246: Chapter 246 Shocking the Seven Clouds Sect

When Li Yun was helped back to the Qixia Sect, there was still dried blood at the corner of his mouth, and half of his lapel was stained red.

Two Junior Brothers supported him from the left and right, stumbling as they crossed the threshold of the guest courtyard, startling the entire Qingyun Sect delegation.

The news struck like a thunderclap, instantly exploding over the Qixia Sect. Li Yun was injured!

A thirty-year-old Rank 6 Grandmaster and the strongest Prodigy of the Qingyun Sect had been ambushed on the official road at the foot of the Qixia Sect's mountain, nearly losing his life!

If this news were to spread, it would be a heaven-shattering affair.

The Grand Elder of the Qingyun Sect was furious on the spot.

He slammed his palm onto the bluestone table in front of him, shattering it into flying debris. The composed, pretentious expression on his old face was gone, replaced by uncontrollable rage and murderous intent.

He led a group of Qingyun Sect Disciples straight to the Qixia Sect Master's main hall, demanding an explanation from the Qixia Sect.

"The incident happened within your Qixia Sect's territory; you must give us an account!"

The Qixia Sect was also taken aback. When the Sect Master heard the news, the teacup in his hand dropped to the floor.

Li Yun was injured in the Qixia Sect. Regardless of who the perpetrator was, if handled poorly, this bucket of dirty water would be splashed onto the Qixia Sect—people in the world would say the Qixia Sect was afraid of losing and resorted to underhanded tactics. If that reputation spread, the Qixia Sect's thousand-year legacy would be destroyed in an instant.

The Sect Master did not dare to delay. He immediately invited Li Yun to the main hall, summoned all the Peak Masters and Elders, and questioned him in detail about the incident in front of the Qingyun Sect delegation.

Li Yun's face was pale, his breath weak, but he forced himself to recount the encounter—a young man with Rank 6 cultivation, capable of controlling hordes of Vicious Beasts, had ambushed him on the official road, struck him with a single palm, and then drifted away.

"Controlling Vicious Beasts?" The complexions of several Peak Masters from the Qixia Sect changed at the same time. Peak Master Su Hanyan stood up abruptly and blurted out, "The Demonic Sect! It's people from the Demonic Sect!" As soon as these words were spoken, everyone present gasped.

During the great war between the righteous and demonic factions two years ago, the Demonic Sect's most signature skill was controlling Vicious Beasts and driving beast tides to assault the Sect's defensive lines.

The Qixia Sect had killed many Demonic Sect experts in that war, forging a blood feud. With the war having just ended not long ago, it made perfect sense for the remnants of the Demonic Sect to come for revenge.

The expression of the Qingyun Sect's Grand Elder also changed. The Qingyun Sect had also played a major role in eradicating the Demonic Sect, and the Martial Kings Treasury had been snatched from the hands of the Demonic Sect.

If one were to ask who the Demonic Sect hated the most, the Qingyun Sect would definitely be at the top of the list. It was highly likely that the Demonic Sect had done this; they had sent a Rank 6 expert to ambush Li Yun on the road with the goal of cutting off the Qingyun Sect's promising Prodigy.

Fortunately, the opponent only injured Li Yun and did not deliver a lethal blow—perhaps they were wary of the Qingyun Sect's background, or perhaps they were scared off by the arriving Disciples.

Li Yun had not fallen; this was the greatest stroke of luck amidst the misfortune.

Both sides quickly arranged for Li Yun's treatment. The Qixia Sect brought out their best Medicinal Pill for healing, and the Qingyun Sect had their own accompanying Alchemist, so both sides conducted a joint consultation.

However, the diagnosis was not optimistic—the palm force was extremely tyrannical, directly injuring Li Yun's internal organs and damaging multiple Meridians. Although his life was not in danger, he could not recover in the short term and would need at least ten to fifteen days of rest. Never mind stepping into the Arena to compete; even circulating his Qi would be difficult.

When the news spread, Zixia Peak quietly breathed a sigh of relief. If Li Yun could not fight, the opposing side would have no Rank 6 Grandmaster presiding over the Sect duel. Everyone was back on the same starting line, and the Qixia Sect might not necessarily lose.

The gloom on Peak Master Su Hanyan's brow dispersed for the most part, and even her movements while drinking tea became a bit lighter. The Disciples of Zixia Peak also rekindled their hope, feeling that Senior Brother Lin Tian still had a chance.

However, the faces of those at Chixia Peak and Jinxia Peak were not looking good. The Chixia Peak Master sat in the meeting hall, his face gloomy, silent for a long time. The Jinxia Peak Master paced back and forth, his brows furrowed into a knot.

With Li Yun injured and unable to fight, who would represent the Qixia Sect became the most critical issue. If they still let Lin Tian go up, since Lin Tian had been the champion of the Seven Peaks Tournament and was now representing the Qixia Sect against the Qingyun Sect, if he were to win, he would be a hero who turned the tide, gaining worldwide fame, and Zixia Peak would rise in status along with him.

Previously, they had gloated, wanting to see Lin Tian make a fool of himself in front of the world, but now, not only would he not make a fool of himself, but he might even become famous.

No. Why should Zixia Peak monopolize such a great opportunity to make a name for oneself? The Chixia Peak Master and the Jinxia Peak Master conferred and immediately set off to find the Sect Master.

The Chixia Peak Master got straight to the point, saying that everyone had previously recommended Lin Tian to fight because he was the champion of the Seven Peaks Tournament and had the strongest strength.

But the situation was different now. The opposing Li Yun was injured and could not fight, so the Qingyun Sect would surely send a 5th Grade Peak Disciple. Since it was 5th Grade against 5th Grade, that meant Cao Yun and Senior Brother Wang Yidao were also qualified to fight.

These two were also at the 5th Grade Peak and had accumulated rich combat experience in the previous war; in terms of real combat power, they were not necessarily worse than Lin Tian.

Moreover, Lin Tian must have been badly frightened by his previous battle against Li Yun, and his state might not be well-adjusted, so it would be better to let Cao Yun or Senior Brother Wang Yidao go.

The Sect Master did not express his stance immediately after hearing this, only saying he would deliberate further.

On the other side, Lin Tian had also returned.

He returned to Zixia Peak quietly, changed out of his robe stained with mountain dew, and washed his face, only to hear the Disciples outside gossiping about the shocking news of Li Yun being ambushed by a mysterious person and the revenge of the Demonic Sect remnants.

He walked through the crowd with an unchanging expression, returned to his small courtyard, closed the door, and sat down on a stone bench. A gentle breeze blew through the old locust tree in the yard, and a few leaves swirled onto his shoulder. He gently brushed them off, feeling completely settled. The plan had succeeded.

Li Yun was injured and unable to fight in the short term, so the risk of exposing his cultivation in the spotlight of the Arena had been completely avoided.

However, just avoiding the risk was not enough; he had not wanted to go up from the very beginning. Now, he could use the momentum of Li Yun being ambushed by the Demonic Sect to extract himself as well. He organized his thoughts and got up to find Peak Master Su Hanyan.

The study was brightly lit with candles. Peak Master Su Hanyan was sitting behind the desk, reviewing documents sent from the various peaks, her face wearing a rare look of ease.

Seeing Lin Tian enter, she put down the documents and smiled, just about to speak of the good news regarding Li Yun's injury, but Lin Tian spoke first: "Master, I still do not wish to fight."

Peak Master Su Hanyan's smile paused, and her brows furrowed slightly. Without waiting for her to ask why, Lin Tian laid out his reasoning. He said that since the remnants of the Demonic Sect could ambush Li Yun at the foot of the mountain, it showed that their activities were currently rampant and they sought revenge without delay.

He had made such a great name for himself at the Seven Peaks Tournament, and this time he had been designated to represent the Qixia Sect in battle; his reputation was already too loud. If he were to show off again in front of the world, he feared he would be the next target the Demonic Sect set their sights on.

Li Yun was at least a Rank 6 Grandmaster and was still beaten into a serious injury; what could he, a 5th Grade Peak, use to defend himself?

After listening, Peak Master Su Hanyan's expression became solemn. This was indeed a problem; she had been too focused on being happy and hadn't thought of this aspect.

Although Lin Tian's words had a hint of shirking responsibility, upon careful consideration, every word made sense. The fact that the Demonic Sect could act right under the Qixia Sect's nose with such ruthless and decisive methods was enough to show that their remnants had not been cleared and their strength still remained.

Lin Tian was the Disciple she valued most; if he were truly targeted by the Demonic Sect, she would not be able to regret it in time.

"You are right." Peak Master Su Hanyan nodded slowly and sighed, "Being too dazzling is not a good thing, especially at this critical juncture." She pondered for a moment, slapped the table, and stood up, walking out in a hurry, "Fine, I will go tell the Sect Master. Since Li Yun cannot fight, it doesn't matter who is sent. Hasn't Cao Yun always wanted to go? Let him go."

When Peak Master Su Hanyan found the Sect Master, the Sect Master was being surrounded by the Chixia Peak Master and the Jinxia Peak Master in the meeting hall, with the two Peak Masters talking over each other, spitting as they spoke.

Peak Master Su Hanyan pushed the door open and entered, dropping a single sentence cleanly and decisively: "Lin Tian does not want to fight; he is worried about being targeted by the Demonic Sect. I agree. Let Cao Yun go."

The Sect Master was slightly taken aback, glanced at Peak Master Su Hanyan, then looked at the Chixia Peak Master who was waiting eagerly beside him, and after a moment of silence, nodded.

Just like that, the representative for the Sect duel was decided—Cao Yun of Chixia Peak would represent the Qixia Sect in battle against the Qingyun Sect.