Shut Up!
"An apology is too weak; there should at least be some real compensation, don't you think?"
Qi Yun, abandoning his domineering and arrogant demeanor from his earlier clash with the Great True Person Realm Tian, now wore a bright and harmless smile. He tilted his head slightly and spoke softly to Bai Yuntian beside him.
The tone carried the self-righteousness of a victim.
"You child—"
Upon hearing this, Bai Yuntian's round face showed a hint of helplessness, and he shook his head with a wry smile.
He adjusted his sleeves, his clear eyes looking at Qi Yun, and asked, following up on the question, "So what do you want?"
"Lord Bai!"
On the summit, Black Mountain True Person saw that Qi Yun not only refused to give up but also went further, demanding "compensation" in person.
The anger and humiliation that he had barely managed to suppress surged up again in an instant. His face suddenly turned ashen, and he almost forced out the words through clenched teeth as he was about to speak.
However, as soon as he finished speaking, Bai Yuntian below did not even turn his head. He simply raised his round and thick palm and gently pressed it down in his direction.
It was clearly a signal for him to shut up!
Beneath his sleeves, Black Mountain True Person clenched his fists tightly, the veins on the back of his hands bulging and throbbing like writhing dragons.
An unprecedented sense of pent-up frustration and rage nearly shattered the Dao heart he had cultivated over hundreds of years.
This guy—could he really be the True Lord's illegitimate son who was lost away?!
They've gone to such lengths to protect their own!
That makes absolutely Wudao!
Seeing the extremely frustrated and helpless look on the Black Mountain True Person on the peak, unable to even utter a word, Qi Yun's long-suppressed resentment dissipated like snow melting in the spring sun, replaced by an indescribable sense of comfort and joy.
Once upon a time, this high and Great True Person, because of his only son Yue Rong's matter, made things difficult for him in every way and secretly used insidious means.
Even at the crucial moment when he was breaking through to the Foundation Establishment, they ruthlessly attacked him, almost killing him.
He never forgot that piercing threat and humiliation.
Today, borrowing the power of the Bai Yuntian, we will use their own methods against them.
Although I didn't defeat him personally, the scene of publicly humiliating him, forcing him to bow his head, and leaving him speechless at this moment was enough to ease my anger and clear my mind.
In the blink of an eye, Qi Yun had already made up his mind. His smile remained unchanged, and he said in a relaxed tone, "I have heard that my senior uncle Black Mountain once acquired a strange and magical bird that is as fast as lightning, good at hiding its tracks, and is extremely extraordinary."
I currently lack a mount for transportation, as traveling back and forth is quite inconvenient.
I wonder if my senior master Black Mountain would be willing to part with this bird and give it to his disciple?
Upon hearing this, the assembled True Person, who were listening intently in the distance, felt a chill run down their spines once more.
Upon hearing this, Bai Yuntian nodded slowly, showing no surprise on his face, as if he had anticipated that the Qi Yun would make such a request.
He closed his eyes slightly, as if sensing something. The smile on his round face faded a little, revealing a focus and majesty befitting a Great Demon King.
The next instant, his eyes snapped open!
Deep within his eyes, not human pupils, two pure and gentle divine lights suddenly shone forth, capable of illuminating everything tangible and intangible in the vast world.
A flash of divine light disappeared in an instant, and the gaze had already pierced through layers of palaces, Formation Art, and even the barriers of the void, locking onto a certain location and existence in the the Unseen.
Without making any complicated movements, he simply raised his still round palm and casually grabbed at the empty space in front of him!
"Sizzle--!"
Wherever his palm reached in, the void rippled like waves, spreading out in concentric circles of milky white ripples. His palm instantly disappeared into them.
The ripples spread rapidly in all directions, revealing a brief but stable passage. From the end of the passage came the faint sounds of wind and thunder, and the cries of birds!
Just a moment later, Bai Yuntian withdrew his arm.
The five fingers had firmly gripped the struggling "thing".
He was a middle-aged man wearing a black robe embroidered with dark mountain patterns.
At this moment, his face was filled with horror, his eyes wide open, filled with extreme fear and bewilderment. His magic Law Power was sealed, and he was like a cat being pinched by the scruff of its neck, twisting in vain, unable to put up even the slightest decent resistance.
It was none other than True Person Ling, who had secretly given Qi Yun a Law Technique after his trial when Qi Yun was still in the Qi Refining Stage!
Bai Yuntian didn't even bother to consult Black Mountain True Person's opinion; he simply followed the cause and effect, and aura, and "scooped" it up from afar.
They've come over!
"It's him, isn't it?"
Bai Yuntian didn't even glance at True Person Ling, whose face was deathly pale and Divine Soul was almost scattered from fear. He casually tossed him onto the jade brick in front of Qi Yun with a "plop," as if he were throwing away an insignificant object, stirring up a small patch of dust.
He turned back, his kind smile returning to his face, and asked Qi Yun.
"Indeed! Thank you for your kindness Lord Bai!"
Qi Yun's gaze swept over True Person Ling, who was slumped at his feet, trembling like mud, and then he looked up at the top of the peak, where Black Mountain True Person's face was so gloomy it was almost dripping with water, and the cold light in his eyes was almost solidified.
A surge of exhilaration rushed to the top of my head, my mind became clear, and my Sea of Consciousness rippled slightly.
In the next instant, his cultivation and Law Power, which were already at the peak of the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, became slightly more active and showed signs of growth due to the clarity of his thoughts and the slight untying of his inner knot.
Indeed, only when one's mind is free from obstacles can one make courageous and diligent progress.
"Okay, then you should go back and rest first."
In a few days, the True Lord may summon you for questioning. Don't run around again and cause trouble.
Bai Yuntian casually gave Qi Yun a few instructions, his tone like an elder instructing a naughty child.
Then, he slowly turned his light around, and his clear yet supremely majestic eyes swept over all the Holy Sect True Person present.
Everyone whose gaze fell upon him involuntarily straightened their backs, lowered their eyes, and dared not meet his gaze.
Bai Yuntian's smile gradually faded, his expression turning into a calm yet solemn one, as heavy as a mountain. He spoke slowly, his voice not loud, but clearly reaching the ears of every True Person: "The True Lord's decree—"
Upon hearing these four words, regardless of status or stance, all the disciples of the Holy Sect present, including the Black Mountain True Person body trembled slightly, unanimously and respectfully bowed and said in unison, "Disciples respectfully receive the Dharma decree!"
The entire Great Void Hall so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Only the lingering sound of respect echoed faintly between the beams and pillars.
Bai Yuntian's gaze swept calmly over the bowing crowd, and he uttered clearly, word by word. "This matter ends here."
"If there is any further entanglement, underhanded tactics, or personal grudges that undermine the sect's overall interests—"
He paused, his tone not becoming more forceful, but the unwavering decisiveness and coldness in his voice sent chills down everyone's spines.
"----Severely punished without leniency."
The final four words, like four invisible shackles, weighed heavily on the hearts of some.
Before he finished speaking, Bai Yuntian's round figure had already faded and blurred without warning, just like a reflection in water being blown away by the wind, and finally disappeared completely from the hall, leaving not even a ripple in space.
Only the brief oral decree, imbued with the supreme majesty of the Desolate Halberd Heaven-Rending True Lord, still resonated like a great bell, echoing endlessly in everyone's ears, hearts, and even the spiritual energy of the entire Holy Sect.
A moment later, as if awakened from a shocking dream, everyone slowly straightened up.
Their eyes met, and they could both see the shock, the complexity, and a hint of indescribable bewilderment in each other's eyes.
Then, everyone's gaze involuntarily turned to the dark blue figure who still stood with his hands behind his back in the center of the hall, his posture as upright as a pine tree.
With a slight upward shift of his gaze, he landed on the dome-shaped demonic shadow where the Black Mountain True Person had stood.
That place is now completely empty.
The Great True Person who held power in the sect and dominated the Northwest for hundreds of years had disappeared without a trace.
Only the lingering, not-yet-completely-dissipated, chilling demonic aura and a barely perceptible, suppressed surge of anger faintly recounted what had just transpired.
The group exchanged glances, their hearts pounding with emotion, unable to calm down.
Without a word, a clear consensus has slowly emerged in the hearts of most True Person, weighing heavily on their minds:
This Holy Sect's Heaven----
It seems it's true; things are about to change.
With True Person Ling, who was still not fully recovered from the shock, Qi Yun used the flowing light beneath his feet to cross the mountain gate's many restrictions in just a few steps and returned to his own Green Mountain Daoist Temple.
The Daoist temple is surrounded by ancient pines and a babbling brook. The buildings inside are simple yet naturally in harmony with Daoism. Several strings of jade bells hang from the eaves, their Fresh Breeze chimes cleansing the soul.
It was no different from when he left.
The moment one steps into the temple grounds, a gentle and peaceful Daoist aura naturally permeates the air.
Qi Yun casually waved his hand, and a light blue [Tranquility Talisman] with patterns resembling flowing water floated out and landed on True Person Ling's forehead, silently disappearing into his Purple Mansion.
The talisman's power dissipated, like a gentle spring rain, nourishing all things silently.
The lingering fear and confusion in True Person Ling's eyes quickly faded, and his violently turbulent Divine Soul gradually stabilized.
"Senior Ling, it's been a century! How have you been?"
Qi Yun casually sat down on a blue stone bench under an old plum tree in the courtyard, took out a set of plain white tea set, and drew upon the earth's spiritual spring to boil water.
He didn't look at True Person Ling, his tone as indifferent as if he were greeting an old acquaintance he hadn't seen in a long time.
Upon hearing this voice, True Person Ling trembled slightly. That voice—it felt strangely familiar to him.
Forcibly suppressing the lingering unease in his heart and the bewilderment about his own situation, he focused his gaze intently on the young Daoist priest in a dark blue robe sitting on the stone bench.
The Daoist priest had a handsome face, and one could vaguely make out some familiar features between his eyebrows and eyes. His Daoist aura was harmonious and restrained, yet in the unintentional flow of his body, it revealed a noble and profound aura that transcended all laws.
Especially his eyes, calm as an ancient pool, occasionally flashing with a chaotic light, reflecting the flow and decay of all the laws of heaven and earth.
This face----
True Person Ling frowned, searching through the dust of memories spanning a hundred years in his Purple Mansion.
Countless blurry faces flashed by, finally settling on a young and spirited face during the outer sect trial.
The fragments of memory finally fit together perfectly.
"It's... it's you?! That Qi Refining novice cultivator from back then?! You... your cultivation level...!"
He started speaking incoherently, his words becoming somewhat rambling.
However, the moment his Divine Sense approached within three feet of Qi Yun, it vanished as if it had sunk into the sea, plunging into a chaotic and incomprehensible Daoist aura.
This feeling—is something you could never experience in the Foundation Establishment Early Stage!
Even more profound and vast than that of a "senior" who had been immersed in the Foundation Establishment Early Stage many years!
Foundation Establishment Middle Stage!
Even more than that.
Century!
Only a century has passed!
The person before me—from that insignificant Qi Refining Qi Refining of yesteryear, has risen through the ranks with unstoppable momentum, breaking through the barriers of life and death, and forging his Dao Foundation.
In just a hundred years, he has advanced his cultivation to at least the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage stage, or even higher!
This speed—it's simply defying all logic.
It happened so fast it sent chills down my spine.
Could it be that this child has been possessed by some reincarnated powerful being?!
All sorts of absurd yet seemingly the only plausible ideas sprouted wildly in True Person Ling's mind like poisonous weeds.
His gaze toward Qi Yun was filled with surprise and uncertainty.
Qi Yun slowly poured himself a cup of freshly boiled spiritual tea, the steam blurring half of his face.
He gently blew on the tea, took a sip, and then looked up at True Person Ling expression was constantly changing, filled with surprise and doubt.
"It seems you're a bit forgetful, senior."