I Beg You to Leave

Chu Zeming glanced at their sect robes—Rising Sun Sect, one of the ten great sects of the cultivation world.

Withdrawing his gaze, Chu Zeming said flatly, "What Clearfrost Buddha Lingzhi? I don't know anything about it."

The leading Rising Sun Sect disciple snapped, "We used the Violet Compass and discovered long ago that the Clearfrost Buddha Lingzhi was here, yet you still dare to quibble. Hand it over at once!"

Chu Zeming raised a brow. "Your Rising Sun Sect is certain you want to rob someone so openly?"

Even disciples of other prestigious orthodox sects would conceal their sect insignia before making a move if they intended to seize treasure. Did Rising Sun Sect have no brains? They had actually dragged a whole group here to rob him outright?

"Cut the nonsense! Our Sect Master is gravely ill, and the one medicine he lacks is Clearfrost Buddha Lingzhi. Hand it over, or don't blame Rising Sun Sect for showing no mercy!"

Chu Zeming looked up in surprise. "So your Sect Master is seriously ill. Then how about this? Let's make a fair deal. Thirty thousand mid-grade spirit stones, and I'll sell you the Clearfrost Buddha Lingzhi."

"So it was you who took it!" the lead disciple shouted. "The moment we entered the secret realm, our compass reacted to this Clearfrost Buddha Lingzhi. It was meant to belong to our sect in the first place. You stole our property, and now you dare ask us for spirit stones?"

Chu Zeming frowned. Spreading his hand, he summoned a Clearfrost Buddha Lingzhi into his palm. As he examined it, he asked, "Is your name written on this lingzhi? How does that make it yours?"

"Clearfrost Buddha Lingzhi!"

"Senior Brother, stop wasting words on this Rogue Cultivator! We must seize the Clearfrost Buddha Lingzhi and return to the sect as quickly as possible to help treat the Sect Master's wounds!"

As soon as the words fell, more than a dozen people attacked Chu Zeming at once.

Chu Zeming hurriedly took flight to evade them, shouting, "You wouldn't agree even when I offered it to you so cheaply. You just want something for nothing! When has there ever been a free lunch in this world? Thirty thousand spirit stones is already dirt cheap! This is a Clearfrost Buddha Lingzhi that appears once in an age! Your Sect Master is on the verge of death, yet you're still out here making enemies. Your sect is finished!"

"You're the one who's finished! Your entire household is finished!"

"Hand over the Clearfrost Buddha Lingzhi!"

"A mere Rogue Cultivator dares oppose Rising Sun Sect!"

"Offering up the Clearfrost Buddha Lingzhi is what you ought to do! How dare you ask us for spirit stones!"

"Hand over the Clearfrost Buddha Lingzhi!"

An exceedingly thin needle suddenly shot forth, piercing Chu Zeming's face. A drop of blood fell from his jade-white cheek.

Feeling the sting on his face, Chu Zeming's expression immediately darkened.

He had not wanted to make an enemy of Rising Sun Sect.

Even when they had attacked him the moment they arrived, he had only evaded them and never struck back.

If even one of them had spoken a little more politely, shown a little more respect, and not acted so high and mighty as though it were only natural, Chu Zeming might not have minded giving them a Clearfrost Buddha Lingzhi to save a life.

But now, he truly did not want to give it to them.

A faint red gleam rose behind him. Then, the Luminous Glaze Sword abruptly appeared in Chu Zeming's hand.

Terrifying Sword Qi spread outward, making everyone gasp.

This Nascent Soul Realm cultivator's true strength was frighteningly high.

He swung his sword.

In an instant, the blade split into twelve afterimages and attacked the crowd.

Sharp killing intent surged in every direction. The lower-realm cultivators could not withstand the onslaught of Sword Qi at all. They spat out blood and fell to the ground, all severely injured.

Only two Rising Sun Sect disciples at the same Nascent Soul Realm as Chu Zeming managed to block the twelve streams of Sword Qi.

His white robes fluttering as he hovered in the sky, the leading Rising Sun Sect disciple wore a grim expression. "You are unworthy of being an orthodox cultivator! You have no heart. The lingzhi is dispensable to you, but it is different for Rising Sun Sect. Our Sect Master is about to die of illness and is waiting for the Clearfrost Buddha Lingzhi to prolong his life, yet you still refuse to hand it over!"

Looking down at them, Chu Zeming's voice was cold enough to terrify. "Whether your Sect Master lives or dies has nothing to do with me. I picked this lingzhi, so it is mine. There are countless people on the brink of death in the cultivation world every day. Must I take out every last possession I own to save the world?"

"Senior Brother, don't waste words on him. He is merely a Rogue Cultivator, yet he refuses to appreciate kindness. Just take it by force! The Sect Master ordered us to obtain the Clearfrost Buddha Lingzhi at any cost!"

With that, the two attacked again.

One wielded needles, while the other wielded a blade. One struck in the open and the other from the shadows, making them exceptionally troublesome.

As wounds both large and small began appearing on Chu Zeming's body, the Immortal Residence within him began to stir restlessly. In recent days, it had been robbed of too much attention by the Spirit Mirror Platform that came later. The Immortal Residence could no longer sit still. It was trying to win itself a little presence and attention.

Yet Chu Zeming did not summon it.

The Immortal Residence possessed extremely powerful defenses and was his greatest reliance at present. Unless absolutely necessary, Chu Zeming did not wish to use it—without destruction, there could be no establishment. Facing danger was the fastest way to improve one's strength.

Three afterimages battled in the air. The fight between Nascent Soul Realm cultivators frightened many passing cultivators out of their wits. This was unavoidable after entering the secret realm. In the struggle for treasure, conflict and death were inevitable. To avoid seeing things they should not see and provoking trouble they could not afford, most cultivators chose to steer clear and head for the next treasure site.

Still, there were some crafty Rogue Cultivators who intended to play the mantis stalking the cicada while the oriole waited behind.

Once both sides had fought until they were mutually wounded, they would seize the chance to act, kill both parties, and gain the greatest profit with the least effort.

Behind the raised roots of a massive ancient tree, a shifty-eyed man concealed his aura and quietly watched the three people fighting ahead. Suddenly, a hand landed on his shoulder, startling him badly.

"Fellow Daoist, what are you watching?"

Turning his head, he saw a neatly dressed cultivator with a scholarly air smiling at him. Beside him stood a baby-faced cultivator holding a massive hammer.

The shifty-eyed Rogue Cultivator hurriedly pulled the two down into a crouch. He tipped his chin toward the three fighting ahead and whispered, "Keep it down. Can't you see cultivators fighting up there? Wait here, and we'll pick up the spoils later. Since you're both fellow sneaks and thieves, I'll share a cup of the soup with you. See that? The stuff on the man in black will be mine. You two can divide the other two's storage bags yourselves."

Xuan Mo drew out a long "Oh," looking at him with a meaningful expression.

The Rogue Cultivator found it strange. "What are you looking at me for? Look over there." He smacked his lips. "Tsk, that man in black is pretty formidable. Two people at the same realm are fighting him, yet he can still hold his ground. Wonder when this battle will end."

Yet the instant his words fell, the Rogue Cultivator felt someone seize him by the collar.

He was immediately shocked. "What are you doing?!"

Ling Tian held him by the collar, his gaze extremely unfriendly.

Xuan Mo patted his head and smiled. "I don't know when the battle will end, but I do know that your little life is about to end. Come, let's go over there."

Ling Tian gave a hum.

Below the battlefield, beneath a huge, hard, steep boulder, Yue Lian sat inside a barrier and watched Chu Zeming fight. Sensing three auras approaching from afar, he looked over and saw Xuan Mo and Ling Tian, along with the shifty-eyed cultivator in their grasp.

After tossing the cultivator to the ground, Xuan Mo's gaze fell on Yue Lian. "You clingy plaster, Senior Brother has already left the sect, yet you still can't shake him off."

Ling Tian's tone was equally unfriendly. "He is fighting bitterly up there while you hide down here and watch the show. Following him only makes you his burden and deadweight."

Yue Lian did not mind their hostility at all. He even gave them a shy smile. "Even if I'm a burden, I'm a sweet burden. You wouldn't understand."

Xuan Mo snorted coldly and said blandly, "Little spicy chicken, keep watch over this person. He wanted to kill Senior Brother and seize his treasure just now. Ling Tian, let's go help Senior Brother."

With that, the two flew upward.

Watching Xuan Mo and Ling Tian, who were so worried that they directly joined the battle, Yue Lian could not help sighing.

—If Chu Zeming wanted help, would it even be your turn to play heroes saving the beauty?

Thinking that his world of two with Chu Zeming would now have two more eyesores, Yue Lian felt a little displeased. He nudged the small cultivator, who had been tied up tightly and tossed onto the ground to squirm, with the tip of his foot, then lamented to himself, "Someone as capable as me is actually assigned to watch this ugly thing. What a waste of talent..."

After speaking, Yue Lian rummaged around in his robes and took out a crystal-clear emerald-green fruit to eat. As he ate, he idly watched the five people flying about above...

On the ground, the tied-up shifty-eyed cultivator secretly rejoiced.

They were letting a Fusion Stage vase of a cultivator watch him?

Were they dreaming?

His, Tang Laoliu's, Shadow-Escape Technique was no joke!

While silently reciting an incantation, the shifty-eyed cultivator rapidly formed hand seals with the fingers he could barely move.

In a single instant, his entire body vanished from sight.

The vase had not reacted at all and was still sitting in place watching the people above fight. So Tang Laoliu began wriggling his body and desperately crawling away—

The next second, the half-eaten emerald-green fruit smashed into the cultivator's face.

"Aow!" The shifty-eyed cultivator hurt so badly that his past and present lives flashed before his eyes. His nose bled without stopping. He lifted his head and glared at Yue Lian, roaring, "Damn it, what magical treasure do you have that can see through my Shadow-Escape Technique?!"

Yue Lian turned to him with an affected smile. "My magical treasure is my love for Senior Brother—" Then his face instantly went blank again. "Behave yourself, or I'll kill you."

The cultivator could not help shuddering all over.

There was something wrong with this vase. He was clearly only at the Fusion Stage, so why did he seem a little frightening?

Meanwhile, in midair, Chu Zeming, who was fighting two Nascent Soul Realm cultivators, suddenly felt his opponents' attacks weaken considerably. Turning his head, he saw two familiar figures abruptly appear beside him—Xuan Mo and Ling Tian.

Chu Zeming had no time to catch up with them. He flicked his sword in an arc to block the flying needles attacking him and shouted in a low voice, "Xuan Mo, Ling Tian, be careful. Someone on the other side uses needles as a magical weapon!"

"Yes, Eldest Senior Brother."

With Xuan Mo and Ling Tian joining them, the originally even battle abruptly tipped to one side.

The leading cultivator shouted, "Are you two Fellow Daoists certain you wish to interfere? Do you know that we are disciples of Rising Sun Sect?!"

Xuan Mo summoned the Wordless Heavenly Book and snapped, "I don't care whether you're Rising Yin Sect or Rising Sun Sect. Anyone who dares attack my Senior Brother is in the wrong!"

Immediately afterward, dense golden characters began surfacing from the secret treasure, the Wordless Heavenly Book.

Within a radius of ten li, killing intent erupted everywhere.

Seeing this, the heavily injured Rising Sun Sect disciples below all forced themselves into the air despite their wounds and charged at the three as if risking their lives.

Amid the terrifying melee, a shrill scream suddenly rang out.

"Ah—!"

Following the sound, they saw the black-robed young man's ink-black hair flying wildly, the Luminous Glaze Sword in his hand humming. The leading Rising Sun Sect disciple who had fought him had already lost an entire arm. The cut was clean and even, blood pouring down as wet crimson soaked through half his robes.

—They had kicked an iron plate.

His face deathly pale, he looked at Chu Zeming and the two beside him, then shouted, "Retreat!"

He fled first.

The remaining Rising Sun Sect disciples saw this and transformed into streams of light, vanishing one after another.

The battle ended, and everything returned to calm.

Chu Zeming put away his sword, landed on the ground, and sat down to meditate and heal his injuries.

After a long while, Chu Zeming finally opened his eyes again. Looking at Xuan Mo and Ling Tian, who stood guard beside him, he asked, "How did you two come after me?"

Xuan Mo looked at the black-haired young man, his eyes curving into crescents. "Xuan Mo said that if Eldest Senior Brother left the sect, Xuan Mo would definitely follow you."

Ling Tian glanced at Chu Zeming. Blood stained his face, making him look especially striking. Ling Tian's ears reddened slightly. He turned his face away, snorted, and said awkwardly, "Xuan Mo begged me to come."

Hearing this, Yue Lian leaned forward and stared straight at Ling Tian. "Then I'm begging you to leave now, alright?"

Ling Tian glared fiercely at Yue Lian and snapped, "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Not knowing what madness the two were acting up with again, Chu Zeming separated Yue Lian and Ling Tian with a headache and called out, "Enough, stop fooling around."