Chapter 53 Feeling utterly ashamed
The Cangqiong Mountain Sect has an air defense barrier outside, and only immortal swords of the sect are allowed to enter without notification. Anyone who enters without permission will be thrown off course. Shen Qingqiu stopped at the foot of the mountain, sent his flying sword back, and changed his clothes and put on a bamboo hat.
The town at the foot of the mountain was often frequented by cultivators, but not many were seen today. Shen Qingqiu was feeling slightly puzzled when someone asked, "Immortal Master, are you... heading to the Azure Sky Mountain Sect?"
Shen Qingqiu nodded. The man then said, "Wouldn't it be inappropriate to go now?"
Shen Qingqiu's heart tightened, and he asked, "How is it bad?"
The man and the others exchanged glances and said, "You don't know yet, do you? This mountain has been surrounded for two days."
After passing through the mountain gate and ascending the Heavenly Ladder, Shen Qingqiu did not encounter a single disciple guarding the mountain. His ominous premonition grew stronger, and he leaped several steps, rushing upwards.
The higher you go, the clearer it becomes that several places on Dome Peak are filled with thick smoke, accompanied by lightning and thunder.
At the summit of Dome Peak, devastation reigned. The forest was ablaze, icicles littered the ground, and eaves were damaged—a testament to several fierce battles. Outside the Dome Palace, two distinct factions faced off. One side consisted of human cultivators, some standing, some lying down, with Mu Qingfang bustling among them. The other side was a vast, overwhelming mass of demon soldiers clad in black armor. Although a temporary truce seemed to have been reached, the mere sight of anyone drawing their sword even an inch further would reignite the tension in the air.
It seems Luo Binghe has no longer bothered to conceal his identity, which doesn't surprise Shen Qingqiu. In the original novel, Luo Binghe revealed his bloodline around this time as well. His rise to power in the Demon Realm was a foregone conclusion, and the Illusion Flower Palace had been thoroughly brainwashed and subdued by him, establishing a firm foothold. Naturally, there was no need for further concealment. It's just that the prospect of openly tearing off the mask is different now.
Although all disciples on the peak must wear school uniforms, many renowned cultivators are not bound by this rule. No one paid too much attention to Shen Qingqiu's out-of-place attire. He squeezed to the front of the hall and peered inside.
Yue Qingyuan sat with his eyes closed, Liu Qingge behind him, her hand touching his back. The spiritual energy fluctuations around their bodies seemed unstable, and they were probably both in bad shape.
Seeing his two senior brothers, the sect leader and his unlucky junior brother again, who seemed to have been tricked into this state by him once more, Shen Qingqiu felt extremely guilty. He turned his head again and his breath hitched.
Luo Binghe stood silently on the other side of the main hall.
He was dressed in black, which made his skin appear translucent white. His eyes were extremely dark yet incredibly bright, and his expression was indifferent, yet it seemed as if two will-o'-the-wisps were burning and leaping in his pupils. Mo Beijun stood behind him, and although he was in the position of deputy, he held his head slightly higher, like an ice sculpture that naturally acted arrogantly.
Seeing Luo Binghe in person again in the real world, Shen Qingqiu found it hard to describe the complex emotions he was experiencing.
This man was indeed the culprit behind his unfortunate life, but now, upon reflection, it seems that he himself often misunderstood Luo Binghe and acted recklessly, making things worse. He bears responsibility, he admits. Moreover, Luo Binghe was also severely harmed by him. Therefore, although there was embarrassment, there was no hatred or fear.
It's like seeing a girl love you to death; even if she's ugly or you're indifferent to her, you can't help but hate her. Although Luo Binghe isn't a girl (but is even more troublesome than a girl), she's definitely the opposite of ugly.
Yue Qingyuan opened his eyes, and Qi Qingqi asked anxiously, "Sect Leader, are you... alright?"
Yue Qingyuan shook his head, looked at Luo Binghe, and slowly said, "In the past, when the demons attacked the Cangqiong Mountain Sect, you fought as a member of the resistance against the demons. Your master even protected the entire Qiongding Peak with his own body. Unexpectedly, today, it is you who led the demons to force Cangqiong Mountain into such a situation."
Luo Binghe said calmly, "If your sect hadn't been so forceful, I wouldn't have wanted to do this either."
Qi Qingqi laughed in anger: "Ha! Ha! The Cangqiong Mountain Sect has gone too far. The whole world should hear this. It's one thing for you to betray your sect and be ungrateful, but you forced your master to self-destruct in front of you, and then you didn't even spare the dead. You used his corpse for who knows what shady things. Now you're turning around and accusing us. Who is really going too far?!"
Luo Binghe ignored her taunts and said blankly, "Who's next? I'm going to take down this inscription."
Shen Qingqiu was startled and looked up. The inscription Luo Binghe mentioned was probably the horizontal plaque hanging high in the dome-shaped hall. The two characters "Azure Sky" were personally inscribed by one of the founders of the Azure Sky Mountain Sect. It was ancient and of extraordinary significance, equivalent to a piece of Azure Sky Mountain's face. Anyone who removed this inscription would be tantamount to slapping the Azure Sky Mountain Sect in the face.
Back then, when Sha Hualing rashly led a group of warriors to surround the Dome Peak, her intention was to take this inscription back to the Demon Realm and flaunt it.
Qi Qingqi said, "If you want war, then let's fight. One minute you're burning down a cave, the next you're destroying a mountain gate, and now you want to take away this inscription. What do you mean by this? You're just torturing us piecemeal and won't give us a quick end?"
Yue Qingyuan said, "Junior Sister Qi, please calm down." He stood up, and although he was at a disadvantage, his expression remained as steady as Mount Tai, not disturbing the morale of the army. He said, "Junior Brother Qingqiu's immortal body has been placed in the hall. He was a member of my Cangqiong Mountain Sect, and even more so a member of Qingjing Peak. After his death, he must be buried in the cemetery of the successive peak masters of Qingjing Peak, to be laid to rest in peace. Unless you wipe out the entire Cangqiong Mountain Sect, as long as there is a breath left in our sect, no matter how long it takes, Junior Brother Qingqiu's body will never be handed over to you."
Several people present shouted in unison, "That's exactly right!"
Shen Qingqiu knew they would react this way. It was precisely because the Cangqiong Mountain Sect would do everything in their power to protect his body that Shen Qingqiu had to return and communicate with them.
After the initial shock and panic, Shen Qingqiu calmed down and came to a conclusion. A corpse was just a corpse; Luo Binghe could take it if he wanted, and do whatever he pleased with it. Once he returned, Cang Qiong Mountain could simply abandon its responsibilities. But he had arrived too late.
Luo Binghe's lips curled into a cold smile. He lowered his head and said slowly, "I will never personally attack Cang Qiong Mountain. Nor will I kill a single member of the Cang Qiong Mountain sect. But I have plenty of time to slowly wear them down."
The words "slowly wear it down" hit Shen Qingqiu's ears clearly, one after another, and his heart suddenly sank.
Luo Binghe is definitely not the type to engage in polite, intellectual debates. Once he's too lazy to feign politeness, if he wants anything from a faction, he'll resort to the most direct and effective method: a bloodbath, slaughter them all, and then take it.
The fact that Koro Glacier had the patience to wait for two days didn't seem like he had the leisure to do so; rather, it was more like he was waiting for something.
For example, waiting for Shen Qingqiu to come out on his own.
Shen Qingqiu clenched his fists.
Luo Binghe said, "Let's do it."
Mobei Jun said "Oh," stepped forward, and suddenly said, "I've already done it many times."
The pile of exploding ice spikes and the pitted and uneven ground and walls outside the hall were all his masterpieces.
Luo Binghe said, "Then just find someone to do it for you."
Mobei Jun nodded, reached behind him and pulled out a timid person.
He picked the man up like a chick and threw him onto the large open space between them with a thud.
Shang Qinghua scrambled to his feet, utterly terrified. The members of the Cangqiong Mountain Sect practically spit fire at the sight of him.
Not only them, but Shen Qingqiu was also seething with rage: "Damn it, those guys who shoot airplanes into the sky! Damn it!!!"
Qi Qingqi drew his sword with a swift motion and shouted, "Traitor!"
Shang Qinghua forced a smile and said, "Junior Sister Qi, let's talk this out. Don't resort to swords..." Qi Qingqi had already thrust her sword forward, angrily shouting, "Who's your junior sister!" Shang Qinghua quickly dodged, hiding behind Mo Beijun. Mo Beijun showed no mercy, kicking him back. Shang Qinghua said with a bitter face, "I had no choice. Don't do this; it'll make others laugh at us fellow disciples fighting each other."
That's utterly shameless. Shang Qinghua is even more unscrupulous than he imagined; to say something like that now is truly shameless!
Qi Qingqi cursed, "Who said we're your fellow disciples? You let demons in at the Immortal Alliance Assembly, did you consider that the Cangqiong Mountain Sect disciples who died were your fellow disciples? You defected to the Demon Realm, did you consider that we were your fellow disciples? Today, you've come up the mountain to fight this devil, and you still have the nerve to call yourself your fellow disciples?!"
The two chased each other around the hall, creating a farcical scene. Shen Qingqiu watched from the side, his heart pounding: "Chop, chop, chop...chop him to death! Holy crap! So close! Junior sister, chop his crotch!!!"
While chaos reigned on one side, on the other, no one could find a reason to laugh.
Liu Qingge withdrew the spiritual power she had placed on Yue Qingyuan's back, calmed herself down, and stood up. The phoenix, still in its sheath, trembled incessantly, its humming never ceasing.
Yang Yixuan clenched his fist and said, "Master, you've been fighting that demon for a whole day!"
Liu Qingge said in a deep voice, "Step back."
Luo Binghe glanced at him, smiled, and said softly, "A defeated opponent."
He spoke softly, but his enunciation was clear and resonant, with a rising tone at the end, ensuring everyone in the hall could hear him. Liu Qingge tightened his grip on his sword, his eyes flashing with lightning. Nothing could be more humiliating for the Hundred Battles Peak Master than being called a "defeated opponent."
Yang Yixuan, with his fiery temper, immediately retorted: "You demon bastard!"
Luo Binghe didn't care: "Yes. I am a bastard. Is it glorious that the entire Cangqiong Mountain Sect was defeated by a bastard? Not only Qiongding Peak, but I can defeat all the remaining peaks one by one, so that the world will know that the Cangqiong Mountain Sect, a leading sect in the cultivation world, was killed without any power to fight back by a bastard. How about that?"
Ning Yingying said sadly, "Luo...Luo Binghe, are you only happy if you burn down Qingjing Peak too?"
Without a second thought, Luo Binghe immediately replied, "No." He seemed slightly taken aback for a moment, paused, and then said, "...If anyone dares to damage even the slightest bit of a blade of grass, a tree, a bamboo grove, or a dwelling on Qingjing Peak, they will not be spared."
Liu Qingge snorted and sprang up on her horse: "Pretentious."
A slash of sword energy grazed Luo Binghe's cheek, ruffling his hair. Luo Binghe placed his hand on the sword hanging at his waist and sneered, "Overestimating yourself."
However, the two swords never clashed again.
Shen Qingqiu stood between the two, and the clash of their sword energies instantly sliced his previously worn, decorative bamboo hat in two. He held the tip of the Chengluan sword between his left fingertips, preventing Liu Qingge from attacking even an inch further; his right hand firmly held down Luo Binghe's hand, which was already pressed against the inner demon, preventing him from drawing the sword.
There was absolutely no need to continue fighting.
Shen Qingqiu looked to the left, then to the right, before he could utter a word. Luo Binghe suddenly grabbed his wrist, as if an ice band had been firmly placed around it.
Luo Binghe's smile was almost distorted as he said, word by word, "Caught."
Even though Shen Qingqiu was mentally prepared, he couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine when he saw that face up close.
After a moment of complete silence, a great uproar suddenly broke out in the hall.
Yue Qingyuan was utterly astonished, his voice trembling slightly: "But... Junior Brother Qingqiu?"
Qi Qingqi even forgot to attack Shang Qinghua, who quickly took the opportunity to roll back behind Mo Beijun. Ning Yingying tugged at the dumbfounded Ming Fan and murmured, "Senior Brother, am I seeing things? What's going on? That's... Master?!"
Mingfan said, "It seems like... but it also seems like... it doesn't?"
Yang Yixuan, however, reacted in a completely different way. He exclaimed in shock, "Isn't this the peerless Huang... Senior Huang?! Why does Senior Huang... have the face of Master Shen?"
Thank you for not saying the whole ID!
Liu Qingge suddenly opened her eyes wide, her usually calm demeanor completely shattered.
He said, "...You're not dead?"
Shen Qingqiu's initial feelings of guilt and gratitude shattered into pieces. He said, unable to accept it, "Junior brother, what's with that expression? Aren't you happy that your senior brother isn't dead?"
Liu Qingge's face turned from green to black, then black to white, a truly spectacular display of colors. Many others were in similar states. Before Shen Qingqiu could reply, a hand turned his face away. Luo Binghe said, "Finally decided to come out?"
Shen Qingqiu's bones were almost broken from his grip; only his legs could move. He couldn't possibly knee him in his private parts in public—that would be too indecent. Thinking of something, a surge of anger rose within him again.
He said, "You did it on purpose."
Luo Binghe asked, "What does Master mean?"
Shen Qingqiu said, "You didn't just massacre the mountain directly, but instead slowly wore me down for so long, just to lure me out."
Luo Binghe sneered, "Even Master can sometimes guess his disciple's thoughts correctly. This disciple is overjoyed, wishing he could beat his chest and stamp his feet, and will remember this moment for the rest of his life."
Liu Qingge withdrew her sword, swayed slightly, seemingly still a little dizzy, pointed at Luo Binghe, and said, "You, let him go."
Luo Binghe pulled Shen Qingqiu closer to him, and said impatiently, "What did you say?"
His movements were forceful, and Shen Qingqiu took a deep breath, the suppressed anger flaring up again: "When did you realize that the one in your dream was mine?"
If Luo Binghe hadn't discovered the flaw, how would he have guessed that he hadn't died and had successfully waited for him at Cang Qiong Mountain?
Luo Binghe said, "Master underestimates me too much. Even if I didn't suspect anything the first time, if I still didn't notice anything unusual the second time, then I would really be stupid."
Shen Qingqiu nodded and said, "You're not stupid. I am."
Only someone incredibly stupid would think that Luo Binghe was truly so mentally unstable that he couldn't distinguish between the intruders and the illusion.
Shen Qingqiu said, "Since you discovered something was amiss, why didn't you expose it?"
Is it fun to play along with the teacher-student filial piety act?
Luo Binghe looked at him: "Why did you expose me? Wasn't Master quite pleased with me?"
happy?
hehe.
Shen Qingqiu remained silent and continued slowly, "Several times, I almost managed to find your location through my dreams. If that had happened, this whole ordeal wouldn't have occurred today."
Luo Binghe's face gradually darkened again. He gripped his shoulder tightly with his fingers and said hatefully, "If Master hadn't run away from the beginning and hadn't kept it from me, many things would have been completely different."
So, the culprit behind all this commotion was himself. And the logic behind it actually makes a lot of sense. Absolutely right!
In some ways, Shen Qingqiu felt this conclusion was quite correct. He had been courting death all along, so he deserved whatever fate befell him.
However, Shen Qingqiu is indeed more responsive to gentle persuasion than force. But you can't let him get away with it and then slap him in the face, saying, "You were faking it."
Luo Binghe was not a delicate, pitiful little flower at all. Shen Qingqiu had been cuddling with him for so long in his dream, and since Luo Binghe thought it was just a dream anyway, it wouldn't hurt to comfort him. Shen Qingqiu said all sorts of sticky, comforting words, patted his head, and hugged him. Afterwards, he himself got goosebumps from feeling all over from being so sentimental.
The thought that she was actually troubled by this in her dream, but in fact, it was all under the other party's control, made Shen Qingqiu feel ashamed and wished she could dig a hole and crawl into a pit.
It looks terrible.
Author's Note: Thank you to zzzsl, Xi, sweet potato, Maruko's best friend, orli, Tianwang loves earth tiger, sunset like blood, night love, Guoxiaoyuan, gooee, gray ink color, Xiaotian secret, boundless wind and moon, white rice, shadow, Kanwenke, Sheyu, Xuanjing and his 200 lads, Bi'anjun, Meigu, Huinantian, and the landmines of Shattered Eyes Gn.
Next up is fan art time! OMG, the fans in the group are so talented! There are still many more pictures, I'll post a few each day!
Actually, please don't ask me about the character's hairstyle _(」∠ )_ I don't know what hairstyle it is, I have no idea.
Lu Guang Gn's "Spring Mountain Hatred"!!! I hope it won't be censored!!! The image is a bit large, it's stretching the inner walls!
Egg Yolk Bacteria GN's hand-drawn illustration! Flowing hair~
108 cat food Gn's coloring master^_^
Yukka-chan's girlishly seductive classmate, Luo-kun^_^ I really want to push her down!
At that time, Gnda Little Sheep Luo
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