Chapter 85: Removal from the Martial World
After a brief moment of shock, Li Yang’s fury erupted.
Gripping the long spear in his hand, he dashed forward, swiftly brushing past Li Qingqiu.
When he reached the Xi River, he leapt into the air, displaying his lightness skill as he charged forth, vanishing quickly into the distant forest.
Watching the nervous craftsmen, Li Qingqiu smiled and said, “I’m very satisfied with the mountain gate and the statues. You may leave now.”
Having said that, he turned around and walked in the direction where Li Yang had run off.
His pace was unhurried.
Meanwhile—
Li Yang moved as swift as the wind, darting through the forest.
His sharp gaze could not conceal the flames of anger within.
Whoosh—
A whistling sound of something breaking through the air came from ahead.
He tilted his head and dodged the arrow, almost simultaneously spotting the figure of the archer.
The man was dressed like a hunter, but his face was covered with a black cloth.
Standing on a tree branch, he turned to flee when his first shot failed.
His lightness skill was not inferior to Li Yang’s—he leapt swiftly between trees like a nimble mountain monkey.
Li Yang pursued him for several li, yet could not close the distance.
Enraged, he suddenly hurled the long spear in his hand.
The man seemed to have eyes on his back, skillfully dodging the throw, and the spear embedded itself deep into a tree trunk.
As Li Yang passed the large tree, he leapt up, pulled his spear free in one smooth motion, and continued the chase.
However, his strength and inner energy were not infinite.
When his breath began to grow ragged, his anger subsided slightly.
Yet, almost immediately, his fury flared again—for when he slowed down, the other man also reduced his speed, even glancing back at him.
Though the man’s face was covered, Li Yang could still sense a mocking smile beneath that cloth.
Grinding his teeth, Li Yang refused to believe he truly could not catch up.
He stared at the man’s back and chased another two li, when suddenly the man fell from a tree.
When they were less than five zhang apart, Li Yang slowed down and approached cautiously.
Pushing through a patch of bushes, he saw the man lying on an open patch of ground, blood pooling beneath his body.
“What happened?”
Li Yang frowned, puzzled.
He didn’t believe the man had merely tripped.
Just as his mind tensed, a mocking voice called out from afar, “Isn’t this our Martial Champion? Why are you being led around like a dog?”
Li Yang turned his head and saw three figures emerge from the distant woods.
He recognized the two at the front.
Jiang Zhaoxia and Li Sifeng!
Years ago, he had gone to the Martial Arts Tournament with these two, enduring many trials along the way.
Their bond was not shallow.
Later, when he heard rumors in the martial world that Jiang Zhaoxia and Li Sifeng had been ambushed by the Heavenly Blade Sect and their fates were unknown, he had gone to cause trouble for that sect—mobilizing even his family’s power to do so.
The one who had mocked him just now was Li Sifeng.
Li Yang didn’t get angry; instead, he smiled and asked, “You killed him?”
“We only made him lose the strength to escape. Bring him up the mountain.”
Jiang Zhaoxia spoke coldly.
His tone wasn’t unfriendly—his willingness to speak showed he still regarded Li Yang as a friend.
Li Yang nodded, then glanced curiously at the plain-clothed woman standing behind them.
“And she is…?”
“What you shouldn’t ask, don’t ask,” Li Sifeng replied with a grin.
Li Yang immediately understood, withdrew his gaze, and went over to lift the fallen archer.
He first tore away the man’s face cloth, glanced at him twice, then slung him over his shoulder.
“How long have you been down the mountain?” Li Yang asked as he walked alongside Li Sifeng.
“Over half a year. You’ve no idea how exciting it’s been—blades flashing, swords clashing, mountains of knives and seas of fire! You could write it all down and it’d make a fine story!”
Li Sifeng said proudly, which made Li Yang all the more intrigued.
The four of them continued forward and soon encountered Li Qingqiu.
“Senior Brother, mission completed perfectly!”
Li Sifeng ran up to Li Qingqiu with a grin.
Though he was nearly as tall as Li Qingqiu now, before the latter he always seemed like an unruly child.
“Not bad. Let’s go back together—on the way, I’ll show you the new mountain gate.”
Li Qingqiu smiled as he spoke, glancing at Jiang Zhaoxia.
Jiang Zhaoxia said nothing, only nodded slightly.
The group made their way toward Clear Sky Mountain.
Li Qingqiu instructed Li Sifeng to recount their half-year of experiences in as much detail as possible.
Li Sifeng hesitated, glancing at Li Yang.
“He has already joined the Clear Sky Sect. Although I haven’t taken him as a disciple, I intend to nurture him personally. Trust me—he’s worthy of it.”
Li Qingqiu’s words deeply moved Li Yang, leaving him unsure how to respond.
Hearing that, Li Sifeng began to recount everything from the past half-year.
The reason Li Qingqiu wanted Li Yang to hear it was because he had guessed that the blood feud of the Alchemy Family was connected to the Emperor himself.
He wanted Li Yang to lose all illusions toward the court—to truly see the world for what it was.
Li Yang often said he was lost, but in truth, it was because he still clung to hope.
Otherwise, he would have devoted himself to martial cultivation and found a way to overthrow the Emperor.
“Lady Chen’s family was oppressed by the Cui Family of Linchuan. Her father refused to submit, and in the end, her entire clan was slaughtered. She herself was abducted into the mountains by experts hired by the Cui Family. Later, when they learned she was the most skilled in alchemy among the Chen Family, they forced her to refine pills. Furthermore, we discovered the Cui Family originally served the Emperor, but they grew greedy and hid Lady Chen away…”
When Li Sifeng mentioned the Emperor, Li Yang’s expression darkened instantly.
The rest of the story was about how they found Lady Chen, how they fought, and how they escaped pursuit.
To avoid implicating the Clear Sky Sect, they had traveled across three provinces, circling widely, killing countless pursuers along the way.
Li Qingqiu turned to the young lady behind them and smiled.
“Lady Chen, why not join the Clear Sky Sect? You and your father will have nowhere safer to go. I’ll have the Qin Family send your father here.”
Lady Chen appeared sixteen or seventeen years old, thin and small.
Her appearance was not remarkable, and her skin was slightly dark.
She walked at the back, timid and quiet.
Hearing Li Qingqiu’s invitation, she quickly nodded, murmuring a faint “Mm,” without saying more.
Li Qingqiu turned back and signaled Li Sifeng to continue while he opened the Dao Lineage panel.
Lady Chen’s full name was Chen Huilan, seventeen years old.
Her cultivation aptitude was unranked, though her comprehension was relatively good.
She possessed a special Fate Trait.
[Talent in Alchemy: Some talent and comprehension in alchemy.]
Some talent…
Li Qingqiu wasn’t overly surprised, but he was somewhat pleased.
At least now, someone could open the path of alchemy for the Clear Sky Sect.
……
Before nightfall, Li Qingqiu and the others returned to the mountain.
Li Sifeng went to settle Chen Huilan, while Li Qingqiu brought the captured assassin to the back mountain and used the Soul Restraining Curse.
That night, Li Qingqiu gathered all hall masters, including Zhu Yan, vice hall master of the Heavenly Works Hall.
Zhu Yan’s loyalty to the Clear Sky Sect was high, and her guard Su Xiling had fought alongside the sect against the Demonic Cult.
She now stood firmly against the Emperor’s faction, so Li Qingqiu decided to include her in this matter.
Li Qingqiu first had Zhang Yuchun brief everyone on Chen Huilan’s background.
The hall masters listened in silence—such tragedies were no longer surprising to them.
“Lady Chen hails from an Alchemy Family. From now on, she will join the Heavenly Works Hall,” Li Qingqiu announced, looking toward Zhu Yan.
Though Zhu Yan was only a vice hall master, she wielded real authority equal to that of a hall master.
She voiced no objection, nodding to show her understanding.
“This matter must not spread. Everyone must protect Lady Chen. If you see anyone approaching her, be wary.”
Li Qingqiu swept his gaze around the long table, speaking solemnly.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Zhu Yan couldn’t tell whether Li Qingqiu had included her to test her loyalty or because he genuinely trusted her—but either way, she felt she was finally becoming part of the Clear Sky Sect.
“The second matter—someone attempted to assassinate me today. Were it not for my skill, that arrow would have pierced my skull,” Li Qingqiu continued.
At these words, Zhang Yuchun, Li Dongyue, Li Sijin, and Yang Jueding all grew furious and anxiously asked after his condition.
Li Qingqiu raised a hand to quiet them.
“You all know my martial skills. What we must discuss now is how to handle this.”
Yang Jueding asked, “Do you need me to interrogate him—to force him to reveal the mastermind?”
Li Qingqiu smiled faintly.
“I already asked. Behind him is the Nine Absolutes Sect, one of the three great sects of Eastern Tomb Province. The assassin acted on the order of the Nine Absolutes Sect Master but doesn’t know why they targeted us.”
Yang Jueding frowned.
“The Nine Absolutes Sect counts as a reputable orthodox sect. They have close ties with the righteous path.”
Li Qingqiu turned to Zhu Yan.
“Hall Master Zhu, your knowledge of the world exceeds ours. What do you think we should do?”
Everyone turned their eyes to Zhu Yan.
Wearing her veil, her gaze calm, Zhu Yan replied, “Even if we confront them with the assassin, it’ll be meaningless. They surely have other plans prepared. We only need to focus on defense—or even strike first. If the Sect Master requires it, and if you need the Zhu Family’s help, I can investigate their true motives.”
Her words made everyone view her with newfound respect and realize the weight a cultured scholar carried.
Li Qingqiu shook his head.
“Too troublesome. My idea is to destroy the Nine Absolutes Sect.”
At those words, not only did Zhu Yan’s eyes flicker in surprise, but everyone else was also shocked—except for Li Sifeng, whose face showed excitement.
“To start a slaughter without fully understanding the truth is perhaps…” Yang Jueding began hesitantly.
Li Qingqiu had used the Soul Restraining Curse—the memory could not be false.
But he could not tell them that.
His expression remained flat as he said, “We don’t have to annihilate every last one of them—but we’ll make sure the Nine Absolutes Sect can no longer stand. First, kill their Sect Master. If anyone interferes, kill them as well. I don’t care why they targeted us—since they struck first, they must pay the price.”
“Even if someone manipulated them, I want those behind the scheme to feel fear.”
Yang Jueding hesitated, words stuck in his throat.
Li Sijin then asked, “Senior Brother, if we cannot reveal the truth to the world, won’t the martial world see us as a demonic sect?”
Li Qingqiu smiled.
“I never said the Clear Sky Sect was righteous. We can do good—but we must first protect ourselves. If today’s assassin had struck another disciple instead of me, what then?”
Silence fell.
If a disciple had been killed at the foot of Clear Sky Mountain, it would shake morale and sow unease.
“I’ll go,” Jiang Zhaoxia said tersely.
Li Qingqiu shook his head.
“This time, let others handle it. Xue Jin will lead, and I will personally select twelve true disciples to accompany him.”
“Before the year’s end, I want the Nine Absolutes Sect erased from the martial world.”
“What say you all?”