Chapter 768: Becoming a Disciple at Lingxu Cave

Beizhou, Lingxu Cave.

On Half-Fall Cliff, True Person Yun Miao paced back and forth, his mind unsettled, wishing he could slap himself hard.

Like the other cultivators of Beizhou, he had been following the affairs of Kaiyuan Mansion, originally contemplating whether to swallow his pride and ask Jiang Shijie You Yao for this place.

After dawn, the news that arrived was like a bolt from the blue, leaving True Person Yun Miao frozen in place.

For he had personally witnessed the force You Yao sent; let alone the insect demon disciple stationed at Kaiyuan Mansion, even if it were himself, dealing with it would not be easy.

Yet the Kaiyuan Mansion, calm as ever, was utterly genuine.

"How is this possible..."

True Person Yun Miao turned around, his whole body stiffening as he saw the figure that had appeared before him: "Master!"

The reason for his anger was precisely the words he had spoken to his master earlier, shifting all responsibility for Lin Su's death onto the cultivators of Nananzhou; now it seemed he had dug a pit for himself.

He could hardly have sworn solemnly to seek justice for his junior sister, only to immediately change his tune upon seeing the situation turn unfavorable.

In that case, he would never be able to regain his standing in his master's eyes for the rest of his life.

At this moment, True Person Yun Miao felt his mouth and throat dry; under the gaze of Lingxu Zi, whose eyes were as still as an ancient well, he gritted his teeth and forced himself to say: "Master, that young man is indeed a treacherous scoundrel. When he initially sought to join our lineage, he not only concealed his face but also projected only the aura of one who had just entered the third-rank, fooling us all!"

"Now it seems there is likely another mystery behind my junior sister's death."

"However, please rest assured, Master, I will not let this murderer go; I will surely punish him severely!"

"..."

Hearing his disciple's empty, hollow words, Lingxu Zi turned his body aside, a barely perceptible sneer appearing at the corner of his mouth: "Is that so? How exactly will you punish him? Tell your master."

"I—"

True Person Yun Miao raised his head; the righteous expression he had worn moments before now froze slightly.

To satisfy his master, he should have descended the mountain right now and captured that insect demon disciple.

But after last night's events, the situation remained unclear, and he still did not know the young man's true background; it was truly too rash.

He licked his dry lips, unable to squeeze out a single word for a long time.

Only after a long while did he stammer: "Wait until I have made preparations; in any case, that insect demon disciple will not have it easy."

Upon hearing this, Lingxu Zi finally turned his back completely, his face filled with disappointment.

With such a good disciple, how could Lingxu Cave's lineage not decline? Whether during the tribulation or after, Lingxu Cave would likely have no part in it; even he himself would never be able to hold his head high before the Sect Master again.

Thinking of this, the old man with snow-white hair and beard let out a long sigh, no longer scolding Yun Miao, for at such a cultivation level, one's character was already set; he merely said calmly: "If I hear the term 'insect demon disciple' from your mouth again, you may descend the mountain yourself."

Having spoken, Lingxu Zi lightly flicked his sleeve, and his figure vanished from the spot.

"..."

True Person Yun Miao, being naturally sensitive, could not fail to see his master's attitude; he opened his mouth, and after a long while, suddenly stamped his foot: "Ah!"

The situation had been fine until that damn Taixu Zhenjun fled here, after which everything changed.

From his junior sister to his master, they all began to look down on him.

"Why didn't you die at the hands of those Monks!"

True Person Yun Miao spat resentfully, then suddenly remembered his master's parting words, and his expression suddenly grew strange.

His eyelids twitched violently as he murmured to himself: "It couldn't be."

Kaiyuan Mansion, Tashan.

When You Yao returned to this place, though her expression remained unchanged, her entire state was completely different from the last time.

According to common sense, if they were fellow disciples, competing once over a cultivation ground should be enough.

The victor's disciple would take over the ground, and the loser would rarely set foot there again, unless they still felt they hadn't lost enough face.

Although Shen Yi could not yet be considered a fellow disciple of the Sanxian Sect, this principle still applied.

If one's skill is inferior, what more is there to say?

Yet You Yao not only came, but also strove to maintain her proud demeanor.

However, upon seeing the figure sitting leisurely by the cliff edge, her tightly stretched facial skin could not help but twitch slightly.

You Yao stared intently at Shen Yi's profile, her gaze falling on the spot where her Master Qingguang's sword had cut him last time; the already faint bloodstain had long since healed.

She thought she had seen through everything; the opponent, forced by her Master Qingguang's sword formation, had revealed his true cultivation level, yet she never expected that even that bloodstain was deliberately shown to her by this young man.

You Yao could fully imagine how delighted this Taixu Zhenjun must have felt in his heart when, believing she had grasped everything, she turned and left calmly.

Every time she thought of this, the delicate body beneath her black dress would tremble with anger.

Indeed, the reason You Yao refused to admit defeat was precisely because of the unscrupulous tactics of this cultivator from Da Nanzhou.

A powerful figure possessing the strength to compete, yet unwilling to stand forthrightly and engage the multitude, instead hiding like a disgusting snake, waiting secretly to strike someone from behind.

Such base tricks are unfit for the dignified hall.

Let alone becoming the Immortal Emperor who rules heaven and earth together, even any famous Hongze Daxian, which one attained their current status through such means?

Just once, and others would realize the truth.

But the trouble with this matter was... that single instance happened to fall upon her.

"Hah."

True Person You Yao adjusted her emotions and walked slowly toward that person.

Her hands clasped behind her back clenched and unclenched repeatedly.

Yet she still could not decisively unleash the Master Qingguang sword qi from her fingertips.

She had indeed previously considered acting directly, which was why she had informed her master of Yan Shidi Shu Yu's death.

But after calming down slightly, You Yao fell into hesitation again.

She could almost imagine that all of Beizhou was now guessing what had happened; if she acted now, it would confirm her inferior skill and subsequent anger born of shame.

Even if she could barely maintain her current status, she would likely end up last among the three, missing out on the Immortal Emperor's throne.

"You are hiding your cultivation." She gradually loosened her five fingers.

"Didn't you already know?" Shen Yi glanced back casually.

The youth's calm expression, as if nothing had happened, only made the anger You Yao had barely suppressed surge up again. She gritted her teeth and said in a low voice, "What I saw before was still fake."

"So what? Blame me?" Shen Yi suddenly smiled.

Inside the Wan Yao Dian, the Southern Emperor and Shenxu Laozu exchanged a glance, both seeing the sigh in the other's eyes. To say or not to say, their master truly knew how to provoke others' anger.

Moreover, with different people, he could even put on two completely different faces.

Like that True Person Ling Su back then; when Shen Yi wanted her to act, they hadn't exchanged a single word from start to finish. Silent and reserved, yet he could precisely step on that Miss's tail.

Now, facing the eldest disciple of Qingguang Cave, he was perfectly playing the image of a victor whose treacherous scheme had succeeded.

Indeed, You Yao's red lips pressed tighter and tighter, her pair of eyes gradually filled with rage.

After a long while, she slowly extended her hand: "Don't blame you, blame this Seat for having poor eyesight. I accept this time. Return the deer demon to me; I want nothing else. Just name your price."

"..."

A fleeting look of surprise flashed across Shen Yi's eyes.

Even in this situation, this woman could still forcibly suppress the impulse to act.

It made him slightly reconsider the cultivators of Beizhou.

Shen Yi indeed lacked the confidence to defeat her now. After all, even if both paths had reached perfection, he had not yet bowed before a Jin Xian, lacking treasures and techniques. Who knew how effective those few spiritual treasures on this woman's body might be.

However, even if he could not kill You Yao, ensuring his own safety was no problem.

If the other party does not act today, how will they send me to the Rusanxian Sect?

A cultivator capable of trading blows with You Yao must surely be a hot commodity?

"No need to name a price. I am new here and do not understand the ways of it. You just decide what to give."

Shen Yi slowly stood up, casually flicked his sleeve, and a huge deer head crashed to the ground with a boom. The despair of being strangled to death made that scarred face look even more ferocious and terrifying, its hollow eyes staring straight at the woman before him.

"..."

You Yao froze completely in place.

Judging by the methods this Nananzhou cultivator displayed when handling this demon calamity, not even a single ripple was stirred, obviously far surpassing the deer demon. One could see a hint of this from the expression on this head.

That is to say, there was absolutely no desperate situation where victory was won only by risking one's life.

This beast had no need to kill the deer demon; he absolutely possessed the strength to subdue that great demon.

And killing a demon is a thing with a hundred harms and no benefit. The only reason the other party did this... was to provoke me!

"If you wanted to enrage me, you succeeded."

All emotion on You Yao's face vanished in an instant. She slightly raised her head, replaced only by a chilling indifference.

The palm she extended gradually clenched into a loose fist. Threads of Qingguang split the sky apart, like a chessboard, covering the entire firmament above Kaiyuan Prefecture.

"The price is your life."

Kaiyuan Prefecture was already being watched by many cultivators, some of whom had not even gone far. With such a huge commotion, how could it escape everyone's notice?

They all turned to look in the direction where the calamity qi erupted.

Among them was Li Shan, who happened to be here.

"Senior brother..." the disciples called out softly. If before, the fellow disciples from Beizhou were not entirely sure, and others still thought Jiang Shijie You Yao was being merciful, then now it could almost be considered a final verdict.

The genius of Beizhou truly failed to handle that cultivator from Nananzhou.

"Looking at it this way, she really lost her temper."

Li Shan indeed wanted to watch the spectacle, but he did not expect it to escalate so greatly.

Immortals fighting in front of the common people. Not to mention Beizhou, even looking across the two Sects, this is probably the first case.

"A pity."

Li Shan withdrew his gaze. That young man who had just shown signs of rising was ultimately decisively suppressed by You Yao, who gave up that final position as the price.

He did not hold much expectation for the outcome of this duel.

People from Nananzhou have courage and strategy; what they lack is background and foundation. If they wait for an elder to take notice and settle down for a while, perhaps there is some hope.

It is still too hasty.

Moreover, You Yao in this matter also seemed quite strange. Based on Li Shan's understanding of her, this woman should not be so impatient.

If Qixian knew about this, he would probably have already laughed out loud.

Just as everyone was discussing the matter.

True Person You Yao fiercely clenched her five fingers. The chessboard in the sky instantly sank down. The Qingguang filling the sky tightened like a net, giving people a suffocating feeling. The speed was not just a hundred times faster than the Qingguang Sword Array last time.

Last time was a probe; this time, it is for the other party's life.

"..."

Shen Yi raised his eyes to look upward. Even without counting spiritual treasures, just based on this technique, You Yao was not something the deer demon from last night could be compared to.

Is this the technique truly passed down by a Jin Xian?

His body tightened slightly. He no longer looked at the Qingguang chessboard but turned his gaze to the woman before him.

Malice gradually rose in his pitch-black eyes.

Shen Yi took a light step forward. Black clouds surged from his sleeves, covering the faint Jin Guang on his skin. His five fingers clenched into a fist.

Just then, he suddenly glanced toward the distance.

The next moment, Shen Yi quietly lowered his hand, and the malice in his eyes vanished completely.

He saw a whisk sweep through the air, instantly dispersing the Qingguang filling the sky.

"Pfft."

Caught off guard, You Yao spat out a mouthful of vital blood, her pretty face turning deathly pale.

She suddenly looked up at the sky.

Just in time, his gaze met that of the old man with all-white hair and beard looking down from above.

"Uncle-Master Lingxu!" she raged like a lioness: "Why stop me?"

"You struck at a fellow disciple — am I not to stop you?" Lingxu Zi hung in the sky, casually recalling his horsetail whisk.

The killing move unleashed in fury by the most outstanding prodigy among the young disciples amounted to little more than dust before a Slain Hunyuan Daluo Jin Xian — truly a matter of lifting a finger.

"Where is this fellow disciple of yours? Why don't I see one?" Youyao clenched her blood-stained white teeth and said stubbornly: "If this junior remembers correctly, Yan Shidi Master Yun Miao said with his own lips that this Taixu Zhenjun has nothing to do with Lingxu Grotto."

"Is Master Yun Miao the master of Lingxu Grotto?"

Facing this Miss's fury, Lingxu Zi remained calm and composed, his eyes full of an elder's look at a child making a scene: "He received your Master's decree, met with the ruin of his household, and came all the way to Beizhou to throw in his lot with my Lingxu Grotto."

"I took him in — that counts as repaying your Master's debt."

"Your cold-heartedness toward a fellow junior disciple truly wounds the harmony of our Xian Sect. Be off with you, and go to your Master to receive your punishment."

"..."

After just a few words, Youyao's face had gone the color of ash.

This Uncle-Master had spoken to such a point that there was no room left to maneuver.

She recalled the words her Master had instructed before her departure, and only now understood why the other party had said her time was running short.

Lingxu Zi wanted to use this boy to drag his own lineage into the tribulation!

Had it not been for that earlier hesitation, the situation now should have been vastly different.

Youyao drew in several deep breaths, a wave of helplessness surging through her. First the great demon was lost, then face was lost — today she had lost everything utterly.

She finally accepted her fate, swept her sleeve, and was about to gather up the deer demon's head and leave.

Almost at the same instant, Shen Yi casually stamped a foot down on that head. No matter how the tribulation power the woman summoned churned, the great demon's head remained utterly unmoved.

He raised an eyebrow: "You haven't made an offer yet, have you?"

Youyao's eyes were shot with blood, fixed fiercely on this youth. But she had already struck earlier and failed to make him yield — how much less now, when glaring alone could never kill a man.

She roughly wiped the blood from the corner of her lips with her sleeve, turned, and fled far away.

Lingxu Zi watched this scene in silence, a touch more of contemplation in his eyes.

He finally descended, standing behind the youth, and said slowly: "This poor Daoist is Lingxu Zi."

Shen Yi tucked away the deer head, turned around, cupped his fists, and said: "This disciple greets Master."

Hearing this, Lingxu Zi finally showed a trace of a smile.

Bold and ambitious, yet knowing propriety, understanding the bigger picture, and measuring advance and retreat just right.

With such a disciple to fight for Lingxu Grotto, no matter how bad, it could be no worse than Master Yun Miao.

(End of this chapter)