Untimely Death

---- Jade Toad cave abode

Blood trickled from Yue Lin's mouth. His three-foot-long sword, which he had always been proud of, was now riddled with nicks and wedged diagonally into the mottled yellow earth.

Fear flashed in his eyes. He hadn't expected that even after joining forces with Peng Xingyu, he would still be suppressed to such an extent by the Daoist Black Shoes.

"You actually possess a Golden Core!! You, a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, have actually mastered the External Core Method!! Where is justice?! Where is justice?!"

Peng Xingyu's astonishment was even greater than Yue Lin's. After uttering only a few words, she could no longer hold back the hot blood in her mouth. At this moment, her face was stained red from the collar down, and she could no longer see any trace of the arrogant demeanor that a disciple of Nascent Soul sect should have had before.

No wonder she was so surprised.

After all, the External Core Method is rare, and it is even more difficult to cultivate after obtaining it. Even ordinary Golden Core, if their comprehension is slightly lacking, will find it difficult to even get started without spending decades.

Therefore, those who cultivate this method generally do so over many years. When these highly skilled cultivators stagnate in their cultivation, they focus on using Outer Dao as supplementary means of combat.

Even if there are still True Person living in Five Old Mothers Mountain where Peng Xingyu came from, as far as he knows, there are only a handful of top cultivators in Five Old Mothers Mountain who are qualified to practice this method and have mastered it.

Even those cultivators below the Golden Core, who are truly exceptionally talented and blessed with great fortune, will find it impossible to find Golden Core's Golden Core or Third Tier Demon Beast's inner core as a medium after mastering this method.

No one had ever imagined that the Daoist Black Shoes would use this method as his trump card. The level of surprise this brought to ordinary people was only slightly less than that of Kuang Liuting Xie Yi, the Supreme Elder of the Hongyi Sect, alive while only at the Foundation Establishment stage.

At this moment, a pill the size of a fingertip was floating between the Daoist Black Shoes's brows. The pill was brimming with Spiritual Qi, almost filling the vast Second Tier Spirit Vein of the Jade Toad cave abode.

He didn't respond after hearing Peng Xingyu's words, but his brows furrowed. The Golden Light from the pill split off a little more and was contained in the sword. The Daoist Black Shoes took the opportunity to raise his sword and slash, seemingly intending to behead the almost powerless Peng Xingyu with a single blow.

The person in question showed little fear on her pretty face; as the cold light approached, her eyes merely narrowed slightly.

Yue Lin was not fooled at all. He saw that the old cultivator simply flicked his finger, and the flying sword that was deeply embedded in the ground drew a mark ten feet wide and deep. After falling off the soil, it leaped into the air and just blocked the Listening to the Spring Sword, which was a feint by the Daoist Black Shoes.

When the two flying swords collided heavily, the sound of metal clashing was deafening and lingered for a long time.

Even though the Listening to the Spring in Black Shoes Fellow Daoist's hand was only a mid-grade Spirit Artifact and hadn't been nurtured for very long, it was still defeated by Yue Lin's Green Blade.

Not only did another gaping hole appear on top, but it also caused the old cultivator to groan, his mouth filled with a metallic taste, sweat beading on his brow. The force of the blows caused the fingers that were forming the sword incantation to snap open, the skin and flesh at the fingertips suddenly bursting open, and several drops of crimson blood, along with bits of nail clippings, flew out, revealing the stark white bones beneath.

"I originally thought that no matter how high his Swordsmanship aptitude was, his years of cultivation were still relatively short, and at most he was no better than me. But I underestimated him. Even if he used True-Grade Golden Core as material and refined this External Core Method, he could only retain 50% of the Golden Core's spiritual power, which was similar to mine."

After all these years, he might not even be as good as me anymore. Yet, I was completely outmatched by him and couldn't find a way to break the deadlock! This kid is indeed a peerless genius who has appeared once in a long time in Cloud Horn Prefecture, and his future achievements are bound to be limitless!

I, Yue Lin, was wrong to have offended him this time; I never expected to encounter such a person.

Yue Lin suffered another setback and remained silent for a while, simply staring directly at Black Shoes without making a move, so let's leave that aside for now.

Seeing this, Peng Xingyu was elsewhere, first concealed her fair wrist in her sleeve, a hint of fear flashing across her charming face before she quickly said, "Black Shoes, you go and save Double Brightness and the others. We certainly won't stop you!"

The Daoist Black Shoes remained silent, his eyes indifferent. He had just forced back Yue Lin, a top-tier False Core, and was at the height of his power. How could he possibly be swayed by this woman's charm and soft voice and stop fighting?

Then, a portion of the pill's spiritual power was divided and flowed across the Listening to the Spring Sword's spiritual patterns. A large amount of spiritual energy gathered on the sword's edge. The Daoist formed the White Tiger Seal with his left hand, muttered something, and a mysterious light appeared on his right hand as he heavily pointed it at Peng Xingyu's vital point.

Peng Xingyu finally changed. With her sharp eyesight, how could she not realize that the Daoist Black Shoes's move was truly a killing blow? Although she didn't understand why the latter would make such a foolish move, she couldn't help but feel terrified.

The trump card hidden in his sleeve, which he thought was incredibly powerful, was laughable. If he were to actually use it, it would probably be difficult to withstand even a single blow.

In addition, his previous few handy Spirit Artifact had all been cut down by the Daoist Black Shoes's flying sword, and even his internal organs had been thrown into disarray by the Sword Qi. Now, his eight extraordinary meridians were injured, and circulating his qi felt like being cut by a knife. What means did he have left to retaliate?

In the end, it was Yue Lin on the other side who, despite his injuries, suppressed the churning in his abdomen and drew his sword to save him. Even though Peng Xingyu's Dao Path was completely ruined, he was still a direct descendant of the Golden Core sect and Nascent Soul disciple. He could not die in front of him, the head of the Han City Yue Household.

"Boy, I originally thought you were a remarkable, ancient-style pure sword cultivator, but I never expected you to stoop so low as to practice this Outer Dao method. Do you know that you are defiling the identity of a sword cultivator and disrupting the order of the Immortal Dynasty? Aren't you afraid that when this news reaches the Lord's place, you will be punished for the crime of harming your fellow cultivators?"

In his critical moment, as Yue Lin vomited blood, he became increasingly talkative. However, his attempts to reason with him and appeal to his emotions failed to change the Daoist Black Shoes's mind in the slightest.

He never claimed to be a rare, sincere swordsman or a pure Daoist.

Like Sect Leader Kang Da, the Daoist Black Shoes, Old Sect Leader He on the four words "be diligent and pragmatic," only regarded swordsmanship as a means of cultivation, a method of cultivation that was no different from cultivating "External Core."

Since they are all means, there is no distinction between high and low.

Therefore, as long as he strengthens his abilities and protects the Dao Path Outer Dao, let alone practicing unorthodox methods, even if he were to work as a latrine in a Daoist temple, doing fertilizing, cleaning manure, plowing fields, and hoeing the land every day, the Daoist Black Shoes would do it all.

The Daoist Black Shoes realized that one of his trump cards had been exposed. Confident that he could easily suppress the two False Core opposite him, he slowed down his actions to avoid using too sharp a method and scaring away Yue Lin, a top-tier False Core cultivator, too quickly.

After all, Peng Xingyu was already seriously injured and had no chance of escaping. He could not escape being taken to the Cloud Horn Prefecture Court by the Daoist Black Shoes and having his story told to the Earl of Nan'an about the events outside Learning Forest Mountain.

However, capturing Yue Lin alive would require a great deal of effort and a bit of luck.

However, Yue Lin was an experienced and shrewd man. After fighting for a short time, he seemed to have discerned a hint of deliberate intent in the seemingly fierce but actually soft Swordsmanship of the Daoist Black Shoes.

He knew that the longer the situation dragged on, the more disadvantageous it would be for his side. He began to feel anxious and glanced at Peng Xingyu, who was slumped on the ground, unable to struggle. His eyes revealed a hint of helplessness and regret.

"If I had known earlier, I wouldn't have been so arrogant. With just one of the two Golden Core cultivators from the Yang Household family's direct lineage, the entire Hongyi Sect would have been forced to retreat. If I had brought another Golden Core cultivator with me, I wouldn't have been afraid of what Black Shoes could have done."

Yue Lin thought for a while, but realized that he was just offering hindsight advice, which would not be of any benefit to the current situation. So he calmed down and began to think about a way to break the deadlock.

However, he did not expect that he had not been pondering for long before he heard the green sword in his hand collide with the Daoist Black Shoes's Listening to the Spring hundreds of times, and gold dust flew everywhere. The two gaps that were originally small and only an inch apart had already been half-made.

This resulted in a large piece being missing from the blade of his flying sword, which he had carried for nearly two hundred years. It almost damaged the sword's bone and spine, making it difficult to repair to its original state.

So Yue Lin stopped looking at the beauty on the ground and instead made several hand seals, letting the exposed bone fragments poke irregular little cuts on the fingertips and pads.

Just as the old cultivator's face contorted in pain, the sword wind suddenly became even more swift, catching the Daoist Black Shoes, who was concealing his true abilities, off guard and revealing a flaw.

The latter immediately felt a chill run down his spine. "This is bad!"

Unexpectedly, Yue Lin did not press his advantage. Instead, he seized the opportunity to leap out of the cave abode, leaving behind a warning before he departed:

"If you stop now, Black Shoes, and don't ruin my Yue Household's important affairs, then even if the Double Brightness disciples suffer some losses for now, I, Yue, can still lend a hand and save them once things have calmed down."

But if you insist on opposing my Yue Household, then you will truly plunge them into an abyss of no return. That's all I have to say; whether you listen or not is up to you.

Just don't mistreat this Fellow Daoist Peng before you. You should know that the previous master of Mount Five Old Mothers Mountain was from the Peng Household. You should know how formidable they are."

The Daoist Black Shoes's face darkened. He could not possibly be swayed by Yue Lin's few words and lose his principles and mind. He was just disappointed that despite his painstaking scheming, he still failed to keep Yue Lin by his side.

As for Peng Xingyu, who was now powerless to struggle...

The Daoist Black Shoes put away the Outer Dao Golden Core between his brows, its brilliance already somewhat dimmed. He noticed the barely concealed fear on the graceful female cultivator's face. After pondering Yue Lin's words for a moment, he chuckled coldly to himself:

"If the Peng Household, the clan of the former Five Old Mothers Mountain Master, truly held any prestige within Five Old Mothers Mountain, Huiyi her most prized treasures? She didn't even display the slightest strength to struggle or fight back? She's most likely someone who has fallen out of favor within the sect, sent out as a pawn to test the situation."

He picked up the Listening to the Spring Sword, already cracked, and slowly walked to Peng Xingyu. He placed the blade against the tip of her delicate neck, letting the Sword Qi dissipate slightly, before severing a fine hair on her throat in two. The beauty was horrified, her eyes wide with shock, before she softly said, "I hope Fellow Daoist Peng will accompany me to Learning Forest Mountain first, and then we can go to the Earl of Earl of Nan'an to explain this matter clearly."

----Outside the Learning Forest Mountain

"Kang Dabao! You have a bright future ahead of you, don't ruin it! If you realize your mistake now, I can still plead with your uncles and elders to spare your life! There may be a chance to turn things around in the future."

Despite having his limbs bound and acupoints sealed by Yuan Jin's Law Artifact, Tie Xishui continued to chatter on. He was not as calm and composed as Kang Dabao had initially thought, nor as outwardly magnanimous but inwardly profound.

But a crushing defeat exposed his true colors as all bluster and no substance.

In contrast, Tie Xishan, whose cultivation level was lower and whose aptitude was inferior, was much quieter. Because his cultivation level was only at the Qi Refinement Refining stage, he still gained an advantage at this time. Duan Anle and the other Double Brightness disciples only sealed his acupoints and ignored everything else.

With his Five Spirit Roots, he has already raised his cultivation level to the Qi Refinement Ninth Layer Refining in this relatively short period of cultivation, and is only one step away from Foundation Establishment.

However, his cultivation foundation is quite solid, clearly indicating that he did not rely too much on external forces to achieve this, and who knows how much hard work he must have put in behind the scenes.

Previously, after the Sect Leader Kang Da urged the camp to seize the flag, even the Foundation Establishment, including Tie Xishui, were shocked, but he, a mere Qi Refinement, remained conscious in the formation.

It was only thanks to Tie Xishan's composure in the face of danger that the various formations of the Demon Correction Office were not left leaderless and defeated one by one. It was also because of this person that the cultivators of Chongming had to Double Brightness countless efforts and lose countless lives before they were able to achieve complete success.

However, after his defeat on the side of the Demon Correction Office, he showed neither rage nor dejection. Instead, he slowly stepped forward and bowed to Sect Leader Kang Da, saying, "I never expected to see Brother Kang again in this manner."

Kang Dabao felt a pang of regret, realizing that Tie Liuyun's ability to judge character was indeed remarkable. He had never expected that Tie Xishan possessed such profound insight, far surpassing the average person.

Back when Sect Leader Kang Da went to the Tanggu County to plead for the Ming Household, he saw the scene of debauchery and extravagance in the county and assumed that the ascetic monk from Tie Xishan had been unable to resist the temptations of the brothel and had been thoroughly corrupted by the sweet affections.

Unexpectedly, this person was the True Person, deliberately creating some unsavory situations to fool even the usually arrogant Kang Dabao, who was proud of his ability to judge people.

"Could it be that he knew from that time that I would inevitably fall out with the Tie Household?" After thinking for a while, Sect Leader Kang Da dismissed the idea. He thought to himself, if that were the case, wouldn't Tie Xishan be even more cunning than those old and shrewd officials in the state court?

Most likely, he got used to being cautious when he was in the Tie Household, so he deliberately acted like a pampered rich person in front of everyone to cover it up.

After finishing his Kang Dabao still had many things to do, so he had no time for pleasantries with Tanggu County. He went straight to the point and said, "Brother Tiedao, my family has always been respectful to nobles. Why would you want to harm my entire family for no reason? This is hardly a righteous act."

Tie Xishan chuckled and shook his head, saying softly, "What is meant by righteous or unrighteous? Since your family chose the Fei Household in the conflict between the Hakka and the locals, what happened today, even if it didn't happen today, would have happened sooner or later tomorrow. Brother Kang, you know this principle, so why ask such shallow questions that invite ridicule from others?"

Seeing that Kang Dabao remained silent, Tie Xishan did not stop talking, but said softly, "You should know that today you broke the formation that my cousin and I had set up. The fact that you, Chongming Sect, killed officials has been proven, and the pretext for rebellion has been laid. It is impossible for you to turn the tide."

If you are exceptionally resolute, you might consider joining the Two Instruments Sect. However, according to my master, the Lord is about to Core Formation stage. Even if you join them, they might not have the courage to accept you, or they might treat your family like a worthless knife, using it until it's dull or broken without bothering to sharpen it. Your disciples will still find it difficult to survive.

My Tie Household may seem to have lost today, but in reality, we have already secured the victory. There are only two shortcomings: first, we did not expect Jiang Qing to be so powerful; second, we did not expect that you, Sect Leader Kang Da, would be so loyal and righteous as to abandon your promising future and fall into this vortex of life and death.

But it doesn't matter, it doesn't affect the overall situation. Brother Kang, you must know that your Chongming Sect is doomed, right? Otherwise, you wouldn't be treating us defeated troops with such courtesy. You must be saving us so that my uncle will remember our past relationship and let you go, right?"

Tie Xishan's words were like daggers to the heart, but the Sect Leader Kang Da found it difficult to speak after hearing them. He simply cupped his hands in farewell to Tie Xishan and then instructed Duan Anle to take good care of him before he went to find Yuan Jin and the others to discuss some matters.

No sooner had he taken a step than he saw Han Xundao rushing towards him, his face filled with urgency. He opened his mouth wide, yet his voice was barely audible:

"Reporting to the Sect Leader, Senior Brother Pei... has passed away."

Kang Dabao felt as if an iron claw had scratched his heart, the pain causing him to close his eyes. When he finally spoke, his voice was filled with sorrow. "Take me to see."