Chapter 99 Sect Turmoil (Part 1)

The eight desolations nether carriage passed through the clouds, crossed over layers of mountains, and finally landed steadily on the platform of the Heavenly Demon Sect plaza. The carriage door opened, and Xiao Ming stepped out first, followed in turn by Mo Qingzhu, Yu Linglong, and Yu Linlang.

The women followed Xiao Ming to Holy Son Peak. Holy Son Peak towered into the clouds, its Spiritual Qi far more abundant than that of Yuan City, with a continuous expanse of palaces at the summit, presenting a magnificent sight.

Xiao Ming paused, his gaze sweeping over the familiar scene before him, and casually instructed: "Qingzhu, take Linglong and Linlang to get settled! There is a side hall next to the main hall, so let them stay there."

"Yes, Saint." Mo Qingzhu answered softly. When she turned to the Yu sisters, the gentle allure she displayed toward Xiao Ming had already faded, restoring her usual cold and detached demeanor, though deep in her eyes, there remained a slight softening for "her own people," which was still different from the aloofness she showed toward outsiders. "Two little sisters, follow me."

Yu Linglong hurriedly pulled her sister to bow: "Thank you, Saint, and sorry to trouble you, Sister Qingzhu." Yu Linlang also timidly followed suit, her big eyes curiously examining the towering palaces all around; this would be the place where they would live in the future.

Xiao Ming nodded slightly, saying no more. With a movement of his body, he transformed into a stream of light and sped toward another mountain in the distance, shrouded in faint cold mist—Heartless Peak. That was the residence of his Revered Master, Luo Li, and also the place where he had "risen."

Xiao Ming landed gracefully in front of the sleeping quarters on Heartless Peak. He expanded his perception, sweeping across the entire Heartless Peak. Aside from a few low-level Disciples responsible for cleaning, he did not sense that familiar and powerful cold aura.

"As expected, she has not come out of seclusion yet..." Xiao Ming muttered to himself, the corners of his lips curling into an expected arc. Based on his understanding of his Revered Master's temperament, if she had known of his return, she would have definitely sent a voice transmission or even appeared immediately.

He strolled into the empty main hall. The furnishings inside were just as they had been when he left, simple to the point of being almost empty, with only a few ancient pieces of furniture adorning the space, and the air was filled with a faint, cold fragrance that belonged solely to his Revered Master.

His gaze involuntarily turned toward the main seat in the hall—that was where his Revered Master handled daily affairs and occasionally rested. Memories surged into his heart like a tide, impossible to suppress.

He still remembered the first time he was intimate with his Revered Master on that jade seat, and those cries of shame, anger, and gnashing teeth as she called him "Wicked Disciple"; thinking of it even now made his heart heat up. Having not seen her for a few days, he really did miss his cold yet alluring Revered Master baby!

Right, the term "Wicked Disciple"... it seemed that recently, his Revered Master Luo Hongyi had also started calling him that! Thinking of this, Xiao Ming wore that signature wicked smile on his lips again. He wondered how her competition with the people of the Righteous Path had gone? Although his Revered Master's cultivation had already reached the Soul Transformation Stage, and her fate was an "anomaly" that even the System could not peer into, theoretically she should be fine, but he was always worried, and felt a vague sense of unease.

Thinking of this, a thought stirred in his mind, and he called out softly: "You Li."

As purple light swirled, a stunningly beautiful figure quietly appeared, standing silently before him, with silver hair and purple eyes, her peerless appearance even more captivating than before. Her gaze toward Xiao Ming still carried complete devotion and obedience, but deep within those pure purple pupils, there seemed to be a hint of something difficult to interpret—like fiery faith, or perhaps some deeper bond.

Xiao Ming felt somewhat uncomfortable being stared at by those direct eyes that seemed to pierce through his Soul, especially when her gaze inadvertently swept over a certain area, and he inexplicably felt a chill down below.

Xiao Ming's mouth twitched, and he was secretly horrified: 'My little female ghost, who was as pure as a blank sheet of white paper, is gone forever!'

He calmed his emotions, gave a light cough, and said seriously: "You Li, go and help me check on how my Revered Master Luo Hongyi is doing now, and whether her duel with the people from the Righteous Path went smoothly? Is she injured?"

Upon hearing this, You Li gave a soft "Oh," bowed slightly, and said in an ethereal voice: "Yes, Revered Master." Before the words had faded, she had transformed into a pale purple ghostly light, disappearing without a trace in an instant, as if she had never appeared at all.

Xiao Ming stood silently in the empty hall for another moment, calming his chaotic thoughts, before turning around and transforming into a stream of ghostly light, leaving Heartless Peak.

Xiao Ming transformed into a deep, dark stream of light, traveling through the swirling clouds between the various peaks of the Heavenly Demon Sect.

Just as he was about to approach Holy Son Peak— "Hum!"

A cold, viscous, giant black palm struck directly at his face. At first, it was as thin as a strand of hair, but in the blink of an eye, it expanded into a massive black-gray palm print that tore through the sky! Wherever the palm print passed, the air let out an unbearable wail, with the faint sounds of ghosts crying and wolves howling accompanying it, and a dense, sinister, deathly Qi spread out, making even the clouds below seem to hiss as they were eroded.

In a flash of lightning, Xiao Ming's pupils suddenly contracted, and the hair on his body stood on end! A tremendous sense of crisis, like a bucket of ice water poured over his head, made him instantly sober. There was no time to think about who the attacker was or why they were attacking him; the massive amount of Devouring Devilish Qi within Xiao Ming's body instinctively began to circulate frantically!

He let out a low roar, and the Devilish Qi and the blood energy from his Body Refining cultivation erupted without reservation, his arms crossing to fiercely block the blow! The fist and palm collided with a boom, and the terrifying energy shockwave exploded in a ring.

Xiao Ming let out a muffled groan, his figure staggering as he retreated dozens of zhang, his arms numb and his blood energy churning. Each step left shallow footprints on the hard stone surface before he could barely discharge that terrifying force. Although his reaction had been extremely fast and his devouring power sufficiently overbearing, the gap between the Nascent Soul Stage and the Soul Transformation Stage, especially given the opponent's long-prepared sneak attack, still caused him to suffer a secret loss.

"Tsk tsk, not a slow reaction, Holy Son Xiao. I have long heard of your great name!" A sinister, slightly hoarse, and mocking voice came. The figure of an old man, dressed in gray robes with a gaunt and sinister face, slowly emerged. His body was surrounded by a faint gray mist, and a pair of triangular eyes stared at Xiao Ming like a venomous snake; judging by his attire, he was an Elder within the Heavenly Demon Sect.

Xiao Ming steadied himself, flicked his sleeves, and with cold eyes, said indifferently: "Who gave you the courage to attack this Saint?" His thoughts raced; he rarely participated in Sect disputes and had little interaction with the upper echelons of the Sect, let alone any grudges. Since the other party was ambushing him here, someone must be pulling the strings behind the scenes!

"Courage? Heh, the position of Saint should be held by those with virtue. You young brat, you only rely on the favor of the Vice Sect Master; what virtue or ability do you have to occupy this position? Today, I will test your mettle for the Sect!" The gaunt old man sneered, clearly not intending to waste words. Before his voice had finished, his figure vanished like a ghost. The next moment, countless gray, indistinguishable phantoms of bone claws attacked Xiao Ming from all directions, each one containing corrosive power and being extremely sinister.

"Old dog! You are courting death!" Xiao Ming laughed in extreme anger. How could he not understand? The man was just looking for an excuse to kill him, and the attacker was nine times out of ten from the faction opposing the Sect Master. A fierce look flashed in his eyes, and he no longer held back. The Devilish Qi within his body surged, and he raised his palm slightly. A terrifying aura of nirvana that annihilated everything suddenly condensed, and the surrounding light seemed to be sucked into it, becoming dim and lusterless! It was the Great Nirvana Soul Palm, which caused people in the Heavenly Demon Sect to change color at the mere mention of it!

With a low shout, he pushed his right palm forward violently. In an instant, the wind and clouds changed color! A massive palm, formed purely from deep darkness, appeared out of thin air. In the center of the palm, a vortex seemed to be swirling, devouring light and annihilating vitality. Wherever it passed, even space rippled slightly. Those incoming gray bone claw phantoms were like snow meeting the sun, melting and annihilating one after another, being devoured and extinguished before they could even get close to the palm!

This palm contained Xiao Ming's profound understanding of the power of devouring, and it also integrated the intent of nirvana he had comprehended, its power far exceeding the scope of what an ordinary Nascent Soul Cultivator could achieve!

"What!" For the first time, a look of panic appeared on the gaunt old man's consistently sinister face. He felt his Devilish Qi and even his Soul being faintly pulled by that dark palm, and a throbbing pain shot through his mind! This was definitely not an attack that an ordinary Nascent Soul Cultivator could unleash!

"Good, good, good! Worthy of being the Sect's Saint! This palm strike, I fear even a Peak Nascent Soul Stage powerhouse would suffer Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering!" The gaunt old man was, after all, a Soul Transformation Cultivator. Amidst his shock, he let out a sharp cry, not daring to be arrogant anymore. The gray Qi around his body surged, transforming into a giant shield engraved with countless painful faces, blocking in front of him. At the same time, he pointed a finger, and a highly condensed gray-red beam of light shot toward the center of the palm print.

"Boom—!!!" An even more violent explosion rang out, with the black and gray-red energies frantically eroding, colliding, and annihilating each other. The Great Nirvana Soul Palm ultimately shattered and dissipated under the gaunt old man's full-force finger strike. Fine cracks also appeared on the gaunt old man's giant shield, and his own blood energy churned. Although he did not retreat half a step, his gaze toward Xiao Ming was already full of apprehension and disbelief.

A Nascent Soul Cultivator was actually able to withstand the full-force strike of him, a Soul Transformation powerhouse, and even made him feel threatened! This child must not be allowed to live!

Xiao Ming took a deep breath and hurriedly swallowed a recovery Medicinal Pill. He had used powerful Cultivation Techniques one after another, and the final Great Nirvana Soul Palm in particular had consumed a massive amount of energy, causing the Devilish Qi in his body to suddenly empty by half.

The gaunt old man clearly saw that he could not afford the consumption, and the fierce light in his triangular eyes grew even stronger: "Heh heh, as expected, still too green! After a strong move comes the moment of your death!" He no longer gave Xiao Ming a chance to catch his breath. As his figure moved, he conjured three solid "Clones," and together with his real body, they pounced from four directions, their sinister killing intent firmly locking onto Xiao Ming, sealing all his retreat paths.

The pressure increased sharply! Xiao Ming was struggling to cope, relying on his exquisite movement techniques (Heavenly Demon Phantom and Magic Light Escape) and his devouring power to neutralize most of the attacks, but many sinister, baleful Qi forces still penetrated his defense, causing his blood energy to churn constantly. His clothes were slightly torn, and a few minor wounds appeared on his body. The situation took a sharp turn for the worse, and he fell completely into a disadvantage!

'Damn it! This old dog is not weak...' Xiao Ming pondered in his heart. While struggling to defend, he sank his consciousness into the System interface, preparing to exchange for something to resolve this crisis.

Suddenly, a thought, like a flash of lightning cutting through the darkness, suddenly illuminated his consciousness—he had to remember that the soul-containing jade did not just have You Li as a "tenant"! How could he have forgotten this?

Thinking of this, the corners of Xiao Ming's lips curled into an imperceptible arc. Taking advantage of the moment he hard-blocked a heavy blow from the gaunt old man and retreated using the force, he slowly brushed over the soul-containing jade on his chest and called out softly: "Meiying!"

As soon as the voice fell, the air beside him rippled with a pink wave that was hard to detect with the naked eye, and a sweet, bone-deep, yet impossible-to-ignore seductive aura quietly spread out. There was no earth-shattering momentum, but that invisible force, which seemed capable of stirring the most primal desires in the depths of one's heart, caused the gaunt old man, who was pressing forward step by step, to suddenly freeze, and for the first time, a look of suspicion and uncertainty appeared in his triangular eyes.