Chapter 315: Junior Brother

After slaying the Woman in Red, Shen Yue did not stop. Even when the woman behind him turned into a palm-sized Red Spider, he did not look back.

The gurgling sounds in the mountain forest grew more numerous, as if a horde of beasts was gathering towards Shen Yue.

“What a nuisance.”

Shen Yue sighed softly, his right hand gripping the hilt of the sword at his waist.

“A Cultivator, coming from the east. A rare sight indeed.”

A cold, male voice rang out, echoing through the mountain forest, its source impossible to pinpoint.

Shen Yue did not stop walking. The other party had already set their sights on him; he couldn’t be bothered with words.

At that moment, a buzzing sound came from ahead. Shen Yue looked up to see countless Venomous Insects dispersing the thick fog, surging towards him.

Sword light flashed as Shen Yue directly drew his blade. Sword Qi erupted from the ground, forming a wall of air that blocked the countless Venomous Insects.

“Such exquisite Sword Qi. I’m even more interested in you now. A Sword Cultivator like you is qualified to become my Clone.”

That cold male voice sounded again, adding a chilling hue to the mountain forest.

As the words fell, a Black Figure appeared behind Shen Yue, closing in on him with ghostly speed.

Summer passed and autumn arrived. When autumn hues spread across the Taikun Mountain Range, Li Qingqiu was gathered with his Disciples on a mountaintop.

On the mountaintop stood a newly built Stone Pavilion. Inside, Xu Ning, Yuan Li, Zhao Zhen, Ji Ya, and Hu Yan sat around a Stone Table. All of Li Qingqiu’s Disciples were present except for Qin Ye.

Such opportunities for them to be together were rare, and every Disciple was in good spirits, including Xu Ning.

Their conversation revolved around Hu Yan, as he was the youngest, and with the Dharma Battle Assembly approaching, topics concerning him were the most plentiful.

Watching them converse happily, Li Qingqiu felt it was necessary to have his Disciples gather more often in the future to strengthen their bonds.

“Regarding first place, I really don’t have much confidence. There are too many geniuses within the School. All I can say is I’ll do my best,” Hu Yan said helplessly.

Recently, he had stopped Cultivating to absorb Qi, spending his time on Spells to improve his combat ability.

Zhao Zhen and Ji Ya placed great importance on his chances of winning first place and were also instructing him.

The winners of the first two Dharma Battle Assemblies were both taught by Li Qingqiu. Even though he never explicitly said it, his Disciples regarded winning the Dharma Battle Assembly as an honor for the Sect Leader’s faction.

Xu Ning looked at Hu Yan and said, “You must be full of confidence. Even if you truly lose, it doesn’t matter, but Aura is most important. If even you don’t trust yourself, you’ve already lost half the battle before it even begins.”

Facing her gaze, Hu Yan felt the greatest pressure.

This Senior Sister’s oppressive presence was too strong, making him feel as if he were facing a high-ranking member of the School.

He took a deep breath and said seriously, “Senior Sister, you are right. I will adjust my mindset. I have already received treatment far surpassing that of other Disciples. If I lack confidence, I would be unworthy of Master and the School’s nurturing.”

Hearing this, Xu Ning finally showed a satisfied smile.

Zhao Zhen laughed, “Exactly, you must at least show the Aura of the Sect Leader’s Disciple.”

Usually, he rarely laughed like this. Only in front of close ones would he revert to his true nature.

Ji Ya encouraged, “The Vast Righteous Qi within you is no simple matter. Relying on it alone, no one can be your match.”

Yuan Li nodded. Since his hair turned white, he appeared very mature; one might mistakenly think he was the Master.

After Awakening the Indestructible Hegemon Body, his senses became exceptionally sharp. He could feel that the Vast Righteous Qi within Hu Yan was truly extraordinary.

His intuition told him that Hu Yan’s potential might indeed surpass the others.

However, when he looked at Xu Ning, he sensed a heavenly might within her, startling him inwardly. As for Ji Ya, the feeling he gave was an unfathomable, bottomless abyss.

Looking at Zhao Zhen again, there was an inexplicable Aura about him that Yuan Li couldn’t comprehend.

Each of his Senior and Junior Brothers, taken individually, gave Yuan Li the feeling of limitless potential.

Most crucially, he could sense the traits they possessed from their Master.

Faced with the encouragement from his Senior Brothers, Hu Yan naturally accepted it, growing more confident the more they spoke.

After chatting for a while, Hu Yan felt a bit overwhelmed. He looked at Li Qingqiu and asked, “By the way, Master, when will Junior Brother be able to come to the Qingxiao Sect?”

Hearing him mention Junior Brother, the others also became interested, turning their gazes to Li Qingqiu.

Li Qingqiu replied, “I’m not sure either. He is too far from the Qingxiao Sect. Whether he can even find it is an unknown matter.”

Yuan Li asked curiously, “Master, did you truly receive a dream from an Immortal, dreaming of him?”

The legend of Li Qingqiu receiving guidance from an Immortal in a dream had long been circulating. They used to believe it, but as their Cultivation grew higher, they began to doubt.

“Dreams are a very mysterious thing. I did indeed dream of having a connection with him,” Li Qingqiu said, feigning profound mystery.

Xu Ning asked, “In your dream, what kind of talent did this Junior Brother possess?”

Li Qingqiu revealed a smile and said, “His talent will overturn the understanding of everyone in the Qingxiao Sect.”

As he spoke, his gaze fell upon Yuan Li, causing Yuan Li’s heart to tremble.

Although his Cultivation was only at the Nourishing Origin Realm Eighth Layer, Yuan Li knew he was very strong. Within the School, only his Master could match him. With such confidence, his mindset naturally changed, but he could suppress it and not show it.

If anyone else had said these words, Yuan Li might have doubted, but since these words came from his Master’s mouth, he truly believed them.

Junior Brother’s talent was even higher than his!

Yuan Li felt pressure and fighting spirit. He didn’t want to be surpassed again; he wanted to be the one others were always chasing.

The others were also shocked upon hearing this. For Master to give such high praise, how terrifying must this Junior Brother’s talent be?

Xu Ning looked at her Master and said, “Master, don’t worry. Elder Shen’s work is trustworthy. He will definitely bring Junior Brother.”

The other Disciples nodded in agreement, thinking Li Qingqiu was worried about not finding Junior Brother.

In truth, Li Qingqiu wasn’t just worried about Yin Jingxing; he was also worried about Shen Yue.

Shen Yue had been gone for over half a year. Recently, every time Li Qingqiu thought about it, he felt some regret, always feeling it was too presumptuous to let Shen Yue go alone.

That was the Western Border Dangerous Land, hiding demons and ghosts, and possibly encountering other Cultivators. Could Shen Yue truly return safely?

Although Shen Yue didn’t have the rich Cultivation foundation of Wei Tianxiong, and his strength couldn’t be considered top-tier, Li Qingqiu had long regarded him as a trusted confidant.

Li Qingqiu even felt Shen Yue was more useful than Jiang Zhaoxia or Xu Ning. Losing such a person would be a tremendous loss.

However, he also had an intuition that perhaps Shen Yue could bring him a pleasant surprise.

“Yes, Elder Shen is indeed reliable. Previously, when he was investigating Demonic Beasts alone, he was surrounded by a group of monsters. He stubbornly didn’t call for help, fought his way out, and thwarted a plot by the monsters against the Qingxiao Sect,” Zhao Zhen nodded.

He was referring to the calamity during Yuan Li’s Awakening. Yuan Li shone brightly during that ordeal, but in truth, many others contributed as well—Shen Yue, Zhao Zhen, Xu Ning, and Ji Ya were all among them.

Li Qingqiu smiled and said, “He is indeed reliable. You all must learn from him. You are my Disciples; you will inevitably shoulder more responsibilities in the future. When the School faces trouble, you must also charge at the forefront.”

All the Disciples nodded. They felt no pressure; instead, they looked forward to sharing the School’s burdens.

Afterwards, Li Qingqiu began inquiring one by one about their difficulties in Cultivation. Regarding this, the Disciples held nothing back.

Yuan Li was surprised to find that Li Qingqiu could actually instruct him on his physical strength and control over the power of heaven and earth.

He realized he couldn’t even see through the strength of his Master’s Qi.

He suddenly felt a strong curiosity about his Master’s strength and even wanted to spar with him.

After discussing Cultivation matters, Li Qingqiu told them about Ziyang Island and the Spirit Sea, letting his Disciples understand what kind of Cultivation environment the Qingxiao Sect was facing.

In a dim prison cell, Yan Qing had recovered some strength. He struggled to get up and sat leaning against the wall.

Following his gaze, outside the cell door was a long, dark corridor. Cells lined both sides, resembling a path leading to the Nine Netherworlds, with demons and monsters lurking along the way.

“Almost three years… how much longer must I endure————”

Yan Qing’s eyes flickered, thinking despairingly to himself.

He had even considered death, but the Qingxiao Sect wouldn’t let him die. If his Origin Qi were still present, he could self-destruct and perish. Unfortunately, he could do nothing now. Even if he bit his tongue, He Jinshu had ways to heal him.

This endless existence was driving him to the brink of collapse.

He even thought about whether he should beg for mercy.

—

“Mountain Monkey————”

Yan Qing spoke, his voice hoarse as if scraped by a blade.

However, the usually noisy Black Fiend Demon Monkey did not respond this time. Thinking the other hadn’t heard, he called out again, but still received no response.

Yan Qing looked up, his eyes changing. There was simply no Black Fiend Demon Monkey in the adjacent cell.

His heart jolted, and he instinctively tried to stand, but the tearing pain throughout his body contorted his face.

At that moment, a figure emerged from the darkness at the end of the corridor. Footsteps echoed down the hallway, like the steps of a ghost or deity, making Yan Qing extremely tense.

“No need to be nervous. This is my Spell. You and I are currently in an illusion, it’s just that this illusion is too realistic.”

A voice came. Yan Qing hadn’t heard this voice before, proving this person hadn’t appeared before him previously.

He focused his gaze and saw that although the person wore the Qingxiao Sect’s Disciple Robes, their face was concealed by a Theatrical Mask, shrouded in mystery.

“Who are you? What do you want?” Yan Qing asked through gritted teeth.

“Who I am cannot be told for now, otherwise you won’t be able to escape.”

“You want to save me?”

“To be precise, it’s to befriend the Spirit Sea. I need to go to a larger School.”

The other’s answer eased the wariness in Yan Qing’s heart. If the other had directly said they wanted to save him, he would have been suspicious.

“What? Has the Qingxiao Sect treated you poorly?” Yan Qing asked mockingly.

“No, they’ve treated me very well, even gave me a home. But the Qingxiao Sect isn’t big enough, not enough to realize my ambitions. Nor will I help you harm the Qingxiao Sect. I am only responsible for rescuing you, so you can take me to join the Spirit Sea.”

The Masked Disciple’s tone was very calm, as if devoid of any emotion.

Yan Qing asked sarcastically, “Aren’t you afraid that once we go to the Spirit Sea, I might kill you?”

“I have a way to ensure the Spirit Sea forbids you from killing me.”

The Masked Disciple’s answer made Yan Qing frown.