Page 17

Until now, Ye Qinghui had always believed Ye Qingyun had torn off his mask because the Charm Demon had controlled him. But looking back, the whole affair was riddled with doubts.

First, the Specialized Mask was a Middle-Grade Magical Artifact. It could block outside air and provide a steady supply of oxygen. Why had Ye Qingyun claimed he could not breathe and hastily removed it?

Second, if the Charm Demon had controlled Ye Qingyun, how had he brought Ye Qinghui back safely, with his Inner Core completely unharmed?

Something was wrong at every turn.

But Ye Qinghui had always been upright and unwilling to assume the worst of others. Though he had his doubts, it had never occurred to him that Ye Qingyun might have colluded with the Charm Demon to steal his Inner Core. Now, after hearing Ye Zhenzhen, the truth suddenly snapped into focus. He froze where he stood, a chill spreading through his heart.

"If Qingyun tricked me out of it, I'll go ask him to return my Inner Core." After a long moment of stunned silence, he finally unclenched his fist and spoke, his voice drained of strength.

It's too late, First Senior Brother. Ye Qingyun has already fused your Inner Core with his own. His cultivation leapt straight from Foundation Establishment Late Stage to Nascent Soul Late Stage.

Ye Rufeng and Ye Qingyun have been colluding with Immortal Venerable Shen and his people for ages. They covet your Innate Sword Bone and even want to usurp Father's position as Sect Leader.

Do you know why the Charm Demon was able to run rampant for so long? Dabie Mountain lies in the Kongtong School's territory. If they'd wanted to do something, how could they have let her harm so many people?

Ye Zhenzhen's analysis struck Ye Qinghui like a bolt of enlightenment.

It had all been a plot laid long ago. The good brother he had thought would bare his heart to him was a venomous snake lurking in the gutter.

"I'm going to ask Qingyun for the truth." Anger, rarely seen on the First Senior Brother's usually calm face, appeared there now.

Don't ask him, First Senior Brother. They won't admit it. You'll only startle the snake in the grass and let them know we suspect them. Cornered dogs jump walls; they might do something that harms the sect.

How about you knock Ye Qingyun out when no one's looking and take your Inner Core back?

Ye Zhenzhen blinked her round eyes and stuck her little tongue out at her First Senior Brother. Villains deserved a taste of their own medicine. If they could not demand it openly, they could snatch it back in secret. The Inner Core was his to begin with.

"No!" Ye Qinghui refused outright. "He may have wronged me, but I cannot wrong him. Now that he has fused our cores, only the divine artifact Xuandu Glazed Hammer can separate them. If I seize my core blindly, I'll put his life at risk."

There was a reason the beautiful, powerful, and tragic ended up tragic. If he had a weaker sense of right and wrong, a harder, more ruthless heart, how could he be the one to suffer? It would probably be someone else.

Yet Ye Qinghui was not the only one who opposed her plan to seize the core. Her father and mother disagreed too. Everyone in the sect was too upright, too kind and soft-hearted. No wonder they would eventually be framed and their sect destroyed. Ye Zhenzhen could not understand the principles they spoke of; she pitied their misfortune and fumed at their refusal to fight back.

She suddenly thought of her Third Senior Brother, Ye Qingchuan. If he were here, he would raise both hands and feet in support of taking the core back directly. Villains had to be dealt with on their own terms. Being good would never change them.

Do you have the Xuandu Glazed Hammer, then?

"No. They say this divine artifact will appear during the Divine Descent after the Immortal Sects Grand Tournament. I can search for it then. Once I've found the Xuandu Glazed Hammer, I'll look for a chance to separate my Inner Core from Qingyun's."

But First Senior Brother, how can you compete in the upcoming Immortal Sects Grand Tournament without an Inner Core?

"Form a new core."

Ye Zhenzhen: ...

When would that be, the year of the monkey or the month of the horse? There's almost no precedent for forming a new core! Even with your extraordinary talent, First Senior Brother, the Immortal Sects Grand Tournament will start long before you manage it!

While those inside struggled with the problem, a commotion rose outside the door.

Representatives of the disciples from every peak of the Cloudsky Sect had come to petition Sect Leader Ye Ruheng. They wanted Ye Qingyun of Inkcloud Peak to compete in next month's Immortal Sects Grand Tournament in Ye Qinghui's place.

"The Immortal Sects Grand Tournament comes only once every five years. The Cloudsky Sect's reputation and standing in the Cultivation World are at stake. We cannot let others look down on us and laugh."

"The First Senior Brother may still have his Swordsmanship, but his cultivation hasn't even reached Qi Refining. No matter how brilliant his swordplay, he can't bring out enough power to hurt an opponent. I'm afraid he'll be knocked off the arena within a round or two."

"Senior Brother Qingyun has reached Golden Core Late Stage, and his Swordsmanship is exceptional. He can surely win a place in the top three for our sect."

Disciples from each peak stepped forward one after another to make their case. Ye Qingyun stood quietly to one side, listening without a word.

The moment he saw Ye Ruheng and the others come out, he rushed in front of the disciples and swept his sleeve. "Enough of this nonsense!" he declared with righteous conviction. "First Senior Brother was born with an Innate Sword Bone. No one can match his Swordsmanship. How could you compare me to him?"

"I have no intention of replacing First Senior Brother." He knelt before the Sect Leader, righteousness written across his face. "Senior Brother Qinghui and I have spent many years together. He has generously taught me Swordsmanship and even saved my life from a Demon Beast. To me, he is more than a brother. Please stop trying to force his hand and drive a wedge between us." He began appealing to their feelings, as though he refused to take the First Senior Brother's place in the Immortal Sects Grand Tournament because he feared it would strain their bond.

This man was cunning indeed. After so many years together, he knew Ye Qinghui's nature inside and out.

In the original book, Ye Qinghui had heard those words and stepped forward without hesitation. "Junior Brother Qingyun, don't worry about me. We're both disciples of the Cloudsky Sect, and protecting its honor must come first. Go to the Immortal Sects Grand Tournament in my place."

Keep pretending. No one in the entire sect puts on an act better than you.

You need to reach at least the Golden Core stage to compete in the Immortal Sects Grand Tournament. You were stuck at Foundation Establishment before, unable to reach Golden Core no matter what you did. Now you've broken through after tricking First Senior Brother out of his Inner Core, and you're trying to steal his place in the tournament too.

If you want to compete in First Senior Brother's place, just say so. Instead, you act like you've been forced into it. You want to play the whore and still have a monument raised to your virtue.