The three elders in purple robes showed no fear of Lu Kangnian. The elder at the head of the group narrowed his eyes, and the air around him instantly grew more oppressive. He released his aura without restraint—he was at the late Nascent Soul Realm!
Lu Kangnian stepped forward, silently drawing the brunt of the pressure onto himself. His expression didn’t change, but with each step, the power of his aura surged. By the time he stood just three chi away from them, the strength radiating from him had completely suppressed the three elders of the Purple Sun Pavilion.
Lu Kangnian had reached the peak of the Nascent Soul Realm.
His cold glare swept across the three people. “With power like yours, you still dare show off in front of me? Where did you get the nerve?”
A powerful aura shot out from the sect’s eight main peaks. Apart from Qin Xian and the other elder already in the sky, all the peak masters had left their closed-door seclusion. The pressure from the Nascent Soul Realm cultivators filled the sky, causing wind to howl and thunder to crash.
Ten Nascent Soul Realm cultivators stood in an arc in the sky, surrounding the three purple-robed elders.
Li Guanqi clenched his fists. He could guess why those elders were here.
Lu Kangnian’s eyes narrowed. “Yu Chang, I’ve always called you Old Yu out of respect for your age. But have you forgotten who you are? You’re just an elder in charge of rituals and ceremonies. You dare break through the Daxia Sword Sect’s barrier? Am I giving you too much face?”
Yu Chang’s expression paled. Lu Kangnian had always respectfully called him Old Yu, but now he boldly used his full name.
Inwardly, Yu Chang was shocked. Lu Kangnian was only at the mid Nascent Soul Realm two hundred years ago. How is he so strong now?
Yu Chang maintained a calm expression and snickered darkly. “Lu Kangnian, the peak master sent me here! You should know exactly what your Daxia Sword Sect has done!”
Lu Kangnian smirked. “Oh? My Daxia Sword Sect has done nothing but defend its territory. How has that disturbed the Purple Sun Pavilion? What exactly do you think we did? Let’s hear it.”
Yu Chang chuckled darkly, then tossed a headless corpse into the air. He pointed at the body and said, “You recognize this man, don’t you?”
Lu Kangnian gave the body a dismissive kick and paused for a moment. “Well, well....isn’t this the Azure Cloud Pavilion’s elder, Zheng Hao? Tsk tsk, did he provoke some enemy clan or something? It looks like he died a tragic death.”
Seeing Lu Kangnian’s nonchalant expression, Yu Chang exploded with rage. “Lu Kangnian! Look at the wounds! He was obviously killed by someone from the Daxia Sword Sect! If you don’t hand over the culprit now, the Purple Sun Pavilion will never let this matter rest!”
All around the sect, the disciples climbed onto the rooftops to witness the commotion in the sky. No one understood why three Nascent Soul Realm elders from the Purple Sun Pavilion were at their doorstep.
No one noticed Li Guanqi, who stared downward with trembling eyes. He’s dead! Zheng Hao was killed!
And only he knew why.
It seemed his suspicions had been correct, yet he couldn’t understand why. Was it solely because he'd killed Zheng Hao's disciple in that death duel? Had that single act provoked Zheng Hao’s brutal retaliation, leading him to tamper with the secret realm gifted to the Daxia Sword Sect and inflicting such devastating losses?
Li Guanqi looked up at the sky. Grandfather was right. Cultivators truly are creatures of vengeance.
At the same time, his heart burned with admiration. Even when facing a sect vastly more powerful, Sect Master Lu Kangnian stood his ground without flinching.
Those elders from the Purple Sun Pavilion are here to demand an explanation for Zheng Hao’s death! What should we do now...? Li Guanqi wondered.
As expected, Yu Chang glared at Lu Kangnian darkly and said, “Lu Kangnian, playing dumb won’t get you anywhere. Not in front of the Purple Sun Pavilion.”
Lu Kangnian snickered nonchalantly. “Your elder dies, and you come here throwing accusations without proof? Yu Chang, is this how you do your job? How do you know he wasn’t killed by one of his own enemies?”
Yu Chang cut Lu Kangnian off. “Hmmph! That’s enough nonsense. The fact that I am standing here shows that the Purple Sun Pavilion does have evidence!”
Lu Kangnian was so mad that he laughed in disbelief. “Oh? You have evidence? Why don’t you show us, then? Let’s show the sects of the whole Northern Territory why Zheng Hao died!”
His words carried a chilling killing intent, and his gaze swept in all directions. It was an implicit threat to the scouts from neighboring sects, who were watching from the borders.
Yu Chang clenched his fists beneath his sleeves. They had investigated and found signs pointing to some problems caused by their end. Once they dug deeper, they eventually realized what Zheng Hao had done.
They had found a message containing a command and a bounty amount in a secret jade slip, which answered many of their questions.
Then came the news that eighteen Foundation Building Realm disciples from the Daxia Sword Sect had died.
But the fact that the Daxia Sword Sect dared to kill an elder in the Purple Sun Pavilion angered the highest level of the Purple Sun Pavilion. That’s why they had come to the Daxia Sword Sect.
“The dignity of the Purple Sun Pavilion is not to be mocked! You have three days. If you haven’t handed over the culprit by then...”
Yu Chang turned around slowly with a look of amusement. “Then prepare for war! The Purple Sun Pavilion will flatten the Daxia Sword Sect!”
He turned and said, “Let’s go!”
But just as the three were about to depart, Lu Kangnian’s aura exploded again, slamming into them like a tidal wave. “Playing the saint while acting like a whore[1], huh? So this is how the Purple Sun Pavilion preserves its image?
"You’ve already figured out the truth, yet you still choose to protect your precious reputation at all costs! Fine! Let me say this clearly: we didn’t kill Zheng Hao. You want me to hand over a culprit? There isn’t one! If you’ve got the guts, show me the evidence. I’d love for the entire Northern Territory to take a good, long look."
Lu Kangnian pulled out his sword and smirked, pointing the blade at Yu Chang. “Go back and tell Han Tiange he has the wrong guy!”
Three shocking rays of heavenly sword light shot out from the ground, forcing the three purple-robed elders a thousand zhang back.
Lu Kangnian sheathed his sword and snickered. “If the Purple Sun Pavilion wants to declare war, the Daxia Sword Sect will gladly oblige!”
Their purple robes were torn. Each elder bore a moderately deep fresh sword wound across the chest.
Yu Chang’s face turned pale. Once, Lu Kangnian had been nothing but a junior to them. Now, with a single strike, he had forced them back. He’d grown too strong, too quickly.
“Damn it! Since when did the Daxia Sword Sect get so many Nascent Soul Realm cultivators?”
The elder beside him, who had not spoken since the beginning, advised, “I suggest going back and reporting exactly what happened to the higher-ups.”
Yu Chang looked down at his bleeding chest. “Hmmph! They overestimate their strength. Attacking the Purple Sun Pavilion ? They’ll pay for this!”
1. Chinese idiom implying hypocrisy—pretending to be righteous while engaging in dishonorable behavior ☜