Within the fragment of the blessed land, Ye Guyue stood with a heavy expression, glancing around. As she recalled her previous experiences, she couldn't help but clench her silver teeth tightly, hatred flashing in her eyes:
"Damn demon…!"
Since entering the blessed land, nothing had gone smoothly for her.
First, during the contest for the [Yin Dragon Water], she had been forced to retreat by Lü Yang and Sui Ying, who had joined forces against her. She had no choice but to use her trump card to escape, suffering considerable injuries in the process.
After finally recovering from her wounds and casually picking up a few spiritual materials within the blessed land, she had been driven to the center of the fragment by Chong Guang due to the collapse of the blessed land. There, Chong Guang had seized nearly all of her merit and fortune. What was even worse was that she had been unable to resist, leaving her feeling utterly humiliated.
What made it even more unbearable was that she could not afford to show her anger.
Thinking of this, Ye Guyue hurriedly formed a hand seal, doing her best to steady her mind: "Calm down… Reckless anger taints the spiritual platform. My heart is as firm as steel."
By relying on secret arts to suppress her emotions, Ye Guyue managed to maintain her composure.
However, while she could suppress it, the other two who had fallen into this blessed land fragment with her had already been deeply affected by the calamity's aura, unable to remain calm.
The next moment, two streams of light flew rapidly toward her.
One of them radiated with treasure light, further enhanced by Buddhist light. When the figure within revealed himself, it was none other than Duo Bao Tongzi, who had narrowly escaped death during the great battle in the [Kingdom of Qing].
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It had to be said, this man indeed had some measure of luck.
In the entire [Kingdom of Qing], only he and the Five Elements True Person had originated from Jiangbei's cultivators. However, the Five Elements True Person had fully pledged allegiance to Jiangdong and had received an official position early on.
Thus, he had been sacrificed along with the others by Chong Guang.
On the other hand, Duo Bao Tongzi, having taken refuge in the Pure Land Sect without receiving any official rank, had narrowly survived that grand sacrificial ritual. He had even managed to visit the [Dongyang Blessed Land] afterward.
As for the title "Duo Bao" (Many Treasures), it truly fit him. Relying on his ancestral treasure-seeking techniques, he had actually managed to obtain a great opportunity.
At that time, there had been four spiritual embryos within the blessed land. Lü Yang had secured the [Yin Dragon Water], and two of the remaining three had been taken by members of the Dao Court and the Pure Land Sect. Originally, if Ye Guyue hadn't been injured, the fourth would have belonged to the Sword Pavilion. However, since Ye Guyue had gone into hiding, Duo Bao Tongzi had ended up benefiting.
Yet, as the saying goes: "An innocent man gets into trouble because of his treasures."
Right behind Duo Bao Tongzi, another stream of light swiftly followed, filled with sharp sword energy. From within it stepped a solemn and dignified middle-aged man.
"Duo Bao Daoist, are you still so obstinate?"
"Yun Zhiqiu!" Duo Bao Tongzi gritted his teeth in hatred upon seeing him. "I am now considered a righteous cultivator. Is the Sword Pavilion really going to resort to such forceful plundering?"
"What kind of righteous cultivator do you think you are?"
The middle-aged man, Yun Zhiqiu, let out a loud laugh upon hearing this. "A demon cultivator from Jiangbei, turning to the light is just the beginning. You still have many sins to atone for!"
"What sins do I have?" Duo Bao Tongzi retorted angrily. "My Fenbao Cliff in Jiangbei has never conducted blood sacrifices on commoners. As for sect rivalries, life and death are common occurrences, each relying on their own abilities. What sins can there be? Before I came to the [Kingdom of Qing], I had accumulated plenty of merit!"
"Being from Jiangbei is your greatest sin!"
Yun Zhiqiu sneered coldly. "Treasures of the world belong to those of virtue. Do you think a demon cultivator from Jiangbei deserves them? I have no interest in arguing with you. Are you handing over the spiritual embryo or not?"
"You…"
For a moment, Duo Bao Tongzi felt his anger rising uncontrollably. Though Yun Zhiqiu was formidable, his strength relied heavily on a sharp magical sword.
If they were to truly fight, Yun Zhiqiu was merely at the early Foundation Establishment Realm. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎
With his own cultivation, suppressing Yun Zhiqiu would be easy. He had only refrained from doing so due to Yun Zhiqiu's status in the Sword Pavilion. But now, there was no need to hold back.
"Clang clang!"
In the next moment, the sound of a sword's hum shattered all of Duo Bao Tongzi's malicious intent. Turning around, he saw Ye Guyue arriving on her sword, suspended above his head.
'It's over!'
In an instant, Duo Bao Tongzi felt a wave of cold despair in his heart. On the surface, however, he dared not show any disrespect and hurriedly bowed:
"Duo Bao greets Sword Pavilion's Fairy Ye."
On the other side, Yun Zhiqiu was overjoyed and respectfully greeted, "Greetings, Martial Aunt Ye."
He immediately pointed at Duo Bao Tongzi and righteously declared, "It was this man who took the [Immortal Tree of Eternal Youth]. Martial Aunt, please uphold justice!"
Upon hearing this, Ye Guyue cast a glance at Duo Bao Tongzi. With a quick calculation, she instantly grasped the situation and spoke in a deep voice:
"Since you are all righteous cultivators, internal strife should be avoided. Now that we are trapped in this fragment of the blessed land, it is likely the work of that demon. We should join forces against our common enemy. How can we let discord arise among us?"
Her words sounded grand and righteous.
Duo Bao Tongzi let out a sigh of relief, thinking that the Sword Pavilion, after all, still upheld reason. Who would have thought that the next second, Ye Guyue would turn to him and say:
"Duo Bao Daoist, hand over the [Immortal Tree of Eternal Youth]."
Ye Guyue spoke solemnly, "Junior Brother Yun is only at the early Foundation Establishment Realm and urgently needs a spiritual material for protection. You, on the other hand, are at the mid-Foundation Establishment Realm and are not lacking such a material."
Who the hell doesn't lack it!
Duo Bao Tongzi remained silent for a moment before replying in a low voice:
"To tell the truth, I lost most of my treasures in the [Kingdom of Qing]. I truly need a spiritual material for protection."
However, Ye Guyue merely shook her head:
"Duo Bao Daoist, forgive me for speaking bluntly. Since you have already joined the righteous path, you should understand the law of cause and effect. You come from a small sect with ordinary background, while Junior Brother Yun is a cultivator of my Sword Pavilion. Between the two, which is more important? You should be able to weigh it in your heart."
"If you lose this spiritual material, at most you are just a small sect cultivator. If you die, you die."
"But if Junior Brother Yun lacks this spiritual material, it could cost him his life. The death of one Sword Pavilion cultivator is a tremendous loss for the righteous path."
"Therefore, for the sake of the righteous path, for the sake of the people of the world, you should not be stubborn."
"If you feel resentful, I can make the decision. Should you die because of this, in your next life you may enter my Sword Pavilion to cultivate. Consider it a stroke of fortune for you."
Upon hearing this, Duo Bao Tongzi fell silent once more.
"What now? Are you still being obstinate?"
Ye Guyue's brows furrowed slightly, her beautiful eyes showing displeasure. "Are you really going to put your personal interests above the righteous path and defy the will of the people?"
As soon as she finished speaking, her sword intent locked onto Duo Bao Tongzi.
"…I dare not."
At this moment, Duo Bao Tongzi felt nothing but bitterness and rage. Yet, he couldn't help but recall the time in Jiangbei when he had been knocked out and robbed by a True Person from the Sacred Sect.
He never imagined that before he had pledged himself to the righteous path, he had been robbed; and after pledging himself to the righteous path, he was still being robbed!
Had he not joined in vain?
At least the True Person from the Sacred Sect had relied on his own strength to rob him. He hadn't expected the Sword Pavilion to be even more overbearing, demanding not only his treasure but also his willing submission!
Yet, unable to resist under such pressure, Duo Bao Tongzi could only sigh. He reached into his sleeve and threw out a ball of spiritual light, which was indeed the [Immortal Tree of Eternal Youth], formed from Jia Wood. It could be refined into a spiritual treasure or used in alchemy to enhance one's Wood-element Dao attainment.
Only then did Ye Guyue nod in satisfaction.
Meanwhile, Yun Zhiqiu eagerly stepped forward to take the [Immortal Tree of Eternal Youth], joyfully injecting his spiritual power to refine it on the spot.
"This place is not safe."
Ye Guyue shifted her gaze and continued her calculations. She then pointed in a direction and said, "The way out should be there. We had best leave quickly."
Soon, three streams of light soared into the sky.
Before long, a towering mountain appeared in their sight. Arrays of light swirled on the mountain, tightly anchoring the fragment of the blessed land.
At the mountain's peak, a relaxed figure sat cross-legged, laughing aloud:
"Fairy Ye, I have been waiting for you for quite some time."
"It's you!?"
In an instant, the previously composed Ye Guyue's expression shifted. She clearly recognized Lü Yang sitting on the mountain, and murderous intent burst forth from her beautiful eyes!