As Bai Ying left Xuan Tian Sect, stepping through the morning dew, the sky was just beginning to lighten.
She declined the Xuan Tian Sect Master's offer to see her off, and instead borrowed a very fast blue-scaled horse to travel alone to the Lingxiao Sect.
She risked her life to send the Lingxiao Sect members away, and she doesn't know how they are doing now.
Three days later, when she stood in front of the Lingxiao Sect's mountain gate, her fingertips touched only the cold, mountain-sealing restriction.
The protective array for the mountain had long since ceased functioning, and a thick layer of fallen leaves had accumulated on the stone steps of the mountain gate.
She broke the seal with a hand seal, only to find that the books in the library, the furnaces in the alchemy room, and even the futons in the disciples' quarters had all vanished, leaving only a few tattered robes hanging on the clothes rack, swaying gently in the breeze.
"Is anyone there?" Her voice echoed in the empty training ground. Only startled crows responded, fluttering past the faded sect banner.
Bai Ying crushed the communication jade slip. This was a specially made jade slip that she left for Xuan Yuan Chen, so that they could sense each other even though they were thousands of miles apart.
But at this moment, the jade was reduced to dust and flowed from between his fingers, without even arousing the slightest fluctuation of spiritual power.
She tried contacting Xuanyuan Chen again.
Perhaps the people of Lingxiao Sect went to Lingyin Sect.
But they still couldn't contact him; it was as if these people had vanished...
Bai Ying immediately mounted her horse, and the Azure Scale Horse seemed to sense its master's anxiety, galloping straight towards the Lingyin Sect.
On the way, they passed through the once bustling Qingyun Market, only to find that the stalls were selling talismans from unfamiliar sects, and in the teahouse, a storyteller was telling a newly made-up story about "Lingyin Sect colluding with demonic cultivators".
As the familiar jade gate came into view, Bai Ying abruptly pulled on the reins. The horse reared up, its neighing startling the gatekeepers.
"Who goes there?" Two cultivators dressed in indigo Taoist robes gripped their sword hilts. Their robes were embroidered with unfamiliar star patterns, and behind them, the mountain gate plaque bore the three gilded characters "Tianxing Sect".
Bai Ying's fingernails dug deeply into her palms. She remembered clearly that the plaque made of thousand-year-old lightning-struck wood was inscribed by Qi Haoyuan himself, and the three characters "Lingyin Sect" were clearly visible, but now it had become Tianxing Sect. How could this be?
The gatekeeper disciples exchanged glances, and the older one sneered, "The Lingyin Sect was wiped out long ago by Miss Ruan Xinrou and the Huayang Ancestor of the Huayang Sect!"
The gatekeeper grinned maliciously, swiping his thumb across his neck. "Looking for them? Go find them in the underworld!" The jade pendant at his waist jingled, the two characters "Tianxing" on it stinging the eyes in the sunlight.
Bai Ying's fingernails dug deep into her palms, and drops of crimson blood dripped from between her fingers, blooming into glaring blood flowers on the bluestone slab. She stared intently at the unfamiliar plaque before her.
Her mind was filled with images of Senior Qi Haoyuan happily praising her to everyone. There were also many people close to her here... even the people from the Lingxiao Sect should be here!
But now...
"How could this be...?"
Bai Ying's lips trembled, and a metallic taste rose in her throat.
"Ruan Xinrou! Ancestor Huayang!"
Bai Ying squeezed out those two names through gritted teeth, her heart filled with overwhelming hatred.
She originally thought that she had broken through to the Void Refinement stage quickly enough.
She believed that this time she would be able to avenge her enemies and protect everyone she cared about.
She even imagined that when she appeared before the sect gates, everyone would excitedly exclaim, "Great! You're not dead! Bai Ying, you're back..."
Those people are always so enthusiastic; they'll definitely give you a big hug.
But reality dealt her the cruelest blow.
"Aaaaah!" Bai Ying suddenly roared to the sky, her voice filled with heart-wrenching pain.
She knelt on the ground, her fingers digging deep into the soil. Tears mingled with blood, falling to the ground, each drop containing boundless hatred.
Damn it, those two deserve to die!
The gatekeepers, realizing that Bai Ying was likely connected to the Lingyin Sect, said mockingly:
"If you ask me, those people from the Lingyin Sect actually dared to collude with the demon race, they really deserved to die. That Fairy Ruan Xinrou is truly amazing."
Bai Ying looked at him with bloodshot eyes:
"Get out!" Her voice was soft, yet it made the copper bells on the eaves of the mountain gate jingle loudly. "This is the territory of my Lingyin Sect."
"You're asking for death!" The disciple never expected this person to dare utter such a word. He's truly courting death!
He roared, and azure lightning coalesced in his palm. This was the Heavenly Star Sect's ultimate technique, the "Shattering Star Palm," said to be able to split mountains and shatter peaks when mastered. He moved like lightning, aiming straight for Bai Ying's crown, cursing, "You pretentious bastard!"
The crowd erupted in laughter. Some even placed bets: "I bet this girl will die within three moves..."
The words came to an abrupt halt.
Bai Ying merely raised her eyes.
The disciple who had lunged forward suddenly froze in mid-air, as if an invisible hand had gripped his throat. His eyes widened in terror, and the muscles in his face twitched uncontrollably.
The next second...
"Bang!"
A living person exploded into a cloud of blood mist, and fragments of bone and flesh splattered on the faces of the other gatekeepers, still warm from their bodies.
The square was deathly silent. The onlookers were so frightened that they collapsed to the ground.
Bai Ying walked forward through the pool of blood, and with each step she took, the stone steps of the mountain gate cracked by a foot.
Suddenly, the gilded plaque of "Tianxing Sect" burst into a pale fire, and the three ancient seal characters "Lingyin Sect" gradually appeared from the flames.
"Demon... Demon Lord!" Finally, someone snapped out of their daze, screaming as they crushed the communication jade talisman. Alarm bells rang throughout the Tianxing Sect, and dozens of sword lights shot into the sky.
Bai Ying untied the wine gourd from her waist, tilted her head back, and drank the last drop of the Drunken Immortal Wine.
This was something she specially brought back to offer as a token of respect to her master, sect leader, and all the elders and seniors...
But now...
The gourd fell to the ground and shattered into pieces.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
