Chapter 109: Create Death for Everyone—You Can Leave Now

Azure Profound Sect, Haiyun Platform.

Today, the disciples of the Four Great Sects gathered at Haiyun Platform, preparing to depart for White Tiger West.

The Haiyun Platform was built high, almost reaching the floating clouds in the sky. Looking down from the top, one could see the entire Zhuque Ridge.

As the Land-Guarding Sect, Azure Profound Sect naturally arrived first, followed by Clear Thought Sect, Crimson Sky Sect, and lastly, the Returning Immortal Sect’s team, who stood next to Azure Profound Sect.

This journey was long, and with many flying demonic beasts in the high skies of Zhuque South, the Four Great Sects sent several senior Sword Cultivators and disciples to accompany and escort them. One of these was Murong Yi.

“What happened to you last night?”

In the team, Murong Yi looked at Lian Mu, whose face appeared weary, and frowned.

The other members of the Chief Team didn’t dare speak; in front of a Senior, they were all well-behaved, introverted, and shy disciples.

Lian Mu touched her face. She had stayed up all night again. Having borrowed Ji Mingyue’s Alchemy Furnace, she had finished refining all the Spirit-Replenishing Pills she would need in advance, using up all the Demonic Beast Inner Cores she had taken from the Beast Arena.

“I had a nightmare, didn’t sleep well,” Lian Mu replied.

In fact, she had indeed dreamed. After refining the pills late into the night, she kept having the same dream, where she was killing demonic beasts, and each time one died, she would wake up.

She was killing too quickly, waking up every fifteen minutes.

Murong Yi said, “You…”

He fell silent for a moment, then patted her shoulder. “Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. No one blames you for that. You still have the Returning Immortal Sect behind you. If anything happens, no matter who the other party is, the sect will help you settle it.”

Lian Mu looked confused. “What matter?”

Murong Yi raised an eyebrow. “You don’t remember? It just happened a few days ago.”

Lian Mu replied, “Oh, the thing with Azure Profound Sect.”

Murong Yi: “…”

It seemed she hadn’t taken it seriously at all.

Murong Yi even wondered if he was overthinking. After a moment of thought, he said, “Forget it. As long as you think it’s fine. Just be careful on the road, and if anything difficult happens, remember to find me.”

Lian Mu, with her weary face, replied solemnly, “Thank you, Senior.”

Murong Yi finished speaking and was called away by Senior Shang Liu of Azure Profound Sect.

Lian Mu returned to the team. This time, with a Senior accompanying them, everyone stayed quiet. It was only when they neared takeoff that they began to discuss the route for the journey.

The Chief Team went ahead to test the Silver Kite, and Lian Mu stayed in the team, thinking about the dream from the previous night.

Suddenly, someone poked her.

Lian Mu turned around to see that the person was from Azure Profound Sect. She stood on the edge, and they were aligned in a straight line.

Lian Mu recognized the person and responded indifferently, “Did the Team Leader need something from me?”

Ying You had not gone ahead with the Azure Profound Sect Chief Team but had instead moved to the second-tier position, standing beside her.

“About the last incident, it was my fault,” Ying You lowered his eyes, his lashes trembling slightly. “I upset Senior Lian.”

“Which incident are you referring to?” Lian Mu asked.

Ying You didn’t speak but raised his eyes to look at her, his black pupils seemingly saying, “You know exactly what I mean.”

Lian Mu responded, “The Library Pavilion incident. I told you before, I don’t like others prying into my thoughts, including my personal matters.”

“You’ve already checked everything. What’s the point of apologizing verbally?” Lian Mu said. “Saying a few words doesn’t mean much. Anyone can say them.”

Ying You seemed to have anticipated her response. He took a white jade bottle from his sleeve, opened his hand, and offered it to her. “This is just a small token. I hope you accept it. Azure Profound Sect meant no harm. I only wanted to understand Senior Lian better.”

Without thinking, Lian Mu accepted the gift, but she didn’t say anything further, simply stating, “I understand. You can leave now.”

His explanation seemed too shallow, and Lian Mu didn’t believe it, but she accepted the item. It was hers to take.

This scene was witnessed by Ji Mingyue, who raised an eyebrow and walked straight toward Lian Mu.

When she saw that Lian Mu had taken the item, Ying You didn’t dare say more and followed the Chief Team.

Ji Mingyue approached, and Lian Mu, looking for her, showed her the pill she was holding. “Can this be consumed?”

Ji Mingyue tapped the bottle with her finger and said, “The pill is fine, but… it’s for replenishing bodily vitality. Even he can tell you look exhausted, Lian Mu. You really need to rest.”

“I’m not always in this condition,” Lian Mu responded. “How much is this worth?”

Ji Mingyue replied, “First Rank Premium Pill, around a million or so. I suppose his gesture is an apology?”

“I don’t know,” Lian Mu said, a bit confused by the person, “No time to guess.”

The pill was safe to consume, so Lian Mu accepted it without concern, though she wasn’t in a hurry to take it. She pulled out her Spatial Pouch and prepared to store the jade bottle, but suddenly the pouch loosened, and a grayish pill rolled out, falling to the ground.

It was one of the Spirit-Replenishing Pills she had refined the night before. It hadn’t been properly stored and was hanging at the pouch’s opening, falling out when she opened it.

Lian Mu immediately checked. It turned out to be grayish in color, a defective pill, far inferior to the normal Spirit-Replenishing Pills she had refined. However, she had been in a rush the previous night and accidentally mixed it up.

Ji Mingyue stared at the pill rolling away. “Aren’t you going to pick it up?”

With her usual meticulous nature, she couldn’t believe Lian Mu wasn’t going to pick it up.

“Forget it, it’s worthless,” Lian Mu said, tucking the Spatial Pouch away. “Let’s go.”

It was time for the second-tier team to test the Silver Kite, so the two of them walked to the top of Haiyun Platform together.

Meanwhile, within the Azure Profound Sect team.

Chief Alchemy Cultivator Feng Yunyi called the Azure Profound Sect disciples over. As he finished speaking and stepped back, he accidentally stepped on something round, almost slipping on the spot.

A Sword Cultivator quickly steadied him, and as Feng Yunyi stood firm, he instinctively looked down and saw a pill on the ground.

“Which Alchemy Cultivator is so inconsiderate, throwing such a hard pill on the ground?” Feng Yunyi frowned and looked toward the Alchemy Cultivators in their team.

The Azure Profound Sect’s Alchemy Cultivators all shook their heads, and one of them said, “It seems to have rolled over from Returning Immortal Sect.”

Feng Yunyi’s frown deepened. A few days ago, the Returning Immortal Sect’s Second-Seat Sword Cultivator had provoked them, and now they were deliberately scattering hard pills on the ground, trying to make their sect’s people trip. It was a blatant disrespect.

He bent down to pick up the gray pill, intending to keep it as evidence, but when his fingers touched it, he suddenly froze.

“This…”

Feng Yunyi probed the pill with his spiritual energy, his expression changing with surprise. “Could there be other powerful Alchemy Cultivators hidden in Returning Immortal Sect?”

This pill was unlike any Ji Mingyue would make. Everyone knew she was from Misty Ridge, and when she refined pills, she always added some unique ingredients, making her pills distinct from others.

But this pill seemed to have been refined by an Alchemy Cultivator with a Wood Fire Spiritual Root. It was a Spirit-Replenishing Pill, but the spiritual energy contained within was already nearing the level of a First Rank Spirit-Replenishing Pill.

Feng Yunyi’s eyes darkened, and he put the pill away. “Looks like Returning Immortal Sect is not as simple as we thought.”

With that, he immediately turned and walked toward the Chief Team.

An hour later, the disciples of the Four Great Sects were ready, but the clouds were too thick today, and there were flying beasts in the lower altitudes. They did not depart immediately.

“Make way.”

Shang Liu of Azure Profound Sect instructed the disciples to step aside, then drew his sword and swung it casually. The Sword Qi cleaved through the clouds, opening a straight path through the sky.

In the Crimson Sky Sect team, Lu Feishuang felt a stir in her heart as she watched the path through the clouds open in awe. This was the power of the seniors, was it not?

It was so strong that it made one yearn for it.

While everyone marveled, Lian Mu looked around, but just as she did, her gaze met that of Shen Wuxie from Clear Thought Sect. Without a word, Shen Wuxie rolled his eyes at her.

Lian Mu: “…”

She quietly moved over to Xu Xianxing’s side and kicked his silver kite.

Xu Xianxing turned around, and Lian Mu whispered something in his ear. His eyes brightened, and he nodded, then turned to share the information with the other senior disciples.

With the path now clear, the disciples of each sect began their journey to the next contest site. As per tradition, Sword Cultivators rode their swords, while others used spirit artifacts to fly.

On the Clear Thought Sect side, Shen Wuxie reluctantly boarded the silver kite brought by Tang Wuxun and complained, “This thing is so slow.”

Tang Wuxun replied, “If you think it’s slow, become a Sword Cultivator. You’re riding my spirit artifact, so you’ll follow my orders.”

Shen Wuxie was about to retort when a gust of wind suddenly brushed past his ear, like a slap across his face, almost knocking him off the silver kite.

He was furious and turned to see that it was someone from Returning Immortal Sect.

The senior disciples of Returning Immortal Sect split into two groups. Xu Xianxing, Ji Mingyue, and Guan Huilin were on their silver kite, while Lian Mu, Bai Li Que, and Wen Yun were squeezed together on Lian Mu’s broom, making faces at each other.

Wen Yun shouted excitedly, “Lian Mu, hurry up and fly! Don’t let them catch up!”

Xu Xianxing also didn’t want to fall behind and infused more spiritual energy into the silver kite. “Let’s go!”

The two sides flew ahead at an incredibly fast pace, like a race, and in no time, they were out of sight.

Shen Wuxie’s competitive spirit flared up again. “Damn it, they almost grazed past our spirit artifacts! I’m going to teach them a lesson!”

Shen Wuxie jumped onto the sword of a nearby Clear Thought Sect Sword Cultivator, wrapped his arms around his waist, and yelled into the wind, “Catch up to Returning Immortal Sect! We can’t let them win! Knock their swords and spirit artifacts off!”

He threatened Returning Immortal Sect openly, and naturally, the disciples of Returning Immortal Sect couldn’t let that slide. They immediately took out all their flying spirit artifacts. A Sword Cultivator from Returning Immortal Sect, leading three others, planned to knock Shen Wuxie off mid-flight.

The Clear Thought Sect disciples were also upset. Clearly, it was Returning Immortal Sect that had brushed past them first, yet now they were trying to retaliate.

The Clear Thought Sect disciples mounted their spirit artifacts and gathered around Shen Wuxie to defend him.

Tang Wuxun simply watched as Shen Wuxie led all the Clear Thought Sect’s Sword Cultivators, as well as all the Artifact Refiners except for him.

“…”

Tang Wuxun jumped onto the silver kite that Tang Jianming had just released. With a stomp of his foot, it took off. “Cousin, your silver kite is fast. Let me borrow it.”

He needed to go and bring Shen Wuxie back.

He turned his head to see that Tang Jianming’s spirit artifact had disappeared. “???”

They didn’t seem to be from the same sect! How was it that they were fighting over each other’s spirit artifacts?

The situation had escalated to involve the Chief Artifact Refiner of Crimson Sky Sect. Lu Feishuang, of course, couldn’t allow others to ride roughshod over Crimson Sky Sect. She ordered her disciples, “Chase them down and get our spirit artifact back.”

Azure Profound Sect’s disciples, who had witnessed everything, were speechless.

Meanwhile, Murong Yi and Shang Liu had finished their preparations and were ready to escort the disciples of each sect as they set off. When the silver kite stopped at the agreed location, Murong Yi looked down and noticed that the disciples of Returning Immortal Sect were gone, which startled him.

Murong Yi looked around and saw that the disciples of Crimson Sky Sect and Clear Thought Sect were also missing. Only the disciples of Azure Profound Sect remained at the original spot, waiting.

Murong Yi had a bad feeling. Generally speaking, if Crimson Sky Sect, Clear Thought Sect, and Returning Immortal Sect were all together, something would definitely happen.

Especially Lian Mu. Every time there was trouble, she was always involved. She wasn’t here, and the other two sects weren’t around either. They must have gone off to cause trouble somewhere.

“Have you seen anyone from the other three sects?” Murong Yi asked the Azure Profound Sect disciples.

Ying You remained silent, but Gu Qingyu answered, “Lian Mu and Xu Xianxing were racing to see who could fly faster. They almost knocked Shen Wuxie off. Shen Wuxie took people to seek revenge, and the people from Returning Immortal Sect followed. Tang Wuxun stole Crimson Sky Sect’s spirit artifact, and now Crimson Sky Sect is chasing after it.”

Azure Profound Sect’s Artifact Refiner Yuan Huai couldn’t help but comment, “Lian Mu of Returning Immortal Sect is really good at stirring up trouble.”

Even if Clear Thought Sect had provoked Crimson Sky Sect in the past, they had never gotten involved. But this time, Lian Mu directly got all three sects involved.

Murong Yi: “…”

He knew it.

Meanwhile, the three sects were facing off.

Shen Wuxie had caught up with Lian Mu and the others, and the disciples of Crimson Sky Sect had also caught up with Clear Thought Sect. The three sides were at a stalemate.

“Lian Mu, you did that on purpose, didn’t you?” Shen Wuxie said.

Lian Mu didn’t admit it. “How could it be on purpose? Who told you to sit on the edge?”

“You!” Shen Wuxie was furious. “Let’s have a race right here and see who flies faster!”

Lian Mu, of course, wouldn’t agree to it immediately. But unexpectedly, Bai Li Que suddenly poked his head out. “Alright.”

Lian Mu: “…”

Bai Li Que, who always appeared serious, was actually full of mischief.

Since they had already agreed, they couldn’t back out. Lian Mu yelled and immediately took off, not giving Shen Wuxie a chance to react.

Shen Wuxie immediately followed. Xu Xianxing’s silver kite didn’t follow Lian Mu; instead, it stuck close to Shen Wuxie, trying to distract him and the Sword Cultivator with him.

Lu Feishuang was not one to engage in such petty tricks. She ordered Chang Sunli to use the silver kite to knock Tang Wuxun off and reclaim the spirit artifact.

Tang Wuxun was caught off guard and flew out, but fortunately, a Sword Cultivator from Clear Thought Sect was nearby and caught him.

Tang Wuxun couldn’t help but complain, “Cousin, we’re all family. Isn’t this a bit too embarrassing?”

Tang Jianming pointed at Shen Wuxie, who was flying around like a madman. “…Now you call me ‘Cousin’? When you went to Clear Thought Sect before, you didn’t even greet me. And now, you’re dealing with this kind of mess? You really deserve it.”

Tang Wuxun stopped speaking, turned, and gave orders for the Clear Thought Sect disciples to crash into Crimson Sky Sect’s people.

Seeing Lu Feishuang’s actions, Lian Mu became interested and nodded toward her. Then, she spun her broom and turned back to crash into Shen Wuxie.

Lu Feishuang: “…”

The scene had completely descended into chaos, with the disciples of the various sects going from racing to see who could fly faster, to seeing who could crash into others better.

The more skilled ones stayed high up and collided with each other, while some flew lower, ready to catch their own sect’s falling disciples.

When Shang Liu and Murong Yi arrived, they saw disciples falling like rain, then flying back up to continue.

Murong Yi’s vision went dark, and Shang Liu couldn’t help but widen his eyes.

The disciples this year were really… what on earth had they become!

At the same time, Shang Liu felt a slight sense of relief in his heart: Fortunately, the disciples of Azure Profound Sect were still normal.

The disciples of Azure Profound Sect chose a quiet path, their expressions indifferent, not even sparing a glance at the other three sects.

Shen Wuxie saw Bai Li Que behind Lian Mu holding a talisman and said, “Ah, Lian Mu, you’re cheating! No wonder you’re flying so fast—someone’s helping you from behind!”

Lian Mu darted away, saying, “This is called team assistance. I think it’s great.”

Shen Wuxie quickly caught up and mocked her, “Heh, you still got caught by me.”

Lian Mu: “Xu Xianxing, knock him down.”

Xu Xianxing suddenly appeared from somewhere, knocked Shen Wuxie off, and cheerfully flew off with Ji Mingyue and Guan Huilin to another place.

Seeing Shen Wuxie fall, Lian Mu quickly rejoined the chaos.

In this round of the “knock-people” competition, Returning Immortal Sect won overwhelmingly, while Crimson Sky Sect, despite having Lu Feishuang, didn’t play dirty enough and had to settle for second place. As usual, Clear Thought Sect ended up last.

Later, some seniors intervened, and everyone finally calmed down and continued on their way.

But those who participated in this “knock-people” contest all had one thought: Next time, they definitely wouldn’t go easy!

The journey was long. On the silver kite, the five of them from Returning Immortal Sect gathered together, eating and drinking, casually chatting.

Xu Xianxing asked, “Why did Ying You suddenly come to give you a pill?”

Lian Mu swallowed a piece of cake, took a sip of wine to warm her stomach, and said, “…I don’t know, but it’s free, so I’ll take it.”

“He came to apologize to you,” Ji Mingyue said. “At least he knows his place.”

Xu Xianxing, who had drunk the most, was already drunk. His middle schooler’s disease flared up again. “The future number one Sword Cultivator personally comes to apologize. If it were me, I’d brag about it for a lifetime.”

Wen Yun mocked him, “You have no backbone.”

Lian Mu, also slightly drunk, was feeling bold and said, “Wait, if he becomes the future number one Sword Cultivator, what will I become?”

Xu Xianxing responded, “The second Sword Cultivator? I feel like, apart from spiritual roots, you’re not much worse than him.”

Wen Yun couldn’t stand being second, saying, “We’ll be tied for first. I have faith in you; you’ll make it.”

Ji Mingyue boldly spoke up, “It’s boring to be with others; just aim to be the world’s number one, the only one.”

Bai Li Que agreed, “Beat all the other Sword Cultivators, beat Azure Profound Sect.”

Lian Mu clinked her cup with theirs. “I also think the future number one Sword Cultivator has to be me.”

The Chief Sword Cultivator of Clear Thought Sect, Gong Rumei, happened to be passing by and overheard these outrageous words. He couldn’t help but twitch his mouth. “…”

They really dared to think like that? Three Spirit Roots beating Heavenly Spirit Root? He’d never even heard of such a thing, let alone a genius like Ying You.

Gong Rumei couldn’t help but sneer inwardly: Overestimating themselves, daydreaming.