A Sect May Fall Easily, but Heartknots Are Hard to Untie
Upper Thousand Provinces, the Xuanling Realm.
Northern Nether Domain, Flowing Rosy Clouds Sect.
The Flowing Rosy Clouds Sect is located in the western part of the Northern Nether Domain Region. Its Mountain Gate faces a snow-covered mountain range that never melts, making it one of the most prominent sects in the region.
But this dignity is about to be lost.
On the sect's Martial Arts Arena, a huge fighting arena was surrounded by array lights soaring into the sky.
A young man stood on the platform, unarmored and unarmed, dressed in a tight-fitting outfit with his hands empty.
His Blood Qi surged and churned, rising like clouds, scorching even from a great distance.
Below the arena, people lay sprawled on the ground, all panting, but none of them could get up.
The insignia on their clothes all belonged to the core disciples of the Flowing Rosy Clouds Sect.
One after another they went up, and one after another they were shot down.
The faces of the Flowing Rosy Clouds Sect members watching from below the stage were all grim.
At first, some people were shouting that they would teach outsiders a lesson, but as time went on, their voices gradually faded away.
Those who took turns going up were the most outstanding members of the sect in this generation.
In the end, they couldn't even force one of their hands out.
If that doesn't work, then we'll have to ask the personal disciples of the top strikers to step in.
When Ji Wuchen arrived, this was the scene he witnessed.
The figure on the stage was none other than Chu Wujiu.
But why is he the only one? Where are the others?
With a thought, his gaze swept across the entire room, and he quickly found a solution.
At the highest point of the Martial Arts Arena stands the observation platform where successive leaders of the Flowing Rosy Clouds Sect have observed ceremonies.
From their elevated position, overlooking the entire area, ordinary disciples dared not even step onto the stairs.
But now, a few outsiders have taken up the whole place.
Yun Zexuan leaned against the railing, playing with a few pebbles that seemed to shimmer with starlight.
Zhao Lingyun sat cross-legged on the railing, his feet dangling in mid-air, swaying precariously.
Only Ye Lingchuan sat alone in the shadows, leaning against the Nine-Bend Coffin, motionless.
I wonder what he's thinking.
The elders and disciples of the Flowing Rosy Clouds Sect below were furious, their faces turning ashen, but none of them dared to come forward and chase them away.
They couldn't catch them.
The man on the stage, with his hands empty, had already defeated all the young Prodigy of the Flowing Rosy Clouds Sect.
In terms of seniority and influence, the elders present naturally had the upper hand over him.
However, these outsiders were of unknown origin and their true nature was hard to fathom, so no one dared to make a move rashly.
If a fight breaks out and it involves someone you can't afford to offend, that would be a catastrophe.
Ji Wuchen followed him onto the stage, and without any formalities, found a spot to lean against the railing.
His gaze fell on the stage, and his brow twitched slightly.
"Weren't you here to rescue people? Why are you setting up a fighting ring?"
"Saving people is the right thing to do." Yun Zexuan twirled a pebble between his fingers without turning around. "It's just that this person isn't entirely innocent."
"What's the meaning?"
"That girl, Su Wanqing, is already engaged."
"Beneath their engagement?" Ji Wuchen was slightly taken aback, then suddenly realized something, "Could it be that the two of them are already...?"
No, not at all.
Only after saying this did Yun Zexuan turn around.
Don't you find that strange?
"She kept saying she liked Ye Lingchuan, but she kept the engagement a complete secret, not mentioning it once."
"He could have easily gotten away, but he insisted on returning to the sect and causing a scene, demanding the annulment of the engagement, which is why he was imprisoned."
Ji Wuchen's eyes flickered, as if he had thought of something.
You mean...?
"That's right," Yun Zexuan said calmly, "She's using Ye Lingchuan."
"All she wanted was to use this power to break free from that marriage she couldn't escape."
Ji Wuchen pondered, "Just as Qin Wangchuan described, it's incredibly melodramatic."
"For her to scheme to this extent, the rival of that engagement must be someone of considerable influence."
"It's more than just big."
Zhao Lingyun was the one who answered.
He tilted his head and chuckled.
"The young master of the Myriad Phenomena Heavenly Sect... he's incredibly powerful."
The last word was pronounced very softly, yet it carried a suppressed anger.
Myriad Phenomena Heavenly Sect
Ji Wuchen vaguely remembered this name.
Even across Upper Thousand Provinces, it is a colossal sect that ranks among the top, and ordinary sects cannot afford to provoke it.
Compared to it, the Flowing Rosy Clouds Sect is nothing more than a junior sect that depends on its whims.
However, Su Wanqing was born with exceptional talent and was a holy maiden cultivated by the Flowing Rosy Clouds Sect.
Such a person caught the eye of the young master of the Myriad Phenomena Heavenly Sect, and a marriage agreement was signed.
For the Flowing Rosy Clouds Sect...
This is a powerful backer that even those who aspire to high positions cannot obtain.
But for Su Wanqing, it was a shackle that had been forcibly imposed.
Since she wouldn't admit it, I had to find a way.
And this solution lies within the Wandao Academy.
That place Prodigy teeming with geniuses; any one of them could easily have a background that would astound the entire region.
Not to mention that several of them were Successor Imperial Clan.
Only by climbing into such a prestigious social class can she break free from these shackles.
However, among these individuals, only a limited number are truly worth taking action against.
The people surrounding Qin Wangchuan could stretch from the Mountain Gate to the foot of the mountain; there was no chance for her.
The others are all shrewd and capable; none of them can hide their thoughts from others.
After considering all the possibilities, only Ye Lingchuan comes to mind.
The Ye Clan has powerful backing, enough to support the influence she desires.
He's a quiet, honest person, and easy to manipulate.
So, among all the Prodigy in the courtyard, she was indifferent to everyone except Ye Lingchuan, whom she treated with utmost devotion.
Step by step, we have been led to where we are today.
What a cunning scheme!
Ji Wuchen sighed and turned to look at Ye Lingchuan beside him.
"Then, Ye Lingchuan, what do you think—"
Before he could finish speaking, a hand came across.
It is Yun Zexuan.
The latter gave him a wink, then shook his head.
At this moment, Ye Lingchuan was leaning against the coffin, head down, seemingly lost in thought.
Now, the whole story is clear.
The group had come in a fit of rage, intending to smash through the sect and take the people away—how satisfying that would be!
But unfortunately, the girl was a fake; she had been lying from beginning to end.
Now, I don't know what to do.
The person involved was completely flustered; no matter how well others wanted to help, they couldn't make the decision for him.
Chu Wujiu, so he went up on stage himself, wanting to force the person out for a face-to-face confrontation.
But now that things have come to this, what's the point of shouting it out?
Ji Wuchen opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing and remained silent.
A thought crossed my mind.
"Let's wait for him to come."
Ye Lingchuan remained with his head down.
My mind is churning with useless details.
I, clumsy with words, and she, chattering away.
But I never imagined that it was all fake.
On the stage, Chu Wujiu slowly withdrew his stance.
His Blood Qi surged continuously throughout his body, showing no sign of abating.
"What, is nobody here?"
He looked around, and the fighting spirit in his voice burned even brighter.
"Hand over Su Wanqing, and I'll only ask her one question."
"Let her say it herself, whether it's true or not."
The audience was completely silent.
Not a single person in the entire Flowing Rosy Clouds Sect dared to accept the challenge.
Handing him over? We can't.
That was the sect's prized holy maiden; how could they dare to push her away just because of an outsider's question?
Chu Wujiu waited for a moment, and seeing that no one answered, he was not annoyed at all, but instead laughed.
"Refusing to pay?"
"Good, very good."
He took a step forward, and his Blood Qi surged out like a tide, causing the entire arena to collapse with a roar.
"Then don't blame me for turning your Flowing Rosy Clouds Sect upside down!"
The shouting was coming from below, and from above the crowd.
Several elders gathered together, their faces grave.
The Second Elder, Gu Song, could no longer contain himself and turned to speak to the person at the head of the table.
"First Elder, are we just going to watch these kids run wild in the sect?"
Normally, these two don't get along, and they'd rather say as little as possible.
But given the current situation, he couldn't care less about those things.
"Little brat?"
Yun Ya glanced at him indifferently.
"Did you notice that they have Dao Protector following behind them?"
Gu Song was taken aback, focused his senses for a moment, and then shook his head.
"No. I noticed just now, and there was no trace of Dao Protector."
As he was speaking, he suddenly realized something.
"Is the First Elder afraid that they have someone else backing them?"
"I've been paying attention for a long time, and that's what I'm afraid of."
Gu Song continued thinking, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper, "But looking everywhere, there wasn't a single Dao Protector..."
"There are only two explanations: no Dao Protector." Yun Ya slowly replied.
"Or perhaps they really are just a few arrogant Rogue Cultivator who came alone without any support."
"Or perhaps, that Dao Protector is far beyond our reach, so far that we are completely unaware of them."
As he spoke, he turned his head to the side.
"Guess which one it is?"