Chapter 69

A pitch-black flame burned the two Divine Martial Sect cultivators to a crisp.

Xu Ye withdrew his hand seal, his right hand returning from a lotus shape to normal, then turned to the surrounding spectators and said: "Divine Martial Sect cultivators came to our Cloud Hidden Sect's mountain gate to provoke, injuring over ten of our disciples, an unforgivable crime. Although the chief culprit has already been executed, Divine Martial Sect also bears an inescapable responsibility. Originally this matter could not simply be let go, but heaven cherishes life, and Cloud Hidden Sect does not wish to create more killing karma. Therefore, if Divine Martial Sect henceforth behaves itself and does not provoke Cloud Hidden Sect again, this matter will be dropped. Those present today include not only our sect's disciples but also many outsiders and wandering cultivators, all witnessing this. However, should Divine Martial Sect provoke us again in the future, do not blame Cloud Hidden Sect for not showing mercy despite being in the right."

Xu Ye finished speaking, then walked straight toward the depths of the separate courtyard, where a small teleportation array led to above the clouds. Hong Le, Hong Zhi, Qing He and the other disciples had all come to, except Qing He who needed support; the others could walk on their own, and they all followed behind Xu Ye as they left the hillside separate courtyard.

Wei Yuning stayed behind, and the one with him was the female cultivator Thus line: Ye Ying.

Such a major event occurred, and there were still a few female cultivators of the Azure Phoenix Sect present in the hillside separate courtyard, so the news quickly reached Thus line: Ye Ying's ears.

Thus line: Ye Ying felt neither sorrow nor joy, staring blankly at the scorched clearing where the flame had burned; her expression showed no relief at the matter being resolved, but was filled with fear.

She knew all too well how formidable the Divine Martial Sect was; though the Cloud Hidden Sect was deeply rooted and naturally unafraid of the Divine Martial Sect, the latter was very likely to take out its anger on the Azure Phoenix Sect because of this incident.

If the Azure Phoenix Sect were to be implicated in this, the sect might not survive; what should she do? She simply could not imagine it.

The likelihood of this happening was not just possible, but extremely likely. Although the Divine Martial Sect's auxiliary forces were as numerous as cow hairs, its formal disciples were extremely few, only about a hundred.

This time, they lost two at once, one of whom was a Void Integration expert; given the Divine Martial Sect's consistent style, they would certainly not let it go.

"I must notify the sect!" This was Thus line: Ye Ying's first sentence after regaining her senses.

"Someone has already notified the Azure Phoenix Sect; let's go, head back first!"

Wei Yuning grabbed Thus line: Ye Ying's arm and forcibly pulled her away.

That evening, Qiu Hu also rushed back, and she already knew about this.

"Just do what needs to be done! Although the Divine Martial Sect suffered a loss, they were the ones who first provoked the Cloud Hidden Sect; their skill was inferior, so what is there to complain about? How could arrogance and lawlessness still be justified? Though the Azure Phoenix Sect's strength is far inferior to the Divine Martial Sect's, self-defense should be fine! The main target is still the Cloud Hidden Sect; in my view, the Divine Martial Sect is just a bunch of bullies who pick on the weak and fear the strong; they probably dare not cause trouble for the Cloud Hidden Sect, and in the end this matter will likely amount to nothing!" Qiu Hu, after all merely a passerby, had little emotional investment in the Azure Phoenix Sect's possible fate, and calmly laid out the situation for Thus line: Ye Ying to hear.

"But... but... if it weren't for me, none of this would have happened!" the girl sobbed, still unable to let go.

"The problem now has nothing to do with you; the main contradiction has become between the Cloud Hidden Sect and the Divine Martial Sect. Senior Xu Ye also said that the Cloud Hidden Sect has been too comfortable for too long and is planning to let disciples participate in the external battlefield; compared to that, the Divine Martial Sect is merely an insignificant opponent. Stay at ease in the Cloud Hidden Sect and cultivate; you need not worry further!" Wei Yuning also comforted her.

Obviously, Wei Yuning's words had a better comforting effect; after hearing them, Thus line: Ye Ying stopped crying.

"That's right, rest assured, Little Ying, we've got you covered, so relax!" Qiu Hu said bluntly. Since leaving the Azure Phoenix Sect and coming to the Cloud Hidden Sect, Qiu Hu no longer hid herself as before, and many of her words were no longer held back from Thus line: Ye Ying.

Thus line: Ye Ying glanced at Qiu Hu, fell silent for a moment, then suddenly said: "Senior Sister, you will eventually leave the Azure Phoenix Sect, right?"

"Even a true Azure Phoenix Sect cultivator cannot stay in the sect forever; among all the worlds, whenever there is an opportunity one should go out and see it— the greater the ambition, the greater the achievement. You should not be confined to the tiny Tortoise Island. As for me, at least for the next few decades I will still count as a member of the Azure Phoenix Sect; afterward I will return to where I came from, and as for what comes after that, I have not yet figured it out!" Qiu Hu spoke ambiguously.

"Understood, Senior Sister! For a cultivator, the most important thing is cultivation; nothing else should disturb the mind!" Thus line: Ye Ying still looked like that lovable girl, but her expression suddenly became much firmer, as if she had grown up in an instant.

Wei Yuning and Qiu Hu exchanged a glance and laughed.

For a moment, there was an illusion, as if the two of them had a child who suddenly became sensible.

The next day, Wei Yuning bought fifteen Dragon Blood Pills from the pharmacy on Medicinal Pill Peak, spending a full thirty mid-grade spirit stones, which made him feel terrible; his savings were nearly gone. However, since all those fellow disciples had been injured because of him the day before, he sent them the pills as best he could, which also helped alleviate a bit of his guilt.

Indeed, although the injured disciples initially hesitated before accepting the Dragon Blood Pills from Wei Yuning, their impression of him became more positive. The basic monthly stipend for a Foundation Establishment disciple is no more than ten low-grade spirit stones; one Dragon Blood Pill equals two mid-grade spirit stones, i. e., two hundred low-grade spirit stones, so even the sect rarely bestows such gifts upon its disciples.

Dragon Blood Pills are high-grade medicines for enhancing qi and blood, extremely precious; compared to them, yesterday's injuries were trivial.

Even Qing He, who was previously unfamiliar with him, after accepting the Dragon Blood Pill patted Wei Yuning's shoulder to acknowledge his generosity. Qing He is a direct-line disciple; to him the Dragon Blood Pill is nothing rare, but he values Qing Mo's character.

Hong Le and Hong Zhi also received Dragon Blood Pills, but the two, as if by prior agreement, firmly returned them, and also comforted Wei Yuning, urging him to stay at ease, for the sect would handle everything and there was no need to worry about the Divine Martial Sect.

Wei Yuning felt a sourness in his heart, almost bringing tears to his eyes; since coming to this world, this was the first time he truly felt the warmth of his elders. After this incident, he developed a reluctance to leave the Cloud Hidden Sect.

The one who earned the most merit, Senior Xu Ye, received two Moon Badgers, and he beamed with joy. He didn't take the Divine Martial Sect to heart, merely reiterating that if the Divine Martial Sect caused trouble again, he couldn't defeat them himself, but would summon the Golden Core Elder or even Dao Min True Person, not believing the Divine Martial Sect could overturn heaven.

The last to receive the Dragon Blood Pill was the Barbarian Ox. The Barbarian Ox's body was already immensely strong, and it also possessed an extraordinarily powerful earth-type spiritual root; by the time Wei Yuning arrived, its body had fully recovered.

Wei Yuning sought out the Barbarian Ox not only to deliver the pills, but mainly to discuss the renovation of the Hundred Flowers Garden.

Regarding Wei Yuning's request, the Barbarian Ox readily agreed.

Another ten days passed, and the weather grew ever colder. The mist on Nine Clouds Peak still had not cleared, but overnight every tree was covered in frost, as if myriad pear blossoms were in full bloom.

The Floating Petal Grass in the Hundred Flowers Garden had been fully planted; although winter is not the breeding season for Moon Badgers, wherever the Floating Petal Grass existed, indeed many Moon Badgers gathered.

The incident in which two Divine Martial Sect experts lost their lives at the Cloud Hidden Sect seemed as if it had never happened; according to news from the Azure Phoenix Sect, the Divine Martial Sect had not sought retribution against them.

However, the Azure Phoenix Sect still sealed off its sect and fully activated its illusionary grand formation, just in case.

"You actually possess the innate divine ability, Heavenly Nose Penetration!"

Although they did not share the same room, in recent days, after Wei Yuning finished his work on the Hundred Flowers Garden, he basically rested in the residence of Wind Lotus Pavilion.

Staying overnight here, it was unavoidable to cultivate beside Qiu Hu. That early morning, Wei Yuning unexpectedly climbed onto a corner of the roof to cultivate. Out of curiosity, Qiu Hu unexpectedly learned this great secret from Wei Yuning's mouth and could not help but exclaim.