Chapter 51: “I’m Going to Get Angry!”

“The juniors in the sect handle matters poorly, yet they still come to trouble this old bag of bones.”

Chen Yandao wore a gray-green Daoist robe. As he complained, he stepped onto a stone bridge.

On the opposite bank stood a large rock, inscribed with the words: Taiyan Boundary Stele.

When he reached the middle of the bridge, his steps halted. A figure materialized out of thin air in the empty space at the bridgehead.

Her posture was graceful, her figure slender and alluring. A dark purple dress made her skin appear even fairer and more bewitching, her beauty enough to topple a city.

Such a face, which could dim the surrounding scenery, made countless cultivators across the world turn pale upon seeing it.

Chen Yandao’s gaze locked onto the half of a red Yin-Yang Fish Symbol dangling from her left ear. A shrewd light flashed deep in his eyes as he shed his lazy, languid demeanor. “Devil Sect demonesses truly possess a more alluring charm. For this lord to have the fortune of meeting you today, dying beneath a peony flower would make even a ghost romantic.”

Jiang Ying lazily lifted her eyelids.

Suddenly, a fist flew over and struck Chen Yandao’s temple.

Chen Yandao’s eyes bulged, and his body flew sideways, plunging into the Taiyan River.

Jiang Ying furrowed her brow.

Whoosh—

Chen Yandao burst out from the water, pointing at the descending Lei Shuang and roaring angrily, “You ambushed me! You have no martial honor!”

Lei Shuang, her elbow resting on her knee as she crouched on the stone bridge railing, grinned upon hearing this. “When fighting against you righteous orthodox sect people, what martial honor is there to speak of?”

Before her words faded, Lei Shuang’s brow arched.

The person in the water had vanished.

A sharp, fierce qi slashed diagonally from behind. Lei Shuang clenched her five fingers, and crackling lightning flashed between them.

Just as Lei Shuang was about to retaliate, she heard several whooshing sounds of tearing air. They grazed past the back of her head, shearing off a lock of her hair.

“!” Lei Shuang leaped three feet high in one bound. “You woman! I’m kindly helping you, and you cut my hair again!”

Jiang Ying shot her a glance and coldly exposed her. “If not for the Devil Lord’s order, would you be helping me?”

Lei Shuang curled her lip and snorted defiantly. “As far as the result is concerned, I am helping you.”

Jiang Ying couldn’t be bothered with her and turned her attention to Chen Yandao.

Chen Yandao retreated several zhang. Although he had swung his saber in time and cut down most of the willow leaves, several still grazed his limbs. In the blink of an eye, a few tears appeared in his gray-green Daoist robe, blood seeping from beneath them.

Ill-fated.

Chen Yandao cursed inwardly.

His junior brother’s letter only mentioned that two Fuyun Sect scoundrels had stolen the Immortal Profound Token and killed several of their disciples, instructing him to retrieve it. But it hadn’t forewarned him that this matter was also connected to the Devil Clan!

He had no past grudges, no recent enmity with these two Devil Clan Protectors. Setting aside this incident, he truly couldn’t think of any other reason for them to attack him.

One against two, his odds of victory were slim.

Chen Yandao scrambled up and bolted in the direction of the Taiyan Immortal Domain.

As long as he stepped past the boundary stele and entered the territory of the Taiyan Immortal Domain, the Immortal Alliance would maintain order and stability. Even the Devil Clan would have to weigh the cost of killing someone in the Immortal Domain.

He executed his swiftest movement technique, whooshing past Lei Shuang and Jiang Ying in a flash.

Lei Shuang was aghast. “How can there be someone even more shameless than me!”

Swoosh—

An azure Arrow Qi flew through the air, instantly piercing through the back of his head.

Chen Yandao collapsed with a thud. His hand stretched out to its furthest reach, only half a step away from the boundary stele.

Seeing this, Lei Shuang and Jiang Ying turned their heads simultaneously.

Feng Jin stood among the branches of a large tree. The backlash from the cross-realm assassination hit her, and she spat out a mouthful of blood.

·

In a deep alley, several shadows were driven to a dead end.

Their companions had fallen one after another, leaving only the last one.

His back was pressed against the wall, his legs trembling, yet he still stiffened his neck and spoke fiercely. “This is the Taiyan Immortal Domain! The Immortal Alliance will not let you go! Do you want to start a war across the Three Realms?!”

Facing him, a mass of black mist coiled. A low, raspy voice drifted out from within the mist. “A war across the Three Realms… sounds interesting too. Not impossible.”

The shadow screamed hoarsely. “You lunatic!”

Whoosh—

Qin music flew past. Blood lashed against the wall like a whip.

A head flew high, then slammed onto the ground with a bang, rolling into a corner to reveal a face frozen in terror and rage.

On that face, the eyes were wide with fury, dead but unable to rest in peace.

·

Fuyun Sect, Xuanjing Peak.

Immortal Venerable Daoling sat in meditation beneath the Welcoming Guest Pine, playing a game of Go against himself.

This game had been going on for three hundred years, and the victor had yet to be decided.

Suddenly, the void rippled, and a shadow appeared behind Daoling, kneeling on one knee to salute him. A muffled voice said, “Immortal Venerable, all the men we dispatched have lost contact. Their bodies were found within the territory of the Taiyan Immortal Domain. They all died at the hands of Nangong Yin.”

Daoling held a black chess piece in his hand. Unaffected by the news, he placed the piece steadily on the board.

He stroked his beard and shook his head with a sigh. “Three hundred years gone, and I wonder how much Nangong Yin’s strength has grown. But her magnanimity seems to have lessened considerably.”

“In that case, report this matter to the Immortal Alliance and let them handle it.”

The shadow bowed and knocked its head. “Yes.”

The void rippled again, and the shadow withdrew.

As soon as the shadow left, a disciple came up the mountain, kneeling under the stone steps. “Reporting to the Immortal Venerable, the Sect Master requests your presence.”

·

Bu Donghou paced back and forth in the Sect Affairs Hall, his face full of fury.

As Immortal Venerable Daoling stepped over the threshold, he heard a crack. A jade teacup smashed to the floor, shattering to pieces.

Casting a cold glance at the teacup shards, Daoling entered the hall without changing his expression and saluted Bu Donghou. “Sect Master.”

Bu Donghou returned to his senses at the sound, let out a long sigh, and returned to the main seat. He gestured for Daoling to sit first and waved his hand to summon tea.

Daoling took a sip of tea before inquiring. “What matter has caused the Sect Master such fury?”

Still seething with anger, Bu Donghou said furiously, “That Great Saber Sect is simply absurd!”

“They say our Fuyun Sect disciples robbed them of their Immortal Profound Token. The tokens are for disciples undergoing mountain training, to be claimed by the capable! Yet they use the excuse that our disciples used underhanded means to try and get the token back!”

Daoling chuckled upon hearing this. “If that is the case, then the Sect Master should simply have driven them out.”

If it were only such a trivial matter, it wouldn’t have enraged Bu Donghou so. The reason for his volatile mood was Ling Jiancheng.

Ling Jiancheng, the Sect Master’s own direct disciple, had a brilliant future ahead, yet was gravely wounded by the Devil Clan and turned into a cripple, never able to cultivate again. How could Bu Donghou not be furious?

Immortal Venerable Daoling pondered, tapping his fingers on the armrest of his chair. He said musingly, “Actually, Nephew Ling’s injury is not entirely without remedy.”

“Truly?” Bu Donghou abruptly looked up. “Please, Venerable, elaborate.”

Immortal Venerable Daoling then said, “Sect Master Yao Shenzi of the Medicine God Sect secluded himself for seven times seven—forty-nine years—to refine a furnace of Heaven-tier Yang Marrow Pills. On the day the pill is complete, the Medicine God Sect will widely invite guests from all over the world to celebrate the Medicine Ceremony.”

“It is said this pill can revive the dead and regrow flesh on bones. One pill condenses a thousand years of cultivation. Marrow-cleansing and meridian-reforging would naturally be within its capabilities.”

Bu Donghou was visibly tempted, yet still had reservations. “But our Fuyun Sect is located remotely, and we have no dealings with the Medicine God Sect.”

Immortal Venerable Daoling had already formulated a plan and replied, “Sect Master, worry not. As this old man knows, Yan Yuanqing once saved this Yao Shenzi’s life. If we pay a visit under Immortal Venerable Yuanqing’s name, Yao Shenzi would presumably have no choice but to sell us this favor.”

Bu Donghou’s eyes brightened. “Ah, so that is how it is.”

A moment later, he frowned again. “However, the journey to the Taiyan Immortal Domain is long, and I am not free to leave. Whom should I send?”

A flicker of disdain passed through Immortal Venerable Daoling’s eyes, but he didn’t show it. He simply said, “The Sect Master is burdened with many worldly affairs. Allow this old man to go in your stead.”

Bu Donghou beamed. “Excellent, excellent. Then I thank the Venerable greatly.”

·

“Fuyun Sect is pushing people too far!”

Two Great Saber Sect Elders supported each other, bruised and swollen-faced, descending the long steps before the Fuyun Sect.

Bu Donghou had beaten them black and blue without a word of explanation and thrown them off the mountain. Forget retrieving the Immortal Profound Token to report back; they had nearly lost their lives on this trip.

The Elder with a black bruise circling his left eye sighed. “Even if we report this to the Immortal Alliance, the various higher-ups in the Alliance likely won’t bother with it.”

Although Bu Donghou was unreasonable, at least one thing he said wasn’t wrong. The Immortal Profound Token being snatched by the Fuyun Sect this time was due to their own negligence. The Immortal Alliance’s regulations didn’t state that challenging disciples couldn’t use other means to take the token.

“Are we supposed to just swallow our broken teeth with blood?!” The other was indignant. “These great Immortal Sects just look down on our small sects and factions! If we let this matter rest, won’t our Great Saber Sect disciples be bullied at will from now on!”

As the mountain path neared its end and they were about to leave the Fuyun Sect’s territory, two male disciples clad in the robes of Fuyun Sect Inner Disciples came up from the foot of the mountain.

The two Great Saber Sect Elders exchanged a glance, simultaneously revealing a cold, ambiguous smirk.

Luo Qi and Lin Chao had gone through countless hardships and finally arrived at the foot of Fuyun Sect.

The winding mountain path felt familiar and endearing. Luo Qi was deeply moved, almost on the verge of tears of joy.

Suddenly, his vision darkened.

·

“Hiss—”

Yan Zhao sucked in a breath of cold air.

The little fox bit down hard this time. Four pointed canine teeth unceremoniously embedded themselves into her palm. Though they didn’t break the skin, it was enough to cause pain.

Yan Zhao flung her hand forcefully, but the little fox hung from her hand like a piece of dried salted fish, impossible to shake off.

Seeing this scene, Bi Lan’s face was full of shock.

Her gaze fell upon the Spirit Fox, and suspicion arose in her heart once more.

This fox had been perfectly fine just moments ago, yet suddenly attacked right after she asked Yan Zhao if she was close to Ren Qingyue. It was truly abnormal.

Could it be…

She picked up a bowl of tea, watching the show from across the fire.

After a long while of failing to get the fox off, Yan Zhao was also getting angry. She frowned and said sternly, “Let go, quickly!”

The little fox clenched its jaw, its eyes filled with unwavering determination.

It was set on teaching Yan Zhao a lesson, otherwise, this person truly wouldn’t recognize good intentions.

Little ingrate, Ren Qingyue thought in her mind.

“Are you letting go or not?” Yan Zhao raised her voice, her tone carrying a blatant threat. “If you don’t let go, I’m going to get angry!”

The little fox rolled its eyes at her, silently wrestling with Yan Zhao in its heart, snorting: Show me what ‘angry’ looks like?

It wanted to see just how Yan Zhao could get angry.

Yan Zhao bared her teeth fiercely.

This is outrageous! If she didn’t show this little fox some color, it would really think she couldn’t keep it in line!

Seeing that Yan Zhao indeed seemed helpless, a hint of smugness showed in the little fox’s eyes.

Suddenly, Yan Zhao grabbed its little paw.

And bit down.

Tea sprayed from Bi Lan’s mouth.

The little fox: “…”