Chapter 166
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Chapter 166: Senior Brother Yang
The tower stood about a foot tall, crystal-clear with a faint glow swirling inside. Bathed in fiery light and deep blue icy radiance, it reflected neither red nor blue hues, remaining pure white and translucent.
Soul Turning Tower!
This was the greatest treasure of Hualun, a perfected alchemy pill master, during her reincarnation. Not only did it nurture souls and store objects, but its materials were extraordinarily rare—dense and unyielding, surpassing ordinary medium-grade spiritual weapons in value.
When the tower materialized, Zhen Huacheng momentarily froze.
An overwhelming pressure erupted from the Soul Turning Tower, startling him into immobility. The foot-tall structure suddenly seemed colossal and immeasurable, compelling him to kneel in worship.
Having forcibly elevated his cultivation to the sixth level of Qi refining stage, Zhen Huacheng’s true qi had condensed into essence, boosting his offense, defense, and senses. Though briefly stunned by the tower’s aura, he recovered within a breath—only to see the tower hurtling toward him through flames and icy light.
Yet when the attack came, Zhen Huacheng felt no crushing force. The tower’s approach seemed… hollow.
“A bluff? Illusions?”
He snorted, gathered his sixth-level Qi refining power into his fist, and punched the tower.
Boom!
Fist met tower. The collision unleashed violent energy waves that nearly tore the space apart. Were it not for the Blazing Flame Explosion Ring’s flames masking the scene, the tower’s full form would’ve been exposed.
Zhen Huacheng’s hand screamed with pain as if he’d struck an unyielding Ancient Mountain of the Gods. A retaliatory force slammed into his chest, hurling him backward.
He vomited blood mid-air, disbelief flooding him. Even at the sixth level of Qi refining, he couldn’t withstand this backlash—let alone the tower’s direct strike.
Through blood-flecked vision, he saw the tower still charging, undiminished.
“Ye Yun! You can’t kill me!” he rasped, clutching a life-saving talisman he lacked strength to activate.
Ye Yun gave no reply. A teal glow flared around the tower as it smashed into Zhen Huacheng’s chest.
Vitality drained from his eyes. His fingers twitched uselessly around the talisman.
Ye Yun appeared like lightning, sword-fingered hand jabbing Zhen Huacheng’s forehead.
A tiny red dot bloomed. Zhen Huacheng’s face purpled, veins bulging grotesquely before he collapsed, lifeless.
Zhen Huacheng had been certain his sixth-level Qi refining made him invincible in this trial. Demoted to black robe disciple for past failures, he’d aimed to reclaim inner sect status through this assessment. He’d envisioned surpassing those purple robe elites who’d scorned him, awaiting their arrival as he grew powerful.
Yet here lay his end—defeated by a first-level Qi refining disciple wielding unimaginable treasures and boundless true qi.
Despair etched his dying face. The cultivation path demanded caution and hidden growth until one could defy heaven itself. But Zhen Huacheng’s arrogance blinded him until Ye Yun’s tower shattered his hubris.
Flames dimmed. Ice energy faded. The Soul Turning Tower vanished as if never there.
Only Zhen Huacheng’s corpse remained, eyes wide with unwillingness—a former purple robe disciple now reduced to physical and spiritual destruction.
Ye Yun stood quietly and turned to look at the two trembling black robe disciples, suddenly smiling.
The two men’s legs gave out as they thudded to their knees, trembling like leaves in a storm. "Brother Ye, we were wrong, truly wrong. A great man like you shouldn’t remember small people’s mistakes – please spare us."
"Now you beg? Weren’t you so tough earlier? You almost beat me to death and spiritual annihilation!" Duan Chenfeng sprang up, the Breaking Sun Spear gleaming coldly in his grip.
"Brother Duan, we were blind as dogs! We’ll make proper apologies!" The two shamelessly kowtowed twice before the pair, abandoning all dignity of black robe disciples.
Duan Chenfeng and Ye Yun exchanged bewildered glances. This was merely Tian Zhu Peak’s assessment – if they wanted to quit, they could just crush their life-saving talismans. Why grovel like this?
As if reading their thoughts, the black-robed pair explained hurriedly: "After this trial, you’ll surely become inner disciples. Inner sect rules differ – if inner disciples punish outer disciples, even elders won’t interfere…"
Ye Yun instantly understood – they feared future retaliation after his promotion.
"You overestimate your importance," he scoffed. "Would inner disciples even glance at your sort?"
"Of course not! Brother Ye’s future shines bright, your cultivation unmatched! We were being petty!" They flushed red, flattery pouring forth.
"Enough. We’ve no feud. Since Zhen Huacheng’s dead, crush your talismans and quit. Leave the tokens." Ye Yun waved dismissively, irritated by their bootlicking.
"Brother Ye’s mercy astounds us!" They scrambled up, ready to flee.
A cold snort froze them in place.
Duan Chenfeng’s voice cut like ice: "Deaf fools! Tokens first! And you exit through teleportation, not walking away!"
"Ah! Brother Duan’s wisdom illuminates all!" They produced two tokens. "We had seven total. Five remain on that dead dog Zhen Huacheng – how dare he oppose you? Like a mantis blocking chariots!"
Ye Yun summoned the tokens to his palm. With Duan Chenfeng retrieving five more from Zhen Huacheng’s corpse, their total reached sixteen – over half.
"What’s the delay? Staying for supper?" Duan Chenfeng arched an eyebrow mockingly.
"No! We’d never presume! Just… a warning." One disciple lowered his voice conspiratorially. "In the inner sect… there’s Senior Brother Yang from Junzi Hall. Zhen Huacheng always bragged about their ‘close friendship’, studying classics and cultivation together…"
"Yang Hualong?" Ye Yun’s calm voice cut through. "The one who reached the pinnacle of Qi refining years ago?"
"Yes! That dog Zhen claimed he’s nearing Foundation Establishment!"
"Foundation Establishment Stage?" Ye Yun smiled faintly, turning away.
Duan Chenfeng kicked Zhen Huacheng’s corpse aside, following. "Done chatting? Then vanish! We’re feeling merciful today."
As Ye Yun walked slowly beneath the sky, his murmured words carried clearly:
"Yang Hualong… So Junzi Hall truly holds power in the inner sect."
