Chapter 74: Stay or Leave

Seeing Su Changfeng say nothing, he subconsciously assumed the other had acquiesced.

The young cultivator gave a self‑mocking laugh; for the first time he felt his choice was not worth it, and a feeling worse than being fed feces welled up in his heart: 'Fine! I was blind, misjudging you.'

"I thought that with your cultivation, plus another demon‑race descendant, obtaining spirit stones would not be difficult, and I thought you would risk your life for the three thousand cultivators."

"But I never expected that when the spirit tempest came, you would actually choose to hide like a turtle—could you really be a demon‑race descendant, planning to use me as a living sacrifice at the critical moment? Or perhaps you still have a conscience, unwilling to kill us yourself, hoping to feed our corpses to …"

"I am utterly disappointed in you!"

The young cultivator sucked in a breath of cold air, gritted his teeth, and took a deep look at Su Changfeng.

Then he rose to mid‑air, using his divine sense to wrap his voice as he shouted: 'Where are the three hundred loose cultivators? From this moment on, I voluntarily withdraw from the Tianxuan Dao Sect; those willing to follow me, step forward!'

After this thunder‑like roar sounded, the whole of Yunhai City seethed.

Loose cultivator disciples gradually gathered toward the young cultivator.

Many of them had absorbed the violent spirit energy, their bodies involuntarily swelling, their faces contorted in pain.

Even summoning their bound magical artifacts proved extremely difficult.

The more the young cultivator looked, the more his heart ached, filled with sarcasm.

He turned his head, glanced at the silent Su Changfeng, and said: 'The treasury has no spirit‑stone resources left, the spirit‑gathering array cannot keep running; as your centurion, I cannot watch you be turned into monster fodder alive.'

"Those willing to leave with me, go out of the city to seek a sliver of hope."

"Those willing to stay here, trust Su Changfeng, and either be burst by the violent spirit energy or become monster fodder, may remain."

"Su Changfeng, here are the spirit stones you gave me when I entered Yunhai City, and the centurion's token—I return them to you; our past ties are severed!"

"You really are the most competent sect leader I have ever seen!"

Having said that, the young cultivator did not glance at Su Changfeng again, turned his head, and summoned his bound magical artifact.

The loose cultivators gathered there looked at one another.

After hearing Su Changfeng's words on the city wall, some felt disappointed in him, summoned their bound magical artifacts, and chose to follow the young cultivator away.

"Whoosh!"

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh…"

With one person, more and more followed.

Soon over five hundred disciples followed the young cultivator away.

Su Changfeng offered no obstruction, letting those people leave; he merely turned to look at the elders who wanted to speak but held back, and said: 'If you also wish to go, feel free to leave; by now you probably distrust me as well.'

Several elders' mouths twitched as they gazed at Su Changfeng's unwavering eyes.

They let out a heavy breath of foul air.

The eldest elder, White‑Brow, asked a question of life and death: 'Sect Master, we have lived and died together for many years; I won't say more—I just ask one thing.'

"Is it that as soon as Su Chen arrives, not only can the beast tide be resolved, but also the spirit‑stone resources and the construction of the spirit‑gathering array be fully settled?"

"Yes!" Su Changfeng's words were firm and decisive, full of confidence in Su Chen.

He had never doubted his own son.

Although everyone from the aristocratic clans of the Eastern Wasteland looked down on his son, as a father he had supreme confidence in his son's future, believing his son's prospects were bright.

"How many more days does he need to arrive?"

Su Changfeng pursed his lips: 'Two days.'

"Good!"

The other elders, having obtained the answer they wanted, unanimously decided to trust Su Changfeng one last time.

This time they were putting the lives of three thousand cultivators on the line: 'Fine, we will accompany you for the last two days.'

"If the deadline arrives and Su Chen still hasn't shown up, then you will truly bear the identity of a heavenly demon descendant—you are more demon than demon, capable of slaughtering three thousand cultivators without spilling blood."

"Now, Sect Master, please order all cultivators to remove the spirit stones engraved inside the arcane weapons; otherwise we may not last two days."

To what extent must the cultivators be driven, the spirit stones engraved inside the arcane weapons serve as the medium for transferring spiritual power between person and weapon; without a core storage spirit stone, the arcane weapon becomes scrap iron.

Su Chen.

Hope that the wastrel who has disappointed the Eastern Wasteland cultivators can bring hope to all cultivators.

Eastern Wasteland, Qianyuan City.

Sect Master Su Yuan, since discovering that night when each returned to their own sect, the Cheng household has been aloof toward him, fearful of getting involved; even when they arranged meetings to exchange cultivation insights, the result was a polite refusal.

What he is most curious about is …

The Cheng household seems to have mobilized many clan juniors, as if searching for someone.

"Lately, Old Master Cheng, what's wrong with you? You act as if you want to avoid me at all costs, unwilling to have any connection, though I haven't offended the Cheng household."

"The sole heir of the Han Yue Sect leader died from ruptured meridians; why has the Cheng household heard nothing about it? I heard that Old Master Cheng's granddaughter also had her meridians damaged by the violent spirit energy entering her body, didn't she?"

"Oh! I remember now."

Su Yuan seemed to recall something and immediately summoned the Eastern Wasteland's foremost alchemist.

Half an hour later.

The alchemist descended, and Su Yuan went out to meet him with a fawning expression.

This time it would cost him a considerable amount of spirit stones; the alchemist's fee is high, but fortunately he is only asking a few questions this time.

Originally, Alchemist Xu thought that Grand Sect Master Su had summoned him to request the refinement of some medicinal pill; but upon arriving at the residence, he learned it was for another reason: 'Alchemist Xu, I have a matter I wish to inquire about—earlier you seemed to have treated the Cheng patriarch's granddaughter.'

"Is it because her meridians were damaged?"

Alchemist Xu gave a light cough twice.

Su Yuan immediately understood, and hastily took out a gleaming golden fruit from his spatial ring: 'This is a bodhi fruit; I hope you will accept it, Alchemist Xu.'

Although he wore a smile, he was actually in agony; if not for the fact that this bodhi fruit is for external use and must be refined into a bodhi pill—which is an eighth‑grade elixir—this material would be useless in his hand.

But Alchemist Xu's eyes lit up noticeably; he discreetly put away the bodhi fruit, the corner of his mouth turning with a solemn intent: 'Grand Sect Master Su, I will tell you this alone—do not let it leak.'

"The Cheng patriarch's granddaughter indeed has damaged meridians, and her body also contains accumulated spirit energy that cannot be refined…"

Recently, spiritual energy leaked from my body, my cultivation plummeted, and I was about to become a cripple, but suddenly one day, Master Cheng invited me to his residence, took out a Vein-Casting Pill and asked me to appraise it. I never expected it to be a genuine seventh-grade pill; after taking it, not only did it rebuild my meridians in just a few days, but it also broke through and solidified, pushing my cultivation even further.

Now not only are my meridians tough, they have also widened considerably—thick as two fingers.

What?

This news left Su Yuan stunned.

He sprang up from the grand master's chair.

His expression was marvelously varied, alternating between green and pale.

After a moment, he slowly recovered from his shock and sat back down in the chair.

He took a deep breath and asked again: "Vein-Casting Pill?! That's a seventh-grade pill—even you cannot refine it in the Eastern Wasteland; with the Cheng family's resources, there's no way to connect with an Alchemy Grandmaster. What on earth is going on?"