Zhu Zhao looked as though she wouldn't drop the matter until she got an agreement. Song Yao blinked and nodded in compliance.
Once the room cleared out, the Second Elder repeatedly warned her, “Just sleep here for a while. No matter what noise you hear, don't come out. Feng Qing probably won't think of you for the time being. If someone really barges in to make trouble for you, pull this red string by the head of the bed. I will rush over as quickly as possible. Whatever you do, absolutely do not run around. Can you do that?”
Song Yao nodded again. “I can.”
The Second Elder was still uneasy.
This child looked quiet, obedient, and sensible, but she was actually not well-behaved at all.
Last time, the Twelfth Elder had taken her to the Beiyao Sect to attend the grand wedding, yet she had inexplicably ended up on Black Cloud Mountain. This time, they had clearly put her inside the spatial realm, but she had somehow appeared outside all by herself.
Though he figured she had her own reasons, these repeated incidents showed that she was definitely not someone who cherished her own life.
She didn't value her life, but they valued it for her.
After a moment of thought, the Second Elder handed her a book. “How about this? Read a book for a bit. I'll leave once you fall asleep.”
Song Yao: “...”
How was this any different from feeding her sleeping pills?
Holding the book, she slid further down under the quilt to show her sincerity. “I really won't run around. Besides, if I fall asleep, how am I supposed to pull the red string if someone comes?”
That was true...
Left with no other option, the Second Elder sighed softly. “Fine. Get some rest first. I'll come back to see you later after I'm done with my tasks.”
With that, he hurriedly left the room.
Song Yao tossed and turned in bed for a while, but in the end, she couldn't stay still. Reaching out, she grabbed the ceramic bottle Ji Duchuan had left on the table, poured out two pills, and popped them into her mouth. Closing her eyes, she took a few slow breaths, and within moments, she felt much better.
Rummaging through her spatial pouch, she pulled out a white Daoist robe and changed into it neatly. She then tied her messy hair back into a proper, orderly bundle. Stepping in front of the bronze mirror to take a look, she nodded in satisfaction.
She looked vastly different from her usual self, now carrying a hint of the icy aura typical of the Beiyao Sect's cultivators.
Excellent.
Gripping the window sill, she flipped out silently, leaving a barrier in front of the house on her way.
She then concealed her presence and smoothly bypassed a group of patrolling disciples from the Beiyao Sect and Taiqing Pavilion. Before long, she made her way to the front hall of Wangyun Peak. Scaling the roof, she expertly pried open a few tiles and peered down into the hall.
Below, the disciples of Nine Saints Hall stood in neat rows, every single one of them wearing a grim expression and eyes filled with resistance.
Standing right in front of them was a Beiyao Sect deacon. His cold, dark gaze swept over the crowd as he lectured them in a harsh tone:
“Now that Sect Master Feng has kindly taken over the administration of Nine Saints Hall, this place is now the territory of the Beiyao Sect. I advise you to pack away your arrogance as the number one sect under heaven as soon as possible and recognize your current situation.”
“The cultivation world has always been a place where the strong prey on the weak, and the victor sets the rules. This is an irrefutable truth. Sect Master Feng is benevolent; she has spared your lives and allowed you to remain on Wangyun Peak to cultivate. This is a grace that others could only dream of. What you must do is serve Sect Master Feng with absolute loyalty, abide by the sect rules of the Beiyao Sect, and obey the commands of your superiors. Your every word and action must conform to the laws of the sect, without a single thought of transgression.”
“Those who behave themselves and do their duties diligently will not lack spiritual vein resources, cultivation methods, or elixirs in the future. Your path of cultivation will only be smoother than it was in Nine Saints Hall. But if anyone harbors treacherous thoughts, acting obedient on the surface while making trouble in the dark, or even passing secret messages to stir up unrest—”
“—do not blame us for dealing with you according to the sect rules!”
As he spoke, he casually pointed at a disciple in the front row and said coldly, “You. Recite the Precepts of Loyalty that I just delivered. For every single word you get wrong, you will receive one lash of the whip.”
The disciple's face turned pale. Gritting his teeth, he began to stammer through the recitation. He had barely gotten half a sentence wrong when the cultivator beside him raised his whip. The sound of tearing flesh instantly rang out, accompanied by a miserable shriek.
Standing at the very front, Ming Ran's expression changed, and she was about to rush forward to stop it, but she was held back firmly by another disciple beside her.
Song Yao watched for a moment, then scanned the surroundings. It was entirely filled with Beiyao Sect members; not a single disciple from Taiqing Pavilion was present.
Looking closer, the Second Elder wasn't there either.
Perfect.
Her eyes curved into crescents. Sitting up, her hands rapidly formed a fire-attribute hand seal of the Taiqing Pavilion, and she violently hurled two pale-red fireballs down through the gaps in the tiles.
The moment she threw them, she turned and fled. A violent explosion erupted in the front hall a second later. The screams and chaotic scrambles of the Beiyao Sect cultivators and Nine Saints Hall disciples instantly tangled into a mess.
“Who is it!?”
“Who's launching a sneak attack!?”
“Quickly catch them and bring them to me!!”
“!!!”
Having blown up at least eight hundred to a thousand buildings in her past life, Song Yao was familiar with almost every explosive technique in the world. Since her junior brothers and sisters were down there this time, she had held back. It wouldn't kill anyone, but it would certainly make them suffer a bit.
Hearing the commotion, a crowd of Beiyao Sect and Taiqing Pavilion cultivators was rushing frantically toward the front hall. They ran straight into Song Yao, but seeing her in a white robe similar to those of the Beiyao Sect, they didn't pay much attention to her and hurried past.
Song Yao leisurely made her way back, planning to return to her room and rest a bit more.
She had just reached a point several dozen meters away from her residence when her steps suddenly faltered.
Someone had crossed the barrier she had set up outside her door and entered the room.
She pursed her lips, narrowing her eyes to probe, and instantly identified the intruder.
—It was Moqi, the follower by Feng Qing's side. He was known for his sharp eyes and ruthless hands, loyal to Feng Qing alone.
His sudden arrival at her residence probably had nothing to do with her blowing up the front hall.
But since she was currently outside, if she went back and ran straight into him, she wouldn't be able to explain herself.
Without a moment's hesitation, Song Yao concealed her aura and immediately flew away from Wangyun Peak on her sword.
The instant she cleared Wangyun Peak, a pale-gold barrier suddenly lit up behind her. The screen of light expanded with a low hum, tightly sealing off the entire peak so that not even a mosquito could escape.
Immediately after, the furious voice of the Beiyao Sect deacon who had been lecturing in the main hall reverberated across the entire mountain, amplified by spiritual energy: “Seal off all exits! Search every courtyard and room! Find the person who blew up the front hall! Even if you have to dig three feet into the ground, capture them!”
His voice sounded full of vigor; he probably wasn't injured.
Song Yao glanced back with a hint of regret, reflecting deeply that she should be a little more ruthless next time. Then, she flew toward the main peak.
Since she couldn't go back anyway, she might as well see what state the occupied Nine Saints Hall was in.
...
Looking from afar, the main peak, which used to be quiet and desolate, was now teeming with Beiyao Sect cultivators, guarded so tightly that not even the wind could pass through.
Song Yao withdrew her sword light and hid herself in the shadows of the trees. When she finally got a clear view of the situation, she paused once more.
More than half of the cultivators had actually gathered in front of her courtyard from her past life, forming a dense, dark crowd around it.
Zhu Zhao stood before the courtyard gate, several long swords pointed directly at her. The atmosphere was tense to the extreme, yet her expression remained cold, her eyelids not even twitching.
The leading cultivator stepped forward, suppressing his anger. “Zhu Zhao, we are acting under the Sect Master's orders to thoroughly investigate the remnants of Nine Saints Hall. This courtyard was Song Yao's residence. She caused endless trouble in her past life, so her living quarters must have turned into a demon's den. You have repeatedly blocked us. Are you trying to openly defy the Sect Master's command?”
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