Chapter 112: Towards the Mortal World
“She’s not breathing anymore.”
The old man flicked his horsetail whisk, his gaze locked on Zhou Chan like a hawk. “What is the purpose of your visit in the middle of the night?”
“This fellow Daoist has taken something from our Taiyi Sect. What, is Palace Master Si in league with her?”
Si Mingyue covered her mouth with her sleeve and coughed, and specks of blood splattered on her sleeve, making her face even paler.
So close, just a little bit closer.
Perhaps it would have been better if they had been a little faster.
But Si Mingyue knew in her heart that Ning Ruoque could not have ignored the innocent people, just as she would not have agreed to use demonic beasts to kill the guards.
She used her staff to barely support her body, her face contorted in pain, and mouthed to Ning Ruoque, “Take her and go. Don’t mind me.”
Even if the Sect Master of the Taiyi Sect had personally come, Ning Ruoque would definitely have been able to leave, but it was inevitable that there would be bloodshed.
The night wind hit the bronze bell, and the spring water also stirred up waves.
In an instant, the Dao is Hidden and Nameless sword fell into Ning Ruoque’s hand.
The old man blinked and threw his horsetail whisk, which quickly wrapped around her, but it only hit an afterimage.
The guards who had surrounded Si Mingyue all felt a chill on their necks and subconsciously took up their weapons to defend.
The blade of the sword slid up the long saber, creating a shower of sparks. In the clash of spiritual energy, the long saber was sent flying several feet away.
Ning Ruoque passed by the cold-sweating guards, scooped up Si Mingyue with one hand, and then stepped on the sweeping back of the saber, and easily returned to Yin Buran’s side.
The Dao is Hidden and Nameless sword spun in her hand, twisting off the horsetail whisk and also blocking several spirit arrows.
She lowered her head and saw Si Mingyue’s dazed face, and said with unusual calmness, “We came to save you.”
As her voice fell, the barrier in the sky suddenly flickered, and crimson runes appeared and disappeared, emitting a dangerous aura.
It was clear that the Taiyi Sect did not intend to let them go easily.
Seeing this, Si Mingyue was suddenly anxious. “But…”
Yin Buran frowned, but it was not because of the Taiyi Sect’s actions, but because even now, Si Mingyue was still thinking of protecting Zhou Chan.
Since Si Mingyue had become the Palace Master of Heavenly Eon, it was unknown how many divinations she had performed. The great calamities and demonic disasters she had divined could not be counted with two hands.
Because of this, she rarely showed strong worry and concern.
If it were just a plague, she would not have gone to such lengths and had even hidden it from them several times.
In just a few breaths, Yin Buran had a guess in her heart.
She stepped forward, and while she was treating Si Mingyue, she said with a leisurely air.
“I would like to ask, what has the Taiyi Sect lost that has made you so angry, fellow Daoist? Could it be—”
“Something that cannot be seen by others?”
The old man’s face instantly became extremely unsightly.
Without thinking, one would know that Zhou Chan must have grasped some key evidence.
In addition, with the commotion tonight, even if the Taiyi Sect used other excuses to prevaricate, it was inevitable that some rumors would spread.
What made the old man grit his teeth in hatred the most was that these people, one was backed by Azurefall Creek, and the other was the Palace Master of Heavenly Eon Palace, had actually come here personally for an unknown junior.
If they could not kill them in one blow, it would only leave endless trouble.
Not to mention that there was also Ning Ruoque…
He lowered his eyes to hide the killing intent in them. “Hmph, the demon race is an inferior race to begin with. Raising them is no different from raising livestock. What’s wrong with raising them to take their bones and let their blood?”
Before Yin Buran could speak, Zhou Chan had already rushed out.
She tried her best to suppress her trembling hands and said with all her might, “Is it really just to take their blood?!”
“You condone your disciples to drive demonic beasts, kill people for their treasures, and then kill the demonic beasts to cover up all your crimes…”
Large teardrops gushed out from her eyes. She wiped them with her sleeve, so hard that a bloody gash was made on her cheek.
In the end, she could not speak, and her whole body was trembling uncontrollably. She was pulled back by Ning Ruoque’s collar.
The old man snorted coldly, his eyes full of contempt. “Fellow Daoist Zhou, you don’t seem to understand yet. The path to immortality is a struggle against the heavens. The law of the jungle is very normal.”
“There will always be some who are unlucky. Does it matter if they die at the hands of a human or at the mouth of a demonic beast?”
Zhou Chan was stunned for a moment, and after realizing what this person was saying, she almost gritted her teeth.
Seeing that she was about to rush forward recklessly again, Ning Ruoque forcefully held her down.
“Twisting words and forcing logic,” Yin Buran frowned, a trace of disgust flashing in her eyes.
“According to you, if you die at the mouth of a demonic beast today, it is also your fate.”
These words were so direct that they left no room for politeness. The guards in the back looked at each other, not knowing how to react for a moment.
Even within the Taiyi Sect, only a small number of people knew about the raising of demonic beasts.
Yin Buran’s words had clearly angered the old man.
The horsetail whisk in his hand suddenly grew without any warning and rolled towards Yin Buran with sand and stones.
Ning Ruoque raised her sword to block, and after a few crisp clangs, the long sword, carrying the wind, cut off more than half of the horsetail whisk.
She was also filled with a thick killing intent and pressed towards the old man.
With a few loud “bangs,” the sword qi cut out for dozens of feet, and a small building collapsed by more than half.
The broken bricks and stones were then driven by the spiritual energy, and in the midst of the flying sand, no one knew what the fight was like inside.
Occasionally, a few guards who tried to rush in were also forced back by the fierce wind.
Si Mingyue was so anxious that she was spinning in circles.
She wanted to help, but she was suffering from a backlash from her spell, and her whole body was unable to move. Even mobilizing a trace of spiritual energy was painful.
When she looked back, she saw Zhou Chan clenching her fists, and blood was also seeping from her palm, her eyes full of hatred. She advised with a worried tone.
“Don’t do anything stupid. Your junior sister would not want you to become like this.”
A sharp wind blade cut through her sleeve. Si Mingyue struggled to stand up, trying to support a small barrier for Yin Buran.
She cried out eagerly, “Ranran, Ranran, is there any way for me to go and help?”
She was so hopeful that Yin Buran could “bring a person back to life” and make some special forbidden medicine to let her recover quickly.
Yin Buran’s expression was blank, and she stuffed a pill into Si Mingyue’s mouth with her backhand.
“Shut up.”
Now Si Mingyue was so bitter that she couldn’t speak.
While she was struggling to swallow the pill, she saw a stream of light fly over and hit the center of the battlefield.
A sword qi suddenly struck out, going straight for Yin Buran!
The latter dodged in time, and the sword qi cut through the spring eye, creating a splash of water dozens of feet high.
A piercing sound of a sword blade colliding suddenly came from her ear, making one’s teeth ache.
Then the sand and wind dispersed, and Yin Buran wiped the water droplets from her face, and only then did she see the situation inside clearly.
The two people had become three, and Jiang Ai was blocking in front of Ning Ruoque with her sword.
Yin Buran’s gaze swept over the bloody gash on the old man’s neck and began to size Ning Ruoque up and down.
At least on the surface, she looked quite complete, but it was not certain if there were any internal injuries.
The three sides were originally in a stalemate, until Ning Ruoque felt an inexplicable chill on her back…
She subconsciously clenched the hilt of her sword, and then she simply sheathed her sword.
Then she seemed to have inadvertently glanced at Jiang Ai.
Jiang Ai also sheathed her sword.
Her wide sleeves were blown by the wind, and her long hair was neatly tied up behind her head, not disturbed in the slightest, and her expression was as calm as ever.
Ignoring the sword by her hand, one could not even tell that she was a sword cultivator.
She walked to Ning Ruoque’s side, her stance self-evident.
The old man’s lips were pale, and the veins on his forehead were bulging.
It was unknown if it was because the bloody gash on his neck was still throbbing, or if more and more people were intervening, but he seemed to have given up the option of “killing to silence.”
He instead said in a hoarse voice, “Why don’t we each take a step back? The Taiyi Sect will hand over all the Zhuyan, and you can make another condition. This matter will be over. How about it?”
Yin Buran heard a coarse breathing sound beside her.
Her peripheral vision glanced at Zhou Chan, and she gave Si Mingyue a look. “Knock her out.”
Si Mingyue naturally did not hesitate, and with a light tap of her fingertip on Zhou Chan’s back neck, the latter fell down limply.
At the same time, Ning Ruoque’s hand was on the hilt of her sword, and she said softly, “Not good.”
Jiang Ai: “Not quite.”
The two of them said in unison.
The corners of Jiang Ai’s mouth seemed to have curled up slightly, with a faint smile.
If it weren’t for the fact that Ning Ruoque’s peripheral vision had caught a glimpse, she would have thought that she had seen wrong.
Jiang Ai faced all the disciples of the Taiyi Sect, the stewards or elders who had rushed over, and her clear and melodious voice spread across the mountains.
“The Taiyi Sect has raised a demon for trouble, and it almost caused a great disaster. The Immortal Alliance will try its best to give a fair judgment, and all those who participated in this matter will be taken into the heavenly prison for interrogation.”
There was an uproar all around, and the most common cry was to declare that they did not know about this and to try to cut ties with the Sect Master of the Taiyi Sect.
The old man was still standing in the same spot, and for some reason, his gloomy gaze swept over everyone, and he actually did not defend himself.
Ning Ruoque thought that it was because Jiang Ai’s judgment had left too much room, and with the dust not yet settled, with his status, it was very likely that he would be able to extricate himself.
It was clear that she was not the only one who thought so, which was why Yin Buran had asked Si Mingyue to knock Zhou Chan out.
Ning Ruoque clenched her sword again. She turned her head and saw Yin Buran standing by the spring eye in a white dress.
Her hem was stained with water and dirt, and a few strands of her hair were wet and stuck to her cheeks, and her eyes were as clear as the spring eye.
Ning Ruoque turned and walked towards her.
This matter had come to a temporary end, and Si Mingyue secretly let out a sigh of relief.
Jiang Ai immediately summoned a few Sword Pavilion disciples and gave them some instructions.
For some reason, she suddenly let out a soft sigh.
“It’s just that there was no witness when Zhou Chan’s junior sister died. I can’t judge if she was harmed by a disciple of the Taiyi Sect.”
“What a pity.”
A very ordinary sigh, and not much emotion could be heard, like an autumn leaf fluttering down, landing without a sound.
But Ning Ruoque was extremely sharp and caught Zhou Chan’s cold sneer.
“Heh.”
A chill ran up her back, and the demon core that had been properly sealed in her pouch suddenly flew out and rushed towards Yin Buran.
Ning Ruoque’s heart panicked, and her body had already acted subconsciously, pulling Yin Buran into her arms to protect her.
But she didn’t expect that her concern would cause chaos. Only when she heard the Jiegou’s mocking scream did she suddenly remember who the “master” of the demon core was.
A white mist with an ominous aura enveloped Zhou Chan.
The person inside had vacant eyes and a gray face, and only her lips were constantly moving, as if she were saying something.
“The demon core… is… for me…”
It came to an abrupt end, and the light in Zhou Chan’s eyes dimmed.
Yin Buran frowned, and a golden lotus flower flew from her fingertip, and it floated into the white mist, and was soon corroded.
She lowered her eyes and stated softly, “She’s not breathing anymore.”
As soon as her voice fell, the white mist, like an erupting spore, suddenly exploded!
