Chapter 50: The Beloved Daughter of Heaven

Inside the Blood-Robed Tower of the Skull Mountain Market.

Lu Yang had just withdrawn his consciousness from the Ten Thousand Spirits Banner when suddenly darkness fell before his eyes, his spiritual platform grew dusty, and immediately afterward he frowned slightly, gazing toward the distant sky.

The next second, he had already ridden a flight of light to the edge of the market.

He saw a beam of brilliant light shoot from the horizon, chasing fire and lightning, only to dim upon reaching the market gate, where a tall, valiant woman appeared and stepped out.

"So it is a Daoist friend from the Yushu Jiange."

Lu Yang had also cultivated the "Divine Thunder Sword Control True Art" and instantly recognized the newcomer's background; he immediately clasped his hands in a bow and said, "I am Lu Yang; may I ask the Daoist friend's name?"

"Yun Miaoqing."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yang immediately narrowed his eyes, for Yun Miaoqing and Yun Miaoqing were two names so similar that association was inevitable.

"Has the Daoist friend come to retrieve a fellow disciple?"

Thinking thus, Lu Yang hesitated not at all; with a casual wave, he directly pulled Yun Miaoqing out from inside the Blood-Robed Tower and threw her before Yun Miaoqing.

"Young lady Miaoqing suffered no wrongs within the Holy Sect; although nominally my cauldron, over the years I have never drawn from her, so she remains intact. If the Daoist friend wishes to take her back, please feel free; my cultivation is shallow, so I shall not send you off with an array."

In Lu Yang's view, he held no grudge against the Yushu Jiange.

After all, he had not only preserved Yun Miaoqing's life but also her purity; as the leader of the righteous path, the Yuchu Yushu Jiange could not possibly trouble him.

However, very soon he realized he was wrong.

"Miaoqing... still intact?"

He saw Yun Miaoqing lower her beautiful eyes, her gaze falling upon Yun Miaoqing, yet far from showing any joy, she revealed a hint of disgust and helplessness.

The next second, she let out a long sigh:

"Pity! Miaoqing, you cannot pass through this tribulation!"

As her words fell, not only Lu Yang but even Yun Miaoqing was stunned upon hearing it, her face full of disbelief: "Sister... what do you mean?"

"You have not received the true transmission, so you do not understand."

Yun Miaoqing shook her head: "Your fortune is thin, your heavenly fate insufficient, yet you forcibly sought a chance at immortality; originally there would be three calamities and nine tribulations, and if you failed even one, you would immediately lose your Dao and perish. Therefore, years ago I specially begged my master to blend your three calamities and nine tribulations into a single ten-year great tribulation."

"This ten-year great tribulation is precisely the ten years you were trapped in the Mo Sect."

"During those ten years, if you had endured humiliation, your Zhu Chun tasted by ten thousand men, yet your Dao heart remained firm and your resolve unshaken, then this tribulation would have been considered passed."

"Pity... you are still intact!"

"Intact, having suffered no humiliation, the tribulation naturally will not be reduced by even a hair; indeed, it may even intensify!"

Speaking thus, Yun Miaoqing looked at Lu Yang, her eyes revealing murderous intent: "This demon head ruined your cultivation; appearing benevolent, he actually harbors treachery; he must be slain!"

"..."

One had to admit, even Lu Yang was left dumbfounded.

Yun Miaoqing was even more unable to accept it, her lips trembling: "So, the reason I fell into the hands of the Mo Sect back then, becoming a cauldron for the Mo Sect..."

"Was naturally my own planning."

Yun Miaoqing nodded: "Had I not done so, you would have no hope of Foundation Establishment in this life; you are my younger sister, so naturally I must consider for you; this is also for your own good."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yang was directly speechless.

Damn it, there are madwomen among the righteous path!

If before Lu Yang still harbored admiration for the Yuchu Yushu Jiange, the righteous path leader renowned throughout the world, now he had no such thoughts at all.

Better to remain in the Holy Sect for now.

The Holy Sect disciples are all talents; I absolutely love it here!

"Come, return with me."

On the other side, Yun Miaoqing paid no attention at all to the expressions of Lu Yang and Yun Miaoqing, speaking loudly: "I will think of a way for you to better pass through this great tribulation..."

"I won't!"

Facing Yun Miaoqing's persuasion, Yun Miaoqing instinctively stepped back, looking at her own biological sister as if at a stranger.

After all, she could never have imagined that the experience of falling into the hands of the Mo Sect ten years ago, which nearly drove her to despair, was orchestrated by her own biological sister; if she had not met Lu Yang and preserved her life and purity, she might already have been drained into medicinal dregs and died in some corner!

"... Listen."

Seeing Yun Miaoqing's behavior, Yun Miaoqing immediately furrowed her delicate brows: "You do not practice great divine arts, nor do you understand cause and effect; naturally, it is difficult for you to comprehend my bitter intentions."

"... Bitter intentions?"

Yun Miaoqing stepped back once more, her tone filled with hatred: "Setting a trap to throw me into the Mo Sect, letting me be bullied and drained by others—this is your bitter intention toward me?"

"I am merely following cause and effect, acting on behalf of heaven; when you achieve success in the immortal path in the future, you will naturally thank me."

Yun Miaoqing spoke calmly; in her view, her actions were not in the slightest improper; everything was natural and right, an arrangement of cause, effect, and fate.

Seeing that Yun Miaoqing still wished to refute, she simply waved her hand; a beam of brilliant light wrapped around Yun Miaoqing, and after knocking her unconscious, she casually tossed her aside.

"When words do not match, half a sentence is too many; I will not argue this with you now."

After finishing all this, she finally looked at Lu Yang again.

"Daoist friend Yun, why do you look at me?" Lu Yang raised an eyebrow.

Yun Miaoqing's beautiful eyes met his, her expression cold, as she said only: "You schemed to ruin Miaoqing's cultivation; I wish to borrow an object from you as compensation."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yang laughed loudly: "You do not intend to borrow Lu's fine head, do you?"

In his words, mockery was full.

Yun Miaoqing nodded slightly, not angered; she merely narrowed her phoenix eyes, revealing chilling murderous intent: "If you are unwilling, then do not blame me for eliminating demons and defending the Dao."

With those words, she raised her pale hand!

In an instant, a clear light illuminated ten li in all directions, revealing a crystal-clear, glass-like magical sword, its blade reflecting the ten li of Shanhe.

"Do you truly think I fear you?"

Lu Yang laughed proudly, then turned and leaped; in an instant he transformed into a flight of light and hid within the market, as the Hundred Bones Return True Array and the Sword Array Diagram instantly activated.

The hidden dragon lies in the abyss; who can kill me?

Seeing this, Yun Miaozhen let out a cold smile, hesitated not at all, and shot a streak of escape light into the sky, striking the great formation dead center and bursting straight into the market!

In an instant, countless gazes from inside and outside the market turned toward her.

After all, with Ouyang Haoze's precedent before them, everyone knew the Blood-Robed Pavilion Master was a Ninth-Rank Array Master; possessing a great formation made one invincible from the start.

Under such circumstances, where did Yun Miaozhen get the confidence to dare enter the market alone?

Almost simultaneously, several figures appeared outside the market, among them Ouyang Feng, an elder of the Divine Martial Gate, and Luo Wuya, the Second Senior Brother of the Sanhe Association.

Yet both of these Qi Condensation Peak cultivators wore expressions that were rather grave.

Their gazes, however, focused on another direction within the market: the plain-looking middle-aged man who had arrived with Yun Miaozhen.

"Yun Zhiqiu, the 'Taiyi Sword'?"

Luo Wuya's face grew solemn; he clearly knew the middle-aged man well: "The Skeleton Mountain is not in your Jiangnan region. The Yu Shu Yushu Jiange is meddling far too much."

Yun Zhiqiu chuckled lightly: "Our Yu Shu Yushu Jiange only guards the Righteous Path, and the Righteous Path knows no regional divisions."

"What arrogance!"

Luo Wuya was so angered by these words he laughed: "You should pray first that your little junior sister can survive to come out."

Hearing this, Yun Zhiqiu glanced at Lu Yang and Yun Miaozhen, then shook his head: "In the end, they are the Mo Sect; they can only resort to such underhanded tricks."

"But how can heterodox paths ever match our orthodox techniques and divine arts?"

Before his words had fully faded, Yun Miaozhen inside the market formed a hand seal and pointed; the glazed magic sword she had summoned instantly erupted with a brilliant, dazzling radiance.

"That is..."

Seeing this, Luo Wuya and Ouyang Feng seemed to realize something; their faces changed abruptly: "The Sky-Escape Sword!? Does this woman actually possess such a heavy treasure?"

The next second, the sword light encompassed the entire heavens and earth within its range.

Lu Yang activated the formation, yet whether it was the Hundred Bones Return to Truth Great Array or the Blood-Washing Chen Tianhe Sword Array Diagram, both were pierced through as if utterly ignored by that sword light.

Boom!

By the time the sword light dissipated, only the two great formations still operating remained within the market; inside the arrays, no one was left, save for a single glazed magic sword hanging high in the sky!

(End of this chapter)