Chapter 212 : Fruits of Labor
The place where Zhong Heng was undergoing his lightning tribulation wasn't far away; one could faintly hear the thunder from the spirit boat.
Su Hao and the others were severely injured and had all gone into seclusion to heal after taking medicinal pills, but Bei Chen and the others were unharmed. Hearing the thunder, they all gathered on the deck, gazing at the dark clouds and lightning tribulation on the horizon, feeling inevitable sighs of emotion—having spent a year in the secret realm, they considered their gains decent, but compared to Zhong Heng, they couldn't help but envy him. He was about to form his Nascent Soul, while they didn't know how much longer they would have to wait.
But sighs aside, they didn't dare rashly go see the distant rumbling tribulation, because directly opposite the Xuanqing Sect's spirit boat, those demonic ships hadn't left yet. Though they had retrieved their people, they hadn't departed, and no one knew if there would be more fighting...
Bei Chen and the others were curious, and seeing Elder Liu Feng not far away on the deck, they all went over to ask.
Elder Liu Feng hadn't put away his chessboard. He had originally stayed on the deck to monitor the secret realm, but as soon as there was movement with the secret realm closing, everyone knew without him having to notify them. Afterward, he had joined in the battle, and now that the fighting was over and he had nothing to do, he had returned to continue his unfinished game.
When Bei Chen and the others came to inquire, he didn't withhold information, glancing at the demonic ships opposite and saying: "This matter is unlikely to end well. While you were in the secret realm, you didn't know that we have been facing off against the demonic cultivators for a year already—they arrived shortly after the secret realm opened. Throughout this year, both sides have fought continuously, and both have suffered casualties..."
The righteous and demonic paths had always been in constant conflict; the apparent peace in the cultivation world over the previous hundred years was merely because the demonic cultivators had been lying low. Now that both sides were directly confronting each other, how could they easily settle matters?
At first, only lower-level cultivators from both sides had engaged in conflict, with only a few elder figures leading the demonic cultivators. But looking at the situation today, not only were all four demonic sects present, but they had all dispatched high-level representatives. Especially significant was that even the Sect Leader of the Crimson Blood Sect had personally come, showing their determination to cause trouble—it was quite possible that Mount Mingzong could become a battlefield between the righteous and demonic paths.
Several disciples frowned upon hearing this, all showing worried expressions. But besides concern, these spirited youths were even more eager to act—they couldn't participate in battles between sect leaders and elders, but killing a few ordinary demonic cultivators surely wouldn't be beyond their abilities.
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On the other side, inside the Nine Abyss Sect's demonic ship, Chu Yang had just taken medicinal pills to heal his injuries.
His injuries weren't particularly severe, at least compared to Su Hao and the others, his condition was much lighter. After taking the pills and circulating his cultivation technique to refine the medicinal power, his injuries improved by more than half in a short time. Then, after changing clothes and tidying himself up, he regained his composure.
Of course, this composure was only superficial. In fact, just as he had finished getting ready, several elders came to see him.
The Nine Abyss Sect cultivated using the power of the netherworld, and once their cultivation reached profound levels, unless they expended extra spiritual energy to maintain their appearance, they all looked like blue-faced skeletons. The elders before him clearly valued power over appearance, each looking more disturbing than the last, making even Chu Yang uncomfortable enough to avert his gaze: "I wonder why the elders have come so urgently? What is the matter?"
The one who had rescued Chu Yang from the righteous path earlier was the Grand Elder of the Nine Abyss Sect, and he was also the one who stepped forward to speak now: "Young Master, people from the Celestial Demon Sect and the Harmony Sect have come to question why so many disciples perished in the secret realm."
The gathering of the four demonic sects at Mount Mingzong was naturally not coincidental but prearranged. Although the Crimson Blood Sect Leader's personal attendance was unexpected, everything before that had gone according to plan—this time, the Nine Abyss Sect had coordinated the four demonic sects' presence. They were the first to discover the Canglán Secret Realm, and with the Nine Abyss Sect's Young Master personally entering the secret realm, after deliberation, it was decided to let him temporarily lead affairs within the secret realm.
However, while he was given leadership, the four sects' original purpose was only to combine forces to maximize their benefits. But they hadn't expected Chu Yang, the Young Master of the Nine Abyss Sect, to use his own sect's disciples as cannon fodder.
Even though demonic disciples might advance quickly in cultivation, it wasn't easy for sects to nurture a Nascent Soul cultivator, especially one under fifty. When each sect carefully tallied their casualties, they nearly exploded with anger. After questioning their disciples, they directly identified Chu Yang as the culprit. If not for his poor early leadership, if not for his later obsession with fighting the Xuanqing Sect people to the death, how could the results have been so severe?!
Not only were the people from the Celestial Demon Sect and Harmony Sect dissatisfied, even within the Nine Abyss Sect, there were murmurs of discontent.
Hearing the elder's inquiry, Chu Yang couldn't help feeling annoyed, but for some reason, he impulsively asked: "What about the Crimson Blood Sect? Haven't they sent anyone?"
The Grand Elder's expression became subtle upon hearing this, and the other elders were even more speechless: "Young Master should be grateful they haven't sent anyone."
The four demonic sects' titles weren't given for nothing. The Nine Abyss Sect cultivated using netherworld power, while the Crimson Blood Sect's name was stained with fresh blood. That sect was full of madmen, each more bellicose than the last, with status determined solely by strength. Take the current Crimson Blood Sect Leader—she had killed her way to that position, with countless deaths by her hand, never caring about the identity of her victims.
Chu Yang clearly knew of the Crimson Blood Sect Leader's deeds, and his heart couldn't help but shrink at the mention. But no matter how much trepidation he felt inside, his pride wouldn't let it show on his face. Just as he was about to speak with feigned calmness, the Grand Elder continued: "Young Master, earlier at the secret realm exit, your gaze on the Crimson Blood Sect Leader seemed unusual, and now you bring up the Crimson Blood Sect again. Is there something we should know?"
The Grand Elder's question was direct, and the other elders couldn't help but turn their gazes toward him.
Chu Yang's eyes flickered again, but he smiled: "It's nothing much, just that I discovered some little-known secrets."
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Perhaps because many disciples were healing and cultivating, or perhaps because the delicate balance had yet to find an opportunity to break, the next few days on Mount Mingzong were quite peaceful—the righteous and demonic sides continued to face off, with neither side withdrawing first, but no one actively provoked conflict either.
Yun Qingyue woke up two days later after refining the medicinal power, and the Little White Tiger immediately presented the medicinal pills she had obtained, like offering a treasure.
Yun Qingyue clearly felt the Little White Tiger's goodwill, warmth filling her crystal-clear eyes. However, after stroking the tiger's head, she still declined the proposal to take another pill: "Thank you, I'll keep these pills, but taking the same medicine repeatedly in a short time reduces its effectiveness. I'll save these pills and take them in a few days."
The Little White Tiger wasn't disappointed by this. Concerned about her Senior Sister's injuries, she didn't dare act rashly and simply rested her head on her Senior Sister's lap: "Has your condition improved, Senior Sister? I heard Peak Master Qingyuan say your injuries were severe." After a pause, she added: "Though I feel like you're about to advance."
Yun Qingyue had been unconscious for nearly half a year due to her injuries, awakening on the Ice Plain. With demonic cultivators quickly pursuing and both sides unable to communicate freely in front of Su Hao and the others, they hadn't found an opportunity to talk about many things. Now, finally having left the secret realm and returned to the spirit boat, with the door closed, they no longer needed to worry about others overhearing their conversation.
Hearing the Little White Tiger's words, Yun Qingyue didn't deny anything. She placed a hand over her dantian, where now, besides her Nascent Soul, there was also a crystal-clear ice pearl: "Yes, my cultivation has increased rather than decreased, all thanks to that ice system treasure."
The White Tiger nuzzled her chin slightly and didn't hide anything: "That's the Ice Soul Condensation Pearl."
Hearing this, Yun Qingyue carefully recalled everything, but despite having read extensively through the sect library's records of spiritual treasures and materials, she couldn't find even a fragment of information about it. Moreover, what was even more suspicious was where this object had come from.
Although she had been separated from the Little White Tiger for a year before entering the secret realm, during that year, the Little White Tiger hadn't left the sect—where could she have found such a spiritual treasure? Furthermore, not to be presumptuous, but if the Little White Tiger had obtained such an ice-attribute treasure earlier, she would likely have told her about it rather than keeping it completely hidden. And after entering the secret realm, they had been inseparable, so there had been no opportunity for her to acquire it.
Full of doubts, Yun Qingyue could no longer ignore them as before. After much consideration, she still asked: "Where did it come from?"
Before the Little White Tiger could speak, the system, which had been lying like a salted fish in her consciousness sea, suddenly jumped up and issued a "beep beep" warning: "Host, warning, remember not to reveal the system's existence, or you may face another reckoning from the Heavenly Dao!"
The Little White Tiger had also been somewhat hesitant, fearing that revealing the system would expose the truth of her borrowed corpse resurrection—in the cultivation world, this was called soul possession, something particularly abhorrent to those on the righteous path. But certain abnormalities couldn't be concealed, such as this Ice Soul Condensation Pearl. In that situation, she couldn't have avoided using it or left no trace.
However, after hearing the system's warning, the Little White Tiger completely abandoned the idea of being honest. After struggling for a while, she simply said: "I can't tell you that, but don't worry, Senior Sister, there's nothing problematic about this item's origin."
Yun Qingyue remained silent, her clear crystal eyes looking at her, seemingly without the intention to press for answers.
Yet the Little White Tiger felt guilty about concealing the truth, and under her gaze, tilted her head to think for a moment before adding: "Let's just say it's the fruits of my labor."