“You can just go and die too, you bastard!”
The arrogance on Chen Ling’er’s face shattered in an instant.
The blow sent her spinning backward like a top before she slammed headfirst into a pillar.
For someone as special as her, Zhou Tong had reserved a special measure of force!
“Pfft!”
The Little Vixen couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing.
She was thoroughly pleased with Zhou Tong’s performance.
And she wasn’t the only one — everyone around them couldn’t help laughing as well.
Chen Ling’er finally collected herself, her face a picture of disbelief.
At that moment she was so humiliated she could have died on the spot.
The old Zhou Tong would never have put her in such an awkward position.
“You actually dared to hit me!
Not even my own father has ever raised a hand against me!”
“Then you should be thanking me — I’ve made up for the fatherly love you’ve been missing!”
At that, everyone burst into laughter again, and none laughed more wantonly than the Little Vixen.
Chen Ling’er glared at her with venomous hatred, but the Little Vixen simply looped her arm through Zhou Tong’s and shot her a triumphant look in return.
“Let go of him!
I’m going to teach him a proper lesson today!”
Chen Ling’er suddenly lost her composure, as if something of hers had been snatched away.
Even Mo Liusu was affected, her chest rising and falling slightly as she looked ready to strike at any moment.
“Senior Brother, don’t you think you’ve gone a bit too far?”
Tang Qi stood in resplendent robes that only set off his handsome, extraordinary bearing, drawing every eye in the vicinity.
The moment he opened his mouth, countless female disciples turned to look at him.
“Wow, is that the Tang Qi who’s been making such a name for himself lately?
A fine figure of a man, indeed.
I hear his talent is second only to Zhou Tong’s — though who knows if there’s any truth to it.”
“That’s ancient history by now.
Zhou Tong is nothing but a cripple these days — he’s not fit to be mentioned in the same breath as Tang Qi!”
“Of course not.
Otherwise, how could True One Mo have taken him on as a personal disciple?
Zhou Tong spent more than a decade at the True One’s side and never earned such a privilege!”
Hearing these remarks, Tang Qi couldn’t help lifting his chin and striking a lofty pose.
Mo Liusu, meanwhile, kept her eyes fixed on Zhou Tong’s expression, searching for any sign of change.
But Zhou Tong didn’t care in the slightest.
His gaze bored into Tang Qi like a sword.
“A piece of trash like you dares to call me Senior Brother? This story is hosted at g.com.
Utterly shameless!
Let everyone hear this clearly — I, Zhou Tong, cut all ties with the Yuqing Sect long ago.
In this life, I will never go back!
Even if I one day turn into a handful of dust or a wisp of duckweed, it will never come to rest on the soil of Xuanhuang Mountain — unless the Yuqing Sect itself has already been ground to ash by then!”
The words, the vow, rang out like a thunderclap, seeming to carry the grand resonance of the Great Dao, and they spoke volumes of Zhou Tong’s resolve.
Yet before the words had even faded, Zhou Tong felt his arm tighten.
The Little Vixen’s eyes sparkled as she nestled up beside him.
“Don’t say such foolish things.
As long as I’m alive, as long as Master is alive, there will always be someone who holds you first in their heart.
You won’t be alone — and you certainly won’t become a wisp of duckweed!”
At those words, Zhou Tong found himself at a loss for words, and his eyes grew faintly moist.
There was no denying it — this woman had touched the softest place in his heart.
“Vixen…
your charm arts have actually reached such a level that you dare to shake my resolve!”
Even as he said it, he reached out and wrapped an arm around the Little Vixen’s slender waist.
The sight made more than a few people’s eyes burn with envy.
A heavenly fairy for his match, an immortal couple — wasn’t this exactly that picture?
What if she was a vixen?
What if he was a cripple?
At this very moment, at least, they were worth everyone’s envy.
Tang Qi was going mad with jealousy, staring at the Little Vixen without blinking, wishing he could swallow her whole.
Such peerless beauty, with an allure as natural as it was fatal — she surpassed even his five senior sisters.
If he could get his hands on her, wouldn’t that be the death of him?
“Hmph!
Carrying on so shamelessly in broad daylight — you have no sense of decency at all!”
Chen Ling’er said coldly, and Mo Liusu’s tone was just as frosty: “Sit wherever you like.
The disciple-initiation ceremony is about to begin — do be sure to watch it properly!”
With that, she turned and left, ascending the high platform step by step.
“You’ve disappointed me terribly!”
Chen Ling’er flung one last remark over her shoulder and hurried after her.
“Ling’er…
do you think that wayward disciple has truly made up his mind?”
Mo Liusu asked in a low voice.
“Master, you worry too much.
I’ve seen right through him!”
“Oh? Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
Do tell.”
Mo Liusu said with great interest.
“Master, think about it.
If he had truly joined the Hehuan Sect, he would be calling You Cangyue Senior Sister.
But instead, he called her…”
“A vixen!”
Mo Liusu’s eyes lit up and her heart settled at once.
To her mind, there was no question that it was a term of contempt.
“So you’re saying that wretch still wants to come back — he’s just putting on an especially convincing act this time?”
“He’s only toughing it out.
Let’s see how long he can hold up!”
Chen Ling’er said with disdain, already plotting in her mind just how she would punish Zhou Tong.
“I’ve made up my mind,” Mo Liusu said excitedly.
“At today’s ceremony, I’ll mobilize the full strength of the sect.
I’m going to draw the gaze of the Way of Heaven down upon your Junior Brother and help him rise to the heavens in a single step!”
She would do it right in front of Zhou Tong, letting him see exactly how she doted on Tang Qi — so he would know that the very thing he dreamed of, she could casually bestow upon anyone else.
Once he saw that, she refused to believe Zhou Tong could keep up his act any longer!
Zhou Tong and his companion found a secluded spot to sit.
No one was willing to come near them of their own accord, leaving a wide empty space around the two.
The sun climbed to its zenith, bathing the land in light, when a clear, bright voice rang out across the sky.
“The auspicious hour has arrived — open the altar and commence the rite!”
All eyes turned to the high platform at once.
It rose in nine tiers straight into the clouds, and on every tier stood nine disciples gripping sharp swords, their expressions solemn and grave, each one exuding a fierce sword aura.
“This setup…
could it be that they intend to draw the gaze of the Way of Heaven?”
At that, everyone’s eyes went wide, and the genius disciples of the other sects could hardly believe it.
The Yuqing Sect truly spared no expense — going this far for a single disciple.
They really meant to elevate him to the number one of the younger generation!
At that thought, quite a few people turned to look at Zhou Tong at the same time.
Zhou Tong’s eyelid twitched.
This Heaven-summoning rite consumed a tremendous amount of resources — not only countless treasures, but also the activation of eighty-one sub-formations and one main formation.
The Yuqing Sect had once held a sword rite for Chen Ling’er, helping her become the foremost sword cultivator of her generation.
And the one who had inscribed those formations back then was Zhou Tong himself.
The reason was simple: though each formation was not especially high-ranked, they were extremely complex, and since they touched upon the Way of Heaven, ordinary formation masters dared not even attempt them, for fear of suffering backlash.
That task could only be handled by a Zhou Tong who, at the time, was free of distracting thoughts and firm of spirit.
Moreover, the conditions for preserving the Heaven-summoning formations were extremely demanding — they had to be discarded after a single use.
To reuse them would spell disaster!