Chapter 276: "Demon" (Part 1)
Everyone stared at Yun Che with extremely astonished expressions, each finding it hard to believe that someone would willingly give away such a once-in-a-millennium fortune. If he had done so while fully aware that it was the Bodhi Imperial Heart Lotus, then such boldness and such a favor could be said to be greater than the heavens.
Chu Yueli gave Yun Che a slight nod: "Yun Che, our Bing Yun Fairy Palace will remember this favor you have done us. From now on, you will be one of our most important friends! If you ever need anything, you may come to us directly."
"This idiot… just to win a beauty’s favor, he actually gave away the legendary Bodhi Imperial Heart Lotus!! That's the Bodhi Imperial Heart Lotus!!" Xiao Kuangyu muttered through gritted teeth. Though he said this, he knew full well that someone capable of winning first place in the ranking battle at the age of seventeen could not possibly be a fool. He was just jealous—just like every other young profound practitioner, wildly jealous! Cursing in his heart why it wasn't him who had found the Bodhi Imperial Heart Lotus.
What they saw was only the fortune of the two finding the Bodhi Imperial Heart Lotus, completely unaware of the calamity they had faced at that time.
Chu Yueli’s words were not at all surprising. If Yun Che was willing to hand over the Bodhi Imperial Heart Lotus to them, any sect would be more than willing to treat him like an ancestor. This favor was simply too great—not only did it save the most outstanding disciple in Bing Yun Fairy Palace's history, but it also greatly elevated the standing of the entire palace.
Yun Che hadn't really cared much about the so-called favor of Bing Yun Fairy Palace before, but after Chu Yueli finished speaking, his heart stirred and he said: "Fairy Chu is too kind. Given my friendship with Qingyue, this is nothing… but, well, can it really be any request I make?"
As he spoke, his gaze flickered toward Chu Yuechan. Feeling his gaze, Chu Yuechan turned her beautiful eyes away, her expression utterly cold.
Chu Yueli’s eyelashes fluttered slightly as she said elegantly: "We are hard-pressed to repay such a great kindness to our Bing Yun Fairy Palace. If you have any requests, as long as they are within our power and do not violate our principles, we will certainly not refuse."
"Good!" Yun Che nodded. Since that was the case, he would not stand on ceremony with Bing Yun Fairy Palace: "I hope your palace will remember your words from today. If in the future I ever need your help, I will certainly not hesitate to ask."
"Our Bing Yun Fairy Palace never goes back on its word. Your great kindness to Qingyue is worthy of such treatment." After finishing, Chu Yueli turned her eyes to Fen Moli, who was being supported by Fen Juecheng and whose face was deathly pale. Her gaze instantly turned as cold as icy crystal: "Fen Moli! Our Bing Yun Fairy Palace has never had any grievances with your Fen Tian Gate, yet you, as the Grand Elder of your sect, brazenly struck to kill one of our young disciples! If not for Qingyue's great fortune, she would have already died at your hands! Is your Fen Tian Gate prepared to become mortal enemies with our Bing Yun Fairy Palace?"
Fen Moli had struck out in fury with roughly seventy percent of his power earlier, but Xia Qingyue's counterattack had used at least ninety percent. Under that single exchange, Fen Moli's internal injuries were extremely severe. If not for his powerful profound energy barely suppressing them, he would have already passed out. He panted heavily, his face twisted in rage, and pointed at Yun Che: "This… this bastard! He killed… the second young master of our sect!"
With the final flicker of spatial light, the Tianchi Secret Realm completely closed, but two people had not appeared—one was Fen Juebi, and the other was Mu Tianbei.
"I killed your second young master?" Yun Che’s mouth twisted in disdain, as if he had heard some ridiculous joke: "Elder Fen, which eye of yours saw me kill your second young master? Hmph! On the contrary, it was your Fen Tian Gate's Fen Juecheng and Fen Juebi who took advantage of my still unrecovered strength in the Tianchi Secret Realm and tried to ambush me, even dragging in Tianqiang Leihuo Fort's Mu Tianbei! If not for Fairy Xia's rescue, I would already be dead at the hands of two despicable scoundrels from your Fen Tian Gate!"
"What?" Qin Wushang’s expression changed, then filled with anger.
"Sheer nonsense!" Fen Moli said furiously: "Our dignified Fen Tian Gate would never stoop to ambushing an unknown nobody like you! It's clearly you who vilely ambushed our second young master!"
The words "unknown nobody" made many secretly snicker. Before the ranking battle, Yun Che was indeed an unknown nobody. But now, Yun Che's overall strength and reputation far surpassed that of any of Fen Tian Gate's younger generation. If he could still be called an "unknown nobody," then the disciples of Fen Tian Gate wouldn't even deserve to be called "unknown."
"Hahahaha!" Yun Che laughed wildly: "Your Fen Tian Gate's shamelessness, twisting of right and wrong, and the skill of the villain filing suit first truly opens my eyes. Fen Juebi is indeed dead, but he clearly died at the hands of Mu Tianbei! At that time, Xia Qingyue and your young sect master were both present. Moreover, I heard your young sect master say that you had planted some special soul mark on Fen Juebi—if he was killed, you would immediately know who killed him… Dare you swear by your Fen Tian Gate's thousand-year honor that the person you saw killing Fen Juebi was truly me?!"
"You…" Fen Moli was suddenly struck speechless, his face turning a livid purple. This reaction made everyone understand immediately. The death mark was not unfamiliar to them, but judging by Fen Moli's reaction, the person he saw killing Fen Juebi was definitely not Yun Che. It was clearly Fen Tian Gate trying to frame Yun Che. As for what Yun Che said, it was probably all true.
Chu Yueli furrowed her brows slightly and asked: "Qingyue, were you really present at that time? What actually happened?"
Xia Qingyue calmly replied: "Reporting to Master, this disciple was indeed nearby at the time. I heard that the young sect master of Fen Tian Gate harbored jealousy against Young Master Yun over Princess Cang Yue's matter. After entering the Tianchi Secret Realm, he and Fen Juebi had been trailing behind Young Master Yun, and together with Fort Master Mu of Tianqiang Leihuo Fort, they wanted to kill him. But when Fort Master Mu struck, he accidentally killed Fen Juebi. I took Young Master Yun and used the cover of ice and snow to escape the danger. Elder Fen’s claim that Fen Juebi died at Young Master Yun's hands… is completely false."
Everything Xia Qingyue said was true, but her account was quite clever. It was correct that Mu Tianbei had accidentally killed Fen Juebi, but that "accident" was something Yun Che had deliberately delivered.
Xia Qingyue was like a snow fairy, with peerless beauty and extraordinary bearing. Her words were impossible to doubt. As soon as she finished, a wave of jeers rose from the surroundings. Contemptuous looks fell on the six members of Fen Tian Gate, making them feel as if thorns were piercing their backs. They had just suffered a crushing defeat in the ranking battle, had now angered Bing Yun Fairy Palace, and were now being scorned by the crowd. If this spread, it would undoubtedly have a severely negative impact on Fen Tian Gate's reputation.
Fen Juecheng's expression changed repeatedly before he finally gritted his teeth and said in exasperation: "Yun Che! You know very well how my second brother died! This grudge, my Fen Tian Gate will make you pay with blood!"
Yun Che sneered coldly and was about to retort when suddenly a low voice rang out: "Enough!!"
Ling Kun swept his cold gaze over the crowd. His look carried an immense pressure; everyone whose eyes met his stopped breathing instantly. He said indifferently: "Whatever grievances you have between you, once you leave Tian Jian Villa, you can settle them however you like—that's no one else's concern. But this Tian Jian Villa is not a place for you to resolve your grudges! Who killed whom, who provoked whom—I don't want to know. Everything that happened before this, I can treat as if it never occurred. But from now on, anyone who starts a fight or stirs up enmity within the villa, don't blame me for being rude!"
Ling Kun's words carried unparalleled deterrence. Everyone immediately fell silent, while the Fen Tian Gate side breathed a sigh of relief. Ling Kun said to Ling Yuefeng: "Yuefeng, I have already stayed here too long and must return by tomorrow morning. So, let's begin the demon's sealing ceremony now."
Ling Yuefeng nodded: "Everything will be arranged as Elder Ling commands." He then turned to the crowd and said: "Everyone has heard Elder Ling's words just now. You all have just emerged from the Tianchi Secret Realm and must be greatly drained of profound energy, and some may be injured. However, the demon sealing ceremony is being publicly revealed for the first time. This 'demon' also involves a great secret. To witness the 'demon' and the sealing ceremony with your own eyes will be a once-in-a-thousand-years precious experience. Please follow Elder Ling and myself to the Sword Control Platform. If anyone finds it inconvenient, you may also return to your courtyards to rest—it is entirely voluntary."
The fact that a mysterious "demon" was sealed beneath the Sword Control Platform of Tian Jian Villa was something all the major sects had heard of, and they had always been deeply curious about what kind of "demon" it was. Now that they had this opportunity to see for themselves, naturally, no one wanted to miss it. So, everyone followed Ling Kun and Ling Yuefeng toward the Sword Control Platform of Tian Jian Villa.
However, not everyone was interested.
"Qingyue." Chu Yuechan called out to Xia Qingyue: "Are you interested in this so-called 'demon'?"
Looking at Chu Yuechan, who was like a cold moon, Xia Qingyue immediately understood why she had stopped her, and she softly shook her head: "This disciple doesn't have much interest."
"In that case, come with me. Your profound power has leaped too greatly, which can easily cause instability and even damage your profound veins. It must be stabilized as soon as possible." With that, Chu Yuechan leaped into the air and flew toward the courtyard.
"Yes, Senior Aunt." Xia Qingyue greeted her master Chu Yueli and then followed Chu Yuechan.
The people of the ten great sects quickly returned to Tian Jian Villa and then headed toward the Sword Control Platform. The four-member group from Cangfeng Mystic Palace was undoubtedly very eye-catching. Qin Wushang led the way, with Yun Che, Xia Qingyue, and Cang Yue following behind. Yun Che and Cang Yue kept whispering to each other, while Xia Yuanba was rubbing his fists and palms all the way, his eyes shining, clearly full of anticipation for the legendary "demon."
"Fen Juecheng really wanted to kill you?" Cang Yue frowned deeply, struggling to contain her anger.
"Mmm, but don't worry. Fen Juecheng alone can no longer pose any threat to me. However…" Yun Che let out a quiet breath and said: "Senior Sister, I probably won't be able to return to Cangfeng Mystic Palace with them. Once we leave Tian Jian Villa, Fen Tian Gate will definitely make a move against me. So I must slip away alone after evading their eyes. They definitely won't attack you, Headmaster Qin, or Yuanba. After that, Fen Tian Gate will surely hunt me down. I won't be able to return to Cangfeng Mystic Palace for a long time. But Senior Sister, don't worry—I've never been afraid of being hunted. Having someone chasing after me only pushes me to grow stronger."
Yun Che's words made Cang Yue's heart clench… Fen Tian Gate believed that Fen Juebi's death was because of Yun Che. The murder of their noble second young master would surely ignite the entire sect's mounting rage. The consequences would be relentless pursuit…
This was a hunt by one of the four great sects, which even the Cangfeng Imperial Clan deeply feared!
Although he had said these words in the most casual tone, he could still feel Cang Yue's breath catch instantly, her face turning slightly pale, and her small hand gripping him tightly. He quickly comforted her: "Senior Sister, really don't worry. Don't forget, I still have Bing Yun Fairy Palace as my amulet. At worst, I can just hide inside the Bing Yun Fairy Palace."
...
...