Chapter 129: Still That Autumn Mountain (Part 2)

Within the cave dwelling, a figure stood before a sickbed, gazing at the unconscious Qijian.

His gaze moved from her pale face to her heavily bandaged lower abdomen, to her fingertips that glowed faintly green, growing colder and colder. Listening to the increasingly forceful demands coming from outside the cave, recalling the voices he had heard during his sword meditation, thinking of the countless voices he had heard over these past dozens of days, his voice also turned somewhat cold.

"I do not accept."

That figure spoke these four words to the entirety of Lishan, then rose and walked toward the cave entrance. Hearing his voice, the whole of Lishan fell silent. The Sect Master gazed quietly at Xiaosong Palace, the corners of his lips lifting slightly into a smile. That smile concealed many meanings, but no longer held any bitterness.

The door of the cave dwelling was pushed open, and that figure appeared beneath the vast blue sky, before hundreds of gazes. He was a young man, tall and straight in stature. The Lishan sword uniform fluttered slightly in the wind. Though his injuries were clearly not yet healed and his face was pale, it did not diminish the heroic spirit between his brows, and he carried an air of unrestrained freedom.

Seeing this young man, countless cries of surprise and joy rang out from the main peak of Lishan.

"Senior Brother!"

"Senior Brother has awakened!"

The joyful shouts spread from the main peak to the other peaks of Lishan with incredible speed. In an instant, the mountains were stirred with excitement. The internal strife of Lishan that day, the pressure and chill brought upon the disciples by the old secrets of the Grandmaster Uncle, were largely dispelled.

This young man was naturally the inner sect senior brother of the Lishan Sword Sect, the foremost of the Seven Laws of the Divine Kingdom: Autumn Mountain Lord.

Dozens of Lishan disciples in front of the cave dwelling surged forward. Autumn Mountain Lord shook his head to indicate they need not support him, slowly walked to the steps, first bowed to the Sect Master, then looked toward the people beyond the sword lights. His gaze was calm, and even when he saw his own father, his expression did not waver for a moment.

Seeing Autumn Mountain Lord awake, people's emotions varied, but most were primarily joyful. Even Xiaosong Palace and the two elders of the Discipline Hall were not particularly wary. The Autumn Mountain family head, seeing this scene, confirmed his son's prestige among the younger generation of Lishan disciples, and his eyes grew bright as he lightly stroked his short beard.

Before Autumn Mountain Lord could speak, Xiaosong Palace said, "Nephew Autumn Mountain, you have been unconscious for dozens of days and nights. You likely do not know what has happened. Please wait a moment and do not misunderstand."

At this time, before the cave dwelling on the summit of Lishan, swords were broken and blood was spilled. The scene was exceptionally bloody. Anyone could imagine that Autumn Mountain Lord, having just woken to see this sight, would naturally think that Xiaosong Palace and the others were staging a coup. That was why he had spoken those four words earlier. Xiaosong Palace and the others believed that once they explained the current situation, Autumn Mountain Lord would naturally know how to choose.

Regardless, Xiaosong Palace and the others wanted Autumn Mountain Lord's support, because in this internal strife of Lishan, the Autumn Mountain family was one of the two major pillars of their faction. And Autumn Mountain Lord's position in the hearts of the younger generation of Lishan disciples was the most crucial key to ending this internal strife and helping them fully take control of the situation.

Autumn Mountain Lord was silent for a moment, then said, "Uncle, please speak."

Baicai couldn't help but feel anxious, wanting to say something to his senior brother. Unexpectedly, the Sect Master stopped him, and even placed the sword in his hand back into the sword light before the cave dwelling.

The joy of seeing the senior brother awake gradually faded. The peaks fell silent, and everyone once again listened to Xiaosong Palace recount the events in the Zhou Garden and what Su Li had done.

The voice of Elder Xiaosong Palace echoed before the cave dwelling. Autumn Mountain Lord remained silent, his pale face showing no emotion, but the right hand hanging at his side trembled slightly.

That signified anger, uncontrollable rage.

Many noticed this detail, and their tension grew. Baicai was especially pained, thinking, what should we do now? How could he possibly fight against his senior brother?

It was over.

After a moment of silence, Autumn Mountain Lord asked, "Uncle, in your view, how should this matter be handled?"

Hearing this, the last unease in the hearts of Xiaosong Palace and the others was completely dispelled. The Discipline Hall elder said gently, "It has already been decided: Qijian will be handed over to the Discipline Hall for trial. The Sect Master will temporarily step down. Since you have awakened, you will naturally act as Sect Master in his place."

The Jiang elder of the Eternal Life Sect added, "As for Zhexiu and Chen Changsheng, who conspired with Qijian, what crimes should they bear? The Eternal Life Sect and the Holy Maiden Peak will jointly write to the Li Palace. The Pope must also give an account."

Xiaosong Palace looked at him and said, "Nephew, you misunderstood earlier due to not knowing the specifics, which is why you spoke those four words in the cave. Now you should understand what you need to do."

Countless gazes fell upon Autumn Mountain Lord. People could guess what choice he would make. Because the accusations of Xiaosong Palace and the others were true. Qijian was indeed the daughter of Su Li and the Demon Princess. To avoid further bloodshed in Lishan's internal strife, Autumn Mountain Lord might struggle painfully, but he would surely make a swift decision. That was the magnanimity required of one who does great things. And the entire continent knew that even as a child, Autumn Mountain Lord had acted with great magnanimity—overwhelming magnanimity!

He would surely make the choice most in line with Lishan's interests and the righteous path of the mortal world. Humans and demons could not coexist. Before that, what did so-called teacher's grace or the favor of teaching skills amount to?

The Autumn Mountain family head quietly watched his son, his heart filled with pride. The youngest to reach the Star Gathering realm, the youngest Sect Master of Lishan Sword Sect, in a few years he would be the youngest Sect Master of the Eternal Life Sect, and in a few more years, naturally the youngest Saint in history. Looking across the river of history, who could be more outstanding than his son? But his pride came not only from this, but also from Autumn Mountain Lord's performance in this matter—he believed that, like Liang Xiaoxiao's death, Autumn Mountain Lord's coma and awakening were both part of a perfect scheme.

Autumn Mountain Lord had fallen unconscious at just the right time, and awakened at just the right time. When he was unconscious, he had jumped out of the strife of Lishan's internal chaos. When he awakened, the strife was nearing its end. Only he could end this conflict. He was the only one, and thus naturally the best candidate. He did not need to bear the infamy of Xiaosong Palace and the others storming the main peak to force a coup. He only needed to sleep, and he could take all the benefits. If he shed a few tears later, he could even make his loyalty and righteousness more admired by the world...

The Autumn Mountain family head looked at his son and thought with emotion, Truly a dragon's son. Your father is far inferior to you.

"There is one question."

Autumn Mountain Lord looked at Xiaosong Palace and said, "Earlier, you said to Baicai, if he truly had a sword heart free of impurities, why did he only dare to rebuke fellow disciples, but not dare to ask his master to verify the truth of this matter?"

Xiaosong Palace did not notice a detail in these words and casually replied, "Indeed."

Autumn Mountain Lord turned to look at Baicai and asked, "Why didn't you dare to ask?"

Baicai felt a bitterness in his mouth, thinking, what use would asking be?

Autumn Mountain Lord looked at the Sect Master and asked, "Master, what Uncle said... is it true?"

Baicai was deeply pained, thinking, Senior Brother, why must you push the Sect Master into a corner? Why are you so ruthless?

The Sect Master looked at Autumn Mountain Lord, smiled slightly, and prepared to speak.

Xiaosong Palace suddenly felt something was wrong and shouted sternly, "You must swear by the ancestors of Lishan! You cannot lie! Tell Autumn Mountain, is Qijian truly born of the Demon Princess?"

The Sect Master looked at Autumn Mountain Lord and sighed, "This matter is true."

The meaning of these words was clear: this matter was true, but the rest naturally was not.

Xiaosong Palace didn't care about that. As long as you admitted this point, he was relieved.

The Autumn Mountain family head looked at the scene before the cave dwelling and suddenly felt something was off. Yes, whether it was the Sect Master or Autumn Mountain Lord, they were both too calm.

"What are you still doing here?"

Autumn Mountain Lord said calmly to Baicai, "Hurry and help Master inside to rest."

The mountains fell silent. Everyone was bewildered, not understanding what this meant.

Even Baicai was stunned for a moment before coming to his senses, and he helped the Sect Master walk toward the cave dwelling.

Before entering the cave, the Sect Master said, "Handle this well."

Autumn Mountain Lord replied, "Master, rest assured."

After saying this, he reached into the dozens of sword lights before the cave dwelling and took down his own sword.

That sword was called Inverse Scale.

Seeing this scene, everyone realized that the Sect Master had, at some unknown time, handed over the Lishan Ten Thousand Sword Formation to him.

Elder Xiaosong Palace looked at Autumn Mountain Lord, his expression gradually growing grave, and said, "You've finished asking."

Autumn Mountain Lord said, "Yes, I've finished asking."

Xiaosong Palace took a deep breath and said, "And then?"

Autumn Mountain Lord looked at the mountains and said casually, "And then... naturally, the disciples of Lishan raise their swords to face the enemy."

Xiaosong Palace's face turned extremely ugly, and he shouted coldly, "What the hell are you doing? Didn't you hear your master admit with his own mouth that Qijian's mother is the Demon Princess?"

Autumn Mountain Lord, holding his sword, looked at Xiaosong Palace and the powerful enemies, and asked, "So what?"

(Thinking of Emperor Qing today, and that's all for today.)