Just moments ago, the two were evenly matched in a battle of magic, so how did Guo Pin suddenly have his protective barrier breached by Yu Xian, leaving him severely injured and on the verge of death?

His dantian has lost its spiritual energy and his magical power is insufficient, so why should he stubbornly resist?

After all, as long as he admits defeat or voluntarily disperses his protective barrier, Yu Xian will stop. Even if Yu Xian can’t stop him, the sect leader will intervene.

Looking at Yu Xian’s face, filled with guilt and regret, it was clear that he was also deeply remorseful!

If Guo Pin resists, he has no choice but to attack head-on, otherwise who knows if he will be the one to lose?

In a battle of wits, if you suddenly find yourself unable to withstand the onslaught, how can your opponent possibly back down immediately?

Anyone in that situation would have struck Guo Pin! They might even have killed him on the spot!

Yu Xian’s ability to shift his attack from the heart to the abdomen demonstrates that he had already given up completely!

So logically speaking, he is not wrong.

Otherwise, if it were a sect competition, and anyone who injured anyone else would be considered guilty, then everyone would be forced to fight freely and instead just bow and play rock-paper-scissors with each other!

Hong Shao gave Yu Xian another deep look, but said nothing more, and instead focused all her efforts on treating Guo Pin.

However, Guo Pin’s abdominal injuries were too severe, and his dantian was almost completely shattered. Even if Hong Shao could save him, he would be a cripple with no cultivation left.

Unless Hong Shao has a seventh-grade superior healing pill that can rebuild his dantian!

But to give Guo Pin a seventh-grade superior precious pill? That’s utterly absurd.

That’s something even Nascent Soul experts would go crazy for; a Foundation Establishment ant could never obtain it without an extraordinary stroke of luck.

“Cough cough cough…”

A single fifth-grade pill was enough to save Guo Pin’s life. With the help of Hong Shao’s healing, Guo Pin slowly regained consciousness after coughing up blood.

“My…my cultivation level…”

Although Guo Pin still looked like a middle-aged man, his once black hair had already turned gray and lost its luster. It seemed that it would turn completely white within a month.

Without the support of his dantian and qi sea, he could not maintain his foundation-building cultivation. As his cultivation level declined, the end of his physical life naturally followed.

After all, he was already 103 years old, and Qi Condensation cultivators who take good care of themselves can live to be at most 120 years old.

“Your spiritual energy is clearly insufficient, yet you insist on forcing it; I cannot save you now.”

Hong Shao said calmly, “Now that your dantian is shattered and you have no cultivation, take advantage of the fact that your physical body is still vigorous and go to the mortal world to enjoy your last moments. Perhaps you can even leave behind offspring.”

“I……”

Guo Pin was trembling all over. Although his abdominal injury was visibly healing, he could feel that it was only the healing of flesh and blood. His dantian was gone! His qi sea was gone! His cultivation was gone!

“Yu, Yu Xian…you are Yu Xian!!”

Suddenly, Guo Pin roared at Yu Xian like a madman, spitting blood from his mouth: “You’re taking revenge on purpose! You’re taking revenge on purpose! You’re that boy from back then! You’re Xiao Wusheng’s disciple!!”

“ah!!”

With a madman-like roar and in his grief and indignation, Guo Pin’s wound, which had just been slightly healed by Hong Shao, burst open again!

He suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood and then fainted again.

Yu Xian was stunned for a moment, then smiled bitterly and said, “This, deliberately seeking revenge? What grudge could I possibly have against Senior Brother Guo? The Sect Master stood up for me, you know me, I really couldn’t stop myself.”

Hong Shao glanced at Yu Xian again.

She knew Yu Xian’s background; he was a disciple of the Baiyun Sect, and his master back then was indeed a Foundation Establishment cultivator at the Great Perfection stage named Xiao Wusheng.

But when did he become enemies with Guo Pin?

Could it be that the reason he disrupted the alchemy conference in Medicine King Valley and was eventually sent to Heavenly Demon Valley by Gu Hanfeng to atone for his sins was because he had a grudge against Guo Pin?

Hongshao didn’t pay attention to these trivial matters at the time, nor did she bother to find out more.

Those who knew about this were Gu Hanfeng and several alchemy elders from back then, such as Lü Dan and others.

But Medicine King Valley has been destroyed for more than a decade, Gu Hanfeng is still a demon possessed by the Heavenly Demon, and Lü Dan and others died long ago. The events of that time were complicated and there is naturally no one to prove it.

But… perhaps Yu Xian is really seeking revenge?

Otherwise, why didn’t his seven vines just merge into one from the beginning?

If that were the case, I would immediately be able to tell that Guo Pin couldn’t stop him.

He’s just dangling himself…

brat…

Hong Shao’s eyes flashed, and with her intelligence, she quickly deduced a great deal.

But eventually, her expression returned to calm.

Um……

Who cares if it’s revenge or not? Injuries are inevitable in a fight.

Yu Xian didn’t openly kill Guo Pin, nor did he ambush him in the wild and leave evidence. If it were anyone else, you couldn’t say that Yu Xian did it on purpose.

Hong Shao said slowly, “Guards, take Guo Pin away to heal his injuries. As for Yu Xian, his mistake in the competition is understandable. The competition will continue! You don’t need to worry. Just do your best. I will be in the center to oversee things and will never let this happen again!”

Two early Foundation Establishment cultivators rushed in and dragged Guo Pin away.

Yu Xian bowed and said, “Thank you, Sect Master. Even though I accidentally injured Senior Brother Guo, I still feel guilty and will definitely make it up to you in the future.”

“You may leave.”

Compensation? What kind of compensation? You’ve ruined him.

Hong Shao glanced at him, waved her hand, and said calmly, “Those who draw the second lot will enter the battle.”

After saying that, Hong Shao raised her hand and waved it, causing the formation to twist. She then stood inside the formation and disappeared without a trace.

At this moment, she is sitting in the center of the formation. If something like Yu Xian were to happen again, she could suppress the spell in a fraction of a second without causing any casualties.

That’s the worst thing about sect competitions.

If it were a real sect disciple competition, with thousands or even tens of thousands of disciples participating, even if only one-tenth of them were killed or injured, it would be an unbearable burden.

So what sect would make its disciples fight every day?

To fight for some empty title, you cripple me, and I’ll kill you? Isn’t that just pointless?

In that case, there would be no need for external enemies to attack; the sect would simply perish due to internal strife.

In many stories, it seems that what sects do all day long is to make their disciples fight each other constantly—small, medium, and large competitions, outer and inner sect competitions—without any rules, just life-or-death battles, letting them settle scores, settle grudges, and even create enmity between those who have no grudges. It’s a zero-sum game where you kill me and I kill you, which is simply laughable.

…

Yu Xian bowed to Hong Shao, his face still showing guilt. He sighed, turned around, left the formation, and returned to his original seat.

The two who drew the second lot, one at the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment and the other at the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment, got up and entered the formation.

With his expression returning to calm, Yu Xian calmly watched the battle within the formation.

“Is the Midnight Calm Heart Pill very effective?”

Suddenly, a soft voice reached Yu Xian’s ears.

Yu Xian paused for a moment, then turned his gaze to You Xiaohua in front of him.

You Xiaohua did not turn around, as if she hadn’t said those words.

“Alas… even the most meticulous plans can have flaws, and eventually, the truth will be revealed…”

Yu Xian sighed inwardly.

He was only thinking about killing Guo Pin, or at least crippling him, so he had to use the Vine Technique.

Otherwise, if other spells are used, such as the Great Five Elements Hand Seal or the Blood Jade, Hong Shao will immediately realize that Guo Pin cannot withstand the power and will then take action to suppress him.

Only the Vine Technique, with each of the seven vines possessing the power of the Fire Dragon Technique, was effective. Therefore, Hong Shao believed that Guo Pin could withstand it. However, at the very last moment, Yu Xian suddenly unleashed his power, and with the seven vines combined, he openly and legitimately crippled Guo Pin right under Hong Shao’s nose!

And similarly…

Having used the Vine Technique, he was exposed to You Xiaohua and Chen Manman.

Back then, when he and You Xiaohua were competing in alchemy, he used his mere mid-Foundation Establishment stage cultivation, employing his hands, vines, and spiritual energy simultaneously, to refine a mid-grade, fifth-tier treasure pill, the Six Harmonies Fragrant Spirit Powder.

Although You Xiaohua had also refined a mid-grade, fifth-level treasure pill, the Meridian Heart-Soothing Pill, due to the difference in their cultivation levels and alchemy furnaces, and after being ridiculed by Li Shuxian, Chen Manman couldn’t bring himself to admit defeat and gave the Meridian Heart-Soothing Pill to Yu Xian, thus enabling Yu Xian to reach the Great Perfection of the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.

Back then, he covered his face with a bamboo hat and pretended to have a hoarse voice. He had been disguising himself well all this time, so he figured that even if You Xiaohua had some doubts, she wouldn’t be able to confirm them.

However, with the appearance of seven vines, You Xiaohua was absolutely certain that she was the rogue cultivator from back then.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have said that the Ziwu Zhenxin Pill was very effective.

“I……”

“The Heart-Pitying Stove, did you really buy it from the Marketplace for Rogue Cultivators?”

Yu Xian opened his mouth to “explain”.

You Xiaohua turned her head slightly to look at Yu Xian and said seriously, “You, please stop lying to me, okay? Yu Xian is the only survivor of the Ascension Conference.”

“Senior sister…”

Yu Xian let out a breath and said calmly, “To be honest, Senior Sister, I obtained the Liancao Furnace from Ascension Island.”

You Xiaohua’s eyes flickered as she stared intently at Yu Xian.

Yu Xian met her gaze and calmly said, “When we first entered Ascension Island and stepped into the Ascension Secret Realm, we thought it was some kind of opportunity. But we never expected that the Ascension Method was so vicious; it was meant to make us kill each other and raise Gu poison…”

Yu Xian calmly recounted what happened after entering Ascension Island, and the events remained largely unchanged from beginning to end.

However, he lied to You Xiaocao, saying that he killed a certain cultivator, obtained You Xiaocao’s storage bag from that cultivator, and eventually obtained the Liancao Furnace.

“Raising Gu…fighting each other…what do you insist on doing, sister…”

With tears welling up in her eyes, You Xiaohua tilted her head back and closed her eyes. After a moment, she returned to normal, but the sadness in her eyes remained intense. She looked at Yu Xian and forced a smile, saying, “Then you’ve actually avenged Xiaocao in a roundabout way, Yu Xian. Thank you.”

“You can’t say that…”

Looking at You Xiaohua’s tearful yet smiling, sorrowful expression, Yu Xian shook his head and said, “Even if others don’t kill her… in the end, only one person can survive under the Gu-raising method, and I… I will still kill her…”

You Xiaohua stared blankly at Yu Xian for a moment before saying, “In the end, you didn’t kill her, did you…”

Yu Xian looked up calmly at You Xiaohua, and said nothing more.

The death of You Xiaocao was like the roots of grass, the floating duckweed, the birth and death of ants—not worth mentioning.

In a different environment, Yu Xian would naturally not kill her. The two had no enmity with each other, and even if You Xiaocao had a valuable treasure, Yu Xian would not kill her to steal it.

But on Ascension Island, within that secret realm of ascension, which is like a breeding ground for poisonous insects.

Either she breaks through the encirclement and kills Yu Xian.

Either she’s dead or dead! She’ll either die at Yu Xian’s hands or at someone else’s!

Yu Xian killed her with helplessness, sighs, and regrets, but he had no remorse!

He has a clear conscience.

You Xiaohua stared at Yu Xian for a moment, then said softly, “If my master questions you later, be polite. My master looks kind, but he actually has a bad temper…”

After saying that, she turned her head, took a deep breath, and closed her eyes.

She had a guess in her mind, but she couldn’t confirm it.

Since he didn’t admit it, this matter will never be confirmed unless his master searches his soul.

But once the soul is searched, whether it’s real or fake, he… will not survive.

What if he really didn’t kill them?

What if what he said is true? Then he would actually be avenging Xiaocao…

How could I possibly harm him…?

“Thanks……”

Yu Xian watched You Xiaohua’s retreating figure, nodded gently, closed his eyes slightly, and opened them again, still calm and composed.