Chapter 69: Possessing a treasure is a crime, and the storm is full of
The star core was collected, the giant python dissipated, and the entire spherical space fell into a dead silence. Only Ye Li's slightly rapid breathing could be clearly heard. The strain on her soul caused by the forced activation of the Samsara Mirror fragments was far beyond her imagination. At this moment, she had a splitting headache. Her spiritual power had been largely depleted from the previous battle and the final collection of the star core. She was in a very bad state.
However, what was even more chilling than physical weakness was the greed, shock, and undisguised murderous intent around him that almost solidified into substance!
The fiery roar was like lighting the fuse of a powder keg!
"Hand over the star core!" Yan Lie's eyes were bloodshot, and flames were swirling around him like they were out of control. He was the first to pounce on Ye Li! The star core was so close, but it was taken away. This huge gap made him completely crazy!
Almost immediately, the red-haired elder of the Chiyan Sect (named Yansha), who had just barged in, unleashed a terrifying pressure from a late-stage Spiritual Realm cultivator like a volcanic eruption, instantly enveloping the entire venue! His gaze, like a hawk's, locked onto Ye Li. He raised his withered palm and released a finger of flaming light, condensed to the extreme, carrying an aura that could incinerate the void. It struck Ye Li between the eyebrows, striking first! This single finger was far more deadly than Yan Lie's attack!
Elsewhere, Lei Ying and Leng Yun were a bit slower, but the allure of the star core was enough to make them abandon any reservations. Lei Ying's twin swords unleashed wind and thunder, blocking Ye Li's retreat; Leng Yun's sword energy was icy, aiming directly at Ye Li's vital points! Even Gao Sheng, like a hyena smelling blood, led the disciples of Zhan Kuang Peak to flank them!
In an instant, Ye Li was trapped in a desperate situation, surrounded by enemies on all sides! Facing the siege of at least four Spiritual Mansion Realm cultivators (one of whom was in the late stage), not to mention her current poor condition, even in her prime, there was no chance of survival!
Shi Yue's face changed drastically. He wanted to step forward to help, but was held back by two other Houtu Sect disciples. "Brother Shi! No! If a late-stage Spirit Mansion elder takes action, we'll die if we go up!"
At this critical moment!
"presumptuous!"
A cold and delicate cry, like the nine-day black ice, suddenly rang out! A blue water curtain, faster than lightning, instantly appeared in front of Ye Li!
It’s Qin Yixiuan!
She had arrived at the core area without knowing when, and had been watching coldly until the most critical moment, when she actually took action!
The water curtain seemed soft, but it contained tremendous power, like the deepest abyss, blocking Yan Sha's fatal finger, the raging flames, Lei Ying's wind and thunder, and Leng Yun's sword energy!
Boom——!!!
The roar of the energy collision was deafening! The water curtain rippled violently, yet it remained remarkably resilient and unshattered! Qin Yixuan appeared behind the curtain, her white robes fluttering, her face stoic. In her hand, she held a gem emitting a hazy blue light—a replica of the "Cang Hai Ming Yue Pearl," one of the treasures of the Bishui Pavilion! Though a replica, it possessed unfathomable power!
"Qin Yixuan! Are you from Bishui Pavilion going to intervene too?!" Yan Sha was shocked and angry. He didn't expect that Qin Yixuan would take his full-strength finger for Ye Li.
Qin Yixuan's gaze swept over the crowd. Her voice remained calm, yet it carried an undeniable authority. "Seizing treasures from the ruins depends on chance. Now that the star core has recognized its master, it belongs to Ye Li. As elders and geniuses, don't you think it's beneath your dignity to join forces and attack a disciple at the First Condensation Vein Stage?"
Her words made Yan Sha, Yan Lie and others blush, but greed soon overwhelmed shame.
"Recognize the master? What a joke! That witch must have used some evil magic!" Yan Lie roared, "Qin Yixuan, get out of the way immediately, or I'll kill you too!"
"You can try." Qin Yixuan's eyes were slightly cold, and the light of the Canghai Mingyue Pearl became brighter, competing with Yansha's pressure!
Leng Yun frowned as he looked at Qin Yixuan, who stood in front of Ye Li, then at the weakened Ye Li, his sword lowering slightly. He was naturally aloof and arrogant, having previously fought for the treasure. Now, seeing Qin Yixuan intervene, outnumbering the weaker Ye Li, the pride of a swordsman in his heart made him hesitate.
Lei Ying's eyes flickered, as if she was weighing the pros and cons. Completely breaking off relations with the Bishui Pavilion wouldn't be a wise move.
The situation was at a standstill for a moment. Qin Yixuan's strong intervention bought Ye Li a precious moment of respite.
Ye Li quickly swallowed the few pills Xia Zhihe had handed her, suppressing the churning blood and stabbing pain in her soul. She glanced at Qin Yixuan gratefully. She remembered the favor. But she knew Qin Yixuan could protect her temporarily, not forever. The real crisis would come after leaving the ruins.
She took a deep breath, forced herself to stand straight, and pointed the Mysterious Ice Sword at Yan Sha and the others. Although her voice was weak, it was filled with cold determination: "The star core is connected to my soul. Unless I die, no one can take it away! If you want to take it by force, I will self-destruct the star core, and we will all go our separate ways! Let's see if this ruin can withstand the power of the star core's original explosion!"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's face changed drastically!
How enormous is the energy contained in the core of a star? If it were to explode, not only them, but the entire meteorite ruins would probably be completely annihilated! No one dared to bet on whether Ye Li was bluffing!
Yansha stared at Yeli with a sinister look, as if trying to find a flaw in her face. But Yeli's eyes were terrifyingly calm, a look that was both crazy and calm, a look that disregarded life and death.
"Young man, how dare you threaten me?" Yan Sha's voice was hoarse and filled with murderous intent.
"It's not a threat, it's a statement of fact." Ye Li did not flinch. "Either we go our separate ways, or we die here together!"
Silence, suffocating silence.
Finally, Yansha snorted coldly and retracted his pressure. He didn't dare to gamble. The star core was good, but his own life was more important. "Okay! Very good! Yeli, right? I'll remember you! Let's go!"
After saying this, he rolled up his sleeves and left the Star Core Space first, leading Yan Lie and the Red Flame Sect disciples, who were all looking unwilling. There was no point in staying here any longer.
The Chiyan Sect retreated. Lei Ying looked deeply at Ye Li and Qin Yixuan, and also left with the people from Fenglei Pavilion.
Leng Yun sighed, nodded slightly to Qin Yixuan, looked at Ye Li with a complicated look, and turned to leave.
Seeing that the situation was hopeless, although Goldman Sachs was filled with hatred, he could only glare at Ye Li with resentment and left in disgrace with Zhan Kuangfeng's men.
In the blink of an eye, the crowd that had been filled with murderous intent just now had completely left, leaving only Ye Li, Qin Yixuan, and Shi Yue of Houtu Sect.
"Thank you, Senior Sister Qin, for your help." Ye Li bowed solemnly to Qin Yixiuan.
Qin Yixuan put away the Cang Hai Ming Yue Pearl and glanced at her calmly, "No need to thank me. I'm not doing this for you, I just can't stand the majority bullying the minority. Although the star core is good, it's also a hot potato. You'll have to take care of yourself."
After saying this, she said no more and left with the disciples of the Bishui Pavilion. She was still as cold and aloof as ever, as if her previous move was just a casual one.
Shi Yue then stepped forward with his disciples, saying with lingering fear, "Junior Sister Ye, that was a dangerous situation for you! All thanks to Fairy Qin... But now you've really offended the Chiyan Sect and Zhan Kuangfeng!"
Ye Li nodded, her face solemn. How could she not know? Yan Sha's cold eyes as he left, and Gao Sheng's vow of undying struggle, both foreshadowed the coming of a huge storm.
"Let's leave here first." Ye Li suppressed the worry in his heart. The most urgent thing was to return to the sect as soon as possible.
The group didn't dare delay and quickly returned along the same route. Perhaps due to the capture of the star core, the entire Star Hall began to become unstable, with more spatial cracks and more severe collapse. They escaped the Star Hall safely and discovered that the meteorite ruins outside were also beginning to shake violently, as if they would collapse completely at any moment.
Disciples from various sects and independent cultivators were scrambling to escape. Ye Li and the others blended into the crowd and rushed out of the ruins entrance.
Outside, the elders of various sects had been waiting for a long time. When they saw Ye Li and the others come out safely, while Yan Sha of the Chiyan Sect had a sullen face and Zhan Kuangfeng was filled with resentment, the leading elder of the Xuanyun Sect (an elder of the Law Enforcement Hall named Li) suddenly felt a pang in his heart.
As expected, before Ye Li and the others could report, Yan Sha flew angrily to the Xuanyun Sect's flying boat and shouted, "Elder Li! Your Xuanyun Sect disciple Ye Li used evil magic in the ruins to snatch the Star Core treasure that my Chiyan Sect was about to obtain! You, the Xuanyun Sect, must give me an explanation for this matter! Otherwise, my Chiyan Sect will never give up!"
Gao Sheng immediately added fuel to the fire: "Elder Li! Ye Li is a ruthless woman. Not only did she steal the treasure, she also murdered her fellow disciples (referring to the disciple who was affected by the blood curse). Please, elder, make a decision for us!"
For a moment, all the pressure was concentrated on the Xuanyun Sect. The elders and disciples of other sects watched coldly, waiting for the show to unfold.
Elder Li's expression turned grim as he looked at Ye Li: "Ye Li, is what Elder Yan Sha said true?"
Ye Li took a deep breath, stepped forward, and said in a neither humble nor arrogant manner: "Reporting to Elder Li, seizing treasures from the ruins depends on one's own ability. How can there be any talk of robbery? The star core is an ownerless object, and I got it by luck. As for harming my fellow disciples, it is even more nonsense. It was Senior Brother Gao Sheng who launched a sneak attack first, and he deserves the blame. Everyone present can testify to this!" She swept her eyes over Shi Yue and the disciples of Houtu Sect.
Shi Yue immediately stepped forward and said loudly, "Elder Li, I, Shi Yue of Houtu Sect, can testify! It was indeed that disciple Gao Sheng from Zhan Kuang Peak who first attacked Junior Sister Ye with a vicious spell, and he got what he deserved! Junior Sister Ye was acting in self-defense!"
With Hou Tu Zong's testimony, Goldman Sachs' accusations suddenly seemed pale and powerless.
Yan Sha, however, refused to give in. "Hmph! You're such a smooth talker! The Star Core is the heart of the ruins, it's of such importance, how can it be monopolized by a junior? Elder Li, if you don't hand over the Star Core today, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
The pressure from the late Lingfu realm spread again, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense!
Elder Li's brow furrowed as he quickly weighed the pros and cons. Ye Li was a rare talent within the sect, and possessing a precious treasure like the Star Core, her future was limitless, and the sect was determined to protect her. However, the Chiyan Sect was powerful, and a direct confrontation would be extremely disadvantageous to the Xuanyun Sect.
"Elder Yansha, please calm down," Elder Li said in a deep voice. "This matter is of great importance, and it's beyond our power to decide here. How about returning to our respective sects and having the leaders of the two sects negotiate a solution?"
This was clearly a delaying tactic. Although Yansha was dissatisfied, he also knew that forcible action here was unwise. After all, the Xuanyun Sect was no pushover. He snorted coldly, "Alright! I'll wait for the Xuanyun Sect's 'explanation'! Let's go!"
The Red Flame Sect's flying boat left first, with a strong hostility.
Elder Li watched the Red Flame Sect's flying boat sail away, then glanced at Ye Li, whose face was pale but eyes were determined, and sighed, "Ye Li, let's go back to the sect first. This time... you've really exposed the world."
Ye Li remained silent. She knew the real trouble had only just begun. The joy of returning home with a treasure had long since been replaced by a heavy burden. Possessing a treasure is a crime, a fact that has been held since ancient times. Upon returning to the Xuanyun Sect, what awaited her would be internal questioning, Zhan Kuangfeng's frenzied revenge, and external pressure from the Chiyan Sect.
The wind and rain are already filling the building.
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