“You damn brats, you’ve got your eyes on this money, haven’t you?”
The masks were off, and no amount of talking would change things. Li Lianqing wouldn’t back down an inch.
“Even if it angers the White Emperor Sword Sect, I’ll kill you all! You won’t lay a finger on these hundred thousand Spiritual Stones!”
“Demonic heretics, die!” Zhao Hu roared. The thought of defeating these Demonic Path cultivators and claiming the hundred thousand Spiritual Stones filled him with energy.
The other disciples of the White Emperor Sword Sect’s eyes also turned greedy. They summoned their Magical Treasures and weapons and engaged the group from the Soul Refining Sect in a magical duel.
Neither side held back, unleashing the killing moves they had diligently learned.
The sky filled with streams of five-colored light, and the clanging of metal against metal was incessant.
Every move was a fatal strike.
Zhou Bujue watched from the side, his gaze fixed on Luo Song’s every move.
“Bah, the White Emperor Sword Sect claims to be the pillar of the righteous path, but you’re no different from the Demonic Path, killing and looting!” Li Lianqing sneered.
“Shut up, heretics! You commit wicked deeds, and everyone has the right to eliminate you! Stop trying to justify yourselves!” Zhao Hu retorted.
“Youngster, you’re not qualified to lecture me!”
Li Lianqing unleashed his sorcery, and a gust of chilling wind swept across the ground. Wandering ghosts were forcibly absorbed into his Magical Treasure, the Luo Sheng Furnace.
Under Li Lianqing’s Great Soul Refining Technique, lonely spirits were forcibly infused with malevolent energy and refined into ferocious ghosts.
“You’re doing such cruel things? This is the Great Soul Refining Technique! You’re from the Soul Refining Sect!!” Yu Xin recognized it.
“So what if you recognize it? If we kill you all, no one will know it was the Soul Refining Sect!”
The ferocious ghosts flew out of the Luo Sheng Furnace, surrounding the disciples of the White Emperor Sword Sect.
The ferocious ghosts moved with the wind, making them difficult to catch. The disciples of the White Emperor Sword Sect couldn’t cut them down and were entangled.
“Luo Song, kill them all, show no mercy!”
“Ahhh!”
At Li Lianqing’s command, Luo Song’s body visibly grew several times larger, revealing his true strength.
With a single punch, the gust of wind from his fist sent the White Emperor Sword Sect disciples’ Magical Treasures flying, clattering to the ground.
“He… he’s actually a Nascent Soul realm expert,” Zhao Hu said, his face ashen. “I’m only at the fourth layer of the Foundation Establishment Realm. There’s no way I can defeat him.”
Apart from Zhou Bujue, the others were all at the Foundation Establishment Realm or lower, with no hope at all.
Seeing Luo Song charging at them like a beast, Zhao Hu’s mind collapsed. “Senior Brother, save me!”
“Heavenly Extreme Star Washing Sword.”
The long sword on Zhou Bujue’s back was unsheathed, and a dazzling burst of light erupted, turning the dark night into day for a few brief seconds.
The exquisite young man, riding the wind, held his sword and, with a majestic presence, appeared before Luo Song.
“Star-Plucking Sword Art, Sweeping Sword Style!”
The Heavenly Extreme Star Washing Sword let out a clear ringing sound, unleashing a powerful wave of Sword Qi that wrapped around Luo Song’s fist, moving along his arm and tearing flesh and skin.
“Zhou Bujue, at the ninth layer of the Golden Core Realm, is evenly matched with a Nascent Soul realm Corpse Puppet,” Li Lianqing said, his jaw agape. “The Chief Disciple of the White Emperor Sword Sect actually possesses such profound cultivation!”
“Senior Brother has finally made his move!” Yu Xin’er exclaimed with joy. “That’s the supreme Magical Treasure Spirit Sword Senior Brother obtained from the True Immortal’s cave dwelling in the Extreme Northern Abyss; seeing it today is truly awe-inspiring!”
On Qixia Isle, there weren’t many True Immortals who had achieved ascension. To this day, only a few cultivators could name them.
In the distant past, Star-Plucking, who had once boasted of washing the heavens with his sword, was one of them.
Zhou Bujue, due to his immense fortune, not only survived the desperate situation but also inherited the legacy of a True Immortal, gaining the cultivation techniques and martial arts of a peak Sword Cultivator.
“So this is the peerless genius at the half-step Nascent Soul Realm…” Zhao Hu’s eyes revealed his unwillingness and jealousy.
Wielding an Immortal Grade Spirit Sword and using techniques created by an Immortal Venerable, Luo Song, a mere Corpse Puppet, was no match.
After nearly thirty rounds of combat, Luo Song was no match for Zhou Bujue and was defeated, crashing to the ground.
The Soul Refining Sect had lost all its trump cards. In the eyes of the white-robed Zhou Bujue, Li Lianqing’s gaze was filled with despair.
The ferocious ghosts he had refined couldn’t even get close; they were all shattered by the protecting Sword Qi of the Heavenly Extreme Star Washing Sword.
“Star-Plucking Sword Art, Falling Star Style.”
Zhou Bujue tossed the Heavenly Extreme Star Washing Sword into the air. A sword beam descended from the heavens, penetrating Li Lianqing’s spiritual cap.
“I’m not reconciled! To kill a heart with a blade…”
Li Lianqing’s eyes teared up with humiliation as his life was extinguished by the bestowed strike.
Seeing this, the others from the Soul Refining Sect dared not continue fighting and scattered like rats.
“Dao Ancestor, spare us, we were forced!” “It has nothing to do with me!” “I was brought into the Soul Refining Sect!”
“None of you will escape! Demonic Path, pay the price you deserve!”
Zhou Bujue sneered coldly and killed them all without mercy, disregarding their pleas.
For thousands of years on Qixia Isle, the clashes between the righteous and demonic paths were thus cruel; neither side could tolerate the other.
“Senior Brother, they were all begging for mercy just now, is it really okay to strike like this…”
Yu Xin’er looked at the corpses with some confusion.
“Junior Sister Yu, you must remember that the law on Qixia Isle has always been that strength is paramount,” Zhou Bujue said, flicking the blood off his sword. “Whether it’s the righteous path or the demonic path, without sufficient strength, this is the fate that awaits.”
“Yes, alright, I’ll listen to everything Senior Brother says!” Yu Xin’er nodded.
“To make me use the Heavenly Extreme Star Washing Sword, the opponents were indeed quite capable.”
“What about the things below?” Yu Xin’er asked.
“Since these are the spoils of the Soul Refining Sect, it’s only proper for the White Emperor Sword Sect to take custody of them and present them to the Sect Master for deliberation,” Zhou Bujue replied, giving everyone an answer that excited them.
They all understood what Zhou Bujue meant.
The strong preyed on the weak, killing for treasure. The righteous path didn’t object to such actions, but it had to be done in a legitimate manner.
“Senior Brother, besides the hundred thousand Spiritual Stones, there are also ten Marrow Cleansing Elixirs! The rewards are abundant!” Yu Xin’er went down to inspect and discovered this pleasant surprise.
Even Zhou Bujue was surprised and commented with a smile, “This training expedition has truly made us rich…”
…
Ling Xiaoxing fled outside Shuiyun Town and was shocked by the fierce evil formation, which was beyond her comprehension.
However, she couldn’t leave directly and continued to wait for Ye Changsheng.
“Senior Sister Xiaoxing, I’m back.”
“Wuxiao!!” Ling Xiaoxing emerged from her hiding spot and saw Ye Changsheng.
“That’s great, you’re okay! I thought you were going to be…” Ling Xiaoxing choked up.
“How could that be? I’m best at running away. However, those hundred thousand Spiritual Stones have already been—”
“It’s okay, it’s okay, as long as you’re safe.” Ling Xiaoxing shook her head.
Ye Changsheng was silent for a moment.
“Senior Sister Xiaoxing, our crisis is not over yet. If the mission fails, our fate will be no different from death.”
“…I know.”
Ling Xiaoxing lowered her head in dejection.
Having lost a hundred thousand Spiritual Stones, the Wuhua Palace would surely hold them both accountable, and neither would survive.
“I followed those mysterious people just now and discovered they were from the Soul Refining Sect. Later, the White Emperor Sword Sect suddenly appeared, and Zhou Bujue seemed to have a dispute with them. I thought this was an opportunity.”
“What do you plan to do!”
Ling Xiaoxing suddenly realized Ye Changsheng intended to do something dangerous. She hugged him, desperately trying to stop him.
“Don’t do anything foolish. You’re no match for them. Going to them is just seeking death!”
“How will we know if we don’t try? If we just run away like this, Senior Sister Xiaoxing and I will still die when we return.”
Ye Changsheng also hugged Ling Xiaoxing, but not for an embrace. Instead, he pressed acupuncture points on her back.
“Wuxiao, you, you can’t… it’s all my… responsibility… I’ll… bear it all…”
“You must be tired from the fight, Senior Sister Xiaoxing. Sleep for a while.”
“…”
Ling Xiaoxing closed her eyes and fell asleep.
Ye Changsheng placed her in the grass, concealed her, and set up a talisman to ward off monsters and beasts.
On the youth, his tone and expression had drastically changed.
“Ling Xiaoxing, from the very beginning, you were dragged into this.”
“If you hadn’t approached me, Luo Lihong wouldn’t have targeted you. This is also my responsibility.”
“Consider it for you, I’ll be a little serious this time.”
