Chapter 63

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Chapter 63: Return to You

Outside the grand entrance of Qingliu Sword Sect, there were many young men and women, including poor teenagers who had traveled thousands of miles on foot, as well as descendants of the royal family dressed in luxurious clothing.

The path of immortality is ruthless, caring only about talent without asking about one’s background. Those with immortal fate will advance, while those without will return home.

A young man dressed in embroidered golden robes was surrounded by the crowd. After his talent was tested and found to be top-notch in water spiritual abilities, he lifted his robe again and took slow steps up the platform under everyone’s gaze. However, after only a few steps, he was dripping with sweat and the attendants below hurriedly rushed forward to help him.

However, even the path of Qingliu Sword Sect, starting from the outer gate, was not something ordinary people could ascend.

They said urgently, "This is the little prince of Ningguo. Immortal Master, please consider our years of dedication…"

However, there was no response from the top, and the talented little prince was eventually left behind by a raggedy little girl, only receiving a token from the outer gate.

Inside the mountain gate, sitting at the top was not the sect leader Liu Zhengxu, but the rarely seen Supreme Elder Ouyang.

His slightly chubby face carried a smile that was three parts kind and seven parts dignified, as he watched the scene unfold. His voice was like ethereal celestial music as he sighed, "Talent is important, but only those with a strong will can reach the true path."

Beneath him stood numerous senior elders and disciples of the sect, all bowing their heads respectfully.

Amidst the swirling mist, the highest-ranking Supreme Elder Ouyang seemed like a true immortal descending, and no one dared to meet his gaze directly.

In terms of cultivation, he was a great power of the Transmigration Stage, standing at the peak of the entire cultivation world; in terms of status, he was the respected Supreme Elder of the number one sect in the world, a position that no one could shake.

He stood tall in the depths of the clouds, gazing towards the inner mountain gate, waiting for the first person to climb to the mountaintop.

After a while, a dark-skinned girl in a short tunic crawled into the inner gate using both hands and feet. She looked up, her gaze wandering among the many sword cultivators, her dark bright eyes pure and innocent.

Several Peak Lords looked at her with emotion in their faces.

"She has an excellent Earth Spiritual Root, and this child is only nine years old. She was the first to climb the stone steps, with spirit energy already surrounding her even before starting her cultivation. Her talent in both physical bone structure and character is exceptional, making her a rare and promising talent!"

Even Elder Ouyang was impressed, showing a genuine smile as he explained, "Young lady, since you have passed the inner trial of our Qingliu Sword Sect, from today onwards, you will be an inner disciple of our sect. We have nine peaks, each specializing in different sword techniques. You may choose one yourself."

The young girl looked blankly at the many sword cultivators in front of her, speechless for a moment, seemingly stunned by the scene.

Stepping forward, the Peak Lord of The Second Peak smiled boldly and said, "Little girl, most of us at The Second Peak specialize in earth-based sword cultivation. It would be most suitable for you to join our peak; I can even take you as my direct disciple."

Elder Ziyun of the Sixth Peak, a stunning young woman, spoke gently with her beautiful eyes, "Young lady, all the disciples in my sixth peak are women, and our elder martial sisters are gentle and caring. There will be no impure matters on our peak; joining the Sixth Peak would be the best choice."

The middle-aged Peak Lord of The Seventh Peak with a stern face laughed heartily, "Come to The Seventh Peak, little girl. Our faces are all dark. This just shows that we have a destined master-disciple relationship!"

Seeing three Peak Lords vying for the girl, Elder Ouyang raised his hand gently to calm the commotion, saying, "Let’s not be noisy and listen to where she truly desires to go."

At this moment, all attention was on the young girl. Her slightly darkened face blushed faintly. After a moment of hesitation, she lifted her head firmly and said in a clear voice, "I wish to join The Tenth Peak!"

In an instant, the whole place fell silent.

Clouds lingered on Supreme Elder Ouyang’s face, making it hard to see his expression.

Peak Lord Elder Ziyun of the Sixth Peak looked around and, seeing no one speaking, a hint of disdain appeared in his eyes. But when he turned to look at the young girl, he had a gentle smile on his face.

"Young girl, why do you want to join The Tenth Peak?"

The young girl didn’t notice the tense atmosphere, her eyes shining bright. "The boys in the village look down on a girl like me. They say girls should stay in the village to cut grass and take care of younger siblings. My father wanted to sell me to the wealthy Zhang family as a maid. I barely managed to escape and on the way, I met a group of people who said there was a immortal master accepting disciples here. They also told me Wen Yun’s story, and after hearing it…"

The girl seemed a bit shy, but soon gathered her courage to continue in a loud voice, "I want to be like her, a powerful female sword cultivator!"

Standing behind their respective masters, Zhu Erchong and Bao Pilong exchanged a glance, feeling proud and satisfied.

Liu Luoyin, who was standing with his head lowered in The First Peak formation, looked slightly conflicted upon hearing Wen Yun’s name, but he didn’t say anything.

Little did anyone expect that The First Peak Grand Elder Hongzhuo, who was standing in front of her, suddenly spoke out, "The Qingliu Sword Sect no longer has The Tenth Peak, and as for Wen Yun, she perished in the Swordsmanship Contest long ago. Our sect no longer has such a person."

Liu Luoyin suddenly looked up in surprise and urgently said, "Hongzhuo Martial Uncle…"

Elder Hongzhuo brushed his sleeves and solemnly said, "The Tenth Peak has already lost its inheritance. By leaving the sect without permission, it’s like betraying the sect!"

Upon returning from the Swordsmanship Contest, Liu Luoyin devoted himself to training and was unaware of the recent changes outside, but he knew some of the inside story.

The rumors outside are all about the so-called deeds of Wen Yun and Ye Shubai, the master and disciple. This should have been a good thing to boost the sect’s reputation. However, many disciples from The First Peak secretly tried to stop such discussions from happening again, only because Supreme Elder Ouyang allowed it, after all, Supreme Elder also came from The First Peak!

The term "betraying the sect" sounded very serious, even the disciples from other peaks couldn’t help but look sideways. Zhu Erchong was about to reject it in a hurry, but before he could speak, Supreme Elder Ouyang at the top spoke slowly.

"Young girl, switch to another peak, The Tenth Peak no longer has someone to accept you…"

Before the words could finish, a flying sword suddenly appeared in front of everyone. Elder Hongzhuo was about to reprimand when several figures jumped down from the sword.

At the forefront stood a young girl of twenty-eight, wearing a long shirt with silver patterns, her features delicate and stunning, adding a touch of charm to the originally plain Qingliu Sword Sect.

Bao Pilong watched closely and couldn’t help but call out, "Martial Sister Wen!"

Wen Yun smiled and nodded to the familiar people.

The little girl looked up at Wen Yun in surprise and said, "You’re the sister who was sitting on the stone steps eating pastries just now…"

She remembered clearly that the group of people were walking very fast, but when they saw how hard she was climbing, the beautiful lady at the front said, "Let the young ones have a chance," and then sat down on the stone steps to eat, giving up her front position to her.

Wen Yun waved at the little girl, while Bao Pilong, who didn’t understand the situation, immediately shouted, "Hey, that’s the fairy Wen Yun you’re looking for!"

The little girl’s face lit up and she ran without hesitation to stand behind Wen Yun.

Wen Yun lowered her head and looked at the little girl, saying cheerfully, "The people from The Tenth Peak have returned, someone will take care of you now."

Xu Wanfeng, who was originally standing behind Wen Yun, took a step forward, smiling oddly at Elder Hongzhuo who was trying to hide behind him, and loudly said, "Disciples of the Qingliu Sword Sect, why don’t you greet the Grandmaster!"

After his arrogant words, he immediately respectfully took a step back, and behind him, Yue Xingzhou, Bai Yushan, and Wen Yun also took a step back, all following Ye Shubai’s lead.

At this moment, the four of them released their cultivation level, creating an invisible pressure.

Not to mention the ordinary disciples, even the Peak Lords and elders all turned pale, enduring extreme hardship. Especially the disciples of The First Peak, most of the pressure was directed at them. At this moment, they had already lost their previous pride and could only release all their cultivation to resist.

Even though there were only four people, Wen Yun and the others managed to create an intimidating atmosphere as if forty thousand people were surrounding the inner gate!

Xu Wanfeng and Wen Yun exchanged smiles. This was something they had rehearsed behind Ye Shubai’s back, and now the result was excellent. They were naturally very pleased with themselves.

Ye Shubai stepped forward, not paying attention to the unknowing young juniors below. He quietly raised his head, gazing at Elder Ouyang at the top. The white shirt on his body fluttered without wind, the simple sword in his hand dim and lightless, yet no one dared to look directly at it.

Standing there was clearly a refined man, looking younger than most people. But upon closer inspection, everyone felt as if they were seeing a sword about to be unsheathed, its aura cold and intimidating, making people dare not look directly at it.

No one dared to speak.

This imposing presence was something that ordinary cultivators could not resist.

The elderly man sitting on the top, after a long time, dispersed the clouds. It was the first time the disciples of the sect saw the true face of this Supreme Elder.

He moved extremely slowly, stepping down one step at a time. Finally, he arrived in front of the young man, with a moment of bewilderment in his eyes. He then let out a long sigh, bowing deeply in respect.

"Martial Brother Ye, how have you been?"

This title surprised everyone around.

Zhu Erchong and Bao Pilong were almost speechless, they looked at each other, opened their mouths but couldn’t say "Junior Brother Ye", their eyes filled with shock.

Other young disciples also looked dazed, it turned out the rumors were true, there really was an ancestor named Ye at The Tenth Peak of Qingliu Sword Sect!

The elders of each peak were even more astonished, being older, they had heard of the name Ye Shubai, but all they knew was that this ancestor had died in the battle between good and evil. They had never heard about his achievements because many seniors had died when the sect was in trouble.

The person who should have died long ago had appeared before everyone!

Elder Ouyang bowed, but Ye Shubai remained silent, just raising his chin slightly, looking coldly at the person in front of him.

Supreme Elder Ouyang was filled with fear towards Ye Shubai for a long time, and now feeling guilty as well, he instinctively took a step back.

He whispered, "Senior Brother, your return is timely. There is trouble with demon cultivators again, the Eastern junior brother and sect leader’s nephew are in seclusion. Qingliu Sword Sect is in a precarious situation. With you here, I can rest assured and come out of seclusion to fight against the demon cultivators."

The words sounded fancy, but Wen Yun quickly sensed something was wrong.

It sounded noble, but every word was a threat, "If you kill me today, the sect will lose a strong support!"

Every sentence implied, "If you care about the sect’s reputation and safety, you should let go of past grudges and not bring up old matters."

Ye Shubai is a true sword expert, honorable and selfless, willing to sacrifice everything for the sect’s people.

Supreme Elder Ouyang is now putting the sect’s hopes on him, betting that he will once again sacrifice himself for the greater good, just like he did five hundred years ago.

Worried, Wen Yun feared that her kind sword spirit would be bullied again.

Elder Ouyang swallowed saliva, knowing that Ye Shubai’s power would greatly decrease with his shattered nascent soul, while he had been stable at the peak of Transmigration for five hundred years. Still, remembering the young man who always stood at the forefront, his heart was filled with fear.

Initially, the senior brothers didn’t know about Ye Shubai’s existence, only hearing about a talented swordsman in the sect who was being trained by the four elders.

The elders were all famous powerful individuals, and getting guidance from them was not easy for the direct disciples of various peaks. Seeing the unknown young man always following them, the senior brothers felt some jealousy and dissatisfaction, but most sword cultivators were open-minded. If they felt uneasy, they just worked harder to surpass him in the upcoming sect competition.

They only realized the difference when the Inner Gate Competition really arrived.

The young boy, who was just over ten years old, had already reached the Golden Core Stage in cultivation. Even his seniors in their seventies or eighties were no match for him. As for Ouyang, who was the same age as Ye Shubai, he had just reached the Foundation Establishment Stage, not even qualified to compete with him.

Later in the sword fight, he became the focus of the entire cultivation world.

Ouyang, who was behind him, had also been praised as a young talent before. However, after Ye Shubai appeared, the word "genius" was no longer associated with others, and his radiance overshadowed millions of his peers.

Ouyang was one of the people overshadowed by that shadow.

He could never lift his head, just like now, bowing respectfully and looking at that person.

Since Ye Shubai disappeared, he had been standing at the highest point for several hundred years, yet now he was bending down again as before.

But so what?

He bowed and saw off a group of proud sword cultivators, sending them to fight the demon cultivators, seeing off his Martial Uncle, his elder martial sister, and also Martial Brother Ye.

"Brother Ye, the demon cultivator has come again," said Elder Ouyang with a lowered voice and a bowed posture. "Junior Brother, I must go guard the sect now."

The wooden sword hanging in front of him suddenly moved. Ouyang stared at the corner of the robe gently lifted by the wind. As it turned away, the huge boulder that had been weighing on his heart turned into light feathers and peacefully fell down.

However, in the next moment.

A calm voice devoid of any fluctuations came from Ye Shubai’s mouth, cold like the snow of winter, without any warmth – "Draw your sword, meet at the Life and Death Platform."

"Draw your sword, face the trial of life and death."

*

The Life and Death Platform is a small place in the Qingliu Sword Sect, a blue stone platform standing on a cliff. As disciples often fell to their deaths while practicing swordsmanship on it, it gradually became a place for them to resolve their life-and-death grudges.

Since the battle between the righteous and demonic factions, the sect has suffered countless casualties, and the sword cultivators have become impoverished. They are now more inclined to gamble with spiritual jade, with no one staking their lives anymore.

This blue stone platform, covered in moss at some unknown time, turned into a vibrant green stone platform.

At this moment, all disciples were carefully watching the two people on the edge of the cliff. After listening to the explanations of the knowledgeable senior brothers, they were suddenly shocked, "Why are the two ancestors fighting to the death? What kind of grudge is this?"

A disciple from The First Peak snorted, "Elder Ouyang has always been kind and never harsh on disciples. This Senior Ye, upon returning to the sect, is fighting with fellow disciples. How heartless!"

Zhu Erchong already had a grudge with The First Peak, and coupled with the favor he owed Ye Shubai, he retorted on the spur of the moment, "You dueled with my Fellow Disciple Lu on my peak the other day, winning ten pieces of spiritual jade from him. How heartless of you!"

The other party grew angry, "I have an old grudge with him!"

Before Zhu Erchong could speak, his good friend Bao Pilong sarcastically said, "Then how do you know that Elder Ouyang and Senior Ye don’t have any enmity between them?"

The term "Fellow Disciple" was coldly twisted to "ancestral master".

"What kind of big grudge could lead fellow disciples to turn against each other?"

…

"Martial Brother Ye, a demon cultivator is approaching. Only the two of us from the sect…"

"The master and martial uncle were killed by a demon cultivator. The senior martial sister and junior martial brother also fought against the demon cultivator. Everyone above the Soul Changing Stage in the sect died that year," Ye Shubai coldly looked at him, "Back then, you all were hesitant. Are you bold enough now?"

Elder Ouyang sighed and said firmly, "Because all the strong members of the sect died, we had to use your jade nascent soul to increase our strength to protect the sect. I only took a fragment of your jade nascent soul for the sake of the sect and our fellow members. Will you really fight against your own sect for this?"

Ye Shubai didn’t like to argue much, and since they were a bit far apart, other disciples couldn’t hear what they were saying.

But Wen Yun was different. Not only could she hear clearly, but she also argued loudly, "By taking his jade nascent soul, aren’t you causing harm within the sect?"

The crowd started murmuring. Even though they were disciples of the Qingliu Sword Sect and might not have seen it before, they knew what a jade nascent soul was. Coupled with Wen Yun’s past encounter of having her Golden Core taken by Xie Mian, everyone immediately drew a connection.

Could it be that Elder Ouyang took Senior Ye’s jade nascent soul?

Hearing the discussions behind her, Wen Yun smiled and said, "Whether the jade nascent soul was taken or not, we can examine it when someone dies!"

Elder Hongzhuo sneered and glared at her, "You’re so ruthless, just like a demon cultivator!"

She looked back coldly, then suddenly smiled brightly, "According to seniority, I am your ancestral master. You are disrespectful to me. Let’s settle this matter when life and death are at stake later.

Elder Hongzhuo felt the powerful aura emanating from the Nascent Soul Stage peak cultivation of the young woman in front of him. He took a step back and said in a forced calm manner, "I don’t bother with someone like you!"

On the stone platform, Elder Ouyang glared at Wen Yun with resentment in his eyes and muttered under his breath, "It’s that noisy girl again. If I had known, I should have let Eastern Junior Brother kill her!"

He knew Ye Shubai had changed, no longer bound by the principles of their sect. He prepared himself for a life-or-death showdown with Ye Shubai.

This was the opportunity Ye Shubai had been waiting for!

"Your jade nascent soul is lost. You rely only on your sword skills. I gave you a chance before, but instead of accepting it, you challenged me to a duel to the death. You brought this upon yourself!"

Ye Shubai’s jade nascent soul had been depleted. Other sects still had theirs, with Qingliu Sword Sect holding two, one in Ye Shubai’s possession and the other taken by Liu Zhengxu from Eastern Dongfang to aid in his breakthrough to the Transmigration Realm.

This was the reason why Elder Ouyang had a falling out with Liu Zhengxu. He had believed that Liu Zhengxu killed Eastern Dongfang and that Liu Zhengxu’s progress in cultivation was due to obtaining the jade nascent soul.

Elder Ouyang chuckled, summoning a shining blue water spiritual sword into his hand. His spiritual power rose, causing dark clouds to gather overhead and a heavy rain to pour down, washing away the moss on the stone platform.

The strength of a powerful Transmigration Stage cultivator could even cause phenomena in the sky and earth!

Ye Shubai is a Fire element, while he is a Water element, they are opposing elements, in this battle, he will not fail!

In the pouring rain, the man in white remained motionless, raindrops falling on him turned into wisps of white mist floating in the air, his features clear and distinct in the hazy rain, like a celestial being descending from the heavens.

Elder Ouyang angrily shouted, the raindrops turned sharp as needles under his powerful spiritual power, densely piercing towards Ye Shubai, each needle aimed at a fatal spot.

Just then, Ye Shubai moved.

He raised his wooden sword, his vast spiritual power transformed into a flaming phoenix flying out from the tip of the sword, the phoenix clear cry echoing through the sky.

"No, this is impossible, you clearly don’t have the jade–"

Before Elder Ouyang could finish his last word, the phoenix had pierced through the rain curtain, flying straight towards his chest.

He had seen that phoenix countless times, every time it flew out, several powerful demon cultivators would fall in battle.

He couldn’t muster any fighting spirit, had no time to think about how Ye Shubai regained his jade nascent soul, nor cared about saving face in front of his sect disciples, he just wanted to escape!

Quickly run away from here!

Yes, as long as he escapes into the crowd, Ye Shubai will stop attacking to avoid hurting other disciples. He can take this chance to escape safely!

If Ye Shubai continues to harm other disciples, the sect will not tolerate him!

Elder Ouyang changed direction, his face fierce, and charged towards the crowd regardless. The people’s faces changed drastically as they instantly understood his intention. The group of The First Peak disciples who defended him earlier were in panic and ran faster than anyone else.

However, battles among Transmigration Stage strong cultivators were not something ordinary cultivators could join. These disciples who were implicated had no way to escape and were about to die under the fire phoenix along with Elder Ouyang!

Just then, Wen Yun leaped forward!

A golden warm stream shot out from her palm, accompanied by the power of time and space laws that no one could perceive.

At the moment Elder Ouyang was about to rush into the crowd, his surroundings suddenly stagnated, immobilizing him in place for a moment.

Wen Yun’s cultivation was not yet proficient enough to fully control space power, so she could only control the opponent’s time for a very short period.

But for Ye Shubai, it was enough.

The fire phoenix caught up and mercilessly pierced Elder Ouyang’s body!

He had a faint smile of relief on his face, then a burst of blood mist suddenly appeared in his chest, slowly merging with the rain before falling to the ground.

After piercing Elder Ouyang’s body, the fire phoenix ascended straight into the sky, leaving all the disciples of Qingliu Sword Sect gazing in awe at this beautiful mythical bird.

It circled and sang in the sky, its golden red tail feathers burning like fire, dispersing the dark clouds and heavy rain, restoring clarity to the sky.

On the wet ground, a jade nascent soul with a bloodstained blue color rolled down, while another small white jade nascent soul fragment appeared before everyone.

A delicate hand picked it up and held it in the palm.

Wen Yun reached out to Ye Shubai.

"Here you go."

Your precious soul, everything taken from you.

Will be returned to you.