"Why haven’t the Lingyin Sect disciples arrived yet..."
Chen Ye was not Monk Tang,
Clearly, Sun Wukong had drawn a barrier, but he insisted on going out despite it.
Since True Man Sun had bestowed the magical treasure, warning him not to wander.
This indicated that the area was quite dangerous, possibly home to other underlings of the Demon Cultivators.
To be safe, they should wait for the Lingyin Sect disciples to arrive before leaving.
At this moment,
Qing Jun was already nestled in Chen Ye’s arms, listening to the howling wind and snow, inhaling the faint herbal fragrance from her master’s clothes, her eyelids growing heavy.
She was young and had been exhausted for the entire day.
Under the influence of the Rejuvenation Pill, she fell into a deep sleep.
Chen Ye slowly patted Qing Jun’s back.
Suddenly, the Spirit Stabilizing Plate emitted a slight humming sound, the runes on it flickering with faint cyan light!
His heart sank, immediately becoming alert.
True Man Sun had mentioned that this plate warns of disturbances!
Holding Qing Jun, he quickly got up, warily scanning the surroundings.
The snowstorm persisted, apart from the wailing wind, the snowy plains were silent, revealing no abnormalities.
"Could it be... an illusion?"
Chen Ye frowned slightly, but the Spirit Stabilizing Plate in his hand continued to gently tremble, reminding him that danger was approaching.
He dared not be careless, promptly protecting Qing Jun closely.
Then, his fingertips exuded golden light, the Limit Break Geng Metal Qi poised to strike.
"Who dares to sneak around, show yourself!"
Chen Ye shouted in a deep voice, his voice traveling far across the vast snowy plains.
The only response was the increasingly urgent sound of the storm.
Chen Ye’s eyes narrowed, his spiritual power circulated within, several tiny Geng Metal Qi Auras shot out like they had their own life, darting towards suspicious snow piles and withered trees!
"Puff, puff, puff!"
Several snow piles were pierced, branches snapped, yet nothing was discovered.
Just as Chen Ye thought he was being overly nervous, a faint piercing sound suddenly came from behind him!
The icy killing intent felt like a blade on his back!
Chen Ye spun around abruptly, his eyes sharply contracting.
A pitch-black shadow shot from the snow like a specter, carrying up a spray of snow!
In a flash, before Chen Ye could fully activate his Geng Metal Qi, the Spirit Stabilizing Plate he was holding erupts with blinding cyan light!
"Buzz--!"
A loud hum thundered across the snowy plain, the Spirit Stabilizing Plate flew from Chen Ye’s arms, hanging between him and the shadow.
The runes on the Cyan Jade Compass fully lit up, instantly forming a solid, faint cyan light shield, firmly guarding Chen Ye.
"Clang!"
The light shield trembled violently, ripples scattered, yet it securely blocked the deadly blow!
However, before he could respond further, the cyan light on the Spirit Stabilizing Plate surged again!
"Zzzap!"
An even thicker cyan arc than when it first warned sprang from the plate surface.
Like a serpent, it lashed out at the shadow’s chest with lightning speed!
"Ugh--!"
The shadow released a heart-rending scream.
The body seemed to be struck by an unseen giant hammer, suddenly flying backwards, heavy landing on the snowy ground several meters away.
His chest clothes instantly turned to charcoal, the acrid odor of burnt flesh spreading.
The light on the Spirit Stabilizing Plate dimmed slightly, apparently, this offensive and defensive activation had consumed a considerable amount of the spiritual power True Man Sun infused within it, but it still hung in front of Chen Ye, emanating residual power.
"What an opportunity!"
Chen Ye was stunned by the power of the Spirit Stabilizing Plate, but he didn’t hesitate for a moment.
Several more concentrated golden Qi beams burst out, covering the heavily injured shadow from all directions with unmatched sharpness!
The shadow, having been severely damaged by the cyan arc of the Spirit Stabilizing Plate, was paralyzed, spewing blood, now facing Chen Ye’s overwhelming attack, had no room to dodge!
"Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff..."
Dense piercing sounds echoed one after another, blood blossomed vividly in the snow!
The shadow’s body convulsed violently several times, too deformed by the Geng Metal Qi to remain human, dead beyond recovery.
Only then did Chen Ye exhale a long breath of relief, but looking at the now unrecognizable corpse, his heart still held a trace of fear.
He was about to step forward to check, when the corpse of the black-clothed man suddenly shriveled into a dry husk like a deflated balloon.
Simultaneously, a faint black mist drifted from his body’s seven senses, quickly dissipating in the snowstorm.
"Demon Cultivator!"
Seeing his bizarre death, a sense of foreboding rose in Chen Ye’s heart.
This black-clothed man had the strength of late-stage Qi Cultivation.
If not for True Man Sun lending Chen Ye the Spirit Stabilizing Plate, he might have perished.
"No wonder the True Man lent me such a magical treasure..."
Chen Ye glanced down,
Despite the commotion, the little girl still slept deeply.
Which shows, Qing Jun really was exhausted...
However,
What Chen Ye didn’t notice was that after the black-clothed man’s death.
A wisp of divine thought, taking advantage of the dim light of the Spirit Stabilizing Plate.
Sneaked into Qing Jun’s crown!
But, this wisp of divine thought carried no aggressiveness, it merely contained a cultivation technique.
And this cultivation technique was named Supreme Emotion Crossing Technique!
This technique was infamous in the lands of Yan and Qi!
"Truly a blessing in disguise... causing Wang Po to be exposed, yet she discovered this promising seed."
The Emotion Crossing Sect’s Demon Cultivator watched from afar, sighing,
"Had it not called the people from Lingyin Sect... oh well, I’ll come for her in three years."
Given the current situation, it was difficult to flee with a young girl.
Nonetheless,
In three years, it would be effortless to take her from this Loose Cultivator’s hands.
...
After Chen Ye killed the black-clothed man, before he could check, several sounds of clothes fluttering in the wind came from behind him.
His heart tightened as he quickly turned around.
He saw several disciples of the Lingyin Sect, dressed in sky-blue Taoist robes, approaching rapidly.
Among them, one figure was graceful, with eyebrows that carried a bit of heroism and aloofness, it was Li Qiuyun.
"Chen Ye?"
Li Qiuyun immediately recognized Chen Ye holding the child, and not far away the corpse of a black-clothed man lying in the snow with a tragic death. She slightly frowned,
"What happened here?"
Another person waved his hand to stop Li Qiuyun’s questioning.
This was Duan Ling, with a cultivation level at the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer.
He was one of the few Outer Sect disciples in Yunxi District about to be admitted to the Inner Sect.
"This is a Loose Cultivator who was implanted with the Emotion Crossing Seed, don’t bother with him... It seems, this must be Chen Ye? Junior Sister Li, as a patrol disciple on Shunshui Street, please take this person and the corpse with Junior Brother Liu and send Chen Taoist Friend back, we will first assist Guardian Sun."
Duan Ling, after inspecting the black-clothed man’s corpse, spoke in a deep voice.
Li Qiuyun nodded slightly, her gaze falling on Qing Jun: "In the market, there is a sect’s medical center. It’s better to diagnose and treat your disciple’s injuries as soon as possible."
Chen Ye let out a small sigh of relief.
Seeing so many Lingyin Sect disciples here, he felt a bit more secure.
Then, after Junior Brother Liu collected the black-clothed man’s corpse,
Chen Ye no longer delayed, returning the Spirit Stabilizing Plate to Li Qiuyun, and holding Qing Jun, followed the two Lingyin Sect disciples on the way back.
On the journey,
Li Qiuyun’s expression was complex, she couldn’t help but turn her head to glance at Chen Ye holding the little girl:
"I didn’t expect... it was really the work of a Demon Cultivator."
At this moment.
She couldn’t help but feel a bit of admiration for this Loose Cultivator.
Li Qiuyun had seen all kinds of cultivators in the Lingyin Sect.
There were talented fellow disciples dedicated to the Dao.
There were also Loose Cultivators who resorted to all means for a bit of resources.
But someone like Chen Ye, who for an ordinary little girl, not only dared to take out twenty Spirit Stones but also dared to disturb a Foundation Establishment True Man, was truly rare.
Li Qiuyun even began to wonder if her previous judgment of Chen Ye had been too hasty.
"Mediocre aptitude, sneaky behavior."
These eight words now seemed somewhat laughable in her mind.
Would a sneaky person dare stand before sect disciples and a Foundation Establishment True Man, arguing about the disappearance of his disciple?
Could a mediocre person attract a different viewpoint from Steward Zhou?
At the very least...
This deep protective affection, calm and decisive, was far superior to many fellow brothers who only talked emptily.
Li Qiuyun thought of this and was reminded of Chen Ye’s bribe.
Twenty Spirit Stones...
This female cultivator of formidable presence was still internally bleeding over this.
Those were twenty Spirit Stones!
They should have been hers...
Junior Brother Liu noticed Li Qiuyun suddenly staring at Chen Ye,
felt a bit uncomfortable, and couldn’t help but jokingly say:
"Senior Sister Li, although Chen Taoist Friend is older and just a Loose Cultivator, quite ordinary. But that’s not important... see how emotional he is, why not... hehe!"
"Shut up!"
Li Qiuyun’s face turned chilly, coldly glaring at Junior Brother Liu.
Junior Brother Liu shrank his neck, not daring to say more.
Everyone knew, Senior Sister Li was famously strict among the Outer Sect disciples.
But precisely because of this, ever since Junior Martial Uncle Bai teased Li Qiuyun,
these Outer Sect disciples seized the chance to tease Senior Sister Li...
Chen Ye saw all of this, feeling somewhat nostalgic.
He was reminded of his school days in a previous life.
Probably, Li Qiuyun truly believed these male disciples were just teasing.
But actually, most of them just wanted to catch her attention.
After all, Li Qiuyun was beautiful, with a graceful figure.
And her cultivation was at the Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer, soon to enter the Late Phase, she would be admitted into the Inner Sect.
A true ’Flower of the High Peak’ among the Outer Sect disciples...
However,
Chen Ye couldn’t help but criticize these male disciples as well.
Why did they always seem to belittle him during the teasing?
...
Li Qiuyun escorted Chen Ye to the courtyard entrance, watching him gently carry Qing Jun inside, before leaving together with Junior Brother Liu.
Returning to the small courtyard on Shunshui Street, it was already late at night.
Zhiwei was anxiously standing at the courtyard gate, her little face full of worry and urgency when she saw Chen Ye carrying Qing Jun back.
"Master! Qing Jun, she..."
"Let’s talk inside first." Chen Ye interrupted her, carrying Qing Jun quickly into the room.
Li Dageng and Granny Li also hurried over, seeing Qing Jun’s pale face and broken arm, they gasped in shock.
"Damn it! Who would do such a thing?"
Granny Li was trembling with anger, her eyes reddened.
Chen Ye gently placed Qing Jun on the bed, covering her with a quilt.
He then recounted last night’s dangers in summary, omitting the benevolent female cultivator.
Since the female cultivator didn’t want to leave her name, most likely due to some unspeakable reasons.
Chen Ye didn’t disclose her identity.
He only said Qing Jun went out to play and encountered the evil Wang Po colluding with a Demon Cultivator, fortunately saved by True Man Sun of Lingyin Sect.
Even so, everyone listened with heart pounding and fear.
Zhiwei clenched her little fists tightly, her cold black eyes burning with anger.
She never imagined that the usually just somewhat mean-spirited Wang Po, could do something so insane!
"Master, Wang Po... will she receive the punishment she deserves?"
Zhiwei looked up at Chen Ye, her voice trembling slightly.
Chen Ye patted her head, speaking solemnly:
"Rest assured, True Man Sun personally took her back to the sect, she will surely not escape death."