Chapter 16: Li Yuanyi

Chen Ping brought Lin Xiaoyu back to the gates of the Qingyun Sect.

Along the way, the surrounding disciples pointed and whispered.

“That’s them… the Peak Master of Luoxia Peak and his disciple with the Heaven-Detested Physique…”

“Have you heard? Lin Xiaoyu killed Senior Brother Song Tou of Tianjian Peak with a single punch!”

“Is that for real? Isn’t the Heaven-Detested Physique a trash physique?”

“It’s absolutely true! Many people were there and saw it with their own eyes!”

“They’re in deep trouble now. The Song Family is a first-rate clan in the Southern Region…”

“Looking at the direction they’re heading… are they going to the Hall of Discipline?”

“Are they turning themselves in? Or going to be investigated?”

“It has to be to turn themselves in!

The Song Family is so powerful. If they go to the Hall of Discipline voluntarily, they might get off easy.

If they fall into the hands of the Song Family, then…”

“True…”

Lin Xiaoyu listened to the surrounding chatter, her pale face tense as she bit her lip and whispered,

“Master, this is all my fault… How about I take responsibility for my own actions, and you…”

“Silly girl,” Chen Ping interrupted her, his voice gentle yet firm.

“Don’t overthink things. As long as I am here, the sky won’t fall.”

Lin Xiaoyu’s eyes reddened slightly, and she nodded vigorously.

Soon, the two arrived in front of the Hall of Discipline.

This was a grand black hall. In front of it stood two stone beasts with exposed fangs and ferocious faces, radiating an aura of solemn execution.

Hanging above the hall doors were four large golden characters: “Strict and Impartial Law.” The brushwork was powerful, with the faint flow of the power of laws.

Seeing Chen Ping and Lin Xiaoyu arrive, the gatekeeping disciples were taken aback before bowing with complex expressions.

“Peak Master Chen.”

“I wish to see Hall Master Li,” Chen Ping said calmly.

“The Hall Master is inside. Please follow me,” a disciple said, leading the way.

Stepping into the hall, the light dimmed abruptly.

The hall was vast and empty, with only a few ever-burning lamps casting flickering, dim yellow light.

On the high platform directly ahead sat a black-robed elder.

The elder had white hair and beard, a lean face, and eyes slightly closed as if resting his mind.

Yet the faint pressure radiating from his body made the air in the entire hall feel heavy.

The Hall Master of the Hall of Discipline, Li Yuanyi, possessed a cultivation at the Great Circle of the Grotto-Heaven Realm, only a step away from Dao Severing^[1].

He was an absolutely upright man, and one of the few people Chen Ping dared to trust.

Before his master passed away, he had told Chen Ping that if he ever faced an insurmountable problem, he could go to this man for help.

Hearing footsteps, Li Yuanyi slowly opened his eyes.

His gaze swept over Chen Ping and lingered on Lin Xiaoyu for a moment, an imperceptible trace of surprise flashing in his eyes.

“Peak Master Chen.”

Li Yuanyi’s voice echoed through the hall, carrying a strange rhythm that seemed to pierce straight to the soul.

“I have heard that your disciple, Lin Xiaoyu, publicly killed the Tianjian Peak disciple Song Tou outside Qingyun City today. Is this true?”

His voice carried a trace of pressure from the Grotto-Heaven Realm. An ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator would have had their mind shaken upon hearing it.

However, Chen Ping’s expression remained unchanged, and Lin Xiaoyu only frowned slightly before regaining her composure.

Li Yuanyi’s astonishment deepened.

He had previously received a transmission from Lu Ya, saying that Chen Ping’s strength far exceeded what it seemed on the surface.

He had easily repelled several Golden Core cultivators, and even Lu Ya himself had failed to stop him.

At first, he had not believed it.

He knew exactly what kind of person Chen Ping was.

Twenty years ago, when the Peak Master of Luoxia Peak passed away and bequeathed the position to this disciple with only half a level of Qi Refining, the entire Qingyun Sect had treated it as a joke.

Twenty years had passed, and Chen Ping was still that useless Peak Master.

His cultivation of half a level of Qi Refining remained rock-solid.

But seeing him today…

A sharp light flashed in Li Yuanyi’s eyes.

This Chen Ping was indeed different from before.

This calm, unhurried demeanor and that unfathomable aura were definitely not things a cultivator in the Qi Refining Stage could possess.

What surprised him even more was Lin Xiaoyu, the rumored possessor of the Heaven-Detested Physique.

Standing in the hall now, though she seemed a little nervous, she was not affected by his pressure in the slightest.

Furthermore, Li Yuanyi could faintly sense an extremely pure, divine power lying dormant within the young girl…

“Hall Master Li,” Chen Ping said, cupping his hands with a calm tone.

“Song Tou’s death is indeed a fact. However, I did not come here today for that matter.”

Li Yuanyi raised an eyebrow slightly. “Oh? Then what has Peak Master Chen come for?”

“I have an important matter that I must report to Hall Master Li in person.”

Chen Ping paused, then added,

“This matter concerns the future fortune of the Qingyun Sect, the landscape of the Southern Region, and even… the entire cultivation world.”

A look of gravity flashed in Li Yuanyi’s eyes.

Chen Ping’s words carried immense weight.

Yet, seeing that Chen Ping did not seem to be faking, and considering his current performance, there might truly be some extraordinary secret.

“All of you, dismiss,” Li Yuanyi waved his hand.

Several disciples of the Hall of Discipline bowed and withdrew, closing the hall doors behind them.

Only the three of them remained in the grand hall.

“Speak,” Li Yuanyi said.

Chen Ping looked at Lin Xiaoyu and said gently,

“Xiaoyu, show Hall Master Li your physique.”

Lin Xiaoyu was taken aback, but she quickly nodded. “Yes, Master.”

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

The next moment,

Boom!

A vast, divine, and majestic aura erupted from her body.

The ever-burning lamps in the hall flickered violently, and the ground trembled slightly.

A brilliant golden light burst from Lin Xiaoyu’s body, with purple snakes of lightning faintly visible dancing within the glow.

She seemed to transform into a golden deity, her long hair fluttering without any wind, her robes rustling loudly.

Even more astonishingly, a vision materialized in the void above her head.

Purple mist swirled, and ten thousand rays of auspicious light radiated.

Although it was only a phantom projection, the scene was identical to the vision recorded in ancient texts when a certain legendary physique awakened!

Li Yuanyi stood up abruptly, his eyes filled with shock.

He stared intently at Lin Xiaoyu, his lips trembling slightly as he spoke:

“The… Heavenly Dao Divine Physique?”

Even he found it hard to believe the words that had just left his mouth.

The Heavenly Dao Divine Physique!

That was a legendary, supreme physique, rarely seen in ten thousand ages!

According to ancient records, the last time the Heavenly Dao Divine Physique appeared was during the ancient era, thirty million years ago.

Those who possessed the Heavenly Dao Divine Physique were the darlings of the Heavenly Dao. Their cultivation speed far surpassed that of ordinary people, and comprehending laws was as simple as drinking water.

Born to counter all evil and heresy, they were destined to reach the absolute peak!

But…

“Isn’t Lin Xiaoyu… a Heaven-Detested Physique?” Li Yuanyi muttered.

The Heaven-Detested Physique was an outcast of the Heavenly Dao, avoided by everyone.

The Heavenly Dao Divine Physique was the darling of the Heavenly Dao, a rarity unseen in ten thousand ages.

These two physiques were complete opposites, two absolute extremes!

How could they possibly appear in the same person?

“You didn’t see wrong, Hall Master Li.” Chen Ping’s voice pulled Li Yuanyi back from his shock.

“Xiaoyu indeed possesses the Heavenly Dao Divine Physique. As for the Heaven-Detested Physique… that was a misjudgment.”

He paused, then explained:

“When Xiaoyu first became my disciple, she did indeed display the characteristics of the Heaven-Detested Physique.

“But after a careful inspection, I discovered that it wasn’t a true Heaven-Detested Physique, but a rare Heavenly Dao Seal.”

“A Heavenly Dao Seal?” Li Yuanyi frowned.

“That’s right,” Chen Ping lied without batting an eye.

“During the ancient era, some mighty figures would place a seal inside the bodies of their descendants who possessed special physiques to protect them.

“This concealed their physical traits, preventing early exposure that could bring about disaster.

“The seal inside Xiaoyu is just like that.”

“It’s just that this seal has fallen into disrepair over the years, resulting in some damage.

“This caused a portion of the Heavenly Dao’s power to leak out, conflicting with the spiritual qi of heaven and earth.

“Only then did it display characteristics similar to the Heaven-Detested Physique.”

Chen Ping had prepared this explanation long ago.

The Heavenly Dao Divine Physique was too shocking; there had to be a reasonable explanation.

The matter of the system could not be exposed.

As for descendants of ancient mighty figures and the Heavenly Dao Seal…

This kind of setup was not uncommon in the cultivation world, making it much easier for people to accept.