Chapter 280: Hope

The wind and rain swirled for a long time, but in the end, because they could not find their true target, they could only helplessly dissipate.

Only the blood-colored clouds refused to scatter for a long time, circling continuously above the Divine Path Sect, attracting the attention of many.

On Lieyang Peak, a young man was sitting on the ground hugging his knees, looking at the sky with a bored expression, when suddenly he excitedly pointed at the blood color in the distant sky and shouted:

"Master! Master!"

The young man's face looked to be around twenty, and he even had a beard on his lips, but his manners and movements were not as mature as his appearance, with a thick, childish air leaking out in every gesture.

If one did not look at his appearance, he would seem like a child who had not yet grown up.

He was Zhang Zongrui, a disciple newly taken in by the Peak Master of Lieyang Peak not long ago.

Zhang Zongrui did not hear his master's response, so he simply scrambled up from the ground, jumping up and down excitedly, and shouted:

"Master! Senior Brother! You guys look quickly!"

And not far behind him, Zuo Su, who was sitting cross-legged, had long since shifted his gaze from this "newly accepted" disciple of his to the anomaly in the sky.

He narrowed his eyes, his brows slightly furrowed.

"Is there an outsider trying to interfere with the Divine Path Sect?"

"No, the surrounding Heaven and Earth are not being controlled, so it shouldn't be a Heaven Realm cultivator invading... Then what is this situation?"

"Is it merely a celestial phenomenon, or is it... the Descending God Selection Path?"

Although the Divine Path Bell had not rung, and there was no sign of a Dao God, there seemed to be a faint divine fluctuation within the blood clouds, which was somewhat similar to the anomalies during the Descending God Selection Path.

Zuo Su was thinking silently when Zuo Yungui walked to his side and whispered:

"Grandfather, the location of that cloud is very close to Luoyue Peak; perhaps they know the reason."

Reminded by his grandson, Zuo Su also realized something: the position where the blood clouds were entrenched was exactly above Luoyue Peak!

His brows moved slightly, and Zuo Su thought of another possibility.

"Could it be that Jing Yueqin is about to take another step forward?"

Regarding this junior Peak Master who was accustomed to acting as she pleased, Zuo Su had always held an attitude of being disappointed that she would not live up to expectations.

He grieved for her misfortune and was angry at her lack of drive.

The disappearance of her master, Yinyue Shangren, forced Jing Yueqin to step into the Heaven Realm, but it also caused a prodigy who originally possessed a bright future to completely go astray.

According to Jing Yueqin's original potential, her cultivation in the Taiyin Divine Dao would definitely not have stopped at the Dharma Aspect, but would very likely have reached the realm of Asking Dao, qualifying her to compete for the position of the next Sect Leader.

But now?

Although she forcibly stepped into the Dharma Aspect using the Demon path, she also greatly overdrawn her own potential, trading it for a body covered in Sin Karma.

If she cannot suppress those Sin Karma, let alone taking another step forward, even maintaining her current strength is extremely difficult.

How lamentable!

After sighing for a moment, Zuo Su shook his head, did not answer his grandson's words, and instead spoke:

"Since it is the family business of Luoyue Peak, there is no need to worry about it before they ask for help."

"Furthermore, I have already inquired with the Sect Leader; this matter holds no danger, so there is no need to worry."

Although Zuo Yungui felt that they should go and see the situation, he finally lowered his head honestly and replied:

"Yes, Grandson understands."

After answering, Zuo Yungui did not stand up, but continued to kneel silently on one knee before his grandfather.

Seeing him like this, Zuo Su shook his head inwardly, but still asked indifferently:

"What else do you have?"

"... Peak Master, this disciple has a request!" Zuo Yungui lowered his head and said in a deep voice.

Since the form of address was Peak Master, Zuo Yungui's meaning was made very clear.

The following conversation was not between grandfather and grandson, but between Lieyang Peak Master Zuo Su and his personal disciple Zuo Yungui.

"No matter, let's hear it."

"Yes, thank you, Peak Master!"

Taking a deep breath, Zuo Yungui suddenly opened his closed eyes, and he looked up at Zuo Su.

"This disciple heard that the third disciple of Luoyue Peak returned to the sect today."

Zuo Yungui pursed his lips, burning with intense emotion in his eyes, and said in a deep voice:

"This disciple begs the Peak Master to allow this disciple to have a match with the third disciple of Luoyue Peak."

After hearing this request and looking at his grandson's expression, Zuo Su secretly thought "as expected."

Zuo Su knew Zuo Yungui's mental block clearly.

It was nothing more than a struggle between young people who refused to admit defeat.

In the last battle, Zuo Yungui lost, and it could be called a spectacular defeat in full view of everyone.

Although he had already displayed his full level, he had not caused any substantial trouble for Ren Yidao from beginning to end.

This did not count as an insurmountable grudge, but it was like a needle stuck deep in his heart; whenever he thought of it, he would feel a sharp pain.

And this failure did not crush Zuo Yungui; on the contrary, it stirred up his fighting spirit. During this period of cultivation, he was more serious than ever, and the results he achieved were quite good.

Zuo Yungui had completely stabilized the realm of the Dharma Aspect and had deepened his connection with the Dao God, allowing him to borrow the power of the Dao God more skillfully.

By logic, being able to achieve such results at his current age was rare in the entire history of the Divine Path Sect.

Therefore, the sky cleared, the rain stopped, and Zuo Yungui felt he could do it again.

Zuo Yungui: I want to wash away my shame! I want to erase the past humiliation with a great victory!

But, can this really be done?

Zuo Su actually already had the answer in his heart.

Difficult.

Very, very difficult.

The ignorant are fearless.

The weaker one is, the more one blindly believes in one's own strength.

Although the truth is cruel, the strength Zuo Yungui currently possesses still does not reach the level Ren Yidao displayed last time.

Could it be that only Zuo Yungui will grow, while Ren Yidao will just mark time in place?

If both were at the bottleneck of stepping from the Earth Realm into the Heaven Realm, requiring a vast amount of time and opportunity to break through, Zuo Yungui's fantasy might still have some possibility.

But now that both have only just stepped into the Earth Realm, their strength will certainly have an explosive increase in the short term.

The strong remain strong.

Zuo Su already knows the answer to the result of this duel.

But even so, must he refuse him?

Zuo Su shook his head silently, rejecting that choice.

Why should he refuse?

Do heaven-gifted talents need to forge ahead without stopping? Can they not have a record of defeat?

Nonsense!

That is not help; that is stifling!

Since Zuo Yungui knows shame and then becomes brave, he has no reason to refuse him.

If you wish to fight, then fight to your heart's content, and take a good look at the gap between yourself and the other party.

But what Zuo Su did not expect was that his head shake fell into Zuo Yungui's eyes and instead became a sign of refusal.

Seeing his grandfather refuse, Zuo Yungui grew anxious and spoke hurriedly:

"Peak Master! This disciple only wishes for a battle!"

"Whether in private or in public is fine; this disciple just wants to have a good fight!"

"This disciple can sign a life-and-death contract; no matter what..."

Slap.

"Shut up!"

!!!

"Ah!" Zhang Zongrui, who was watching the blood clouds beside the two, was startled by Zuo Su's roar; he shrank his neck and peeked back secretly, discovering that Senior Brother Zuo was holding his face and looking at the Sect Leader.

What happened?

What is wrong?

This was also the thought in Zuo Yungui's heart; he did not understand why he had been slapped by his grandfather.

Did I do something wrong?

"You are wrong, completely and utterly wrong." Even though Zuo Yungui did not speak, Zuo Su knew clearly what his grandson was thinking.

He looked solemn, glared at his grandson, and said angrily:

"A life-and-death contract? Do you want to kill him? Or do you want to be killed by him?"

"Even if you and Ren Yidao do not get along, you cannot forget your identities."

"Although you come from two different peaks, in the end, you are both disciples of the Divine Path Sect; you should be brothers of life and death, not enemies of life and death!"

Seeing Zuo Su so angry, Zuo Yungui's lips moved, but in the end, he honestly lowered his head.

"This disciple knows he is wrong; please, Peak Master... forgive me."

Is he convinced?

Convinced in words, but not necessarily in heart.

Zuo Su sighed silently in his heart, knowing that his grandson did not understand his anger at all.

Not just him; among the new disciples now, this is basically the situation.

Their loyalty to their own main peak is much higher than their loyalty to the sect.

They spend most of their time holed up in the sect, only able to see disciples from other peaks, and have no idea of the true situation in the outside world.

If the Sect Leader hadn't used the Disha Gate as a training exercise for them to experience last time, this sense of belonging to the sect would be even weaker.

They understand the principle of "when the lips are gone, the teeth are cold," but clearly, they do not understand it well.

These hopes for the sect's future are still not united enough...

"Still not enough..." Zuo Su's sigh made Zuo Yungui blink, not knowing what his grandfather meant.

What is not enough?

"Since you want to fight him, then I will grant your wish."

"Many thanks, Grandfather!!!" Zuo Yungui had thought his request was hopeless; he did not expect that after the situation turned around, there would be a chance!

"Don't get excited yet; although I agree to your request, it also depends on the other party's response."

Seeing Zuo Yungui's state of being fully revived on the spot, Zuo Su was half-helpless and half-happy, and waved his hand:

"Go, take Zong Rui with you, prepare yourself well, adjust your state to the best, and I will notify you once I have news here."

"Yes! This disciple takes his leave!" Rising to salute, Zuo Yungui wore a confident smile and dragged Zhang Zongrui away from the peak.

Before Zuo Yungui's momentum could build up, he heard Zhang Zongrui's sincere question:

"Senior Brother, why is your face red? And only red on one side?"

"... It has nothing to do with you; don't ask so much, child."

"Oh."

Watching this pair of senior and junior brothers leave, Zuo Su shook his head slightly and sighed silently.

Although Zhang Zongrui's memory has regressed to his childhood, fortunately, the various disciples take good care of him, and one day he will be able to recover to normal.

Disciples like Zhang Zongrui who have lost their memories are not isolated cases; besides him, there are several others in other peaks with the same symptoms.

As for the true reason behind this, although the various Peak Masters can guess a few things, they have all maintained silence.

Regardless, for former traitors, this can already be considered a decent ending.

"Spirit Dao, huh..."

After sighing silently, Zuo Su transmitted a divine sense to Peak Master Jing.

"Peak Master Jing, the disciple of my peak, Zuo Yungui, wishes to challenge the third disciple of your peak, Ren Yidao. Is this feasible? If it is, please arrange a time after consulting with Junior Martial Nephew Ren."

Zuo Yungui calls it a sparring match, but Zuo Su knows very well that this is just a challenge; whether it is accepted or not depends on the other party's attitude.

Zuo Su did not hold a high posture, and Jing Yueqin's reply was unexpectedly fast.

Peak Master Jing, who spends her years in the company of her bed, seemed to have just woken up, and after hearing it, she replied casually:

"Let them fight, if they want to fight then let them fight, what's the big deal... Wait! The little junior brother is back?"

"What? How come I don't know about this!"

Zuo Su: "..."

A disciple of your own peak, even I know about it, but why don't you know? Don't you have any idea in your heart?

"Since that is the case, then inform me once Junior Martial Nephew Ren has set a date." Having said that, Zuo Su, not wanting to listen to Jing Yueqin's complaints any longer, cut off the divine sense.

"Sigh..."

Sure enough, she cannot be relied upon; it would be better to look forward to the others on their peak.

"If only the Peak Master were someone else; Senior Martial Nephew Jian is not bad, and if that really doesn't work, I can only wait for Junior Martial Nephew Ren in the future... Hmm?"

Just as he was thinking about the personnel changes of Luoyue Peak, Zuo Su's brows suddenly twitched, and he looked at the Dao God that had manifested on its own.

Then, he saw his wife raising her palm toward him with a look of dissatisfaction.

Hmm?

???

"No, I did that to make Yungui wake up a bit, I didn't hit him on purpose!"

"Wait! Listen to my expla..."

Slap!!!

"Many thanks to Senior Uncle Sect Leader for your help."

When Zuo Su was being fiercely slapped by the Dao God, Ren Yidao was standing in the Sect Leader's Qingzhuan Dojo, bowing with a smile while carrying Xinying:

"Oh my, if it weren't for Senior Uncle Sect Leader's righteous intervention, the two of us, father and daughter, would have surely met a tragic end!"

"Come, Xinying, hurry up and thank Senior Uncle Sect Leader!"

【... Thank you?】 Xinying, whose head was being pressed down, blinked her eyes and spoke obediently.

Stone Statue: 【...】

Seeing the Stone Statue remain silent, Ren Yidao blinked his eyes, thinking of a possibility.

He walked to the front of where the Stone Statue was facing, then reached his hands under Xinying's arms and lifted Her high up, directly facing the Stone Statue's eyes.

Display!

Senior Uncle Sect Leader, do you see?

This is the daughter I produced through parthenogenesis!

Sure enough, after staring at Xinying's pure and large eyes for a while, the Sect Leader indeed gave a response:

【Hmm, no need to thank me, you should thank yourselves instead.】

"Oh, that's fine then, Xinying, let's not thank him."

【Oh... not thank?】

Stone Statue:?

I was just being polite, why did you actually take it seriously?

Also, little girl, you don't have to listen to everything he says!

【Ahem! Junior Martial Nephew, you should explain to me what exactly is going on, right?】 The Sect Leader's voice deliberately bypassed Xinying and sounded in the depths of Ren Yidao's heart.

"What does Senior Uncle mean?" Ren Yidao feigned confusion and asked back.

【Don't play dumb; being able to invite the hatred of the Heavens, it is certainly no ordinary object.】

【No matter what it actually is, you should not continue to possess it; destroy it as soon as possible, otherwise it may have a bad influence on your future cultivation.】

"Senior Uncle, She is not a 'thing'," Ren Yidao shook his head, "nor should She be destroyed."

Seeming to have sensed the emotion transmitted through the divine sense, the Stone Statue was silent for a while, then surprisingly did not refute, but asked softly:

【Then tell me, what is She?】

The corners of his mouth curled up slightly, and Ren Yidao stared into the Stone Statue's eyes and answered earnestly:

"Hope."

He lifted Xinying high up in front of the Stone Statue once more.

He said:

"The hope of the Divine Path Sect."

I want to sleep early!

Ahem...