Volume 1, Chapter 63: Creating Trouble Out of Nothing

"Boom!"

Zhou Xiao was kicked away instantly. The immense strength of a Core Formation cultivator was simply not something he could withstand.

He slammed heavily against a tree trunk, his breath instantly cutting off as he passed out cold.

"Junior Brother!" Lu Chen, locked in fierce combat nearby, cried out in anxious alarm. He desperately wanted to rush over and help, but the coordinated assault of two Core Formation cultivators left him completely unable to spare a single thought.

The young cultivator nearby watched Lu Chen—who was holding his ground against two Core Formation opponents without showing the slightest sign of disadvantage—and gritted his teeth. "Damn it, how can someone so young be this strong?!"

To prevent any unexpected mishaps, he walked over to Zhou Xiao, kicked the unconscious boy viciously, and stepped heavily onto his head.

"Hey, kid! If you don't surrender right now, I'll kill your junior brother first!" the young cultivator threatened loudly.

Lu Chen watched the triumphant young cultivator standing on Zhou Xiao's back, a surge of burning hatred welling up inside him.

Yet, left with no alternative, he finally let his sword drop to the ground.

"Take this!"

One of the Core Formation cultivators delivered a brutal kick to Lu Chen, sending him stumbling forward before he collapsed miserably onto the earth.

The young cultivator strode over, grabbed a handful of Lu Chen's hair, and patted his face in a mocking, triumphant manner. "Little bastard, weren't you acting so tough just now? Weren't you so arrogant a moment ago? Why aren't you acting arrogant anymore?"

Lu Chen remained silent. His fists, pressed against the ground, slowly clenched tighter and tighter, his expression twisting with growing resentment and frustration.

Seeing that Lu Chen refused to utter a word, a look of displeasure crossed the young cultivator's eyes, and he let go of his hair.

"You're a disciple of the Great Desolate Immortal Sect, aren't you? A while back, you seized resources meant for our Paramount Sword Sect, leaving us with nothing to cultivate with."

"Didn't you sever my tendons? No matter, I've always been a fair person. Since you crippled my leg, I'll take your life!"

With that, the young cultivator raised his longsword high, preparing to drive it straight into Lu Chen.

Yet, at that very instant, a massive sea of fire descended upon them!

"Boom!"

A blazing vortex instantly engulfed the young cultivator and his companions, blowing them away one by one. The entire dense forest was ignited in a split second, transforming into an ocean of scarlet flames.

Lin Hongye dropped from the sky, her eyes burning with a furious crimson. Her chest heaved violently as she glared at the group.

After a long moment, she ground her teeth and spoke in a chilling, deliberate whisper:

"What... did you do to my junior brothers?!"

***

The young cultivator and his group were battered black and blue by the sea of fire, feeling as though their internal organs were on the verge of shattering.

They struggled to their feet, staring at the woman who looked precisely like a vengeful spirit in red. It took them quite a while to regain their wits before one of them finally reacted.

"You... are you Lin Hongye of the Great Desolate Immortal Sect?!"

Right at that moment, the sharp snap of fingers echoed through the air. The world abruptly fell dead silent, and a white-robed figure descended from above.

Lin Yang landed gracefully. Seeing Lu Chen and Zhou Xiao on the brink of death, he tossed a jade bottle of medicinal pills to Lin Hongye and said softly, "Go heal them first."

Catching the bottle without a moment's delay, Lin Hongye immediately set to work treating the two injured youths.

As for the young cultivator and his cohorts, they were left utterly dumbfounded.

After a tense silence, one of them involuntarily swallowed hard, then stammered out a trembling explanation:

"You... are you Peak Master Lin Yang of the Great Desolate Immortal Sect?"

A faint smile touched Lin Yang's lips as he spoke lightly, "It seems you've heard of me."

"What a pity, though, that you didn't recognize my disciples. The two children you almost killed happen to be my most cherished pupils."

The young cultivator and the others exchanged panicked glances, and without a moment's hesitation, they dropped to their knees and began kowtowing frantically.

"Peak Master Lin! Peak Master Lin, please spare our lives!"

"That's right, Peak Master Lin! Had we known these two boys were your disciples, we wouldn't have dared lay a hand on them even if it meant being beaten to death!"

"Please forgive us this once, Peak Master Lin! We'll offer compensation and apologize properly! We beg of you!"

Faced with the kowtowing and pleading group, Lin Yang's expression only grew colder and more detached.

"Offer me compensation and apologies? It's my disciples you should be apologizing to, and truly repenting before."

"Though, there's really no need for that now. You can go down and repent to King Yama instead. I'll be so kind as to help you on your way."

Realizing they had no hope of survival, several of the Core Formation cultivators suddenly turned and bolted. Yet how could they possibly outrun the speed of a snap from Lin Yang?

Lin Yang snapped his fingers once more. The fleeing Core Formation cultivators instantly froze in place, locked rigidly where they stood.

A moment later, their bodies dissolved into tiny sparks of blood-red light, drifting away and scattering into the void between heaven and earth.

Having disposed of the Paramount Sword Sect members, Lin Yang turned and walked toward Lu Chen and Zhou Xiao.

Though the two had suffered severe injuries, thanks to Lin Yang's miraculous pills, they recovered in no time at all.

Even though both youths were now able to stand normally, Lin Hongye still fussed over them anxiously, thoroughly inspecting their injuries from every angle.

Annoyed by her constant spinning and poking, Lu Chen grumbled in dissatisfaction, "Senior Sister, stop turning us around. If we keep spinning like this, we'll end up getting hurt even if we were fine!"

Seeing that they were truly uninjured, Lin Hongye let out a long sigh of relief. Then, she brought her hand down to rap each of them firmly on the head, scolding indignantly:

"What is wrong with the two of you? How do you manage to stir up so much trouble the moment you step down the mountain?"

"If Master and I hadn't rushed here in time today, you two would be dead right now, do you understand?"

Zhou Xiao nodded obediently, while Lu Chen merely grinned with carefree nonchalance. "Even if we really had died, Master's powers are so boundless that he surely could have brought us back to life. What was there for us to worry about?"

Lin Hongye let out a helpless sigh. Meanwhile, Lin Yang showed no mercy whatsoever, delivering a resounding smack to both of their heads.

"Ouch!"

"Ouch!"

Lu Chen and Zhou Xiao cried out in unison, clutching their heads. Lu Chen protested aggrievedly, "What are you hitting us for, Master?! Senior Sister already hit us, and now you have to do it too."

Lin Yang glared at them with a stern face, then said coldly, "The two of you had better tell me everything that happened, from start to finish, without leaving a single detail out."

"If I find out you two brought this on yourselves by acting recklessly, don't expect me to hold back."

Lu Chen and Zhou Xiao exchanged a glance before recounting the entire sequence of events.

...

"And that's how it happened, Master. See? How were we stirring up trouble? We were just doing a good deed and got retaliated against!" Lu Chen explained with an aggrieved expression, while Lin Hongye stood nearby, offering comforting pats.

After listening to the account, Lin Yang cast a deep, approving look at Zhou Xiao and praised, "Well done."

"In this matter, the two of you did nothing wrong. On the contrary, it's the Paramount Sword Sect that holds such an arrogant and overbearing attitude."

"Rest assured, with your master here, we can find fault even when we're in the wrong—let alone when we actually have justice on our side. When we're in the right, we pursue them relentlessly."

"As for this score, I will certainly settle it for you," Lin Yang said coldly, his expression grim and severe.