Translator: Noodletown Translated Editor: Noodletown Translated
-The Repentance Cliff at Sky Mountain Sect-
With her hands locked in the colorful Ice Fire Shackle, Duan Yao was staring at the wall in the cave when she felt fluctuations in the array formation at the entrance of the cave.
“Mom!” Duan Yao stood up immediately.
In the past few days, her mom had sneaked food to her. Otherwise, she would have fainted long ago due to starvation.
However, it wasn’t her mom but her dad, the Sect Master of the Sky Mountain Sect, who entered the cave.
A bit surprised, Duan Yao curled her lips and sat back on the stone bed.
“Humph, Dad still loves me…” She thought as she lowered her head and put on a wronged look without speaking.
The severe damage that the Sky Mountain Sect received gave her a big lesson, making her realize that powerful people had the final say.
She had thought carefully in the past few days and wanted to pursue absolute power.
Of course, her hatred for Hao Ren didn’t decrease a bit. If she had the chance to kill him, she probably wouldn’t show mercy.
“Come out with me.” With a dark face, Duan Ye walked closer and said coldly.
“Ugh?” Duan Yao looked at Duan Ye, astonished.
Taking out a white jade key, Duan Ye touched it on the shackle, unlocking Duan Yao’s arms.
This Ice Fire Shackle was a dharma treasure used on people who were being punished, and Duan Ye kept the key. Even Duan Yao’s mom didn’t dare to steal it out.
Regaining her freedom, Duan Yao was happy inside, but she didn’t dare to show it.
“Dad can’t bear to lock me for too long…” Duan Yao thought as she rubbed her arms and followed Duan Ye out of the cave.
Duan Ye released the flying sword and pulled Duan Yao onto it.
After a few days of imprisonment, Duan Yao was shaky with weakness. She fixed her clothes, thinking that she would be brought to the Law Execution Palace for other punishments.
After all, it wasn’t her dad’s style to release her after a few days of imprisonment. However, the other punishments would be better than the Ice Fire Shackle.
Gritting her teeth, she was prepared to receive more punishments.
Below the flying sword, the once prosperous Sky Mountain Sect was in a bad state. Although the main structures were intact, the many buildings were destroyed and had become ruins.
“I’ll never forgive them for destroying our sect!” Seeing this, Duan Yao felt heavy.
She gathered her thoughts and realized that the flying sword wasn’t flying toward the center of Sky Mountain Sect but outside of the sect.
“Dad, where are you taking me?” Duan Yao asked in alarm.
She knew that she must receive punishment for the mistakes that she made, but she didn’t expect that she would be kicked out of the sect.
“Ethereal Summit on Fifth Heaven,” Duan Ye said.
Duan Yao widened her eyes and asked, “Dad, you are handing me to…”
Duan Ye didn’t speak with a cold face
“Dad… I want to see Mom! I want to see Grand Uncle-Master!” Duan Yao tried to resist.
With a wave of his hand, a white rope-shaped dharma treasure bound her hands.
“Grand Uncle-Master agreed already,” Duan Ye said in a low voice.
Before he went to the back mountain for Duan Yao, Duan Ye had told Lingwu Master the demand of Ethereal Summit. Having dropped to Foundation Establishment Realm, Lingwu Master just waved his hand with a sad face, giving no opinion.
Sky Mountain Sect had reached a life-death moment, and they couldn’t even struggle in front of their rivals who were 100 times stronger than them. No matter how much Lingwu Master loved Duan Yao, she had to be sacrificed.
For Lingwu Master and Duan Ye, the 1,000-year-old Sky Mountain Sect was more important.
Duan Ye didn’t tell Duan Yao’s mom about this since he knew that she would go crazy with this news.
“This…” Duan Yao widened her eyes, not expecting that Lingwu Master who loved her the most would agree to give her away.
When her grand uncle-master was in danger, she had blocked for him with her own body, but…
Duan Yao turned to look at Duan Ye’s cold face.
Despite her complaints about her dad, she had always thought that her dad would protect her.
However, it seemed that his daughter’s life and fate were far less important than Sky Mountain Sect. There was only one Sky Mountain Sect, but he could have more daughters…
Standing on the flying sword in silence, Duan Yao stopped yelling, and her white teeth bit her lip hard.
If not for her status as the only daughter of the Sky Mountain Sect Master, she would have been the cauldron of a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator long ago due to her great talent. But now she was without protection…
When Duan Ye remained silent without offering a word of comfort, Duan Yao felt so depressed that she began to cry.
A Core Formation Realm cultivator swept toward them stepping on a green longsword.
“Senior Brother! Senior Brother!” Duan Yao called out suddenly.
This cultivator was Ye Yan, the cultivator who had taken Duan Yao to Fifth Heaven to investigate the situation at White Sand Sect.
This Senior Brother was very handsome, and his cultivation talent was great. As Duan Ye’s first disciple, he was the most senior brother in Duan Ye’s branch.
Ye Yan liked Duan Yao a lot and always did favors for her, claiming that he would protect her all his life.
Seeing Ye Yan, Duan Yao thought that he was here to rescue her and called out to him with all her force.
Although she felt nothing for Ye Yan, she was touched to see him come and rescue her at the risk of his own life.
“I’d rather marry Senior Brother Ye Yan than entering Ethereal Summit and be insulted!
“Master, Chuxiong Sect got one dharma note from Herb King Master after finding one piece of 10,000-year-old Green Wood and two pieces of Soul Grass. Another grand cultivator in the Nascent Soul Realm recovered his realm!”
Ye Yan said respectfully after dashing over.
Duan Ye’s face darkened at the news, knowing that time wasn’t on Sky Mountain Sect’s side.
Now that almost all the Nascent Soul Realm cultivators on Sixth Heaven lost their realm, their strengths were the same. However, if more Nascent Soul Realm cultivators from other sects recover their realm, Sky Mountain Sect would be in real danger.
If they couldn’t quench the anger of Herb King Master, this master didn’t have to move a finger himself. Instead, he only needed to announce that anyone who destroyed Sky Mountain Sect would get more essence-unlocking notes, and Sky Mountain Sect would be totally destroyed!
“Find all the spiritual herbs over 10,000-year-old!” Duan Ye ordered.
“Yes, Master!” Ye Yan nodded and looked toward Duan Yao who was behind Duan Ye.
Duan Yao begged Ye Yan with her eyes, but her senior brother immediately looked away.
Instantly, Duan Yao felt cold inside.
With the best talent and greatest strength among the younger generation, Ye Yan would probably become the next sect master of Sky Mountain Sect hundreds of years later as the most senior disciple of the current sect master, Duan Ye.
Only Mo Lianshan, the favorite disciple of the First Elder, could compete with him.
However, in the disaster on Fifth Heaven, Mo Lianshan dropped to the Foundation Establishment Realm and couldn’t compete with Ye Yan anymore.
Due to his responsibility for the sect’s business, Ye Yan didn’t receive the mission of investigating on Fifth Heaven; he had remained in the sect and maintained his mid-tier Core Formation Realm!
Under this situation, Ye Yan would progress steadily, and it would be unwise of him to anger Duan Ye.
He had indeed liked Duan Yao, but his future was more important! Besides, Duan Yao would soon become a cauldron of a grand cultivator, and he wouldn’t have his eyes on such a woman!
That was why he offered no word of comfort to Duan Yao, afraid that Duan Ye would suspect that he had an intimate relationship with Duan Yao.
Stepping on his flying sword, Duan Ye rushed toward Fifth Heaven through the clouds.
Looking back on Sky Mountain Sect which became smaller and smaller in her eyes, Duan Yao remained silent.
She had had an easy life, but now that had changed entirely. She had thought that she would be happy forever, but now she understood that her happiness was built on Sky Mountain Sect’s advantage over the other sects.
When they encountered a force that was above Sky Mountain Sect, she, the daughter of the dignified Sect Master, was inferior to merchandise.
“The fate of Sky Mountain Sect lies in your hands. Do whatever Herb King Master tells you, and maybe you can save the sect. If you don’t want Sky Mountain Sect to go down, if you still pity the hundreds of thousands of disciples, you…”
Duan Ye didn’t continue.
He had decided that after Duan Yao was sent into Ethereal Summit and had helped Sky Mountain Sect survive this disaster, he would live in seclusion. He would hand the sect to the elders or appoint a new sect master.
With the mysterious nature of Herb King Master, it probably was not a bad thing for Duan Yao to be taken into the valley. Even if Sky Mountain Sect were going to be destroyed by others, Duan Yao would still be alive.
Near Ethereal Summit, a red light shot into the sky.
Manniu Master of Chuxiong Sect had indeed recovered his Nascent Soul Realm, and he was releasing waves of suppression.
Loud cheers sounded in Chuxiong Sect’s camp on the East.
The cultivators of the other sects looked either jealous or anxious while the masters who hadn’t recovered their realms raged in their respective tents.
Since Ethereal Summit only wanted the specific kinds of spiritual herbs, the sects on Sixth Heaven were turning the ground up trying to find them.
Duan Ye landed at the valley entrance of Ethereal Summit with Duan Yao who was expressionless. He clenched his fists but didn’t know what to say.
Swoosh… Little White landed at the entrance and stared at Duan Yao, obviously coming out to take Duan Yao into the valley.
“I’m afraid we’ll never see each other again…” Looking at Duan Yao, Duan Ye tried to say something.
However, Duan Yao ignored him with a cold heart and sat on the back of Little White.
She untied the two jade pendants from her waist and tossed them at Duan Ye.
“Take these to my mom! I, Duan Yao, won’t go back, alive or dead!” she said.
Her sacrifice for Sky Mountain Sect was her payment to her parents for raising her. From now on, there was nothing between them!
Carrying Duan Yao, Little White flew into the valley protected by the red energy sphere.
Watching Duan Yao disappeared through the array formation, Duan Ye shook his head with a broken heart and left.
