Chapter 1309: Target of Public Criticism
In less than a quarter of an hour, over a dozen factions sent Saint realm experts to the shores of Fate Lake. Some factions arrived alone, while others appeared in groups of four or five.
Among those present were the Martial Market Bank, the Black Market First Class Hall, and the Moon Worship Demon Sect—organizations with influence spanning the entire realm—as well as top-tier powers from the Northern Domain, such as the Star Constellation Sect, one of the Seven Ancient Sects, and the Four Symbols Sect, a major branch of the Taiji Dao.
On the shores of this small lake, dozens of human Saints had gathered. Each one, if they stepped out alone, would be a figure who commanded respect across a region. Such a formidable assembly could truly be called a convergence of heroes.
This demonstrated just how enormous the allure of a hundred-thousand-year-old sacred medicine was.
"How did the news spread so quickly? We haven't even set foot on the island yet, and they've all rushed over," Qing Mo said.
Plucking the Thousand-Leaf Sacred Heart Grass was no easy task to begin with. Now, with every major faction vying for it, the difficulty had naturally increased.
Zhang Ruochen smiled faintly. "Who else could it be?"
Qing Mo's eyes widened, and her mouth fell open. "You mean... the one who leaked the news was that old man, Gu Songzi?"
"Aside from him, there's no one else."
"But why would he do that? Isn't he afraid another faction might take the Thousand-Leaf Sacred Heart Grass?" Qing Mo asked, puzzled.
Zhang Ruochen said, "It can only mean one thing: the difficulty of harvesting the Thousand-Leaf Sacred Heart Grass is greater than we imagined. Gu Songzi lured these people here to have them scout the path—and also to send them to their deaths."
"That old geezer is full of wicked schemes," Qing Mo muttered with a light snort.
Just then, a purple-robed elder, confident in his profound cultivation, took the lead and flew toward the Heartless Island at the center of the lake, attempting to force his way onto it.
This man was the vice sect master of a major super-sect in the Northern Domain. He had lived for nearly five hundred years, and his strength was formidable. However, his lifespan was running out, forcing him to desperately seize the Thousand-Leaf Sacred Heart Grass to extend his life.
"As long as I obtain the Thousand-Leaf Sacred Heart Grass, not only will my cultivation have a chance to advance further, but my lifespan will also greatly increase."
The purple-robed elder's eyes blazed with determination. A cloud of purple mist surged from his body, causing even the space around him to tremble slightly. Yet the waters of Fate Lake remained as still as molten iron, not a single ripple forming despite the astonishing sacred power being unleashed.
Sensing the strangeness of the lake's shore, the elder felt a chill in his heart and tried to retreat.
"Boom!"
In the sky, countless fine inscriptions materialized, weaving together into a massive net of lightning that descended from above, trapping him.
"There's a killing formation..."
The elder cried out in alarm. He unleashed four sacred artifacts in quick succession, and the purple mist around him grew denser as he tried to tear through the lightning net and escape.
"Bang! Bang!"
A series of explosions rang out over Fate Lake.
All four sacred artifacts shattered into scrap metal. In the end, even the elder's body exploded, turning into a mist of blood.
A figure of vice sect master rank had fallen on the spot.
All the Saints present witnessed this scene. They drew sharp breaths, and no one dared to act rashly anymore.
"Han Fuju's cultivation had reached the Earthly Realm, and he fell just like that?"
"What kind of killing formation is this, that even a Saint realm expert couldn't withstand it?"
The leader of the Black Market First Class Hall snorted coldly. "Fate Lake was once the dwelling place of Heartless Great Saint. Do you think it's so easy to break in? With the means of a Great Saint, leaving behind a few formation inscriptions would naturally carry terrifying killing power."
The methods of a Great Saint were profound and unfathomable, beyond the imagination of ordinary Saints. Clearly, Heartless Great Saint had left a killing formation here. After a hundred thousand years, the formation had long since become damaged and its power greatly diminished.
Yet, even so, Fate Lake remained an extremely dangerous place.
The Saints from the various factions all calmed down and began discussing ways to break the formation.
The Martial Market Bank had four Saint realm experts who had entered Immortal Mechanism Mountain. The most powerful among them was a man named Qiu Lanshan, whose cultivation had reached the Heaven-Connecting Realm. He was one of the deans of the Northern Domain Holy Academy.
In addition, the other three were two Mysterious Yellow Realm elders and the young prodigy of the Northern Domain Holy Academy, Xue Sheng.
Xue Sheng had sharp eyebrows and eagle-like eyes, with an extraordinary handsomeness. Though less than a hundred years old, his cultivation had already entered the Saint realm, making him a first-rate talent.
Upon arriving at Fate Lake, Xue Sheng's eyes scanned the surroundings. Though young, he was very experienced.
At that moment, Xue Sheng's gaze locked onto Zhu Qingyi. A look of shock and fear appeared in his eyes.
Then, his lips moved as he whispered something to Qiu Lanshan and the two Mysterious Yellow Realm elders. One of the elders exclaimed in surprise, "How is that possible?"
The four Saint realm experts of the Martial Market Bank all fixed their eyes on Zhu Qingyi. Then, they turned to Zhang Ruochen and Qing Mo, their expressions filled with doubt and uncertainty.
"It should be that female demon. Even though she isn't wearing a veil and looks a bit different, her aura is very similar."
"She seems very weak. Could she be seriously injured?"
"There's a faint golden light flowing on that female demon's skin. She must have been poisoned by the Golden Bat Giant Serpent. This is a godsend opportunity. No matter what, we must kill her today to avenge the cultivators of the Martial Market Bank who died at her hands." Qiu Lanshan's eyes darkened, and a fierce killing intent surged within them.
Zhang Ruochen noticed someone staring at him and looked over, just in time to see the four Saint realm experts of the Martial Market Bank walking toward him.
"Demoness, die!"
Xue Sheng summoned a five-foot-long cyan sacred sword. A powerful sacred might erupted from his body, and he launched the sword, turning it into a streak of cyan light aimed at Zhu Qingyi's heart.
Sharp sword qi enveloped Zhang Ruochen and Qing Mo as well.
Zhang Ruochen frowned slightly. He pointed a finger forward, and a circular barrier of lightning materialized, like a mirror of lightning, blocking the cyan sacred sword.
Qing Mo hadn't expected them to attack so directly. She shouted angrily, "What do you think you're doing?"
Her voice carried powerful offensive force, creating ripples of sound waves that sent Xue Sheng stumbling backward until he retreated into Qiu Lanshan's Sacred Soul Domain, where he finally steadied himself.
Xue Sheng's crown shattered, and his robes split open. He looked utterly disheveled.
Of course, Qing Mo hadn't intended to harm him. She had only used ten to twenty percent of her power. Otherwise, how could Xue Sheng have remained standing?
After all, Xue Sheng was the youngest Saint of the Northern Domain Holy Academy, adorned with countless accolades. He had never feared any peer. Yet he had been driven back by the shout of a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old girl. One could imagine the immense shock to his pride.
Qing Mo's shout startled all the cultivators on the shores of Fate Lake, and they all turned to look.
Qiu Lanshan stared at Qing Mo, a cold glint in his eyes. "A non-human creature, able to cultivate to your level, is truly rare. Unfortunately, you chose to stand with the Undying Blood Clan. That's nothing short of seeking death."
"Who are you calling a non-human creature?"
Qing Mo's gaze turned icy cold. She was furious. Wisps of cyan flame seeped from her skin.
As a plant-based lifeform, living in the world of human cultivators was already somewhat alienating. Hearing herself called a "non-human creature," Qing Mo's emotions naturally flared up.
Qiu Lanshan was full of arrogance. He snorted, "You're not human, and now you've joined the Undying Blood Clan's camp. Is it wrong to call you a non-human creature?"
Upon hearing the words "Undying Blood Clan," the other human cultivators all became murderous. They surrounded Zhang Ruochen, Qing Mo, and Zhu Qingyi.
Zhang Ruochen realized there was a misunderstanding. He furrowed his brows and said, "Who told you we've joined the Undying Blood Clan's camp? You can't just say things like that."
Xue Sheng sneered, "Still trying to deny it? The woman behind you is the demoness of the Undying Blood Clan's Azure Heaven Tribe, Zhu Qingyi. Countless human cultivators have died at her hands. The Seventh Dean of the Northern Domain Holy Academy was killed by her."
"Zhu Qingyi."
A single stone stirred a thousand waves.
The entire shore of Fate Lake erupted into chaos. All the Saints present showed looks of shock. A few even involuntarily stepped back.
Zhu Qingyi was undoubtedly a notorious and ruthless figure among the Undying Blood Clan. At least ten human Saints had died by her hand.
A silver-crowned elder from the Star Constellation Sect fixed his gaze on Zhu Qingyi. "That's right, she's that demoness. I once crossed blows with her. If I hadn't used an escape secret art, I would have died at her hands."
With Zhu Qingyi's identity confirmed, the killing intent among the human Saints grew even stronger. They wished they could tear her apart.
Zhu Qingyi, however, seemed to enjoy this situation. A charming smile curled at the corners of her lips. She reached out from behind Zhang Ruochen, wrapping her jade-like arms around his chest, pressing her face against his back, and said softly, "The Golden Bat Giant Serpent's venom has already seeped into my meridians and sacred veins. I can't mobilize my sacred qi. They want to kill me, and I have no strength to fight back. You have to protect me."
"Shameless."
Qing Mo reached out, grabbed Zhu Qingyi by the hair, and flung her hard to the ground.
Zhu Qingyi lay on the ground, blood trickling from her mouth, but a smile still hung on her beautiful face.
Zhang Ruochen looked at the crowd and said, "Whether you believe it or not, I'll only explain once. She is indeed that demoness of the Undying Blood Clan, but she is now my prisoner. If anyone wants to kill her, shouldn't they first ask for my opinion?"
Qiu Lanshan let out a mocking laugh. "Zhu Qingyi is such a formidable figure. Would she willingly become your prisoner? You overestimate yourself."
"Your act is too fake. You've clearly already defected to the Undying Blood Clan, yet you still try to deceive us."
Xue Sheng said bluntly, "If it were me who had captured Zhu Qingyi, I would have beheaded her immediately and used her head to exchange for military merit and a large amount of cultivation resources from the imperial court. You captured her but didn't kill her, and you're stopping others from killing her. Are you bewitched by her beauty, or have you truly defected to the Undying Blood Clan?"
Zhang Ruochen glanced at him. "With your level of vision, you can only use Zhu Qingyi's life to exchange for military merit and cultivation resources. But I can use her life to obtain something far more important. People with different levels of vision naturally do things differently."
"You're saying I have low vision?"
Xue Sheng was extremely proud. Hearing Zhang Ruochen's words, he trembled with rage.
"That's right, a frog at the bottom of a well," Zhang Ruochen said.