Chapter 647

Ye Qin walked up to Hong Qigong's side and asked curiously. He had never seen these three elders before, only feeling that their strength far surpassed the peerless; that commanding and strategic aura, the magnificent and domineering confrontation, all revealed supreme power.

Hong Qigong's expression was solemn; seeing Ye Qin's question, he knew these three might not even have been discovered by the Capital Guard Office. He explained: "I have been in Qin Lake for years, having broken into the Innate Realm long ago, so I naturally know some secrets. You have long been in Lin'an Prefecture, focusing on the details of the national army and officials, yet you lack sufficient understanding of the depths of this world."

Ye Qin slapped his forehead, suddenly realizing: "Even if I oversee the Capital Guard Office, I still don't fully understand the imperial court's situation. It seems the imperial court still holds power I don't know of; I just don't know why they remain in hiding."

His train of thought was led astray by this trigger.

Beside him, Hong Qigong couldn't help but twitch his old face, giving a few dry coughs: "Kid, listen carefully, these three are not simple."

"Oh?"

Ye Qin wore a curious expression and asked: "Elder Hong, could you introduce these three to me? That way, when I wander Qin Lake, I won't offend them."

Hong Qigong nodded, about to introduce, but the three leapt forward to a spot not far before Ye Qin, clasping their hands slightly and saying:

"I am Morning Sun Child of the Pure Yang Daoist Abbey!"

"I am Yang Sun Child."

"I am Setting Sun Child."

Ye Qin stared, involuntarily saying: "Your three names are quite nice, all actually taking the sun as their name."

Hong Qigong took the opportunity to explain: "The Pure Yang Daoist Abbey lies beyond the northern frontier; it was originally a place for Daoist cultivation, yet who would have thought it also surrendered to the Jin—truly a disgrace to the Daoist sect!"

"And these three are the three ancestors of the Pure Yang Daoist Abbey, brothers born of the same mother, who practice the ancestral Three Yang True Method; thus they take Morning Sun, Yang Sun, and Setting Sun as their Dao Names."

Ye Qin listened with relish, never expecting such a sect to exist in the world; he had truly underestimated the heroes under heaven. However, the Three Yang Ancestor beside him interrupted his train of thought.

Morning Sun Child said lightly: "Old beggar, you know quite a bit, but we no longer cultivate the Three Yang True Method; you should call it the Golden Crow True Method!"

"Hmph!" Hong Qigong sneered coldly: "Betraying your kin, slaughtering fellow disciples—is this the Dao you cultivate? The venerable true cultivator of the Pure Yang lineage of the Daoist sect has now fallen to become a lackey of foreign tribes!"

Betrayal is betrayal; no matter how, it's hard to justify.

Yang Sun Child gave a cold glance and jeered: "Old beggar, I've also heard of you; around Qin Lake you have some reputation. But the fact proves you ultimately understand nothing!"

"Without resources, my Pure Yang Daoist Abbey would struggle to survive. Everyone has selfish motives; to cultivate to a higher realm and for the prosperity of the Pure Yang Abbey, what's wrong with aligning with foreign tribes?"

Their faces were icy; the Three Yang Ancestors stood aloft in the world, as if no one could blame them. Aligning with foreign tribes was merely to survive better!

"The old beggar is ashamed to be with you!" Hong Qigong's face turned cold, and he unleashed the Dragon Subduing Eighteen Palms without hesitation—first palm, second palm, third palm…

No matter what reasons the Three Yang Ancestors of the Pure Yang Daoist Abbey have, he will not spare those who ally with foreign tribes; killing them would be removing harm for the Daoist sect, although the sect would not thank him for it.

"Old beggar, do you really think we three brothers fear you?" Morning Sun Child sneered coldly: "Since you struck first, don't blame us for being impolite!"

Three whisks swept toward Hong Qigong in an instant; even facing the Dragon Subduing Eighteen Palms, they did not retreat. Together they actually suppressed the Eighteen Palms. That overbearing, mighty eighteen palms were each broken by their whisks. At the same time, they came at Hong Qigong with angry faces.

Yang Sun Child said coldly: "Old beggar, you're no good either!"

The three brothers combined forces, and none could oppose them.

"You've all broken through to the Innate Realm?" Hong Qigong stared wide-eyed, looking astonished. In his impression, these three ancestors of the Pure Yang Daoist Abbey should have been Acquired Perfection; when did they break into the Innate Realm?

No time to think further; he hastily retreated to dodge. Three Innate peerless masters were enough to suppress him alone. Even though Hong Qigong had been an Innate master for years, a veteran Innate expert, it was of no avail.

"Attack!" Ye Qin took a deep breath and ordered the nearby guards: "If we cannot resist, we today fear we will all be buried here."

Three Innate masters plus a thousand elite Jin troops make victory truly difficult. If it were only a thousand Jin troops, that would be fine, since their individual strength is weak. But three Innate masters are already enough to be overwhelming.

With Hong Qigong's strength, he could at most handle one opponent. Yet two Pure Yang Daoist Abbey ancestors remained, smirking as they looked at the crowd. Not far away, the Seven Freaks of Qin South now only had six left. They immediately formed a simple formation and charged. Having seen Ye Qin earlier, they were furious and seized this chance to vent. But who would win or lose is hard to predict.

Morning Sun Child was blocked by Hong Qigong, Yang Sun Child was temporarily held off by the Six Freaks of Qin South. The remaining Setting Sun Child rushed toward Ye Qin, lightly waving his whisk, and a scorching force came straight at him.

"What a fine Setting Sun Child! I, the official, will meet you!" Ye Qin drew his longsword from his waist, executing an exquisite sword technique. His whole body instantly turned into a fleeing afterimage.

Although Ye Qin was only Acquired Perfection, still a certain distance from Innate peerlessness, relying on his exquisite sword technique was enough to duel with the Setting Sun Child.

"Kill!"

"Boom!"

A single sword slash shattered the whisk, sweeping away that scorching energy; the strange sword move continued to thrust, and even the Innate Realm's Xiyangzi could not dodge it. He could only form a mysterious hand seal, pouring the scorching true qi into it, quickly forming a defense before his chest.

Boom—

Suddenly a feeling of heaven and earth shaking came; the terrifying power seemed not of this world. Ye Qin's sword move was blocked; even a sharper, stranger sword move could possibly be intercepted, unless the sword move's power is strong enough.

"I find it still difficult to injure an Innate Realm expert without using sword intent. It seems only a sword move infused with sword intent can be vivid and alive, rather than a dead object's technique!" Thinking this, Ye Qin infused the sword intent from the void into his sword, again executing his sole move.

"One move fresh, eat all under heaven. Even if I only have one move, it's enough to contend with you!" Ye Qin secretly thought. Although countless experts exist under heaven, both overt and covert, innumerable, he still had confidence in a single battle.

"Xiyangzi, prepare to die!" With a loud shout, a move imbued with sword intent was unleashed; Ye Qin's killing intent did not diminish in the slightest.

Xiyangzi suddenly shouted in terror: "How could this be possible…"

Ye Qin did not let the sword intent run wild; instead, he let it rise to the heavens like a dragon soaring through the nine skies. Xiyang Old Ancestor felt the astonishment and terror revealed in Ye Qin's sword intent, as if his own life were under grave threat: "No, this is impossible! He is merely an Acquired Perfection Realm; how could he make me feel the threat of death? This must be an illusion!"

Since I took refuge with the Golden People, I, the Old Ancestor, have cultivated the Xiyang Divine Art of the Three Yang Orthodox Law, gaining divine power like that of a Golden Crow; besides my two elder brothers, no one under heaven can kill me! Xiyang Old Ancestor secretly shook his head, trying to cast this unease behind him. The Xiyang power he cultivates ought to be invincible!

However, when he again looked at the silent Ye Qin, he involuntarily muttered to himself: "My Xiyang power can cause aging, even make one revert to youth, and kill invisibly. But why is it difficult to block his sword move imbued with sword intent?"

This depression and helplessness made him feel mentally and physically exhausted. Although his strength is not weak, and he is even an Innate expert, when facing Ye Qin who possesses sword intent, he always feels an inexplicable unease and agitation, as if a great crisis is silently descending, leaving him nowhere to escape.

Facing Ye Qin's incomparably sharp sword move, Xiyang Old Ancestor actually gave rise to a thought of retreat.

Beside him, Zhengyang Old Ancestor, who was easily suppressing the Qin Nan Six Monsters, grinned and teased: "Third brother, do you want Second Brother to help you deal with this Acquired Perfection Realm brat?"

The martial arts of the Qin Nan Six Monsters are not strong; even if he uses only half a hand, he can easily handle them. Precisely for this reason, he has the chance to tease his younger brother, which seems to let him regain a long-lost sense of pleasure.

"I can handle it!" Xiyang Old Ancestor retorted unhappily, "You'd better look after yourself; don't capsize in the gutter."

Seeing Qiu Qianren of the Iron Palm Gang also join the battle, Xiyang Old Ancestor's mouth twitched, and in his heart he cursed Zhengyang Old Ancestor bloody hell.

He stared fixedly at Ye Qin, who was gathering power; that seemingly long wait was actually only a breath or two. Ye Qin then swiftly closed in like lightning, taking Xiyang Old Ancestor directly with his strange, unfathomable sword move.

!

"Xiyang Power: Time flies like a shuttle, causing people to age!"

Xiyang Old Ancestor unleashed a move of the Three Yang Orthodox Law, forming a strange hand seal with both hands, driven by scorching true qi. According to ancient records, this technique can reach an inconceivable realm, able to sever life and death, and also destroy one's lifespan.

In a sense, this has surpassed the realm of ordinary martial arts, yet it can still be explained by martial arts. It is nothing more than taking an unorthodox path with the sword, cultivated with Xiyang power, thereby producing all kinds of miraculous changes.

Martial artists should pursue the utmost of the martial way; the ancestor of the Pure Yang Temple is obviously a person of great perseverance and wisdom. But in Ye Qin's view, these three fellows before him who call themselves the Three Yang Old Ancestors are nothing more than immortals who refuse to die.

He showed a calm expression; even the aging Xiyang power could not stir his heart: "The Three Yang Orthodox Law of the Pure Yang Temple indeed has some extraordinary aspects; why not hand over the Three Yang Orthodox Law, and I will spare your life?"

If the Vajra Bracelet could be merged and optimized, perhaps we could gain an extra trump card and avoid being constantly targeted.

Ye Qin lightly swept his sword move, completely breaking the Setting Sun Power; its power undiminished, he continued his assault on the Setting Sun Old Ancestor. The immense power caught the Setting Sun Old Ancestor off guard, his face instantly turning dark as iron.

"How is this possible?" he muttered in disbelief. As an Innate Realm peerless master, he was actually no match for an Acquired Perfection Realm cultivator. He even felt a suffocating sensation wash over him, as if that sword move could take his life.

Ye Qin's gaze was calm as he said steadily, "Even if you possess the Setting Sun Power, it's useless. The Three Yang Proper Law indeed has its unique aspects, but it's absolutely not something you should use so weakly."

He could sense that the Setting Sun Old Ancestor's Setting Sun Power was not strong; it seemed he had only just grasped it, not yet had time to consolidate that state, still in the sprouting stage, needing time to nurture.

Ye Qin's sword was one infused with sword intent, one that made all brilliance in heaven and earth dim, and one that filled the Setting Sun Old Ancestor with despair. "Why should I take on this mission? Why should I ally with the Golden People?" Only two words remained in his mind: regret.

Gazing at that despairing face, Ye Qin slightly furrowed his brow and said, "The Buddhist Sect teaches karma; every cause has its destined effect. You are a person deserving death."

After saying that, he knew it was time to send the Setting Sun Old Ancestor on his way. Slaying an Innate Realm peerless master while in the Acquired Perfection Realm was truly something to look forward to.

As for Hong Qigong's earlier remark that killing too many might affect one's mind, he felt a lingering fear, but thinking of the countless people already slain by his own hand, the Setting Sun Old Ancestor made no difference.

"Third Brother!"

Not far away, after a whisk disabled each of the Qin Nan Six Monsters' arms, another palm struck back the Positive Yang Old Ancestor of Qiu Qianren, who saw the Setting Sun Old Ancestor closing his eyes awaiting death, and he couldn't help but feel anxious. "Get out of the way!" He thrust a palm to block Ye Qin's sword move.

Yet how could Ye Qin's move, imbued with sword intent, be so easily blocked? He said calmly, "You cannot block it. If the sword move is the sword's body, then sword intent is the soul. Although the Three Yang Proper Law is powerful, you have just entered the threshold and haven't even reached minor achievement—there's nothing to fear."

Whoosh!

Even if the opponent is an innate peerless master, an existence standing at the pinnacle of martial arts in this world, they cannot block this strike. 'He stopped resisting only because resistance was futile.'

Sunset Ancestor knew that struggling was futile, so he had long given up resistance. Ye Qin was well aware of this; even if Yang Ancestor arrived, it would be useless—this strike is surely a killing blow.

'You dare kill my third brother, aren't you afraid of death?' Yang Ancestor's face darkened, his brows furrowed. The Pure Yang Daoist Sect's strength among the world's Daoist schools is not weak either—how could anyone dare be so bold?

Ye Qin's sword momentum did not wane but increased. Even if the three Yang Ancestors are all innate masters, offending one is equivalent to offending all three. But for Ye Qin, he cannot avoid offending them, because these three have already harbored murderous intent toward him—he cannot just stand by and do nothing, can he?

Moreover, killing one or two people is still something he can bear.

'Sorry, I'm actually afraid of death!' At this moment, the Morning Yang Ancestor and Yang Ancestor were both entangled, and the Sunset Ancestor had looked down on him, giving him this chance to slay. Only by fearing death will one nip danger in the bud.

'My third brother and you have no deep grudge!' Morning Yang Ancestor shouted, his face turning purple. 'We each serve our own masters—why kill and take lives?'

Ye Qin, while acting, said with a smile: 'I know. But I am naturally averse to trouble, and besides, I still want your Three Yang True Law.'

Morning Yang Ancestor fell silent. He had thought that leaving the mountain would bring glory to the Pure Yang Daoist Sect, but he never expected to end up risking his brother's life. After a moment of silence, he said: 'I can give you the Three Yang True Law, but you must release my third brother!'

In his view, even if the inherited art were supremely important, it could not compare to his brother's life.

Just as Ye Qin was about to deliver a killing blow to the Sunset Ancestor, he suddenly stopped and said calmly: 'First, toss over the Three Yang True Law.'

If he could seize this opportunity to obtain the Pure Yang Daoist Sect's Three Yang True Law, it would perhaps be a good gain.

Snort!

Ye Qin immediately pressed his sword tip to the Sunset Ancestor's throat. Even an innate realm martial artist dared not resist at this moment. Morning Yang Ancestor secretly resented: 'This foolish third brother, actually letting him grasp his vital point—is he waiting to die?' (End of chapter)