Crisis

Under the pavilion on the rooftop.

Jiang Ming rocked back and forth on the recliner. He was satisfied with how Zi Linglong had dealt with the situation.

However, although it was just for a second, he had sensed the domineering aura that seemed incongruent with her age. 'Strange.'

"Senior Brother, I destroyed Jia Guang and Linghu Yin's cultivation bases. Will their masters give us trouble in the future?" Zi Linglong was squatting next to him. A hint of worry could be seen in her eyes.

"If they have any sense of propriety, they won't look for trouble with us," Jiang Ming said to assuage her worries, "They might make things difficult for Master, though. No, Master is the one who would make things difficult for them."

He looked at Zi Linglong and smiled. After all, their master had a source of confidence now.

"Master is going to make things difficult for them?" Zi Linglong pouted. "Can I challenge the Tower of Trials now? Once my cultivation base is revealed, the sect will turn its attention to me. At that time, I'll be able to share some of Master's burdens as well…"

"Let the bullets fly for now."

"What do you mean, Senior Brother?"

"Let's wait and see. You can go to the Tower of Trials tomorrow. Master should be back by then."

"Alright, Senior Brother. If you say so." Zi Linglong's eyes sparkled. "I'm going to cultivate now. Call me if anything happens. I'll kill them if they dare to show up again."

"Can you reign in your temper? You're a girl, for heaven's sake. Alright, go on, then." Jiang Ming wanted to tousle her hair, but he stopped before he placed his hand on her head. His junior sister had grown up after all.

Zi Linglong pouted slightly. She raised her head to his palm and shook it so it was as though he was patting her head.

"Linglong!" Jiang Ming could not help but smile.

Zi Linglong left with a giggle. Clearly, she was no longer thinking of venturing out of the mountain.

…

Zi Linglong looked at Zhiyang Peak from her room with a frosty expression on her face.

'When my cultivation base improves again, I'll remove Yinmo Sect and Bishui Sect. Jiuyang Sect is supposed to be isolated, but it has now become the center of the vortex. After this matter is resolved, I'll activate a ruin and boost my strength further.'

She sat cross-legged on her bed and continued tempering her mana.

As for her spells and special abilities, she decided to just rely on her peerless talent.

…

Lieyang Peak.

"Master, you must do something!" Jia Guang was crying on his knees inside the great hall. He had taken medicinal pills, but he still appeared weak.

"Your cultivation base was destroyed? Who did this?! The audacity!" The First Seat, Dongfang Lie, was infuriated. His face turned red and his whiskers bristled.

The great hall surged immediately filled with a violent and hot energy.

The disciples standing at the side had to resist it with their own cultivation bases.

Jia Guang, who was injured, could not endure this. He fell to the floor and spat out blood immediately.

Dongfang Lie hastily withdrew his energy and sent some of Qi into this disciple's body to stabilize his condition. "Tell me what happened."

Jia Guang was about to explain when he recalled his cultivation base had been destroyed by a little girl. How was he going to explain that to his master? He opened his mouth, but no words came out.

"Speak!" Dongfang Lie barked. His voice resounded across the great hall.

"M-master…" Jia Guang started before he began to say, "I couldn't stand the fact that First Seat Gu Hai has a terrible cultivation base and has no almost no disciples. He always opposes you so I thought I'd teach him a lesson on your behalf. That's why I went to look for his two disciples to help you vent your anger. I… I didn't expect them to destroy my cultivation base…"

Jia Guang was deliberately vague with his words regarding the person who destroyed his cultivation base.

Dongfang Lie narrowed his eyes that flashed with curiosity. He had a fiery temper, but he was no fool. "Gu Hai? He'd never do that. He only has two disciples there. Which one of them did it?"

Although Dongfang Lie's voice was calm, it was like the calm before the volcano erupted.

Jia Guang said in a small voice, "T-the female disciple, Zi Linglong."

"Zi Linglong?" Dongfang Lie was stunned. "That ten-year-old girl?"

Jia Guang prostrated himself immediately.

Dongfang Lie was so furious that he began to laugh. "I thought you were going to tell me Old Gu's first disciple, Jiang Ming, is actually very powerful despite acting like an idiot all the time. He's not even 20 years old, right? If he could destroy your cultivation base, I'd be delighted. However, you're saying that you were beaten by a ten-year-old girl. Are you sure?"

Jia Guang shuddered.

"I can't believe that old man recruited such a wonderful disciple. This is amazing!" Dongfang Lie said with a hint of admiration. He looked at his disciple with an unprecedented cold expression and said, "Don't think I'm unaware that you hurled insults at them and provoked them when you were at Chuyang Peak. You didn't expect to have your cultivation base destroyed, did you? Although I have a temper, I've always been reasonable. I compete with that old man because we're both First Seats. I have the right to compete with him. On the other hand, you're not a First Seat, first disciple, or even a notable disciple of the sect. Who right do you have to challenge another Peak? Who gave you the right to trample on another Peak's honor? It's another story if you won, but your cultivation base was destroyed by a ten-year-old girl. You still have the guts to complain? What did I do to deserve a trash-like disciple like you!"

Dongfang Lie said decisively, "I hereby announce that Jia Guang is expelled from my Peak. Let him serve as an example to the others! Huo Yun, bring some gifts to Chuyang Peak as a token of apology. Then, challenge their first disciple."

"Master! N-no! Don't expel me!" After his initial shock, colors drained from Jia Guang's face. He hastily kowtowed.

"Master!" Huo Yun, who was dressed in a bright red robe, cupped his fists and bowed. "Nine months ago, Zhiyang Peak's disciple, Linghu Yin, went to Chuyang Peak. He insulted the people there and got beaten up. This time, Linghu Yin came to look for Junior Brother Jia and they went to Chuyang Peak shortly after. In the end, both of them had their cultivation bases destroyed. There must be more than meets the eye."

"Is that so?" Dongfang Lie's eyes flashed. The hostility in his eyes intensified when he looked at Jia Guang. He waved his sleeve.

A blast of wind carried Jia Guang out of the great hall. He landed outside the sect's gate.

"Yue Cheng, you sly fox!" Dongfang Lie gritted his teeth. "How dare you use me in your quest to take over Chuyang Peak?"

"Should I still go over there, Master?" Huo Yun asked softly.

"Of course!" Dongfang Lie glared at Huo Yun. "We must apologize if we're in the wrong. It's not wrong for first disciples to challenge their peers. You can beat Jiang Ming up, but don't destroy his cultivation base."

"Understood!" Huo Yun left.

…

Zhiyang Peak.

First Seat Yue Cheng sent Linghu Yin to the Restraining Grounds. He announced that Linghu Yin was punished for breaking sect rules.

A disciple with a destroyed cultivation base would only end up dead there.

"Dongfang Lie, knowing your fiery temper and vindictive nature, you'd surely send your disciples over to stir up trouble to vent your frustrations even if you know I'm behind this." Yue Cheng chuckled. "You'll certainly send Huo Yun there…"

"Junior Brother Zuo Han!"

"Has it started, Senior Brother? Isn't this too rushed?"

"It has begun! It's not rushed at all. Everything is within my control. Dongfang Lie might be a careful brute, he's not shrewd. Go on. Remember, don't let anyone notice you."

"Don't worry about that."

…

Under the pavilion on the rooftop in Chuyang Peak.

Jiang Ming sensed something, and he rose to his feet and gazed into the distance. With just a thought, the Human Path Records flipped open.

Whoosh!

It stopped at the page that displayed Yue Cheng's information.