Chapter 111

Does Yun Que’s pride justify the beating he took?

Earlier, when the demonic cultivator Kuku beat him up, Chu Xingzhi didn’t say a word at the crucial moment. He endured the beating, but couldn’t withstand Yun Que’s betrayal.

Showing pity for a beautiful woman was something for other cultivators to consider. For a sword cultivator, their only love was their sword. Without hesitation, he kicked her hard, causing Yun Que to scream in pain. Her face turned pale from the abdominal pain, and a hint of lingering hatred remained.

“Chu Xingzhi,” Ye Qinghan said, “It’s not your turn to act yet.”

Even if Yun Que’s actions were unethical, the elders and sect leaders would handle her punishment later. If he acted on his own and was seen by outsiders, it would undoubtedly cause a stir.

Chu Xingzhi’s expression softened. He knew that the competition was one thing, but privately beating other sect disciples was a matter of character. However, he couldn’t hold back his anger. “She insisted on provoking me.”

Constantly talking about her damaged spiritual roots, as if her weakness justified everything.

As a direct disciple, one must bear their responsibilities. Someone like Ye Qiao, despite her occasional display of temperament, never faltered at crucial moments.

“Song Hansheng,” Chu Xingzhi said, “It must have been tough for you, taking care of her all these years with her being so clueless.”

Song Hansheng… Song Hansheng didn’t want to respond.

Yun Que mistakenly thought Ye Qinghan was helping her. She bit her lip and smiled gratefully at him.

Ye Qinghan looked down at her, his lips pressed together without any expression. “When we get out, you should take the initiative to admit your mistake.”

Yun Que’s smile froze on her face.

Why?

Hadn’t Senior Brother Ye always protected her?

Yun Que didn’t understand. She only reported the whereabouts of the other direct disciples. How did that provoke everyone?

If Ye Qiao were present, she might have immediately understood the issue. Ye Qinghan, being the top figure of the righteous path, especially admired people who were upright and kind.

He had never thought highly of Ye Qiao’s clever tricks. Now, seeing Yun Que betraying her teammates, it was likely that Ye Qinghan had completely lost interest in her.

In the original story, without Ye Qiao’s interference, Yun Que only needed to show her kindness, beauty, and uniqueness. That would have been enough.

She didn’t even need to do anything; the group of direct disciples would naturally be charmed by her.

But now, even Su Zhuo and Zhai Chen, who usually defended her, were unusually silent, leaving her awkward and embarrassed on her own.

—

Ye Qiao and Shen Ziwei acted separately. She was responsible for setting up the formation, while Shen Ziwei would activate it. Then she would distract a Nascent Soul cultivator, while Shen Ziwei and Duan Hengtiao rescued the captives.

“What are you carrying?” he asked, pointing to the object Ye Qiao was holding.

Ye Qiao: “An egg.”

She placed the egg in a box and attached a talisman to seal its aura. “Hold onto this. If you’re being chased, protect it with your life. If you’re in danger, tear off the talisman and pretend to reach into the box. If they keep chasing you, throw the box away. Got it?” Demonic cultivators loved collecting things. Ye Qiao knew this well from her time spent among them.

Shen Ziwei, feeling overwhelmed, nodded stiffly. “Got it.”

“After rescuing the captives, have them scatter and run separately. Try to delay until the elders send people into the secret realm.”

After giving her instructions, Ye Qiao handed the last concealment talisman to Shen Ziwei and started setting up the formation on the spot.

The slight fluctuation in spiritual energy soon attracted the attention of two demonic cultivators.

Ye Qiao sensed the unfamiliar auras approaching. She quickened her movements while keeping an eye on the surroundings, hoping to finish the formation in time.

The headache from excessive use of her spiritual sense continuously tortured Ye Qiao’s nerves. A protective talisman in her possession shattered, and two Nascent Soul level pressures bore down on her, nearly forcing her to her knees.

Swallowing the metallic taste in her mouth, Ye Qiao thought back to how much she hated being forced to kneel under suppressed cultivation.

Yun Hen’s light pressure alone could make her kneel, and now it was happening again.

“A Foundation Establishment cultivator?” The two approaching demonic cultivators could hardly believe their eyes.

They had expected at least a Golden Core level, but it turned out to be a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Ye Qiao gradually slowed her formation movements, discreetly hiding her gestures and trying to buy time with words. She decided to introduce herself.

“My name is Ye Qiao.”

These two demonic cultivators might not be interested in her cultivation level, but Ye Qiao guessed someone on their side might be interested in her previous exploits.

Sure enough, the black-clad girl tilted her head and smiled coldly. “Ye Qiao?”

“Oh,” she said, her tone menacing. “So, you’re the one impersonating me?”

Ye Qiao: “…Shit.”

She had run into the real deal.

“That was my way of showing love for you.” As Ye Qiao finished forming the array, she stepped back half a step, luring the girl to the center. She smiled slightly. “Saintess, do you feel my passionate love for you?”

“You’re courting death.” The girl, enraged, tightened her grip. Under the pressure of her Nascent Soul cultivation, Ye Qiao couldn’t move. The girl aimed a punch at Ye Qiao’s head, but Shen Ziwei, hidden nearby, seized the moment to activate the formation.

Chains formed instantly, and the domain expanded, trapping the demonic saintess who couldn’t escape in time.

Inside the dark domain.

“No wonder we couldn’t find you; you had such an opportunity.” The girl squinted and tilted her head. “But, in the face of absolute power, clever tricks are useless.”

She appeared behind Ye Qiao in a flash, her palm filled with demonic energy, striking Ye Qiao’s abdomen. A burst of flame forced her back half a step, her palm stinging with pain. Her eyes turned cold.

“Phoenix.”

“Hey, hey, hey. Getting agitated, are we?” Ye Qiao dodged and taunted, “Is my love not passionate enough?”

In this domain, Xiao Qi was the master. No matter how powerful the Nascent Soul cultivator was, as long as Ye Qiao didn’t fight head-on, the saintess couldn’t do anything to her here.

—

Outside, the battle was equally intense. Seeing his companion dragged inside, the demonic cultivator’s sneer faded. He stared at Shen Ziwei, daring him to return, and chased him, his two blades striking lethally.

Shen Ziwei ran for his life. As a blade nearly struck his head, his heart raced, and he trembled with tension. Remembering Ye Qiao’s instructions, he reached into the box, tore off the talisman, and another protective artifact shattered. His throat went dry, and he was terrified.

There were no more left.

If one more artifact broke, there would be none left.

Gritting his teeth, Shen Ziwei desperately threw the box. The demonic cultivator caught it, narrowing his eyes. An identity token? Or some kind of treasure?

Otherwise, why would the first reaction of this direct disciple, who was almost losing his life, be to reach into the box?

He picked up the box and instinctively put it into his mustard seed pouch. Demonic cultivators love to collect valuable items, whether they can use them or not; taking them is always the right choice.

After doing this, the young demonic cultivator raised his knife to continue attacking Shen Ziwei, but several demonic beast auras appeared nearby. In the blink of an eye, three demonic beasts charged at him.

It looked as if he had personally cooked their uncle.

The young demonic cultivator was stunned for a few seconds and couldn’t dodge in time, getting hit hard by one of the beasts and almost breaking his bones. He lay on the ground, spitting blood.

What the heck?

Shen Ziwei: “…Ha.”

“Which sect’s powerhouse is this fierce? Damn, luring away two Nascent Souls right off the bat?”

“First time watching the competition? That’s my family’s Ye Langlang.”

The other person couldn’t help but admire, “This person single-handedly attracted all the hatred in the entire secret realm.”

The demonic beasts whose eggs were stolen were furious, stomping down hard. The young demonic cultivator had to fight back with his knife. He mistakenly thought he had provoked such high-level beasts in the secret realm and didn’t even consider the box.

One Nascent Soul was being held off by Ye Qiao, and the other was entangled with three Nascent Soul-level demonic beasts. This gave Duan Hengdao and Shen Ziwei, who were sneaking around, a great opportunity to rescue people.

Duan Hengdao quietly emerged, took out an electric drill, and diligently began drilling a small crack in the barrier.

While it couldn’t be broken from the inside, the exterior was still quite fragile.

As spiritual energy began to flow in, all the struggling direct disciples opened their eyes.

Outside, the scene was chaotic. The demonic beasts were holding off the demonic cultivators, and the other demonic saintess was nowhere to be seen.

The disciples were stunned.

What’s happening?

What’s going on?

“…Duan Hengdao? Shen Ziwei?” Qin Huai felt complicated, not expecting them to come back to rescue them. He was even more surprised that his usually naive junior brother could be so capable.

Looking at his two junior brothers, Qin Huai said, “I’ve underestimated you both.”

Managing to hold off two Nascent Souls and rescue them at the same time.

Duan Hengdao didn’t understand what his senior brother was saying. He quickly said, “Run, scatter!”

“Those demonic beasts won’t last long.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the enemy quickly caught up.

Xue Yu swiftly grabbed Mu Chongxi, mimicking Ye Qiao’s earlier technique. He picked up a stone and threw it at high speed.

The demonic cultivator hesitated, thinking it was a magical weapon, and dodged. Seeing this, everyone else followed suit, throwing stones. Realizing they were just stones, the demonic cultivator laughed angrily.

This group really lived up to their reputation, one more cunning than the next.

“At crucial moments, it’s always Ye Qiao’s ideas that work, damn it.” Chu Xingzhi started running for his life. “I’ll never call her annoying again.”

Their mustard seed pouches were all torn away by the demonic cultivator, leaving them with almost nothing. Learning from Ye Qiao, they used whatever they could find on the spot, which gave the scattered disciples some time to escape.

Mu Chongxi didn’t look back, running wildly, “You don’t understand. The Changming Sect may not be what it used to be, but Ye Qiao will always be Ye Qiao.”

Too bad Ye Qiao wasn’t here.

“Didn’t she run away in the end?” Su Zhuo sneered.

Zhou Xingyun said calmly, “Mind your own business about the Changming Sect.”

“No conscience and you won’t let me talk?”

Zhai Chen added, “What’s the use of protecting her?”

He genuinely thought Ye Qiao was heartless. She left the Yueqing Sect without a second thought, ignoring her master’s kindness, and repeatedly humiliated the Yueqing Sect during competitions.

He thought she had some feelings for the Changming Sect, but Duan Hengdao and Shen Ziwei, both artifact refiners, came back to rescue them while Ye Qiao was nowhere to be seen.

Ming Xuan said incredulously, “Should our junior sister stay and die with you? Then none of us would survive. We might as well die together in a romantic suicide.”

…

On the other side, Ye Qiao was engaged in a war of attrition with the demonic saintess. After stalling enough time, the domain finally couldn’t hold, and they were released. Ye Qiao dodged the attack in advance. In the next second, green vines grew rapidly around her.

Her ankle was bound, and as her fire-breathing talisman was about to be used, the girl’s hand forcefully suppressed it with demonic energy. The little red phoenix struggled but ultimately failed.

The phoenix clan was not to be easily provoked, but suppressing it wasn’t an issue.

Ye Qiao was about to throw out a fire talisman when someone acted faster.

Two talismans flew out, igniting bright flames that engulfed the vines, burning them to ashes in an instant.

Ye Qiao was stunned and briefly locked eyes with Song Hansheng from a distance. Seeing that they had all been rescued, she felt somewhat relieved and quickly said, “Thanks.”

Song Hansheng shook his head, finally understanding why only one Nascent Soul was present and the other demonic saintess was missing.

From the beginning, it wasn’t Duan Hengdao who had orchestrated this rescue,

It was Ye Qiao.

Song Hansheng took a deep breath, feeling overwhelmed, “It’s you again.”

—

Happy New Year! I’m visiting relatives tomorrow. Ah, I’ve been busy with the New Year celebrations. Please understand, thanks~