Chapter 312 - 295: Shut up
"An apology is too light. There should be some tangible compensation, don’t you think?"
Qi Yun’s previous domineering arrogance from his clash with the Great Master Realm Heaven vanished. A brilliant, harmless smile bloomed on his face as he tilted his head slightly and spoke softly to Bai Yuntian beside him.
His tone held the self-righteousness of a victim.
"You child..."
Hearing this, a look of helpless resignation appeared on Bai Yuntian’s round face, and he shook his head with a laugh.
He folded his sleeves, his clear eyes looking at Qi Yun, and played along.
"Then what do you want?"
"Lord Bai!"
Atop Dome Peak, Black Mountain Master saw that Qi Yun was not only refusing to let the matter drop but was even pushing his luck, demanding "compensation" to his face.
The anger and humiliation he had just barely suppressed instantly surged up again. His face turned ashen and grim, and he was about to speak, squeezing the words from between his teeth.
However, he had barely begun to speak when he saw Bai Yuntian, who was below, casually raise a plump, thick hand and press it down in his direction without even turning his head.
It was a clear signal for him to shut up!
Beneath his sleeve, Black Mountain Master’s fist clenched violently, the veins on the back of his hand bulging and pulsing like writhing dragons.
An unprecedented wave of frustration and fury threatened to shatter the Dao Heart he had tempered over centuries.
’This guy... could he really be the True Monarch’s illegitimate son, lost to the outside world?!’
’To be this protective!’
’It’s completely unreasonable!’
Seeing Black Mountain Master on Dome Peak, looking so utterly aggrieved yet helpless, unable to even speak, Qi Yun felt the long-suppressed frustration in his heart melt away like snow in the spring sun. An indescribable feeling of relief and pleasure washed over him.
Once upon a time, this high-and-mighty Great Master had made things difficult for him in countless ways over the matter of his son, Yue Rong, resorting to insidious, underhanded tricks.
He had even made a vicious move at the critical moment of Qi Yun’s breakthrough to Foundation Establishment, nearly killing him.
Qi Yun had never forgotten the threat and humiliation that had felt like a dagger at his back.
Today, borrowing Bai Yuntian’s power, he was giving the man a taste of his own medicine.
Although he hadn’t defeated him with his own hands, the scene of publicly shaming him, forcing him to bow his head, and now rendering him speechless was enough to partially soothe the hatred in his heart and allow his thoughts to flow freely.
As his thoughts raced, Qi Yun came to a decision. The smile on his face did not fade as he said in a relaxed tone:
"I’ve heard that Uncle-Master Black Mountain took in a rare Demon Bird in his early years. It comes and goes like a bolt of lightning, excels at stealth, and is truly extraordinary.
"This disciple happens to be in need of a mount, as traveling back and forth is quite inconvenient.
"I wonder if Uncle-Master Black Mountain could bear to part with it and gift this bird to me?"
As soon as he spoke, the hearts of the many Masters listening from a distance clenched once again.
Bai Yuntian, having heard him, nodded slowly. There was no surprise on his face, as if he had long expected Qi Yun to make such a request.
He closed his eyes slightly, as if sensing something. The smile on his round face faded a little, revealing a trace of the focus and majesty befitting a Great Demon King.
The next moment, his eyes snapped open!
Deep within them were not human pupils, but two rounds of incomparably pure, gentle divine light that could illuminate all things, tangible and intangible, in the Grand Thousand World.
The divine light flashed and was gone. His gaze had already pierced through layers of palace halls, Arrays, and even the void, locking onto a certain position and existence in the unseen world.
Without any complex movements, he simply lifted his still-plump hand and grabbed at the empty air before him!
RIIIP—!
Where his hand reached, the void rippled like water, sending out circles of milky-white waves. His palm instantly plunged in and disappeared.
The ripples spread out rapidly, faintly revealing a brief but stable passage. From the end of the passage came the indistinct sounds of wind, thunder, and a bird’s terrified cry!
Just a breath later, Bai Yuntian’s arm retracted.
His five fingers were already clamped firmly around a struggling "thing."
It was a middle-aged man dressed in a black robe embroidered with dark mountain patterns.
His face was a mask of horror, his eyes wide with utter shock and bewilderment. His Magical Power was sealed, and he was like a cat held by the scruff of its neck, squirming futilely, unable to put up even a semblance of resistance.
It was Ling Master, the very one who had secretly given Qi Yun Magic after the trial, back when he was still in the Qi Refining Stage!
Bai Yuntian didn’t even bother to ask for Black Mountain Master’s opinion. He simply followed the karmic ties and aura, and "fished" him out from across the void!
"This is him, right?"
Without even glancing at Ling Master, who was deathly pale and whose Divine Soul had nearly scattered from fright, Bai Yuntian casually tossed him like an insignificant object. He landed with a THUD on the Jade Bricks in front of Qi Yun, kicking up a small cloud of dust.
He turned back, his amiable smile returning, and asked Qi Yun.
"Yes! Thank you for your help, Lord Bai!"
Qi Yun’s gaze swept over Ling Master, who was now a trembling, boneless heap at his feet. He then looked up toward Dome Peak, at Black Mountain Master’s face, which had become so dark it seemed it could drip water, the cold glint in his eyes almost tangible.
He felt a rush of pure joy shoot to the crown of his head. His spiritual platform cleared, and his Sea of Consciousness rippled gently.
In the next moment, his Cultivation and Magical Power, already at the peak of the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, actually became a bit more active and showed signs of growth, all because his thoughts had cleared and a knot in his heart had been loosened.
Indeed, only with an unobstructed Dao Heart can one advance bravely and diligently.
"Mm, you should go back and rest for now.
"The True Monarch might summon you for questioning in a few days. Don’t run around and cause any more trouble."
Bai Yuntian casually instructed Qi Yun, his tone like that of an elder chiding a mischievous child.
Then, his gaze slowly swept across the room. His clear eyes, which held an undercurrent of supreme majesty, passed over every Holy Sect Master present.
Everyone his gaze touched couldn’t help but straighten their backs, lower their eyelids, and avoid his eyes.
The smile on Bai Yuntian’s face gradually faded, replaced by a placid yet mountain-heavy solemnity. He began to speak, his voice not loud, but it clearly reached the ears of every Master:
"A decree from the True Monarch—"
Upon hearing this declaration, regardless of status or stance, every Holy Sect Disciple present, including a slightly trembling Black Mountain Master, bowed in unison with utmost reverence and said as one:
"Your Disciples respectfully await the decree!"
The entire Taixu Hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Only the respectful echo of their voices reverberated faintly among the pillars.
Bai Yuntian’s peaceful gaze swept over the bowing crowd as he enunciated each word clearly:
"Today’s matter ends here."
"If there are any more entanglements, underhanded schemes, or those who let personal grudges harm the greater good of the Sect..."
He paused. His tone didn’t grow heavier, but the unquestionable resolve and coldness within it sent a chill down everyone’s spine.
"...you will be punished without mercy."
His final words landed like four invisible shackles, clamping down hard on certain people’s hearts.
Before his voice had even faded, Bai Yuntian’s round figure, like a reflection in water disturbed by the wind, faded and dissolved without warning, vanishing completely from the hall without leaving so much as a ripple in space.
Only the brief decree, imbued with the supreme majesty of the Desolate Halberd Splitting Sky True Monarch, continued to ring like a great bell in everyone’s ears, in their hearts, and even within the Spiritual Mechanism and Dao Rhyme of the entire Holy Sect Mountain Gate, echoing endlessly.
A moment later, everyone slowly straightened up as if waking from a shocking dream.
As their eyes met, they could all see the shock, complexity, and a hint of indescribable bewilderment in each other’s gazes.
Then, all eyes instinctively turned to the deep blue figure still standing with his hands behind his back in the center of the hall, his posture as straight and tall as a pine tree.
Then their gazes shifted slightly upward, toward the demonic shadow of Dome Peak where Black Mountain Master had stood.
It was now empty.
The Great Master, who had held power in the Sect and dominated the Northwest for hundreds of years, had departed without a sound at some unknown point.
Only the lingering, not-yet-dissipated cold Demon Intent and a barely perceptible fluctuation of rage suppressed to its absolute limit still faintly spoke of what had just transpired.
Everyone looked at each other, their hearts pounding, unable to calm the storm within as they communicated with their eyes.
Without a word, a clear consensus slowly formed in the minds of most Masters, weighing down on them heavily:
The sky over the Holy Sect...
...is really, I’m afraid, about to change.
...
Bringing along Ling Master, who had yet to fully recover from his terror, Qi Yun’s feet flowed with a clear light. In a few steps, he had crossed the multiple Restrictions of the Mountain Gate and returned to his own Cyan Mountain Daoist Temple.
The Daoist Temple was encircled by ancient pines and trickling springs. The buildings within were simple yet naturally aligned with the Dao. Jade Bells that chimed in the clear wind hung from the eaves, their DING-DONG sound distant and purifying.
It was no different from when he had left.
The moment he stepped within the temple gates, a warm, gentle, and Pure Dao Rhyme naturally filled the air.
With a casual wave of his hand, a light-cyan Soul Calming Talisman with patterns like flowing water floated out and landed on Ling Master’s forehead, sinking silently into his Purple Mansion.
The Talisman Power unfurled, as silent and nourishing as a spring night’s drizzle.
The lingering shock and confusion in Ling Master’s eyes rapidly faded, and his violently trembling Divine Soul gradually stabilized.
"Elder Ling, it’s been a century. I trust you’ve been well."
Qi Yun sat down casually on a stone bench under an old plum tree in the courtyard. He took out a simple white tea set and began boiling water, drawing on the Earth Vein’s Spiritual Spring.
He didn’t look at Ling Master, his tone as placid as if greeting an ordinary old acquaintance he hadn’t seen in a long time.
Hearing his voice, Ling Master trembled slightly. That voice... it felt vaguely familiar.
Forcibly suppressing the remaining tremors in his heart and the panic over his situation, he focused his gaze on the young Daoist in the Deep Blue Daoist Robe sitting on the stone bench.
The Daoist had a handsome face, and the lines of his brows and eyes held a familiar contour. The Dao Rhyme around him was harmonious and restrained, yet in its unintentional flows, it revealed a nobility and profundity that seemed to transcend the Ten Thousand Laws.
His eyes, in particular, were as calm as an ancient pond. Occasionally, a flash of Chaos-colored light would flicker and vanish within them, reflecting the flow and decay of all the Dao Principles between Heaven and Earth.
That face...
Ling Master’s brow furrowed as he searched through the dust of a century’s worth of memories in his Purple Mansion.
Countless blurry faces flashed by, finally settling on a young, spirited face from the Outer Sect trial.
The fragments of memory finally clicked into place.
"It’s... it’s you?! That Qi Refining Cultivator from back then?! Your... your Cultivation...!"
He trailed off, his words becoming incoherent.
However, the moment his Divine Sense approached within three feet of Qi Yun, it was like a clay ox entering the sea, sinking into a chaotic and inscrutable Dao Rhyme.
This feeling... was definitely not something a Foundation Establishment Early Stage cultivator could possess!
It was even deeper and more vast than his own, an "Elder" who had been immersed in the Foundation Establishment Early Stage for many years!
Foundation Establishment Middle Stage!
And... maybe even higher.
A hundred years!
Just a hundred years!
The person before him... had gone from being an insignificant Qi Refining Junior Cultivator, advancing with unstoppable momentum to break through the Life and Death Profound Gate and forge a Dao Foundation.
And in just a short century, he had pushed his Cultivation to at least the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, or perhaps even a higher level?!
That speed... was simply, absurdly fast.
So fast it sent a chill to the very depths of one’s heart.
’Could it be... this boy was possessed by some reincarnated great power?!’
All sorts of absurd, yet seemingly plausible, thoughts sprouted like poisonous weeds in Ling Master’s heart.
His gaze toward Qi Yun filled with suspicion and uncertainty.
Qi Yun leisurely poured a cup of freshly boiled Spirit Tea, the billowing steam obscuring half his face.
He gently blew on the tea and took a sip. Only then did he raise his eyes to look at Ling Master, whose expression was shifting between shock and suspicion.
"It seems, Elder, that you’re a bit forgetful."
...