Outside the huge mountain gate of Qingliu Sword Sect stood many young men and women, including poor teenagers who had walked thousands of miles and descendants of royal families dressed in brocade and embroidered robes.
The road to becoming an immortal is ruthless. It does not care about one’s background but only looks at one’s talent. Those who have a predestined relationship with becoming an immortal will advance to a higher level, while those who do not will return home.
A young man in a golden robe was surrounded by the crowd. His talent was tested and it was confirmed that he had top-notch water spiritual roots. He then lifted up his robe and walked up the stairs step by step under the gaze of the crowd. However, he was sweating profusely after walking only a few dozen steps. The servants below were anxious and rushed forward to help him.
However, the mountain path of Qingliu Sword Sect, even the road to the outer mountain gate, is not accessible to ordinary people.
They said anxiously: "This is the little prince of Ningguo. The Immortal Master, seeing that we have worshipped him for many years..."
However, no one responded, and the talented little prince was finally left behind by the ragged little girl and only got a sign for the outer gate.
Inside the mountain gate, the person sitting at the top was not the headmaster Liu Zhengxu, but the Grand Elder Ouyang who had rarely appeared before.
His slightly plump face was filled with a smile that was three parts kind and seven parts solemn. He took in this scene and sighed in a voice like ethereal music: "Talent is important, but only those with a strong character can enter the great path."
Countless inner sect elders and disciples stood respectfully below, all bowing their heads and hands and nodding respectfully.
In the misty place, the Supreme Elder Ouyang at the highest point looked like a real immortal descending, and no one dared to look him in the face.
In terms of cultivation, this is a great being in the Tribulation Crossing Stage, an existence standing at the top of the entire cultivation world; in terms of status, this is the most respected supreme elder of the world's number one sect, and no one can shake his position.
He stood upright in the depths of the clouds, staring in the direction of the inner mountain gate, waiting for the first person to climb to the top of the mountain.
After a long time, a dark-skinned girl in shorts crawled into the inner door using her hands and feet. She raised her head and looked at the many sword practitioners blankly. Her dark eyes were clean and pure.
Several peak masters glanced at her, their faces filled with emotion.
"He is a top-grade single spiritual root of the earth element. Moreover, this child is only nine years old, yet he can be the first to climb the stone steps. Even before he has practiced cultivation, there is spiritual energy lingering between his eyebrows. His roots, bones, and character are all excellent. He is an extremely rare and malleable talent!"
Even Elder Ouyang had developed a love for talent, and his smile became more sincere as he explained, "Little girl, since you have passed the inner sect test of my Qingliu Sword Sect, you will be an inner sect disciple of my sect from today on. There are nine peaks in the sect, and each has its own sword skills. You can choose for yourself."
The little girl looked at the many sword practitioners in front of her in a daze and didn't say a word for a long time. She seemed to be shocked by the scene before her.
The head of the second peak, which was located where Elder Ouyang was about to attack, took a step forward and said with a hearty smile, "Little girl, most of our second peak's cultivators are earth-type sword cultivators. It would be most suitable for you to join our peak. Old... I can accept you as my personal disciple."
Elder Ziyun of the Sixth Peak was a very beautiful young woman. She fixed her beautiful eyes and said in a gentle voice, "Little girl, all the disciples in my Sixth Peak are female. The senior sisters on the peak are gentle and kind, and they will never do anything dirty. It's best for you to come to my Sixth Peak."
The dark-faced middle-aged man from the Seventh Peak laughed loudly: "Little girl, come to my Seventh Peak. You see, our faces are equally dark, which just shows that we are destined to be master and apprentice!"
Seeing that three peak masters were already competing for this girl, Elder Ouyang smiled gently and raised his hand to calm them down: "Don't make any noise, and listen to what she really wants."
At this moment, the focus of the whole audience was on the little girl. Her dark face turned slightly red. After hesitating for a moment, she raised her head firmly and said in a clear voice: "I want to join the Tenth Peak!"
In an instant, the whole place was silent.
Mist lingered on Grand Elder Ouyang's face, and his expression could not be seen clearly.
Elder Ziyun, the master of the Sixth Peak, looked around and saw that no one spoke. A hint of disdain appeared in his eyes, but when he turned to look at the little girl, he had a gentle smile on his face.
"Little girl, why do you want to join the Tenth Peak?"
The little girl didn't notice that the atmosphere was wrong, her eyes were bright. "The boys in the village all looked down on girls like me, saying that girls should cut grass for pigs and take care of their younger brothers in the village. My father wanted to sell me to the rich man Zhang to be a maid. I finally escaped. On the way, I met a group of people who said that there was a fairy recruiting disciples here, so I followed them. They also told me the story of Sister Wen Yun, and after listening to it..."
The girl seemed a little shy, but she quickly gathered her courage and continued loudly: "I want to be like her and become an upright female swordsman!"
Zhu Erchong and Bao Pilong, who were standing behind their respective masters, looked at each other with a sense of pride.
Liu Luoyin, who was standing with his head down in the first peak formation, had a slightly complicated expression after hearing Wen Yun's name, but he didn't say anything.
Who would have thought that the great elder of the First Peak, Hong Zhuo, who was standing in front of her, suddenly said, "The Qingliu Sword Sect does not have a Tenth Peak now. As for Wen Yun, she died in the sword discussion meeting. There is no such person in the sect anymore."
Liu Luoyin suddenly raised his head, listening to these words in astonishment, and said anxiously: "Master Hongzhuo..."
Elder Hong Zhuo flicked his sleeves and said solemnly, "The inheritance of the Tenth Peak has been cut off long ago. You left the mountain gate without permission this time. This is tantamount to betraying your master!"
Liu Luoyin has devoted himself to cultivation since returning from the Sword Discussion Conference. He is unaware of the changes in the outside world, but he knows some inside information.
Now people outside are talking about the so-called deeds of the master and disciple Wen Yun and Ye Shubai. This should have been a good thing to enhance the reputation of a sect, but the First Peak sent many disciples to secretly stop such talks from happening again, only because it was tacitly approved by Grand Elder Ouyang. After all, the Grand Elder also came from the First Peak!
The word "betraying the master" was said in an extremely serious manner, and even the disciples from other peaks couldn't help but look at him sideways. Zhu Erchong was about to refute it in a hurry, but before he could open his mouth, the Grand Elder Ouyang spoke slowly.
"Little girl, change to another peak. No one will accept you on the tenth peak..."
Before he finished speaking, a flying sword suddenly appeared in front of everyone. When Elder Hong Zhuo was about to scold, several figures jumped down from the sword.
Standing at the front was a young girl in her twenties, wearing a moon-white gown with silver stripes. Her eyebrows were as beautiful as her eyes, and she was extremely beautiful. When she first appeared, the originally plain white Qingliu Sword Sect had a stunning color.
Bao Pilong saw it clearly, and was immediately delighted. He couldn't help but call out, "Junior Sister Wen!"
Wen Yun smiled and nodded to several acquaintances.
The little girl raised her head and stared at Wen Yun blankly, surprised: "You are the sister who was sitting on the stone steps eating cakes just now..."
She remembered clearly that the group of people were walking very fast, but seeing how hard she was climbing, the beautiful sister at the front said, "We should give young people a chance to come forward," and then sat on the stone steps and started eating, giving her the top spot.
Wen Yun waved at the little girl. Bao Pilong, who was a young man who didn't understand the atmosphere, immediately shouted, "Hey, little girl, she is the fairy Wen Yun you are looking for!"
The little girl's face lit up and she ran to stand behind Wen Yun without hesitation.
Wen Yun lowered his head, his eyes fell on the little girl, and said briskly: "The people from the Tenth Peak are back now, and someone has recruited you."
Xu Wanfeng, who was standing behind Wen Yun, took a step forward, glanced at Elder Hong Zhuo who was hiding behind with a half-smile, and shouted loudly: "Disciples and grandchildren of the Qingliu Sword Sect, why don't you pay your respects to the Grand Master!"
After saying those arrogant and harsh words, he immediately took a step back respectfully, and Yue Xingzhou, Bai Yushan, and Wen Yun behind him all cooperated and took a step back, all with Ye Shubai as the leader.
At this moment, the cultivation of the four people was released at the same time, turning into invisible pressure.
Not to mention the ordinary disciples, even the peak masters and elders all turned pale and endured with great difficulty, especially the disciples of the First Peak. Most of the pressure was directed at them. They had already lost their previous pride and could only use all their skills to resist.
There were clearly only four people, but Wen Yun and his team managed to create the shocking momentum of 40,000 people surrounding the inner gate!
Xu Wanfeng and Wen Yun smiled at each other. This was something they had discussed and rehearsed behind Ye Shubai's back, and now the results were excellent, so of course they were very proud.
Ye Shubai stepped forward, not looking at the ignorant young juniors below, but quietly raised his head and stared at Elder Ouyang at the top. His white shirt fluttered without wind, and the simple sword in his hand was dim, but no one dared to look directly at him.
The man standing there was clearly a handsome man, who looked younger than most people. But upon closer look, everyone felt as if they were seeing a sword about to be unsheathed, the sword's light was so cold that people dared not look directly at it.
No one dared to speak.
This power is so great that it is no longer something that ordinary cultivators can resist.
The old man at the top sat in the clouds for a long time, and then he dispersed the clouds. It was then for the first time that the disciples of the sect saw the true face of the supreme elder.
He walked extremely slowly, step by step, and finally arrived in front of the young man. There seemed to be a moment of confusion in his eyes, and finally he let out a long sigh and bowed deeply.
"Brother Ye, how are you?"
When this title came out, everyone was shocked.
Zhu Erchong and Bao Pilong were almost dumbfounded. They looked at each other and opened their mouths. The three words "Junior Brother Ye" that were about to come out were swallowed back, and only shock was left in their eyes.
The other young disciples also looked stunned. It turned out that the rumors outside were true. The Qingliu Sword Sect really had a patriarch of the Tenth Peak named Ye!
The elders from each peak were even more stunned. They were older and had heard of the name Ye Shubai to some extent, but all they had heard was that this ancestor had died in the great battle between good and evil. As for his achievements, they had never heard of them in detail because too many predecessors had died in the sect at that time.
Now the person who was supposed to be dead appeared in front of everyone!
Elder Ouyang bowed, but Ye Shubai said nothing. He just raised his chin slightly and looked at the man in front of him with cold eyes.
Grand Elder Ouyang was already in a state of panic. His fear of Ye Shubai was deep-rooted, and coupled with a sense of guilt, he subconsciously took a step back.
He whispered, "Brother, you've returned just in time. Right now, the demon cultivators are causing trouble again. Junior Brother Dongfang and the head nephew are both in seclusion. My Qingliu Sword Sect is in a precarious situation. With you here, I can go out and fight the demon cultivators with peace of mind."
This statement sounded very reasonable, but Wen Yun immediately sensed something was wrong.
It sounds great, but every word this old dog says is a threat like "If you kill me today, the sect will lose a great support!"
Every sentence has the subtext of "If you want to preserve the sect's reputation and safety, you should let go of past grudges and not bring up old matters again"!
Ye Shubai is a true swordsman, upright, without any selfish motives, and is a man who is willing to sacrifice everything for the sect and the people.
At this moment, Grand Elder Ouyang is putting the sect's support on him, betting that he will sacrifice himself for justice just like he did five hundred years ago!
Wen Yun became anxious, fearing that his honest and kind sword spirit would be bullied again.
Elder Ouyang swallowed his saliva. Although he knew that Ye Shu's white jade infant in front of him was shattered and his strength must be greatly reduced, and he had practiced hard for five hundred years and was firmly at the peak of the tribulation realm, but whenever he thought of his youth, the cold and aloof young man who always stood at the head of everyone, he was filled with fear.
At the beginning, the fellow disciples had no idea there was such a person as Ye Shubai. They only knew that there was a sword genius in the sect who was being taught by four elders.
All the elders were powerful and renowned, and it was not easy for the disciples from each peak to get some guidance from them. However, that unknown kid always followed them around. Naturally, the fellow disciples were dissatisfied, but most of the sword cultivators were open-minded and would not take any action if they were a little unhappy. They would just work harder, hoping to defeat that kid in the inner sect competition.
It was not until the day of the inner sect competition that they realized what the gap was.
The young man, who was only in his teens, had already reached the Golden Core Stage. His senior brothers in their seventies and eighties were no match for him. As for Ouyang, who was the same age as Ye Shubai, he had just reached the Foundation Establishment Stage and was not even qualified to compete with him on stage.
In the subsequent sword debate, he became the focus of the entire cultivation world.
Ouyang, who was behind him, had also been praised as a young talent before, but after Ye Shubai showed up, the word "genius" would never be used on others again. His brilliance alone overshadowed millions of his peers.
Ouyang is one of the people shrouded in that shadow.
He couldn't raise his head, just like now, bowing and looking at the man respectfully.
He had been standing at the highest point for hundreds of years since Ye Shubai disappeared, but now he was bending down again like before.
But so what
He bowed and sent away a group of sword cultivators with swords raised, sending them to die among the evil cultivators. He sent away his uncle, his sister, and his brother Ye.
“Brother Ye, the demon cultivator is here again.” Elder Ouyang bowed his head and said in a low voice, “Brother Ye, I have to go guard the sect.”
The wooden sword hanging in front of his eyes suddenly moved. Ouyang stared at the corner of the clothes that was gently lifted by the wind. The moment he saw it turn away, the huge rock that had just been hanging on his heart turned into a light feather and fell down safely.
However, the next moment.
A calm voice without any ups and downs came out of Ye Shubai's mouth, as cold as the snow in winter, without any warmth at all.
"Draw your swords, we'll meet on the life and death stage."
The Life and Death Stage is a small place in the Qingliu Sword Sect. It is a bluestone platform standing on a cliff. Because disciples often fall and die while competing in swordsmanship on it, over time, it has become a place for disciples to settle life and death grudges.
Since the great war between good and evil, the sect has suffered countless casualties, and the sword practitioners have become poorer. They are more willing to gamble with spiritual jade, and no one is willing to gamble with their lives anymore.
I don't know when this bluestone platform was covered with moss and turned into a emerald green stone platform.
At this moment, all the disciples looked carefully at the two people on the edge of the cliff. After listening to the explanation of the knowledgeable senior brothers, they were suddenly shocked: "Why are the two ancestors fighting for life and death? What kind of hatred is this?"
A disciple from the First Peak snorted coldly: "Elder Ouyang has always been kind and gentle, and never criticizes his disciples. This Senior Ye has just returned to the sect and is killing his fellow disciples. How cold-hearted!"
Zhu Erchong already had a grudge against the First Peak, and since he had previously received a great favor from Ye Shubai, he immediately refuted her: "You dueled with Junior Brother Lu from my peak the other day and won ten spiritual jades from him. How cold-hearted you are!"
The other party was furious: "I have an old grudge against him!"
Before Zhu Erchong could speak, his good brother Bao Pilong said sarcastically: "Then how do you know that Elder Ouyang and Master Ye... Grandmaster have no grudges?"
The word "junior disciple" was abruptly turned into "grandmaster".
"What kind of hatred could cause fellow disciples to kill each other?"
…
"Brother Ye, the demon cultivators are coming, and there are only you and me in the sect..."
"Master and uncle died while trying to kill the demon cultivators. Senior brothers and sisters also risked their lives to fight the demon cultivators. All the people in the sect who were above the Spiritualization Stage died." Ye Shubai looked at him coldly: "You and your friends cowered in fear back then. Do you dare to do that now?"
Elder Ouyang smiled bitterly and said righteously: "It is precisely because all the powerful people in the sect have died that we have to borrow your Jade Infant to enhance our strength in order to protect the sect. I just had to take a piece of your broken Jade Infant for the sake of the sect and many fellow disciples. Are you going to kill your fellow disciples for this today?"
Ye Shubai didn't like to argue much, and because of the distance, the other disciples couldn't hear clearly what they were saying.
But Wen Yun was different. Not only did she hear it clearly, she also argued loudly: "You took his Jade Infant, isn't that considered as infighting among your fellow disciples?"
There was a sudden commotion in the crowd. After all, they were disciples of the Qingliu Sword Sect. Even if they had never seen a Jade Infant, they knew what it was. Plus, considering the previous incident where Wen Yun had his golden elixir taken away by Xie Mi'an, everyone immediately connected the dots.
Could it be that Elder Ouyang has taken away Senior Ye’s Jade Infant
Wen Yun heard the discussion behind him and immediately said with a smile: "Should we take the Jade Infant away? When the person dies, we can cut open the Jade Infant and take a look at it!"
Elder Hong Zhuo glared at her with a sneer, "You are a cruel girl, no doubt a demon cultivator!"
She glanced back coldly, then suddenly smiled brightly: "According to seniority, I am your master, you are disrespectful to me, let's meet on the stage of life and death later."
Elder Hong Zhuo felt the unbridled peak Nascent Soul cultivation power emanating from her, and took a step back in dismay, forcing himself to remain calm: "I don't want to argue with a little girl like you!"
Elder Ouyang on the bluestone platform also stared at Wen Yun with hatred in his eyes, cursing in a low voice: "It's this noisy girl again. If I had known this would happen, I should have asked Junior Brother Dongfang to kill her!"
He knew that Ye Shubai was no longer the same as before, and that the sect's principles could no longer restrain him, so he prepared to fight Ye Shubai to the death.
This is also an opportunity that Ye Shubai has brought to his doorstep!
"You have lost your Jade Infant, and you are just relying on your swordsmanship. I gave you a chance before, but you refused it and invited me to the life and death stage. You are courting death!"
Ye Shubai's jade infants had been divided up long ago, and those from other sects were still in their hands. The Qingliu Sword Sect had two, one in his own hands, and the other was taken away by Liu Zhengxu from Elder Dongfang, who also took this opportunity to go into seclusion and break through to the Tribulation Realm!
This was also the reason why Elder Ouyang turned against Liu Zhengxu. He always thought that Elder Dongfang was killed by Liu Zhengxu, and he also thought that Liu Zhengxu was able to advance in seclusion because he got the Jade Infant!
Elder Ouyang shouted loudly, and a water spirit sword shining with green light flew to his palm. The spiritual power in his body gradually increased, causing dark clouds to gather on the top of the mountain. Suddenly, heavy rain fell between heaven and earth. The water mist hit the bluestone, washing away the layers of moss.
The strength of a strong person in the Tribulation Crossing Stage is enough to cause strange phenomena in heaven and earth!
Ye Shubai is of the fire element, while he is of the water element, which is a perfect counteraction to each other. There is no way he can fail in this battle!
In the rainstorm, the man in white remained motionless. The raindrops falling on him turned into puffs of white mist that drifted into the air. His features were as clear and elegant as a painting in the mist, like a celestial being descended from the upper realm.
Elder Ouyang shouted angrily, and under his powerful spiritual power, the raindrops became sharp as needles, piercing Ye Shubai densely, with each needle heading for a fatal spot.
At this moment, Ye Shubai moved.
He raised the wooden sword, and the vast spiritual power like the ocean transformed into a flaming phoenix that flew out from the end of the sword, and the phoenix cried, shaking the sky.
"No, that's impossible, you clearly don't have jade—"
Before Elder Ouyang uttered the last word, the fire phoenix had already broken through the rain curtain and flew straight towards his chest.
He had seen that phoenix countless times. Every time it flew out, several powerful demon cultivators who had overcome tribulations would die.
He no longer had any intention to fight, nor did he have time to think about how Ye Shubai regained the Jade Infant. He also didn't care about saving face in front of his sect's disciples. He only wanted to escape!
Get away from here quickly!
That’s right, as long as he escapes into the crowd, Ye Shubai will withdraw his attack in order not to hurt other disciples, and he can take the opportunity to escape!
If he refuses to accept the disciples and hurts other disciples, the sect will still not tolerate him!
Elder Ouyang changed direction, with a ferocious look on his face, and ran towards the crowd regardless of anything. Everyone's face changed drastically, and they understood his intention in an instant. The group of disciples from the First Peak who had just protected him were even more distraught and ran faster than anyone else.
However, the battle between powerful Tribulation Crossing experts was not something that ordinary cultivators could participate in. The group of disciples implicated had no way to escape, and were about to die under the fire phoenix together with Elder Ouyang!
At this moment, Wen Yun jumped forward!
A golden warm current shot out from her palm, and with it appeared the power of the laws of time and space that no one could detect.
At the moment when Elder Ouyang was about to rush into the crowd, the space around him suddenly stagnated, binding him in place for a moment.
Wen Yun's cultivation level is not yet high enough to skillfully control the power of space, and the time he can control the opponent is very short.
But for Ye Shubai, it was enough.
The fire phoenix caught up and pierced through Elder Ouyang's body without mercy!
There was still a look of joy on his face, as if he had survived a disaster, but a cloud of blood mist suddenly appeared on his chest, and then slowly merged with the rain and fell to the ground.
After piercing through Elder Ouyang's body, the Fire Phoenix flew straight up into the sky. All the disciples of the Qingliu Sword Sect stared in amazement at this absolutely beautiful divine bird.
It circled in the sky with its clear chirping sound, and its golden-red tail feathers were like a burning fire, driving away all the dark clouds and heavy rain, and the sky became clear again.
On the wet ground, the green water-attributed jade baby with blood on it rolled to the ground, and another small white jade baby fragment also appeared in front of everyone.
A bare hand picked it up and held it in the palm of its hand.
Wen Yun reached out to Ye Shubai.
"Return it to you."
Your baby, everything that was taken away from you.
I have to pay you back.