Chapter 237 : Blood Relations
When the Grand Elder cast his technique, the white hair immediately responded, causing Peak Master Qingxu and the others to take on more serious expressions. However, they still didn't pay much attention to it—after all, the monstrous beast race had sided with humans in the past, and after disappearing without a trace for many years, there had been no news of monstrous beasts committing atrocities against humans. At most, it was just regular demonic beasts causing trouble, which couldn't be blamed on the monstrous beast race.
During this brief verification, some knowledgeable disciples explained the situation of the monstrous beast race to their fellow sect members. After listening, they remained confused, not understanding why the Grand Elder was so excited about pinching that white hair.
Peak Master Qingxu voiced everyone's confusion: "Now the matter involves the monstrous beast race—what exactly does the Grand Elder mean?"
The Grand Elder, looking at the white-glowing hair, finally smiled and didn't keep them in suspense: "It seems you don't know, Qingxu, that in these hundreds of years, there has been only one monstrous beast in the mortal world—the Crimson Blood Sect Leader."
At these words, everyone was shocked. This was the first time they had heard such a secret.
However, shock aside, after the initial surprise passed, Peak Master Qingxu and the others quickly regained their composure.
Without questioning the truth of this information, Peak Master Qingxu still frowned with doubt: "Is the Grand Elder suggesting that the Crimson Blood Sect Leader personally came here? As the leader of a sect and a Grand Achievement cultivator, why would she engage in such furtive activities?" After a pause, he glanced at the three disciples who had testified earlier: "Furthermore, even if she did come, would she allow these disciples to glimpse her tracks?"
It was impossible—Foundation Establishment cultivators discovering a Grand Achievement cultivator's infiltration was more absurd than a fantasy. Moreover, even if the other side intended to frame her, Yun Qingyue, a Nascent Soul cultivator, would hardly be worth the attention of a sect leader at the Grand Achievement realm.
Everyone found it absurd, and faced with such questioning, the Grand Elder was momentarily speechless.
After a long silence, the Grand Elder could only force out: "The demonic cultivators and monstrous beasts act mysteriously—how can they be measured by normal standards?"
After all, he was still an elder of the righteous path and didn't resort to unreasonable arguments. At the same time, he gradually calmed down, noting many suspicious points in this matter. Upon careful reflection, he felt as if he had been used as a pawn... Thinking of this, he couldn't help but turn back to look at the disciple who had initially accused Yun Qingyue, his gaze growing profound.
Perhaps sensing the doubt in the Grand Elder's eyes, or perhaps already pushed to the edge by Peak Master Qingxu's earlier remarks, the Tiandao Sect disciple suddenly launched an attack despite the presence of so many powerful cultivators.
Using some formidable treasure, with a wave of his hand, a silver light shot rapidly toward Yun Qingyue.
The silver light moved with extraordinary speed—lower-level cultivators like those at Foundation Establishment or Golden Core could not even track its movement with their naked eyes. Those at Nascent Soul level could vaguely see a trace, but dodging was completely impossible. Even the White Tiger at the Void Crossing realm was helpless; despite being close enough to Yun Qingyue, by the time she raised her paw, the silver light had already reached them.
The Little White Tiger's heart stopped for an instant, her golden tiger eyes widening in disbelief. Just as the silver light was about to strike Yun Qingyue, fortunately, several Xuanqing Sect Peak Masters were present and managed to deflect it in time.
Even so, the silver light had come close enough to Yun Qingyue to leave a small cut on her face.
A drop of blood slid down her fair cheek.
The White Tiger was terrified, no longer concerned with blocking the door, and quickly ran in front of Yun Qingyue to shield her entire person. Yun Qingyue belatedly felt the slight sting on her cheek, and raised her hand to wipe it, her fingertips stained with crimson.
Everything happened too quickly, faster than could be described as an instant. The Tiandao Sect disciple who had launched the attack had no intention of letting matters rest. In the moment he released his attack, he rapidly formed hand seals. Just as he completed them, his silver light was deflected, and Peak Master Qingyu's furious counterattack had already reached him.
The Grand Elder was also stunned by this development. Seeing Xuanqing Sect members attack in anger, he hesitated before moving to intercept. Being much older than Peak Master Qingyu and also of higher cultivation, he naturally blocked her attack.
However, due to that brief hesitation, even as the Grand Elder blocked Peak Master Qingyu's attack, a burst of energy still leaked through.
For a Foundation Establishment cultivator, even just leaked energy from a Fusion stage attack would be catastrophic. The disciple was unsurprisingly severely injured, flying backward and spitting several mouthfuls of blood, clearly not going to survive.
Though the Grand Elder also suspected this disciple had ulterior motives, having a Tiandao Sect disciple killed by Xuanqing Sect in front of elders and disciples from all three sects was something he couldn't ignore. Just as he was about to speak in anger, Peak Master Qingyu preempted him: "It was your disciple who attacked first—don't blame me, as a master, for seeking justice for my disciple."
At these words, the Grand Elder's intended words were immediately swallowed back. Wanting to express outrage, he knew he lacked justification, yet letting it go felt like losing face for his sect—he was caught in a dilemma.
Just then, a disciple exclaimed: "Wait, what's that?"
Everyone immediately looked toward the sound, seeing a drop of blood floating in midair, moving toward the white hair. Soon the two merged, and the deep red was absorbed into the white light, which suddenly blazed so brightly it was almost blinding. When the white light dispersed and everyone looked again, there was no trace of the blood drop, and the white hair remained pristine, unstained by any blood.
"This..." someone murmured.
Ordinary disciples naturally had limited knowledge and had never even heard of the monstrous beast race before, but they did know the basic common sense of the cultivation world. For instance, everything that disciple had done before dying, especially the hand seal he had formed, was clearly for verifying bloodlines.
Cultivators were human too, and matters of love and hatred were no different from ordinary people's, so romantic gossip occasionally circulated in the cultivation world. In such cases, cultivators' various peculiar techniques would come into play—some could trace past scenes, like playing surveillance footage backward, to see everything that had happened in a certain place. Others could verify bloodlines, like performing a paternity test, with even higher efficiency and accuracy.
Of course, no one wanted to encounter such things, but undoubtedly, bloodline verification techniques were more widely known than information about the monstrous beast race. Everything had happened too quickly earlier for anyone to react, but now, seeing this scene, how could they not understand what had happened?
Xuanqing Sect's Yun Qingyue was actually blood-related to the Crimson Blood Sect Leader!
Everyone was shocked, and Yun Qingyue herself was equally surprised to see her blood merge into the white light. However, with Chu Yang's earlier words as foundation and the series of events that had unfolded as context, though surprised, she wasn't entirely unprepared. The only thing she couldn't understand now was why the Crimson Blood Sect Leader had sent her to Xuanqing Sect in the first place, leaving her at the sect's entrance?
Was it truly a demonic path plot against the righteous path? But so many years had passed, and no one had contacted her!
Yun Qingyue couldn't figure it out, her face filled with confusion. More confused than her was probably the White Tiger—as a transmigrator, as a tiger cub only two years old, she obviously didn't know the purpose of that technique or understand everyone's reactions now.
She wanted to ask Senior Sister, but Yun Qingyue seemed too dazed to answer her.
She turned her head, wanting to ask her master, but Peak Master Qingyu's expression was subtle, and it didn't seem like a good time to ask questions.
Then she looked toward Peak Masters Qingxu and Qingyuan, but saw these Xuanqing Sect elders all wearing strange and grave expressions, their gazes toward Senior Sister too complex for her comfort. So she shifted her position to block their views as well, and having no one else to ask, she turned to the system: "System, what's wrong with them? Why do I feel their attitudes are so strange?"
The system didn't really know either, but it made a reasonable guess: "Host, have you heard of blood recognition? Doesn't the previous scene seem like that? Perhaps Senior Sister's background has been exposed, and there really is an issue."
Jiang Mo had her suspicions, but hearing this answer, she still found it hard to believe: "You mean the Crimson Blood Sect Leader is Senior Sister's mother?" She thought about their brief encounter: "But I don't think they look alike. Neither their appearance nor their temperament is similar. If anything, I think Senior Sister resembles Master Qingyu much more."
The system didn't find this strange: "Many children take after their fathers in appearance. Besides, Senior Sister was raised by Master Qingyu, they share the same spiritual root, and Senior Sister has learned from Master Qingyu since childhood—naturally their mannerisms and temperament would be similar."
This made sense, but now wasn't the time to discuss this. The system quickly reminded her: "Host, now isn't the time to discuss resemblances, but rather how to resolve this situation if Senior Sister's identity is truly problematic."
Even without the system's reminder, Jiang Mo, having seen many such scenarios, already recognized the dire situation—those so-called righteous path practitioners abhorred any connection with the demonic path. Earlier, when Tiandao Sect merely suspected Senior Sister of contacting a demonic cultivator, they had directly come to demand accountability. Now, if she had a blood relationship with a demonic sect leader, wouldn't these righteous path practitioners want to tear her apart?
Even Xuanqing Sect might not protect her in such a situation!
The White Tiger scanned her surroundings, trying to find a way to escape with Senior Sister in the presence of so many high-level masters. But looking in all directions, she didn't see how she could get Senior Sister out—would her only option be to hide in her Innate Space?
But her Innate Space lacked the five elemental energies, producing no spiritual energy, and relying solely on treasures wouldn't allow for continuous cultivation. If someone waited outside, would she and Senior Sister have to waste away their time in her Innate Space? That would be too passive. Even with the system as a cheat, she wouldn't be able to use it without earning points. Unless absolutely necessary, she didn't want to resort to this.
The White Tiger had already thought of many chaotic scenarios, though in reality, not much time had passed. Perhaps stunned by this development, even the Tiandao Sect Grand Elder, who had been the most aggressive earlier, remarkably remained silent.
Peak Masters Qingxu and Qingyuan finally composed themselves and exchanged glances, but still hesitated to speak to the niece they had watched grow up.
Peak Master Qingyu's feelings were probably a hundred times more complex than her two senior brothers'. Her gaze at Yun Qingyue contained not only shock but also an obscurity that others couldn't understand. She stepped forward and asked: "Qingyue, do you have anything to say?"