Chapter 69 Youthful Spring Robes (Fifteen)
*
Fifteen minutes ago.
With Jiang Gu and Xuan Zhiyan on his mind, Wei Feng followed closely behind Qu Fengyu and flew towards the main peak.
Qu Fengyu looked worriedly in the direction of the main peak, and took the opportunity to remind him: "Qu Qing has always been convinced that Wu Hezhi killed Wei Mingzhou back then. She has been biding her time all these years, waiting for the right opportunity. Just then, the incident of your artifact disappearing in the Xiyuan Secret Realm occurred. She must have made connections with the Zhou family. I guess she agreed to help the Zhou family find the artifact and asked Zhou Ningjiang to help kill Wu Hezhi."
"But does she know where the artifact is?" Wei Feng asked.
“Where the artifact is doesn’t matter to her. I reckon Zhou Ningjiang has been fooled by her too.” Qu Fengyu glanced back at him. “Ever since Wei Mingzhou died, she’s gone mad, single-mindedly focused on avenging him. After destroying Mermaid Bay, she turned her attention to Yanghua Sect. If she were still normal, why would she scheme to make me marry into the Linglong Sect?”
Wei Feng opened his mouth, "Isn't she afraid that the Zhou family will blame her if she can't find the divine artifact?"
“She’s not even afraid of death.” Qu Fengyu thought he was too slow, so she simply carried him onto her flying sword. She glanced at the Yanghua Sect elders who were hot on their heels and whispered, “When we get there, run away quickly in the chaos. Qu Qing has a way to break the blood pact. She must have made an agreement with Xie Fuxue or Ruan Keji, using your blood pact as a bargaining chip to get them to cooperate with her. Wu Hezhi is in dire straits now. If you stay in the Yanghua Sect, you will surely die. Do you understand?”
Wei Feng didn't understand at all, but for some reason felt that what she said made a lot of sense. He looked at the approaching smoke and asked, "What did you mean when you said that all of these things were Jiang Gu's scheme?"
"..." Qu Fengyu turned to look at him and sighed deeply, "I am also responsible for your mental problems."
Wei Feng stared at her blankly, his robes disheveled by the wind.
"Jiang Gu first used Zhou Huaiming's identity to manipulate you in the Xiyuan Secret Realm, stealing the divine artifact from Lu Zhenyi and kidnapping his younger brother, Lu Zhenyi. I suspect he anticipated a battle between Zhou Ningjiang and Lu Zhenyi, and that even if Lu Zhenyi survived, he would be severely injured. From the moment I appeared in Longyun City, he should have known that Lu Zhenyi was seriously injured, so he deliberately exposed the barrier where Lu Ziming was imprisoned a few days before the sect competition. If I had any sense, I would have informed Lu Zhenyi to take advantage of the chaos on the day of the sect competition."
"Lu Zhenyi will bring people to Yanghua Sect to rescue Lu Ziming. He knows you very well, so he must have given you an opening during the sect competition, letting you lead those elders of Yanghua Sect whom he dislikes to the back mountain. At that time, Lu Zhenyi will definitely think that his brother's kidnapping was orchestrated by Yanghua Sect. This is one reason."
Qu Fengyu paused and continued, "The Zhou family would certainly not rashly send a saintess like Zhou Ningjiang to a small, run-down sect like Yanghua Sect to search for divine artifacts. I now suspect that his identity as 'Zhou Huaiming' must have played a part in it, so the Zhou family has also turned their attention to Yanghua Sect. That's the second reason."
"Thirdly, during his time at Yanghua Sect, he must have thoroughly understood all the forces at play. He decisively withdrew during the Yanghua Sect Grand Competition, deliberately leaving you all alone. Without his protection, you are like a piece of fat meat falling into a pack of wolves. Once Ruan Keji and Jie Fuxue find out how to break the blood pact on you, they will definitely be unable to hold back and will make their move. In addition, with Qu Qing behind you and Wu Hezhi's death, the disintegration of Yanghua Sect is inevitable."
Qu Fengyu frowned deeply. "But I still can't understand why Qu Qing, who knew how to break the blood pact on you a long time ago, waited until now to choose to cooperate with Ruan Keji?"
Wei Feng suddenly remembered the time when Jiang Gu forcibly used the Yuan Dan from Wei Ming Prefecture to cleanse his marrow and temper his body in the Cloud Sea Purple Mansion in Wei Ming Prefecture. At that time, Qu Qing and Qing Du were originally relentlessly pursuing him, but after he used the Yuan Dan, Qu Qing stopped pestering him, as if... completely giving up on him.
So Jiang Gu had already planned this move back then?
Could it be that Jiang Gu had premeditatedly planned to make him use the Yuan Dan?
Wei Feng was filled with doubt and suspicion, but suddenly his eyes lit up. "So, Master didn't really want to sever ties with me, but rather he had no choice but to use me to lure out those with ulterior motives?"
"You—" Qu Fengyu wanted to rip his brains out, gritting his teeth as he said, "He's the most treacherous one! Now the Zhou family, the Linglong Sect, and the Queyuan Sect are all pointing the finger at the Yanghua Sect. Whether it's your identity as the Divine Kite Shark or the whereabouts of that divine artifact, it's all irrelevant to him now. He's already reaped all the benefits and retired successfully, so why would he care about the chaos in the world!"
Wei Feng lowered his eyes. "I don't believe he would really abandon me."
"Don't be stupid. If you weren't still useful to him, believe me, he would have scattered your ashes." Qu Fengyu was both angry and amused. "Looking at you now, you really are the son of Qu Qing and Wei Mingzhou, a world-shaking romantic born from two romantics."
"I have absolutely no feelings for my master—" Wei Feng hurriedly denied, but before he could finish speaking, Qu Fengyu handed him an ebony plaque that was almost identical to the one he was carrying.
"These illusory cards were originally a pair. The physical card allows the holder to teleport, while the illusory card allows the opponent to move to an attack position. When combined, they create a void space to temporarily evade pursuit," Qu Fengyu said. "Later, find an opportunity to escape quickly, shake off the Yang Hua Sect's pursuers, and run as far as possible. Under no circumstances should you—absolutely—get even half a step closer to Jiang Gu, understand?"
Wei Feng gripped the virtual card in his hand tightly. "And what about you?"
"Of course I'm going to save that unlucky guy, Wu Hezhi," Qu Fengyu said with a smile. "He's the uncle-in-law I found for you."
Wei Feng couldn't help but say, "You don't seem to be thinking very well either; you're clearly going to your death."
"..." Qu Fengyu stared at him intently, "That's why I say I hate kids the most."
With a bump on her forehead, Wei Feng was tossed onto the main peak by her, and then Qu Fengyu transformed into a streak of light and rushed straight towards Wu Hezhi.
Wei Feng rolled twice on the ground, almost getting stabbed to death by a disciple of the Mingqueyuan Sect. He hurriedly drew his sword to parry, but after only two moves, his opponent was slit in the throat. He was stunned for a moment when blood splattered on his face, then spat out two mouthfuls of dust and tapped the communication talisman on his earring, "Zhiyan, where are you?"
"I'm over here at the arena!" Xuan Zhiyan's voice was hurried and muffled. "Don't come any closer, you should leave!"
Wei Feng naturally couldn't leave. The surroundings were filled with the sounds of fighting and spiritual energy exploding. The stench of blood mixed with the dry wind was particularly disgusting. Most of these were disciples of the Sparrow Kite Sect, with varying levels of cultivation. They were fighting alongside cultivators from the Yanghua Sect who wore crimson disciple robes. He gripped the Moon Gazing Sword tightly in his hand, killing when he could win and running when he couldn't. After stumbling along the way, he finally arrived at the arena in the center of the main peak.
Above the center of the arena, a dazzling display of light filled with the sounds of fierce fighting, a stark contrast to the small fry fighting on the ground. He looked up but couldn't even make out their shadows, nor could he tell if Jiang Gu was among them. Fortunately, he soon spotted Xuan Zhiyan.
He was fighting fiercely with several disciples of the Sparrow Kite Sect in mid-air and was about to lose. Wei Feng gathered his energy and leaped onto his flying sword. With the Moon Gazing Sword in hand, he rushed up and cut off the necks of two cultivators.
Xuan Zhiyan turned his head sharply and was sprayed with blood.
"Zhiyan!" Wei Feng grabbed his arm. "Are you alright?"
"I...I'm fine." Xuan Zhiyan was quite frightened by his ruthless demeanor. "Why are you here!?"
"How can I leave you here!" Wei Feng stood back to back with him, swords held horizontally in front of them. "What exactly is going on here?"
"The Zhou family and the Sparrow Kite Sect suddenly made their move, pinpointing the divine artifact as being in the Yanghua Sect. Moreover, Xie Fuxue and Ruan Keji suddenly turned against the sect and started fighting with Sect Master Wu. The elders of the Yanghua Sect have split into two factions." Xuan Zhiyan gritted his teeth and said, "Now everything is a mess. It feels like they've all gone mad with killing."
"Where is your master?" Wei Feng asked.
“He—” Xuan Zhiyan pursed his lips, “has pledged allegiance to Ruan Keji.”
Wei Feng cursed under his breath and frowned, asking, "What about my master?"
“I didn’t see anyone.” Xuan Zhiyan shook his head.
While fighting, Wei Feng asked, "So, which side are you planning to pledge allegiance to?!"
"I don't know!" Xuan Zhiyan cried out in despair, but then suddenly remembered Qi Fengyuan, who had long since perished. He had killed a disciple of the Mingqueyuan Sect with a single sword strike, and gritted his teeth, saying, "My master and Sect Master Wu are sworn brothers!"
Wei Feng naturally understood that he wasn't talking about Shen Yuxin, and grinned, "What a coincidence, Sect Leader Wu is my betrothed uncle!"
"What nonsense!" Xuan Zhiyan cursed, and the two of them leaned against each other again, their backs pressed together, watching warily as more and more disciples of the Sparrow Kite Sect gathered around them.
Wei Feng swallowed hard. "Just how many people from the Sparrow Kite Sect have come?"
He glanced around and saw that there were at least twenty people surrounding them.
Xuan Zhiyan's hand holding the sword was trembling slightly because he had used up too much spiritual energy. Just as the people around him rushed towards them, a sword aura suddenly appeared in front of them, knocking them away for a moment.
"Go quickly!" Mo Daojin shouted coldly, blocking their way.
"Senior Brother Mo?" Xuan Zhiyan was taken aback.
"Go rescue Yu Qianning and Liu Xian!" Mo Daojin shoved him. "They've been kidnapped to Yunchi by a few Foundation Establishment cultivators!"
Yu Qianning, Liu Xianye, and Zhihui were not very powerful, but they were all good-looking. Instead of killing them, the group kidnapped them. It was obvious what they wanted to do. Xuan Zhiyan immediately understood and turned around to grab Wei Feng and fly over there. However, before they left the arena, they were blocked by dozens of elders from Yanghua Sect.
"Elder Qu? Elder Feng?" Xuan Zhiyan looked at them and instinctively sensed their killing intent.
Wei Feng's expression hardened, and he placed the virtual token in his hand behind Xuan Zhiyan's back. "You go and save people first, leave this to me!"
Before Xuan Zhiyan could retort, he vanished before his eyes, leaving behind only an angry curse: "Wei Feng, you son of a bitch!"
Wei Feng gripped the Void Token tightly in his hand, warily eyeing the elder who was eyeing him menacingly. Behind him, his fellow disciples were locked in fierce combat, while the powerful figures in the sky seemed to have already decided their victories—
Wu Hezhi crashed heavily to the center of the arena, followed by more than a dozen elders who fell to their deaths. Qu Fengyu followed closely behind, landing on the arena and taking the fatal blow for Wu Hezhi. He knelt on the ground and spat out a mouthful of foul blood.
Opposite them were Qu Qing, Zhou Ningjiang, Ruan Keji, and a group of others.
It was Zhou Ningjiang, the one with the highest status, who spoke up: "Sect Master Wu, if you know what's good for you, you'd better hand over the divine artifact and save yourself from all this suffering."
"Regarding the divine artifact... I truly know nothing about it." Wu Hezhi leaned against Qu Fengyu, barely breathing, and with difficulty raised his arm to cup his hands, saying, "But Miss Qu Fengyu has nothing to do with this matter, so I hope you all... will let her leave."
Upon hearing this, Qu Fengyu grabbed his arm tightly, "Wu Hezhi!"
Qu Qing sneered, "Feng Yu, don't be foolish! You are now Madam Lu of the Linglong Sect. What kind of nonsense is it to get entangled with this sickly man! Get up and come back with me!"
"Don't even think about using the Sparrow Kite Sect to blackmail me again." Qu Fengyu stood in front of Wu Hezhi. "Whoever wants to kill Wu Hezhi today will have to kill me first!"
Qu Qing frowned, and even Zhou Ningjiang's face showed displeasure.
Qu Fengyu was indeed capable of being killed, but she held the title of Lu Zhenyi's Daoist partner. Killing her would be tantamount to slapping the face of the Linglong Sect. Zhou Ningjiang did not want to cause any further trouble, so she decisively threw this hot potato away.
She looked at Qu Qing, "Sect Leader Qu, this is your family matter. I hope you will take your sister away."
A fierce glint flashed in Qu Qing's eyes. She looked at Ruan Keji, who understood and led dozens of elders behind him to surround the arena. "Capture her alive!"
Over there, Qu Fengyu and Wu Hezhi were in imminent danger. On the arena not far from them, Wei Feng was also about to exhaust his spiritual power and had nowhere to escape. Through the communication talisman in his ear, he heard Xuan Zhiyan's angry curses and faint screams. Below the arena, smoke and blood were everywhere. Qu Fengyu, who had just saved him, was being besieged by dozens of powerful figures, while several elders in front of him were eager to search his soul and seize his treasures... The entire Yanghua Sect was in complete chaos.
He stood swaying in the center of the arena, his nostrils filled with the stench of desire and greed, and the salty tang of blood. The scalding air, carrying the aftershocks of the spiritual energy explosion, stung his skin. He gripped the heavy Moon Gazing Sword in his hand, the dark ghost patterns on his neck swirling and overflowing. His white pupils flashed, but he suppressed them all.
Although Wei Feng didn't know what the purpose of this ghost-faced, white-eyed creature was, he was certain that once exposed to the public, it would attract endless pursuit, just like the Divine Kite Shark.
Just as the group rushed forward, he caught a faint, familiar scent in front of the Yanghua Sect's gate—he suddenly opened his white eyes and saw Jiang Gu's back as he boarded his flying sword and prepared to leave.
Master is leaving!
'...He has now successfully retired from public life, so why would he care about the chaos that ensues...'
'...Of course he included you in his scheme. If you weren't still useful, would he have kept you alive until now...'
'...Jiang Gu is a ruthless person; nothing in this world can catch his eye. Don't be foolish...'
'...Without his protection, you're just a piece of meat in a wolf pack. If he truly cared for you, would he just leave like that? He doesn't care whether you live or die...'
Qu Fengyu's words and others' evaluations of Jiang Gu exploded in his ears, converging into a single, light yet deafening statement amidst the endless bloodshed and carnage before him:
'Wei Feng, your master doesn't want you anymore.'
He gripped the Moon Gazing Sword tightly, staring intently at Jiang Gu's back through the faint ghostly markings. Countless black mists began to spread from beneath his feet, sweeping over mountains of corpses and seas of blood, and seeping into the hem of Jiang Gu's clothes—
Why doesn't Master want him?!
He has given everything he could, and even things he couldn't give, so why should Jiang Gu just leave like that?!
The scene of him kneeling joyfully before Jiang Gu, kowtowing and offering tea, and sincerely calling him "Master" was still vivid in his mind. Master patiently and considerately taught him cultivation; Master risked his life to save him from Jiang Lin; Master disguised himself as Zhou Huaiming and tormented him in the Chaolong Secret Realm; the endless pursuit in Yunchi; the pain of being forced to temper his body and cleanse his marrow... and the grand fireworks display and the warm birthday celebration in Longyun City...
Scenes flashed before Wei Feng's eyes. He didn't know whether he loved or hated Jiang Gu, or whether it was a mixture of love and hate. He only knew that his master couldn't abandon him.
Thick black fog, accompanied by greedy desires, suddenly expanded, engulfing those who were about to leave.
The moment Wei Feng touched Jiang Gu, he felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction and an endless longing.
He wanted his master to never be able to shake him off.
So he grabbed Jiang Gu's wrist and, with a suicidal determination, roared, "Stop fighting—the divine weapon is in Jiang Gu's hands!!!"
*
With his roar, the entire Yanghua Sect fell into an instant silence.
"Master, let's run for our lives together." Wei Feng's eyes lit up, and he even tried to put his claws into his palm.
Jiang Gu had been in the cultivation world for over thirty years, experiencing countless dangers and betrayals. But this was the first time he had been so blatantly schemed against. No, this wasn't even scheming; it was just a reckless idiot!
This was the first time in his life he had suffered such a huge setback. His whole body was filled with murderous intent as he stared coldly at Wei Feng, laughing angrily, "You're very good."
Wei Feng instinctively shuddered, but the ghostly markings on his neck clung tightly to Jiang Gu's arm, some even piercing deep into his flesh and wrapping around his bones. He smiled brightly, "Master, now you don't have to worry about leaving me behind."
Jiang Gu wanted to slap him into a pulp, but faster than the ghostly pattern was Zhou Ningjiang's sword.
Wei Feng's ghostly markings were tightly wrapped around his right arm, and he was pressed against his body. Jiang Gu pulled him away quickly to dodge the attack, then hovered in mid-air on his flying sword and summoned his Crimson Snow Sword.
Zhou Ningjiang's almond-shaped eyes were icy cold. "Jiang Qi, you are no match for me. Hand over the divine artifact."
"It was just a child's joke, why should the Holy Maiden take it seriously?" Jiang Gu grabbed Wei Feng by the back of the head, pressed him against his shoulder, and shut him up.
Wei Feng whimpered twice, but when he smelled Jiang Gu's scent, he suddenly quieted down, obediently wrapped his arms around Jiang Gu's waist, and buried himself contentedly in his embrace.
Qu Fengyu, who had narrowly escaped death on the stage, covered his face in anguish, wishing he could gouge out his own eyes.
"..." Zhou Ningjiang was strangely silent for a moment. "Seventh Young Master, although I have no intention of opposing the Jiang family, this artifact is of great importance to the Zhou family. I apologize for offending you!"
"Wait!" A sharp voice came from afar, and then Lu Zhenyi appeared in front of everyone. He stared at Jiang Gu with an icy expression, "Since the divine artifact is in your hands, then you are the culprit who kidnapped my brother!"
Jiang Lin, whom he just encountered, was merely the culprit he had pushed out!
Jiang Gu slowly exhaled, knowing that he probably couldn't fool them this time. Zhou Ningjiang and Lu Zhenyi were both Mahayana cultivators, while he was only at the Void Refining stage. He was definitely no match for them, but he remained calm and composed. "So what if it's me? It's just that you're all too stupid."
Zhou Ningjiang and Lu Zhenyi rushed straight at him, their overwhelming pressure from the Mahayana stage leaving no room for retreat. Jiang Gu's primordial spirit froze for a moment, but he quickly forced his spiritual energy to flow freely and used the magic array to dodge the double attack, retreating hundreds of feet away.
Taking advantage of this extremely brief moment, he tore off all the ghostly markings embedded in his arm, grabbed Wei Feng by the neck, and said with a gloomy expression, "You little bastard, is this all you've got?"
Wei Feng stared at him stubbornly, the ghostly markings on his body spreading rapidly. His pupils instantly turned an eerie pale white. Countless ghostly markings spread from his pupils and neck, trying to frantically squeeze into Jiang Gu's skin. Jiang Gu did not resist at all, taking all the ghostly markings into his dantian. Then he bit his middle finger and pressed it to Wei Feng's brow. He made a hand seal and directly swallowed Wei Feng's dark and viscous primordial spirit. Wei Feng's body shattered in that instant and vanished into thin air.
"Wei Feng!!!" Qu Fengyu roared upon seeing this, wanting to step forward, but was stopped by Qu Qing and his men.
"Kill Wu Hezhi first!"
Jiang Gu awkwardly tilted his stiff neck. He clearly felt the ghostly markings spreading from his heart to his neck, leaving a sticky, cold sensation. His pupils instantly turned white, and all the cultivators in front of him transformed into orbs of light of various colors, some large and some small, each emanating a strange scent. He even accepted everyone's emotions. His primordial spirit, unable to withstand so many desires, showed signs of exploding, but he remained unmoved, firmly holding onto his own Dao heart.
Those orbs of light were wrapped around spiritual roots of various colors, some dark and some light. With the enhancement of his cultivation, the effect of the Ghost Pattern White Eyes seemed to be maximized. He had noticed it when Wei Feng wrapped the Ghost Pattern around his arm. This Ghost Pattern could control other people's emotions without any obstruction, which was why he was unable to kick that little bastard Wei Feng away immediately.
What cultivators fear most is emotional fluctuation; if the fluctuation is too great, their Dao heart will waver.
Now that he was in a dead end, he decided to destroy the old ways and build a new one. So he simply swallowed Wei Feng's primordial spirit and used the ghost-patterned white pupils.
Wei Feng's primordial spirit was mixed within his own, and in a daze, he seemed to have become Jiang Gu. He could clearly feel the surging, endless desires around him, which filled him with great fear. However, what terrified him even more was Jiang Gu's unwavering Dao heart, like a god above the nine heavens, looking down on all desires indiscriminately, cold and powerful.
He could even clearly feel the flow of spiritual energy within Jiang Gu's body, and clearly see Jiang Gu's dantian, sea of consciousness, and purple mansion. He was carried by Jiang Gu, merging with the ghostly white eyes. Countless black mists spread out from beneath "their" feet, and countless ghostly patterns quickly swept across the entire Yanghua Sect, engulfing all the cultivators, including Zhou Ningjiang and Lu Zhenyi.
Spiritual attacks were completely ineffective against the black aura of ghostly patterns. Under Jiang Gu's control, countless ghostly patterns swept into the hearts of Zhou Ningjiang and Lu Zhenyi, causing them to slow down for a moment.
Jiang Gu did not miss this momentary opening. His Crimson Snow Sword swiftly shot out, piercing straight through Lu Zhenyi's heart and then piercing into Zhou Ningjiang's dantian. The two stared at him in shock, then quickly retreated into the formation to dodge. Jiang Gu's bewitching white eyes stared straight at them, pouring all the desires he had gathered into their dantian.
For a moment, both of them seemed dazed.
Wei Feng's primordial spirit simply couldn't withstand such powerful operation; he was in so much pain that his primordial spirit spasmed, and he called out "Master" in a small voice.
Jiang Gu ignored him.
"Master, my whole body aches." He cried out in Jiang Gu's primordial spirit.
"Your body is being crushed, so of course it hurts," Jiang Gu said coldly. "If you cry again, I'll make your soul disappear."
Wei Feng immediately stopped crying and turned his head to look for any remaining fragments on his body. Jiang Gu's head was being turned left and right by him, and he forcibly regained control of his body. "Stay put."
Wei Feng sniffed, obediently merging into Jiang Gu's primordial spirit. Perhaps because of that bit of blood and technique, even though their primordial spirits merged, they still didn't have a spiritual connection. Wei Feng felt inexplicably regretful, yet he couldn't help but feel excited. It was as if he was being held in Jiang Gu's arms, surrounded by Jiang Gu's aura, and being led by Jiang Gu to slaughter everyone in sight. There was simply nothing more exciting than this—
If he hadn't been promoted.
Jiang Gu, controlling those endless desires, smirked with satisfaction. Lu Zhenyi, clutching the piercing wound in his chest, tried to meditate in the magic array, but with little success. In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, his Dao heart began to show signs of cracking.
Meanwhile, Zhou Ningjiang was in slightly better condition; she still had the energy to talk to Jiang Gu, "Jiang Qi, what kind of trickery did you use!?"
Jiang Gu raised his hand to gather the black energy in his palm, sensing her fear and anger, and said calmly, "It's just a way of offering something to someone else. Please convey my regards to the Zhou family head on my behalf. I'll take my leave now."
After he finished speaking, he was engulfed by the black mist and disappeared without a trace.
A moment later, Zhou Ningjiang's expression froze, and his Dao Heart was shattered into dust. When the black mist on the main peak dissipated, only one or two out of ten cultivators were able to maintain their Dao Heart.
Half a day later, a new name suddenly appeared on the Pyeongtaek wanted list, surpassing countless other names at an astonishing speed to take the top spot.
The two characters, almost black with red, were Jiang Gu's.
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