Chapter 218 : Need a Raise
The figure in front led the way, ethereal as a phantom. Had one not been paying attention from the start, it would have been easy to lose track of them. But Chu Yang pursued closely, and the person ahead seemed to have no intention of shaking their tail, allowing him to follow along.
Mount Mingzong was a mountain range covering vast territory. The two chased each other for a long time, finally stopping in a mountain valley.
The person ahead landed atop a towering giant tree. Dressed in white with a graceful figure, it was clearly a woman. She slowly turned around, revealing a beautiful face with a hint of allure, yet her lovely eyes contained a murderous aura, as if harboring countless killing intent... Who else could this be but the Crimson Blood Sect Leader? Chu Yang, caught in her substantial gaze of killing intent, couldn't help but shudder.
Being stared at by such eyes was certainly not a pleasant experience. Even though Chu Yang had come with a purpose, he couldn't muster the slightest smile. He bowed somewhat stiffly: "Junior pays respects to Sect Leader Zhu."
The Crimson Blood Sect Leader did not withdraw her gaze, continuing to look at him with eyes full of killing intent: "What were you doing in Xuanqing Sect's territory?"
Chu Yang steadied himself slightly and raised his head: "Whatever the Sect Leader was doing, that's what this junior was doing."
As soon as these words fell, the Crimson Blood Sect Leader's gaze instantly darkened. She struck out with a palm, giving Chu Yang no chance to explain, clearly uninterested in his enigmatic remarks.
Chu Yang had no time to resist. He could only shift his body slightly to avoid vital areas, but was still struck by the palm wind, immediately spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood. Fortunately, his reaction was quick. Before the Crimson Blood Sect Leader could launch a second attack, he shouted: "All my attendants know I came out to find Sect Leader. Now that Sect Leader has attacked me, is this a declaration of hostility against Nine Abyss Sect?!"
As his words fell, the Crimson Blood Sect Leader's next attack was already before his eyes—her delicate hand raised slightly, a palm of condensed spiritual energy followed her strike, and by the time Chu Yang finished speaking, that spiritual palm had stopped just in front of his chest.
Seeing this, Chu Yang relaxed slightly, thinking his words had taken effect.
However, in the next moment, that palm still struck heavily against his chest, nearly shattering all his internal organs. He spat blood again, this time one mouthful after another, with fragments of internal organs faintly visible in the blood—clearly a severe injury. Only then did the Crimson Blood Sect Leader's voice float over lightly: "You dare threaten me?"
Chu Yang spat blood, unable to speak, and only now understood why the elders in his sect were so wary of the Crimson Blood Sect Leader—threats were useless against her. She truly killed whoever she wanted, without any reservations.
But then again, demonic cultivators were inherently willful. At the Crimson Blood Sect Leader's level of cultivation and status, being cautious would be rare.
Chu Yang was ultimately too young, thinking he could manipulate the situation and control the other party. Instead, his opening remarks nearly cost him his life. He was extremely resentful, but fortunately not stupid. After spitting blood for a while, his mind became completely clear. He used his spiritual energy to barely stabilize his injuries and hurriedly said: "Junior wouldn't dare. Thank you, thank you Sect Leader for showing mercy."
The Crimson Blood Sect Leader saw his resentment but paid it no mind: "Speak. Why have you come?"
Now completely clear-headed, Chu Yang realized that his prepared words and approach were unworkable, yet he was unwilling to completely give up. His mind racing, Chu Yang wiped the blood from his lips, and realizing that the Crimson Blood Sect Leader hadn't gone for the kill, finally decided to risk a probing question: "Thirty-three years ago, Sect Leader left a baby girl at the entrance of Xuanqing Sect..."
Before Chu Yang could finish, the Crimson Blood Sect Leader attacked again. This time she showed no mercy, using eighty percent of her power from the start. With her level of cultivation, Chu Yang would have no chance to escape or even utter another word.
Chu Yang could feel the terrifying pressure of a high-level cultivator's attack and the approach of death.
His eyes suddenly widened, his heart pounding like a drum, almost certain that the next moment would be his last.
Fortunately, he was still the Young Master of a sect, with a father whose cultivation level was no lower than the Crimson Blood Sect Leader's. At the moment death approached, a flash of light suddenly appeared on his chest, followed by a familiar black figure blocking in front of him, taking the Crimson Blood Sect Leader's attack—this was not the Nine Abyss Sect Leader appearing in person, but merely an avatar, with less than half the power of the original.
Yet for figures at the level of demonic Sect Leaders, their cultivation was at least at the peak of Fusion realm, and both the Crimson Blood Sect Leader and Nine Abyss Sect Leader had entered the Grand Achievement realm. With their cultivation, even an avatar with fifty percent power could dominate the cultivation world.
The Nine Abyss Sect Leader using an avatar to protect his son should have been foolproof, if only Chu Yang hadn't provoked the Crimson Blood Sect Leader.
After one strike, the Nine Abyss Sect Leader's avatar immediately turned from solid to somewhat transparent. He looked at the Crimson Blood Sect Leader with an ugly expression and scolded: "Zhu Baiyi, have you gone mad, attacking a junior? Are you seeking to make an enemy of me?!"
The avatar and the original had a connection. Although the Nine Abyss Sect Leader's avatar wasn't as crazed as Wuxiang's, which continued to sleep after being separated unless awakened by Chu Yang facing mortal danger, from the moment the avatar was activated, the Nine Abyss Sect Leader thousands of miles away would simultaneously sense everything happening here. So these words weren't just from a mere avatar.
But would the Crimson Blood Sect Leader care? No. The Nine Abyss Sect Leader and his son were the same in her eyes. She only coldly said "Noisy" before attacking again without hesitation.
The Nine Abyss Sect Leader's face darkened with anger, but he had no choice but to counter, his body becoming more transparent with each move.
Chu Yang wasn't stupid. Seeing the situation turn dire, he naturally got up and ran—now there was indeed some regret in his heart. Had he known the cold and aloof Crimson Blood Sect Leader had such a violent temper, he would never have spoken so rashly.
But it was too late for regrets now. He only hoped his father's avatar could hold out a bit longer. At least until he returned to the magic vessel, where, under everyone's watchful eyes, unless the Crimson Blood Sect truly wanted war with Nine Abyss Sect, even a Sect Leader would have to show some restraint. At worst, he could activate the magic vessel's protective shield once back, which would at least provide some defense...
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The Little White Tiger and Yun Qingyue had been following Chu Yang all along. Perhaps because the two ahead were preoccupied, or perhaps because Yun Qingyue's concealment technique was quite good, they hadn't been detected and had overheard the entire drama from a distance.
Although the Little White Tiger only partially understood what she heard, watching Chu Yang get beaten was truly satisfying. It wasn't until the Nine Abyss Sect Leader's avatar appeared that she was shocked into a cold sweat—if Chu Yang hadn't foolishly provoked the Crimson Blood Sect Leader, forcing him to reveal his trump card, and if she had gone to kill Chu Yang instead, only to have a Fusion realm avatar suddenly appear, she would have been finished in minutes!
After this frightening realization, the Little White Tiger opened the system panel to check the mission reward, then looked up at the two high-level cultivators fighting fiercely ahead, and couldn't help questioning the system: "System, just look at this situation, then look at the reward you're offering... Do you think this is appropriate? Is this mission even doable?!"
The system watched as the Nine Abyss Sect Leader's avatar flattened a mountaintop with one palm, then looked at its host's small frame, and truly couldn't bring itself to say the word "appropriate." It silently retreated.
The Little White Tiger seemed to see the system's cowardly appearance in her sea of consciousness and snorted lightly: "You need to pay more!"
The system was at fault, and having been by the host's side for many years, it privately favored her, so it immediately agreed: "Yes, yes, yes. Let me take a video to apply to the main system. This level of battle is indeed beyond the host's capabilities."
Hearing the system being so agreeable, the Little White Tiger's mood improved slightly. Turning her gaze, she spotted Chu Yang attempting to escape—his condition wasn't good. Even though he knew he needed to quickly return to the magic vessel, those two palms from the Crimson Blood Sect Leader weren't for nothing. Now, not only could he not fly through the air, he couldn't even control a flying magical artifact, and could only burn his blood essence to flee.
Unfortunately, Chu Yang was truly unlucky today. First beaten by the Crimson Blood Sect Leader, and now with a vigilant Jianbing tiger watching him.
Seeing Chu Yang about to escape, the Little White Tiger couldn't miss this rare opportunity. She glanced at the two demonic Sect Leaders locked in fierce battle, quickly reached Chu Yang, and with one swipe interrupted his blood-burning secret technique.
Chu Yang hadn't detected a fourth person present and was completely caught off guard. Combined with his already severe injuries, not only was his technique interrupted by the Little White Tiger, but he suffered an even worse backlash. When he finally focused his gaze and saw that his ambusher was the missing Little White Tiger, he was both shocked and furious: "You..."
The Little White Tiger couldn't be bothered with his words. Her small tiger paw suddenly enlarged as she swiped, and slammed against Chu Yang's face. With his severe injuries, Chu Yang could only watch helplessly as the paw struck his face, the tremendous force sending him plummeting to the ground and creating a loud impact.
Of course, compared to the two Sect Leaders in action, the noise of his impact was mere child's play, not enough to disturb the two. But even so, the Little White Tiger was startled and quickly looked back.
She saw the two still fighting fiercely, though the Nine Abyss Sect Leader's avatar was clearly no match for the Crimson Blood Sect Leader, his form becoming increasingly transparent. By the Little White Tiger's estimation, he wouldn't last more than a few more moves, which meant she had to act quickly. Otherwise, once the Crimson Blood Sect Leader was free and discovered her, she would be no match!
Thinking this, the Little White Tiger showed no mercy, swiping with her claws at Chu Yang's dantian, his vital point.