That night, there were many who were rendered sleepless.
One of them would be the Red Mountain Palace, where Bai Zizai resided. Another would be the Yinmo Sect, where Mo Lin was at. The others would be the many people who focused their attention on the whole war.
The most miserable party was none other than the Bishui Sect. Even though some of their disciples managed to escape from the Jiuyang Sect, they could no longer pose any threat to anyone. The sect itself could be considered to have ended.
At the Qingyun Sect…
A jade scroll was floating in front of Qing Fengzi atop a suspended mountain. Rows and rows of words began to stream out of the scroll, appearing out of thin air and radiating bright light.
They were the information they had gathered last night.
“Holy Son Mo Lin from the Yinmo Sect and his guardian have been killed. Bai Zizai of the Red Mountain Palace was nearby and was killed with the Heaven Suppression Divine Seal.
“The Bishui Sect’s Monarch was killed with the Heaven Slicing Sword Technique. The Nine Heavens Imperial Lightning destroyed the sect itself.
“Three of the four Primal Spirit experts were murdered by an unknown expert who escaped. The Jiuyang Sect then killed the remaining Primal Spirit expert. The rest of the disciples were killed, leaving only a portion of them escaping all over.
“From the side of the Nantian Grand Canyon, Tian Ci from the Tianyuan School was attacked, whereas his guardian Liu Yuan was killed by the Nine Heavenly Cannons.
“Ye Ming, who arrived later, almost failed to protect Tian Ci.
“The intimidating blinding light that dispersed was suspected to be from Tian Ci’s hidden Immortal Vessel.
“Liu Changkong arrived in time and forced the enemy to retreat.
“This person has used the following Special Abilities: Heaven Suppression Divine Seal, Heaven Slicing Sword Technique, Nine Heavens Imperial Lightning, Nine Heavenly Cannons, and Three-fold Astral Transformation.
“Assumption: The Holy Son from the Infinite Alchemy Pavilion was killed by this person.”
“How did such a powerful person suddenly appear out of nowhere? He even specifically used ours and the Infinite Alchemy Palace’s special abilities! Is he trying to pin it on us? If he is, then he is really a fool!” said Qing FengZi as he frowned.
“That’s right! At our level, imitating other people’s special abilities is not hard at all! It would be foolish to think that he can pin this all on us just like that.” Qing Xuzi nodded, standing beside him. “However, based on the information collected on the way to the Bishui Sect and also the remnants from the battlefield where Bai Zizai fell, that person has mastered the Lightning Dao, Earth Dao, Destruction Sword Dao, and the Fire Dao. If all these are from the same person, then this person cannot be taken lightly! Should we ask the Tianyuan School to give us more details on the whole battle?”
“It’s impossible for them to provide more detailed information than this,” said Qing Fengzi as he shook his head. “Anyhow, it’s just another strong opponent. If he dares step into the Qingyun Sect, we can just obliterate them! Though, it is weird. Why would this person help out the Jiuyang Sect? Even if it’s just to help, why would they intentionally leave behind a person of the Primal Spirit Realm to train them? This relationship itself seems to be abnormal! Mo Lin and Tian Ci went to the Jiuyang Sect, and both of them were attacked. Are there any connections between these two incidents? Or is this just a coincidence?”
“We completely understand the Jiuyang Sect’s strength inside out. There’s nothing hidden that we don’t know of. The only variable to this is the sudden rising of Zi Linglong. Being able to defeat so many geniuses when she is merely 10-ish years old is already abnormal. Keep an eye out for the Jiuyang Sect, especially Zi Linglong. I’m afraid the only connection that formidable person has with the Jiuyang Sect is Zi Linglong.”
“What you said makes sense!”
“These are all minor matters. We should prepare ourselves and wait for the Yinmo Sect and Red Mountain Palace to reveal themselves. This time, we will really give them a lesson! They must be punished for making these small movements!”
“Haha, I really do miss the taste of these prawn and crab soldiers, especially those flood dragons’ tendons and real dragons’ livers!” Qing Fengzi laughed. “They are really delicious!”
“Mermaids, dragon women, clam ladies, they are not bad at all!”
“You old man!”
At the Infinite Alchemy Pavilion…
Old Tie stood side by side with a red-clad young man.
They also received the same information.
“Heaven Suppression Divine Seal, Heaven Slicing Sword Technique, Nine Heavens Imperial Lightning, Nine Heavenly Cannons, and Three-fold Astral Transformation. He only used the special abilities from our sects. Trying to pin this on us? It’s all meaningless!”
“Why would you think it’s meaningless? When the Holy Son was killed, you were the first to jump out and force yourself all the way into the Qingyun Sect. I was even forced to follow you all the way!”
“This incident happened in Eastern Region. How is it possible that the Qingyun Sect had nothing to do with it? As I was brimming in anger, it is natural to find some way to vent it all on. What better choice than the Qingyun Sect? It’s a shame that the Qingyun Sect and we haven’t found the culprit behind this. Now we have to deal with yet another person appearing out of nowhere. Even if he is not the one who took the Holy Son’s life, he must be involved one way or another!”
“He will surely be found if he dares to come out in the open. We are not the only ones paying close attention to him. The Qingyun Sect, Tianyuan School, and even the Yinmo Sect are eyeing him as well. But I think that person must have something to do with the Jiuyang Sect. Old Tie, you stayed quite a few days atop the mountain. Did you not find anything out of the ordinary there?”
“Not at all! The only thing that felt off was Zi Linglong. Being able to train up to the Dao Seed Realm at the age of 10 is just incredible. She’s even grasped the Sun Sambodha, comprehended various special abilities, and defeated many strong opponents. I investigated in secret, and there was no sign of her being possessed by someone else. Qing Fengzi also investigated himself and came to the same conclusion. There’s nothing wrong anywhere! We came to the only rationale that the phoenix bloodline she has awakened is abnormal and has inherited the memories from the past!”
“This explains quite a bit. Remember to keep an eye out from now on. Remember, don’t find me over something insignificant. If a Holy Son dies, so be it! A Holy Son that has not been developed is just a good for nothing! It’s not worth it for two Extreme Path Supreme Elders like us to take any action!”
“You’re speaking as if you’ve been a Holy Son yourself!”
“Hmph! I almost beat to death the Holy Son that year. In the end, I had him abused until he was mentally disoriented and went crazy!”
“You’re really a demon!”
Early morning…
“Great dream! Such a great dream!” Jiang Ming exhaled as he pushed open the window. He was in great spirits, inhaled a fresh breath of air, and stretched himself pleasantly.
The formation looming over the room was temporarily deactivated.
His Junior Sister suddenly jumped from the window straight into his arms and softly said, “Senior Brother!”
“What’s this all about, early in the morning?” Jiang Ming was puzzled.
“Last night, the whole sect was in shambles! I thought… I thought I was done for!” she said, finding a comfortable spot to snuggle into.
“Shambles?” Jiang Ming lifted her up onto the table in shock.
However, his Junior Sister would not let go of him.
He could not do anything but continue standing there. He asked in concern, “What shambles? It’s all good as long as you are okay. What about Master?”
“Only a few of the disciples were killed. It was nothing,” said Zi Linglong as she briefly recounted the previous night’s events. Then, she huffed softly. “Senior Brother, I was scared that I might lose you. And I wondered what I could do if it happened…”
The mere thought made her tremble.
“It’s all because I’m too useless. I still need you to protect me!” Jiang Ming sighed, feeling disappointed. He quickly collected himself and said, “I’ve made up my mind. From now on, I will train even harder to protect you. I won’t let you run around out there, getting into fights and killings!”
Zi Linglong giggled with her eyes smiling. “Sure thing, Senior Brother!”
“Alright, let me make you some food to calm down a bit.”
“No need. This is already calming me as it is.”
“You are breaking me in half with your hug!”
“I’ll just put you back together if you break.”
“You think I can still be alive after falling apart like an earthworm?”
“You are like an eel. If I loosen just a bit, you’ll run off! Senior Brother, I was terrified the whole night. Just let me hug you for a little while longer. It feels reassuring by your side!”
Jiang Ming resignedly replied, “Okay, okay, okay!”
While having breakfast on the rooftop…
It was rare to see Gu Hai eating silently. After a long while, he finally uttered, “Based on the initial headcounts, 1/3 of the disciples were killed last night!”
“So many of them?” asked Jiang Ming, in shock.
“The Bishui Sect’s attack was too sudden, and their disciples were too strong. If it weren’t because a few of their higher-ups were killed by someone, the Jiuyang Sect would have been wiped out,” said Gu Hai solemnly.
He looked at Zi Linglong and said, “Little girl, the Qingyuan Sect and the Infinite Alchemy Pavilion invited you to become their disciple, right? Accept it and go. It’s safer, and you can grow much faster there,” Gu Hai said with a bitter face.
“Senior Brother, what do you think?” asked Zi Linglong. She felt afraid as she recollected what had happened the day before.
She then looked attentively into Jiang Ming’s eyes. She felt the gaze from that person seemed very much alike with that of her Senior Brother, but the temperament was obviously different.
The biggest difference was still their cultivation. One was so formidable that he could even shake the sky and mountains. The other was so feeble he could only hide in the mountains.
“Stay. Don’t go anywhere.” Jiang Ming smiled. “In the end, the Bishui Sect is just a foreign influence that dominated Hai Province and launched their sudden attack trying to conquer Qing Province. Now that we have warded them off, the Bishui Sect no longer poses a threat. What are we still afraid of? Each of the influences in Eastern Region has its own distinct domain. Who will dare to act? So, there will not be any more danger in the future. Little girl, do you still want to leave?”
Jiang Ming felt rather nervous..
