Chapter 141: It Is Time to Take Revenge

Deep within the quiet pavilion.

Looking out over the plaza in front of the grand hall, the scene from five years ago still lingered vividly before their eyes: the mountain rocks shattered by the tribulation firestorms, the mountain ridges cleaved in two by long swords.

The emerald willow, slanting upright upon the mountain path, swayed idly in the wind, as if flaunting some long-past victory toward that distant, overbearing sect of overlords.

After the heavenly tribulation, Elder Liu had fled in panic all by himself, leaving hundreds of elite disciples behind within the Xuanji Sect; the fate of these disciples was already sealed.

That person had said they would all be killed, and so they were all killed—even though Ye Dao had no wish to slaughter these young disciples, and even though these disciples, cloaked in arrogant exteriors, hailed from that grand sect.

With the grand tournament approaching, the season that ought to have been tranquil was exceptionally restless at this moment. Disciples practicing spells could be seen everywhere in the air, and one could hear certain instructors sternly reprimanding their pupils.

"If you don't cultivate properly like this, when the grand tournament arrives, you'll die a miserable death. Those people from the Yongle Sect are not your fellow apprentices; their moves are meant to kill the moment they strike, leaving you no time to think..."

"Run if you can't beat them! Acting tough when you're clearly outmatched—are you an idiot? ...In the future, you'll have to participate in the Thirty-Six Counties Drills."

"Very good... Who said you can't take medicinal pills during a fight? Who said you can't use talismans during a fight? Excellent, as long as you kill your opponent, any method is a good one."

...

Hearing these remarks, which sounded both laughable and yet possessed of absolute truth, the old woman could not help but smile. She sighed, "When they finally understand these things, all they can do is watch these children head off to that cruel battlefield."

Ye Dao wore a smile, gently stroking his beard as he said amiably, "Some among them are participating in the grand tournament, and a few have even taken part in the drills. Yet the price they paid to acquire these truths was immense."

The old woman smiled indifferently. "I remember the group drills I participated in that year, led by the Junior Martial Uncle. I witnessed with my own eyes a fellow apprentice who was laughing and chatting the very moment before, only to be decapitated the next. That was the first time I ever killed someone. I was terrified, but in the end, I brought down my sword—because of hatred." Her tone was detached, as if she were speaking of everyday household matters, yet Ye Dao clearly sensed the underlying bitterness within.

"The world of cultivation has always been this cruel. It's a pity I never had the chance to participate in those drills. What I fail to understand, however, is how we ever came to harbor a blood grudge with the Yongle Sect."

Mentioning the feud with the Yongle Sect once more, the old woman's expression froze. Through her trance-like state, one could almost perceive that tragic and harrowing scene. After a long silence, she slowly began to speak:

"Back then, I was only at the Golden Core stage, and throughout the entire Xuanji Sect, only Junior Martial Uncle had reached the Nascent Soul realm. Because we hailed from the same county as the Yongle Sect, we traveled together.

"At that time, the Yongle Sect had three Nascent Soul cultivators, one of whom was even in the mid-Nascent Soul stage. Their strength was formidable, so they ordered us to scout the path ahead while they followed behind us.

"The location of the drills was very strange—no one knew what place it was; it was said to have been constructed by a powerful cultivator of the empire. Every step inside was fraught with danger, and savage beasts even appeared.

"As we walked in front, we had to be on guard against sneak attacks by cultivators from other counties while also worrying about the emergence of savage beasts. Consequently, our mental energy was severely depleted.

"Later on, our disciples lodged a protest and refused to continue moving forward. Junior Martial Uncle also went to offer a suggestion, hoping the Yongle Sect would dispatch some of their own disciples to advance together.

"Yet they refused under various pretexts. Junior Martial Uncle had no choice but to endure it. In truth, Junior Martial Uncle was already at the late Nascent Soul stage back then; if he hadn't been worried about us lower-ranked disciples, he might well have secured first place in the drills."

Ye Dao nodded, saying helplessly, "Could it be because of this matter that Junior Martial Uncle struck?"

The old woman chuckled faintly and said with detachment, "How could it be that simple? Junior Martial Uncle was also capable of great forbearance. Had the dangers not multiplied the deeper we went, resulting in the deaths of several fellow apprentices, Junior Martial Uncle would not have grown enraged.

"I remember that day, right after we had beaten back a surprise attack by the enemy, two flame minks suddenly rushed in."

Hearing mention of the flame minks, Ye Dao's expression tightened: "Savage beasts."

The old woman nodded and continued, "Ordinarily, as long as we avoided them, there would have been no danger. Flame minks are timid by nature; if others don't provoke them, they won't provoke others at random.

"However, those meddlesome Yongle Sect disciples coveted the flame minks' pelts and actually conspired with disciples of our sect to launch a sneak attack. The outcome can be imagined: all four disciples from both sides were completely trapped.

"The three team leaders of the Yongle Sect consulted with Junior Martial Uncle and decided to join forces to rescue those four disciples. The plan was for Junior Martial Uncle to keep the two savage beasts occupied while the three of them rescued the people.

"Yet those three only rescued the Yongle Sect disciples, leaving our Xuanji Sect disciples entirely to their fate. This infuriated Junior Martial Uncle, but he still requested to join forces once more to save them.

"When those three refused, Junior Martial Uncle flew into a rage and finally made his move. Fighting all three of them alone, he did not fall behind in the slightest, ultimately slaying the three Nascent Soul team leaders.

"Afterward, Junior Martial Uncle ventured deep into the flame minks' territory alone, retrieved the bodies of our two fellow apprentices, and led us disciples back to the entrance until the drills concluded."

Although this was a simple narration, Ye Dao could still envision the astonishing spectacles within it; at the very least, within the old woman's chilling gaze at that moment, he could perceive a dense intent to kill.

Therefore, after offering a few perfunctory remarks, he hurriedly changed the subject. Casually, he said, "I heard Yuming has already reached the late Nascent Soul stage. He will be leading the team for this grand tournament."

Ceasing to dwell on that startling past, the old woman's expression recovered somewhat, and she smiled faintly, "Yuming is indeed a genius. To attain such a level of cultivation in just a few years..."

Ye Dao's expression tightened, his brows furrowing slightly as he asked in confusion, "With your aptitude, you actually call someone else a genius? If others heard that, they'd be utterly devastated."

The old woman shook her head and hastily replied, "If we are speaking of true genius, my meager accomplishments cannot compare to Su Fan's."

Ye Dao suddenly asked, "It's been several years now; why hasn't Junior Martial Uncle released Su Fan yet?"

"It is said that Junior Martial Uncle used the flames of the heavenly tribulation to forge a physical body for Su Fan. Because of this, he naturally possesses an innate ability to manipulate fire. The fire of the heavenly tribulation is the ultimate fire of heaven and earth; who is to say Su Fan's cultivation won't advance by leaps and bounds once again this time?"

"Why is Junior Martial Uncle so partial? But come to think of it, Su Fan actually bears a certain resemblance to Junior Martial Uncle."

"In what way do they resemble each other? Su Fan doesn't wear cyan robes, nor is Su Fan as slow-paced as him."

"During the heavenly tribulation the other day, their imposing presence was very similar."

"Put that way, they truly are alike. I just wonder to what realm Su Fan's cultivation will be able to climb."

"Since he provoked a heavenly tribulation, he is bound to be a powerful cultivator; when his cultivation manifests, it will surely be boundless."

The old woman's expression suddenly grew heavy, and she said in a low voice, "Precisely because he is a powerful cultivator, therefore..."

"Therefore you fear he will struggle to withstand the next heavenly tribulation?" Ye Dao said helplessly.

...

The Nameless Lake.

Beneath the water lay an entirely separate realm. Being submerged within the water, the entire Xuanji Sect was laid out before one's eyes—not because the vantage point was high enough to see everywhere physically, but because one's sea of consciousness and spiritual will seemed infinitely expanded, capable of touching every single corner of the Xuanji Sect.

Su Fan sat cross-legged atop a slab of blue stone, his entire body wreathed in burning flames. His original head of ash-gray hair had unexpectedly turned red at this moment, matching the fiery red blazing across his body.

This fire burned with astonishing vigor even beneath the water. Su Fan kept his eyes tightly closed, his fingers twitching slightly. The cyan-robed figure sitting cross-legged on the blue stone before him furrowed his brows slightly, flicking a finger to send out a fiery red pebble as he softly murmured, "Ten fire-origin crystals—even someone who has cultivated fire-attribute techniques for a century couldn't endure this, yet he has consumed all of them in one go."

Fire-origin crystals were a rare fire-attribute material, usable either in the refinement of magical treasures or in the creation of array formations. A small number of cultivators who practiced fire-attribute techniques utilized them for cultivation, but due to their immense value, few actually used them.

At this moment, the cyan-robed man's tone held no trace of heartache, but rather carried a hint of playfulness. As he spoke, he flicked out yet another fire-origin crystal. The crystal landed before Su Fan, instantly vanishing, before transforming into a dense, roaring flame that was swallowed whole by Su Fan.

Following this, the cyan-robed man stood up and patted Su Fan on the shoulder. Su Fan slowly opened his eyes and brought his palms together; the flames enveloping his body were entirely gathered into his palms before disappearing from sight.

Having completed this series of actions, Su Fan hastily stood up and bowed, saying, "This junior expresses his gratitude to Senior for saving his life."

The cyan-robed man burst into hearty laughter and said, "You little fellow are quite interesting. Saving you happened to align with my own wishes, so you needn't take it to heart."

Su Fan's face was filled with gratitude. He had originally thought his Dao had reached its end, never expecting to be saved by this person—a figure of whom Su Fan had indeed heard rumors: the legendary Junior Martial Uncle.

"You need not keep calling me by that tedious title of 'Senior'; my name is Qing Shan."

Su Fan was stunned, not anticipating that this person would be so forthright. He replied slowly, "You are an elder; would it not be lacking in respect for me to address you directly by your given name?"

Qing Shan sneered, "They may not know your origins, but do I not? What elder or junior? You aren't even a member of the Xuanji Sect."

What was the meaning of this? Su Fan felt a great shock in his heart. Could it be that the other party already knew his identity, and even knew whence he came and what ulterior motives he harbored?

"Where you come from, I neither wish to know nor does it concern me. You want to kill certain people, and as it happens, I also want to kill those very same people. Thus, we share a common enemy, which makes us friends now."

Su Fan was speechless. Someone so powerful that he could fight the heavenly tribulation actually wanted to be friends with him—this was an extremely rare and fortuitous event. Regardless of any adverse consequences, viewed from the present moment, the benefits were immense.

"Since you put it that way, that is indeed how it stands. Then we are friends."

"Since we are friends, there are some matters I would like you to handle."

Su Fan was taken aback. Scarcely had they become friends than tasks were being assigned. He asked hurriedly, "With cultivation such as yours, what matters could possibly require my assistance?"

"The people of Taohua Creek cannot die in vain, and the departed disciples of my Xuanji Sect cannot die in vain either. This grand tournament is set in Qingming Valley, and I do not wish to see a single Yongle Sect disciple walk out alive."

The meaning behind not wishing to see a single Yongle Sect disciple walk out alive was glaringly obvious, yet executing it would be exceedingly difficult. However, recalling the brutally murdered villagers of Taohua Creek, Su Fan ultimately nodded heavily.