Chapter 169
With Xuan Si’nyang intent on forcefully interrupting the seclusion, everyone from the Qing-Yun Sect was left in shock. Chen Xuanhua did not dare to stop Xuan Si’nyang, so he pulled Xiao Shanhe aside to find out her exact reason from him. Xiao Shanhe was unable to deny him and quickly recited the cause and basis for his suspicions.
When Chen Xuanhua heard these reasons, he quickly said to Xuan Si’nyang, "Your Highness, please understand. Since you’re looking for a friend who came from the Jiang clan on the eastern continent of Videha, then it can’t be Elder Bai. Elder Bai is—"
"I have already discussed this with Her Highness; Sect Master need not worry," Xiao Shanhe coldly interrupted. "Elder Bai did indeed appear five hundred years ago at our Qing-Yun Sect, and he did indeed say he’d studied The Script of Ravaged Tapestry. However… who can be sure he definitely spoke the truth? It could have been said to frighten us off and cover up for his true ident.i.ty….
"You and I are both extremely familiar with the sect records. Do you still remember three hundred years ago, when the beast king fought its way to the Qing-Yun Sect? The entire sect together couldn’t defend itself from the beast king’s power, and even our great grand-elder was endangered by it. It was Elder Bai Qianzhang who pointed us in the right direction and sealed the beast king, showing his amazing sealing techniques. For some reason, however, the sect records downplay the matter and say it was through great grand-elder and Elder Bai’s combined power that the beast king was sealed. Can’t you see from this at all? Elder Bai had been purposely trying to conceal his sealing abilities."
Xiao Shanhe’s a.n.a.lysis of past events and his speculations involving sect records were all extremely logical, yet Chen Xuanhua was angered and yelled out, "Xiao Shanhe! Your Xiao family is indebted to Elder Bai as well! Is this how you show him your grat.i.tude?"
Xiao Shanhe was a little startled and—faced with the threat of Chen Xuanhua, who was in the late tiers of Foundation Stage—grew a little timid, but he quickly remembered he’d received the protection of the Fuyao Palace. Furthermore, the Ancient technique that could be pa.s.sed down through his Xiao family was already in his hands; him stepping into the Golden Core Stage was only a matter of time now, so why should he be afraid of the sect master? Whether it was taking over the position of sect master for himself or even choosing a location to begin his own sect, anything was possible now. With these thoughts, he straightened his back and coldly replied, "This is all for the Fuyao Palace. Such small kindness shall no longer be a concern."
"You… how dare you!" Chen Xuanhua was furious, and he immediately intended to send a strike towards Xiao Shanhe, but it was at this time that another chilling voice rose up, "How dare you!"
The voice came from a small and thin figure who took a step forward, and the anger was so strong it was as though it had covered the earth and heavens in their entirety. This person was precisely Granny Qian, who was serving Xuan Si’nyang. No one had expected such a friendly and frail-looking old woman to have such a powerful presence when angered.
Chen Xuanhua quickly froze, unwilling to make even a single movement. He had a feeling that if this old woman were to strike him, he probably couldn’t last through even a single round of attacks.
"Let it go, Granny Qian. No need to get angry; Esteemed Sect Master is merely being concerned for his elder. It is understandable!" Xuan Si’nyang calmly spoke up, resolving the awkward situation at hand. She then swept her gaze across the remaining chief elders and gently continued, "If what Elder Xiao said is true, then I have a good fifty-percent confidence that he is the person we have been searching for. No matter what, I will have to visit this Elder Bai. All of you consider this well: are you sure you want to stop me?"
The tone Xuan Si’nyang spoke with wasn’t upset in the slightest. It was as though she was speaking as she normally would, but the overwhelming might was clear and evident.
Shuwen Chief Elder Chen Baoyan and Danxia Chief Elder Qin’nyao all lowered their heads to show they did not dare to have any thoughts on stopping her. Tie Rukuang had the closest relations.h.i.+p to Bai Qianzhang, yet—despite his iron-headed nature—he wasn’t an idiot; he could only let out a long sigh, cover his eyes with a single hand, and turn away from it all. Even Sect Master Chen Xuanhua stood there in shock, not really daring to stop Xuan Si’nyang either.
No one dared to stop her!
Even though they knew interrupting someone during their seclusion would mean sacrificing any hope Bai Qianzhang might have or even killing him, still no one dared to stop the Fuyao
No one knew whether or not Bai Qianzhang was still alive inside, after all, and the so-called chance to form the Budding Soul was even less likely to come to pa.s.s. Furthermore, with the att.i.tude the Fuyao Palace exhibited today coupled with the certainty of their actions, no one within the entire Qing-Yun Sect—whether it was Sect Master Chen Xuanhua, the four chief elders, or the three Foundation Stage elders—was willing to test the Fuyao Palace’s wrath to stand up for an elder who could already be dead.
There was a hint of derision on Xuan Si’nyang’s face as she nodded towards Granny Qian. This old woman just smiled and walked up, about to push against the stone door which hadn’t been touched for the past half-year.
Once the stone door was opened, whether the person within was dead or alive would be brought to light. Even if the person inside wasn’t dead, they would lose any glimmer of hope towards life. Within the entirety of the Qing-Yun Sect, some felt sorrow, others let out long sighs, and a few were even secretly delighted, yet not a single person dared to stop them.
Rather, not exactly "not a single person". Just a Granny Qian was about to push open the stone door, a small figure leapt out in front of her. In his hands was a five-foot blade that blocked the front of the stone door. "What do you want!" he loudly yelled towards Granny Qian.
"Nn?" Everyone was surprised by this as they looked towards this thin figure. It was Fang Xing, and although n.o.body could tell where he’d appeared from, he’d chosen this moment to come and block the path.
Fang Xing had been waiting outside the Thousand Cliff to begin the tournament’s final round. He had waited and waited, yet when there had still been no signs of the match beginning, he’d turned around and he instead saw people being led by the Fuyao Palace and sect master towards the Peak of Flying Stone. This was when he started to feel something was not right and called the golden crow over. He’d come up to the peak through its back mountains, and he come across the scene where Granny Qian was just about to knock on the stone door just as he arrived.
For Fang Xing, Bai Qianzhang was effectively the person who had given him a new life; how could he watch someone else break his seclusion like that? He didn’t bother putting too much thought into it and quickly jumped out to stop this.
"Oh? Hehe, all the elders don’t move, yet a little monkey like you has come out to block the path?" Granny Qian laughed when she saw this, her smile causing her wrinkled face to spread as though it was being stretched.
Xuan Si’nyang showed a gentle smile as well. "Kid, I’d like to visit my old friend inside. You should get out of the way." She had taken quite a liking to Fang Xing and didn’t wish to hurt him, hence her kind warning.
There was no way Fang Xing would move out of the way. "If you interrupt the person inside, wouldn’t he be as good as dead? I’m not moving!" he yelled back.
Xuan Si’nyang let out a sigh. "What a kid. Such courage, but a little stupid. What purpose does blocking the way here serve? You can’t stop me. Aren’t you scared I’ll kill you first and enter the cave afterwards?"
Her words were calm, but everything she said was nothing but the truth. Even Fang Xing couldn’t help but to swallow a mouthful of saliva when he heard it, and his heart was beating incredibly fast. He was not "stupid" like Xuan Si’nyang said; he was extremely talented in determining people’s thoughts and actions through their facial expressions and body language, and he knew all too well that there was no way he could stop them with his current level of battle prowess. In fact, when he’d jumped out, it was due to his impulsiveness and not having thought everything through.
However, whenever he thought of the possibility Bai Qianzhang was still alive behind these stone walls and how these people wanted to completely extinguish this single chance, Fang Xing could not help but to feel a tremor in his heart. When he had been faced with Xiao Jianming’s ma.s.sacre in Guiyan Valley, he had fled for nights without end for the chance to live, and a similar situation was right in front of him today. He knew moving aside was the smart choice, yet his two legs seemed to think otherwise.
"Kid, you’d better get out of the way!" Seeing the changing expressions on Fang Xing’s face, Granny Qian knew he was hesitant and scared. She let out a mild smile and walked closer towards the stone door.
It was at this moment that Fang Xing’s gaze chilled and he struck out with his blade.
Surprised, Granny Qian moved her body slightly, causing the blade to narrowly miss her and leave her without a single hint of injury. Seeing how the boy dared to begin attacking her, the friendly face she’d shown before was gone. "You really want to seek death?" she asked in a stern voice.
Fang Xing grasped tightly to his saber and viciously spat to the ground, his tiny face flushed. "The second I jumped out, I—your grandpa—regretted my action. You’re too f*cking strong…." Granny Qian returned a cold smile when she heard what he said, but his next words changed her expression once more. "But since I’m already out, I’m not going back now. If someone wants to interrupt, they must ask me first!" As Fang Xing spoke, he held his saber up and wildly filled it with Qi while blocking the front of the stone door.
Rather than saying these words were meant for the Fuyao Palace, it was perhaps more suitable to say they were for himself, and his beliefs and mind were solidified now that he’d said such a thing.
Even if it was going to be futile, he was still going to try!
No matter what the result was, at least he wouldn’t be letting Bai Qianzhang down, nor would he be letting himself down!
"Kid, you…." Tie Rukuang of the Duanzhen Valley wanted to say something, but stopped halfway with a complicated expression.
Sect Master Chen Xuanhua and the others all lowered their heads dispiritedly. Despite being the sect master and Foundation Stage cultivators, they were not as courageous as a child in Spirit Stage, and this made them feel ashamed.
"Aiii, stop wasting time!" Xuan Si’nyang sighed and lightly waved her hand.
Granny Qian coldly smiled before taking a step forward and waving a palm towards Fang Xing. The movement of her palm appeared to be nothing more than ordinary, but its powerful force was as though it had covered the heavens in a giant tidal wave. In this moment, Fang Xing felt as though the sky had been completely concealed and as though a giant mountain was pus.h.i.+ng on top of him—it was a feeling of being unable to defend himself and unable to hide, as though he could only listen to what fate planned for him.
"Break!" Fang Xing’s bloodthirst had also started to burn at this moment. Although the palm above him may have covered the entire heavens, awed his body, and even faltered his Qi, it couldn’t stop his heart. He used all of his might to let out a howl and swing his giant saber towards the covered sky above him. Although he knew it would be to no avail, regardless of success or failure, this was the strike that mattered most!
Even if it was really the sky bearing down on him, he would still make this strike!
If the sky wishes to destroy me, I shall slice the sky first!
Except… no matter how strong his rage, weak is still weak! Before Granny Qian’s palm landed, Fang Xing’s body was so shaken that all four of his limbs had lost their strength. His body was suppressed before he’d even struck out with his blade, and all of his bones began to make snapping noises.
If this palm were to land, Fang Xing would have all his bones broken and his tendons split. Chen Xuanhua and the rest of them all turned their heads, not wanting to watch such a sad outcome.
At this time, a soft voice rose up, "Aiii, almost a thousand people within all of the Qing-Yun Sect, yet only a child dares to protect its own elder? The cultivation realm of the southern continent of Jambu has become so degenerate so soon?"