Chapter 779: I Find Him Not Guilty

The clear azure sky met the deathly still, ash-gray Taixu realm, lending the entire Kaiyuan Prefecture a bizarre, torn-apart quality.

Yet compared to this sight, what struck the crowd as even more astonishing was that this Taixu senior brother was still alive.

One against three—and among them, two were chief disciples of immortal veins, while the remaining one, though a mere child-attendant, was known to anyone with even a passing knowledge of the Sanxian Sect: for a yao or evil being to be accepted under Jin Xian's tutelage required extraordinary innate talent, and combined with their long lifespans and longer time following the patriarch, in a real magical duel, ordinary chief disciples might not even be a match for these child-attendants.

But now, two of the three were dead… To be precise, had the two Jin Xian elders not intervened in time, seeing Youyao's throat seized and utterly powerless to resist, she likely would not have been far from death either.

The many disciples who had earlier spoken up in Shen Yi's defense now fell utterly silent, and when they looked again at that white-robed figure, their eyes held a thick new reverence.

At the same time, when they looked toward Master Qingguang, their gazes carried a hint of anger they dared not voice.

Her own disciples could act without restraint, bringing companions and friends to ruthlessly kill a fellow disciple in front of everyone, but the moment she suffered a loss, others were forbidden from killing her.

Does that mean disciples of Qingguang Mountain are a class above the rest of us?!

"…"

Qixian Shangren parted his lips slightly—he had once met Shen Yi in person.

At the time he had thought the man looked quiet but was in truth wildly arrogant by nature, dismissing a casual word of concern with a perfunctory reply that amounted to a polite refusal.

But if everything before his eyes was true, then even he had to admit that the other party had still managed to keep his patience and pick up the thread of conversation without losing his temper on the spot—that was already remarkably good-tempered.

Only, how could this possibly be true!

That was Youyao!

As one of the three of equal fame, he understood this woman even better than her fellow disciples did.

Qixian Shangren struggled to steady his mind; on Li Shan's face in the distance he likewise saw a trace of disbelief.

Not to mention these juniors—even Lingxu Zi, Shen Yi's nominal master, now wore a strange look in his eyes. He had personally seen the Dao fruit within Shen Yi; that Dao path didn't even need to be compared with Youyao's—even that useless Yun Miao was far superior to him.

With comparable cultivation and an inferior Dao path, to accomplish such a feat one could only rely on divine abilities and spirit treasures.

Yet Lingxu Zi could not recall ever teaching this young man anything so formidable.

As for the possibility that Shen Yi had brought his skills from Da Nanzhou… the place the monk occupied—what immortal arts worth speaking of could possibly be found there?

Looking again at the corpses in the air, they had clearly died by that Wuwei Sword.

Setting aside divine abilities and spirit treasures, the only remaining explanation was that this boy was truly extraordinary, and had single-handedly, through the Taixu realm, fought his way to victory against three cultivators of the same realm.

Absurd!

Lingxu Zi quietly clenched his fist. Could it be that after pouring a lifetime's effort into that ungrateful wretch Yun Miao, even Heaven could not bear to watch any longer, and thus sent such a staggering prodigy to his own lineage?

He had just lost a disciple, yet a hint of joy could not help but surface on the old man's face.

Just then, a furious roar abruptly cut through everyone's thoughts.

"How dare you!"

Qingguangzi swept Youyao up in his sleeve, examined her closely, and discovered that his disciple was already dead—every trace of vitality had been utterly destroyed by sword intent.

He flew into a rage, no longer the composed immortal he had been moments ago, and on the spot mobilized tribulation force, seizing Shen Yi, who stood within the Taixu realm.

The young man, already nearly drained of strength, turned pale under that tribulation force and let out a muffled grunt, but did not beg for mercy; instead, his thin lips pressed tightly together as he stared fixedly at Qingguangzi, that lofty Slain Hunyuan Daluo Golden Immortal.

Earlier, within the Taixu realm, in response to Youyao's dying curses, Shen Yi's reply had in fact not been perfunctory or self-deprecating.

To survive was actually very simple—leave the great tribulation behind, cast everything aside, and live out a hermit's life in the wilds.

But if one chose the other path, if one wished to do something, then inevitably one would fall into situations beyond one's control… after all, he was only a Daluo immortal—out in the world he was transcendent and aloof, but within this tribulation, no matter how hard he racked his brains to scheme, he was far from being able to grasp everything.

Outside there was the Great Freedom Purifying World Bodhisattva; inside, Qingguang Mountain was a deadly enemy. To break through a realm required vast amounts of imperial qi and yao lifespans, and the process of obtaining these things would only intensify the conflict further—this was a death trap.

To want to do something, yet be unwilling to pay any price—where in the world was there such a bargain?

All Shen Yi could do was strive to raise his odds of survival, and leave the rest to fate.

For instance, right now, the expression on his face, as it fell into the eyes of his many fellow disciples, moved even the most cowardly among them to feel a measure of shared empathy.

"Jiang Shijie Youyao is dead…"

Whispers passed among the disciples; they felt no grief at all. On the contrary, because of that woman's earlier arrogant and domineering manner—looking down on every fellow disciple as less than human—a strange sense of satisfaction welled up in their hearts.

She deserved it!

Beyond that satisfaction, they quickly noticed the state Taixu senior brother was in.

Today it was Youyao who came to kill at Tian Tashan, and it seemed to have nothing to do with them—but what if next time, over a dispute about a Dao site, it was they who had killers come to their door, and even self-defense was not permitted?

"Uncle-Master Qingguang, it was Jiang Shijie Youyao who first intended to kill."

At last, a disciple swallowed hard, braced his body, and called out softly.

"Ridiculous."

Qingguangzi suddenly turned his head to look; his cold, sinister gaze made that disciple tremble all over, his limbs going weak, forcing him to lower his head.

Seeing this, he turned back to Shen Yi: "If my disciple had truly come with killing intent, with three against one, where would you still have your life? She merely intended to mete out a slight punishment."

"Instead, you—true to your origins under evil beings, with a vicious heart—killed my disciple, slew my child-attendant, and even laid hands on your own senior brother from the same lineage. How could my Sanxian Sect possibly tolerate a demon like you!"

In just two simple sentences, he showed the gathered disciples what it meant to turn black into white, to confuse right and wrong.

Such brazen shamelessness was truly jaw-dropping.

Though the many disciples stayed silent, their complex expressions said everything.

"Senior brother, you go too far!"

Lingxu Zi's mind had been entirely on Shen Yi, and he had failed to notice that Youyao was already dead.

To be reasonable, the woman was already dead, yet Shen Yi had not let the killing intent fade from his eyes—enough to show how fierce the earlier duel had been. Under such circumstances, this was not a case of an elder disciplining a junior; they were cultivators of the same realm. Not only was he expected to protect himself, but he was also supposed to constantly hold back and avoid taking Youyao's life—wasn't that asking a bit too much?

Lingxu Zi looked at Youyao's corpse and felt quite a headache, but he was unwilling to stand by and watch such a fine seedling be destroyed by his senior brother.

He could only force a smile: "After all, it was Youyao and my chief disciple acting foolishly who started the trouble…"

"Is punishment the same as murder?" Qingguangzi replied coldly, giving this junior brother no face at all. "Or are you saying you want to shield your little disciple in front of all these followers, even if Yun Miao died at his hands?"

"Th-that's not what I—" Lingxu Zi was choked off by a single sentence, a touch of embarrassment appearing on his old face.

"No matter how you put it, someone is dead now, so we must handle this by the sect's rules!"

Qingguangzi cut Lingxu Zi off with a sweep of his sleeve and said in a heavy voice: "A life for a life—do you have any objection?"

"A life for a life…"

The disciples' faces changed drastically. This Martial Uncle hadn't spoken this way earlier — hadn't he said they would bring the boy back to the mountain for discipline? So this set of rules could be adjusted on the fly, entirely depending on the other party's whims.

"It must be dealt with, certainly."

Lingxuzi grew anxious, darted to Master Qingguang's side, hooked the man's arm, and chuckled sheepishly: "I know the pain of losing a disciple, Brother. Isn't your junior brother the same? But these matters still need to be discussed slowly — let's return to the mountain to talk. Don't let the juniors make a laughingstock of us."

Everything could be negotiated. To keep Shen Yi — this currently only usable disciple of his — he gritted his teeth; it wasn't unacceptable to bleed a little, to give Qingguang Mountain sufficient compensation.

Only, how could such matters be discussed in front of so many disciples? Behind closed doors, anything could be arranged.

Having said that, Lingxuzi suddenly turned his head and rebuked Shen Yi in a low voice: "Aren't you going to apologize to your Martial Uncle?"

"Don't try that trick on me."

The others had not yet reacted.

Master Qingguang had already flung Lingxuzi's arm away violently, and stared coldly at Shen Yi: "It's not a mistake — it's a crime! Do you know your crime!"

"You—"

Where would Lingxuzi have thought the other would give him no face like this? Although when it came to fighting, he truly wasn't Master Qingguang's match, they were, after all, fellow disciples under the Upper Clarity Sect Master's seat. If things truly blew up, who knew whose side the Sect Master would take.

His lips moved, yet he still didn't dare to completely tear his face with the other. He rapidly organized his words in his mind, wanting to see if there was any other way to salvage the situation.

Just then, a calm, laughing voice came from the heavens.

"This seat actually feels the boy is innocent."

This voice was like a thunderclap, stunning everyone. When even Martial Uncle Qingguang had plainly thrown away all face, someone was still willing to step forward?

They all looked up at the sky together. What entered their sight was rolling red clouds.

Master Qingguang's face turned ashen. When the figure within the clouds emerged, he said sharply: "Yan Shidi Elder Chi Yun, what business is this of yours?"

"No real connection — just maintaining the order of this great tribulation on behalf of Tiwo Sect."

Chiyunzi slowly stepped down the cloud stairs, casually undoing the tribulation-force restraints on Shen Yi. He acted as though he couldn't see how ugly Master Qingguang's expression had become, and went on by himself: "This great tribulation is meant to select an Immortal Emperor who can preside over the human world. It requires young people with great resolve to fight with all their might, and only then can they take that seat and be qualified to receive the great gifts from you and me."

"It's not child's play."

"If everyone acted as Zhu Shixiong does, which junior would still dare to contend? All of them would be timid and hesitant — how would the tribulation advance?"

"What say you, Zhu Shixiong?"

Chiyunzi walked up to Master Qingguang, a faint smile on his lips: "Even if junior Yao were resurrected, she probably wouldn't blame her Taixu junior brother — after all, this is something she herself acknowledged."

"In my view, let's just punish him by sending him back to reflect for a few days."

Having said that, Chiyunzi glanced at Shen Yi: "Off you go, now."

"…"

Even Shen Yi hadn't expected a great immortal to suddenly appear and back him up. From the sound of it, Yao seemed to have offended quite a few people.

Although having chosen this path, Shen Yi had already prepared himself for death — but being able to run and not running would make him a fool.

He cupped his fists toward the several Jin Xian, then, without the slightest hesitation, turned and stepped into the Grand Void.

"Halt, at this seat's command!"

Master Qingguang thrust out his palm violently. Unfortunately, the moment his five fingers reached out, they were slapped back by Chiyunzi — neither lightly nor heavily.

Then he stepped directly in front of this Qingguang Zhu Shixiong, and whispered: "If he's innocent, then everyone's innocent. If Zhu Shixiong doesn't agree, I wouldn't mind stretching my limbs a bit."

"After all, this Beizhou great tribulation has long had nothing to do with my Elder Chi Yun Cave lineage. This junior brother has been bored out of his mind lately."

"…"

Master Qingguang stared fixedly at the face before him, then glanced at Lingxuzi beside him, who was overjoyed.

As the senior brother, whether in spiritual treasures or divine abilities, he surpassed these two. But to fight two alone… he wasn't that worm-demon disciple who had just fled.

"When killers go unpunished, the rules will surely collapse. Chiyunzi, just wait to be summoned by the Master!"

Master Qingguang forcibly swallowed this bitter fruit, unwilling to stay and continue embarrassing himself. He took Yao's corpse and turned to leave in fury.

Only when the spot was left with the other two Jin Xian.

"Many thanks to Zhu Shixiong Elder Chi Yun for the help." Lingxuzi gave a bitter laugh and cupped his fists toward the other.

"No need. This is a matter between him and me." Chiyunzi gave him no pleasant face. After a moment of silence, he said lightly: "Convey my thanks to your disciple."

Taixu Zhenjun, upon Tashan, furiously slew five Bodhisattvas. Although it was a forced act, it was also avenging the fallen Brother Mao Feng and the others.

"A trivial matter." Lingxuzi waved his hand, putting on a generous air: "It's what he ought to have done. Hardly worth mentioning."

"Heh."

Chiyunzi glanced at this old man, unwilling to say more, and directly turned to summon his red clouds and depart.

Only at this moment did the surrounding disciples finally burst into cheers. Whether Taixu Zhu Shixiong could survive was no longer his personal matter — being able to suppress Qingguang Mountain was what mattered most.

"Don't you say it — this boy's fortune really isn't bad."

Qixian Shangren came to Li Shan with a forced smile. For him, the best outcome today would have been Taixu Zhenjun and Yao dying together on Tashan.

Now Yao was gone, but in her place stood an opponent far stronger than her.

The Dongji Sovereign's lineage was already weak in Beizhou, and the chance of seizing the Immortal Emperor's seat had grown much slimmer.

But from the situation just now… although this man's strength was formidable, he didn't have a backer he could fully rely on. Lingxu Daxian's earlier hesitation was clearly not the attitude one would have toward a prized disciple. Hongze Daxian, on the other hand, seemed more like he was acting out of spite against Qingguang Mountain, not for the boy's sake.

There might be something to it.

"…"

Li Shan's expression was somewhat gloomy. He wasn't exactly hoping for Shen Yi to die — more precisely, he didn't care whether Shen Yi lived or died; what he cared about more was this great tribulation.

Although Martial Uncle Qingguang's words and deeds were inconsistent and nauseating, that last sentence of his was right.

When killers go unpunished, this precedent has been set — chaos is coming!

Thinking of this, Li Shan looked around at the cheering fellow disciples, and suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

He seemed to see a scene of disciples slaughtering one another, no longer leaving any room for sentiment.

This chaos was set off by Yao. She failed to accomplish it, but in the end, through that Taixu junior brother's hands, it was accomplished by a twist of fate.

Could it be that this is Heaven's will, that this is what the Great Calamity should look like?

(End of this chapter)