Chapter 29

Outside the Profound Heaven Dao Sect.

A carriage pulled by three Flaming Firebirds, the bead curtain was slowly drawn aside.

A woman clad in a red phoenix robe, her bearing noble, her narrow phoenix eyes fixed on Lin Jianran's retreating back, glanced several times; the precious treasure artifact adorning her forehead only accentuated her unmatched nobility.

She frowned slightly, then said to the respectful maid standing beside her, "That person just now was Brother Ye Xuan's childhood sweetheart, Lin Jianran, wasn't she?"

"Replying to the Imperial Princess, that is correct."

The maid lowered her eyes and head, responding carefully: "Upon hearing that the Young Sect Master of the Heavenly Mystery Dao Sect had today become engaged to the Saintess of the Purple Yang Sect, Miss Lin could not accept the fact and came to the Heavenly Mystery Dao Sect to question the reason."

"Hehe—" the Imperial Princess couldn't help but chuckle.

She lowered the pearl curtain, her narrow phoenix eyes slightly narrowing, her thin lips parting as she said, "Is she not dead set on marrying Brother Ye Xuan, even as a concubine? How could she, after being rejected, immediately go back to her old ways?"

"Is he not the rumored son of Su Changfeng, but merely a waste who exhausts himself trying to win women's favor?"

"Now it seems the rumors cannot be fully trusted!"

"Does this Lin Jianran not rely on her noble status, even daring to covet the men of my palace?"

"Look at her, crying with tears like pear blossoms in the rain—truly disgraceful! With her character, she still dreams of sharing a husband with my palace?"

Upon hearing this, the maid dared not even breathe.

The Imperial Princess closed her eyes with a thoughtful expression, the corner of her mouth lifting slightly, and said somewhat pensively: "Return to the Ye manor, await Brother Ye Xuan's arrival to rule the Eastern Wastelands; I estimate Brother Ye Xuan's that one will soon be unable to hold on."

"In my view, he is not much better than Su Chen, that waste who thinks with his lower half; if not for relying on Brother Ye Xuan's backing, he would have died eight hundred times over."

"Is his lowly life even worth my personal intervention?"

"'Just a mere Su Chen.' The Imperial Princess extended her delicate fingernails; her every gesture radiated nobility, her body exuding endless charm, the combination giving off an aura of captivation."

She was full of arrogance in her heart.

She is the Imperial Princess of the Central State Imperial Dynasty; in terms of cultivation talent and family background, who dares to compare with her?

Moreover, she had just personally seen Lin Jianran's appearance, which paled in comparison to her own.

Su Chen even takes a liking to that sort of Lin Jianran; if I were to act, wouldn't that be using a great talent for a small task?

It could be easily dealt with, no need to wait for Brother Ye Xuan to act.

Since that is the case, she would grudgingly lend the Ye family a hand.

As time passed, today marked the fifth day since the Sect Leader Su went to the Ye family to investigate their background.

The Myriad Ren Mountain Range.

Here the Ye family has laid an ambush.

It is only thirty li from Qian Yuan City, a short tea's time away, but because there is a spell formation, if it is not broken, no one can leave this place.

"Old Six, do you think the Ye family will produce a Martial Sovereign Realm expert?"

The Sixth Elder, startled by this sudden remark, broke out in a cold sweat and turned his head: "I have long prepared for the worst; even if the Ye family truly has a Martial Sovereign Realm expert, I am willing to accompany the Sect Leader to death."

"Indeed, the Sect Leader's grace to us is as weighty as mountains; regardless of how others view the Sect Leader, we follow him with a resolve to die."

"'This Myriad Ren Mountain Range appears to have been set up with a formation; only by letting a formation master first find the formation's eye, then jointly break the formation.'"

Unfortunately, these words did not put the Seventh Elder at ease.

He narrowed his eyes, gazing at the Sect Leader Su ahead, who bore the air of a Daoist immortal, then continued to the Seventh Elder: "The Ye family's momentum is such that, having produced the Kirin Child Ye Xuan, backed by the Star Pavilion and the Central State Imperial Dynasty, these colossal powers, our Heavenly Mystery Dao Sect stands isolated and helpless; I fear misfortune outweighs fortune."

"'Moreover, the Sect Leader previously, during seclusion, almost fell into demonic deviation; I have heard rumors that the ancestor of the Heavenly Mystery Dao Sect has dealings with outerworld heavenly demons, while the Ye family champions the orthodox Dao… Could it be that I truly must watch the Sect Leader make mistake after mistake, repeating past errors?'"

The Sixth Elder, the more he listened, the more he felt something was odd.

"'What does 'mistake after mistake' mean? Repeating past errors?'"

These dozen or so elders were once prisoners, despised by the world; it was because Sect Leader Su took them in and taught them their techniques that they now enjoy a status of one person beneath ten thousand.

"'Whether orthodoxy and heterodoxy cannot coexist' has nothing to do with them."

The Sixth Elder knows only that his life belongs to Sect Leader Su.

"'Even if we truly had to collude with heavenly demons and do things that outrage both gods and men, he would willingly do so; all that nonsense about orthodoxy versus heterodoxy, loyalty and righteousness—those brainwashing platitudes—are just for fooling idiots; anyway, he only acknowledges Sect Leader Su, the one who granted him the grace of rebirth!'"

"'Old Seven, you've been acting strange lately.' Old Six frowned, speaking earnestly: 'These aren't things we should be inquiring about; the Sect Leader has his own plans, I only need to follow his every arrangement.'"

"'Rather, it's you—where did you hear that the outer realm is a filthy place even Martial Saint Realm experts dare not tread? Stop thinking about such nonsense.'"

"'And you keep insisting, word for word, that the Sect Leader has fallen into demonic deviation and is trading with heavenly demons, implying his dealings with the outer realm; even if what you say were true, what does the Sect Leader's actions have to do with us?'"

"'So even if the Sect Leader truly relied on heavenly demon power to dominate the Eastern Wastelands, and even if his dealings with outerworld heavenly demons don't bother you—those are heavenly demons, mankind's great foe—don't you fear… being condemned by ten thousand people?' The Seventh Elder lowered his gaze, clenched his fists tightly, his eyes filled with painful struggle and a deep fear."

Precisely because he had experienced it before… he truly does not want to go through it again.

"'Of course…'"

"'Screech—!'"

Before Old Six could finish half his sentence, the rest choked in his throat; his pupils suddenly contracted sharply, and he stared at the Seventh Elder in utter disbelief.

A piercing pain surged from his abdomen, and in an instant his chest was stained red with blood.

He clenched the artifact that had pierced his body, his essence and blood burning at this moment, his cultivation reaching its peak.

In that instant.

A sound echoed through the heavens, swords standing thick in the killing formation; then three reclusive immortals, bearing the demeanor of celestial beings, three high-level cultivators rode the wind.

Old Six, burning his essence and blood to restore peak cultivation, in one motion severed the dagger embedded in his abdomen into two pieces.

The previously dormant formation was also fully activated in that instant.

Seeing Old Six restore his cultivation, Old Seven dared not clash head‑on; his eyes flickered with guilt and struggle, then he resolutely drew his sword, gathered all his spiritual power, and thrust directly at the Sect Leader Su's back.

"'Sect Leader, I am sorry.'"

"'Sorry…'"

Back then, my elder brother's wife committed adultery, causing my brother's death; I killed the adulterous couple to avenge him, but due to my low cultivation, I was thrown into the heavenly prison.

You rescued me; I originally regarded you as my reborn parents.

But just two years ago, Ye Xuan sent someone to find me, saying that the Heavenly Mystery Dao Sect is colluding with outerworld forces and that the sect's founding ancestor is actually an outerworld heavenly demon.

And my relatives back then were simply snatched away by an escaped heavenly demon, used as blood food; I share no sky with the extraterritorial evil clan!

At first I didn't believe it, ah!

But, just a few days ago your cultivation surged, which is utterly impossible, and it was even a seventh-grade Breakthrough Pill; the Heavenly Profound Dao Sect's foundation is something we know all too well, and yet when facing Ye Xuan and the Central Province forces you didn't even flinch...

The evidence is solid; how can I not believe it!

Lao Qi will never share the sky with demons in this lifetime; he can never forget the scene of his parents being taken by heavenly demons as blood food; he can no longer swear deathly loyalty to Sect Master Su!

「Sect Master!! 」

「Clang! 」the vibrating sound of the spiritual artifact shocked the surroundings.