Chapter 258: Chapter 169: Leaving After the Deed Is Done
He hadn’t even finished speaking before the Cloud Dragon and Wind Tiger pounced.
"Pah, worthless trash!" Lü Zhong spat a wad of bloody phlegm as he stared at the mangled heap of flesh and blood.
’He truly admired that old Daoist and the Daoist Nun.’
’They had fought to the death, their only thought for the good of their Sect, and they were willing to give their lives for it.’
’If they knew the one they’d protected to the very end was such a life-clinging, death-fearing coward, they’d be so furious they’d probably leap out of the Yellow Springs.’
THUD. The Flying Ship crashed to the ground.
Lü Zhong lay sprawled on the ground, panting heavily.
’Whatever the process, he had won in the end.’
As he thought of this, a smile spread across his blood-smeared face.
...
Above the Chenyuan Palace Secret Realm, the sky-piercing pillar of light first weakened, then completely disappeared.
This meant that the Secret Realm, open for a month, was finally closing.
In the sky, streaks of light shot out in all directions.
Each streak of light enveloped a cultivator. After exiting the Chenyuan Palace Secret Realm, they could ride the lingering waves from the dissipating pillar of light to fly thousands of miles away with ease. The Medicine King Immortal Sect had originally intended this to spare their low-level disciples the hardship of travel, but it had now become an excellent way for everyone to avoid ambushes.
However, not everyone chose to take the opportunity to escape into the distance.
At the entrance to the Secret Realm, figures appeared one after another, all having been teleported out.
They were all scarred to varying degrees, evidence of the hard-fought battles within. Exhaustion was etched on every face. As they reached the areas designated for their respective Sects, they immediately sat cross-legged to meditate and regulate their breathing. It was also a chance to let their frayed nerves unwind, lest they snap completely.
This process continued for several minutes before the vortex at the Secret Realm’s entrance dissipated, signifying the complete closure of the Chenyuan Palace Secret Realm.
Anyone who hadn’t emerged by now would be trapped inside forever.
The expressions of many people changed. Some suddenly lost all strength and collapsed, their faces masks of dejection. Others could no longer hold back their tears and began to wail. And some, having confirmed what they needed to, let out a sigh of relief.
Meanwhile, two factions were facing off.
The Elders of the Lingyue Sect’s Seven Peaks and the senior masters of Huayi Temple were all gathered. Each was a Golden Core Master, and the atmosphere was explosive, with a fight seemingly imminent.
But in the end, held back by their own concerns, they separated.
Chen Yu, Peak Master of the Lingyue Sect’s Shenxiu Peak, suddenly broke into a smile. He cupped his fist to the white-haired Daoist across from him. "Fellow Daoist Yu Yang," he said, "to fail when success was just within your grasp... What are you feeling right now?"
With the opening of Chenyuan Palace this time, both Sects had set their sights on the same Spiritual Object.
Both sides had schemed for a long time, and after a fierce contest, the object had ultimately fallen into the hands of the Lingyue Sect. They owed it all to two Foundation Establishment Disciples, really. If not for their unexpected feat of repelling Li Wuzhen, one of the Seven Sons of Huayi, the outcome would likely have been entirely different.
That Spiritual Object was of utmost importance; with it, the Lingyue Sect could very well produce another Nascent Soul True Monarch. ’So, Chen Yu had already made up his mind. Once he returned to the Sect, he would ask Master Feng to reward these two disciples for their merit, bestowing upon each of them a Core Formation Spiritual Object to commend their great service.’
Across from him, the white-haired Yuu Yang sighed, seeming to age several years in an instant.
’Man proposes, God disposes. He had never anticipated this turn of events with Li Wuzhen. Who could have imagined that one of the great Seven Sons of Huayi would be defeated by a Loose Cultivator of unknown origin? Even if the defeat wasn’t exactly honorable, the fact remained that Li Wuzhen had failed. It was enough to make one lament the capricious nature of fate.’
’One misstep had unraveled everything, causing his meticulous plans to come to naught.’
"Sigh... Yuu Yang, Yuu Yao, let’s head back."
But just then, Yuu Yang froze.
At the same time, the color drained from Chen Yu’s face. He spun around and thrust out with a long, cyan sword. His target was a figure that had appeared from nowhere behind the Minxiu Peak Master.
The figure wore the robes of a Lingyue Sect disciple, yet their aura far surpassed that of the Seven Peaks Masters.
It was a face full of contradictions. Though the face was delicate and pure, it radiated a sinister cruelty possessed only by the most ancient fiends. A circle of blood-red flames had already ignited around their left hand as it shot straight for the Minxiu Peak Master’s Dantian.
The Minxiu Peak Master started in shock. Her first instinct was not self-preservation, but to shield the Storage Bag at her waist.
The Spiritual Object inside was of critical importance: a Nascent Soul Spirit Crystal that could increase one’s chances of reaching Nascent Soul Formation by a full ten percent.
SQUELCH. A slender arm pierced through her abdomen. When it emerged, a golden orb rested on the fingertips.
This was her Golden Core.
"You—!" The Minxiu Peak Master’s face was a mask of disbelief. ’How could my Protective Gang Qi be shattered in a single strike?’
A moment later, a sharp pain exploded in her head, and her world went dark.
The sudden, violent turn of events stunned everyone present.
No one could have imagined that a Golden Core Master at the Mid-stage of Core Formation would perish so suddenly!
Li Qionghua watched the charging Chen Yu, a mocking smile plastered on her face.
She then summoned the Storage Bag into her hand.
Her figure slowly dissipated, leaving one final sentence hanging in the air.
"The hatred from the slaughter of my kin and the destruction of my sect is a blood feud that cannot be reconciled! Go tell Feng Junling to wash his neck and wait for me! I, Li Qionghua, hereby swear an oath! I will not rest until I have utterly destroyed the Lingyue Daoist Lineage in this lifetime!"
Most of the Lingyue Sect cultivators were baffled by her words.
However, the more astute among them gleaned some meaning from the name "Qionghua."
Hearing this, however, the faces of the Seven Peaks’ Masters changed dramatically.
"This is bad! She tampered with the Golden Core!" Chen Yu stared at the Minxiu Peak Master’s Golden Core on the ground as if he’d seen something horrific. Without a second thought, he summoned a Magical Treasure to protect himself.
The spectating Daoists of Huayi Temple also turned pale.
