Chapter 182 | After Courting Death and Faking My Demise, the Whole Sect Wants Revenge on Me

It was hard to tell if the people from Taiqing Pavilion had set foot on the main peak yet. The area was completely deserted, looking just as desolate as always.

Song Yao ran all the way back to her small courtyard. Gripping the wooden fence, she peered inside. It was empty. There was no sign of Lin Shui, nor were there any little chicks or ducklings wandering around. Only a grain bowl lay overturned in the corner.

Her eyelashes fluttered slightly.

Was she still too late?

Did she really miss her chance to see them grow up?

After indulging in a brief moment of melancholy, she pushed open the door and stepped inside. The desk and bed were perfectly neat, but all her clothes and decorations were gone.

Huh.

Strange.

Had the place been ransacked?

Song Yao was planning to check out Elixir Peak when, just as she stepped out of the courtyard gate, a gust of crimson wind swept right toward her.

Before she could dodge, her shoulder sank as she was pinned against the door. Her back hit the wood with a dull thud, but the force was instantly reined in by more than half, as if the attacker was afraid of actually hurting her.

Zhu Zhao stood before her with a dark expression, her eyes blazing with suppressed fury. “Are you out of your mind? With so many people from Taiqing Pavilion and Beiyao Sect watching, you dared to control so many spiritual whips? Do you think we don't have enough trouble already?”

Recognizing her, Song Yao's tense body relaxed. The spiritual energy in her hands dissipated, and a smile touched her clear, bright eyes. “What's wrong? It's a rare occasion for me to step in and save our junior brothers and sisters. Is Second Senior Sister unhappy about that?”

Zhu Zhao: “...”

This had absolutely nothing to do with being happy.

In this world, very few people could control so many spiritual weapons at will, and controlling weapons in someone else's grasp was even more difficult. It was only possible if one's cultivation had reached an incredibly high realm.

Yet, in the entire Tianshu Realm, no one other than Song Yao possessed such an ability at this age and cultivation level.

If Feng Qing discovered she was the one behind it, she would likely capture her and punish her severely. She might even realize on the spot that she was the Song Yao from back then.

If Feng Qing captured Song Yao at a critical juncture like this, she would definitely not let it go. She might even execute her publicly to prove that their invasion of Nine Saints Hall was justified.

Song Yao had always been the smartest and most cunning of them all. Zhu Zhao didn't believe she hadn't thought of this.

For someone who previously couldn't wait to see Nine Saints Hall destroyed to suddenly step in and save her fellow disciples, Zhu Zhao truly couldn't understand what was going through her head!

Seeing that she looked ready to explode, Song Yao was genuinely a bit puzzled. She reached out and touched Zhu Zhao's forehead. “What's the matter? Is it really that serious? I can't even save people now? Why do you still dislike me so much? Haven't we already reconciled?”

Zhu Zhao: “...”

Was that idiom even meant to be used like that?

Sensing the approach of a sword's aura in the distance, Zhu Zhao took a deep breath, too tired to argue with Song Yao any longer. “Come with me.”

A heavy cloak was tossed over Song Yao's head, wrapping her up completely and leaving only a small portion of her chin visible.

Zhu Zhao half-dragged, half-pulled her onto her flying sword and took off, the wind whistling past their ears.

Shrouded in the thick fabric, Song Yao couldn't see clearly and felt a bit unsteady. She simply reached out and wrapped her arms around Zhu Zhao's waist, asking rapidly, “Where are we going? The secret realm? How many disciples are still there?”

Zhu Zhao went completely stiff, her voice slightly strained. “Let go. Stand steady on your own.”

“Oh, but I can't see.”

Song Yao's mouth wouldn't stop. “Don't we still have ninety-nine meals to eat together? When are we going? What are we going to eat? Are we still going?”

Zhu Zhao: “...Keep making noise and I'll throw you onto Fuguang Platform to let Feng Qing eat with you.”

Song Yao let out an “oh.” “You're so impatient, Second Senior Sister. I thought we were on good terms now... How come you and Fourth Junior Brother have such nice-sounding titles? Crimson Phoenix Sovereign, Myriad Talisman Sovereign. Who gave them to you? Do I have a title like that out there?”

Zhu Zhao lifted her up mercilessly and tossed her into the secret realm. “Yes.”

Song Yao almost stumbled, but someone caught her from behind. She turned around and saw her Eldest Senior Brother, He Yu.

She stood steady, clutching the cloak, and asked with a hint of anticipation, “What is it?”

Zhu Zhao turned and left, leaving behind only three words: “The Damned Scoundrel.”

Song Yao: “?”

She didn't believe it.

Impossible.

She was full of crap.

He Yu looked at his junior sister's thunderstruck expression and couldn't help but feel a bit worried. “What's wrong?”

Song Yao, clinging to her last shred of hope, turned to ask him, “Second Senior Sister said that Third Senior Sister's title out there is the Damned Scoundrel?”

He Yu blanked for a moment, then nodded. “I think that's indeed the case. I heard there are quite a few people out there who want to give her a couple of slashes, and plenty of people hunting her down. One thing led to another, and she ended up with that title. Why do you ask?”

Song Yao fell silent for a moment. “It's nothing. It actually sounds pretty nice.”

He Yu: “...”

Pretty nice... really?

“Seventh Senior Sister!”

“Lin Mu!”

Hurried footsteps suddenly echoed from the direction of the courtyard deep within the secret realm.

Ning Zhou was at the front, leading a group of young disciples who rushed over and quickly surrounded Song Yao.

The young boys and girls were filled with anxiety and apprehension, all chiming in at once. “Seventh Senior Sister, we heard you were locked up on Black Cloud Mountain. How did you get caught by them? Did they mistreat you?”

“What's the situation outside now? Have the people from Taiqing Pavilion and Beiyao Sect really invaded?”

“Are Second Elder and Ming Ran and the others okay?”

“...”

Ever since she won first place in the Myriad Bones Forest realm, and word spread about her refining Qi-Replenishing Pills to save an entire city, Song Yao's prestige and reputation among the young disciples of the hall had soared.

Although they usually felt she did nothing but sleep and was rather lazy and unreliable, at a time like this, they all looked to her as a reliable personal disciple sister who could take charge.

Unfortunately, the senior sister herself was getting a headache from all the chatter. She stood in their midst, blinking her calm, clear eyes, her small pale face half-hidden in the cloak, her mind already wandering elsewhere.

She remembered that this secret realm of Nine Saints Hall had been created long ago by a senior with a space spiritual root, specifically to handle emergencies like this.

The space wasn't too large, but it had all the necessary rooms and courtyards, resembling a miniature sect that could accommodate at most a few hundred people.

Judging by the situation, they had probably hidden the elders and disciples who weren't good at fighting, such as pill cultivators and medical cultivators, along with some younger disciples with weaker cultivations.

But given the size of Nine Saints Hall, only a minority could hide here; the vast majority of disciples were still outside.

After everyone chattered for a while, a voice came from behind the crowd: “Alright, alright, go back to your duties and give your Seventh Senior Sister some peace and quiet.”