Of course, Cheng Qian wonât just stand there and let himself be stabbed. Before Shuang Ren is even unsheathed, the sword wind that carries shards of ice has swept out and blocked the attack that doesnât listen to reason of the other side.
Confused and angry, he looks to see what kind of person can do something like that.
However, when Cheng Qian can see clearly the attacker, the flame of his anger is extinguished. Thatâs one of the two cultivators with primordial spirits who accompanied the spoiled brat a while ago.
Then⌠who was that useless trash on that flying horse carriage, really?
Zhuang Nanxi is still in the saluting pose. Encountering this sudden development, he is at a loss, asking, âS- Supreme Elder, whatâs happening?â
That stocky cultivator is forced back by Cheng Qian and falls on the ground. Dirt all over his body, he yells before he even gets up. âSupreme Elder, itâs this one that murdered our young lord!â
Hearing that, the Supreme Elder squints his eyes and looks at Cheng Qian like a buyer a horse, then says, âA month ago, the young lord sneaked out when our Lord was in seclusion. He hasnât returned for too long, so we have been looking everywhere. Just a few days ago, we received the news that the young lord appeared in Nanjiang. But when this old man is here, I discover that all that is left from the young lordâs guards is this useless one.â
That stocky cultivator is already a senior in age. His face darkens as he is pointed at and called useless, but he dares not say anything. Even if he is a cultivator with primordial spirit, he acts like a scared chick in the presence of this Supreme Elder.
Not even sparing a glance at that cultivator, the Supreme Elder asks Zhuang Nanxi in a chilly voice, âDisciple nephew, I havenât consulted you yet. Who is this person you take here to meet us?â
âYoung lord? Canât it be⌠Young Master Bian?â Hearing that, Zhuang Nanxi frowns and glances at Cheng Qian. Although Cheng Qian doesnât act guilty or scared, Zhuang Nanxi canât help feeling worried.
The Lord of Black Tortoise Hall Bian Xu, who is one of the Four Sages, lives in the Far North and has been secluded from society for many years. Among the Four Sages, besides the eccentric Xu Yingzhi, he is someone who stays away from trouble. All of his life, he is humble and polite. No one has ever accused him of any immoral act. He doesnât do something as attention-catching like the Lord of Azure Dragon Island, who acted like a teacher of the whole world. Unfortunately, the merits of his whole life are all ruined at the hand of his only son Bian Xiaohui.
If one says that children are like a debt, then the young lord of Black Tortoise Hall Bian Xiaohui must be a debt with extraordinarily high interests.
Bian Xiaohuiâs mother was assassinated when she was pregnant, nearly leading to a corpse of two lives. He was the child that was born in the coffin, as he was taken out from his mother after her death. The odds of his survival were low. It took ten years of watchful care with all kinds of precious materials in the Black Tortoise Hall for him to shakily join ordinary life. The Lord of the Hall spent immeasurable effort for this child, so he loved him more than life when he was born. Because of that, Bian Xiaohui got what he wanted since birth, no matter how difficult it was.
Unfortunately, no one could give him cultivational power.
He was born with a weak body and a lack of ability. He couldnât digest most cultivational medicines, and he would scream at the slightest difficulty while cultivating energy. In a hundred years, the disciples of his generation could all concentrate the mind and ride the sword. Everyone had some achievements, except him, who achieved too little compared to the effort spent no matter which technique he practiced. People would praise him in his presence, but mock him behind his back, so his personality got increasingly difficult.
This time around, it was unclear who fed him the nonsense, but Bian Xiaohui decided that he made no progress in cultivation because the cultivational methods of Black Tortoise Hall clashed with his horoscope. Carrying resentment towards his birthplace, he took a good-for-nothing entourage, then left home and travelled thousands of miles to Nanjiang, with the intention of trying his luck with Vermillion Bird Tower.
In Bian Xiaohuiâs perfect calculation, that Vermillion Bird Tower only opened to some âfateful personâ was only some kind of farce. In this time and age, wouldnât the worthiness to enter the tower be just a contest of who had the bigger fist?
When push came to shove, he would only need to have those who dared to be more fateful than him. Sooner or later it would be his turn.
There were many cultivators who could ride swords around Bian Xiaohui, in addition to two cultivators with primordial spirits. Logically, it shouldnât have been a problem to suppress a group of rootless rogue cultivators. Unfortunately, the Heavens didnât listen to human wish. As the unlucky child who would choke on even water, he couldnât enter the tower. Fate even caused him to die suddenly away from home.
Zhuang Nanxi of course has heard a lot about how horrible Bian Xiaohui was. Recalling the incomparably brutal sword energy Cheng Qian used to destroy the restriction spells in the hidden prison of the demonic city, he sighs as he senses that the accusation is likely the truth.
With how unreasonable Bian Xiaohui was, he really could anger this senior who obviously doesnât have much patience. It would be no surprise if he got stabbed.
Torn between a senior from an ally sect that he canât afford to displease and the person who saved his life, Zhuang Nanxi is in a difficult situation. He has no other choice but to smile weakly. âMaybe itâs just a misunderstanding? Senior Cheng here took on the demonic city all by himself, and eliminated the Chief of Merriment Sect. He has just saved our lives, so how can he be someone who kills indiscriminately?â
The Supreme Elder pays no attention to him. His sleeves flutter, as he lands at a short distance in front of Cheng Qian in a blink of an eye. Staring fixedly at Cheng Qian, he asks, âDo you admit it?â
This tone is obviously that of an interrogation. Fearing that Cheng Qian loses his temper, Zhuang Nanxi hastens to calm them in a respectful tone. âPlease take your time to talk things over with each other.â
Cheng Qian falls silent for a moment. That rotten trash named Bian was indeed cut apart by his most senior brother. However, his most senior brother canât be considered the perpetrator, as Bian Xiaohui had been dead when the demon of the heart possessed him. Still, the one that brought the heart demon to him was Cheng Qianâs troublesome Fourth Brother. No matter how one looks at this, Fuyao Sect canât get out of this incident.
Alas, who could expect that such a tiger like Bian Xu would sire that lame dog?
The Lord of Black Tortoise Hall will no doubt want revenge for his dead child, while they still need to ask him for the password to open the âEarthâ lock. Just thinking about this makes Cheng Qianâs heart heavy.
It seems that there is a curse in the mountain seal left behind by their Master. Whenever they have the slightest hope, they would be pushed back into the abyss.
Even if Cheng Qian has an extraordinary determination, he canât help but feel doubt. Can it be, that the lifeline of Fuyao Sect has really come to an end? Can it be that no matter what they try, it would be useless?
The stocky cultivator yells from the other side, âOnly his group entered Vermillion Bird Tower. Our young lord fell in Vermillion Bird Tower. Who else besides them did it?â
Cheng Qian coldly glances at them. Both of them have primordial spirits, but the stocky geezer feels like a frog that is watched by a snake. He canât help shaking a little.
Cheng Qian doesnât admit or deny the charge. He just says slowly, âThis daoyu is a cultivator who has formed his primordial spirit, but he couldnât charge into Vermillion Bird Tower. For the young lord of your esteemed sectâŚâ
Cheng Qian makes an artful stop. Although his tone is courteous, there is a hint of mockery in his eyes that doesnât fit with that. âHow could someone with low cultivation like that get in before the Vermilion Bird Tower was opened?â
Hearing that, the stocky cultivator is at a loss.
Cheng Qian continues, âFurthermore, the young lord of your esteemed sect was accompanied by thirty or forty people. May I ask, how he slipped out of your sight?â
Hearing that, the Supreme Elder turns to the stocky cultivator and asks annoyedly, âWhat really happened?â
The stocky cultivator chokes on his words. His palms sweat as he realises that it is indeed difficult for him to deny his share of the blame.
Seeing that he has shut up, Cheng Qian finally says, âOn the way to Nanjiang, we indeed came to altercation with the young lord of your esteemed sect over a trivial matter. It was just an unfortunate conflict on the road, and neither side pushed it to the extreme. We just clashed then parted. Daoyu, with the Heaven and Earth as witness, please say if it was really like that?â
The stocky cultivator says, âAbout thisâŚâ
The path of cultivation is based on the karmic cause and effect amidst Heaven and Earth, Yin and Yang, so cultivators take oaths seriously. Even if they are shameless and unafraid of anything, they would always pause despite themselves before saying anything under the âwitness of Heaven and Earthâ.
Looking in from the outside, Zhuang Nanxi canât help watching Cheng Qian closely with some surprise. Before, he thought that this person had such high cultivation at a young age and gave off an apathetic attitude, so he wouldnât understand how society worked. Unexpectedly, Cheng Qian can explain himself eloquently without losing his temper, even if he is being aggressively interrogated.
At this point, Cheng Qian reveals a hint of arrogance. âI let him go after that encounter, so why should I have wasted my time and killed him in Vermillion Bird Tower? Who knew which grand place he came from? Why would I need to sneak around to kill such a negligible beginner like him?â
Although these words seem reasonable enough to the Supreme Elder, his face still darkens, because he canât stand another person boasting about cultivation in his presence.
Cheng Qian says, âI indeed saw the young lord of your esteemed sect in Vermillion Bird Tower. However, at that point, he had already become a puppet of the heart demon and was no longer alive. Supreme Elder, if you have the time, please ask your sectâs members why they were completely unaware that their young lord was possessed by the demon of the heart?â
As soon as Cheng Qian says this, the stocky cultivator realises that his share of blame has become even bigger. His mind racing, he pushes off his responsibility without bothering to pick his words. âV- Vermillion Bird Tower existed for more than a hundred years. Why did it collapse and the land snake become a dragon just after your group got in there? Maybe you guys have some relations with that demonic cultivator?â
This is indeed bullshit.
Even Zhuang Nanxi canât stand it. He steps forward and says, âSupreme Elder, I can guarantee that, given his character, this Senior Cheng doesnât have anything to do with those demonic cultivators. Chaos is reigning in Nanjiang, as the demonic cultivators pour out to wreak havoc on the world. Our urgent duty now is to band together and deal with the common enemy. Is there any reason for us to fight among each other? What happened to Young Master Bian was indeed tragic. Since the misunderstanding has been cleared, why donât we work together to fight against the demonic dragon, so that the blood debt will be paid?â
This young man from White Tiger Estate must be quite well-read. He has a way with words that can move peopleâs hearts.
The conflict seems about to be resolved with such a few lines like that.
Hearing that, the face of the Supreme Elder softens. Glancing at Cheng Qian, he says coldly, âThen my sectâs members failed their duties then.â
The Supreme Elder is more than a thousand years old. He is one of the most powerful cultivators in the mortal world. Because he doesnât have the patience to deal with mundane matters, he accepts the Elder position at the Black Tortoise Hall. Even the Four Sages have to have some regard for him. This geezer is used to having his own way in everything, so to him, he is only second after the Heaven. Why should he pay any mind to a junior that is a little more than a hundred years old like Cheng Qian?
After Cheng Qianâs account and Zhuang Nanxiâs mediation, the Supreme Elder has basically come to accept this explanation. However, something still bothers him. The reason is no other than that right from the beginning, Cheng Qian doesnât try to win his favour. All these years, everyone pays him the utmost respect to the point of not daring to breathe wrongly around him. This young man is just a young cultivator with a primordial spirit barely a hundred years old. How powerful can he be? How dares he disregard Black Tortoise based on his cultivation?
To the Supreme Elder, Bian Xiaohui is of course just like a mongrel dog kept in the house. However, even if that pet relied on its ownerâs position to cause trouble, he shouldnât have been kicked by outsiders at whims.
Although Cheng Qian isnât the perpetrator, he did give Bian Xiaohui a lesson.
The Supreme Elder says, âWell, you donât deserve to die for your wrongdoing. Iâll give you a light punishment, so that youâll know your place!â
Before these generous words are even finished, Cheng Qian feels a wave of powerful spiritual energy press on him. The control of the force is very skillful. It will probably not kill him, but it definitely will force him to kneel down while vomiting blood.
Cheng Qian feels that he has been as respectful as etiquette demands. He didnât expect that there could be such a geezer that abused his senior position and acted completely unreasonable like that.
Seeing that, he refuses to avoid the attack and bears the full force of it.
The spiritual powers of two sides clash. Although they donât use their full strength, the surrounding is still greatly disturbed.
Zhuang Nanxi knows all too well how unreasonable and difficult the Supreme Elder is. If Cheng Qian really bore this hit and got a not light but not heavy injury, this case could be closed. However, he doesnât listen to reason.
Zhuang Nanxi immediately cringes inside, seeing as everything has gone beyond help.
Just as he expects, the counterattack really provokes the Supreme Elder. His anger turning into a smile, he says, âGood for you, brat. Letâs see how long can you act out!â
Taking a deep breath, he stops holding back and uses his full strength, so that Cheng Qian knows his place.
Zhuang Nanxi fearfully calls out. âSenior!â
All of his life, Cheng Qian knows when to withdraw, but he doesnât know âbeing forced to withdrawâ. With a buzz, Shuang Ren spins and flies up. The spiritual energy of two sides clash up front with each other again.
This time, as full force is used, the cultivators around, including Zhuang Nanxi, are all in trouble.
The ground shakes and splits. The soft mud in the resulting hole is immediately covered in ice. The verdant grass becomes like jade infused with frost.
The heat that doesnât go away even in autumn of Nanjiang abruptly disappears, as if an ice field from the Far North were relocated here.
Fortunately, Zhuang Nanxi is smart and can guess that things will go wrong, so he has mobilised his spiritual energy already.
Even so, pain still surges in his chest, as he canât even raise his head as the cold wind rages, like a natural disaster was happening.
Both the Supreme Elder and Cheng Qian have to fall back to a good distance. Cheng Qianâs face seems whiter than the frost on the ground. The Supreme Elder seems to be in even more trouble. He suddenly bends forward, and using his sleeve to hide his face, he coughs out blood. The hair on his temples seems to be covered in a layer of fog, showing that his injury isnât light!
A deathly silence falls over the site, as everyone is stunned.
Before, Zhuang Nanxi thought that Cheng Qian had formed his primordial spirit not for long. Even his sword moves were powerful, Zhuang Nanxi only guessed that he was a sword cultivator. Unexpectedly, Cheng Qian could not only match the Supreme Elderâs power but also came out of it looking better!
How powerful must he be?
However, Cheng Qianâs real power is much lower than Zhuang Nanxiâs imagination. This time, he is really just winging it.
Being provoked into matching his spiritual power with the other side, Cheng Qian knew that he made a big mistake as soon as he made contact. For a first-rate cultivator like the Supreme Elder to fight with him, it was really a senior bullying a junior. Cheng Qian couldnât fathom how vast that geezerâs spiritual power was. Just as he expected to either die to sustaining a serious energy, an invisible power from behind him bore a large part of the Supreme Elderâs force.
Cheng Qian is startled at first, but then his head feels suddenly lighter, as his long hair becomes unbound. Sensing that something is going on, Cheng Qian catches the hair ribbon made from white silk that has been torn into two. As he expects, he can feel the remaining trace of a fading puppet charm.
As it turns out, this ribbon is what bore half of the attack for him and saved his life.
Thanking his luck, Cheng Qian caresses the torn hair ribbon with his fingertip. He immediately knows without thinking who tied this thing on him. His heart softened, he thinks, âNoble Consort Yan is so fussy.â
However, right after that, he frowns and thinks, âNot good. The spell on this has just been broken. He will definitely sense it. Did I just make him worried again?â
As soon as he thinks that, Cheng Qian becomes impatient. His mind races to find a way to escape this situation.
âSupreme Elder!â Some cultivators of Black Tortoise Hall who can read the situation hastily run forward. Fighting each other for their superiorâs favour, they try to help him stand up. Unfortunately, their effort for flattery is ill-timed.
The Supreme Elder angrily yells, âScram!â
Disregarding if the targets are friends or enemies, he waves his arm forcefully and sweeps the subordinates away.
The Supreme Elder hasnât met his match for a long time, so he refuses to believe that this brat would have stronger cultivation than he. He nearly goes into a qi deviation as anger consumes his heart. To him, his talent is already exceedingly rare in this world. On top of that, he has been diligently cultivating day in and day out without rest for the last thousand years. How can a nameless cultivator injure him?
Thatâs impossible!
Unless this one has mastered some heretic techniques!
The Supreme Elder growls, âDemon, wherever youâre from, you think that you can do whatever you want by hiding the bloody energy on your body?â
Seeing that the mood has changed, the stocky cultivator, who has been hiding in a distance, rushes to fan the flame. âI told you right away that he was suspicious, Supreme Elder. That demonic dragon of Nanjiang must have some relations with him!â
Cheng Qian finally understands what âIf you want to find someone guilty, there is no lack of reasonâ means.
He isnât someone with good temper who can patiently talk things out. Before, he tried not to get on the bad side of Black Tortoise Hall for the sake of his sect. At this point, his anger, which has been suppressed with difficulty, erupts.
Cheng Qian smiles coldly. âYouâre really in sync. May I ask if the tortoise1 that is your esteemed sect can still tell if you are black or white?!â
The Supreme Elder shouts, âCreate the formation! Arrest this villain! Letâs see if he can still mouth off on the Immortal Binding Platform!â
The people around reply all at once. âYesâ.
In a blink of an eye, the black-clad disciples of Black Tortoise Hall have formed a tight circle around the spot. There are forty nine people in total, who all have formed their primordial spirits or close to that. Their spiritual energy weaves together and form an all encompassing net.
âThis Great Celestial Divination Formationâ is the extraordinary treasure of Black Tortoise Hall. In the whole world, who else besides the Black Tortoise Hall can gather nearly fifty high-level cultivators to use as pieces in a formation like this?
The forty nine black-clad cultivators shout, âForward!â
There is a loud buzz in Cheng Qianâs ears, as he feels like his chest just got dealt a strong hit. Even if his body was forged from the Spirit Collection Jade, his meridians seem about to break under the pressure. Shuang Renâs powerful sword will is dispersed by the grand formation as the two sides class. This formation isnât as brutal as a heavenly tribulation, but unlike a heavenly tribulation, it doesnât leave any way out.
Injured by the force of the formationâs spiritual energy, Cheng Qian uses everything to control Shuang Ren. The killer sword forms a great whirlwind in the air and tears out a hole in the net of Great Celestial Divination Formation. At the same time, Cheng Qian has drawn blood from his own lips by biting them during his exertion.
However, the Great Celestial Divination Formation is extremely tight. Within seconds, the spiritual energy flow has mended the hole. In a complete turn-around, Shuang Ren is tightly bound, like a beast that has been tied up and unable to escape.
Cheng Qian grasps the hilt of the sword and attacks wildly, but he canât find a route to get out. Even the vast sea canât match the endless heaven and earth, as the great net of the formation gets increasingly narrower.
As if having a mind of its own, even if the puppet charm has been broken, the white hair ribbon Cheng Qian puts in his sleeve still gives off what remains of the spiritual energy, which gently enters his meridians from his wrist. This mother-hen protectiveness is unmistakably the style of a certain someone.
In that moment, Cheng Qian remembers how he sparred with his most senior brother when they were young.
Shuang Ren leaves his hand once more and aims at the place where it was stuck in the Celestial Divination Formation. A gust of sword energy flies out from the tip of the sword and precisely slips through the net and strikes at a nearby great tree. The branches shake slightly. Then, life suddenly bursts out of them, and countless glittering ice flowers bloom.
Dry wood meets spring.
The branch laden with ice flowers sweeps out. Two of the black-clad cultivators in the formation are careless and thus pushed away. The Great Celestial Divination Formation is torn a big hole from the outside, and this time, it is impossible to mend the missing part.
The âDry wood meets springâ move in âReturn to truenessâ, the last form of Fuyao Wooden Sword, turns out to be a way to survival.
It helped Cheng Qian break the formation, and he flies out.
However, at this point, Cheng Qian suddenly feels something cold on his waist. He incredulously bends his head to look. There is a worm the size of a fingernail crawling on his skin, which was bare because his robe was torn during the contact with the Great Celestial Divination Formation.
Not far away from him, the Supreme Elder makes a strange hand spell and gives him a malicious smile.
Who could expect that a top-rank powerful cultivator, who holds the position of Supreme Elder just under the Four Sages, could disregard all honour and use such an underhanded trick?
The part where the worm stings Cheng Qian begins to numb in a strange way. The sensation spreads throughout his body, making him freeze and fall down together with Shuang Ren. A gust of spiritual power from the Great Celestial Divination Formation hits his back. Darkness falls over him.
*******
1. From what I know, 'tortoise/turtle' is an insult in Chinese.