Chapter 72

Pei Pei Boyu, the Sect Master of the Jin Jin Chuan Gate, has been on the path of cultivation for over two hundred years and already possesses a cultivation base of the Fifth Rank of Core Formation. His appearance is only around forty, the very prime of his life.

Today, he is hosting distinguished guests in the main hall of the sect.

Sitting opposite him is a female Daoist with her hair tied up, dressed in a pure green Daoist robe. Her temperament is elegant and refined, with vermilion lips and fair skin; she looks like a young girl of sixteen, yet her mature demeanor makes her seem more like a woman in her thirties.

This female Daoist is none other than the Sect Master of the Bai Lu Gate, the master of the two true-transmission disciples, Sister Guan and Yan, named Sun Sun Huanqin.

Although the two are sitting opposite each other, because there are also two female elders from the Jin Jin Chuan Gate present to accompany the guests, the atmosphere is not at all ambiguous.

The two Sect Masters are meeting to discuss the matter of dispatching disciples into the Great Marsh during the Dragon Boat Festival to search for spirit herbs and slay snake-dragons and venomous insects. This time, the Dragon Boat Assembly of the Nine Truths Immortal Gate is being hosted by the Bai Lu Gate, so Sect Master Sun Sun Huanqin must visit each of the major immortal sects one by one to discuss the arrangements for the Dragon Boat Assembly.

After Sun Sun Huanqin and Pei Pei Boyu agreed that their disciples would look out for each other in the Great Marsh and decided how to handle any potential conflicts, the official business concluded, and the topic gradually shifted to their disciples. Sect Master Sun smiled faintly, nodded, and said, "Sect Master Pei certainly has an outstanding junior; the Jin Jin Chuan Gate has worthy successors! Pei Pei Junhu can be called the number one person of this generation among the Nine Truths Immortal Gate. He should only be lacking an opportunity to form his core, right?"

Pei Pei Boyu laughed heartily upon hearing this and said, "It is Pei Junhu himself who is striving; I have never concerned myself with him. All the external items for his cultivation are things he obtained himself... which has actually tempered his character well. As long as he polishes away the hidden dangers from his early cultivation, he should have a future of achieving a Middle Rank Core."

Sect Master Sun smiled and said, "It is more than just a Middle Rank Core. With Pei Pei Junhu's aptitude and character, there is hope for achieving the Top Three Ranks."

"Hahaha..." Pei Pei Boyu laughed out loud. He had always regarded this nephew as his own son, and hearing such praise from the Sect Master of the Bai Lu Gate made him feel incredibly pleased. He smiled and said, "Sect Master Sun, please do not over-praise him."

"My nephew is just ambitious; he often makes a vow, saying: 'If I cannot achieve a Supreme Rank Core, I will never form a core.' If he truly can achieve this, he will have surpassed us of the older generation. The future of the Nine Truths Immortal Gate will depend on them!"

"By the way! I heard that under Sect Master Sun's tutelage, another young talent has emerged. At such a young age, she has established a First Rank Dao Foundation, with an even broader future than my nephew Pei Junhu. When Pei Junhu established his foundation years ago, he was too reckless and his timing was slightly off, so he only obtained a Second Rank Dao Foundation, which is why he has lingered for so long before the threshold of a Supreme Rank Core."

"Your disciple has such achievements at such a young age; I fear she will be even more extraordinary in the future."

Sect Master Sun nodded slightly upon hearing this and said, "Cai'er is a sensible child, and she puts me more at ease than the several senior sisters before her."

"My nephew Pei Junhu has a broad future, and your disciple also has a promising path. Their ages are not far apart, making them a perfect match. Why don't our two families form a marriage alliance? With the two of them supporting each other in the future, their path of cultivation will be even smoother. Wouldn't that be wonderful?" Sect Master Pei suggested, appearing enthusiastic.

And on the other side, Sect Master Sun began to curse inwardly.

Marrying off her most outstanding disciple would mean she would eventually become a member of your Pei family.

This is the future Sect Master of the Bai Lu Gate she has in mind! How could there be any reason to marry off her own Sect Master? Although Sect Master Sun intended to observe further—after all, although Cai'er has her own opinions, her nature is still a bit weak, and she might not be able to suppress the monsters and demons within the sect—she is indeed her first choice, and it is absolutely impossible to easily promise her as a marriage partner.

And to the Pei family, this hungry tiger of the Jin Jin Chuan Gate...

Sect Master Sun hurriedly pretended not to understand and smiled, "Oh? Is Sect Master Pei talking about Sister Guan Pingxuan? She and your nephew have long been on good terms; perhaps that could be a match."

Sect Master Pei hurriedly said, "I naturally meant Yan Cai..."

Sect Master Sun refused, saying, "She is still young and does not yet understand these things. Even if there were to be a marriage, it would have to wait until her Daoist career is accomplished."

Sect Master Sun's intention to cultivate Yan Cai as the future Sect Master of the Bai Lu Gate was still hidden. If such a matter were spoken of too early, it would certainly invite much trouble, so Sect Master Sun could only find another reason to politely decline.

Just at this moment, a Jin Jin Chuan Gate disciple burst in without waiting to be announced. He was flustered, and one could even say he was completely out of his wits as he reported, "Sect Master... it's bad! Yan Yan Shixiong Pei was killed by someone in a gambling duel outside..."

Pei Pei Boyu governed his sect with extreme strictness. Seeing his disciple act with such a lack of decorum, he was about to reprimand him, but after hearing these words, he could no longer maintain his composure. He glared with eyes like a hungry tiger about to devour someone and said fiercely, "What did you say? You must not speak such nonsense... tell me the details of the matter. If there is a single word of falsehood, go down and receive three hundred lashes!"

The disciple trembled all over upon hearing this and said in a panic, "Just now, someone came to the door holding a Bai Lu Gate calling card. Because Sect Master Sun was here, a disciple went to inquire about the situation..."

"Who would have thought..." The disciple lowered his head deeply, the following words stuttering and stuck in his throat, not daring to speak them out.

Pei Pei Boyu slammed the table and said, "Who would have thought what?"

"Who would have thought that the person would throw Yan Yan Shixiong Pei's head over, saying that Yan Yan Shixiong Pei gambled his life with him and lost it. Now that he has come here, it is to collect the wager."

Pei Pei Boyu laughed out of extreme anger: "Good, good... what a fierce person... Sect Master Sun, this person came to the door holding your Bai Lu Gate's calling card. Does Sect Master Sun recognize this person?"

Sect Master Sun was still preparing to listen quietly to what had happened, but unexpectedly heard that this matter had inexplicably entangled itself with her own sect. She could only offer words of comfort: "Junior Nephew Pei is also at the stage of forming a core; even a Ninth Rank wandering cultivator might not be his match. Even if it were an Eighth Rank Core, he could still put up a fight. How could he be harmed so easily?"

"This matter still needs to be verified with evidence."

Pei Pei Boyu nodded, feeling the same in his heart. He could no longer attend to hosting Sect Master Sun and hurried out of the main hall. Just as he reached the door, someone presented Yan Yan Shixiong Pei's head. Trembling as he looked at his nephew's head, Pei Pei Boyu touched it in disbelief. The cold flesh and blood, the familiar aura, all proved that this result was real and undeniable.

Pei Pei Boyu's vision went black. A dignified Core Formation cultivator was almost unable to stand steady.

His lips trembled, and then a heaven-shaking roar burned away all his reason. At this moment, a few lines of writing appeared on Pei Pei Junhu's head. The ink was still fresh, and it read:

To Sect Master Pei:

Your nephew once said: "You have the Gang Qi of Ice Soul Cold Light, and I have the Malevolent Qi of Taiyin like a tide. When the two combine, one obtains the Heavenly Mystery." Such a match is difficult to achieve, and there is only contention; one cannot retreat.

A firm Dao heart lies in a single thought; even if one dies a hundred times, one still does not regret it.

I deeply agree...

It is just that life often does not go according to one's wishes. In the contention of the Great Dao, one cannot hold back. With one sword stroke, life and death are proven. Now, I present your nephew's head to prove the victory. I bow again to the Sect Master and ask on behalf of Fellow Daoist Pei—is the life-and-death agreement still binding?

I have come to collect the wager. Fellow Daoist Pei's Dao heart is firm, and his word is worth its weight in gold. From this small glimpse, I believe Sect Master Pei will not cause me to return in vain.

The wandering cultivator Brother Qian Chen bows his head.

Pei Pei Boyu's hands were shaking as he said in a wild rage, "I swear to kill this person, I swear to kill this person... I must grind this person to dust and refine his soul with poison fire to offer before my nephew's spirit!"

While his rage burned, he still felt some suspicion. What kind of madman was this person? Not only did he kill someone, but he even dared to come to the door to demand things.

Was this lawless nature the result of a clouded mind, or was it a reckless disregard for consequences born from having something to rely on?

"Where are Yu'er and Xing'er? Their Yan Yan Shixiong has met with disaster, and they are actually indifferent?" Pei Pei Boyu vented his anger.

Brother Qian Chen stepped into the seal holding a spirit light mirror. The spirit light of the precious mirror illuminated and fixed a part of the seal's changes, while also breaking through another part. At this moment, under Brother Qian Chen's lure, a cultivator dressed in white with hair draped behind his back also followed into the seal.

He was Pei Pei Boyu's own son. Although his cultivation was slightly inferior to Pei Pei Junhu's, he was still a leader among the Jin Jin Chuan Gate.

"This person killed Big Brother; he is truly mad! He actually dared to trap himself in the array... Isn't this a heaven-sent opportunity? Originally, with Big Brother here, the position of Sect Master would not have fallen to me, but now that Big Brother has met with disaster and the murderer has trapped himself in a dead end, if I use the seal to kill this person, my prestige will surely soar, and taking over as the future Sect Master will be easy, won't it?"

Brother Qian Chen went deep into the seal, using his Black Gold sword light to unfold the layers of the seal. He only revealed a bit of his sword technique, and facing the seal that relied on the mountain gate's earth veins, he gradually found it difficult to move.

At this moment, Pei Huang Yuhuan revealed a flying shuttle, held a seal jade tablet, activated the seal, and together with the flying shuttle, struck toward Brother Qian Chen.

Only to see the sky full of thunder and fire erupting together, the momentum vast, with infinite flames born from thin air, sweeping toward Brother Qian Chen.

The flying shuttle was hidden in the flames, waiting for Brother Qian Chen to be unable to resist with his magic power and reveal signs of fatigue, so it could fly out and take his life.

Brother Qian Chen saw someone enter the seal, and although he hid his true form with the help of the seal's power, he also restrained the most powerful change of the seal. At this moment, he revealed a faint smile, reached out, and summoned the Heavenly Luo Umbrella to hang above his head, dripping with clear light. The layers of flames passed by like spring rain in the south of the Yangtze River, unable to cause Brother Qian Chen any harm.

Brother Qian Chen parted the flames and thunder light, arriving at the center of the seal like a leisurely stroll. Only then did a hook light rise, bypassing the layers of obstacles of the seal's defense, pointing directly at Pei Huang Yuhuan, who was hidden in the deepest part of the seal.

Pei Huang Yuhuan saw that Brother Qian Chen was not confused by the seal and was pointing directly at him. His expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly summoned the flying shuttle back to protect him.

At this moment, the Black Gold Black Evil Hook suddenly bent its sword light, locking the flying shuttle.

Brother Qian Chen manifested his core energy, and the emerald-green Innate One Qi Great Grabbing Hand withstood the bombardment of the seal, casually reaching down and capturing Pei Huang Yuhuan.

Pei Huang Yuhuan was scared out of his wits and only hissed, "Spare my life, my father is the Sect Master, I am willing to explain a thing or two for you... this matter may not be without a turning point."

Brother Qian Chen said lightly, "In the contention of the Great Dao, what turning point is there to speak of? Now it is not a matter of whether you will let me go, but whether I will let you go."

Having said this, he took the seal jade tablet, used the Dragon Sparrow Ring to collect the flying shuttle, and with a flash of sword light, escaped the seal.

Outside the seal, a Pei family member who looked more mature was presiding over the situation. Seeing the sword light fly out from the seal, his expression changed, and he thought to himself, 'Not good...' Then he saw a sword light coming straight at him. The sword light flashed across his neck, and without a sound, he lost his life.

Brother Qian Chen had just broken out of the seal and saw a cultivator who looked somewhat like Pei Pei Junhu. Thinking he was a Pei family member, he casually ended his life with one sword stroke, not caring at all who he had killed.