defection
Before them lay the escape route he had deliberately left for himself. This place was not only equipped with an array to conceal one's presence, but it was also located in the most secluded corner of the Xuan Tian Sect, a place where no one ever passed by on ordinary days.
Half an hour ago, after discovering that he had been discovered again, he decided to give up and leave the Xuan Tian Sect altogether, intending to start over in a smaller sect.
He was a Nascent Soul cultivator; he could easily become an elder in any sect. Chen Tian felt immense satisfaction, an unstoppable smile playing on his lips.
His eyes, adjusted to the light, landed on a figure not far away, his brows furrowed deeply. Seeing that the person was merely a Golden Core cultivator, Chen Tian paid no attention and prepared to use his spiritual energy to soar into the sky and disappear.
A sharp palm strike aimed at his vital point, and Chen Tian was instantly enraged. After dodging the sudden slap, he realized that his robe had been burned open.
Although there were no visible injuries on his face, it was as if he had been struck on the head in a critical spot, making it difficult to tell whether he was angry or truly humiliated.
"You ignorant ant, if you're trying to capture me for contribution points, you're dreaming!" Chen Tian sneered, his eyes filled with murderous intent.
With a thunderous roar behind him, a shower of meteors flew out from around him. In an instant, it was as if ten thousand arrows were being fired, and the buzzing sounds were endless.
Chen Tian didn't stop. He clenched his fists, and countless fiery meteors flew out from behind him again. Both attacks were aimed at Ruan Qingyu, who was standing opposite him.
Debating Chen Tian has been Ruan Qingyu's obsession since her rebirth. Nearly two years have passed since her rebirth.
Now, she is in the late Golden Core stage, facing off against Chen Tian, who is in the early Nascent Soul stage. Although there are risks involved, her fearlessness of death gives her an edge over Chen Tian.
Ruan Qingyu suddenly felt as if she could hear the sounds of clashing swords and drums, and then the gentle melody of a zither flowed out. Subconsciously, she reached up and touched her cheek, only to find that she was shedding tears of blood.
A slight upturn of the corners of his mouth, followed by a wide grin, and he burst into laughter: "You call me an ant? Then let the ant see how long you can live."
The zither floated in front of her, its fingertips pressing heavily on the strings, instantly staining them with blood.
Long before the great battle began, the phoenix tree had re-entered the phoenix tree zither. Now, nourished by the essence of the zither's master, it instantly blazed with a bright blue light, the dazzling blue light accompanied by the crisp sound of the zither.
Heading towards the fiery stream released by Chen Tian, the bluish-green light blocked the sparks halfway, not giving the opponent a chance to get close to Ruan Qingyu.
Gradually, it dismantles and erodes the fierce rockets and sparks, then slowly devours them. In the end, only invisible sparks remain, utterly futile.
Chen Tian was extremely ruthless. He used his full power in his first move, so much so that after blocking all the attacks, the Wutong Qin flashed and instantly lost its luster, returning to its simple appearance when it was first acquired.
Ruan Qingyu's heart trembled. She touched the body of the zither with her bloodied fingertips and breathed a sigh of relief after sensing that faint consciousness.
"Thank you, leave the rest to me." Ruan Qingyu put the Wutong Qin back into her dantian and looked at Chen Tian with a firm gaze.
Seeing that all his moves were blocked by Ruan Qingyu, Chen Tian's eyes darkened. This person was clearly only at the late Golden Core stage, how could she stop my Nascent Soul stage attack?
He quietly retreated half a step, then launched another fierce attack. Suddenly, a dark cloud flew in from the horizon, and the people on the other side of the Xuan Tian Sect quickly realized that something was wrong.
The world suddenly changed color, and thunder roared.
The rain poured down, unexpectedly drenching the two of them.
The rain quickly obscured their view, but Ruan Qingyu could spot Chen Tian's hiding place without even looking.
Chen Tian revealed a sinister smile; the rain had come at just the right time. He was least afraid of water; he had been refining his Heart Fire for so long, waiting for this moment.
A mere Golden Core cultivator dares to block his way. He'll use this person to test his reputation and steal her Golden Core to use as material for his cultivation.
Even though Chen Tian's face was full of murderous intent, in Ruan Qingyu's eyes he was no different from the mud and withered grass on the ground, causing her no pain or itch.
"Boom boom boom—" One explosion after another rang out, overturning the nearby rubble walls, and the withered trees and weeds that were still alive were sent flying hundreds of feet away.
Ruan Qingyu subconsciously squinted, only then realizing that the rain curtain seemed to have been ignited by Chen Tian, as if it had been mixed with oil. The explosion just now was also caused by him.
"Go to hell!" Chen Tian shouted, his voice even becoming hoarse, and his black hair suddenly turned snow-white.
This astonishing scene went unnoticed by Ruan Qingyu, who stared intently at Chen Tian's face. She had been thinking about this day for far too long, and without uttering a word, two golden-red fire lotuses suddenly appeared in her hands.
Her hands slowly came together, but because the two phoenix flames were so powerful, they seemed to repel each other. Ruan Qingyu slowly exhaled and then clenched her hands tightly.
The fire lotus suddenly closed, making a soft 'crackling' sound. Then, Ruan Qingyu gently pushed it away, and the sweat on her forehead dripped rapidly, turning into gas as it hit the ground.
The temperature rose rapidly, and the rain stopped around her. A man-made dry zone was formed, and the previously damp mud quickly cracked.
Ruan Qingyu slowly closed her eyes, her chest heaving violently. It should end now, she thought.
"Boom boom boom—" The explosion rang out again, and the entire Xuantian Sect and even the surrounding cities heard this loud noise.
When Lan Ci and Mo Wen arrived, all that remained of this neglected corner of the Xuan Tian Sect was a deep pit several tens of meters deep.
At the edge of the pit, Ruan Qingyu stood motionless, her face smeared with gray stains, her eyes unfocused, seemingly staring at nothing in particular.
"Junior Sister," Mo Wen couldn't help but call out to her.
Seeing this, Lan Ci withdrew her outstretched hand: "Senior Sister Ruan."
Suddenly, Ruan Qingyu moved. She slowly turned her head to look at the two of them, her eyes seemingly focused: "Senior brother, senior brother, I'm a little cold."
Ruan Qingyu suddenly realized that the once still earth was rapidly approaching her, and she couldn't help but close her eyes.
Hearing her speak, Mo Wen breathed a sigh of relief. In the blink of an eye, he saw her collapse and rushed forward to catch her.
At this moment, the Qian and Kun hexagrams suddenly grew larger and emitted a faint buzzing sound.
Mo Wen's face immediately darkened. Something unexpected had happened. He immediately picked up Ruan Qingyu and was about to take her away. The formation in this place had been destroyed, and there was no way to block the view.
A familiar voice echoed across the sky: "Mo Wen."
Immediately following was a thunderous pressure that struck Mo Wen, forcing him to his knees. Before the first wave subsided, a second wave struck.
The Qiankun hexagram suddenly appeared above Mo Wen's head, emitting a dazzling white light.
"Delusion."
The familiar voice rang in his ears again. Mo Wen suddenly looked up, but couldn't see the person.
"Wenhe!"
Li Qingchen, far away in the Lesser Saint Realm, suddenly frowned and pointed to his brow. Immediately, a Dharma body descended upon the Xuan Tian Sect's mountain gate.
With a flick of his wrist, he caught the fierce attack.
"Wenhe, you've crossed the line." The shadowy Dharma image, seemingly illusory, was filled with boundless power. It protected Mo Wen, his subordinate, and Ruan Qingyu, whom he held tightly in his arms.
No one replied to Li Qingchen's words for a long time. Only his solemn Dharma image exuded boundless power, suppressing all evil spirits outside.
At this moment, the other law enforcement elders who had rushed over suddenly froze on the spot, their bodies faintly shrouded in black gauze. Soon, a clear and melodious laugh rang out: "Daoist Qingchen is truly amazing. I'll take Wenhe back to the Demon Sect then, heh~"
The black veil shot towards the sky in the opposite direction, seemingly to confront Li Qingchen, and then suddenly vanished just before it touched the Dharma image.
"Hehe, how boring." Ling Sha's voice came again, but this time it sounded much weaker, minimizing its impact on the Xuan Tian Sect elders outside.
A fluctuation of spiritual energy seemed to emanate from the void.
A moment later, Wenhe's voice came again: "Li Qingchen, this Xuantian Sect is not interesting."
Immediately afterwards, Ling Sha's sneer rang out: "Yes, not as interesting as me, heh~"
The unstoppable Dharma Image lowered its eyes and slashed at the void with a sword, instantly silencing all sounds.
The crowd, who had been frozen in place, finally breathed a sigh of relief and stood up straight. They looked in awe at Li Qingchen's Dharma image in the sky, while the few law enforcement elders closest to him exchanged bewildered glances.
They arrived relatively quickly and clearly heard what was said. Now, however, they wish they hadn't heard it, and even hoped that the incident had never happened.
What kind of mess is this? The acting sect leader ran off with a demonic cultivator? A high-ranking elder died, yet he brazenly became a demon and abused the disciples, a fact known to everyone.
The moment the Dharma image disappeared, Li Qingchen slowly looked at Mo Wen, who nodded solemnly.
News of Qingchen Daojun's slaying of the Demon Heaven Sect's demoness with a single sword spread rapidly. There were even rumors that Qingchen Daojun's newly accepted closed-door disciple had single-handedly stopped a Nascent Soul stage demonic cultivator, fought him alone for several hours, and then turned the tables and killed him.
Mo Wen sneered at this, noting that these old men usually didn't seem to care much about the affairs of the Xuan Tian Sect.
Now that the acting sect leader has defected, they are instead eager to promote his master's name.
*
Was it a dream? But why can't I see Yunyin?
In the vast expanse of white mist, Ruan Qingyu walked forward step by step, her mind racing with a myriad of emotions. She should be excited, she should be happy.
But why did she feel empty inside, as if she had lost something important?
With her hands pressed against her chest, Ruan Qingyu frowned, trying her best to recall what she had lost. But she could only look around blankly; she couldn't remember anything.
Suddenly, a breeze blew in from nowhere. The warm wind gently dispersed the surrounding white mist, revealing a whole grove of phoenix trees in full bloom with fiery red phoenix flowers.
Ruan Qingyu's gaze involuntarily fell on a tree in the very center, a tree that looked very ancient. Its dark green trunk was covered with moss.
A vibrant life force emanated from that tree, as if countless lives were born on it, and many more perished within it.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com