Chapter 34 Metamorphosis: I Have an Older Sister to Comfort Me!
The Sima family guards wanted to shout, "Young Master, if you can't win, just give up! We don't have to put our faces up to be beaten." But before they could stop him, the purple-robed youth had already rushed up to Bai Ye.
Bai Ye flicked his wrist, and the heavy sword drew a dark streak in the air. With a muffled "smack," the thick blade struck the purple-robed youth's face squarely.
She used all her strength in this attack. It seemed like she was just swinging her sword casually, but Bai Ye's physique was incredibly strong. The power of this sword strike would have made even a demon bear dizzy and disoriented.
All the crowd heard were three consecutive sounds: "whoosh," "bang," and "boom." In the blink of an eye, the young master Sima, who had just pried himself out of the rock wall, was embedded back in.
The impact was so violent that the entire rock face trembled and several pieces of rock fell down.
The black-robed guards frantically tried to pry the person out, but when they finally managed to pull him out, they all froze on the spot.
Their young master's once incomparably handsome face now looked like a lump of flattened dough.
A sword scar ran across his entire face; his once high and straight nose had sunk, and his lips were swollen like two sausages. Worst of all were his teeth—all of them were gone.
Sima Shao opened his mouth, speaking incoherently, "Um...I don't want revenge..."
The guard leader bit his cheek hard, while several young guards behind him were already red-faced from holding back their laughter. One of them couldn't help but burst out laughing, then quickly pretended to cough to cover it up.
"Young Master's injuries are serious; he cannot stay here any longer!" The guard leader shouted, beckoning his men to carry their young master and run quickly out of the cave.
The young man in purple robes was still cursing incoherently, but unfortunately, he was missing teeth, and all his harsh words turned into indistinct "ooh-ooh" sounds.
Bai also turned to the cultivators who were watching the commotion, "Do you want to leave on your own, or should I shove you into the rock wall?"
"Let's go, let's go, we're leaving now." The group quickly retreated from the cave. They were joking, but when you're out in the world, you still have to have some dignity; nobody wanted to lose a mouthful of teeth.
In just a few breaths, the cavern that was once crowded with cultivators became empty, leaving only a pile of unattended corpses, proving that the battle just now was no child's play.
Bai sheathed his sword, called out to the crowd, and headed towards the spirit pool.
The white jade-like lotus flowers swayed in the spiritual pool, emitting a refreshing fragrance that soothed the soul. Just smelling this fragrance made one feel completely comfortable, clearly a rare and precious treasure of heaven and earth.
"There's only one lotus flower. How are we going to divide it among so many of us?" Bai Ye crossed his arms and stroked his chin, deep in thought.
Upon hearing this, Liu Xianyue chuckled and clapped her slender hands twice in front of her, drawing everyone's attention. She returned a charming smile before gracefully walking to the edge of the spirit pool. "How about this? You all can give me these lotus flowers. After we leave the secret realm, you can come with me to the Myriad Manifestations Pavilion and choose whatever you like. What do you say?"
The eyes of the Heavenly Sword Sect disciples lit up instantly, and several young sword cultivators could not hide their excitement, all looking at Li Chengfeng with expectant eyes.
They naturally understood that this lotus was extraordinary, but as Bai Ye had said, it was truly difficult to divide such a single flower equally. As for the spiritual herbs, they were nothing compared to that lotus.
In comparison, the temptation of freely choosing items at the Myriad Phenomena Pavilion was far too great for these penniless sword cultivators.
Seeing the sparkling eyes of his junior sisters, Li Chengfeng couldn't help but smile: "Since Pavilion Master Liu is so generous, the Heavenly Sword Sect will not refuse. Once we leave the secret realm, we will trouble Pavilion Master Liu."
She was also carefree; having said she didn't want it, she stopped paying attention to the lotus and led her junior sisters directly to loot the corpses. Many fallen cultivators lay scattered on the ground, and their unclaimed belongings became their spoils.
Li Chengfeng wasn't worried at all that Pavilion Master Liu would renege on her promise. Although Liu Xianyue loved money, she had an excellent reputation because she was extremely trustworthy and would always keep her word.
"I..." Bai Yegang said, adding that he also wanted to go to Wanxiang Pavilion to pick out something.
Little Green stopped her: "You stupid tiger! This is a naturally formed white lotus. If we plant it in my space, the primordial purple energy it produces every day will be enough for the two of us to eat. If you give it away, I'll fight you to the death."
Bai covered her ears from the noise, silently pleading, "I know, don't worry, I'll discuss it with Liu Xianyue."
Seeing that they had all agreed on who should receive it, Zhong Jiuli said, "This spiritual herb is not yet fully mature. If we wait for it to mature naturally, who knows how many years it will take. Liu Xianyue, you should not waste such a precious thing and forcibly pick it."
Liu Xianyue really did plan it that way. The secret realm was open for a limited time, lasting from a few years to a few months. She didn't have the patience to wait here for the spiritual herbs to mature. In her opinion, getting the treasure was the most important thing.
Seeing this, Bai Ye quickly raised his hand, "Liu Xianyue, I have a way to bring this Creation White Lotus back intact and raise it. Once it matures, I'll share some lotus seeds with you."
Liu Xianyue glanced at Zhong Jiuli meaningfully, her eyes sparkling. She wondered why this woman was suddenly saying something about the medicinal herbs not being mature; it turned out she was just setting a trap for her little tiger.
"Hmph..." She snorted lightly, rolling her eyes coquettishly in annoyance. "You've all gone this far, how can I say no? I want five lotus seeds, not one less!"
After saying that, she swayed her waist and walked gracefully into the distance. She didn't do anything herself, but just glanced at Li Chengfeng.
Li Chengfeng understood and raised his hand to plead for mercy: "Don't worry, Pavilion Master Liu, your share will be taken care of."
Bai Ye and Zhong Jiuli, who were by the Spirit Pool, heard their conversation and couldn't help but shake their heads and chuckle. If we're talking about wealth, who among them could be richer than her? But if we're talking about a love of money, no one could compare to Liu Xianyue's love of money.
Bai also felt that she was still slightly inferior to Liu Xianyue, and she could barely be ranked second!
Seeing this, Zhong Jiuli glanced at her sideways, a helpless smile on her lips: "Don't make fun of your Sister Liu."
"No way!" Bai Ye waved his hand in denial. "I just feel that compared to Liu Xianyue, I am still lacking in cultivation and need to continue my training."
Zhong Jiuli's eyes were slightly closed, her long eyelashes casting a shadow beneath them. How could she forget that her little tiger wasn't exactly a good person either, having picked up quite a few improper ways of behaving, somewhat resembling Liu Xianyue.
"You!" She chuckled softly, and with a wave of her wide sleeve, a silver-white barrier silently unfolded, covering the entire area of the spirit pool within a radius of ten feet.
The figures of the people outside the barrier suddenly became blurred, as if they were separated by an invisible layer of mist.
"Hurry up and do what you need to do." Zhong Jiuli turned her back to the spirit pool, not bothering to find out how Bai Ye transplanted the spirit herbs.
Upon hearing this, Bai called out in his mind, "Little Green, what should we do now?"
"Leave it to me." Xiao Lü's voice was filled with excitement.
She poked out a tender green shoot and submerged into the spirit pool. As soon as she touched the spirit pool, she unfolded like a dragon entering the sea.
The slender roots grew wildly in the spirit pool, quickly weaving into a dense, impenetrable green net. Almost instantly, a third of the spiritual liquid in the pool had evaporated.
Bai exclaimed, "Little Green, don't drink all that spiritual liquid! What will the Creation White Lotus drink if you drink it all?"
"You stupid tiger, do you think I'm such a reckless tree?" Little Green replied impatiently. "How can I move these things without consuming some spiritual liquid? Shut up."
Bai was also scolded, and silently took a few steps back to stand next to Zhong Jiuli. She didn't know what was going on; why was her status getting lower and lower? How could she, the dignified and powerful female lead, be insulted everywhere?
The roots in the spirit pool continued to grow wildly, quickly climbing up the stone wall and enveloping the entire stone wall in a green cocoon.
"Stop!" came Xiao Lü's clear shout.
The green light surged within the barrier in an instant. When the light dissipated, the original location of the spirit pool and the entire stone wall behind it vanished without a trace, leaving only a large crater in its place.
Bai stared dumbfounded at the moving site, and asked in a hoarse voice, "You've pried all that stone wall off?"
"What do you know? Is that an ordinary stone wall? That's chalcedony. Where do you think that spiritual liquid came from?" Little Green's voice was not without smugness.
"Okay, but it feels a bit like banditry," Bai muttered under his breath.
Xiao Lü retorted, "Weren't you a bandit when you were prying up someone's floorboards?"
Just as Bai was about to defend himself, he suddenly felt a tremendous tremor beneath his feet. A deafening roar came from above; the underground cavern was about to collapse.
"Oh no, hurry up, Little Green has collapsed this cave." Bai Ye had barely finished speaking when a stalactite over ten feet long crashed down from above and shattered in front of them.
The group collecting the spoils on the other side reacted swiftly as well. Liu Xianyue flicked her sleeve, grabbed a few younger Heavenly Sword Sect disciples, and led them away in escape.
Li Chengfeng drew his longsword, its light flashing like a bolt of lightning, shattering the falling boulder above him and clearing a path for his junior sisters.
Bai Ye drew his heavy sword from his back and leaped to block Zhong Jiuli. He then swept the heavy sword across, splitting the boulder that was hurtling towards them.
A soft silver light emanated from Zhong Jiuli's palm, creating a protective shield above everyone's heads.
Everyone used their own methods and did their best to run out of the cave. Although they had cultivation, the distance from the ground was unknown, and if they were trapped deep underground, they might die here.
The group ran for their lives, but after running halfway, they were trapped deep underground.
Fortunately, the earth-shaking tremors had stopped, so the group was no longer in a hurry. They took turns clearing a path, and after a day, they finally escaped from the underground cave.
Exhausted, the group stepped out of the cave, only to be suddenly enveloped in a crimson light as crimson chains emerged from the ground and bound their feet.
"Whoosh!" The sound of air being cut came from above. Everyone looked up and saw a blood-red chain as thick as a bowl swooping down with the force of thunder, moving at an astonishing speed, to bind them all.
This sudden change happened too quickly. Everyone had just escaped from the underground cave, and their spiritual energy was already almost completely depleted.
At the critical moment, the heavy sword swept out, colliding with the chains that fell from the sky, sending sparks flying.
The immense force of the recoil caused Bai Ye's tiger's mouth to crack. She was somewhat alarmed. What kind of formation was this that possessed such immense power? Even with her body, which had undergone numerous trials, she found it difficult to withstand.
"You guys are really lucky to be alive." The purple-robed youth's voice, filled with gritted teeth, came from the palace entrance.
His injuries had healed, and he once again adopted the demeanor of a young nobleman, a sinister smile playing on his lips. "Even if I didn't kill you all by smashing you, this Qiankun Trapping Killing Formation can still take your lives!"
Bai Ye originally thought that it was because he took the Creation White Lotus that caused the underground cave to collapse, and he still felt a little guilty.
But at this moment, that guilt turned into anger. She realized she was wrong. If she tried to settle things peacefully, the other party would only think she was weak and easy to bully.
This is the world of cultivation; as long as you have the power, what does it matter if someone is killed?
"They're really courting death." Bai Ye muttered, and the moment she looked up, golden light burst forth in her eyes. What kind of bullshit killing formation was this? In her eyes, there was no such thing as a trapping formation.
She raised her hand and drew her sword, the blade pointing precisely at the core of the formation.
"break!"
A deafening explosion rang out, and the entire killing formation burst open like a punctured bubble.
Amidst the raging torrent of spiritual energy, the purple-robed youth staggered backward. His face drained of color, and he stared in disbelief at Bai Ye, who was stepping out of the killing formation step by step, muttering to himself, "How could this be? How did you know where the formation's core was?"
"Third time's the charm, you've missed your chance!"
Bai Ye's voice was as cold as frost, and his golden eyes, as bright as two small suns, were filled with murderous intent.
The moment she finished speaking, her figure transformed into a streak of light, charging headlong into the Sima family's guards.
boom!
The heavy sword swept across, its blade like a dragon, causing the air to explode wherever it passed.
"Stop her, kill her! They've already exhausted their spiritual energy!" the purple-robed youth roared at the guards.
The Sima family's guards all blocked the purple-robed youth's path, each unleashing their magical weapons, and Chao Bai also launched an attack.
Bai only attacked, never defended, believing that with Xiao Lü around, she wouldn't die. The Sima family's guards' formation crumbled instantly under her repeated attacks.
Li Chengfeng followed closely behind, his sword flashing fiercely, showing no mercy whatsoever. In a flash of sword light, several guards were cut in half at the waist.
With someone holding off the black-robed guards, Bai was able to break free from the group of guards. She moved like lightning and in the blink of an eye, she was in front of the purple-robed youth.
Although the purple-robed youth suffered repeated defeats, he was ultimately a Golden Core cultivator, and his reactions were extremely quick in life-or-death situations.
"clang!"
The moment Bai Ye's heavy sword fell, he gritted his teeth and raised his spear to parry. The black iron spear collided with the heavy sword, sparks flying everywhere.
However, the next moment... there was a "crack" sound, and the spear broke in two.
The heavy sword continued its momentum, aiming straight for the purple-robed youth's head.
At the critical moment, the old man's phantom reappeared. His withered hand gripped the sword blade tightly, the edge trembling in his palm, yet unable to harm him in the slightest.
The old man's expression was solemn, but he did not look at Bai Ye. Instead, he bowed deeply to Zhong Jiuli and said, "Sect Master Zhong, I humbly beg you, could you spare the life of this descendant? I will definitely visit you in person to express my gratitude another day!"
Zhong Jiuli remained indifferent and did not respond, but instead turned her gaze to Bai Ye, clearly leaving the decision to her.
Bai also sneered and abruptly pulled the heavy sword back from the old man's hand.
"Old man, you've got it wrong!" The golden light in her eyes intensified, her killing intent undiminished. "It's not Zhong Jiuli who wants to kill him, it's me who wants to kill him."
Before she finished speaking, she swung her sword again, the heavy blade carrying a violent and sharp force, and slashed down fiercely.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The old man's phantom blocked several swords in succession. He looked at Bai Ye in shock. This young man in front of him seemed to be able to see through all his weaknesses. Every sword strike landed on the spot where his spiritual energy flow was stagnant.
"Today, I will kill him, and no one can stop me!"
Bai Ye's voice boomed like thunder, and with his final sword strike, it fell with overwhelming force.
"No... How dare you, you brat!" The old man's phantom roared, and even though he was unwilling, he was reduced to specks of spiritual light and vanished into the world by this sword.
The purple-robed youth's face turned ashen. He turned to flee, but as soon as he had darted a few feet away, he felt a chill on his neck.
A flash of sword light, and a head flew high into the air, then landed with a "thud." The head, still bearing a look of terror, crashed to the ground and rolled several times in the hall before finally coming to a stop.
Bai Ye flicked her wrist, and the blood beads stuck to the blade fell off in a flurry. Without pausing, she charged at the remaining black-robed guards once more.
At this moment, her Dao heart was clearer than ever before.
In the cultivation world, the strong prey on the weak. Once a deadly feud has been formed, it must be completely eradicated. Otherwise, it will only bring trouble upon oneself.
Today, if it weren't for the awakening of her bloodline and the acquisition of the Eye of Truth, she and Zhong Jiuli might be the ones killed right now.
The moment this thought arose, her killing intent intensified. She would not allow such a thing to happen, even if it was only one of Zhong Jiuli's clones who died.
Inside the main hall, several black-robed guards saw the purple-robed youth die and turned to run towards the hall door. However, just as they were about to step out of the hall, an invisible barrier suddenly appeared, blocking them at the door.
Some black-robed guards, refusing to believe it, unleashed their magical weapons to attack, only to find that the barrier remained completely still, without even a ripple.
Bai also caught a glimpse of this scene out of the corner of his eye and couldn't help but turn his head to look at Zhong Jiuli.
Zhong Jiuli, dressed in pristine white, stood side by side with Liu Xianyue, arms crossed. Their robes fluttered as they calmly watched the young people fighting inside the hall.
He appeared remarkably detached in this battle.
Noticing Bai Ye's gaze, she raised the corners of her lips slightly, revealing a reassuring smile, and said softly, "Focus."
She didn't utter a sound; the three words entered Bai Ye's consciousness directly.
Bai returned a bright smile, and swung his heavy sword again, slashing down on the next guard.
Zhong Jiuli watched intently as the figure fought valiantly, a hint of relief flashing in her eyes. Her little tiger had grown up; he was no longer the naive cultivator who needed her constant care.
Little did she know how terrifying the little tiger, with its bloodied cheeks and murderous aura, appeared to those black-robed cultivators.
The sounds of fighting inside the main hall gradually subsided, and when the last black-robed cultivator fell, the life-or-death struggle that had lasted for more than an hour finally came to an end.
Bai leaned on her heavy sword with one hand, her chest heaving rapidly, her breathing somewhat labored. The instant the surge of adrenaline subsided, the nauseating stench of blood rushed to her head, making her feel vomit.
Looking around, dozens of mangled bodies lay scattered haphazardly in the hall. Severed limbs and internal organs were strewn everywhere, some still twitching slightly. Fresh blood, not yet congealed, meandered across the ground, converging into crimson streams.
My conversation with Zhong Jiuli a few days ago still echoes in my ears. It turns out that transformation really can happen in the blink of an eye.
“You did a great job!” Zhong Jiuli’s hand landed on her shoulder.
Bai turned his head and met her deep, unfathomable eyes.
"I'm fine."
Zhong Jiuli nodded with a smile, "I know." She took Bai Ye's wrist and led her away from the blood-soaked hall.
After leaving the main hall, the lingering stench of blood had faded considerably. Bai let out a long sigh of relief, feeling much lighter.
When Li Chengfeng finished cleaning up the battlefield and came out with his men, he saw Bai Ye being led by Zhong Jiuli like a well-behaved child. He couldn't help but laugh and tease, "Little tiger, are you... scared? Do you need your big sister to coax you?"
Faced with her teasing, Bai lazily raised her eyelids, looked over, and replied cheekily, "At least I have an older sister to coax me, do you?"
“I’m not a little kid like you, I don’t need my sister to coax me.” Li Chengfeng said arrogantly, tossing her long sword. The snow-white blade flashed through the air and landed in the scabbard on her back with a “whoosh.”
After showing off, Li Chengfeng raised her head and said smugly, "As for me, I'm already old enough to coax people."
Zhong Jiuli smiled as she looked at Bai Ye's expression that said, "I've learned something new."
"Fine, fine, you're good at sweet-talking people." Bai was too lazy to argue with her; she was such a child.
Hearing her admit defeat, Li Chengfeng's smile widened: "Then will you continue exploring this main hall?"
Bai shook his head: "No, you guys go ahead. I feel like I'm about to break through my cultivation level, so I need to find a quiet place to go into seclusion."
"Wow, that's some impressive cultivation speed!" Li Chengfeng exclaimed. "Let's go!"
She turned around, waved to those behind her, and strode away with her fellow junior sisters.
"Let's go too." Zhong Jiuli took Bai Ye's wrist and led her to a secluded and deserted hall. After setting up layers of restrictions, she had her sit down and meditate in seclusion.
......
In the depths of the forbidden territory of the Sima family in Guzhou.
With a deafening roar, a violent surge of spiritual energy exploded outwards, causing the entire blessed land to tremble.
The stone chamber, which had been sealed for decades, shattered instantly. Amidst the billowing dust, a gaunt, ghost-like old figure slowly rose to his feet. The old man's skin clung tightly to his bones, and his white hair was disheveled like withered grass.
He looked like he was on his last legs, yet his eyes were incredibly bright. However, at this moment, a terrifying bloodlust burst forth from those bright eyes.
"You brat!" A hoarse roar echoed in the stone chamber, and the old man Sima's withered chest heaved violently. "How dare you sever one of my divine souls!"
To think that he, a dignified ancestor who had transcended tribulation, had his divine soul severed in public by a mere young girl was an unbearable humiliation.
"Guards!" This shout, imbued with spiritual power, instantly resounded throughout the entire forbidden area.
Several elders who had been waiting outside immediately appeared in front of the old man, bowed and said, "Greetings, Ancestor!"
Sima's voice rang out like a demon: "Immediately dispatch men to the Wilderness State to find out everything about that yellow-haired girl's lineage and bloodline!"
"How dare she sever a portion of my divine soul! I will make her... wish she were dead!!! And that Zhong Jiuli, I will make her die sooner or later!!!"
The elders exchanged glances, none daring to ask a single question under the pressure of their ancestor, and could only bow and withdraw.
After walking several miles, one of the elderly men with a full head of gray hair lowered his voice and said, "I remember a few days ago, the young master seemed to have led people to the Wilderness State. Perhaps something happened there?"
"Oh?" The other old monsters who had been in seclusion for many years immediately became interested and crowded closer. "Tell me in detail!"
The gray-haired old man stroked his beard, his expression grave: "I've heard it's some kind of ancestral home recorded in the Sima family's records, but that's not accurate, and I'm not entirely clear on the specifics. This time, our ancestor is so angry, I'm afraid..."
The group exchanged knowing glances and quickened their pace.
At this time, the Sima family ancestral home was already in complete chaos.
The current head of the Sima family was a middle-aged man in his early thirties. At this moment, he sat at the head of the council hall with bloodshot eyes and an ashen face.
The entire council hall was in a mess, clearly indicating that the head of the Sima family had already lost his temper once.
"Patriarch!" Several elders entered and bowed. The gray-haired elder stepped forward and relayed the patriarch's instructions.
Upon hearing this, the head of the Sima family suddenly looked up and demanded, "Does the patriarch know who killed my son?"
The gray-haired old man shook his head and said, "Our ancestor did not say who that person was, only that it was a young girl with yellow hair. The specific details still need to be investigated by the clan."
"Investigate?" The head of the Sima family sneered, his aura surging. "No need to investigate. Summon the Black Robe Guards of the clan. I will personally travel to the Desolate State. I want to see who dares to kill my son!"
"Patriarch, please reconsider!" the gray-haired old man casually advised.
"It wasn't your son who died, so of course you can think about it!" The head of the Sima family roared, his voice like thunder, causing several elders to unconsciously frown.
The gray-haired old man lowered his head and secretly rolled his eyes. He certainly wasn't sad. They were just guest elders, merely serving as worshippers here!
"Hmph! A bunch of useless trash!" The head of the Sima family shouted angrily and left the council hall with a flick of his sleeve.
The matter concerning the Sima family was neither a major nor a minor one. Soon, many forces in Guzhou learned that the young master of the Sima family had been killed outside.
The son died, and the father led a large group of people to seek revenge. This incident instantly became the laughingstock of many ancient aristocratic families!
However, everyone agrees that a storm is about to break out in the Wilderness State!
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Author's Note: Bai Ye: From today onwards, please call me Bai Ye – Decisive and Ruthless, Cold-Hearted and Determined to Eliminate All Traps. [Sunglasses][Sunglasses][Sunglasses]
Zhong Jiuli: [Hugs][Hugs][Hugs] Baby has grown up, he even dares to kill people, so awesome!
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