Words Left Unsaid

"Xiao Jinyu!!" Gong Haoyue's mind reeled, and his body swayed uncontrollably! The other three hurriedly helped him sit down!

Lei Zhouyue transformed into a streak of blazing lightning and shot into the room. "Brother Ouyang is in grave danger. I'm going to back him up!" Without waiting for a reply, he turned to leave, but Cai Tingyue grabbed him. "Old Lei, don't make things worse! Let's discuss a plan first!"

"Elders!" Liu Yunshen strode into the room and shut the door behind him!

Cai Tingyue let out a deep sigh. "Brother Liu is no outsider, and he is steady by nature. There is no harm in telling him!"

Only then did Gong Haoyue rise and activate a mechanism in the Mount Dai Sword Pavilion's martial arts hall. A secret passage appeared beneath the floor! The group filed inside. Once seated, Sun Yunji's brows had already knotted into a tight lump. "Brother Liu may not know this, but Xiao Jinyu was originally one of our Four Swords Sect. Yet twenty years ago, he murdered our master, betrayed the sect, and sought refuge with the Nine Bestowals Sect!"

"The Nine Bestowals Sect has already fallen. It should be called the Three Stars Sect now!" Cai Tingyue added from the side.

"His wolfish ambition is laid bare for all to see!" Liu Yunshen clenched his fists!

"Isn't that so!" Cao Wuji raged. "Nine Bestowals! Nine Bestowals! It was plainly a declaration that they meant to usurp the throne and proclaim themselves emperor!"

"I'd say that master of the Nine Bestowals Sect wanted more than to become emperor. He wanted to become an immortal and unite the immortal and devil paths under one rule!"

"Now isn't the time to discuss that devil. Let Junior Brother Sun finish first!" Gong Haoyue had no heart for tea. He slammed the priceless purple-clay teapot he had used for years onto the bluestone table. A crack appeared along the spout from the impact. This only made his heart more unsettled, and he kept stroking the crack with his hand!

"Another day, I'll find a craftsman to make Senior Brother an even better one!" Cao Wuji comforted him. Gong Haoyue nodded with a bitter smile.

"Many years ago, Master Ouyang Zhaochen adopted me and Third Junior Brother Xiao Jinyu. Back then, Third Junior Brother had not yet changed his name. Seeing that he was upright and simple by nature, with something of a heroic spirit, Master bestowed upon him the name Xiao Jinyu!"

"Xiao Jinyu! That name doesn't sound very auspicious!" Liu Yunshen thought to himself.

"Junior Brother Xiao hated evil as though it were his mortal enemy, and his comprehension was exceptional. Among the three of us disciples, he was Master's favorite!! Eldest Senior Brother, Third Junior Brother, and I had practically grown up together. Who could have imagined that he would become..." Sun Yunji broke down in tears!

Cai Tingyue frowned. "Junior Brother Sun, this is not the time for grief."

"Yes!" Sun Yunji wiped away his tears. "When Junior Brother Xiao was eighteen, he had already inherited Master's true martial teachings. Eldest Senior Brother had comprehended only eighty percent of the true essence of the sword arts, while I was even less worthy! But it was also that year that Junior Brother Xiao's temperament suddenly changed completely. He joined the Nine... the Three Stars Sect, and as proof of allegiance, he slaughtered several thousand people across an entire county!"

"Several thousand people! That devil has lost all human feeling!" Liu Yunshen shot to his feet in fury.

"The Heavenly Devil Palace calls itself the leader of the devil sects, but in my view, when it comes to vicious methods and cruel deeds, the Three Stars Sect is even worse than the devil sects!" Cao Wuji struck the table fiercely. The already-cracked spout immediately fell off. Gong Haoyue picked it up with a bitter smile and tucked it into his pocket.

"What exactly happened back then to cause Xiao Jinyu's temperament to change so drastically?" Liu Yunshen pressed on.

Sun Yunji lowered his head with a sigh.

"I'd say it was nothing more than fame, profit, power, and beauty!" Lei Zhouyue watched the dancing flames and rubbed his smooth bald head!

Cai Tingyue smiled at everyone. "Who would have thought that Old Lei, who has always been so carefree, could offer such philosophical insight today!"

Gong Haoyue fiddled with the broken spout and laughed loudly. "The key is that he's right! Though I shouldn't say it, if I, Old Gong, had talent as high as Xiao Jinyu's, spent ten years mastering the Mystic Elephant Essence-Condensing Art, and thoroughly grasped every variation of the Frostblade Sword Alliance's sword arts, then had some sect master from the Nine Bestowals or whatever toss me an olive branch, I might well be tempted too!"

"Give it a rest! With that upright nature of yours, you can't stand to see the poor bullied. You'd be ostracized on your first day in the Three Stars Sect!" Cai Tingyue laughed.

"What happened afterward? After Xiao Jinyu slaughtered an entire county, did Old Sect Master Ouyang do nothing?" Liu Yunshen asked.

Sun Yunji smiled bitterly. "Master was naturally enraged. He went personally, intending to subdue him. Who would have expected that seven days later, Xiao Jinyu would return to the gates of the Myriad Swords Sect dressed in mourning clothes, personally escorting a coffin and delivering Master's remains!"

"This!" Liu Yunshen nearly fell from his chair in terror. "Could even Old Sect Master Ouyang not defeat Xiao Jinyu?"

"That is the most terrifying part!" Cai Tingyue pressed his lips together. "Brother Liu saw it yesterday as well. That Mountain Lord Mei possessed cultivation so profound that he likely did not fall short of several great figures of this age, such as the Heavenly Devil Palace Lord and the Myriad Swords Sect Master. And while Old Sect Master Ouyang was alive, his alchemical cultivation had already reached the complete fourth realm of Qi Refinement. At any time, he could have entered seclusion and broken through to the Earth Immortal realm!"

"That's right. Master delayed his ascension because he could not set aside his worries for us useless disciples."

Sun Yunji hesitated, secretly pondering, In truth, Master had another concern about refusing to ascend to Earth Immortal. But that is not important now. If there is a chance later, I can explain it to Brother Liu in detail.

"Not only that, I heard that Old Sect Master Ouyang was not only formidable in alchemical arts, but his martial cultivation was also extraordinarily profound—said to be above the fifth level!" Reverence filled Gong Haoyue's eyes!

"The fifth heaven of the Life Realm?" Liu Yunshen asked.

"No one knows!" Everyone shook their heads. Confusion also appeared in Sun Yunji's eyes.

"In other words, Xiao Jinyu's cultivation may well have surpassed even the old sect master's!" Terror darkened Liu Yunshen's expression.

"There's really nothing to fear! So what if his martial realm is a little higher? Let's go together and pull Senior Brother Ouyang out first!"

"My elder brother can surely contend with that demon Xiao Jinyu. My teacher's cultivation is also unfathomable, but unfortunately neither of them is at my side. If I could ask my elder brother..." Liu Yunshen sighed.

"Second Brother, stop trying to be a blindly good man! Besides, your foolish elder brother must soon enter the Wilderness Secret Realm · Azure Mound Bloodsoil! I can't help you for the time being!"

The Yellow River Swordsman's voice transmission traveled a thousand miles!

Liu Yunshen was delighted yet disappointed. He reminded him, "Elder Brother, your nature is somewhat arrogant. There are likely many powerful experts in the secret realm, so you must be careful!"

The Yellow River Swordsman laughed. "Kid, worry about yourself. Your elder brother will be fine! When I return, we'll drink together!"

Warmth came over Liu Yunshen's face. Everyone present looked toward him. Cai Tingyue frowned, then looked at the others. "Could it be that Brother Liu has another trump card?"

Gong Haoyue grinned and transmitted his voice. "That's someone else's business. Old Cai, don't use your status as big brother to pry into other people's privacy!"

"Old Gong is right..." The moment the words left Cai Tingyue's mouth, he burst into laughter. "You old bastard, taking advantage of me, Old Cai!"

"Hahaha, you said it yourself. That's just what my surname is!" Gong Haoyue laughed aloud. Liu Yunshen looked at them in confusion and smiled. "Could it be that you elders have trump cards as well?"

They all shook their heads.

"There's no time to lose! Let's set out at once!" Lei Zhouyue stood up! Cai Tingyue stopped him. "Wait! How many of us are going?"

"I say all of us! We go tonight and strive to return by dawn, while the disciples are all resting!"

"All of us! Too few people won't be enough!"

"But what if..." Cai Tingyue's gaze struggled! Liu Yunshen took hold of him. "Brother Cai, Sect Master Ouyang currently has the highest realm in our sect. He is the only one with any hope of raising his Life Realm to the fourth level within a year. If Sect Master Ouyang dies, the destruction of the Four Swords Sect will likely be only a matter of time! Tonight, we must stake everything on one throw!"

"Magnificent! I knew Brother Liu was something special! I, Cao Wuji, respect you as a true man!" Cao Wuji embraced Liu Yunshen enthusiastically!

Liu Yunshen smiled. "Could it be that Elder Cao initially did not..."

"I saw how handsome Brother Liu was and looked down on you a little... Hahaha, let bygones be bygones!"

Everyone laughed, and amid the haze of despair, a sliver of light appeared!

"Then it's settled! Brother Liu, you stay behind!" Cai Tingyue seized Liu Yunshen's hand. Sun Yunji nodded as well.

"If all of us old men die at Xiao Jinyu's hands, then Brother Liu must take the sect's disciples into seclusion in some valley, cut yourselves off from worldly affairs, and wait until you reach the fourth realm of Qi Refinement and above the sixth martial realm before returning to avenge us!"

Liu Yunshen shook his head slightly. A twenty-zhang Sword Qi shot from his fingertips!

"Twenty-zhang Sword Qi at the first realm of Qi Refinement!" Sun Yunji cried out. "When I was at the first tier of the first realm, even risking my life, I could only manage a little over three chi! Yet Master had already praised me as a gifted disciple seen once in ten years!"

"Remarkable!" Cai Tingyue and Gong Haoyue exclaimed in admiration.

"I'd say Brother Liu absolutely has the ability to protect himself!" Lei Zhouyue nodded as well!

Seven stars faintly gathered around Liu Yunshen, and an overpowering killing intent spread freely through the secret chamber!

"Everyone, we will not die tonight! Nor will we allow Sect Master Ouyang to die at another's hands!"

Liu Yunshen smiled as he gazed at them!