Chapter 207: A Wisp of Sword Qi

"Little Martial Ancestor!"

"How could you have died just like this…"

Beneath Jin Ling Mountain, wailing shook heaven and earth, white banners fluttered, funeral music rose on all sides, and countless inner and outer disciples cried themselves into puddles — a most lively scene.

But looking closely,

many of them had icy gazes, glancing up the mountain from time to time, not even bothering to feign expressions, letting the water droplets conjured by spells slide down their cold, hard cheeks and splash onto the ground.

"Senior Brother Zhou, doing it this way — will the Sect… that mortal is, after all, of the Martial Ancestor's generation."

Someone asked uneasily through transmitted voice.

"No need to worry!"

Zhou Kun said confidently: "That man will soon reveal his true colors. A mere mortal — when the time comes, we won't be punished at all, we'll earn great merit!"

"You and I may even ride on this glory, and who knows — perhaps even glimpse hope of Foundation Establishment!"

His confidence infected the surrounding disciples; their wailing grew louder, their expressions more vivid.

"What if he refuses to come down? This mortal shouldn't have that kind of nerve."

Someone else asked.

"Even better!"

Zhou Kun laughed heartily.

"Such a monstrous humiliation, yet still able to endure — that makes him a mortal ant through and through."

"A mere ant, not content to eke out a humble existence, who dared to delusionally attempt to impose some grand order of the realm — that alone would be enough, but he even had the gall to occupy the Taiyi Qingmu Xianzong's second-grade supreme spirit vein. That's the path to death!"

"In a moment, I will personally snap his four limbs and leave him to your disposal!"

"Wise words, Senior Brother!"

The several people around were overjoyed, wearing expressions of deep satisfaction — all of them had been targets of the Mortal Inspectorate's purges before.

Any reform,

Verbal warnings are useless, no matter how earnest the persuasion.

To impose its grand order, the Mortal Inspectorate had repeatedly made examples of the few to warn the many, killing no small number of local tyrant clans and commandery noble houses — many of whom were kin to certain inner and outer disciples.

……

"How did it come to this."

In the distance, Li Li Qingyun said, unable to bear it.

A circle of people surrounded him — Chen Xi, Wu Ma Kong, Fa Zheng, and others.

It was precisely thanks to his protection that Chen Xi and the others had not been further implicated. Though they themselves and their clans had suffered heavy losses, they had at least survived amid the resentment of many inner and outer disciples.

"Senior Brother, it did come to this."

Wu Ma Kong said solemnly.

After taking up cultivation, he had thoroughly come to recognize the gap between himself and a Heavenly Spiritual Root. No longer resisting, he had, after Li Li Qingyun emerged from seclusion, swiftly drawn close to a group of Xiang Qiyu Sect's young talents.

"Even you, at this age and this realm, would not clash with any Foundation Establishment senior." Wu Ma Kong said coldly with a smile: "But what about him?"

"A mere mortal."

"The moment he arrived, he seized the second-grade supreme spirit vein cave-dwelling of Gold Vein Master Chu Chu Fengxi, and then got involved in the Jin Dan Dao dispute of Foundation Establishment peak cultivator Zhou Zhou Kunlong's Martial Uncle — seeking his own death."

"If not him, then who?"

Everyone around wore expressions of deep agreement.

"Indeed."

Li Li Qingyun's expression sharpened, taking this lesson to heart.

No matter how great the talent, that is only the future; the present is the present. That person… even with some talent, breaking through to Qi Refining, would still be unable to escape the malice of two Foundation Establishment cultivators.

"Little Martial Ancestor!"

"How could you have died just like this…"

After waiting half a day without seeing anyone appear, the inner and outer disciples at the foot of the mountain grew ever more invigorated, their wailing shaking heaven and earth.

"He's coming!"

The crying stopped abruptly.

Every gaze turned toward the mountain.

A youth in blue robes, handsome of face, his Daoist robes fluttering, descended unhurriedly.

Twelve beautiful maidens of varied appearance formed two rows — some holding jade parasols, some draped in colored ribbons, some wearing immortal swords at their waists — following step for step behind him.

"Your name is Zhou Kun?"

Jiang Ding looked at the young Daoist before him and asked softly.

"Greetings, Little Martial Ancestor."

Xiang Qiyu Sect's rites and rules were strict and stern, upholding the dignity of elders; no matter how unwilling, all disciples had to offer salutes.

"Little Martial Ancestor."

Zhou Kun's divine sense roughly scanned the person before him. After a moment, his brow and eyes relaxed completely, and he said with a cheeky grin: "Someone suspects you've been possessed by a demon. Please come with me to the Punishment Hall."

"This is all for your safety."

"Don't make things difficult for your disciple!"

Zhou Kun's expression chilled, and his vast divine sense at the peak of Qi Refining pressed down — enough to freeze the soul of most mortals.

"Alright."

Jiang Ding nodded slightly, and a wisp of pale blue sword Qi overflowed from between his fingers.

"What?!"

Zhou Kun thought he'd misheard, and laughed coldly without cease: "You don't actually think that a mere Innate cultivator can defy the Sect's laws, do you?"

Sword qi detached from his fingertips and slashed toward his throat.

"Since that is the case, then do not blame this disciple for being impolite!"

Zhou Kun was overjoyed, a trace of ferocity revealing itself in his eyes.

Magic power at the peak of Qi Refining surged; a Yi Mian Shang Pin magical artifact shield floated up, then he began to chant, and a Yi Mei Shang Pin magical artifact jade seal rapidly expanded, pressing down upon the person ahead.

"He is going to die."

Wu Ma Kong declared decisively, feeling a touch of sorrow for the fox dying and the rabbit trembling.

"Zhou Kun is truly too cautious; even when facing a Preternatural Martial Artist, he simultaneously unleashes two major Shang Pin magical artifacts, leaving him not a single sliver of possibility."

"This is to instantly crush and kill, not allowing him to display his combat talent and trigger the possibility of other elders cherishing his potential!"

Li Li Qingyun nodded silently, his gaze turning toward that side, as if to witness the fall of a generation's prodigy, the number one on the Dragon and Phoenix List, recording it to admonish his own Dao heart which often grows lax.

"Impossible!"

Li Li Qingyun's face changed drastically, and he cried out in shock.

"Fall!"

The ferocity on Zhou Kun's face was no longer concealed; all his magic power surged in, the jade seal expanded to a height and width of several zhang, with wisps of ripples overflowing, causing everything around to slow down immensely.

Yet,

that faint blue sword qi flying from the fingertips slashed over.

The Shang Pin jade seal magical artifact silently split in two, the sword qi's spiritual light suffering no loss whatsoever.

In an instant, it split the Shang Pin shield magical artifact, then silently sliced through his protective shield.

Then, it flew toward his skull.

"Impossible!"

The ferocity on Zhou Kun's face turned to fear; he burned his essence blood, transforming into a streak of escape light and fleeing madly.

"Spare my life!"

"Little Junior Granduncle! I was influenced by Zhou Kun..."

Whoosh!

The faint blue sword qi pierced through; his body stiffened and halted, silently splitting in two in mid-air, with his internal organs spilling out with a clatter.

A cultivator at the peak of Qi Refining died just like that.

Silence reigned all around.

Everyone's eyes bulged, doubting their own eyes had seen wrongly.

"I... remember now."

Li Li Qingyun's voice was dry and raspy.

"The first and second times I saw him, I would involuntarily ignore him; I thought that after cultivating immortality and gaining divine sense, there would be some change..."

Silence, without a sound.

No one responded to his words, all plunged into shock.

"Is there anyone else who requires instruction?"

Jiang Ding glanced around at the inner and outer sect disciples wearing hemp mourning clothes and asked.

All the disciples wearing Bai Bu trembled, their faces pale; they frantically tore the Bai Bu from their bodies, dared not look up once, and fear showed on their faces.

"Liu Liu Sanqi."

"This humble one is here."

Liu Liu Sanqi's face flushed red with excitement, showing utmost respect.

"How should these people be handled?"

"Those who maliciously slandered and injured elders, gathering a crowd, should be sent to the Punishment Hall; at least ten ringleaders must be executed." Liu Liu Sanqi declared without hesitation: "As for the others, anyone involved shall all be demoted to mine slaves, sent to the mine caves to labor for twenty years before their crimes can be redeemed."

The others trembled even more, yet dared not voice the slightest objection.

"So be it."

Jiang Ding nodded slightly, looking at a gray-robed elder who had approached here at some unknown time, his expression surprised.

"A Foundation Establishment cultivator can also command Foundation Establishment death soldiers?"

"Junior, prepare to die!"

The gray-robed elder's expression turned ghastly; he no longer concealed himself, and a violent Foundation Establishment pressure poured out, leaving the minds of all Qi Refining disciples around blank.

A fire dragon, a top-grade magical artifact gathering the Foundation Establishment cultivator's entire magic power and essence blood, opened its scorching maw to swallow downward.

(End of this chapter)