Edited by: Bree
Several sect disciples were lying on the ground. Some were coughing up blood, while others had broken arms or legs. It was obvious that they had been defeated by someone more skilled.
The Rong family elders stood in a row. The leader was the First Elder, who had been in closed-door cultivation for many years. His Daoist name was Daoist Ling Qi. It was impossible to know his age, but this person’s cultivation could be ranked among the top ten in the Nine Lands.
Even in the entire Myriad Dao Academy, the only person whose cultivation could rival him would be the former Sect Master, who had gone into secluded cultivation for 500 years. Others in the sect, even if they were guardian elders, wouldn’t even dare to face the Rong family’s First Elder.
Unexpectedly, a single scroll had actually caused Daoist Ling Qi to come in person.
Blood dripped out of the corner of Sword Saint Tianshu’s mouth. His Daoist robe had been cut apart by the willow branches, and several bloody gashes could be seen, looking very ghastly. But he still didn’t concede and had an imposing manner. He was standing in the forefront of Myriad Dao Academy’s elders, holding a sword made of peach wood in his hand and confronting the Rong family’s people with a cold gaze.
Dark clouds covered the sky, and cyclones even reached the heavens. The sect’s disciples all hid for fear that this battle involving Grandmaster Stage cultivators would affect their lives.
The Rong family’s First Elder came so suddenly that Myriad Dao Academy’s deans and teachers could only hurriedly take the students to a safe place and protect them.
“This is Myriad Dao Academy. Even if the Rong family has a reason, they should still abide by the agreement between the Sect and the Nine Lands’ Divine Clans. If Daoist Ling Qi accidentally injures any Divine Clan disciples today, I’m afraid that will bring trouble to the Rong family,” Esteemed Fu Ye touched his beard as he tried to reason.
Originally, his duty was to guard the astrology platform, but Daoist Ling Qi’s cultivation was too high. As soon as he came here, he defeated all the new generation of elders led by Sword Saint Tianshu. It was unbearable to watch, so he could only fulfill his duty as a guardian elder and personally make an appearance to mediate.
Daoist Ling Qi had been in the peak of the Grandmaster Stage for hundreds of years. He looked a little old, but his aura was still extremely imposing. He was protected by the thick and strong willow branches flying behind him, looking as though they would pierce anyone who disagreed with him.
Daoist Ling Qi said, “So what even if I injured them? This one will not show mercy to every single Divine Clan disciple. Myriad Dao Academy’s bullying is a bit intolerable. Do you really believe there’s nobody strong in my Rong family?”
Esteemed Fu Ye replied, “You can’t say that. You and I are already so old. Why do you have to appear for such a trivial matter?”
“The scroll left by our ancestors was casually stolen and completely destroyed. Is this a trivial matter in Esteemed Fu Ye’s eyes?” Daoist Ling Qi snorted coldly. His finger moved, and several strong tree trunks rose from the ground and stabbed towards the sect elders.
If the elders didn’t dodge quickly, they would’ve been stabbed in half.
Esteemed Fu Ye immediately became angry. He pressed both of his hands down on the ground and instantly crushed the land under the Rong family members’ feet. The Rong family people all jumped onto the willow branches to avoid the debris flying in all directions.
In the blink of an eye, the two sides had already exchanged many blows.
After another round, the open space inside the sect was completely destroyed. Esteemed Fu Ye slapped away a Rong family disciple who was launching a sneak attack on him. “What exactly do you want to do? You might as well say it!”
Daoist Ling Qi also whipped Sword Saint Yaoguang back with a vine and responded, “My Rong family is not so unreasonable or unforgiving. This one just wants you to hand over Rong Zhishui and the other person who stole the scroll to my Rong family for punishment. Don’t tell me this demand is too excessive?”
“There is no one called Rong Zhishui in my sect.” Esteemed Fu Ye narrowed his eyes and touched his beard. “If you don’t believe me, you can check my sect’s register. If you can find it, then I’ll admit defeat!”
Rong Xia shouted, “Rong Zhishui is Yin Changge, and Yin Changge is Rong Zhishui. That day, I personally witnessed Dean Wan rescue him!”
“So what?” Wan Miantang plucked the zither’s strings twice with his slender and powerful fingers. He said almost lazily, “I don’t care who he is and what his identity is. As long as someone enters Wan Miantang’s door, I will protect him so that he will never be bullied inside the sect. If you want to educate your family’s disciple, you’ll have to wait until his student career ends and until he’s no longer protected by the sect.”
“You–” The Rong family was so angry that they couldn’t speak.
Daoist Ling Qi narrowed his eyes slightly. “The inheritor of the Phoenix Zither from the music family.”
Wan Miantang replied, “Precisely myself.”
Daoist Ling Qi said, “The Wan family and the Rong family have never interfered in each other’s business. Don’t get mixed up in this.”
Wan Miantang said, “Pardon me, I was already expelled from the Wan family a few years ago. I have only one identity right now, which is the Dean of the East Courtyard.”
Daoist Ling Qi, “…”
Another Rong family elder yelled at the Rong family Patriarch, who was still standing at the back and watching the excitement, “Rong Shengxiao, what a good son you have. He made such a big mistake and committed such a heinous crime — don’t tell me you’re just going to forget it?”
Rong Shengxiao, who was mentioned by name, looked handsome, but his aura was a little frivolous. When he heard this, he finally reluctantly took two steps forward. He looked around and asked, “Since that boy Rong Zhishui wants to be a turtle that shrinks its head in and does not come out, what about that other boy?”
“I’m afraid that Uncle cannot afford to provoke the other boy,” Rong Xia answered.
Rong Shengxiao raised his eyebrows. “Who is he?”
Rong Xia cupped his hand. “He is Huarong Sword Immortal’s person, and he’s probably… the prince from King Ye’s palace.”
Rong Shengxiao was stunned for the first time, and the folding fan in his hand that still hadn’t been opened almost fell to the ground. He Tsk’d and said, “This is really… Indeed can’t afford to provoke.”
The Rong family looked at him.
Rong Shengxiao said with some distress, “King Ye is not easy to provoke. I’ve also met that consort of his — he also can’t be provoked. Why don’t we just end it here today. In any case, the scroll has already been destroyed. Even if we get the culprits, the scroll would still be destroyed–”
“Nonsense!” A Rong family elder roared and kicked at Rong Shengxiao.
Rong Shengxiao hid towards the back without regard for his image.
“What good is a Patriarch like you? Don’t you think you’ve already been shameful enough?!”
“No matter what, whether it’s Rong Zhishui or Yan Tianhen, we must see them today. If not, then so what if we shed all pretense of cordiality?”
“A person can be killed but cannot be humiliated! If the Rong family can even tolerate such things, then everyone will know in the future that my Rong family is full of cowards and useless wine sacks!”
“If even this can be tolerated, then what cannot?!”
Sword Saint Tianshu interrupted, “What are you shouting for? The Rong family truly can’t change their style of relying on numerical superiority to win. We won’t hand over the people. Either change your conditions to resolve it or fight it out using our abilities. You all talk too much.”
“Rong Chaoxi, don’t forget that you still have a bounty on your head. You killed 13 of the Rong family’s main branch disciples back then — I still remember this debt!” The only female Daoist within their ranks had flames of hatred burning in her eyes. She wished to slice apart the person in front of her with thousands of knives.
Tianshu also sneered as he gently stroked the peach wood sword in his hand. “Great. I also remember clearly that your three sons deserved to die. They have only themselves to blame. I’ll even whip their corpses if I have the chance!”
The female Daoist was the Rong family’s daughter-in-law. Her Doaist name was Fairy Bi Yun. She was also a cultivator who was ranked among the top in the Nine Lands. Right now, she was already in the Major Perfection Stage, and she was also the main branch heir of Flame Cloud Sect. She had a single fire spiritual root and was extremely powerful.
If they talked about who within this group of Rong family elders had the greatest hatred for Tianshu Sword Saint, then it must be Fairy Bi Yun.
It wasn’t easy for cultivators to give birth, but she actually had three sons in succession. One of them would’ve definitely been able to become the Rong family’s heir — if not for the appearance of the terrifyingly talented Rong Chi.
And her three sons all died in Tianshu’s hands.
Fairy Bi Yun felt grief and indignation to the extremes. Both her fists were burning with fire. A bird of flames appeared behind her. “You heinous evildoer, I will kill you today and avenge my dead sons!”
Tianshu jumped up and slashed at the firebird rushing towards him. “The feeling is mutual!”
Boom–
The ground shook frequently. The flames, which had been slashed apart, mixed with burning hot air and rushed forth in all directions, scorching the ground instantly. When hated enemies met each other, their eyes turned red.
Fairy Bi Yun and Sword Saint Tianshu started fighting. Every single one of their attacks was deadly, and they tried to suppress each other with every move.
Daoist Ling Qi stood with his hands behind his back and looked at Esteemed Fu Ye. “Fu Ye, the former Sect Master has already been in closed-door cultivation for 500 years, so the current Myriad Dao Academy no longer has anyone in the peak of the Grandmaster Stage, right?”
Esteemed Fu Ye’s heart tightened, but he didn’t reveal anything on his face. “Didn’t Daoist Ling Qi also remain in seclusion for many years? Daoist Ling Qi’s words are really not appropriate.”
Daoist Ling Qi raised his lips and sneered. “This one has always wanted to know whether he was still alive. Since you won’t hand over those two no matter what, this one will try it myself. If I destroy half of the sect, but that old bastard is still a shrinking turtle–”
Before his words fell, all the sect elders’ expressions changed. Those vines flew wildly into the air and coiled together, becoming a 300-meter long snake, which roared and slithered towards Myriad Dao Academy’s library.
“Not good!”
“Protect the library!”
“Quickly protect it!”
Unfortunately, it was too late.
This was an attack from a powerhouse at the peak of the Grandmaster Stage. Although he didn’t use his full power, it still wasn’t something that could be stopped by these elders who were merely Major Perfection Stage or had just stepped into Grandmaster Stage.
Esteemed Fu Ye’s face suddenly changed, and he flew towards the snake made of vines. However, even after crushing one vine snake with a palm strike, another vine snake flew over from a different direction.
The disciples, elders, and teachers standing in the safe area looked anxiously at those towering brownish-green snakes and watched them rush toward the library, which had been regarded as the foundation and heart of Myriad Dao Academy for many years.
Inside this library, there were collections of records from the first Myriad Dao Era to the present, spanning tens of thousands of years. Be it humanities, history, geography, or Daoist techniques, they were all displayed in the library. But now, someone actually wanted to destroy it?
“Noo–”
“Ahhhh, our library!”
“Fuck, those lunatics!”
“Where is Rong Zhishui?” Shen Congrong suddenly realized that Rong Zhishui, who was originally standing beside him, had disappeared. His expression immediately changed. He didn’t even have time to worry about the sect rule that prohibited flying on swords. He immediately pulled out his sword and flew towards the place covered with dark clouds.
“I will take responsibility for my own actions! Stop it, stop it!” Rong Zhishui ran wildly as he roared loudly. In the blink of an eye, he ran to the Rong family’s elder.
With a thud, he fell to his knees and kowtowed several times, knocking his forehead on the ground so hard that it bled. “I was the one who stole the scroll. It has nothing to do with the sect. If you guys want to punish someone, then punish me!”
Author’s Notes:
He didn’t appear today, but tomorrow Xuanzhi will continue being amazingly cool!
