Chapter 233 : Too Much to Take In
As soon as Yun Qingyue emerged from seclusion, she joined the team investigating the rumors, but in reality, she didn't have much time to devote to this.
Ever since that night when the attack on Nine Abyss Sect failed, and the small sect compounds were instead ambushed by demonic cultivators, the righteous path had been dealt a harsh blow. Combined with the blood feud of Guiyi Sect and Changyin Gate, tensions between the righteous and demonic paths had intensified in recent days. When the two sides didn't meet, all was well; but once they encountered each other, conflict was inevitable—having two or three battles in a single day wasn't uncommon.
For instance, this day, as Yun Qingyue was investigating with several fellow disciples, Bei Luo's communication jade suddenly lit up. After he answered, the voice of a fellow disciple from his peak immediately came through: "Senior Brother, we've encountered demonic cultivators, come quickly!"
With just one sentence, Bei Luo was called away, and the other senior disciples, fearing he might be at a disadvantage, naturally followed to join the battle. By the time the skirmish ended, at least half a day had passed.
Yun Qingyue felt that such intermittent investigation might not be effective. However, when junior disciples came seeking help, not just the battle-loving Bei Luo, but any senior disciple present couldn't possibly ignore them. So the matter was delayed, and while others' thoughts weren't known, Yun Qingyue definitely felt some impatience.
But this was something she couldn't discuss with others, and given her naturally cold demeanor and expressionless face, no one could truly read her thoughts. Only the White Tiger vaguely sensed her feelings, occasionally offering a few words of comfort.
Today was no exception. They had just discovered some clues at the Guiyi Sect compound when they received another call for help from fellow disciples. By the time they returned from the battle, it was nearly dark. Yun Qingyue was about to remind everyone to continue their investigation when a disciple came from the Spirit Boat with a message: "Senior Brothers and Sisters, the three Peak Masters request your presence."
A summons from the Peak Masters was naturally urgent, so the investigation had to be postponed yet again.
When Yun Qingyue and her fellow disciples arrived at the Spirit Boat, they learned that representatives from Tiandao Sect and Buddha Sect had arrived, apparently with important matters to discuss. As outstanding members of the younger generation, the senior disciples of the five peaks naturally qualified to participate.
The Grand Elder of Tiandao Sect glanced coldly at the latecomers, clearly sensing their unresolved energy—he didn't need to guess to know they had just fought with demonic cultivators. He didn't comment on it, but proceeded directly to the topic: "The previous attempt to ambush Nine Abyss Sect failed ultimately because we were too careless, allowing those demonic cultivators to find an opportunity to cause trouble. In these days, my sect's disciples have reflected deeply and intensified their investigation of the demonic sects, unexpectedly obtaining an interesting piece of information..."
As he spoke, his gaze fell on Yun Qingyue, making it clear who this information concerned. Her heart immediately skipped a beat, her body unconsciously stiffening as her heart pounded.
The three Peak Masters of Xuanqing Sect frowned upon seeing this, feeling displeased: "What does the Grand Elder mean by this?"
The Grand Elder remained calm and didn't withdraw his gaze: "I've received information that the previous battle was initiated by Nine Abyss Sect. And the reason Nine Abyss Sect suddenly became hostile was because their Young Master had perished."
Hearing this, the White Tiger suddenly understood—the Grand Elder hadn't been looking at Senior Sister earlier, but at herself, being held in Yun Qingyue's arms. Feeling neither tense nor relieved, she jumped to the ground and approached the leaders, taking the initiative: "I killed him—so what? Does the righteous path's so-called mission to eliminate evil and uphold justice depend on who the target is?"
The righteous path valued face above all, and after such words, who could still blame her? Even the Grand Elder's face twitched, unable to express any complaint, and he could only say: "That's not it. But this is a significant matter—if Jianbing killed the Nine Abyss Sect's Young Master, why didn't you mention it?"
The White Tiger casually sharpened her claws on the floor, nonchalantly replying: "He wasn't an important figure, was there any need to mention it?"
Those present momentarily displayed subtle expressions upon hearing this. Even the Peak Masters who already knew what Jianbing had done felt an urge to smack this arrogant little tiger. But after all, she was their own cub, and they had to protect their own. Peak Master Qingxu forced a laugh and smoothed things over: "Jianbing is young and doesn't understand the gravity of matters. I hope everyone can be understanding."
The Grand Elder's expression darkened, but glancing at Dharma Master Huiming beside him, he found the old monk still calmly fingering his prayer beads, clearly not intending to pursue the matter. He couldn't continue fixating on this issue, lest he appear petty.
Composing himself, the Grand Elder spoke again: "Very well, let's set aside Jianbing's matter for now. However, with the Nine Abyss Sect's Young Master perishing here, this conflict cannot end peacefully. I have an idea—rather than waiting passively for trouble, we should take the initiative. Since Nine Abyss Sect has a blood feud with Jianbing, if Jianbing could step forward..."
Before he finished, everyone understood—Tiandao Sect wanted Jianbing to step forward as bait.
The Xuanqing Sect members naturally refused, with Peak Master Qingyu being the first to object: "This cannot be. Nine Abyss Sect has Fusion stage elders, and their sect leader is a Grand Achievement stage demonic cultivator. Jianbing is still young, and her cultivation isn't sufficient to handle such danger."
The Grand Elder immediately responded: "The demonic sects have Fusion stage elders, but don't we also have cultivators at that level? As for the Nine Abyss Sect Leader, not only has he not appeared yet, but even if he does come, doesn't Xuanqing Sect have a Supreme Elder who has arrived? With all of us here, protecting Jianbing should be more than sufficient."
Mentioning the Supreme Elder undoubtedly proved that Xuanqing Sect was fully aware of their divine beast's actions, yet they hadn't even mentioned it—clearly they were concealing something.
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Xuanqing Sect didn't want Jianbing to take risks, but relations between sects couldn't be based solely on personal wishes. Moreover, with Supreme Elder Mingxi present, the three Peak Masters weren't actually concerned for Jianbing's safety. So after some argument, the matter was settled.
Yun Qingyue felt worried and used voice transmission to tell the White Tiger: "If Jianbing is unwilling, you can say so."
All the high-level cultivators from the three sects present were Fusion stage masters; a mere Nascent Soul cultivator's voice transmission naturally couldn't escape their perception. They even knew exactly what Yun Qingyue had said. However, if the White Tiger truly was unwilling, none of those present could force her, so everyone tacitly pretended not to have heard.
The White Tiger swished her tail upon hearing Senior Sister's transmission, but showed no sign of refusal—the righteous and demonic paths had been at a stalemate on Mingzong Mountain for over a year, with countless confrontations, but the current situation showed no signs of resolution. She didn't want to stay here indefinitely, and Senior Sister probably didn't either, so if things could be resolved sooner, that would be better.
So the White Tiger openly declared to everyone: "Since you all think this is feasible, then let's settle on this plan. But I only agree to risk myself this one time—there won't be a next time."
Hearing this, the Grand Elder smiled immediately: "Don't worry, Jianbing. This time, we will ensure Nine Abyss Sect has no path of return."
The Grand Elder spoke with such satisfaction, as if victory was already assured. However, the White Tiger stared at him for a moment and couldn't help complaining to the system internally: "System, what should I do? I seem to have heard the sound of a death flag being raised."
The system silently replied: "What a coincidence, host. I think I heard it too."
Upon hearing this, the White Tiger's face immediately fell, fortunately Senior Sister promptly picked her up and stroked her fur, which dispelled her thoughts of immediate regret. But she also made up her mind—when the time came, she would definitely find an excuse to send Senior Sister away, or have her stay on the Spirit Boat. Then, if things went badly, she would immediately hide in her innate space!
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To avoid second thoughts, the Grand Elder of Tiandao Sect's plan proceeded quickly, set for the very next day.
That day began normally—righteous and demonic cultivators randomly encountered each other, spontaneously fought, and as usual called for reinforcements, making the battle increasingly fierce. A tiger cub somehow reached the battlefield, transformed to full tiger size, and charged through the ranks. In a short time, several demonic cultivators perished under her claws. Seemingly intimidated by her ferocity, the demonic cultivators temporarily lost their courage and turned to flee.
The White Tiger, naturally combative, was in her element. Seeing her opponents flee, she naturally gave chase. As they continued this pursuit, the White Tiger was gradually lured by the fleeing demonic cultivators into the forest, moving farther and farther from righteous path territory.
Suddenly, the fleeing demonic cultivators ahead stopped and turned back toward the White Tiger, revealing cunning smiles.
The White Tiger immediately sensed something was wrong, but before she could escape, she looked down to find a red light suddenly glowing beneath her feet. Fine red lines woven into a net, though intangible, suddenly ensnared her like a heavenly net... Despite the White Tiger's mental preparation for this mission, when suddenly encountering such a trap, she was somewhat startled and panicked.
Whether this trap was improvised or prepared specifically for her, as soon as the White Tiger fell into it, figures emerged from the shadows. Seven or eight pale-faced demonic cultivators each occupied a corner of the formation and began channeling spiritual energy into it.
Suddenly, the White Tiger felt an immense pressure appear overhead, pinning her down almost immobile.
The White Tiger tried to struggle a few times, but the more she struggled, the greater the pressure from the formation became. Moreover, as time passed, her spiritual energy rapidly depleted—clearly, this formation was specifically prepared for her. It not only restricted her spiritual energy but also trapped her, leaving her no opportunity to escape into her innate space.
Gradually, as the White Tiger's spiritual energy depleted more and more, she finally couldn't maintain her current form and reverted to her original cub size. However, at this critical moment, the White Tiger's struggles became more violent, and the demonic cultivators restraining her seemed unable to contain her.
"I can't hold her down anymore, someone come help me!" one of the formation-maintaining demonic cultivators suddenly shouted.
As soon as he spoke, more figures emerged from the shadows, joining the suppression team. At this moment, the righteous disciples who had been lagging behind gradually arrived. Seeing the situation, they naturally stepped forward to assist...
The little White Tiger didn't know how things developed, but she witnessed quite a spectacle—Nine Abyss Sect's people surrounded her and the righteous disciples, while the three major sects' people surrounded Nine Abyss Sect's people. But before this praying mantis catches the cicada, yellow bird behind scenario could play out, hunters appeared behind the yellow bird as the other three major demonic sects showed up.
This development was like nested dolls, one layer inside another, truly giving one too much to take in at once.