Chapter 68

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Chapter 68: You Really Live by the Seaside, Don’t You?

The Qingliu Sword Sect, with a history of thousands of years, has sealed the sword intentions of generations of sword cultivators on the ten thousand steps at the mountain gate.

The entry test for disciples only unlocks a fraction of the power. If all the power were unleashed, even Transmigration Stage experts would be instantly killed by these sword intentions.

Currently, a group of people stood at the foot of the mountain, vaguely divided into five teams. Qianzhenzi from Blizzard Island led the group, followed by Dharma Master Du Yuan from Tianyin Temple, Jiang Aotian from the Jiang family, and Yu Jianli from the Yu family.

Jiang Aotian glanced back at the elder from the Wan family, furrowed his brows and asked, "Elder Wan, why are you standing so far back? Others might think we are excluding you."

Elder Wan chuckled and his kind face showed the warmest smile. He shook his head humbly and said, "I, an old man whose head is nearly buried in the ground, have the lowest cultivation here. It’s better to hide this old face at the back than to be made fun of at the front."

Yu Jianli, a very handsome middle-aged scholar, held not a common weapon but a folding fan made of jade bones. His face looked particularly pale and tired. After hearing the words, he just glanced briefly at the ancestor of the Wan family without saying much.

Dharma Master Du Yuan from Tianyin Temple also remained silent. He had not lifted his head the entire way, solemnly tapping a wooden fish as he walked, staying quiet.

These two people seem to have come to offer their condolences, but the look on Wan family ancestor’s face is more like someone selling incense and paper money. Only Qianzhenzi and Jiang Aotian, who are leading the way this time, seem to be up to something.

Jiang Aotian waited for half a day and felt irritated. He angrily said, "Qingliu Sword Sect is so arrogant. Three Transmigration Stage experts have died two of them, and the other one is probably at the end of his life. Do they really think they are the greatest sect in the world? They have been ignoring us for half an hour!"

Qianzhenzi also felt a bit annoyed, but he remained calm compared to Jiang Aotian. He looked ahead and said, "Why are you in such a hurry? They can’t stay inside forever. Besides, we came here as friends to offer our condolences, not to cause trouble. Why worry that they won’t open the mountain gate?"

Jiang Aotian snorted and weighed the big knife in his hand. "If my son can break through the protective formation of Blizzard Island, then I can surely break through the sword formation of Qingliu Sword Sect."

He seemed ready for a fight, and Qianzhenzi’s expression turned cold. He sarcastically said, "Well then, go ahead and try. Qingliu Sword Sect has produced three flying sword cultivators. Their sword intent lingers in the formation. If you’re not afraid of death, go ahead and try to break through."

"Stop being so cryptic, Qianzhenzi! If you’re so good at formations, why don’t you break through their sword formation? You were the one who said Ye Shubai would come back for revenge, and we’ll have to face him sooner or later. Why not strike first? But now you’re acting like a coward, hesitating!"

"Jiang Aotian, you’re so rude!"

"You’re the rude one!"

Hearing the two arguing, Yu Jianli furrowed his brows, moved away, and didn’t bother talking to them. Dharma Master Du Yuan lowered his head and continued to play the wooden fish, seemingly ignoring everything.

The Jiang family and Blizzard Island have never gotten along. Both of them are proud and have strong personalities. The Jiang family thinks people from Blizzard Island are too flashy and showy. On the other hand, Blizzard Island thinks the Jiang family is rough and unrefined. Especially when Jiang Si won the Swordsmanship Contest on Blizzard Island, the Jiang family became even more arrogant, making their relationship very strained.

The elder of the Wan family looked around at everyone, and kindly advised, "Hey, don’t worry too much, we have lost two respected elders recently. It’s normal for things to be busy now. We have been traveling all day, so let’s rest here for a while."

After speaking, he took out a walnut-sized item from his space bag. When the item was exposed to the wind, it turned into a beautifully carved small building with tables, chairs, and tea sets. Several delicate young children guided them upstairs courteously, served tea and water, and even brought a small red clay stove to warm the wine with smokeless oak charcoal.

Only the wealthy Wan family could have such treasures and thoughtful attendants.

Qianzhenzi was too lazy to argue with Jiang Aotian. He led the elders from Blizzard Island’s Soul Changing Stage inside and sat down. He drank a cup of hot wine, looked at Jiang Aotian sitting at the gate without entering, and sneered, "A brave but foolish old man!"

He turned his head to the side and said slowly, "Taoist Friend Yu, when we enter the gate later, can you reason with Ye Shubai first? We can’t have internal conflicts when demon cultivators attack again."

Yu Jianli sat at the edge, feeling restless. His face was extremely pale for some reason, and his eyes seemed unfocused. Qianzhenzi spoke to him twice before he nodded slightly.

Qianzhenzi glanced at Dharma Master Du Yuan still playing the wooden fish, furrowed his brows, and then looked at the elder of the Wan family who was carefully drinking his tea.

"Friend Wan, you…"

"I’m ready." Before Qianzhenzi could speak, Wan Family’s ancestor smiled knowingly and said, "Taoist Friend Qian, no need to worry. I have prepared well and will not disappoint you all."

Thankfully, finally there’s a reliable teammate.

Qianzhenzi thought to himself, relaxed, picked up a cup of fine wine and sipped slowly. He looked at the stone steps of the Qingliu Sword Sect’s gate, feeling uneasy.

Does Ye Shubai want to hide and not show up? They have been waiting for nearly an hour. It’s impossible that they are setting up a sword formation inside to have a big fight with all of them, right?

As the sky darkened and the sun started to set, Jiang Aotian’s cursing grew louder. Even Qianzhenzi could hardly contain himself.

Just as he was thinking this, a disciple at the Golden Core Stage slowly walked down from the gate. He was handsome and imposing, but when he spoke, his voice was loud, "May I ask you seniors, are you all here to pay respects to our sect leader and supreme elder?"

Jiang Aotian rolled his eyes and grumbled with a knife in his arms, "Of course! Your Qingliu Sword Sect’s way of treating guests is really something. We’ve been waiting here all afternoon! You’re dragging your feet here. I’ll make sure your elders deal with you!"

Zhu Erchong smirked to himself, thinking this was Wen Yun’s arrangement to let these old dogs simmer and lose their arrogance and then let them in. He was following the orders of the ancestral master, daring any elder to discipline him.

Qianzhenzi suppressed all emotions, swiftly went downstairs, looked down at Zhu Erchong from above, and calmly said, "Young man, lead us up the peak quickly."

Zhu Erchong didn’t mean to make things difficult for them, so he obediently led the way to the mountain gate.

Once they entered the gate, the group of people discovered that Qingliu Sword Sect was indeed very quiet and peaceful everywhere.

Jiang Aotian glanced around, held his sword, and prepared to head towards The Tenth Peak, ready to cause trouble.

Zhu Erchong stopped him and said, "Excuse me, sir, you’re going the wrong way. The First Peak is this way."

Jiang Aotian thought to himself, I’ve been to your sect so many times, don’t they know? He was actually planning to pressure Ye Shubai about past events this time, and if they were unwilling to let it go, the group was prepared for a fight.

Are these five Transmigration Stage seniors really here to kowtow to that useless Liu Zhengxu?

Zhu Erchong really thought they came to pay respects, and said loudly, "Senior Jiang, the proper mourning process is to first burn incense at The First Peak, then pay respects at our sect leader’s spiritual tablet. As for kowtowing…"

Despite being heartless, he knew how to show hospitality. However, he had already learned from Wen Yun that these people were not sincere in their condolences, so he deliberately made some sarcastic remarks to deal with them.

As expected, his words angered Jiang Aotian, "Hmph, you talk too much! If you say that again…"

Jiang Aotian looked like he was about to scold someone, so Qianzhenzi quickly interrupted and said, "Got it, please show us the way, young friend."

Holding a sword, Zhu Erchong led them towards The First Peak at a steady pace.

Tonight marks the seventh day since Liu Zhengxu passed away, also known as the night of the seventh day.

Liu Luoyin knelt on the ground silently burning joss paper, while the hundreds of disciples of The First Peak also knelt in silence.

Despite the deep sorrow of The First Peak disciples, their tears had dried up. Now, they could only kneel and sob a few times. In the cultivation world, death is common, so when Supreme Elder Ouyang passed away, no memorial tablet was set up. However, as the leader of a sect had passed, the scale of the ceremony was larger.

After enduring the seventh day, the highly cultivated sword cultivators who had reached a high level had no problems, as they were used to spending years in isolation for insights. However, those with lower cultivation scattered their focus. Upon hearing any movement outside, their attention drifted away.

Many elders recognized the person and hastily stood up to greet them with surprise on their faces.

The Grand Elder Hongzhuo, who was at the forefront, quickly brightened up and respectfully approached, bowing deeply. "Esteemed elders, we are honored by your presence! If only our Sect Master could see from beyond…"

Qianzhenzi pretended to be sorrowful and said, "Our sects have been close for thousands of years, and upon hearing about the passing of Elder Ouyang and Sect Master Liu, we were deeply saddened. The members of Qingliu Sword Sect are known for their integrity and righteousness in their actions, and we have had a deep friendship for hundreds of years. It is only right for us to send off our friends in their final journey."

When Grand Elder Hongzhuo heard this, he suddenly knelt down and bowed deeply, his voice choked with emotion, "Our Qingliu Sword Sect has always been honest and upright, but I never expected such a serious betrayal among our own members!"

Very good, this guy is very sensible, it seems he accepted the thirty thousand spiritual jade.

Qianzhenzi felt satisfied inside, but pretended to be shocked on the outside, "What betrayal among our own members? Could it be that there is more to the death of Elder Ouyang and Sect Master Liu?"

Grand Elder Hongzhuo cried out to the heavens, "Family secrets should not be revealed, but with such ruthless people like demon cultivators appearing in the Qingliu Sword Sect, how can we keep it hidden from everyone? Today he killed our Supreme Elder and elders, tomorrow he might kill those who oppose him like us!"

"This person is…"

"This person is Ye Shubai from The Tenth Peak!"

Elder Hongzhuo hit the ground hard, he was one of the many direct disciples of Supreme Elder Ouyang. Seeing his own master dead and feeling vulnerable, he feared that Ye Shubai would eliminate him too, so he secretly sided with Blizzard Island. Qianzhenzi said that as long as they plan things well, and help the unaware little daughter of the Liu family become the sect leader, they can promise him the position of Supreme Elder!

This is such a high honor!

It’s better to take a chance and strive for something, rather than living in the shadow of The Tenth Peak in the next life!

Elder Hongzhuo cried a lot and accused Ye Shubai of killing Elder Ouyang to seize power and settle a personal grudge, and blamed him for Sect Master Liu’s death.

The whole hall of The First Peak was filled with disciples, elders, and direct disciples of Qingliu Sword Sect, along with hundreds of other disciples. They all looked up in confusion at the performance in front of the memorial tablet.

Only Liu Luoyin stood with his back to everyone, burning paper with a numb expression.

"My niece, Lüoyin, is just in her early twenties. She lost her mother when she was young, and now her father has been harmed by a traitor. I watched her grow up and I will stand up for her no matter what!"

Jiang Aotian finally got involved, his eyes wide with anger as he asked, "Could it be that Ye Shubai killed Sect Master Liu to seize power?"

Elder Hongzhuo said heavily, "Yes, that’s right."

Zhu Erchong and a few other direct disciples on the ground looked up, instinctively arguing, "No! That day we were all at The Tenth Peak, and Martial Sister Liu told us that the Transmigration ceremony failed…"

"You are still young and don’t understand the evil in people’s hearts." Elder Hongzhuo knelt in front of the memorial tablet, crying bitterly, and said sadly, "On the day the Sect Master left, I saw with my own eyes Ye Shubai and his disciples leaving The First Peak! Lüoyin, you have been silent under the threats of the traitors, but now all the seniors are here. You can speak up for your father’s innocence!"

Qianzhenzi sighed deeply and stood behind Liu Luoyin, saying, "Lüoyin, I have had a friendship with your father for hundreds of years. Tell us the truth, if there is injustice, we will go to The Tenth Peak for an explanation now!"

Liu Luoyin slowly lifted her head, and everyone then noticed that she had become very thin in just seven days. Her once plump face was now pale and gaunt, resembling a walking corpse.

Her gaze was fixed on Elder Hongzhuo, who was crying out for her father’s innocence, speaking convincingly as if she had seen her father being killed by someone.

Turning to Qianzhenzi, who was also a leader of the Three Sects and had once shared tea and conversations with her father, he was now looking at her with concern and care like an elder.

Then she glanced at Jiang Aotian, who was carrying a knife into the funeral parlor, observing the leaders of the major sects wandering in their own thoughts.

Finally, she looked at the disciples from The First Peak, who were not highly skilled and were crying with red eyes.

She moved her lips and finally spoke on the seventh day after her father’s death, but instead of looking at Qianzhenzi or Hongzhuo, she faced a young disciple from The First Peak and asked, "Ancestral Master Ye, has he arrived?"

The young disciple panicked and whispered, "Martial Uncle Liu, I am not sure…"

It seemed like it took all of Liu Luoyin’s strength to say that sentence. She swayed and almost fell, but Martial Sister Mengran quickly stood up and supported her.

Gripping Martial Sister Mengran’s sleeve tightly, with a pale face, she quietly begged, "Please, elder martial sister, go and ask Ancestral Master Ye."

Sister Mengran frowned and sighed softly, whispering, "Are you really going to believe the words of these outsiders?"

"Please, elder sister!" Liu Luoyin pleaded, tears filling her eyes that still held a hint of anger as she gazed at her, "I beg of you!"

Sister Mengran had no choice but to stand up, casting a glance at the unfriendly group of people, sighing, and heading towards The Tenth Peak.

Qianzhenzi discreetly exchanged glances with his group of people, and Jiang Aotian, who had been arguing with him all the way, now showed a strong desire for battle, unable to contain his excitement.

Yu Jianli, the head of the Yu family, stared emptily ahead, despite it being deep autumn, gently fanning himself with a jade bone fan, lost in his thoughts.

The Dharma Master Du Yuan of Tianyin Temple had long been kneeling on the ground, looking compassionately at the wooden-fish and chanting the sutras for the deceased.

The behavior of these people made Qianzhenzi very dissatisfied. They had agreed to come together to deal with Ye Shubai. Right now, justice was on their side, presenting them not only the opportunity to openly join forces to kill him, but also to gain control of the Qingliu Sword Sect. However, this group of people were unreliable, like scattered sand!

Just then, his gaze met with Wan family’s patriarch who was standing at the back. The patriarch looked back at him with a reassuring smile, appearing fully prepared and somewhat hesitant.

Qianzhenzi immediately felt reassured.

They didn’t wait long this time.

In the candlelight, a long shadow slowly walked from the outside to the main hall. The shadow of the wooden sword in his hand was long and swaying slightly, before landing at Qianzhenzi’s feet.

Surprisingly, a chill crept into his heart as he reached for his bag, feeling relieved to find the white jade still there.

Ye Shubai now only had a fragment of jade in his hand. Ouyang, that useless old man, was nearing the end of his lifespan. It was not surprising that he, who had only broken through to the Transmigration Stage with the help of the white jade, was killed. Today, the few of them joined hands, were they still afraid of a jade nascent soul breaking apart like Ye Shubai?

Qianzhenzi had unknowingly brought out the array plate and set up hundreds of powerful killing formations in secret.

Jiang Aotian narrowed his eyes, showing both surprise and excitement. He gripped the sword tightly, his body beginning to tremble uncontrollably.

Yu Jianli, who had been in a trance, slowly raised his head, gazing complexly at Ye Shubai. His hand holding the fan tightened, cracks gradually appearing on the jade fan bones.

The sound of the wooden fish, which had always been there, quietly disappeared at some point. Dharma Master Du Yuan of the Tianyin Temple stood up silently, his hands forming a mudra, his eyes downcast.

The patriarch of the Wan family, who stood at the back, suddenly shook with joy and relief that no one could detect. His knees almost buckled, nearly unable to resist kneeling down. However, he finally suppressed his excitement, only watching the person with faint tears in his eyes.

It’s him.

It’s really him, he’s back again!

The shadow was getting closer until the cold and aloof figure walked into the shop. Everyone then realized that he looked exactly the same as they remembered, without any changes at all.

Qianzhenzi’s expression suddenly became confused. He took a deep breath before sternly reprimanding –

"Ye Shubai! You have killed your fellow sect member. If you can’t explain yourself to the Qingliu Sword Sect today, I’m afraid the righteous path won’t be able to tolerate you!"

Ye Shubai remained silent, but another slender figure hidden behind him appeared.

With the same proud expression, Wen Yun held a pitch-black wooden stick and looked over with a sly smile.

She sarcastically remarked in a cold tone, "Who the righteous path can tolerate is not for you to decide, right? Do you have to meddle in Qingliu Sword Sect’s affairs? Island Master Qian, living by the sea suits you well!"