Chapter 65

In the midst of cherry blossoms dancing in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.

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Lin Yuan released the blood demon he had cultivated for over two hundred years, thinking that Yue Qing would surely be unable to resist. Though he appeared gentle and kind, he was actually a ruthless person. Once he decided to act, he aimed to kill his enemies. Unsatisfied with releasing two blood demons, he continued to point his hands, releasing the Taiyi Gengjin Sword Qi, which he had refined by fusing moonlight and frost on the 15th of each month. The ten sword qi from both hands were pure white, carrying a sense of solemnity as they shot towards Yue Qing in a chaotic manner.

On the other side, Qian Xiao, resentful that Yue Qing had taken his Riyue Jinbo, also released his flying sword to attack Yue Qing fiercely. He continuously unleashed the Vajra Hand Seal he had learned from the Esoteric School, with over a hundred golden hand seals completely enveloping Yue Qing, striking and smashing him.

Seeing the fierce attacks from both, Yue Qing paused, transformed into a golden light, and flew towards the entrance of the hall. Lin Yuan thought he was afraid and commanded the two blood demons to chase him relentlessly. He himself quickly came to the table, reached out to pick up the jade box, but his fingers passed through the lid, grabbing only air. It turned out to be just a shadow! When he turned back, he found that the necks of his two blood demons were encircled by two light rings. The auspicious light wheels spun, and the two demons wailed and screamed continuously. Lin Yuan was greatly alarmed and hurriedly tried to summon the blood demons back, but they were restrained by the light rings, unable to break free. He then commanded the blood demons to change their size, but the light rings also changed accordingly.

Yue Qing used the Xuan Guang Ruler to trap the two demons and flew with them to the entrance of the hall. He made a gesture with his hands, spreading the Hunyuan True Qi all over his body. Whenever Zhitong and Qian Xiao's five flying swords approached, they were drawn in. The two of them continuously spewed True Qi to stabilize their flying swords, preventing them from being directly grabbed by Yue Qing. However, they still had difficulty controlling them. Yue Qing made a seal with his hands, shooting out a stream of Hunyuan True Qi to envelop Zhitong, rapidly eroding the Buddha Light he used for protection. The golden Buddha Light, over a foot thick, quickly thinned.

Liu Quan fought Tan Gan and Bai Xiao alone, while Yue Qing fought Lin Yuan, Qian Xiao, and Zhitong. Despite being outnumbered, both sides had the upper hand. Xu Feiniang had not yet joined the battle, standing with Hu Shi and Sun Fu, protecting the younger generation like Lu Rongbo and Situ Ping.

Fayuan hesitated about which side to support. Suddenly, he saw Zhitong's Buddha Light being eroded by Yue Qing's Hunyuan True Qi, about to be shattered. He shouted, "Yue Shidi, spare him!" Just as Zhitong was about to unleash his magic, he spat out a mouthful of blood and took out a treasure, recognizing it as the Twelve Duhuanshen Sha, a powerful artifact from the Taiyi Hunyuan Patriarch, which Zhitong had inherited from his master. If this artifact was used, the consequences would be dire!

Fayuan gathered his True Qi and shouted, "Everyone, stop!" He raised his hand, shooting out dozens of red threads. Having practiced for many years, he could control his flying sword at will. Lin Yuan, Qian Xiao, Yue Qing, Liu Quan, Tan Gan, and Bai Xiao were all simultaneously restrained by the red threads, which either flew, lifted, circled, or pointed, not only entangling their flying swords but also forcing them to focus all their energy on defense, leaving no time for spells.

Fayuan's body flickered, and he appeared in front of Zhitong, snatching the Twelve Duhuanshen Sha and slapping Zhitong on the forehead. Zhitong's magic was interrupted by Fayuan, who used the sect's techniques to disperse the Heavenly Gang and Earthly Sha, and cut off Zhitong's True Qi, causing him to faint. This artifact was extremely sinister; even if he successfully used it, he would lose years of his life. Now that he failed, his lifespan was intact, but he would be weak for half a month after waking up.

Fayuan, with his senior status in the Wutai Sect, had everyone's respect. They all stopped, dividing into two groups, facing each other.

Fayuan stood in the middle and said, "Yue Shidi, you want to inherit your master's teachings and revitalize the Wutai Sect. I support you, but the three major precepts are too strict. Everyone is used to the current way of life, and sudden restrictions might be hard to adapt to."

Yue Qing replied, "The path of precepts is precise. There can be no ambiguity. Those who can abide by them are true disciples of Wutai. Those who cannot... do not deserve to be Wutai disciples."

Zhitong angrily said, "When the patriarch was alive, he never set such strict precepts for us."

Fayuan signaled him to be quiet, "If I were to suggest, let's return to the seven precepts set by our master."

This suggestion was met with agreement, especially from Qian Xiao, "The seven precepts set by our master, we would naturally follow without being told. But those set by others, heh heh."

"Because our master set too few precepts, it allowed you to cause trouble and persist in evil, accumulating more and more enmity. When our master tried to stand up for you, he knew he was in the wrong, which led to the sword battle with the Emei Sect. We must not repeat this mistake!" Yue Qing said firmly.

Fayuan said solemnly, "Are you determined to enforce these three precepts?"

Zhitong angrily said, "If I don't follow them, what can you do?"

Yue Qing replied, "If you don't follow them, please leave the Wutai Sect. The world is vast, and you can roam freely."

Qian Xiao laughed in anger, "We are disciples of our master and members of the Wutai Sect. What right do you have to force us to leave?"

Yue Qing said, "If you don't leave, you must follow the precepts. Otherwise, you will face punishment. Those who commit grave sins and refuse to repent will be expelled by me to honor our master."

"Yue! What are you, anyway!" Zhitong shouted, "I won't leave the Wutai Sect, and I won't follow your precepts. Come and expel us if you dare!"

Yue Qing gathered Hunyuan True Qi between his hands, "Then I'm sorry!"

Seeing another fight about to break out, Fayuan quickly intervened, saying, "Yue Shidi, we have practiced together for hundreds of years. Can't you show a little mercy and leave some room for everyone?"

"If I leave room for you today, will the Emei Sect leave room for us tomorrow? If I don't kill you, you will die at the hands of the Emei Sect. Rather than let them 'enforce justice,' I will 'cleanse the sect' to save the Wutai Sect some face."

"Rubbish!" Fayuan was also angry, pointing at Yue Qing, unable to speak. He then asked Xu Feiniang, "Xu Shimu, you have a special status in the Wutai Sect. What do you think?"

Xu Feiniang said sternly, "We have been working hard to seek revenge on the Emei Sect. Although I rarely leave Wuyunbu, I have seen what everyone has been doing. Fayuan Shixiong has been guarding Wutai Mountain, Zhitong has been diligently managing Ciyun Temple, and even Long Fei, who was forced to leave, has been working hard in the White Bone Sect to refine the Yin Soul Sword. Yet, the Emei Sect grows stronger every day, while we decline. I have used the先天神卦 (Xiantian Shengua) to divine several times, and the results always show the Emei Sect rising and the Wutai Sect falling. It wasn't until Yue Shidi came to me that the divination changed, from 剥 (Bo) to 否 (Pi), and finally to 乾 (Qian), giving us hope to compete with the Emei Sect! If you truly want to strengthen the Wutai Sect and avenge the humiliation at Huangshan, follow Yue Shidi's methods and abide by the rules. Otherwise, leave the Wutai Sect. Otherwise, don't blame me for using my Qinglong Sword to enforce the rules!"

Hearing Xu Feiniang's words, Zhitong, Tan Gan, and others cursed loudly. Fayuan pondered for a moment and finally said, "Even if what you say is true, I cannot allow fratricide in the Qixing Hall." He looked at the disciples behind him and said sadly, "I will leave Wutai Mountain to you. I will take them to Ciyun Temple and fight the Emei Sect to the death. Whatever the outcome, it will be for our master's sake!"

"Shishu, why should we give Wutai Mountain to them? Besides, they have monopolized the Heavenly Book! Shishu, you didn't join the fight earlier, but now we five..."

Zhitong was interrupted by Fayuan, who slapped him on the left cheek, "Shut up! Your master entrusted you to me on his deathbed, even making you my disciple. Although I didn't agree, you cannot disobey my orders! We will abandon Wutai Mountain and the Heavenly Book and leave them to Yue Shishu. Let's go!" He looked at the others, "Are you coming with me?"

Tan Gan and Bai Xiao, seeing Fayuan take Zhitong away, realized they were now only four against Yue Qing and Liu Quan, with little chance of winning. If Xu Feiniang joined the fight, they would be completely defeated. They looked at each other and said, "We will go with Fayuan Shixiong to Ciyun Temple!"

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