An Immortal Emperor Artifact was not merely an extraordinary treasure to all cultivators; even to an imperial lineage sect, it was a treasure that suppressed and protected the sect!
Immortal Emperor Mingren had founded the Washing Yan Ancient Sect and left behind Immortal Emperor Artifacts to guard and shelter it. Yet after millions upon millions of years had passed, the Washing Yan Ancient Sect did not even possess a single Immortal Emperor Artifact.
Li Qiye now understood that the decline of the Washing Yan Ancient Sect had not happened without reason. Its Imperial Techniques had been lost, its Immortal Emperor Artifacts had gone missing, and it had no master capable of reviving it. If the Washing Yan Ancient Sect had not declined under such circumstances, there would have been no justice under heaven.
"Senior Brother, do you wish to select a Life Treasure, a treasure artifact, or perhaps a True Artifact?" Nan Huairen asked when he saw Li Qiye lost in thought.
Yet after Li Qiye had toured the weapons stored on the third floor, he shook his head. Not a single treasure artifact or Life Treasure had caught his eye.
Nan Huairen did not understand why Li Qiye looked down on the weapons here. Though the weapons on the third floor were not the very finest, to disciples of the Washing Yan Ancient Sect, they were already enough to make saliva drip three feet long.
Even Nan Huairen coveted several of the weapons on the third floor, but unfortunately, he had never accumulated enough merit to exchange for them.
Since Li Qiye had not taken a fancy to any weapon, Nan Huairen did not dare say anything. He knew Li Qiye had his own plans, so he followed him down from the third floor of the Weapon Repository.
The disciples who had mocked Li Qiye earlier were still there. Seeing him come down empty-handed, one of them said sourly, "Oh, our Eldest Senior Brother has such lofty standards. The weapons on the third floor do not even enter his eyes."
"Heh, you don't know this. Our Eldest Senior Brother only has Immortal Emperor Artifacts in his eyes. He does not even regard ordinary treasure artifacts." Another disciple said in a strange, mocking tone, "Heh, but he should piss in a puddle and take a good look at himself. With that useless straw-stuffed body of his, being allowed onto the third floor to choose a treasure artifact is already the Elders showing exceptional mercy."
Some disciples were deeply indignant. A useless straw-stuffed fool actually had the qualifications to enter the third floor and choose a weapon, making them burn with jealousy. One disciple spat and said disdainfully, "With trash like him, even if an Immortal Emperor Artifact were placed before his eyes, he would think it was scrap metal. A useless fool with eyes but no pearls—how would he recognize a treasure?"
These disciples mocked him openly, making Nan Huairen frown. Li Qiye merely glanced sidelong at them and said calmly, "It seems you are all quite dissatisfied with me."
"Hmph, a useless straw-stuffed fool has no right to be the Eldest Senior Brother of the Washing Yan Ancient Sect!" a disciple said disdainfully.
"Unfortunately, I am still the Eldest Senior Brother." Li Qiye spoke slowly. "Since you dare commit insubordination, it seems that if I do not break your dog legs, I would truly be letting down this position of mine!"
Hearing Li Qiye's words, the few disciples present immediately straightened their backs and sneered, "Oh, Eldest Senior Brother is going to teach us a lesson. As junior brothers, we should naturally experience Eldest Senior Brother's supreme skills."
The other disciples all burst into laughter at those words, their expressions filled with disdain. In their eyes, trash like Li Qiye, with his Mortal Physique, Mortal Meridians, and Mortal Fate, could be dealt with using a single hand.
"Huairen, beat them out!" Li Qiye could not even be bothered to look at them again as he gave the order.
Others might not understand Li Qiye, but how could Nan Huairen not? How had Du Yuanguang died? How had Xu Hui died? At this moment, he broke into a cold sweat for these disciples. If Li Qiye became enraged, he would surely dismember them.
Now that Li Qiye had given the command, Nan Huairen finally let out a breath of relief. He did not hesitate in the slightest over Li Qiye's order. Walking over, he swept his gaze across the disciples and said mildly, "You have shown disrespect to Eldest Senior Brother. I can only carry out the order."
"Nan Huairen, you..." Seeing Nan Huairen step forward for Li Qiye, many disciples became both furious and enraged.
One disciple could not help saying, "Senior Brother Nan, you are at least a favorite in the eyes of the Elders. Pledging loyalty to a piece of trash is beneath you..."
Bang! Bang! Bang! Before he could finish speaking, Nan Huairen sent him flying with a barrage of slaps.
Though Nan Huairen's aptitude was not among the very best in the Washing Yan Ancient Sect, he was Protector Mo's disciple. Teaching a few ordinary disciples a lesson was as easy as turning over his hand.
"You talk too much. A tongue too long can bring you a fatal calamity." Nan Huairen sent the disciple flying in a few moves, then crooked a finger at the others and said, "The lot of you can come at me together, lest you say I bully the small with the big!"
The disciples were shocked and furious. With a loud shout, they rushed forward. Nan Huairen showed no mercy and kicked them all flying in a few moves.
Nan Huairen might have appeared ruthless, but he was saving their lives. At most, his attacks would leave these ordinary disciples with a few superficial injuries.
If Li Qiye had acted personally, Nan Huairen knew that he might well have dismembered them with three or five strikes. What did a few ordinary disciples of the Washing Yan Ancient Sect amount to? The young genius Du Yuanguang of the Nine Sacred Demon Gate and Protector Xu's beloved disciple Xu Hui had both been dismembered by Li Qiye. Even Protector Xu himself had been stomped into meat paste!
In Li Qiye's eyes, killing three or five ordinary disciples like these was probably as easy as eating a meal. Therefore, Nan Huairen kicked them down on the spot until they could not get back up. So long as Li Qiye was not dissatisfied enough to act personally, he was saving their lives.
As for such a scuffle, the disciples guarding the Weapon Repository merely frowned at most. Their duty was to guard this place; regarding the grudges and fights of other disciples, they kept one eye open and one eye closed.
"I want those two Mystic Gate short sabers." Just as Nan Huairen threw those ordinary disciples out of the Weapon Repository, Li Qiye spoke to the protector stationed there.
"The two short sabers clutched beneath the divine crow's feet?" The protector frowned when he heard Li Qiye's words.
This divine crow statue had stood here for millions upon millions of years. No one knew how long those two ordinary iron short sabers had been placed there, but no one had ever paid them any mind.
"Yes." Li Qiye said unhurriedly, "What I practice is the Mystic Gate Saber Technique. I find those two short sabers rather handy, so I want them."
Li Qiye's request made not only the protector stationed here, but also the other disciples guarding the Weapon Repository, look at him strangely, as though they were looking at a madman.
The two short blades grasped by the divine crow statue were merely two rusted ordinary iron blades. Never mind the treasure artifacts and True Artifacts on the third floor—even the weapons on the first floor were many times better than those two short blades!
He passed over the fine treasure artifacts on the third floor, only to choose two worthless short blades—and ordinary iron blades at that! A person like this was either mad or a fool who could not recognize goods!
At that moment, Nan Huairen, who had just thrown out the ordinary disciples, was startled inwardly upon hearing Li Qiye's words. Li Qiye's sudden choice of those two ordinary iron short blades reminded him of something else—the Snake-Beating Cudgel!
Back in the ancestral hall, Li Qiye had demanded that inconspicuous fire poker. At the time, not only the six Elders, but even Nan Huairen himself had thought Li Qiye was a fool for treating a piece of rubbish as a treasure.
Yet that worthless fire poker had beaten a genius like Xu Hui until he could not fight back at all, lashing him until his skin split and his flesh tore!
Now that Li Qiye suddenly wanted these two short blades, this was likely not a passing whim. Perhaps he had noticed them the instant he entered the Weapon Repository.
"Nan Huairen, you... you dare hit me? I... I'll report you to the Elders..." A disciple who had been thrown out of the Weapon Repository by Nan Huairen said in shock and fury.
"Slap his mouth. Keep hitting him until he stops talking," Li Qiye said lightly.
Though those words were spoken lightly, Nan Huairen immediately heard the anger within them. He was skilled at reading people's thoughts; the moment Li Qiye spoke, he caught the fury in his words.
"Sorry for the trouble." Nan Huairen did not hesitate. Slap! Slap! Slap! He struck the disciple across the face several times. Not only was he saving this disciple's life, he also understood that Li Qiye was testing him.
After saying this, Li Qiye ignored him again and spoke to the protector stationed there. "The Elders agreed to let me select one weapon. It should be fine for me to choose these two short sabers, yes?"
The protector stared at Li Qiye as though he were some strange creature. No matter how he looked at him, Li Qiye did not seem like a fool—yet he insisted on doing something so foolish.
In the end, the protector hesitated before nodding. "Fine." They were merely two ordinary iron short sabers, not any valuable treasure. Li Qiye had come bearing the Elders' token; giving him two ordinary iron short sabers was no problem whatsoever.
Li Qiye personally took down the two short sabers, and the protector registered them for him. As he made the record, he still felt that Li Qiye was sick in the head. Rather than select from an entire repository of treasure artifacts and True Artifacts, he had chosen two ordinary iron short blades!
At last, Li Qiye put away the two ordinary iron short sabers and walked out of the Weapon Repository. As he left, he glanced at the ordinary disciples who were wailing after Nan Huairen's beating and said mildly, "You should thank Huairen for saving your lives. If you have any objections to me, you are welcome to complain to the Elders at any time. But if I act personally next time, you will not have such a pleasant outcome."
Having had his thoughts exposed, Nan Huairen gave a few awkward dry laughs.
The ordinary disciples who had been beaten miserably could not help shuddering. The boy before them looked to be around thirteen years old, yet no matter how they looked at him, he was a vicious fiend, nothing like a thirteen-year-old child. The sight made their scalps prickle.
Li Qiye could not be bothered with them any longer. Turning around, he left the Weapon Repository and returned to Solitary Peak.
Before you continue