The mortal body that hadn’t fully transformed shattered under the relentless attack, blood gushing out like a burst tomato, rushing out of the broken shell. Red, a vast expanse of red, so vivid that even He Zhibai’s breath hitched.
Instinctively, Lian Chaoxi turned his face to look at Lou Shuangzui. He didn’t pay attention to Wen Weili, who was lying on the ground, his breath weakening, starting to say something weakly. Instead, he took a few steps to Lou Shuangzui’s side and covered his eyes.
“Master Brother, how can you do this in front of a child…” Lian Chaoxi’s tone was full of reproach, holding his little disciple tightly in his arms, his face full of heartache.
Wen Shunian: “…”
He originally intended to check on He Zhibai’s condition, but Lian Chaoxi’s action left him stunned. He turned around curiously to look at the boy obediently being protected by his master, and couldn’t help but click his tongue.
—Such a pretender, this brat wasn’t acting like this when I first found him.
Lou Shuangzui guessed right; Wen Shunian had been nearby all along, not just because there were only three mountains left to search, but because when He Zhibai was captured by Wen Weili, a disciple from the Magic Peak saw it, so he knew early on who was behind it.
Wen Shunian had been waiting for the right moment to act. He only had this one disciple, so he had left a backup on He Zhibai. Wen Weili couldn’t kill He Zhibai, not even He Zhibai himself knew this. The reason he didn’t snatch He Zhibai back immediately was just to see what else Wen Weili might do.
The remaining three peaks, Sword Peak was left alone because He Zhibai was captured after seeing the sneaky Wen Weili at the foot of Sword Peak. Wen Shunian wanted to know what Wen Weili was up to, and Magic Peak was deliberately left to cover for Sword Peak, to prevent Wen Weili from realizing the exposure and doing something even more irreversible.
Wen Shunian wasn’t like Lian Chaoxi with a saintly character, or rather, those who could be sent to the position of Sect Leader wouldn’t be like most immortals with a bright and clear demeanor. Just look at that fox formed from a primordial spirit; a righteous Sect Leader’s primordial spirit couldn’t condense into a fox.
He didn’t comment much on the past events, not even blaming Wen Weili, because he didn’t care. In fact, Wen Shunian had long been prepared to send Wen Weili to hell if he overstepped again.
Such an unstable factor shouldn’t remain in Chen Yue Sect.
The only unexpected element in this matter was Lou Shuangzui.
Wen Shunian was quite surprised when Lou Shuangzui found him. Just a Foundation Establishment disciple, even though Wen Weili was only at the Golden Core stage and was about to go berserk, losing his mind, so he didn’t put much effort into hiding his presence. But to be found, or rather for Lou Shuangzui to find him, was truly surprising.
The black-haired first disciple of Sword Peak was like an unsheathed sword. Standing in front of Wen Shunian, the lingering beauty of his features became a weapon, tightening the throat, suffocating.
“Master Uncle, you really are here…” Lou Shuangzui’s lips curled without a trace of warmth. “Do you want to watch the show here a bit longer? I can accompany you.”
The boy’s voice could even be described as gentle, but saying such words gently wasn’t gentle at all; instead, it brought a chilling fear.
In fact, from the first day Lou Shuangzui returned, Wen Shunian had a vague premonition that this child would most likely be the next Sect Leader. But Lou Shuangzui was only thirteen, so he didn’t pay much attention until this moment. He suddenly realized that Lian Chaoxi had brought back a venomous snake, one that, even in its youth, had venom potent enough to be deadly.
A born predator.
Wen Shunian looked at Lou Shuangzui with a probing gaze, unable to help but show a hint of admiration. “I didn’t expect the most upright and kind-hearted Junior Brother Lian to have such a first disciple destined for him.”
“Perhaps it’s precisely because it’s needed this way? After all, a shining treasure should be guarded by a dragon,” Lou Shuangzui shrugged, quickly changing the topic. To be honest, he had thought about pretending to be pure and innocent, like most of his fellow disciples, but he couldn’t do it.
He was born aggressive, with ambition, yearning for power. Even knowing that these traits would become a burden for a future immortal, he couldn’t let go, at least not until he was strong enough to abandon these things and still live well.
“Master Uncle, I don’t know what you came here to see, but… Uncle Wen won’t find anything.”
He was hinting, though it sounded more like a clear statement. Wen Shunian almost immediately connected it to the rumor or rather the intelligence, which said that those troublesome outer disciples from Transformation Peak had disappeared. Coupled with Wen Weili’s sneaky behavior around Sword Peak…
The Sect Leader’s mind worked quickly, his hand unconsciously moved as if to grasp something. “Did you make Liu Qing and those people disappear? What did Wen Weili want them to do on Sword Peak?”
Lou Shuangzui smiled innocently, but those eyes, flowing with a toxic torrent, betrayed his true thoughts. He chuckled softly, “Master Uncle, don’t say such things. They were just too tired and fell asleep in the cave on Magic Peak on their way back. As for the purpose… I left many Recording Stones on the mountain; maybe checking them will yield answers.”
Wen Shunian was amazed. He crossed his arms and glanced at Lou Shuangzui. “So confident you won’t be exposed?”
“I believe Senior Brother Liu will tell the truth,” the boy still didn’t admit it. He raised an eyebrow, the smile on his face deepening. “After all, Elder Wen is about to be caught; no one can threaten him anymore, right?”
With Wen Weili dead, those outer disciples who usually relied on the Peak Master’s indulgence and acted arrogantly would be left without support. Wu Si was a smart person; he would persuade his companions not to offend Sword Peak at this time, especially since they still had poison threatening their lives.
Life or pride? Lou Shuangzui believed they would make the choice he wanted to see.
Wen Shunian looked at Lou Shuangzui and suddenly chuckled. At this moment, looking into the Sect Leader’s eyes, one would find that the scrutiny in those pink eyes had long been replaced by approval.
He wasn’t blinded; Lou Shuangzui was right. Treasures are always guarded by dragons. Chen Yue is a treasure, and so are the people of Chen Yue Sect. However, most immortals have good personalities, perhaps because the Heavenly Dao favors pure and steadfast souls, but such people often can’t guard the foundation well. So, every generation of Sect Leaders always seeks out those “outliers.”
Wen Shunian was one, and so was Lou Shuangzui.
Perhaps, Wen Shunian could be luckier than the previous Sect Leader and cultivate his successor earlier.
“One last question, how did you know Wen Weili and your Senior Brother He would come up the mountain at this time, and how could you precisely find this place?” The fox-like Sect Leader’s eyes curved, but the questions he asked were increasingly sharp.
Lou Shuangzui glanced at him, his eyes lingering on that pink hair for a moment, then quickly made a decision. He swiftly raised his hand and patted the trunk of the banyan tree beside him—
The protective formation of the peak lit up instantly; this was clearly a pillar point of the formation.
The glowing patterns that appeared could only show part of the formation, but Lou Shuangzui, after all, had only self-studied for a while. His formation relied entirely on talent and wasn’t yet perfect. Wen Shunian, after watching for about a minute, had already noticed those subtle inconsistencies.
And Lou Shuangzui kindly took the initiative to explain, “Here, is the flaw left by Uncle Wen’s people, and here—” he pointed to the part he added, “this is my countermeasure. Anyone who uses the loophole to trespass Sword Peak will be marked.”
Wen Shunian wasn’t counted; he was the Sect Leader, and almost all the peaks’ formations regarded Wen Shunian as one of their own. Even before the loophole, there would be no warning.
The beautiful Sect Leader’s eyes filled with a hazy smile. He looked at the formation in front of him, as if through the dazzling light of the formation, he was looking at Lou Shuangzui. His lips curled slightly.
—Easily countering Senior Brothers five or six decades older, and those traps and preparations, one after another.
The position of Sect Leader truly has successors.
So Wen Shunian didn’t make any comment on Lou Shuangzui’s actions. He just remained silent for a while, then reached out and patted the boy’s shoulder. “Alright, it’s about time. Let’s go save your Senior Brother He.”
They weren’t far from the tree cave, so they quickly crossed the quiet forest and perfectly timed it to prevent Wen Weili from launching that attack.
Then came Lian Chaoxi’s reproach to Wen Shunian for killing in front of his disciple. Seeing his Junior Brother’s genuine and sincere heartache, Wen Shunian couldn’t help but twitch his mouth, thinking, you really treat him like a little kitten.
The Sect Leader Brother rubbed his temples in frustration. “Why did you come out of seclusion so quickly this time? Did something go wrong in your cultivation, or…” He glanced at Wen Weili, whose breath had weakened to just a single gasp.
“It couldn’t be that he broke into your formation, right?”
Although Wen Weili was deranged, he was still aware of his Senior Brother’s strength, so he didn’t trespass into the seclusion cave. He broke into Lou Shuangzui’s room.
“I only have this one disciple. Even if I have more in the future, Shuangzui will always be my first disciple. How could I not leave any backup? So I left a formation in the Peak Master’s Hall, which is connected to Shuangzui’s residence. As soon as an outsider breaks in, I will notice.”
Lian Chaoxi had checked Lou Shuangzui and didn’t see any signs of injury, so he breathed a sigh of relief. “Several people broke in a day ago, but their aura was weak, and Shuangzui returned quickly, so I didn’t come out of seclusion. I just planned to deal with it later, but tonight was different. I sensed Junior Brother’s aura.”
As he spoke, the Sword Master tapped Lou Shuangzui’s forehead with his free hand. “Why didn’t you call me for such a big matter? What if you got hurt?”
Author’s Note:
Sect Leader: “Ah, right, right, your disciple is the most innocent.” (Rolls eyes)