"Hehe!" Liao Xiaojin stroked the purple bracelet on his wrist and cackled strangely. "What a pity! That Heavenly Seal was destroyed by that damned old Taoist. And I didn't even strip a single thing off him—what a huge loss!" Liao Xiaojin still could not let go of that great seal.
"Mm." Zhou Qing also found it regrettable. "That old Taoist was indeed an expert. His cultivation was just a little higher than mine, and the magical treasures and flying swords on him definitely weren't ordinary items. Unfortunately, nothing could remain beneath the Blood-Devouring Divine Saber. Still, the Langgan Ring in your hand is also a rare defensive treasure, exquisitely crafted. When the three of you face an enemy, you can form a Three Talents Formation. So long as your opponent isn't an expert, they presumably won't be able to break through its defenses."
"Master, you really are sinister. That old Taoist had such high cultivation, yet you killed him in a single slash with a sneak attack. You were even smiling beforehand, and none of us knew." Zhou Chen had become much more cheerful lately.
"Yeah! Yeah! Master, you're ruthless and vicious. You turn your face faster than turning the pages of a book—you're truly the very model of a dagger hidden behind a smile!" Liao Xiaojin joined in as well, carefully watching Zhou Qing's expression to see whether he would be embarrassed.
"Hmph! The Dao of Heaven, the Dao of law, and the Dao of warfare are all the Dao of deception. When facing an enemy, how one applies them depends on the ingenuity within one's heart." Zhou Qing remained perfectly composed, without the slightest embarrassment. "That old Taoist was stubborn and pedantic, and he didn't know how to stay on guard. If he had fled at the time, there really would have been nothing I could do to him. If this matter got out, Mao Shan and the experts of those Daoist Sects would surely have beaten us all into pulp by now. How would we have the leisure to sit here discussing right and wrong?"
"Today, Master will properly give you all a political lesson!" Zhou Qing grew more pleased with himself as he spoke. "What cultivators seek is powerful strength. The cultivation world differs from the mundane world. In the cultivation world, only life and death matter; we do not contend over right and wrong, nor do we distinguish between them. Even ordinary people only speak of power, not justice. You must remember this well: battles between cultivators are incomparably dangerous, and life or death can be decided in an instant. It is not like a contest of martial arts, where there is room to hold back. When magical treasures and flying swords clash, one moment of carelessness means eternal damnation and the destruction of both body and soul. You won't even qualify to go to hell. So you must never hold back. Kill when it is time to kill."
"Only life and death matter; do not contend over right and wrong." Liao Xiaojin savored those eight words carefully and found them deeply reasonable. Zhou Chen was less affected. She had originally been a demon, and what demons followed was the law of the strong devouring the weak. It was only because she had spent so long among humans that she had gradually picked up human habits. Now, hearing Zhou Qing's words, she seemed to have returned to her childhood in the mountains, when her father had always warned her in just this way. For a moment, she became lost in thought.
"Master, we killed those Mao Shan disciples. Do you think they know already? Will they trace it back to us?" Zhou Chen was still quite worried about the matter.
"What's there to fear? Even if they trace it back to us, so what? Master's divine abilities are unmatched. Even Old Taoist Chen Kong was killed in a single slash. How many Spirit Transformation experts are there in the cultivation world?" Liao Xiaojin laid on the flattery thick.
"What nonsense! That was a sneak attack, and the Blood-Devouring Divine Saber is an ancient demonic artifact of incomparable power, which was why I succeeded in one strike. If there had been two of them, I wouldn't even have had time to run. Even if this old man were made entirely of iron, how many iron nails could I take? Besides, the Blood-Devouring Divine Saber is extremely prone to backlash, and the Great All-Encompassing Godly Fiend Formation is vicious beyond measure. You all saw its power. Unless one's cultivation reaches the realm of Yu Hua, the grand master of the demonic path from back then, it cannot be controlled freely. Unless it is absolutely necessary, I would not dare use it again." Liao Xiaojin had kicked an iron plate with his flattery and received a thorough scolding from Zhou Qing.
Yet when Liao Xiaojin recalled the scene from that day, along with the forest that would never grow so much as a blade of grass again, he could not help shuddering. He wholeheartedly agreed.
"Chenchen, although the demonic aura on your body has been concealed by the jade talisman I made for you, truly skilled people may still be able to see through it. Don't go out for now. Cultivate in peace. Once the heat dies down, we'll go find that Tianxuan Blood Demon and see whether it can withstand the might of a single slash from me. Hmph! It calls itself a Blood Demon, while my divine saber is called Blood-Devouring. Our names clash with a taboo. Hmph!" Zhou Qing sneered.
Zhou Chen's heart surged with joy. Since Zhou Qing had agreed to help her, her chances of avenging herself had risen immensely. She had originally still doubted Zhou Qing's strength, because during that battle with the Tianxuan Blood Demon, Zhou Qing had been slightly inferior. But ever since witnessing the might of Zhou Qing's single slash that day, she had practically come to worship his strength.
Ling Fei was also deeply frustrated. It was not merely that he had been removed from his post as leader of the Dragon Group. Though the Dragon Group was only a small group with just over a hundred members, it indirectly controlled nearly all movements within China's Daoist Sects. Especially after the addition of the new group of members, the Lineage's influence had become astonishingly vast. The position of group leader was indeed an extremely important one. Ling Fei had become leader partly because of his own abilities, partly because Kunlun was the leader of the Daoist Sects, so as a Kunlun disciple, the other sects had nothing to say, and thirdly because the Lineage's power was also enormous. The Lineage's businesses reached nearly every field, and several members of the Lineage held positions in the highest levels of government that were anything but ordinary.
Ling Fei knew that this incident was a struggle between Lineages. Xiang Hui acted sinisterly and without regard for right or wrong, and he had clashed with Ling Fei several times. This time, Xiang Hui had suddenly struck while seizing an opportunity, and Ling Fei had not known a thing beforehand. It seemed his own Lineage had fallen into the disadvantage in their internal struggle. More importantly, Shu Mountain had likely also gotten involved. Ever since Ancestor Changmei founded the Shu Mountain Sect, it had always been arrogantly self-important, looking down on every other sect. If Kunlun's Daoist arts had not been so profound and its strength so outstanding, Shu Mountain would probably have raised its banner long ago and declared itself the number one Daoist Sect under heaven.
Even more frustratingly, Ling Fei had come to see his master this time and ask him to emerge from seclusion, telling him that an expert of the demonic path from back then had reappeared. Yet after hearing this, his master's expression had turned strange. He remained silent for a long time before finally driving Ling Fei out and telling him to think of a solution himself. It seemed that if he failed to investigate this matter clearly, he would have no chance of making a comeback.
Ling Fei flew high in the sky on his sword, dejected and listless. Fortunately, it was night. Otherwise, he would have frightened a great many ordinary people, and if word got out, it would likely become another charge against him. Ling Fei's thoughts ran wild.
Sshh! A streak of golden light tore through the heavens, whipping up fierce astral winds. Ling Fei was startled. This person was also a fellow cultivator—why were they acting with such arrogance and making such a huge commotion? Though it was nighttime, this was still greatly improper. In the blink of an eye, that streak of golden light had stopped before Ling Fei.
A young man stood atop a golden sword light more than thirty feet long and five feet wide. He wore a bright yellow Daoist robe, its hems fluttering in the night wind as though he might drift away at any moment. He looked exactly like an immortal. His appearance was simply superb; if others saw him, it would not be impossible for them to immediately burn incense and bow in worship.
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