Chapter 12: Jiang Zhaoxia’s Pressure
Hearing Mo Jiujiao’s words, Li Qingqiu was stunned for a moment, somewhat caught off guard.
The Clear Sky Sect only had three courtyards, and the number of disciples was few—how could anyone covet it?
“Who sent you here?” Li Qingqiu asked cautiously.
If the other party was sent by Lin Xunfeng, he would have to treat him politely. But if he was unrelated to Lin Xunfeng and came to seize the Clear Sky Sect by force, then—too bad.
As he spoke, Li Qingqiu’s right hand brushed over the nine swords before him, his gaze fixed tightly on Mo Jiujiao.
Mo Jiujiao walked toward Li Qingqiu with a smile. “Your Master, Lin Xunfeng, announced his retirement at the Martial Gathering in Xiaoyao County, saying he would wash his hands in the golden basin and withdraw from the martial world. Since he’s gone, it’ll be hard for your Clear Sky Sect to keep this fine land. Why not let me take over?”
Li Qingqiu suddenly understood.
Of course—Ancient Great Mountain Range was vast and rich in resources, yet there was only one sect there.
That was obviously because of the prestige Lin Xunfeng had carved out through strength.
Now that Lin Xunfeng was gone, naturally other sects would set their sights on this territory.
He couldn’t help feeling a bit of resentment. Master, if you wanted to seek immortality, why cause such a commotion before leaving?
But on second thought, perhaps Lin Xunfeng was worried that old enemies might come for revenge.
If it were one of Lin Xunfeng’s enemies, they wouldn’t waste words—they’d simply start a massacre.
So this Mo Jiujiao was merely here to seize the Clear Sky Sect.
Li Qingqiu asked, “If you become the Sect Master, what benefit do we disciples get?”
Mo Jiujiao grinned. “Naturally, you’ll become my disciples. To tell the truth, I come from the Seven Peaks Alliance. Once I become the Clear Sky Sect Master, your sect will join the alliance. You’ll gain its protection—this is a rare blessing. You must know, in the martial world, battles over territory are always bloody.”
After hearing that, Li Qingqiu nodded slightly—what he said made sense.
“Yes, blood is always spilled for territory. So… may I refuse?” Li Qingqiu asked calmly, still sitting cross-legged on the grass.
Mo Jiujiao froze, then sneered. “You’re not going to ask your Sect Master?”
“I am the Sect Master.”
Li Qingqiu’s reply made Mo Jiujiao stop in his tracks. He looked Li Qingqiu up and down, his expression turning strange.
“They say that after that bloody storm twenty years ago, only Lin Xunfeng survived from the Clear Sky Sect. So it’s true—he actually let a child inherit as Sect Master.”
Mo Jiujiao muttered, shaking his head with a laugh.
Had he known earlier, he wouldn’t have bothered talking.
“In that case, you have no right to refuse—either submit to me, or I’ll tear out your tongues and gouge out your eyes, making you slaves for life.”
Mo Jiujiao’s face twisted ferociously as he took another step forward, closing in on Li Qingqiu.
Li Qingqiu narrowed his eyes, ready to strike, but then his ears twitched, and his body relaxed again.
“Impudent!”
A thunderous roar split the air.
Yang Jueding stepped on the cliffside, leaping over the mountain gate like a great goose, landing on the stone steps between Li Qingqiu and Mo Jiujiao.
Mo Jiujiao frowned. “And who are you supposed to be?”
He cursed inwardly—That brat tricked me!
No matter how eccentric Lin Xunfeng was, he wouldn’t make a child Sect Master!
“Yang Jueding. Ever heard the name?” Yang Jueding’s voice boomed across the mountains like a great bell, full of might.
Mo Jiujiao’s face darkened. He gritted his teeth. “Dragon-Subduing Hero, I’ve never heard of any ties between you and the Clear Sky Sect.”
“Now you see it. Get lost!”
Yang Jueding’s inner energy surged, making his robes billow as he glared down like a fierce tiger.
Mo Jiujiao’s expression flickered between rage and fear. Compared to Yang Jueding’s renown, he was insignificant. Before such a mighty hero, instinctive fear took hold.
But to retreat after coming all this way?
After a brief silence, Mo Jiujiao took a deep breath and cupped his hands. “I shall take my leave!”
He turned and strode away.
“Yang Jueding—kill him.”
Li Qingqiu’s cold voice came from behind.
Hearing this, Mo Jiujiao’s face changed drastically and he quickened his pace.
Yang Jueding was taken aback.
He turned to Li Qingqiu, only to see the youth’s icy expression—it made his heart tremble.
It was his first time seeing Li Qingqiu with such eyes.
“This is an order. Execute it immediately.”
Li Qingqiu spoke again.
Yang Jueding gritted his teeth and dashed down the mountain. By then, Mo Jiujiao had already fled into the forest.
Li Qingqiu shook his head at Yang Jueding’s hesitation.
If not for his skill, he’d have long been devoured by the martial world.
Having lived two lives, and after his experiences in this one, Li Qingqiu had already seen the world clearly.
He was ready for the challenges ahead.
Killing was something unavoidable.
He wouldn’t kill the innocent—but anyone who provoked him would face no mercy.
That was also why he hadn’t blamed Jiang Zhaoxia for killing Luo Lie.
In fact, he admired his third junior brother’s ruthlessness.
He sat patiently, waiting.
Even if Yang Jueding let Mo Jiujiao go, he wasn’t worried—this was a test for him.
If Yang Jueding couldn’t pass it, then he could live out his life guarding the gate.
As for that so-called Seven Peaks Alliance—if they came, they would face him head-on.
How could an immortal sect cower before a martial one?
From Yang Jueding’s Supreme Sword Controlling Technique, it was clear that other cultivators existed in this world.
And where there were cultivators, there must be cultivation sects—perhaps hidden, or beyond the Great Li Dynasty’s lands.
Li Qingqiu was already envisioning the future enemies of the cultivation world.
A stick of incense later—
Yang Jueding emerged from the forest, carrying Mo Jiujiao over his shoulder.
Mo Jiujiao’s limbs hung limply, his body like a sack of mud, with a gory wound on his back.
Yang Jueding’s hair was slightly disheveled as he approached and dropped the body before Li Qingqiu.
Li Qingqiu glanced down—Mo Jiujiao wasn’t dead, only unconscious.
“What happens if you let him live?” Li Qingqiu asked.
Yang Jueding’s face hardened. “He’ll bring more people.”
“He said he came from the Seven Peaks Alliance to seize the Clear Sky Sect.”
Li Qingqiu continued, his tone carrying displeasure—directed at Yang Jueding.
The Sect Master’s words didn’t carry weight?
He’d said to kill him!
At the mention of the Seven Peaks Alliance, Yang Jueding’s eyes flickered.
He had trained for twenty years and had extraordinary hearing, but earlier he’d only caught Mo Jiujiao’s threats, not his background.
Taking a deep breath, Yang Jueding raised his right foot and stomped hard on Mo Jiujiao’s back.
Mo Jiujiao’s eyes snapped open, blood spraying from his mouth—dead.
Li Qingqiu gave a final glance, confirming the death, then gathered his nine swords, stood up, and turned to leave, saying:
“Bury the body. Clean the ground.”
Yang Jueding watched Li Qingqiu depart, feeling conflicted.
He had actually been intimidated by a youth.
This kid isn’t simple!
No wonder he can suppress Jiang Zhaoxia.
As he sighed, another thought hit him.
Wait, I came here to help—so why do I feel like I’m being punished, having to bury corpses and scrub the ground?
Despite his indignation, he obediently lifted the corpse.
Just then, he saw Jiang Zhaoxia and Wu Man’er walking out from the forest below. He froze, then broke into a cold sweat.
If he hadn’t caught Mo Jiujiao earlier and the man had run into Jiang Zhaoxia instead, he’d have died for sure.
If that had happened, he truly would’ve disobeyed the Sect Master’s order.
Yang Jueding’s thoughts grew complicated. He realized Li Qingqiu’s depth was far greater than he’d imagined.
The most terrifying thing was—with Jiang Zhaoxia present, even if Li Qingqiu punished him, he couldn’t resist.
…
Li Qingqiu didn’t bother hiding Mo Jiujiao’s death.
First, because Yang Jueding’s roar had already been heard by many disciples.
Second, he wanted to set an impression—to show them that the Clear Sky Sect could kill, that they weren’t just some small reclusive sect cultivating in the mountains.
As for whether the matter would reach the authorities, he wasn’t worried. In this world, there were no surveillance devices—“alive, see the man; dead, see the corpse.”
Besides, what sect in the martial world hadn’t risen atop a mountain of corpses?
Seven days later, the disciples had already put the incident behind them.
The breeze was gentle, and the weather pleasant.
In the forest, Li Qingqiu and Jiang Zhaoxia sat facing each other. Li Qingqiu crossed his arms over his chest, looking smug.
Jiang Zhaoxia held the parchment containing the Supreme Sword Controlling Technique, his eyes shining. After reading, he looked up and asked, “You’re really willing to give me such a supreme art? As the Sect Master, aren’t you afraid to keep a hand hidden?”
He was deeply moved—it seemed Li Qingqiu hadn’t grown wary of him despite his new title.
Li Qingqiu said irritably, “Do I look like that kind of person? I want you to always be the strongest in the Clear Sky Sect. You promised to assist me all your life—don’t you dare run halfway.”
Jiang Zhaoxia chuckled. “I used to want to run. Now I don’t. Don’t worry—I’ll always have your back.”
Li Qingqiu had long come to terms with it.
For now, it was almost impossible for him to surpass Jiang Zhaoxia.
Rather than compete, he’d let Jiang Zhaoxia grow as fast as possible.
Once the Clear Sky Sect rose to the next level and he could copy Fate Traits again, that would be his chance to overtake.
Letting Jiang Zhaoxia be the sect’s strongest openly was fine—he himself would be the Clear Sky Sect’s ultimate hidden card.
Li Qingqiu also had a competitive heart, though it hadn’t yet manifested as a Fate Trait.
“By the way, Senior Brother, have you mastered it yet?” Jiang Zhaoxia asked curiously.
Li Qingqiu smirked proudly. “Of course. I only needed one look.”
Jiang Zhaoxia felt the pressure rise. He didn’t doubt him—his senior brother’s talent in swordsmanship was indeed terrifying.
He lowered his gaze to the parchment and sighed. “Senior Brother, though martial cultivation borrows from the world’s energy, I’ve always felt that the aura we absorb is different. Those who train in inner energy can’t even sense it—Yang Jueding doesn’t even know what aura is. Why is that?”
Li Qingqiu groaned inwardly.
This junior is too perceptive—it’s a problem.
He raised an eyebrow. “You’re asking me? Who should I ask then? Fine, cards on the table—we’re not practicing martial arts… we’re cultivating immortality.”
Jiang Zhaoxia rolled his eyes. “Senior Brother, can you be serious for once?”
Just then, Li Sifeng came running into the forest. Jiang Zhaoxia reacted quickly, tucking the parchment away.
“Senior Brother, Third Brother, come quick! Second Brother found a whole nest of baby eagles!” Li Sifeng called out excitedly, stopping and waving at them from afar.