Chapter 203: Chapter 201: Teasing the Celestial Embracing Realm
Ye Qianyu’s face changed abruptly. A look of shame and anger crossed her features as she demanded furiously, "Eldest Junior Sister, what is the meaning of this? What right do you have to say that about me?"
"Oh? You don’t like hearing it? Hmph. I wonder who it was, all those years ago, who was ready to live or die for some man. A pity she wasn’t as determined as this little slut, who’s willing to die to run off with her wild man!" The old woman’s triangular eyes glinted with scornful mockery as she stared at Ye Qianyu. "What, am I wrong?"
"You shameless old hag, where did you crawl out from? Is that equally shameless bitch on the ground your apprentice? Heh, it’s true what they say: a crooked beam at the top makes for a crooked house below. Like master, like apprentice!"
Qin Li’s face held the same nonchalant, cold smirk.
Even though Ye Qianyu found Qin Li incredibly detestable, she couldn’t help but secretly praise him. ’Well said!’
"Courting death!"
The gray-robed old woman narrowed her eyes, and a powerful aura pressed down fiercely on Qin Li.
But Ye Qianyu’s body flashed like lightning, moving to block the old woman.
BANG!
A loud crash echoed through the air, followed by a massive surge of energy!
The gray-robed old woman hadn’t moved an inch, but Ye Qianyu was forced back more than twenty steps, her face instantly turning pale.
"Little Junior Sister, what do you think you’re doing? I’m teaching a lesson to a brat who dared to bully a member of our Four Seasons Sect. Why are you stopping me?" The gray-robed old woman sneered at Ye Qianyu and added, "Could it be that my guess was right? You’ve taken a liking to this boy?"
"You... What nonsense are you spouting!"
Ye Qianyu’s face was ashen with anger. She said, "I already promised to let them leave! And in return, our Four Seasons Sect received two hundred Jade Dew Pills! As for Luan Yu, she was the one who attacked first! If she hadn’t been so reckless, how would things have ended up like this?"
"Oh? So according to you... not only is this little beast not at fault, he has actually done a service for the Four Seasons Sect?" the gray-robed old woman said in a sardonic tone.
Ye Qianyu said faintly, "Eldest Junior Sister, this young man is a disciple of the Qin Family from Fengsha City. Do you think the Qin Family will simply accept it if you kill him?"
"The Qin Family?"
The gray-robed old woman was slightly taken aback. Someone had just secretly run to inform her while she was in seclusion, but some details had been left out. She hadn’t expected the boy to actually be a disciple of the Fengsha City’s Qin Family. She cursed inwardly: ’Didn’t they say Shangguan Shiyu’s sweetheart was just an ordinary commoner?’
At this point, Ye Qianyu couldn’t afford to worry about anything else. If her Eldest Junior Sister really killed Qin Li in a fit of rage, the Four Seasons Valley and the Qin Family would inevitably have a falling out. The Qin Family would certainly not let her Eldest Junior Sister go. If a conflict broke out between the two families, a mutually destructive outcome was almost guaranteed.
"Hmph, so what if he’s from the Qin Family? Does that mean we just let the matter of him injuring my apprentice slide?" The old woman’s triangular eyes glinted menacingly as she scanned Qin Li. After a moment of thought, as if having made a decision, she said, "Boy, since it has come to this, I won’t make things too difficult for you. Cripple one of your own arms, and I’ll let you go today! Otherwise... I don’t care if you’re from the Qin Family or any other family, I won’t let you off!"
"Eldest Junior Sister, don’t go too far! This matter must be left to the Sect Leader to decide!" Ye Qianyu wasn’t trying to help Qin Li; she was considering things purely from the perspective of the Four Seasons Sect’s interests.
But the old woman clearly didn’t see it that way. She sneered, "The Sect Leader? The Sect Leader is in seclusion! Why would he bother with such a trivial matter? Little Junior Sister, don’t tell me you’ve been swayed by worldly desires again?"
"Eldest Junior Sister, if you continue to spout nonsense, I will definitely report this to the Sect Leader!" Ye Qianyu was so angry she was practically fuming. Her Eldest Junior Sister was already over one hundred and forty years old, had never married, and possessed a perverse and irritable temperament. Her methods were sinister and cruel; anyone who crossed her rarely met a good end.
Over a hundred years ago, Ye Qianyu had been about the same age as Shangguan Shiyu was today. She had fallen in love with a disciple from a Small Sect on Profound Island. The disciple was of a similar age to Ye Qianyu, and it was love at first sight for them both.
Just as that disciple was about to leave with Ye Qianyu, the Eldest Junior Sister at the time—the very same old woman before them—had acted just as Shangguan Shiyu’s Eldest Junior Sister, Luan Yu, had today. She intervened and attacked, breaking the couple apart. She beat the male disciple from the Small Sect until he was severely injured. If Ye Qianyu hadn’t protected him with her life, her Eldest Junior Sister would have beaten the young man to death!
Afterward, the young man dragged his heavily injured body away from the Four Seasons Sect. As he left, he swore that sooner or later, he would return for revenge. But a hundred years had passed, and that young man had never appeared again.
Ye Qianyu went from hopeful anticipation, thinking of him day and night, to gradually growing accustomed to his absence. Eventually, she began to develop a strong aversion to men, believing that all men in the world were liars!
’Thinking back on it now, if Eldest Junior Sister hadn’t interfered and broken us up, how could I, Ye Qianyu, have ended up spending my life alone, growing old in self-pity and regret, wasting my best years?’
"Report to the Sect Leader? Be my guest!" the old woman sneered. She then pointed a finger at Qin Li and said grimly, "Little beast, aren’t you going to do it? Or are you waiting for this old woman to help you?"
"Old hag, I’m a bit squeamish. Why don’t you help me!"
Before Qin Li’s voice had even faded, the old woman’s figure flashed. At the same time, a tremendous aura mixed with the pressure of Primordial Power crashed down on him!
"You’re asking to die!"
The old woman’s hands were as withered as eagle’s claws. She lunged, grabbing for the shoulder of Qin Li’s right arm. She’d said to cripple one arm, but she was actually aiming to ruin his sword arm—a clear sign of her vicious intentions!
This old woman had reached the early stage of the Celestial Embracing Realm. If she were facing an ordinary Martial Artist at the Celestial Shattering Realm, she wouldn’t even need to attack personally. Her aura and pressure alone would be enough to force her opponent to their knees, bowing their head in submission!
But unexpectedly, her aura and pressure had no effect on the young man. The old woman was indeed a little surprised, but it wasn’t unheard of for disciples of large clans to carry a treasure or two that could resist spiritual pressure.
’Since you’re courting death, this old woman will grant your wish!’
"Stop!"
Ye Qianyu shouted, but how could her speed be faster than a Celestial Embracing Realm Martial Artist’s? Ye Qianyu lamented inwardly. ’It’s over,’ she thought. ’From now on, the Four Seasons Sect and the Qin Family of Fengsha City will be enemies!’
However, to her astonishment, Qin Li’s figure, like a wisp of green smoke, instantly dodged her Eldest Junior Sister’s grasp!
Ye Qianyu’s mouth fell slightly agape as she watched the scene in utter shock. As an Elder of the Four Seasons Sect who had lived with her Eldest Junior Sister for over a hundred years, how could she not know the power behind that strike? Forget a boy at the Celestial Shattering Realm like Qin Li—even she, a Martial Artist who had entered the Celestial Integration Realm, would find it difficult to evade that attack!
Qin Li dodged the old woman’s attack with the grace of flowing water and sneered, "Old hag, you’ve got a sharp tongue, but your skills are nothing special. Is this all you’ve got?"
"All talk and no action! You’ll be crying soon enough!"
The gray-robed old woman’s voice was extremely grating, and it was laced with intense fury.
Seeing that the two were now fighting and there was no room for de-escalation, Ye Qianyu stomped her foot in frustration. Her figure then darted toward the inner Four Seasons Valley like a ghost.
In the blink of an eye, Qin Li had exchanged over thirty blows with the gray-robed old woman. In terms of raw strength and abundance of Primordial Power, Qin Li was certainly far inferior to her. A Celestial Embracing Realm Martial Artist’s abilities had already reached the Transformation Realm. No matter how strong Qin Li was, his true level was only at the Celestial Shattering Realm. How could he possibly be a match for the gray-robed old woman in a direct confrontation?
However, the gray-robed old woman was also completely unable to handle this slippery little fellow, whose movements were as elusive as a loach. Not only that, but he could even find moments to counter-attack!
The old woman’s fury was imaginable. She was a dignified Celestial Embracing Realm Martial Artist, yet she was utterly helpless against a sixteen or seventeen-year-old brat. Her initial desire to just cripple Qin Li’s arm had now morphed into a desire to take his life!
But now, after more than fifty exchanges, she hadn’t even managed to grab a corner of the boy’s sleeve. What enraged her even more was that the little beast was constantly taunting her.
"Old hag, what’s wrong? Why are you using so much force? If you break all the pretty flowers and plants in your Four Seasons Valley, don’t ask me for compensation!"
"Look at you, chasing after me so desperately! Good heavens, old lady, I have absolutely no interest in an old, ugly woman like you. I’m begging you, please stop chasing me!"
"Alright, I’ll admit it, I only like young, beautiful girls. If one of the onlookers over there chased me instead, maybe I’d go back with you to the Four Seasons Valley and become the Four Seasons Sect’s son-in-law. But... I really don’t like old hags with wrinkled faces like you! Ahh... Help! I’m being assaulted!"
Goaded by Qin Li’s incessant verbal harassment, the gray-robed old woman finally flew into a frenzy, unleashing the full might of her Celestial Embracing Realm cultivation!
And yet, it was all focused solely on Qin Li! This showed that her control over her own power had also reached a state of perfection!
It was no exaggeration to say that if this dragged on, Qin Li would certainly not be a match for the old woman. That was why he was trying every trick in the book to provoke her and make her expend her energy faster.
Because while Qin Li himself could escape without a problem, trying to take Shangguan Shiyu away right under the old woman’s nose was another matter entirely—it would be incredibly difficult!
However, Qin Li, having cultivated the ’Nine Heavens and Ten Lands, Only I am Venerable’ battle Technique, was no pushover. Still, he had never before had the experience of fighting against such a powerful Martial Artist.
Previously, at the Paradise Celestial Palace, whether it was against Sect Leader Le Wuya, Elder Wen, or later Hai Tongtian, he had almost always relied on sneak attacks to barely succeed.
Therefore, this battle today was actually a test of his overall strength that Qin Li had long been anticipating!
Although, the process was certainly fraught with peril.
If not for relying on his Lightweight Skill, which was one-of-a-kind in this world, he would have likely been dead or grievously injured long ago.
