Chapter 283: The One Who Decides Is Me

Southern Border, Ten Thousand Poisons Sect main hall.

Lu Yang's expression remained calm as he looked up at Long Yue, chuckling lightly before saying, "Since we have finished discussing trivial matters, it is time to properly address the real business."

Upon hearing this, Long Yue instantly froze: Real business?

It took only a second for him to realize what Lu Yang meant by "real business"—nothing more than the so-called abduction of Jiangnan commoners; was such a matter even worth discussing?

Would not a single cup of punitive wine suffice?

However, Long Yue quickly changed his train of thought, believing he understood Lu Yang's intentions; this must be a mission specially issued by the Demon-Sweeping True Person.

As a disciple of the Demon-Sweeping True Person, Lu Yang would inevitably need to provide an explanation to his master regardless of the outcome; he could not truly arrive empty-handed and leave empty-handed, or how could his master save face? Would the Demon-Sweeping True Person believe such a report? If they sent Lu Yang away only for the Demon-Sweeping True Person to appear next, that would be genuine trouble.

Thinking thus, a smile immediately surfaced on Long Yue's face:

"I understand."

Immediately after, Long Yue performed a brief calculation before extending a hand to summon several Qi Refining Great Perfection disciples from across the distance, forcefully throwing them onto the ground.

"These are the ones."

"They privately violated our sect's doctrines by going to Jiangnan to treat human lives as worthless grass; their crimes are heinous indeed. Today, I expel them all from the sect."

"Fellow Daoist may take them away to administer punishment as you see fit."

Long Yue spoke no lie; these individuals were indeed responsible for abducting commoners in Jiangnan, and one among them was even a disciple she had personally cultivated.

But in the end, they possessed only Qi Refining cultivation.

As everyone knows, Qi Refining cultivators do not count as people.

Therefore, handing them over posed no psychological barrier for Long Yue; her entire attention was currently fixed on the 【Myriad Calamities Indestructible Gilded Silkworm】 in her possession.

She could not wait to send Lu Yang away so she could begin her breakthrough.

However, to Long Yue's surprise, Lu Yang did not even glance at the Qi Refining disciples on the ground; instead, he stared straight at her and stated indifferently:

"Not enough!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Long Yue narrowed her eyes.

In her view, Lu Yang felt that a few Qi Refining cultivators lacked sufficient weight; while she did not care about Qi Refining disciples, she could never hand over a Foundation Establishment True Person for such a reason.

Thinking thus, her demeanor abruptly shifted to one of weakness.

"I beg Fellow Daoist not to make things difficult for me."

Before she finished speaking, a slight blush rose upon her flawless face.

"I am merely a woman; managing this vast Ten Thousand Poisons Sect is not easy. If Fellow Daoist shows mercy, I will submit to your every desire..."

"I possess the 【Kan-Li Marvelous Dao Jade Body】; dual cultivation with me would bring you great benefits."

Long Yue's offer was exceedingly generous, almost like a gift delivered to his doorstep; besides protecting her own Foundation Establishment True Person, she likely also intended to establish friendly relations with Lu Yang.

Yet Lu Yang remained completely unmoved.

'Submit to my every desire? Foolish! If I kill you, I can still take whatever I want! As for that constitution... is the 【Heaven-Mending True Scripture】 some inconvenient method?'

Even a corpse can be used for dual cultivation!

Simultaneously, Lu Yang's main body awakened from a brief closed-door cultivation; the 【Xin Metal】 had already been refined, transforming into a ring of magnificent divine ability light that encircled him.

'The time has come!'

The next instant, Lu Yang grinned broadly before directly pulling a token from his robes and, right before Long Yue's eyes, forcefully smashing it onto the ground.

"This is..."

Seeing this, Long Yue froze slightly and instinctively looked at the token, after which her expression changed drastically because the patterns and markings on the token were extremely distinct.

【Initial Holy Sect, Heaven-Mending Peak Master】!

This was unmistakably the Heaven-Mending Law Token representing the identity of Chen Taihe, the Heaven-Mending Peak Master; after Chen Taihe was slain by him, this item naturally fell into his hands.

'... o!'

In an instant, all of Long Yue's previous girlish demeanor vanished, replaced by coldness as she stared straight at Lu Yang: "Who exactly are you?"

"I am a True Person of the Sword Pavilion, with the Daoist title Minghe."

Lu Yang said coldly, "This object is a token from the Heaven-Mending Peak of the Demonic Sect; its appearance here in the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect proves that your sect has long been secretly colluding with the Demonic Sect."

"The Ten Thousand Poisons Sect colluded with the Demonic Sect to abduct the people of our Jiangnan Circuit; the evidence is conclusive, and the crime is unforgivable."

"You shall be executed!"

Long Yue was stunned into silence.

She had never expected that Lu Yang, a True Person of the Sword Pavilion and leader of the Righteous Path, would so brazenly and openly fabricate charges against her!

'Sword Seed!'

Is there no rule of law? Is there no justice?

Although their Ten Thousand Poisons Sect did indeed have connections with the Initial Holy Sect and had indeed abducted Jiangnan commoners, how could he casually slander them without evidence?

However, she quickly recovered her composure.

"What Jiangnan commoners? You clearly just covet our Ten Thousand Poisons Sect's 【Myriad Calamities Indestructible Gilded Silkworm】!"

"You know?" Lu Yang raised an eyebrow upon hearing this:

"If you know, then why have you not handed it over yet!"

Long Yue: "..."

You beast!

"Do you truly intend to act this way?"

Long Yue gritted her silver teeth, her expression turning grim: "The Sword Pavilion, as the leader of the Righteous Path, frames the innocent and seizes property by force; is this truly the conduct of the Righteous Path?"

"Conduct of the Righteous Path?"

Lu Yang's expression remained calm as he slowly rose: "My Sword Pavilion holds the ear of the ox for the Righteous Path and sets the rules for the world; what constitutes Righteous Path conduct is not for you to decide. The one who decides..."

"Is me!"

Before the words had fully faded, Lu Yang drew his sword from its sheath.

【Heaven-Slaying】!

In an instant, dazzling sword qi roared forth with this strike, carrying rolling thunderous sounds, yet when it actually landed, it manifested as nothing more than a streak of greenish-white light.

Long Yue took a step backward.

A fissure suddenly appeared on her previously flawless cheek, resembling a crack on exquisite porcelain, from which threads of bloody light surged forth.

As Lu Yang's innate divine ability, 【Heaven-Slaying】 could be called a tool for bullying the weak; no matter how your divine abilities transformed or how high your cultivation was, if it did not surpass Lu Yang's, one sword strike meant death. If Long Yue's realm had not been equivalent to Lu Yang's, or if her Daoist practice had not been one notch higher, she would have suffered far more than a mere sword scar on her face.

Even so, she still felt a sharp pain across her beautiful face.

This was because Lu Yang's sword qi had not dissipated; instead, like a gangrene clinging to bone, it transformed into countless sword threads that frantically pierced into her Dharma body through the wound.

However, Long Yue was, after all, a Great True Person.

Facing Lu Yang's sword qi invasion, she instantly severed all distracting thoughts, her expression turning calm, before slightly parting her vermilion lips and exhaling a long breath of turbid air.

"Ha."

Between one exhalation and inhalation, a gu worm within her Dharma body responded to the call; its shape closely resembled a toad, possessing three legs and a massive mouth akin to an abyss.

【Sun-Swallowing Toad】!

"Croak!"

The toad's massive mouth opened and closed, and in the blink of an eye, it devoured all the sword qi that had invaded Long Yue's body, causing the sword scar on her face to close and heal instantly.

However, Long Yue's expression remained grave without the slightest relaxation, because as the gu master, she could clearly sense that after the 【Sun-Swallowing Toad】 devoured Lu Yang's sword qi, it proved unable to digest it; instead, the qi rampaged continuously within the toad's body, forcing her to devote her full attention to handling the situation.

"Do you truly intend to break the net and kill the fish with my Ten Thousand Poisons Sect?"

Long Yue retreated another step, her jade-like countenance grim: "Even if you obtain the 【Myriad Calamities Indestructible Gilded Silkworm】, once news leaks in the future, will you ever have a chance to use it?"

"Fellow Daoist thinks too much."

Lu Yang chuckled lightly while holding his sword upon hearing this: "News leaking in the future? Today I will exterminate your entire Ten Thousand Poisons Sect, leaving not a single person alive; what future are you speaking of?"

(End of Chapter)