Chapter Seventy-Four: When the Dust Settles

Amidst the life-and-death duel between these two peerless masters, it was ultimately Chu Yanran who, wielding the great powers of a Martial Arts Grandmaster, ruthlessly slew Elder Cangsong, the head of the Xuan Zhen Monastery.

Gazing at Chu Yanran’s poised figure standing in midair, Qi Fei could not help but furrow his brow as he considered that, in the future, he would have to ally with Zhuo Jin’er to confront her as an enemy. On the day he made his pact with Zhuo Jin’er, it was with the intent to join forces against their foes. Yet the adversaries that this witch of Yin-Yang Dao wished to face were each more formidable than the last. Although he had now attained the Innate Realm in martial cultivation, he feared he was still far from being Chu Yanran’s match.

Seeing that Chu Yanran ignored all dissuasion and decisively executed Cangsong, Chu Qingyun, though aware of the underlying reasons, could not help but sigh inwardly. “Aunt, why must you go to such lengths?”

The elders of the Chu family also wore grave expressions. Even though Xuan Zhen Monastery was suspected of practicing demonic arts, the matter, when considered deeply, was fraught with peculiarities. Originally, they had intended to use Chu Yanran’s hand to deal with Cangsong, yet in their haste, they had forgotten the old grievances between Chu Yanran and the Marquis.

Staring at Cangsong’s lifeless body, cruelly slain by the might of martial arts, all those gathered in the great hall were shaken to their core.

The display of martial prowess by Chu Yanran had already reached the pinnacle of the Ninth Heaven of Martial Arts—a Grandmaster’s realm of supreme intent. Not only in Cangyun Mountain, but even across all the great sects of the Nine Counties of Yong Prefecture, one would be hard-pressed to find a martial artist of such youth and skill.

After a brief, stunned silence in the hall, Sima Yan’s voice rang out with awe, “Miss Chu, you are truly formidable. Today, you have rid Cangyun Mountain of a great menace—for this, I am deeply grateful.”

Chu Yanran waved her hand, summoning her divine weapon back to her side before descending gracefully from the air. Upon hearing Sima Yan’s words, she frowned slightly and replied coolly, “There’s no need for such courtesy, Master Sima. The relationship between myself and the Seven Absolutes Sect is purely one of mutual benefit.”

Chu Qingyun’s expression turned cold as he looked at Sima Yan and said icily, “Master Sima, you have quite the means, being able to persuade my aunt to deal with Xuan Zhen Monastery. But one thing puzzles me—did you somehow foresee that a disciple of Xuan Zhen Monastery would be secretly cultivating demonic arts?”

At these words, Mu Yun and the others immediately grew wary.

Now, of the three great sects of Cangyun Mountain, the head and many experts of Xuan Zhen Monastery were either dead or wounded. With their disciples practicing demonic arts, the sect’s destruction was only a matter of time. Danxia Sect was already weak, and with its sect leader Lu Qingxuan missing and internal strife rampant, it was hardly a force to be reckoned with.

In this conflict, the greatest beneficiary was none other than the Seven Absolutes Sect. Sima Yan had clearly come prepared, and the business of Xuan Zhen Monastery’s disciples practicing demonic arts seemed shrouded in intrigue—could it be that this was all Sima Yan’s secret scheme?

Sensing the rising suspicion and guarded looks among the crowd, Sima Yan’s heart skipped a beat. He thought to himself that while Chu Qingyun may have harbored grievances against Xuan Zhen Monastery, he would not dare to execute Cangsong, who was greatly esteemed by the Marquis. It must be that his request to Chu Yanran to kill Cangsong had angered the young marquis, provoking this confrontation.

“Young Marquis, my Seven Absolutes Sect is a righteous one; how could we stoop to such underhanded deeds? I merely could not bear to see Danxia Sect manipulated by Xuan Zhen Monastery, and so I invited Miss Chu to uphold justice. Who would have thought that Xuan Zhen Monastery was secretly cultivating demonic arts? As for Cangsong’s fate, he brought it upon himself.” Sima Yan replied with humble urgency.

Now that Xuan Zhen Monastery faced ruin, the Seven Absolutes Sect would undoubtedly become the foremost sect of Cangyun Mountain, with many of its disciples serving in the military. In the future, if Chu Qingyun wished to deal with his mortal enemies, he would certainly need the support of the Seven Absolutes Sect.

Seeing Sima Yan’s deference, Chu Qingyun’s anger subsided. He spoke slowly, “Though Cangsong was deserving of death, he was still highly valued by my father. When my father returns from the frontier, he will surely hold me accountable.”

Sima Yan felt reassured and quickly said, “There is no need for concern, Young Marquis. Should the Marquis take issue, my Seven Absolutes Sect will bear all responsibility. We would never implicate you.”

With the outcome now clear, Mu Yun, though full of doubts and resentment, dared not openly oppose Chu Qingyun. Knowing that Sima Yan had grievances with the prodigiously talented youth from Danxia Sect, Mu Yun seized the opportunity to ask, “Young Marquis, now that the matter is settled, how do you propose we deal with these disciples of Xuan Zhen Monastery?”

“These disciples will naturally be taken back to the estate and left to my father’s judgment. Does Master Mu Yun have any objections?” Chu Qingyun replied after a moment’s thought.

“Young Marquis is wise in his handling of affairs; how could I object? Previously, Elder Mo’s disciple bested Cheng Feng, so it stands to reason that Elder Mo should succeed the position of Danxia Sect leader.”

As for who would succeed as leader of Danxia Sect, Chu Qingyun cared little. Nevertheless, wishing to befriend the prodigy Qi Fei, Chu Qingyun offered him a warm smile and said, “Qi Fei, your victory over Cheng Feng today will make your name known throughout the land. Since you have prevailed, the position of sect leader should naturally go to your master, Elder Mo.”

Qi Fei had already discerned Chu Qingyun’s intentions. Though he had no desire to become the lackey of this noble scion, he was unwilling to miss such a rare opportunity for escape, and so he stepped forward and said, “Thank you, Young Marquis. My master’s succession to the leadership of Danxia Sect is entirely due to your just decision.”

Sima Yan, growing anxious, could not help but raise his voice, “Young Marquis, Qi Fei bears certain grievances against my Seven Absolutes Sect. If he refuses to return our sect’s treasure, we cannot simply let this matter rest.”

Mu Yun, understanding well that the Seven Absolutes Sect was by no means innocent in today’s upheaval, sneered, “Just now, Master Sima professed his unwillingness to see Danxia Sect manipulated by Xuan Zhen Monastery. Why now does he trouble this youth over a sect treasure? Might it be that so-called Martial Canon of Creation?”

Before Sima Yan could respond, Qi Fei interjected calmly, “The treasure Master Sima and I dispute is not the Martial Canon of Creation, but rather a young lady whom Master Sima rescued in Cangyun Mountain.”

The crowd was astonished to learn that the contested treasure was, in fact, a woman.

Qi Fei, though a youth barely come of age, was already a prodigy of the Innate Martial Realm, while Sima Yan was the dignified master of Seven Absolutes Sect. How could the two come to such blows over a woman? The matter seemed absurd; clearly, there was more to the story.

“Do not listen to this boy’s nonsense! How could I, an old man, trouble him over a woman?” Sima Yan, sensing the dubious stares of the crowd, was furious and mortified, harboring deep hatred for Qi Fei.

Qi Fei remained unruffled. “I speak only the truth. If Master Sima denies it, we can summon Miss Zhuo to confront the matter openly.”

Sima Yan, though burning with rage, recognized the warning in Qi Fei’s words. By invoking Zhuo Jin’er’s name, Qi Fei was making it clear: should Seven Absolutes Sect’s possible involvement in framing Xuan Zhen Monastery with demonic arts come to light, the consequences would be dire. Seeing Qi Fei’s unwavering gaze, Sima Yan realized that if he pressed further, Qi Fei would fight him to the bitter end.

Noting Sima Yan’s shifting expression, the crowd’s suspicions were further aroused. Clearly, the so-called sect treasure could not simply be the Zhuo woman Qi Fei named. Moreover, Qi Fei had demonstrated mastery of Seven Absolutes Sect’s martial arts—perhaps the grudge between the two was tied to the recent upheaval at Xuan Zhen Monastery. With the dust now settled, however, no one wished to invite more trouble.

The experts of Seven Absolutes Sect exchanged uncertain glances. Their master was not one to be swayed by women; could the mysterious Zhuo woman who had resided alone in the valley be the one in question? When the master designated the secluded valley on Moon-Watching Peak as a forbidden ground, many suspected that the resident Zhuo was no ordinary woman.

Xu Zhenyang and others, who had previously witnessed the youth’s daring intrusion at Moon-Watching Peak and his display of the sect’s martial arts, were already astounded. Why would the master of Seven Absolutes Sect ally with an outer disciple of Danxia Sect to confront Xuan Zhen Monastery? Now, with enmity between Sima Yan and Qi Fei, it seemed there was more to the matter than just the surge of spiritual energy on Moon-Watching Peak that drew Chu Yanran’s intervention—perhaps another hidden treasure existed within the sect.

Chu Qingyun, keenly intelligent, did not believe the two would come to such conflict over a woman. If both the master of Seven Absolutes Sect and this martial prodigy from Danxia Sect were driven by desire, they could certainly be made use of in the future. Clearly, there was a deeper story here.

Seeing Sima Yan’s awkwardness, Qi Fei spoke up, “Master Sima, today is the grand ceremony for the succession of Danxia Sect’s new leader; let us set aside our grievances for another day.”

Sima Yan thought to himself that Zhuo Jin’er’s relationship with Qi Fei was not shallow. Not only did she help Qi Fei acquire the spirit medicine of the Dan Ding Sect, but she also later demanded the Yin Sha Blade Technique on his behalf. To fall out with Qi Fei now would be a costly mistake.

“Master Sima, I find Qi Fei to be a man after my own heart. For my sake, I hope you will let Miss Zhuo remain with him. As for songstresses from my own estate, you may take your pick—would that suffice?” Chu Qingyun, wishing to win over Qi Fei, feigned ignorance.

Sima Yan was seething, but dared not object openly; his frustration was immense. The dignified master of Seven Absolutes Sect, yet he had suffered two severe setbacks at Qi Fei’s hands.

“Whatever the Young Marquis decides,” Sima Yan replied through gritted teeth, glaring at the unruffled Qi Fei.

Chu Qingyun laughed heartily, “Excellent! Master Sima is indeed a forthright man. Today, we not only rid ourselves of the evil cultivators of Xuan Zhen Monastery, but Master Sima and Qi Fei have let bygones be bygones, and Danxia Sect welcomes Elder Mo as its new leader—a cause for universal celebration!”

A cause for celebration? Sima Yan’s face turned ashen, nearly unable to catch his breath, his hatred for Qi Fei only deepening.

After all his painstaking efforts, the spirit medicine of Dan Ding Sect had ended up in Qi Fei’s hands. Now, after all his scheming—risking the enmity of the Marquis, forming dangerous alliances—he was about to see his hard-won gains benefit another.

Even with Cangsong dead, there remained an ancient elder of Xuan Zhen Monastery in the Form-Manifestation Stage presiding over the ruins. How could this possibly be called a universal celebration?

(P.S. The Three Rivers ranking is poor. This book seems destined to fail, but poor rankings and failure are no excuse for abandoning it. All I can do now is persevere.)