Chapter 8

In fact, Yue Qing despised Ni Lanxin's character and had long harbored the intention to kill her. However, he was too disdainful to personally draw his sword to kill such a lewd and dissolute woman. Therefore, he deliberately said he would let her escape and opened the gate of life. His array formation was peculiar and disordered, with the main gate inverted. The gate of life had actually turned into the gate of shock. On the other side, he reversed the five elements and opened a path, leading Zhu Hong to this place.

Ni Lanxin flew to the gate and, in Zhu Hong's eyes, appeared as Yue Qing. With the full force of the Three Yuan Sword, she was caught off guard and was instantly cut into four pieces, dying on the spot!

When the dead body fell, Zhu Hong finally saw that the one he had killed was not Yue Qing but Ni Lanxin. He was both regretful and terrified. Seeing the gate ahead wide open, he quickly merged with his sword, transforming into a three-colored light and flying out through the array gate that Yue Qing had opened for Ni Lanxin. Seeing the night had fallen and the rain was pouring, he knew he had escaped and immediately sped south.

He flew for nearly two hours until he reached the vast ocean. Looking back and seeing that Yue Qing had not pursued him, he finally breathed a sigh of relief, landing on a mountain and wiping away his cold sweat. He felt fortunate, thinking that he could not return to the Four Gates Mountain. It was a pity that all his years of hard work would benefit his enemies. Even more regrettable was the fact that the Huanyuan Golden Pill, which he had spent twenty years collecting materials and refining, was now lost. Most importantly, there was something vital hidden in the cave. He hoped that the other party would not find it and prayed that Yue Qing would raid his cave and leave, so he could return to retrieve the treasure.

While he was in pain and worry, suddenly, a glow of light appeared on the opposite hillside, rising with a thousand auspicious mists, as if something auspicious had appeared. He strained his eyes and was instantly terrified. On the hillside, a group of people had already gathered. The one in front was tall and straight, wearing a Taiyi crown, an eight-trigram robe, a mixed-yuan silk belt, with phoenix eyes, dragon-star eyes, a jade face, red lips, and three long beards hanging down. His long, white fingers held a white jade duster. It was none other than his master, the founder of the Wutai Sect, Taiyi Hunyuan Ancestor! On his left and right stood Dada Master Chen Xuanzang, Jiaoshan Daoist Gu Xuanhang, Wan Miao Fairy Xu Feinü, Jinshen Luohan Fayuan, Seven-Handed Night Fork Long Fei, Xuanyu Daoist Lin Yuan, and Riyue Monk Qianxiao, all of whom were his old fellow disciples, totaling more than thirty, all looking at him coldly.

Zhu Hong was greatly shocked and, frightened, fell to his knees: "Master! Master! Your disciple, your disciple is unfilial..." Before he could finish his sentence, tears streamed down his face. He bowed his head and sobbed, "Master! You are still alive, that's great, I thought I would never see you again!"

The Taiyi Hunyuan Ancestor did not speak, but Dada Master Chen Xuanzang said, "Zhu Hong! Do you still have the face to call me Master? If it weren't for you stealing books and treasures, how could Master have suffered such a defeat on Mount Huang? Even if you were to be torn to pieces, you could not atone for even a fraction of your sins!"

He bowed his head until it bled, "Master, Elder Brother, all my fellow disciples, please listen. On the eve of the second sword duel, I went to visit the Venerable Toxdragon in western Yunnan. On my way back, I met Xu Yuan Tong of the Emei Sect. He provoked me with words, saying many bad things about Master. I couldn't bear it and wanted to challenge him. He said he had a new magical treasure called the Kanli Spear, which I couldn't defeat, and demonstrated it by turning a large rock into ashes. He said the Kanli Spear was a supreme treasure that the Long Eyebrow Immortal had guided him to refine, spending a hundred years of effort. He said that nothing in our Wutai Sect, except for Master's Taiyi Five Smoke Silk, could withstand it. He challenged me to a duel on the summit of Mount Tai in a month."

Dada Master Chen Xuanzang angrily said, "So you really stole Master's Taiyi Five Smoke Silk to go to Mount Tai for the duel?"

Zhu Hong cried, "I was foolish! I thought Master had so many treasures, one more or one less wouldn't matter. Besides, it was a sword duel, and Master's Wutai Five Poison Sword, refined over ten years on Mount Mao, was already complete. Moreover, Master had so many treasures, and when we needed them, we either asked Master directly or took them when Master was in seclusion. Master never blamed us, even if they were destroyed. I thought this time would be the same, so I took the Five Smoke Silk to duel Xu Yuan Tong. Not knowing how to use it, I also stole the secondary book from the Taiyi Palace, hoping to defeat Xu Yuan Tong quickly and return the items."

"Nonsense!" Dada Master Chen Xuanzang shouted, "The Taiyi Five Smoke Silk is Master's first and foremost treasure for protection. How could you not know? Moreover, this treasure is connected to Master's own spirit. Master could recall it instantly, no matter how far away. When Master discovered the theft, he tried to recall it, but you used the spells from the secondary book to seal it. We wanted to go out and capture you, but Master said you were not a person who acted without reason. Taking the treasure must have had a purpose, and you might need it to escape a crisis. Therefore, he did not forcibly recall it. Because he favored you, we were resentful and feared that we might take revenge by killing you under the pretext of retrieving the sect's treasure. Master forbade us from going, which led to the defeat on Mount Huang!"

Zhu Hong cried out, "Master, Master, I have wronged you, I have wronged you! After suppressing the Five Smoke Silk, I was afraid of your punishment and planned to hide until the duel was over and then return to beg for forgiveness. But then I heard the news of your death. I made one mistake after another and could not turn back..." As he cried, he suddenly felt a shock. He knew that Master had already died, his body and spirit destroyed. How could he appear here intact? Could Master's cultivation have reached the realm of immortality?

He felt guilty for stealing the book and treasure, which led to his master's death. For over thirty years, he was constantly pursued by his fellow disciples, living in constant fear. He could not meditate or sleep like a normal person, and every time he closed his eyes, he saw Master's face and the accusations of his fellow disciples. After being defeated by Yue Qing and fleeing here, he was already in a state of panic. Seeing Master and so many fellow disciples, he immediately panicked and knelt to beg for forgiveness. After venting his emotions, he gradually realized that Master had been dead for many years, and the people he saw were likely illusions.

He became alert but was not entirely sure. Master's cultivation was profound, and who knew if he could come back to life? However, if these were illusions, he would lose face. Therefore, he decided to test them. If it was really Master, his actions would not harm him, and Master would not punish him severely. He continued to bow and cry, but secretly hid the Soul-Breaking Cone in his sleeve. Taking advantage of the opportunity to bow, he silently recited a spell, and the cone immediately transformed into a black smoke, piercing through his sleeve and shooting towards Master's heart on the hillside.

"Zhu Hong, you dare to kill your Master!" Yue Qing shouted in anger, releasing two sword lights that intertwined like a braid, trapping the Soul-Breaking Cone. With a series of crisp sounds, a shower of silver stars and purple fire exploded, and the Soul-Breaking Cone was shattered into pieces, falling to the ground. The two swords then accelerated, cutting towards Zhu Hong.

Zhu Hong released the Three Yuan Sword to block, and when he looked at the hillside, only Yue Qing remained, and the other fellow disciples and Master had disappeared. He realized they were illusions and was both shocked and angry. He used two flying swords to defend and sent the third flying sword towards the hillside to attack his enemy's head!

Yue Qing angrily said, "Zhu Hong, you intended to kill your Master, you deserve to die a thousand deaths!"

Zhu Hong was also angry, "You impersonated Master, desecrating his spirit, you are the one who deserves to die!"

Yue Qing sneered, "At the end of your life, I won't argue with you. Today, I will crush your bones and scatter your ashes, taking your soul and refining it!"

Yue Qing's cultivation and sword skills were far superior to Zhu Hong's. His two swords pressed down on Zhu Hong's three, forcing him to retreat continuously.

Zhu Hong continuously spewed true qi, making the Three Yuan Sword hum, but Yue Qing's two swords continued to approach, the sword light shining on his body, making his hair stand on end. His sleeves were cut off, and a piece of his headgear was severed. If he had not dodged quickly, he would have been beheaded.

Seeing that he was no match, Zhu Hong hurriedly tried to escape. The three-colored sword light enveloped his body, and he shot up into the sky. To prevent Yue Qing from pursuing him, he took out a Five Ghost Soul-Stealing Banner, the size of a book, made of hemp cloth, with blood-drawn talismans and sealed with immortal blood. With a light shake, twenty-five streams of black smoke enveloped Yue Qing, and five ghost kings appeared, howling and pouncing on their prey.

Zhu Hong raised the banner in the air, continuously releasing black smoke. He was confident that this treasure would delay Yue Qing for some time. He did not dare to stay and laughed, "Brother Yue, the green mountains remain, and the clear waters flow. We will meet again!" He secretly vowed that once he refined the Six Six True Essence Gourd, he would find Yue Qing, even if Yue Qing did not come to him.

The three-colored sword light shot straight into the clouds, speeding south like a bolt of lightning.