Ping'an Makes His First Move

Although Mu Ningning had cried out anxiously, Li Ping'an's expression did not change much.

Even his Dao heart remained without the slightest ripple.

To be fair, the Myriad Cloud Sect spell cast by this young disciple left Li Ping'an somewhat disappointed.

This disciple was already at the second or third stage of the Spirit Gathering Realm, yet the spell's power was so ordinary, utterly lacking the force to shatter gates and split stones.

This was not the Spirit Gathering Realm Li Ping'an had envisioned.

Li Ping'an lightly tapped his foot, his body drifting backward as he steadily evaded each Qi Sword.

As his robes fluttered, a small Mechanical Crossbow appeared in Li Ping'an's right hand. He injected a thread of Dharma power into it, and the sound of its internal springs firing rang out sharply as several rusty Sleeve Arrows shot toward the young Medicine Dust Peak disciple.

The young disciple hastily retreated, but one Sleeve Arrow pierced his left shoulder, twisting his face in pain.

Furious, the disciple shook the Sleeve Arrow loose, sealed his wound, and prepared to activate the Cloud Dispelling Spell with a Talisman.

Mu Ningning had already arrived at his side with her sword, sweeping its edge horizontally.

The young disciple had no choice but to retreat, his gaze fixed firmly on Li Ping'an.

Unhurried, Li Ping'an continued watching Mu Ningning exchange moves with her opponent, sighing inwardly.

Against a Qi cultivator of the Spirit Gathering Realm, the Mechanical Crossbow he had painstakingly improved in the mortal world could only inflict superficial wounds. The Sleeve Arrows had also been coated with a compound poison that could swiftly put mortals to sleep, yet this young disciple felt nothing at all.

In short, it was neither painful nor irritating.

As Mu Ningning fought the young disciple down to the ground, Li Ping'an used the Introductory Talisman Technique to provide covering harassment from the treetops.

Soon, at the edge of Li Ping'an's vision, a group of Mountain Patrol disciples flying atop artifacts rushed toward them.

Most Mountain Patrol disciples were Outer Sect Disciples at the Void Refinement Realm or True Unity Realm, occasionally led by an Outer Sect Deacon.

Li Ping'an's thoughts raced.

Medicine Dust Peak was the sect's third-largest peak, mainly responsible for supplying Myriad Cloud Sect with medicinal pills, and it housed quite a few immortals skilled in alchemy.

The young disciple who had clashed with Mu Ningning and him was an official disciple of Medicine Dust Peak. Even if he was at the very bottom of that peak, assigned to care for precious herbs and Spirit Beasts, his backing was still beyond anything a little Flowing Cloud Temple disciple could compare with.

He could shout, "My father, Li Dazhi." But what about Mu Ningning?

Then Li Ping'an thought of his old man.

His father had yet to gain a firm foothold in Myriad Cloud Sect. Though his seniority was high, his cultivation was low.

Moreover, Medicine Dust Peak held a somewhat different position within the sect than the other peaks...

Li Ping'an kept considering every angle as his body drifted back and forth, elegant yet free and easy. Yellow Paper Talismans in his hand called forth the Lightning Fire Technique, harassing the young disciple without end.

When the Mountain Patrol disciples appeared in the air some distance away, Mu Ningning was temporarily forced back by a burst of Dharma power from the young disciple.

Seizing the moment, Li Ping'an shouted:

"Can Flowing Cloud Temple disciples be bullied at will?!"

The young Medicine Dust Peak disciple snapped, "If you refuse to come back with me and accept punishment, then I'll drag you back!"

Thunder burst from the disciple's palm. He opened his mouth and spat out a thick mist, within which dozens of Qi Swords condensed!

Half of the Qi Swords shot toward Li Ping'an in the treetops, once again targeting the vital points around his body. A cold glint flashed through Li Ping'an's eyes.

The other half swept toward Mu Ningning, forcing her to dodge and block.

With her treasured sword protecting her, Mu Ningning remained secure whether advancing or retreating;

but when she turned to look toward Li Ping'an, her face instantly drained of color.

Li Ping'an shifted half a step on the treetop and was struck by more than a dozen Qi Swords at once. Tiny jets of blood spurted from his shoulder, arm, and beside his leg!

Li Ping'an let out a pained groan and fell headfirst toward the ground.

Like a fierce tiger pouncing on prey, the young disciple charged straight at Li Ping'an!

Mu Ningning flung several arcs of sword Qi from her blade, trying to force the young disciple back. Her left hand reached remotely toward Li Ping'an's arm, but she simply had no time to save him...

Li Ping'an's falling body overlapped with the young disciple's outstretched hand!

"Senior brother!"

Just then!

Li Ping'an suddenly opened his eyes. Three streaks of black light flew from his left sleeve, shooting straight at the young disciple's face!

The young disciple had come to capture Li Ping'an and had not expected this at all. His expression changed drastically, but he had no time to dodge!

Bang!

The three black lights exploded at once!

One erupted in a dazzling blaze, mixed with all manner of powders;

one burst open like a lotus flower, releasing countless tiny needles as fine as ox hairs;

and one gave off a sharp whistle, ejecting two thin, leaf-shaped darts to either side!

The young disciple only had time to shield his eyes with his arm, letting out half a miserable scream.

Why only half?

The instant the three concealed weapons erupted, Li Ping'an's right hand was already pressed against the young disciple's throat!

He held nothing back, shoving forward fiercely with one palm as all the Dharma power around his body condensed within a tiny space!

Another sharp smack rang out as the young disciple slammed solidly into a tree trunk ten feet away, then rolled down to the ground.

His entire body convulsed. He kicked desperately, trying to stand, his bloodied face flushed red... After struggling like this for two breaths, he might as well have fainted.

Now look at Li Ping'an.

After delivering that palm strike, Li Ping'an crashed directly onto the grass. Unhurried yet elegant, he turned his head and spat out a small mouthful of blood, causing the tiny wounds across his body to continuously spray little jets of blood.

But Li Ping'an felt he was not miserable enough. Before Mu Ningning rushed to his side, he shook his meridians and created some false internal injuries that would leave no lasting harm.

"Senior brother!"

Mu Ningning knelt halfway beside Li Ping'an, her sword aimed at the young disciple as she lowered her head to help Li Ping'an up.

Then a whisper as faint as a mosquito's buzz entered her ear:

"Medicine Dust Peak is powerful, while Flowing Cloud Temple has no proof.

"Leave everything after this to me. You just need to cry."

Cry?

Mu Ningning bit her lip and said anxiously, "B-but I can't cry! I haven't cried since I was three or five!"

"If you can't, stab yourself with a needle..."

After saying that, Li Ping'an tore open the skin around his throat, turned his head to spit out blood, and lay in Mu Ningning's arms, looking as though he had more breath going out than coming in.

Several figures descended rapidly from the air.

"Fighting is forbidden within the sect!"

"Oh no! Save them, quickly! How could they start fighting at such low cultivation?!"

"Go notify the Deacon, quickly!"

Mu Ningning was a little flustered. Gritting her teeth, she pinched the tender flesh of her own forearm and viciously squeezed with Dharma power. Tears immediately welled in her eyes, leaving her on the verge of weeping.

Elder Yan Sheng had served as the rotating hall master of Myriad Cloud Sect's Affairs Hall and Cloud Nurturing Hall for the past ten years.

Myriad Cloud Sect's Main Peak had six halls: Myriad Cloud Hall, Merit Transmission Hall, Daoist Scripture Hall, Marvelous Cloud Hall, Cloud Nurturing Hall, and Affairs Hall. They served as the sect's governing bodies.

Affairs Hall oversaw all matters of the Outer Sect;

Cloud Nurturing Hall was responsible for regularly distributing cultivation resources to the sect's Thirty-six peaks.

By sect rules, the rotating hall masters of these two halls should have been Inner Sect Elders or the Peak Masters of each peak, taking turns in the position.

But Peak Masters and Inner Sect Elders had all reached the Heavenly Immortal Realm;

once living beings reached that realm, they stood only one step away from immortality. Everyone buried themselves in pursuit of that faint chance at eternal life, and no one wished to waste years on such tedious sect affairs.

Over time, the rotating hall masters of these two halls came to be Outer Sect Elders like Elder Yan Sheng—elders of considerable seniority and experience whose cultivation had become stuck in the True Immortal Realm.

—The ranks of immortals, from low to high, were Origin Immortal, True Immortal, Heavenly Immortal, Golden Immortal, Grand Unity Golden Immortal, and Grand Dao Golden Immortal.

By Myriad Cloud Sect rules, a Heavenly Immortal could become an Inner Sect Elder, while a True Immortal could serve as an Outer Sect Elder.

Elder Yan Sheng had long grown accustomed to the leisurely days of his rotation.

He had been stuck at the True Immortal bottleneck for thousands of years. His drive to cultivate diligently had long faded, his Dao heart gradually falling silent. His only pleasures now were sleeping, drinking tea, studying formations, and refining pills.

In a corner of the Affairs Hall, Elder Yan Sheng had just awakened in his rocking chair. Listening to the commotion behind the screen, he grabbed the Dry Tobacco pipe beside him and leisurely took a puff of the smoldering Withered Spirit Root.

His powerful Immortal Sense at the peak of the True Immortal Realm did not spread out. He merely listened with his ears, and a little vitality appeared on his wrinkled, gaunt face. —Immortals called it Immortal Sense; those not yet immortal called it spiritual sense.

It sounded like several little disciples had gotten into a conflict?

That was quite a rare occurrence within the sect.

The vast majority of disciples cultivated obediently on their respective mountains. The sect had always promoted mutual help and affection among fellow disciples, and harming one's fellow disciples was the gravest of offenses.

At this moment, an Outer Sect Deacon was recounting the entire course of the conflict to a senior deacon of the Affairs Hall.

Two little disciples at the Qi Refining Realm from Flowing Cloud Temple had run out of Five Grains Pills. Since Flowing Cloud Temple's Deacon, Wei Yanzi, had entered temporary seclusion, they had come together to the Main Peak in search of Five Grains Pills. Unable to fly, they had traveled through a river valley and encountered a vicious exotic beast midway. The beast lunged at and bit at them, and they counterattacked, injuring it. A Medicine Dust Peak disciple responsible for guarding the beast then arrived and, after a disagreement, attacked the two without restraint.

A disciple of Medicine Dust Peak who had taken an immortal master as his teacher had attacked two minor cultivators from Flowing Cloud Temple, who could only be considered Myriad Cloud Sect's registered disciples?

Elder Yan Sheng took a puff of tobacco.

This matter was not difficult to judge.

If all this was true, the two little Qi Refining Realm disciples had done nothing wrong. The Medicine Dust Peak disciple was first guilty of failing to supervise the exotic beast, then suspected of relying on strength to bully the weak. He should be severely punished.

Elder Yan Sheng said nothing, waiting quietly behind the screen.

He wanted to see what decision the senior deacon handling this matter would make.

This senior deacon was named Wang Xinhui. He came from the Sect Master's lineage and had already reached the peak of the Origin Immortal Realm. He had served in the Affairs Hall for over two thousand years, acted steadily, and enjoyed a fine reputation. He was the immortal Elder Yan Sheng was focusing on training as his successor.

Wang Xinhui pondered for a few moments, then said slowly:

"Now that the facts are clear, right and wrong should be determined by reason. The Medicine Dust Peak disciple neglected his duty..."

"Ah, Senior Brother Wang!"

A middle-aged male cultivator at the side said in a low voice:

"Medicine Dust Peak has always protected its own. Though this disciple is merely at the Gathering Spirit Realm and works as a servant on Medicine Dust Peak, we should still be cautious in dealing with him. Besides, they are injured so badly..."

Wang Xinhui's square face became somewhat stern.

He said, "Even if several Martial Uncles from Medicine Dust Peak came here, they would still have to reason things out."

The middle-aged male cultivator added, "But no matter how you put it, those two little disciples injured that rare Ancient Exotic Beast first."

Deacon Wang Xinhui fell silent, seemingly deep in thought.

In the corner, Elder Yan Sheng took another puff of tobacco and smiled with narrowed eyes.

One of Cloud Nurturing Hall's major duties was to preserve harmony among the sect's Thirty-six peaks;

Myriad Cloud Sect had ten or twenty thousand Inner Sect, Outer Sect, and externally stationed prospective disciples combined. Those in charge needed to consider every aspect as thoroughly as possible.

Deacon Wang Xinhui continued:

"If these two little disciples injured the Spirit Beast first, then they should indeed be held accountable and ordered to reflect behind closed doors after recovering from their injuries.

"But this Medicine Dust Peak disciple, using cultivation at the Gathering Spirit Realm to bully two Qi Refining Realm disciples, has truly brought shame upon Medicine Dust Peak. He was also the first party to make a move in this disciple conflict, so he should be severely punished.

"There has not been a case of disciples fighting within the sect for decades. Why not invite his master here and discuss how to handle this together?"

Elder Yan Sheng nodded slightly.

That was a fairly appropriate way of handling things.

Only...

Elder Yan Sheng felt rather sorry for these two little disciples.

They will likely have a hard time finding masters in the future.

Little disciples who had cultivated at Flowing Cloud Temple for a long time were those passed over by the sect's immortals; they were not true immortal seedlings.

Now that the two little disciples had offended Medicine Dust Peak, even if they barely entered the Outer Sect in the end, their days would likely not be easy.

Elder Yan Sheng took a puff from his Dry Tobacco pipe before finally releasing his Immortal Sense to examine the specific injuries of the three little disciples.

The disciple whose Daoist Robe bore the Medicine Dust Peak mark had a face full of tiny wounds, while his neck had nearly caved inward and bent. Such injuries were undeniably severe for a Qi cultivator of the Gathering Spirit Realm.

Was he really beaten like this by Qi Refining Realm disciples?

Elder Yan Sheng turned his gaze to the other side.

There, a young man lay on the floor, covered in bloodstains. The Dharma power within his body was also in turmoil, but Elder Yan Sheng could tell at a glance that he had not suffered serious injuries;

a Girl knelt beside him, her eyes swollen and her appearance pitiful and delicate.

Hmm?

Elder Yan Sheng first frowned slightly, then suddenly opened his eyes and sprang to his feet.

This young man was not—wasn't he that...

Son of Dazhi!

This!

Wasn't this Uncle-Master Li Dazhi's son?

Elder Yan Sheng Flashed directly out from behind the screen. Ignoring the many gazes in the hall, he rushed between the three disciples.

It really was that Li Ping'an!

Elder Yan Sheng considered things briefly, then took a gourd from his robes and poured out two precious Immortal Pills. With a flick of his finger, he sent them into the mouths of Li Ping'an and the Medicine Dust Peak disciple.

The pills melted the moment they entered their mouths. Both men were swiftly Enveloped by streams of medicinal fragrance emanating from within their bodies. Their injuries rapidly recovered, and the Dharma power within each of them even rose slightly.

Only then did the Deacons, sect members, and disciples nearby react, all bowing to Elder Yan Sheng.

Senior Deacon Wang Xinhui hurriedly asked, "Elder, what is this?"

Elder Yan Sheng glanced at Li Ping'an, his gaze rather complicated, and said gravely, "Deacon Xinhui?"

"Elder, your orders."

"Go to the Back Mountain at once and invite Uncle-Master Li Dazhi to the Affairs Hall."

Elder Yan Sheng also sent him a transmission:

"Make sure to tell him that his son is not seriously hurt, while the disciple injured by him suffered rather severe wounds... Make sure you say it exactly so!"

"Rest assured, Elder. I'll go at once."