Chapter 315 : Little Junior Brother
Chapter 315: Little Junior Brother
After killing the Red-Clad Woman, Shen Yue did not stop. Even when the Red-Clad Woman behind him turned into a palm-sized red spider, he did not look back.
The cooing sounds in the mountain forest grew more and more numerous, as if a group of wild beasts were gathering toward Shen Yue.
“Truly troublesome.”
Shen Yue sighed softly, his right hand gripping the sword hilt at his waist.
“An Immortal Cultivator coming from the east—rare to see.”
A cold male voice sounded, echoing through the forest, its source impossible to determine.
Shen Yue did not stop. Since the other party had already set their sights on him, he had no interest in wasting words.
At that moment, a buzzing sound came from ahead. Shen Yue lifted his gaze and saw countless venomous insects dispersing the dense fog, surging toward him.
Sword light flashed. Shen Yue directly drew his sword, and sword energy rose from the ground like a wall of air, blocking the swarm of venomous insects.
“What exquisite sword energy. I am even more interested in you now. A sword cultivator like you is qualified to become my avatar.”
The cold male voice sounded again, adding a chilling atmosphere to the forest.
As the voice fell, a black figure appeared behind Shen Yue, advancing toward him as swiftly as a ghost.
……
As summer passed and autumn arrived, when autumn colors spread across the Ancient Great Mountain Range, Li Qingqiu gathered with his disciples on a mountain peak.
On the peak stood a newly built stone pavilion. Inside the pavilion, Xu Ning, Yuan Li, Zhao Zhen, Ji Ya, and Hu Yan sat around a stone table. Except for Qin Ye, all of Li Qingqiu’s disciples were present.
Such an opportunity to gather was rare. Every disciple was in good spirits, including Xu Ning.
They were chatting around Hu Yan, as he was the youngest, and with the Grand Dao Tournament approaching, most topics revolved around him.
Watching them converse happily, Li Qingqiu felt that he should have his disciples gather more often in the future to strengthen their bonds.
“As for first place, I truly don’t have much confidence. There are too many geniuses in the sect. I can only say I’ll do my best,” Hu Yan said helplessly.
Recently, he had stopped absorbing Inner Energy in cultivation and instead spent his time on spells to improve his real combat ability.
Zhao Zhen and Ji Ya placed great importance on whether he could win first place and had been guiding him.
The first-place winners of the previous two Grand Dao Tournaments had both been taught by Li Qingqiu. Even though he never said it outright, the disciples regarded first place as an honor of the Sect Master’s faction.
Xu Ning looked at Hu Yan and said, “You must be confident. Even if you truly lose, it doesn’t matter—but your momentum is the most important. If even you don’t believe in yourself, you’ve already lost half before it begins.”
Facing her gaze, Hu Yan felt the greatest pressure.
The oppressive presence of this Senior Sister made him feel as though he were facing a high-ranking member of the sect.
He took a deep breath and said seriously, “Senior Sister, you’re right. I will adjust my mindset. I already receive treatment far beyond other disciples. If I lack confidence, I would be unworthy of Master and the sect’s nurturing.”
Hearing this, Xu Ning finally revealed a satisfied smile.
Zhao Zhen laughed, “Exactly. At the very least, you have to show the presence of the Sect Master’s disciple.”
Normally, he rarely smiled like this. Only in front of those close to him did he reveal his true nature.
Ji Ya encouraged, “The Righteous Qi of Vast Integrity within your body is no ordinary thing. With it alone, no one can be your opponent.”
Yuan Li nodded. Since his hair had turned white, he appeared extremely mature—so much so that one might think he was the master.
After awakening the Undying Overlord Body, his senses had become extraordinarily sharp. He could feel that the Righteous Qi of Vast Integrity within Hu Yan was anything but simple.
His intuition told him that Hu Yan’s potential could indeed surpass others.
However, when he looked at Xu Ning, he sensed Heavenly Might within her, which startled him. Ji Ya, on the other hand, felt like a bottomless abyss, unfathomable.
As for Zhao Zhen, there was an indescribable aura about him that Yuan Li could not understand.
Among these fellow disciples, each one, taken alone, made Yuan Li feel that their potential was limitless.
Most importantly, the qualities they possessed—Yuan Li could sense all of them from his Master.
Encouraged by his senior brothers, Hu Yan responded positively, growing more confident as he spoke.
After chatting for a while, Hu Yan found it hard to keep up, so he turned to Li Qingqiu and asked, “By the way, Master, when will Little Junior Brother arrive at the Clear Sky Sect?”
At the mention of the Little Junior Brother, the others also became interested and turned their gazes toward Li Qingqiu.
Li Qingqiu replied, “I’m not sure either. He is too far from the Clear Sky Sect. Whether he can even find his way here is still uncertain.”
Yuan Li asked curiously, “Master, did you really receive guidance from an Immortal in a dream about him?”
The story of Li Qingqiu receiving Immortal Dream Guidance had long spread. They used to believe it, but as their cultivation increased, they began to doubt it.
“Dreams are a mysterious thing. I did indeed dream that I have a connection with him,” Li Qingqiu said in a deliberately profound tone.
Xu Ning asked, “In your dream, what kind of aptitude does this Little Junior Brother have?”
Li Qingqiu smiled and said, “His aptitude will overturn the understanding of everyone in the Clear Sky Sect.”
As he spoke, he cast his gaze toward Yuan Li, causing Yuan Li’s heart to tremble.
Although his cultivation was only at the Eighth Layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm, Yuan Li knew he was strong. Within the sect, only his Master could rival him. With such confidence, his mentality naturally changed, though he restrained himself and did not show it.
If anyone else had said such words, Yuan Li might have doubted them. But coming from his Master, he truly believed them.
The Little Junior Brother’s aptitude was even higher than his!
Yuan Li felt both pressure and fighting spirit. He did not want to be surpassed again—he wanted to be the one others chased after.
The others were also shocked. For their Master to give such a high evaluation—just how terrifying must this Little Junior Brother’s aptitude be?
Xu Ning looked at her Master and said, “Master, don’t worry. Elder Shen is trustworthy. He will definitely bring Little Junior Brother here.”
The other disciples nodded, thinking Li Qingqiu was worried about not finding the Little Junior Brother.
In truth, Li Qingqiu was not only worried about Yin Jingxing, but also about Shen Yue.
Shen Yue had been gone for more than half a year. Recently, whenever Li Qingqiu thought about it, he felt some regret, thinking it might have been too rash to send Shen Yue alone.
That was the Western Perilous Lands—home to demons, ghosts, and possibly other Immortal Cultivators. Could Shen Yue truly return safely?
Although Shen Yue did not possess the same deep Immortal cultivation foundation as Wei Tianxiong, and his strength was not considered top-tier, Li Qingqiu had long regarded him as a trusted confidant.
He even felt that Shen Yue was more useful than Jiang Zhaoxia and Xu Ning. If such a person were to fall, the loss would be enormous.
Yet deep in his heart, he had a feeling—perhaps Shen Yue would bring him a surprise.
“Yes, Elder Shen is indeed reliable. Previously, he tracked a demonic creature alone and was surrounded by a group of demons. Not only did he refuse to call for help, he broke out of the encirclement and uncovered a scheme targeting the Clear Sky Sect,” Zhao Zhen said, nodding.
He was referring to the calamity during Yuan Li’s awakening. Although Yuan Li had shone brilliantly, many others had contributed—Shen Yue, Zhao Zhen, Xu Ning, and Ji Ya alike.
Li Qingqiu smiled. “He is indeed reliable. You should all learn from him. You are my disciples—one day, you will bear greater responsibilities. When the sect faces danger, you must stand at the very front.”
All the disciples nodded. Rather than feeling pressure, they looked forward to sharing the sect’s burdens.
Afterward, Li Qingqiu began asking each of them about their cultivation difficulties, and the disciples held nothing back.
Yuan Li was surprised to find that Li Qingqiu could even guide his physical strength and his control over the power of heaven and earth.
He realized he could not see through the depth of his Master’s strength at all.
A strong curiosity arose within him—he even wanted to spar with his Master.
After discussing cultivation, Li Qingqiu told them about Ziyang Island and the Spiritual Sea, allowing them to understand the Immortal cultivation environment the Clear Sky Sect was facing.
……
Inside a dark prison cell, Yan Qing regained a bit of strength. He struggled to crawl up and leaned against the wall.
Following his gaze, beyond the cell door was a long, dim corridor, lined with prison cells on both sides—like a road leading to the Nine Netherworld, with demons lurking along the way.
“Almost three years… how much longer must I endure…”
Yan Qing’s eyes flickered as despair filled his thoughts.
He had even considered death, but the Clear Sky Sect would not allow it. If he still had his Vital Energy, he could self-destruct. Unfortunately, he could do nothing now. Even if he bit his tongue to commit suicide, He Jinshu had ways to heal him.
This endless existence was driving him to collapse.
He even began to wonder whether he should beg for mercy.
“Mountain Monkey…”
Yan Qing spoke, his voice hoarse as if scraped by blades.
However, the usually noisy Black Fiend Demon Monkey did not respond. Thinking it hadn’t heard him, he called out again—but still received no reply.
Yan Qing raised his eyes, his expression changing. The neighboring cell was empty—the Black Fiend Demon Monkey was gone.
His heart jolted. Instinctively, he tried to stand, but the tearing pain throughout his body twisted his face.
At that moment, a figure emerged from the darkness at the end of the corridor. Footsteps echoed through the hallway, like the steps of ghosts or gods, making Yan Qing extremely tense.
“You need not be nervous. This is my spell. We are currently within an illusion—only, this illusion is extremely real.”
A voice sounded. Yan Qing had never heard this voice before, meaning this person had never appeared before him.
He focused his gaze and saw that although the man wore the robe of the Clear Sky Sect, his face was covered with an opera mask, making him extremely mysterious.
“Who are you? What do you want?” Yan Qing asked through gritted teeth.
“Who I am cannot be told to you for now—otherwise, you won’t be able to escape.”
“You want to save me?”
“To be precise, I want to befriend the Spiritual Sea. I need to enter a greater sect.”
The answer reduced Yan Qing’s guard. If the other party had directly said he wanted to save him, Yan Qing would have been suspicious.
“What? Does the Clear Sky Sect treat you poorly?” Yan Qing asked mockingly.
“No. It treats me very well—it even gave me a home. But the Clear Sky Sect is not large enough to fulfill my ambitions. I also will not help you harm the Clear Sky Sect. I will only help you escape and have you bring me into the Spiritual Sea.”
The masked disciple spoke calmly, as if devoid of emotion.
Yan Qing sneered, “Aren’t you afraid that once we reach the Spiritual Sea, I’ll kill you?”
“I have a way to ensure the Spiritual Sea will not allow you to kill me.”
The masked disciple’s answer caused Yan Qing to frown.