Chapter 459 - 458: Get Out Here
His gaze locked on Feng Ba. Qin Ya took a sudden step forward, crossing several hundred zhang in an instant to appear right before him. With a seemingly light palm strike, a wild gale of scorching flames blasted Feng Ba’s Dharma Aspect to pieces. Then, he reached out and, as if grabbing a child, lifted Feng Ba into the air. "Heh. Trying to leave, Brother Feng?"
Staring into Qin Ya’s icy gaze, Feng Ba trembled from head to toe. An unstoppable chill filled his heart, and he was terrified. His lips trembled as he stammered, "E-Elder Qin, it wasn’t me! I wasn’t the one who wanted to target you! Someone else told me to do this! Every grievance has a perpetrator, and every debt has a debtor. Please, don’t do anything to me!"
He was terrified. He had been certain that Qin Ya would be defeated, never imagining his combat strength could be so horrifying. ’So what’s going to happen to me, the one who so openly targeted him?’ At that moment, he was petrified that Qin Ya would obliterate him with a single strike.
"’Every grievance has a perpetrator?’ Heh." Qin Ya chuckled softly, his grip on Feng Ba’s shoulder tightening. "And who might that ’perpetrator’ be?"
Feeling as if his shoulder were about to shatter, Feng Ba’s face turned deathly pale, completely drained of color. He sputtered, "Elder Qin, the one who orchestrated this against you is Elder Ou! I’m just a Martial Artist doing his bidding! Think about it, where would I get so many Elixirs by myself?"
"Elder Ou? Which Elder Ou?"
"The Alchemy Elder, Ou Tianlin!"
The name sounded familiar to Qin Ya. After becoming an Alchemy Elder himself, he had worked with Muo Xiu, another Alchemy Elder, and had even offered her some guidance. He recalled hearing the name from her—Ou Tianlin was the Alchemy Elder who had tried to get his hands on Qin Ya’s Spirit Pills a year ago, only to be injured by him. ’To think he’d hold a grudge for this long!’ And now, he had even orchestrated this entire affair just to get back at him.
"Ou Tianlin, is it? Heh, I’ll remember this."
Qin Ya smiled indifferently. Then, with a forceful squeeze of his fingers—CRACK!—he crushed Feng Ba’s shoulder. The man immediately let out a scream of agony.
"That’s enough, Elder Qin."
Just then, Ming Yue’s voice echoed from above. Qin Ya’s eyes narrowed. Tossing Feng Ba aside like a dead dog, he said, "Palace Master, there are still half of my challengers left. Rest assured, this will be over soon."
The crowd shuddered at his words. They glanced around and were horrified by what they saw. At some point, nearly half of the hundred-plus Martial Artists who had surrounded Qin Ya were now scattered across the floor of the Golden Summit Hall. All had sustained non-fatal injuries, their faces pale and their eyes filled with terror.
Ming Yue shook his head. "Elder Qin, we will get to the bottom of who plotted against you. When we do, we will be sure to give you a proper account of the matter."
"Since the Palace Master has spoken, I will let the matter rest."
Qin Ya knew when to quit while he was ahead. He dismissed his Four Symbols Dharma Aspect. As the crowd watched the terrifying apparition fade, the heavy pressure weighing on their hearts gradually lifted, but their terror toward Qin Ya remained undiminished.
’Heavens! Hundreds of Dharma Aspects couldn’t touch him; in fact, he completely suppressed us! And he’s just a Celestial Human, same as we are—not even a Half-Step King! How can a monster like that possibly exist in this world?!’
’Perhaps I’ll never be able to surpass him in this lifetime.’
’Heh, some people in this world are just beyond all reason.’
’Even so, one day, I will catch up to him.’
’If I can’t beat him as a Celestial Human, then we’ll settle it when we’re Kings!’
’That’s right, I refuse to believe he has no weaknesses!’
One by one, the crowd dismissed their Dharma Aspects. Some were dejected, others were still terrified, but some used this to strengthen their Martial Arts Heart. A wide array of emotions filled the air.
Ming Yue watched the crowd, a slight smile playing on his lips as he nodded to himself.
Although Qin Ya had put immense pressure on these disciples, it also allowed Ming Yue to see which ones were truly worth cultivating. On the path of Martial Arts, Talent was important, but it wasn’t the decisive factor. Far more crucial was one’s character and resolve.
Without a will that has been tempered a thousand times and remains unswerving, even someone with peerless, earth-shattering talent can only shine for a short while; they will never reach the true peak.
’It is for the best that Elder Qin is willing to let this go.’
A slight smile touched Qin Ya’s lips, and a cold glint flickered in his eyes. In an indifferent tone, he said, "However, Palace Master... I already know who was pulling the strings. Might I be allowed to handle this matter myself?"
"Oh? And who would that be?"
"Does the Palace Master truly not know?" Qin Ya asked with a smile.
Ming Yue was taken aback. He fell silent for a moment before saying, "What he did was excessive, but if possible, I hope you can spare him."
It wouldn’t take much of an investigation to discover who had plotted against Qin Ya, and Ming Yue was, of course, already aware. Though both men were Elders of Kunyun Palace and both were Pill Kings, it was painfully obvious that Qin Ya’s value was immeasurably greater than Ou Tianlin’s.
Besides, while Ou Tianlin was an Elder of Kunyun Palace, Ming Yue frankly had a low opinion of him. The man had taken countless resources from Kunyun Palace but had contributed precious little in return, consuming most of it for his own benefit.
By contrast, the other Alchemy Elder, Muo Xiu, was entirely different. Not only had she established a massive medicinal garden for Kunyun Palace, but she was also conscientious in her teaching of the disciples. Thanks to her efforts, Kunyun Palace had gained several new Ninth-Grade Alchemists in recent years. Still, Ou Tianlin was an Elder of Kunyun Palace, so he couldn’t be completely heartless.
"I know my limits."
Qin Ya gave an indifferent smile, and with a flicker of his body, he shot off into the distance.
His destination... was the Upper Peak!
Upon reaching the Upper Peak, Qin Ya made a few inquiries and quickly found out where Ou Tianlin resided. A few breaths later, he stood before a palace.
At that very moment, Ou Tianlin was inside the palace, refining an Elixir.
In his efforts to plot against Qin Ya, he had spent the last several days refining a massive number of Ninth-Grade Elixirs, and his technique had unexpectedly improved. Having made no progress for over a year, he was ecstatic. He immediately found Feng Ba—a disciple who had been defeated by Qin Ya and harbored a similar resentment—to carry out his plan, while he himself rushed back into seclusion to continue his work.
He imagined Qin Ya being utterly humiliated by his scheme, a thought that filled him with glee. In such a fine mood, his alchemy felt divinely inspired. He managed to refine nearly ten Pseudo-Spiritual Pills in a row, growing more proficient with each one. His Alchemy Realm even showed faint signs of an impending breakthrough.
"Haha, this is fate!"
"No breakthrough without a breakdown! Qin Ya, oh Qin Ya, I really should thank you. If you hadn’t put so much pressure on me, I never would have made this progress."
"A mere junior, dreaming of surpassing me, Ou Tianlin, in the Alchemy Dao."
"Ou Tianlin, get out here!"
Just as Ou Tianlin was reveling in his joy, a low roar like muffled thunder suddenly echoed through the hall, shaking him to the core. His hand, guiding the flames for his Fire Manipulation, trembled. This minuscule mistake was enough to make the energy inside the Pill Furnace go berserk.
"Not good!!"
Ou Tianlin’s face paled in horror. An instant later, a colossal wave of energy exploded forth!