Chapter 234 : Demanding Accountability
Whether it was a praying mantis catching a cicada or nested dolls, the Little White Tiger didn't want to be the one in the innermost layer.
The formation specially prepared for her by the demonic sects was formidable, but since they had come prepared, her sect had naturally considered this possibility for her—seeing more and more people being drawn out, the White Tiger unhesitatingly produced a formation-breaking awl, then broke through the formation in full view of everyone, directly retreating into her innate space without leaving even a strand of tiger fur behind.
This maneuver left the onlookers somewhat dumbfounded. After all, the White Tiger was famously combative, and normally in the face of such an imminent major battle, she should have charged forward valiantly—how had she vanished without a trace?!
Many people watched in astonishment, but soon they had no time to concern themselves with such matters.
According to the Grand Elder of Tiandao Sect's plan, they were supposed to use the White Tiger as bait to lure out the snake, then combine the forces of the three sects to capture Nine Abyss Sect in one fell swoop. This would both intimidate the other demonic sects and weaken the demonic path's forces, allowing them to defeat the four demonic sects one by one using similar methods in the future. But reality didn't align with their expectations, because those surrounded weren't just Nine Abyss Sect, but themselves as well.
After his initial shock, the Grand Elder assessed the situation, his expression turning extremely grim as he stated with certainty: "Information has leaked."
Though without evidence, there were rifts between the four demonic sects, and there was no reason for them to suddenly unite, let alone appear here so coincidentally to confront them. The other side clearly had come prepared and had turned their scheme against them.
Unfortunately, as soon as these words fell, there was no time for deeper investigation—both sides began fighting. This time, it could be said that both the righteous and demonic paths had committed their full forces, fighting more fiercely than any previous encounter, and to describe it as flesh and blood flying everywhere would be no exaggeration. The Fusion stage cultivators in battle were especially terrifying; if not for concern about their disciples, they might have destroyed the entire mountain range.
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This great battle lasted for seven days, and only when the system notified her that the fighting had ended did the Little White Tiger shake her fur and reappear.
A divine beast's innate space was remarkable, equivalent to an independent small dimension. No matter what happened in the outside world, it was difficult to affect it. But simultaneously, this innate space had certain limitations—for instance, one would emerge from the same place they entered. Without the system's help in monitoring external news, it would be easy to be ambushed by someone waiting in ambush.
The White Tiger was well aware of this point, but the moment she left her innate space and appeared on Mingzong Mountain, she suspected her innate space might have malfunctioned—when she entered the space, she had been surrounded by lush vegetation and hills. How was it that after a few days, upon emerging, the mountains were gone, the vegetation had disappeared, and beneath her feet was a sizeable, crystal-clear lake?
For a moment, the White Tiger suspected her space exit had malfunctioned, taking her to another unfamiliar place. But the vaguely familiar surroundings gave her an absurd sense of drastic change.
Blinking in confusion, the White Tiger couldn't help asking the system: "System, how much time has passed since I entered the space?"
The system checked the calendar and honestly replied: "Host, seven days have passed."
The White Tiger clicked her tongue twice, finally truly realizing the terrifying destructive power of cultivators. She asked the system again and learned that the battle between the righteous and demonic paths had only ended today, and the righteous side's people had left not long ago, so she set off to catch up with them.
The White Tiger caught up with the righteous path's forces before they returned to their compound. She had initially thought it would be similar to previous battles, but when she actually caught up, she discovered this battle had been far more devastating than before—the three Peak Masters were all injured, not to mention the disciples whose injuries were even more severe, among whom Bei Luo had even lost an arm. Though it could be reattached, who knew how much time and treasures would be required for it to fully recover.
Not expecting such devastating results, the White Tiger, who had fled the battlefield, finally felt somewhat remorseful. She caught up with the rear of the procession but hesitated to step forward, her drooping head and dejected appearance full of guilt.
Peak Master Qingyu was the first to notice her, proactively going over to pick up the tiger, and even soothingly patted Jianbing's head.
When Qingyu brought the tiger to the front, Peak Masters Qingxu and Qingyuan showed no intention of blaming her, instead reassuring her: "Jianbing did nothing wrong. You are still young and should prioritize your own safety. If you feel remorseful about today's events, then when your cultivation advances in the future, you can go to the demonic path to avenge us." After a pause, he added: "I believe this won't be difficult for Jianbing."
And so, the Little White Tiger who had fled the battlefield was instead comforted and personally carried back by Peak Master Qingyu—Qingyu was the least injured among the three Peak Masters, with only some flesh wounds, having avoided any dangerous attacks.
Regarding this, she had a vague suspicion in her heart, but she wouldn't seek verification, nor did she want to confirm it.
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When they returned to the Spirit Boat, the Little White Tiger finally saw Yun Qingyue.
Seven days ago, when the three sects decided to use the Little White Tiger as bait to trap Nine Abyss Sect, while agreeing to put herself at risk, the White Tiger had made one small request: not to bring Yun Qingyue along, letting her stay behind on the Spirit Boat.
This was a minor matter—the three Peak Masters agreed, and Yun Qingyue, after some hesitation, didn't refuse.
Yun Qingyue was a person who kept her word. Having agreed to guard the Spirit Boat, even though she was concerned about the battlefield, she didn't leave. So she waited for seven days, far exceeding the original expectation, and the result was not as hoped—from a distance, she could see that everyone returning was injured, and the atmosphere was heavy and depressed, suggesting they hadn't achieved their goal.
But even with such expectations, when she saw Bei Luo's severed arm, she was still shocked. Hastily flying over on her sword to meet them, she anxiously asked: "Master, what happened?"
The Little White Tiger leaped from the master's arms into Senior Sister's embrace, burying her head in her shoulder, full of guilt.
Peak Master Qingyu didn't mind and simply told her disciple in a deep voice: "The information leaked, and the other side was prepared."
Upon hearing this, Yun Qingyue's face couldn't hide her astonishment: "How could this be?!"
Indeed, how could this be? When the two sects came to discuss this matter, almost all present were venerable elders, the most trustworthy group in each sect. As for disciples, Tiandao Sect had only brought You Yi, Buddha Sect only brought Tanming and Tan Xin, and the rest were the five senior disciples of their peaks. Looking at these people one by one, none seemed likely to leak information.
At least, not from Xuanqing Sect. Unless the other two sects, after returning, had revealed the information to other disciples.
Peak Master Qingyu rarely showed any fatigue, but now said to her disciple: "We'll investigate this matter later." Then she asked: "The demonic sects were well-prepared. You stayed behind to guard the Spirit Boat these days—did anything happen?"
Yun Qingyue shook her head and honestly replied: "No, everything was calm."
Upon hearing this, Peak Master Qingyu inexplicably felt something strange in her heart. But given the current situation, with her physical and mental exhaustion, she had no energy to think deeply. She nodded and moved past the matter, returning to the Spirit Boat with the others.
In this battle, Xuanqing Sect had lost some disciples, and even two elders had fallen, not to mention countless injuries. So after returning to the reassuring Spirit Boat, the first priority was to heal. However, before Peak Master Qingxu and the others could enter seclusion, the Tiandao Sect members, having just parted ways, returned led by the Grand Elder, bearing down on them with imposing momentum.
Peak Master Qingxu was somewhat puzzled but, as the senior master, he forced himself despite his injuries to ask: "Grand Elder's injuries are not light; why not hurry to heal? What brings you to our Xuanqing Sect at this time?"
The Grand Elder was indeed seriously injured, with blood still flowing from his robes, but his face was ashen with undiminished intensity: "Naturally, I've come for justice! This operation was originally foolproof, but due to leaked information, we ended up in this situation. There's a traitor in your Xuanqing Sect—am I not allowed to come seeking justice?!"
Setting aside how the Little White Tiger inwardly scoffed at his claim of "foolproof," Peak Master Qingxu's face also darkened upon hearing his words. His temper was never particularly good, and he immediately retorted: "What is the Grand Elder saying? Our Xuanqing Sect has not leaked the slightest information!"
The Grand Elder gave a cold laugh and once again looked toward Yun Qingyue, this time truly looking at her and not the tiger in her arms: "If it wasn't your Xuanqing Sect's traitor who leaked the information, could it have been my Tiandao Sect? Since I've come today, I naturally have evidence—one of my disciples saw your Xuanqing Sect's Yun Qingyue in contact with someone from the demonic sects!"
These words were truly shocking—not only were Peak Master Qingxu and the others surprised, but even Yun Qingyue wore an expression of utter bewilderment.
Peak Master Qingyu was the first to react, stepping forward to shield her disciple behind her, in a protective stance: "We know nothing of this matter. Based on the Grand Elder's one-sided claim, are you going to condemn my disciple?"
The Grand Elder didn't waste words, raising his hand to summon someone. A Tiandao Sect disciple in blue robes stepped forward. He first bowed to the elders, then briefly described what he had seen and heard: "That day, I came to the Xuanqing Sect compound looking for a friend and happened to see a suspicious figure, so I followed. Later, I saw him slip into a room. That person vaguely emanated demonic energy, and afterward, I learned that it was precisely Sister Yun's residence."
After finishing, the disciple added: "I was not the only one who witnessed this; two Senior Brothers from Xuanqing Sect also saw it together. But our cultivation levels were too low to capture the person."