Chapter 69

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Chapter 69: How Could I Defect?

After Wen Yun greeted him warmly, Qianzhenzi raised his eyebrows in surprise and looked at her with a complicated expression.

He had a deep impression of this girl, after all, she was the mastermind who destroyed dozens of formations at Qianzhen Tower. Her amazing talent in formations made people both admire and resent her. The power of her sharp tongue was even more impressive than her skill in formations, which pleased the elders.

It’s a pity that she is Ye Shubai’s disciple.

With his thoughts and gaze back in place, Qianzhenzi calmly spoke, "This is not just a matter for the Qingliu Sword Sect, but a big issue for the entire righteous path. All the righteous cultivators are here to preserve the righteousness of our Four Realms and eliminate the corrupt practices of harming our own kind."

After speaking, he glanced at his teammates, but they still seemed distracted. Only the ancestor from the Wan family gave him a supportive look, which comforted Qianzhenzi.

Wen Yun found his elaborate speech boring and felt sleepy.

This theory was too strange, she thought that Qianzhenzi and his group had some strange ideas.

Everyone here was a cultivator in the cultivation world. Shouldn’t they rely on strength to speak? Why bother with these roundabout excuses and use them as a cover for their misdeeds?

Even Zhu Erchong and the younger generation knew that when there was a conflict, they should just fight directly. Why did Qianzhenzi and his group always try to abide by the rules of the mortal world to restrain themselves?

Wen Yun glanced at the disciples of The First Peak, tears welling up in their eyes. She noticed they were about to praise Qianzhenzi as a hero, but then they suddenly fell into self-reflection.

Even though everyone had embarked on the path of cultivation, their mindset was still at an ordinary level. It was no wonder that the Wan family’s story became popular in the cultivation world.

With a swift movement of his sword, Jiang Aotian walked boldly towards Liu Luoyin and called out loudly, "Luoyin, was your father killed by Ye Shubai? I am always ready to help. Just nod and I will seek justice for you today!"

Liu Luoyin stood with her head down, clutching her sleeve, looking slightly confused.

Elder Hongzhuo nudged her quietly, but seeing no response, he became anxious. He crawled in front of everyone, wailing and crying, "I overheard them planning to make Ye Shubai the sect leader yesterday. It is clear that our Sword Sect has been infiltrated! We must guard against traitors from within, as they are even more dangerous than demon cultivators!"

The Peak Lords were furious. They had never been bribed! However, Hongzhuo did not give them a chance to explain. He continued to confuse things in front of the disciples, saying, "The Liu family still has Luoyin among them, yet they are secretly plotting to seize power. It is pitiful that generations of the Liu family have served the Sword Sect, only to be harmed by traitors…"

"The Liu family… generations serving the Sword Sect." Liu Luoyin muttered softly, repeating the phrase as her eyes flickered.

This was the last sentence her father uttered before he passed away.

Before the words could fully leave her mouth, hot tears were already rolling down her cheeks.

When Liu Luoyin finally regained consciousness, the people around her all turned into kind and loving elders, urging her to point out Ye Shubai. The disciples of The First Peak also stared at her eagerly, waiting for her, their senior martial sister, to give an answer.

Wen Yun slightly raised her chin and looked indifferently at this ridiculous scene.

She was prepared for a fight. If Liu Luoyin tried to twist the truth and blame Ye Shubai in front of their fellow disciples, she didn’t mind doing all the bad things they accused him of.

Anyone who tried to blame her and Ye Shubai would have their head smashed in.

Little did she expect that after Liu Luoyin lifted her head again, she walked straight towards her and Ye Shubai.

Seeing her approaching, Qianzhenzi and Hongzhuo thought she was going to accuse Ye Shubai. They got excited, with Elder Hongzhuo urging her on, "Dear niece, quickly tell everyone what evil deeds he has done and how he killed your father!"

But the next moment, he was speechless.

Liu Luoyin stood in front of Ye Shubai, not angrily cursing as before, nor impulsively starting a fight.

Instead…

The knees bent, slowly kneeling down.

The dimness in her eyes turned into determination, and her slightly hoarse voice echoed inside and outside the hall—

"My father’s death has nothing to do with Ancestral Master Ye."

After a brief silence, someone exclaimed in frustration, "Niece Luo, you are so confused! He wants to take over as the head of your Liu family…"

Hearing Elder Hongzhuo’s reprimand behind her, Liu Luoyin’s slender shoulders straightened gradually. She said word by word, "I asked all the Peak Lords to come forward to request Ancestral Master Ye to take over as the head of our sect."

The whole room fell silent, and even Qianzhenzi and the disciples of The First Peak were astonished.

Someone objected quietly, "Martial Sister Liu, what are you doing!"

"We only recognize elder martial sister!"

Liu Luoyin turned to look at her fellow disciples from The First Peak, then turned back with a solemn expression. She bowed deeply and said, "I am incompetent. I know I cannot protect the sect. I only hope that Ancestral Master Ye will take over as the head of our Qingliu Sword Sect to guard it."

After a few days, she no longer had her previous proud look on her face. She knelt there silently, as if carrying the weight of The First Peak on her back, looking heavy and solemn.

She was never stupid, but because she had her father’s protection above her and the Qingliu Sword Sect behind her, she behaved arrogantly. However, this behavior made others think she was foolish, taking advantage of her young age and wanting to control the Qingliu Sword Sect by manipulating her.

Liu Luoyin knew that the survival of the sect was more important than being the sect leader. What use is being the sect leader if the sect itself doesn’t survive? She lamented that Elder Hongzhuo had lived for hundreds of years but still didn’t understand things as clearly as she did at twenty.

The Liu family had served the sect for generations, and she was also a part of the Liu family.

The young girl bowed deeply, then stood up straight, offering a token with both hands.

"Please, Ancestral Master Ye, accept this Sect Leader Token!"

There was no response from anyone in front or behind her.

Liu Luoyin’s eyes were filled with sadness. She raised her voice, almost shouting, "Please, Ancestral Master Ye, accept this Sect Leader Token!"

Zhu Erchong, as one of the direct disciples, was the first to realize and shout along. The disciples of The First Peak looked at each other, then at Liu Luoyin’s figure. Their voices were hesitant at first but eventually merged into one voice.

"Please accept the Sect Leader Token, Ancestral Master Ye!"

Finally, the cold man reached out his hand, took the token, and said softly, "Get up, I will return it to you when you reach the Nascent Soul Stage in the future."

Liu Luoyin felt a weight lifted off his shoulders. He didn’t want to verify the truth of Ye Shubai’s words, only knowing that he had protected the Qingliu Sword Sect this time, kneeling silently on the side.

Elder Hongzhuo was dumbfounded. Liu Luoyin’s begging and kneeling made him look like a clown, truly laughable.

What’s even worse is, if Ye Shubai really becomes the sect leader, not to mention the position of a senior elder on the stage, he wouldn’t even be able to stay in the Qingliu Sword Sect!

Feeling panicked, he subconsciously looked up at Qianzhenzi. However, Qianzhenzi didn’t even bother to look at him, his gaze filled with hostility as he stared at Ye Shubai.

After a while, Qianzhenzi calmed down and sternly said, "Congratulations to Taoist Friend Ye for taking on the position of sect leader. As the head of the sect, you may need to consider the sect’s interests. With the recent turmoil caused by demon cultivators, when will Taoist Friend Ye discuss with us about jointly resisting them?"

He brought up the matter of demon cultivators again, saying in a slow manner, "My Blizzard Island is close to the outer sea and has always been the first line of defense against demon cultivators…"

Jiang Aotian understood and spoke straightforwardly, unlike Qianzhenzi, "If the demon cultivators attack, let’s put aside past grievances for now. We can discuss them after dealing with the demon cultivators!"

They were many people, with five powerful Transmigration experts present, so they were not afraid of ending up like Elder Ouyang.

Ye Shubai remained calm, facing the commotion as if he was detached from it all, until he calmly asked, "So, why have you all come here?"

When he asked this, Qianzhenzi’s demeanor turned grim, and he sneered, "Of course, we’re here to offer our condolences."

If Ye Shubai was willing to overlook past events, they were here to offer condolences for Liu Zhengxu.

If he insisted on dwelling on past events, then they were here to offer condolences for Ye Shubai!

"Condolences?" Ye Shubai repeated the word, then said casually, "Then you should kneel down and pay respects properly."

Wen Yun looked at Ye Shubai in disbelief, wondering what was going on. How did their usually obedient sword spirit learn to be so clever and sarcastic? Who taught him to be so cunning?

Qianzhenzi was taken aback by Ye Shubai’s words, his expression momentarily stunned before he loudly declared, "Such arrogance! It seems you are not a righteous person. Fellow cultivators, today let us follow the will of heaven and rid the cultivation world of this great menace!"

Wen Yun thought to herself, "If using moral authority doesn’t work, they will resort to direct action."

In the world of cultivation, strength is most important. Just like 500 years ago, the strongest will make history.

There is no such thing as following the ways of nature. It’s all about the strong preying on the weak.

"I spare your life because I know cultivation is tough. The Qingliu Sword Sect is under your tyranny, Ye Shubai. Prepare to die!"

As the words were spoken, Qianzhenzi swiftly threw dozens of talismans into the air. He moved like a ghost, manipulating a formation disk in his hand. The First Peak was enveloped in the formation.

Beside him, Jiang Aotian couldn’t hold back any longer. At the first sound of battle, his face lit up with excitement. He tightly gripped his large sword and swung it towards Ye Shubai.

Employing the Jiang family’s sword technique, each strike was more powerful than the last!

Blizzard Island had mastered formations to the extreme. When Qianzhenzi unleashed his killing formation, the lower-cultivation disciples felt a heavy pressure, as if a mountain was bearing down on them. Meanwhile, Jiang Aotian’s sword energy rampaged through the hall, shattering pillars and beams into sharp fragments that mercilessly attacked those below.

Many younger martial sisters who hadn’t reached the Golden Core Stage vomited blood and fell into unconsciousness, their lives hanging by a thread.

Liu Luoyin felt a pang in her heart. She wanted to help her fellow disciples, but she was too busy dealing with her own struggles to spare any energy for them.

Just then, after staying silent for a long time, Wen Yun stepped forward like a ghost, hugging Liu Luoyin with one hand and swiftly pointing the burning stick in her other hand at several spots in the air. Suddenly, some golden lights appeared from the tip of her stick, and the intense pressure that was almost suffocating eased off instantly.

Wen Yun pushed Liu Luoyin to a safe place and saw her still standing there, frowning, "Hurry and take your younger martial sister down the mountain!"

The Peak Lord and elders on each peak had already reacted, each protecting a group of disciples and fleeing outward.

Qianzhenzi sneered and didn’t bother with these ordinary disciples, still pretending to be fierce, "Fellow Daoists, you have mistaken and harmed the innocent, only kill the traitor Ye!"

As he spoke, he unleashed several ruthless killing formations.

"You are already injured! Quit pretending!"

Wen Yun scolded sharply, casting a acceleration spell on herself, quickly deciphering the formations that Qianzhenzi had thrown.

Qianzhenzi had intended to focus on Ye Shubai, but was unexpectedly overwhelmed by Wen Yun. Every time he set up a killing formation, the young girl effortlessly neutralized it.

In the battle of formations, he found himself at a disadvantage, realizing the terrifying strength of this opponent. Was it possible that someone in the world was stronger in formations than him?

"Girl, who taught you your martial arts?"

Wen Yun smiled proudly and said, "I learned by myself, why would I need anyone’s teaching?"

As soon as this girl opened her mouth, Qianzhenzi regretted talking to her as it made him want to throw up.

Seeing himself being held back by Wen Yun at the moment, and Jiang Aotian and Ye Shubai’s fight also not going well, Qianzhenzi angrily shouted at the three behind him, "If you still don’t act now, are you waiting to be killed?"

Dharma Master Du Yuan, who was chanting, paused for a moment but did not look up. He continued chanting the scriptures faster, and the wooden fish was struck more quickly, acting like he hadn’t heard Qianzhenzi’s words.

Qianzhenzi’s face darkened, and he urged, "Du Yuan, do you think he will spare you if you don’t fight back? He even killed his fellow disciple Ouyang. The next one to have their abdomen cut open and baby dug out will be you!"

Dharma Master Du Yuan showed a compassionate smile on his face, sighed softly, and reflected on himself, "Indeed, as the Buddha says, turning back is the shore. In my past, I committed heavy sins. To save my master, I had evil thoughts and took the jade nascent soul from Sir Yie. However, my master chose death over using this item. Before passing away, he instructed me to keep the jade nascent soul safe and return it intact when he returned."

He raised his head, bowed, and said slowly, "Half a month ago, I returned the jade nascent soul to its original owner at Qingliu Sword Sect."

After speaking, Dharma Master Du Yuan lowered his head again, as if in deep concentration, and continued to chant the scriptures with the wooden fish, ignoring the fighting in the hall, remaining unmoved.

Qianzhenzi suddenly felt a sharp pain in his head, as if someone had stabbed him in the back.

When Jiang Aotian heard this, he angrily cursed and attacked Ye Shubai with a big knife, shouting for help from his friends.

Yu Jianli tightened his folding fan in his hand, looked at Ye Shubai, and hesitantly asked if Taoist Friend Ye really saved Qing Hong as rumored.

While Ye Shubai was dueling with Jiang Aotian, Wen Yun calmly replied that she had control over his spirit.

Jiang Aotian was getting tired and frustrated that none of his teammates were helping him, cursing at Yu Jianli for not stepping in, threatening to harm his son, and questioning his abilities.

Yu Jianli remained silent, took out a jade nascent soul, and offered it to Taoist Friend Ye as a plea for saving his son Qing Hong.

Seeing Yu Jianli’s actions, Jiang Aotian realized Yu Jianli’s strategy and angrily accused him of being deceptive.

Jiang Aotian threw the jade nascent soul towards Ye Shubai and retreated to the sidelines, choosing to watch the events unfold silently.

The fragment flew towards Ye Shubai and glowed brightly as it merged into his body.

Ye Shubai’s spiritual power rose to another level!

Jiang Aotian, who was already struggling, felt even more pressure. Despite his superior cultivation compared to Elder Ouyang, he was increasingly powerless against Ye Shubai.

Qianzhenzi was shocked by this sudden change, causing him to slow down his formation technique and vomit blood onto the formation plate.

He never expected things to evolve like this.

Under his plan, the five powerful Transmigration experts were supposed to easily defeat Ye Shubai, but during the great battle, the two of them turned the tables!

His eyes turned cold like ice as he shouted, "Wan, are you also going to betray me, my friend?"

"I am loyal at heart, why would I betray you?" The ancestor of the Wan family roared like thunder, unexpectedly producing a golden abacus in his hand and laughing as he flew towards Qianzhenzi.

The golden abacus was the Wan family’s treasure, rumored to have been crafted over a thousand years with the combined power of numerous treasures. Each bead could transform into a mountain, and despite being sparingly used, Wan was willing to bring it out, indicating lethal intent!

Feeling relieved, Qianzhenzi saw Wan present this treasured item and. Determined, Qianzhenzi gritted his teeth and brought out all his valuable Transmigration Realm talismans, ready to fight to the death!

He shouted sharply, "I’m keeping this girl, you go help Jiang quickly—ah!"

He didn’t even wait for the time to finish saying this sentence.

Qianzhenzi’s body shook, feeling like a huge mountain was pressing down on his back, crushing his insides.

Before he could react, another heavy force hit him, making it impossible for him to even stand, and he cried out as he fell to the ground.

Qianzhenzi lay on the ground, watching helplessly as his formation plate fell to the ground, and then saw another golden pearl fall before his eyes, smashing the plate to pieces.

His mouth was wide open, breathing heavily like a stray dog, tears of blood streaming from his eyes as he stared in disbelief at the person holding the golden abacus.

Wan family patriarch shot three counting beads in a row before stopping. First, he smiled kindly at Wen Yun, and then slowly turned towards Qianzhenzi.

"I’ve said it." The smile on Wan family patriarch’s face had disappeared at some point, and he looked coldly at Qianzhenzi, repeating the words again—

"My heart is sincere, how could I betray?"

Qianzhenzi’s vision darkened.

Meanwhile, Jiang Aotian was struck back by Ye Shubai’s sword, piercing through his lower abdomen, shattering his essence and soul, and leaving behind a tiny piece of his soul.

Jiang Aotian’s cries echoed through the sky.

He used to be the most powerful cultivator in the Four Continents, and Qianzhenzi was disdainful yet afraid to confront him.

Now, as his essence and soul shattered, his spiritual power poured out uncontrollably like a tidal wave, slipping through his grasp despite his struggles, only to dissipate into the world before his eyes.

Jiang Aotian, with anger in his eyes, looked up as wisps of white mist rose before him.

The cultivation he took pride in, the martial arts pinnacle he pursued all his life, the path to ascension he dreamt of.

From the peak of Transmigration, Jiang Aotian plummeted to the initial stage, then to Soul Changing Stage, Nascent Soul Stage, Golden Core Stage, and ultimately to Foundation Establishment Stage, slowing down only when he reached the latter.

His life felt like a dream, trapped in a slumber, unwilling to wake, holding onto his sword though now unable to lift it.

Jiang Aotian held his bleeding belly, muttering something about "ascending" and "world’s best," looking as if he had gone crazy.

Ye Shubai put down his sword, and Wen Yun did the same with her staff, silently watching the two below.

One person was severely wounded and dying, the other had lost all their cultivation abilities, yet both seemed to be acting crazily.

The Wan family ancestor suddenly turned to look at Ye Shubai, bowed deeply, and said, "Taoist Friend Ye, these two can’t cause any more trouble. Would you be willing to spare their lives for my sake?"

Before Ye Shubai could reply, Wen Yun met the Wan family ancestor’s gaze and seemed to understand something.

She nodded and said, "Of course, you know his kind heart. Let’s give these two a break."

The Wan family ancestor thanked her, using spiritual power to take the two individuals outside the Qingliu Sword Sect gate.

He sighed sadly, "The condolences are over, you two should go back. I know Ye Shubai is powerful, and I’m sorry I had to embarrass you. Thankfully, he’s willing to spare you for my sake. How fortunate."

Qianzhenzi’s face turned pale as a sheet, struggling to stand, glaring at the Wan family ancestor but remaining silent.

Only at the Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation level, Jiang Aotian chuckled and muttered nonsense like "ascension," "white jade," and "the best in the world."

Unable to lift the large sword, he wandered around searching. The Wan family ancestor showed pity and took out a slightly lighter sword from the space bag to give to him.

The kind old man said gently, "Friend, practice well. With good luck, you can surely regain the top position."

After saying that, he bowed to the two of them and prepared to leave.

Before he turned around, as if remembering something, he comforted without looking back.

"It seems that Taoist Friend Qian’s white jade hasn’t been taken back yet. With that treasure, I believe he will soon recover his cultivation level."

Upon hearing this, Qianzhenzi felt a chill down his spine.

He suddenly turned around, only to see Jiang Aotian holding the sword, with eyes red, swinging it towards him.

*

The ancestor of the Wan family returned quickly.

Wen Yun glanced at him, the old man had a big smile on his face, winked at her discreetly, and she understood. She slowly put down the fire stick in her hand.

The ancestor of the Wan family took a step forward, seeing everyone in the hall looking at him. He shook his head and sighed with emotion.

"I knew that Blizzard Island and the Jiang family were not on good terms, but I didn’t expect their grudge to run so deep. Perhaps there was a conflict during the mourning earlier, leading to the two fighting to the death outside the Sword Sect…"

The old man looked sad and spoke with a heavy and regretful tone as he uttered the final sentence—

"…both met their demise."