What?
At the cultivator's warning, everyone turned pale with fright.
The people here could only just barely hold the Great Snake at bay, yet it was suppressing its strength as it transformed while keeping them tied up.
If it succeeded, wouldn't they all die?
Qin Yu's face was grim. He had already noticed a dazzling light emanating from the Great Snake's belly.
The power of what seemed to be a Demon Core was surging.
The Great Snake really was transforming.
A trace of contempt appeared in its basin-sized eyes. "Now that you know, leave at once. You can't stop me."
"I'll let this matter pass as if it never happened. Otherwise, don't blame me for slaughtering the whole city after I break through."
At the words "slaughtering the whole city," everyone's expressions tightened.
Were they really going to watch this Snake Demon complete its transformation and drift away?
Where would that leave the human race's dignity?
Who would answer for the blood debts it had incurred?
If they set this precedent, wouldn't using humans to cultivate become commonplace among the Demon Race? Wouldn't they hold humans in even greater contempt?
Suddenly, a cold voice echoed through the sky. "Beast! Cease your insolence!"
Crack!
A beam of golden light seemed to cleave the firmament as it descended from the heavens, slicing the clouds above into neat halves.
An aura of peerless power descended the next instant.
Radiance blazed across the world.
The beam of golden light stretched a hundred zhang, descending with the precision of a bolt of lightning. It pierced the Great Snake's body and ran straight through it.
Pfft!
A vast wave of crimson blood sprayed in every direction.
The Great Snake's body shuddered. Its jaws gaped wide as it let out a despairing shriek. "Aah..."
Boom!
The Great Snake's body heaved, then twitched a few times before falling still.
It had all happened so suddenly that many people hadn't even reacted yet.
The Snake Demon was dead? This arrogant Great Snake had just died like that?
Everyone felt as if they were dreaming.
Qin Yu was shaken. "...Heaven Severing Sword!"
Golden Glow interwove in the sky, where a tall, black-haired young man in white stood suspended in midair.
His brows were as sharp as swords, his eyes bright as stars, and his face stern. A dazzling golden light shone from between his brows, while the divine sword in his hand thrummed with astonishing sword intent.
His entire bearing was solemn and imposing.
Lin Jing's face lit up with joy. She shouted, "Holy Son, Junior Disciple..."
The one who had slain the White Snake was none other than the Divine Concealment Sect's New Holy Son, Jiang Ming—the Junior Disciple ranked eighth among the Eight Great True Disciples.
Half a year ago, his cultivation had been at the fifth layer of the Object Manipulation Realm.
Now, many people noticed that Jiang Ming's cultivation was at...the seventh layer of the Object Manipulation Realm!
His rate of advancement was simply unbelievable. He truly deserved to be the Divine Concealment Sect's New Holy Son.
Even if the Snake Demon had completed its transformation, it probably still couldn't have escaped Jiang Ming's sword.
"Greetings, Holy Son!"
"Greetings, Holy Son!"
The Divine Concealment Sect's experts and everyone else present hurriedly paid their respects.
"Hahaha!"
Qin Yu laughed as he rushed over. "Junior Disciple, you're finally out of seclusion. If you hadn't come, we might have been done for..."
Lin Jing followed after him, praising Jiang Ming. "Junior Disciple, you've advanced way too fast! I've decided. Starting tomorrow, I'm going to cultivate hard and catch up to you in three years."
Jiang Ming's face was clear-cut, with sword-sharp brows and star-bright eyes, but he rarely smiled, giving him an air of coldness.
He didn't look pleased by his senior brother and senior sister's praise. Shaking his head, he said, "Fourth Senior Brother, Sixth Senior Sister, you flatter me."
"There's someone whose brilliance I still haven't caught up to. If he were here, how would a Snake Demon dare come here?"
"I'll leave the rest to you. Your junior brother will take his leave."
With that, Jiang Ming's white robes fluttered. One Step, One Heaven and Earth—and in the blink of an eye, he vanished over the horizon.
Qin Yu and Lin Jing looked at each other.
A trace of sadness passed over the latter's face.
A strange expression surfaced on the former's.
Was the Holy Son Eldest Senior Brother still in the Corpse Refining Courtyard?
Should I go see him?
No, the Holy Son Eldest Senior Brother told me not to.
What should I do?
Qin Yu's face twisted with indecision.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up.
I've got it. I'll go find the Sect Master. If the Sect Master tells me where the Holy Son Eldest Senior Brother is and gives me permission to visit him at the Corpse Refining Courtyard, then it won't be my fault.
"Sixth Junior Sister, do you miss Eldest Senior Brother? Do you really want to see him? Come on, let's go find the Sect Master."
Qin Yu spoke to Lin Jing.
"Fourth Senior Brother, Eldest Senior Brother's a forbidden topic with the Sect Master. Is this really okay?"
Lin Jing replied timidly, her eyes faintly red. She missed Eldest Senior Brother terribly, too.
It had been more than half a year. Where was Eldest Senior Brother?
The entire sect had searched, but no one could find him.
"We'll find out if we try."
Qin Yu said.
The Divine Concealment Sect was vast, with tens of thousands of disciples.
Its picturesque mountain peaks stretched beyond the horizon, and Auspicious Beasts and divine birds could be found everywhere.
It was a wondrous sight, beautiful beyond measure.
Qin Yu and Lin Jing arrived at the Main Peak Hall of the Divine Concealment Sect.
A man stood inside the hall. He wore a gray robe and was tall and somewhat slender, with gleaming eyes and graying hair.
His face was as firm as if carved from stone. His bright eyes and imposing beard made it clear at a glance that he was a powerful man who had long held a high position.
He was Luo Jiang, the Sect Master of the Divine Concealment Sect.
"Sect Master, where have you hidden Eldest Senior Brother? If you don't tell me, I'll cut you down with my sword."
Qin Yu shouted as he walked. By the time he finished, he had already entered the main hall.
Lin Jing called out after him, "That's right! If you don't tell us, Fourth Senior Brother and I will cut you down!"
The Sect Master's face immediately darkened. He said to Qin Yu, "He is no longer your Eldest Senior Brother. Your Second Senior Brother is now your Eldest Senior Brother. You're the Third Senior Brother, and Lin Jing is the fifth disciple."
Qin Yu waved a hand. "Give it a rest. The Second Senior Brother is the Second Senior Brother. How can he be Eldest Senior Brother? Eldest Senior Brother is Eldest Senior Brother. If the Second Senior Brother becomes Eldest Senior Brother, then what does that make the original Eldest Senior Brother? Isn't he your disciple?"
The Sect Master said coldly, "You're right. He isn't my disciple. So from now on, stop messing up the seniority order. I have only seven disciples."
Lin Jing timidly spoke up. "Then I don't want to be the fifth disciple, either. I still want to be the Sixth Senior Sister. How about moving Seventh Junior Brother up a place and making him the fifth?"
Qin Yu chimed in, "Exactly. I don't want to be the Third Senior Brother, either. Let whoever wants it take it. Anyone who calls me Third Senior Brother is going to have a problem with me. Why not just move Seventh Junior Brother ahead of me? If he's got the guts, that is."
The Sect Master trembled with rage. "You ungrateful wretches! Are you rebelling?"
Qin Yu crossed his arms. "It's not as if I just started rebelling today. What, are you going to strip me of my rank? Then go all the way. I don't care about being an Elite Disciple, an Inner Disciple, or any of that. Just send me straight to the Corpse Refining Courtyard."
"Maybe after you've been dead a hundred years, I'll be the one to see you off on your final journey."
Rumble!
A glowing hand as large as a small mountain descended over Qin Yu and Lin Jing.
Before either of them could react, the enormous hand struck them and sent them flying out of the hall, where they crashed heavily to the ground.
The Sect Master's furious voice rang through the hall. Like a raging old lion, he roared, "You miscreants, get out!"
His voice boomed like thunder, making the Main Peak tremble violently.
"Let's pretend we can't beat him and get out of here."
Qin Yu got to his feet, brushed the dirt off his clothes, and left with Lin Jing.
Their plan had ended in failure.
Corpse Refining Courtyard:
Li Ye had already heard from the other Corpse Incinerators that the Snake Demon had been exposed and was being hunted down by the Divine Concealment Sect and the city's experts.
"Latest news! The Snake Demon's been killed!"
A Corpse Incinerator ran up from the foot of the mountain, shouting excitedly.
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