Chapter 30: I Did Nothing Wrong, and I'd Dare Do It Again

A dozen disciples from the Scarlet Flame Sect were utterly routed by a single Earth-Armored Boar. Though they were all seething with humiliation, none dared resist further—for the moment they so much as twitched, the enraged beast would gleefully stomp over to trample them again.

All of them lay flat on the ground, motionless.

Once again victorious, the Earth-Armored Boar snorted contentedly and returned to its cave, soon snoring away in deep slumber. As one of the oddest demon beasts in existence, its cultivation method was simple: eat, sleep, and repeat, letting time itself refine its power. So long as no one disturbed its rest, it bore no grudges.

Meanwhile, in the dense forest, Azure Creek and Nie Yu, along with their companions, could no longer hold back their laughter at the spectacle. Still, they didn't forget their purpose. With deft flicks, they cast spirit threads from the shadows, swiftly binding the terrified Scarlet Flame disciples and dragging them into the depths of the woods.

As the forest seemed to swallow them whole, the disciples felt their hair stand on end.

A hundred meters from the cave, in a clearing, all the Scarlet Flame disciples were bound fast by spirit threads, unable to move. They glared furiously at the four masked figures—Azure Creek and his group—the pent-up rage in their hearts threatening to burst forth. They were on the verge of cursing aloud, but the realization that they had been so thoroughly defeated, rendered helpless and at the mercy of their captors, made them grit their teeth in silence.

Both sides stared at each other, wide-eyed. The silence was so profound, one could hear a pin drop.

“Senior Brother, what shall we do next?” Azure Creek, voice muffled behind his mask, whispered to Nie Yu.

Nie Yu surveyed the bruised and battered disciples of the Scarlet Flame Sect, feeling a wave of satisfaction. “They’ve been thoroughly subdued, but we should interrogate them, just in case there are others lurking about.”

With that, Nie Yu fixed a fierce glare on Yan Ming, the leader of the Scarlet Flame group, and barked in a menacing tone, “How dare you try to snatch the spirit herbs that rightfully belong to our Spirit Origin Sect! You disciples of the Scarlet Flame are brazen indeed. Speak! Are there any more of your lot nearby?”

Yan Ming clenched his jaw, glaring back at Nie Yu in sullen silence.

He could sense that the strongest among Nie Yu’s group was at most at the twenty-second level of Qi Refinement, with the weakest, Azure Creek, only at the fifteenth level. In numbers and in cultivation, the Scarlet Flame disciples should have held every advantage. If not for being ambushed, how could they have ended up in such sorry straits? Each time he considered this, Yan Ming could only shut his eyes in frustration, refusing to answer.

“Hmph! If heaven’s treasures go to the worthy, and you Spirit Origin disciples can’t protect them, why shouldn’t we take them?” A sharp-faced youth, only at the sixteenth level of Qi Refinement, glared at Nie Yu, eyes blazing with anger.

“Well then, who’s the worthy one, and who’s the failure now?” Nie Yu pinched the youth’s cheek, his eyes shining with pride. Never before had he imagined he could take down a group of Scarlet Flame disciples, but after following Azure Creek’s plan, everything had fallen neatly into place. Against the odds, they had claimed victory with ease.

The sharp-faced youth spat, “Despicable tricks! Shameless! I warn you, you’ve made a grave mistake by attacking us. My brother will be here soon, and then you’ll be begging for mercy—”

Before he could finish, Nie Yu’s fist shot out, knocking him unconscious.

“That’s enough out of you. This is our Spirit Origin Sect’s show now. Don’t steal our thunder, understood?” Nie Yu grinned smugly. “Besides, we’ve done nothing wrong by laying hands on you Scarlet Flame disciples. In fact, I’d do it again without hesitation.”

“You… You’ve got some nerve!”

The Scarlet Flame disciples were beside themselves with rage. If only they’d had the strength, they’d have ganged up on Nie Yu in a heartbeat.

Nie Yu paid their threats no heed. With a backward sweep of his hand, he knocked each of them out in turn.

With that, the group departed, leaving the bound Scarlet Flame disciples behind to fend for themselves.

That day, Azure Creek and his companions played the role of the mantis stalked by the oriole, reaping not only a large sack of spirit herbs but also demon beast materials from the Scarlet Flame disciples—altogether worth over two hundred contribution points by rough estimate.

But before they could get far, a young man in flowing robes blocked their path. Sword in arms, he stood in the middle of the road, his gaze cool and detached.

Azure Creek swept his eyes over him, reading the details:

[Race: Human]
[Name: Li Xingyao]
[Spirit Root: Spiritual Grade]
[Cultivation: Qi Refinement, Great Perfection]
[Note: One of the top ten inner disciples of the Scarlet Flame Sect, renowned for his exquisite swordsmanship and fierce sword energy. Though he has yet to grasp sword intent, he is still a formidable figure among those at the peak of Qi Refinement. He is the elder brother of Li Xingchen and is fiercely protective of his kin.]

Having read this, Azure Creek’s expression grew odd, an uneasy feeling creeping into his heart.

Nie Yu, Tang Hai, and Tang Jiang might not know who Li Xingchen was, but Azure Creek remembered. That sharp-faced youth who had threatened Nie Yu, the one at the sixteenth level of Qi Refinement—his name was Li Xingchen.

And now, before them stood Li Xingyao, his elder brother.

“Could it really be such a coincidence?” Azure Creek felt a sense of impending danger.

Li Xingyao’s eyes crinkled in a faint smile as he studied the masked group, but his presence sent a chill down their spines rather than warmth.

A cultivator at the Great Perfection of Qi Refinement could serve as an outer sect elder in the Spirit Origin Sect. Recalling the system’s appraisal of Li Xingyao, Azure Creek managed a calm facade, though his heart was pounding. Here was a genius with a spiritual-grade spirit root, a master at the peak of Qi Refinement, someone strong enough to crush even Elder Tu Yongsheng of the Spirit Origin Sect’s outer sect. And that superior-grade spirit sword at his side radiated a deadly sharpness that made Azure Creek’s scalp tingle.

Nie Yu, Tang Hai, and Tang Jiang all turned pale.

Li Xingyao wore not the inner disciple robes of his sect, but a flowing white long robe that lent him an ethereal air. Yet the identity token at his waist marked him unmistakably as a Scarlet Flame disciple.

“So, Spirit Origin’s inner and outer disciples, hiding behind masks—what misdeeds have you committed?” Li Xingyao’s voice was gentle, but his gaze as sharp as a drawn sword, ready to strike at any moment.

“Misdeeds?” Nie Yu replied, “Impossible! I never do anything questionable.” As the leader, he stepped forth, shaking his head to deflect the question. He might not know Li Xingyao, but he could feel the unmistakable hostility from him.

Li Xingyao gave a soft "oh," then asked with interest, “Very well. I have only one question. Have you seen the person in this portrait?”

With a flick of his finger, light flared, and an extraordinarily lifelike portrait unfurled before them.

Nie Yu stared at the face depicted, feeling a flicker of recognition. Wasn’t that someone he’d beaten up just recently?

Azure Creek’s mouth twitched. “Li Xingyao actually carries a portrait of his little brother Li Xingchen everywhere he goes. What a character… But that’s beside the point. The real issue is, what now? I need a solution—fast!”