Chapter 17 | How Could the Master of All Villains Be Righteous?

Amidst the layer upon layer of verdant peaks in the Taixuan Sect, the clouds and mist parted around a soaring mountain peak.

A solemn and majestic tower emerged, surrounded by dense green bamboo.

After verifying their identities, four protective barriers automatically dissolved.

Three streaks of light flew in from the horizon, landing within the barrier's boundary.

“This disciple greets the Ancestor.”

The brown-robed elder leading the group cupped his hands and bowed his head.

“Feng Ling of Jiuyin Island has settled in at Penglai. He said Jiuyin Island has a matter to discuss with the Ancestor.”

The doors of the tower remained closed; only an ethereal, ancient voice transmitted outward.

“Invite him over.”

“Understood.” Pausing, the brown-robed elder hesitated before adding, “There is one more matter. The clan relatives of this disciple's apprentice in Yongdi City were slaughtered overnight. No trace of any cultivator's aura was left at the scene. This disciple begs the Ancestor to divine the identity of the enemy for my apprentice.”

At those words, the young man beside him stiffened slightly and dropped to his knees at once.

“This disciple carries a bitter feud of blood and vengeance. I ask the Ancestor for guidance!”

This person was Chen Feng, who had led the attack that slaughtered Yao Dai's clan all those years ago.

Silence filled the air; no one dared to speak another word.

Suddenly, an opening rippled through the barrier before the tower, and a beam of piercing white light shot toward Chen Feng.

Yet Chen Feng did not dare dodge, enduring it rigidly. Fortunately, it was not an attack.

A halo of light enveloped him, and he felt a drop of blood forced out from between his brows. His heart skipped a beat, and moments later, the light vanished.

The ancient voice from within transmitted once more:

“I remember your name is Chen Feng. You are already at the Golden Core Early Stage now, good. As a disciple of my Taixuan Sect, how could we allow anyone to humiliate and bully you?”

With that, the drop of glabella blood flew straight into the tower.

Chen Feng knew this meant the Ancestor had agreed to help him.

His eyes sparkled with excitement as he kowtowed on the ground in gratitude. “Thank you, Ancestor!”

Clenching his fists, murderous intent surged wildly in his eyes. He would definitely find this person, strip their tendons, destroy their soul, and ensure they could never enter reincarnation for generations to come.

Inside the tower, a white-haired figure formed hand seals with one hand. Spiritual energy enveloped the drop of glabella blood, causing a circle of arrays to rotate at high speed beneath the fluctuations.

Thin strands of bloody threads stretched out from the blood drop, seeming to probe down a path of destiny.

...

At the same time, Yao Dai, who was resting in the inn, suddenly felt a sharp pain in her chest.

Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, and her tightly closed eyes flickered into a trance. In her mind, an overwhelming pressure as if heaven and earth were collapsing coalesced into an ethereal face, its eyes like an infinite abyss within a deep black hole.

With just a single glance, she felt the agonizing pain of her soul being completely destroyed.

“Merely an ant.”

That ethereal, disdainful voice seemed to transform into thousands of sharp blades piercing her mind.

“Ah!!”

Was she going to die?

No.

She couldn't die yet!

“Master!!”

In that instant, Yao Dai mustered all her strength and let out a fierce roar, unexpectedly tearing through a layer of that person's constraint.

Yet it left Yao Dai with blood-tinged tears streaming from her strained eyes, her face pale with terror.

“Old bastard, you're looking for death.”

Wen Li stood up abruptly, raising both hands to rapidly form hand seals over Yao Dai's head. The moment she saw Yao Dai's state, she knew a mighty cultivator was using a secret technique to divine her fate.

Her cool, aloof eyes half-closed as her nimble fingers rapidly cast seal after seal. A series of deep blue arrays suddenly expanded beneath her feet, enveloping Yao Dai within them as the bloody thread emerging from her glabella fluttered violently.

The person on the other side seemed to sense Wen Li's presence and intensified their force as if mocking her overestimation of her own capabilities, attempting to crush Yao Dai's soul across space.

Wen Li's expression turned cold. “Hold On.”

The hairpin on her head flew out, suddenly turning into a long sword.

Cold light flashed as Wen Li gripped the sword. Holding it in her right hand, she slashed it across her left palm. Blood was instantly absorbed by the blade, emitting a dark crimson glow.

A hint of red light flared in her cool eyes as she chanted an incantation under her breath.

“Get the hell out of here!”

In the next instant, her bleeding left hand formed a seal while her right hand swung the consecrated sword, slashing straight down at the bloody thread extending from before Yao Dai's glabella.

Swish!

This sword strike severed the Taixuan Sect Ancestor's lethal assault on Yao Dai.

Bang! A powerful shockwave blasted surrounding objects away.

Pfft!

Yao Dai's body shuddered violently. She spat out a mouthful of crimson blood and passed out, her cultivation rapidly dissipating around her.

Plunging straight from Qi Refinement Fifth Layer down to a mortal!

Her supple, fair, young face began to age at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The bloody thread between Yao Dai's brows vanished into thin air, and the room's shaking subsided.

Wen Li was also knocked back by the tremendous force, stumbling backward five full steps. A trickle of blood oozed from the corner of her mouth, her hair slightly disheveled.

She planted her sword into the floor to steady her footing, the fingers gripping the hilt trembling.

As expected of a Soul Formation cultivator. Good thing this wasn't a face-to-face fight, or we would have been completely finished.

“You...”

Xie Tinglan's face darkened, having had no time to react to what had just transpired.

Swallowing the metallic taste in her throat, Wen Li stuffed a handful of pills into her mouth, scooped Yao Dai up into her arms, grabbed Xie Tinglan, and flew out of the inn at top speed.

“Take these Spirit-Erasing Talismans and Defensive Talismans. Ride your sword and leave immediately—I need to preserve Yao Dai's life!”

The commotion just now had attracted the attention of many factions present in Taiwei City; if they didn't leave now, they wouldn't be able to escape.

“Alright.”

Xie Tinglan understood the underlying stakes and dared not delay. If anything happened to Wen Li, he would die too.

...

“Huh?”

Inside the forbidden grounds of the Taixuan Sect.

The old man inside the tower slowly opened his eyes. Looking at the severed bloody thread before him, a flicker of surprise flashed across his clear eyes.

To think someone could break his Death Curse.

He could sense that the other party was merely at Foundation Establishment Great Perfection. Normally, crushing someone like that would be easier than squashing an ant. Strange—it was truly beyond strange.

Or could it be... that the person possessed some secret?

The old man's eyes flickered, and he suddenly stood up.

Clack!

The heavy doors of the tower swung open.

The three people waiting outside looked up in surprise.

Especially the Grand Elder of the Taixuan Sect leading them.

“Ancestor, why have you come out?” He hurriedly stepped forward to greet him.

Chen Feng was still kneeling on the ground, delight filling his eyes. Had the Ancestor already slain that person?

Before he could even kowtow in thanks, the Taixuan Sect Ancestor hoisted him up. “Come with me to search for that person.”

Before the other two could even react, the two of them vanished via teleportation.

The Grand Elder looked on in astonishment. He had rarely seen the Ancestor act in such a manner. Could Chen Feng's enemy be out of the ordinary?

He turned to instruct the other female disciple, “Yu Fei, go inform Master Feng Ling of Jiuyin Island that the Ancestor has stepped out, and reschedule the meeting for tomorrow.”