Heart of Iron

These words struck Hundred Charm Demoness as odd. In her understanding of him, this guy was like a cockroach—the more you nudge him, the faster he crawls. When the Daluo Sect had a bounty on his head, the greater the pressure, the stronger his resistance, even to the point of secretly robbing their Spirit Stone mine. Could it be that now, just because of a few insults from Tu Yanfeng, he's truly given up?

The Hundred Charm Demoness's pretty face was clouded with suspicion, her watery, seductive eyes fixed on someone, wondering what this little fox was up to.

Tu Yanfeng had come in a fit of rage to confront Yue Qianchou, he had lost all his temper and instead felt he had said something he shouldn't have. This Yue Qianchou was a figure in the Cultivation World who dared to oppose the Daluo Sect Master! His strength was beyond doubt; yesterday, he had appeared out of nowhere and defeated two late Tribulation Transcendence stage single-handedly. Given Yue Qianchou's abilities, he had no reason to treat him like this. Could it be that he was truly hurt by his words?

Tu Yanfeng himself didn't know what to say. He had never been so conspicuous among the various sects. Looking around, the leaders of each sect were looking at the sky and the ground, but not at the two of them. They seemed not to object to Yue Qianchou's decision to leave the Cultivation Alliance.

In truth, all the factions have seen through it all. Keeping this plague in the Cultivation Alliance is a pipe dream. Anyone trying to poach him is dreaming, and trying to use him is just asking for trouble. They'll only be disgusted by him, so out of sight, out of mind is the best solution. The factions can't say it outright, but their silence is the best statement—clearly, everyone wants him gone as soon as possible.

"Yue Qianchou, you should think this through carefully. Once you leave this door, anything that happens to you will have nothing to do with the Cultivation Alliance or any of the other sects," Su Qiankun of the Daluo Sect said, seemingly offering a well-intentioned reminder.

But how could a weasel paying respects to a chicken possibly happen? The various factions glanced at Su Qiankun thoughtfully. His words were tantamount to telling everyone that since Yue Qianchou was no longer a member of the Cultivation Alliance, they asked the Daluo Sect not to bother him again if they wanted to cause him trouble.

Tu Yanfeng quickly waved his hand and said, "Elder Su, I did not mean to force Yue Qianchou out of the Cultivation Alliance."

Yue Qianchou rolled his eyes at him. Lacking experience in high-level power struggles, what was he doing meddling? He waved his hand and said, "Elder Tu, I appreciate your kindness, but I'm a man of my word; I never go back on my promises." He then cupped his hands to the crowd and said, "Farewell!"

Turning around and striding away, Tu Yanfeng quickly caught up and said, "Yue Qianchou, don't be impulsive, let's talk things out."

Yue Qianchou stopped, utterly speechless at the old man's predicament. All his men were dead. Instead of worrying about himself, he was acting like he was concerned for others. Didn't he see the way everyone was looking at him? He shook his head, both amused and exasperated, and said, "Senior Tu, please stay. My mind is made up, there's no need to stop me. However, before I leave, I would like to ask Elder Tu to pass on a message to your sect leader: if the Yujian Sect encounters any trouble in the future, please just mention my name Yue Qianchou."

As he said this, he glanced coldly at the various factions, then flung out a flying sword and soared into the sky.

Tu Yanfeng was stunned. All the people brought by the Yujian Sect were dead, but now he had found a powerful backer. However, he wasn't stupid. Yue Qianchou had left the Cultivation Alliance, and the first sect to come after him would probably be the Daluo Sect. If he wanted to become the Yujian Sect's backer, he had to protect his own life first.

"I have some matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave!" Tie Junshan of the Corpse God Sect cupped his hands in greeting to the crowd and quickly flew away.

"This leader will also take her leave first." The Hundred Charm Demoness bowed slightly and sped off in the same direction as the former. Many people watched her depart, savoring the stunning beauty of her graceful figure as she left.

Next came the Four Great Families, the Wangyue Sect, and even the Myriad Demon Palace took their leave. With so many sect leaders gone, the various factions dispersed for the time being. Many people approached Tu Yanfeng, congratulating him, "Congratulations on finding such a great backer, haha!"

The tone was unclear, whether it was congratulations or bad news. Tu Yanfeng subconsciously glanced at the Daluo Sect, where several people seemed to be staring at him expressionlessly. He quickly turned and left, inwardly cursing that he shouldn't cause trouble for the sect because of his momentary impulse.

As soon as Yue Qianchou landed beside the four flying magical Law Artifact, Tie Junshan, Hundred Charm Demoness, Niu Sen, and Bi Shan from the Four Great Families arrived one after another. Yue Qianchou glanced at them, knowing what they were up to, and smiled, "Do you all have something to discuss with me?"

Niu Sen, who had the highest cultivation level here and had no scruples, immediately chuckled and asked, "Yue Qianchou, I wonder where you intend to go after leaving the Cultivation Alliance?" He asked the same question that the others wanted to ask.

Yue Qianchou smiled faintly and said, "Thank you for your concern, senior. I'm fine with going anywhere. I'd rather wander around."

Niu Sen nodded and said, "Palace Master Bu sent me a message saying that we have an appointment first, and asked me to tell you that the Myriad Demon Palace is sincerely waiting for you!"

"I will be going to the Myriad Demon Palace soon to fulfill my promise to Palace Master. Please inform him in advance."

"Haha! Very well then, it's settled then. I won't bother you any longer, farewell!" Niu Sen was quite straightforward and didn't waste any words. He glanced at the group and quickly left.

Yue Qianchou bowed to see Niu Sen off, then looked at Tie Junshan and said, "I, Yue Qianchou, am a man of my word. I have kept Elder Tie's matter in mind. I will give you an answer within a month, so there is no need to be anxious."

Tie Junshan hesitated for a moment, then glanced at everyone present and slowly nodded, saying, "In that case, I won't disturb you any longer. Farewell!"

After he left, Hua Ruyi of the Wangyue Sect asked, "Yue Qianchou, my sect leader has some matters to discuss with you. I wonder if he could grace the Wangyue Sect with his presence again?"

"Haha! Perfect timing! Ziyi was just thinking of going to the Wangyue Sect to admire the moon. I'll definitely make time to accompany her as soon as possible."

Seeing that he was so sensible, Hua Ruyi nodded and smiled, "I won't bother you any longer," and then drifted away.

As soon as Hua Ruyi left, Yue Qianchou immediately said to Bi Shan and the others, "I will be going to the Wu family soon. This is not the place to talk. Please be careful." This short sentence already showed the difference between the Four Great Families and the first three.

Seeing that he quickly dealt with everyone, Bi Shan and the others assumed he had his own business to attend to, so they bowed and said goodbye, "Take care, sir!" and the group left on their own.

"Oh! What do you mean this isn't the place to talk? Are you worried about me being here?" Hundred Charm Demoness said coquettishly.

Yue Qianchou felt a headache coming on whenever he saw her, and said with a wry smile, "How dare I!" He then walked into the flying Law Artifact.

Hundred Charm Demoness didn't stand on ceremony and followed her in as if it were her own home. Upon reaching the rear cabin, she noticed that Ziyi wasn't there. She asked curiously, "Eh! Where's Ziyi? She's always by your side. Did you send her off to do something bad again?"

Yue Qianchou naturally wouldn't tell her what Ziyi was doing. He slowly lay down on the comfortable recliner and said helplessly, "Should I call you Palace Mistress Ye now, Sect Leader Ye, or Master's Wife?"

Looking at the man before her, Hundred Charm Demoness felt slightly dazed. Back then, she had treated him like a little chick, and later timidly used him. Now, however, he faced her with such composure. With his rising status in the Cultivation World, he was truly different now, and indeed had the right to disregard her.

Hearing this, she gently bit her red lips, concealing the disappointment on her face. With a charming smile, she plopped down on the armrest of the recliner and said, "You little fox, when you were using me, you called me 'Master's Wife' more affectionately than anyone else. Are you going to change your tune now?"

She then leaned down and whispered in Yue Qianchou's ear, "Since you want to change your address, you probably don't care about titles like Palace Master or Sect Leader anymore. Why not just call me by my name? Call me Ye Qun!" The last sentence was delivered in a seductive voice that could make anyone's soul melt.

"Getting back to the point, is there something you need from me?" Yue Qianchou tilted his head slightly, escaping the breathy whispers of this stunning beauty in his ear, refusing to dwell on the matter, lest something go wrong.

"What a Heart of Iron!" The Hundred Charm Demoness poked his forehead with her slender finger, stood up, and turned to face him, asking, "Is Tu Yanfeng someone you arranged to deliberately put on an act with you?"

"I didn't know him at all before, so how could you say we were putting on a show?"

"Then should I boldly guess that Tu Yanfeng and the Yujian Sect are in big trouble?"

"Why?"

"Given your usual style, how could you let someone who publicly insults you get away with it?" Hundred Charm Demoness said with a smile, covering her mouth.

"The past is the past, and the present is the present. How can one not be flexible in dealing with people? That's not the behavior of a true man. Besides..." Yue Qianchou slowly turned his head, staring indifferently at Hundred Charm Demoness, and said, "Do you think that with my current reputation, I Yue Qianchou, need to rely on an unknown Tu Yanfeng to gain fame? Do you think that with my current strength, I, Yue Qianchou, need to trample on a small Yujian Sect to prove myself? Don't you think that would be a bit redundant?"

His arrogance was palpable, giving the impression that she was only now truly seeing his face. It was as if he were telling her that a true dragon would one day soar through the heavens. The Hundred Charm Demoness paused, then after a long silence, asked in a low voice, "What are your plans for the future? You're not going to hide away for several more years, never to be seen again?"

"I think I already answered Niu Sen of the Myriad Demon Palace's question earlier, so why ask it again?" Yue Qianchou said coldly.

The Hundred Charm Demoness's expression was inscrutable. She bit her red lips and remained silent for a long while. Finally, she sighed softly, "I have a feeling that your sudden decision to leave the Cultivation Alliance means you're going to a very far place. I wonder when we'll meet again?"

"If we are destined to meet, we will meet again." Yue Qianchou's tone remained cold, devoid of any emotion.

Hundred Charm Demoness's expression stiffened for a moment, then she nodded and forced a smile, saying, "That's right! If we're destined to meet, we will. In that case, I won't disturb you any longer." With that, she gracefully departed.

After she left, Yue Qianchou lay alone for a long time before getting up and standing at the window. Gazing at the transparent crystal outside, he murmured to himself, "I'm not stupid. I understand your thoughts perfectly well, but can that line really be crossed? Actually, you and I are both hesitant..."

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