Chapter Forty-Nine

Yun Zhi felt his scalp prickle all at once. He realized he had said too much — his face went ashen in an instant, cold sweat sliding from his brow, his jaw chattering with fright.

He instinctively wanted to deny it. But thinking it over — if Senior Brother Xu could do something this outrageous to the Young Master, the Young Master would sooner or later fall completely into Senior Brother Xu's hands if he stayed in the sect.

Better to gamble. What if someone among the gathered immortal sects could save the Young Master?

This honored immortal knew the Young Master's name — clearly they were acquainted. Yun Zhi forced down the fear roiling inside him, bent both knees, and fell heavily to his knees with a thud, his whole body quaking as he pleaded: "Please, honored Immortal, save Young Master Chu!"

Yun Zhi prostrated himself fully, his forehead touching the ground. Shaken by Ning Yuan's aura to the point where he could barely string words together, he still managed to relay everything Xu Ziyang had done in full detail.

"As long as the honored Immortal can save the Young Master, I would serve for a lifetime as a bondservant in repayment…"

Before he could finish, the air around them tightened to its breaking point. An invisible oppressive force descended like a sky-blotting tide, pressing down until Yun Zhi's vision went black in bursts: "Honored — honored Immortal?"

Ning Yuan didn't even glance at Yun Zhi. His jaw was pulled taut, his lips pressed into a straight line, his eyes ice-cold — and overlaid with a thread of murderous ferocity, the edge of a killing intent laid bare.

He raised two distinctly-knuckled fingers to press against his brow, and quickly drew out a thread of luminescent divine sense — it floated in the air and solidified into a compact white shadow.

Ning Yuan raised his hand slightly, sending the white shadow into Chu Rong's room. His cold, flat voice said something entirely at odds with the tone it was delivered in: "Go prepare some food and send it to Wusong Residence."

Yun Zhi startled, and before he could say another word, Ning Yuan's immensely tall frame shifted — and vanished from in front of Wusong Residence.

The deep black of night blanketed all of Qingyang Heavenly Sect inside and out.

Frost-white moonlight fell across the outside of the main hall on the peak. Inside, the candles burned brightly. Everyone sat facing each other, yet not a single person spoke. The atmosphere within the hall was suffocatingly stifled.

Lian Ci tilted his head to look at He Ming, seated at his side. The authoritative face wore a silent question: from day to night, several hours had passed — why had the Immortal Venerate still not appeared?

He Ming's brow was knit tight. He stroked his salt-and-pepper beard and gave Lian Ci an imperceptible shake of his head. In matters concerning Immortal Venerate Ning Yuan, how did they presume to ask?

Xu Ziyang, seated below, had taken in both their expressions. His fists clenched. His refined face was completely livid, the veins at his temple bulging as though about to burst — his expression looking rather frightening.

He knew where Ning Yuan was. He knew what Ning Yuan was doing. It was precisely because he knew that his heart was being scalded in hot oil — there was absolutely no way to stay calm.

The person who should have been in Wusong Residence right now was him.

The person who should have been relieving Chu Rong of the drug's effects was him.

Everything Ning Yuan was doing to Chu Rong should have been done by him — but Ning Yuan had taken all of it. And to make matters worse, there were so many eyes in the hall, and it would be easy to leave a handle against him. He couldn't say a single word. He could only swallow this dumb loss in silence.

Xu Ziyang raised his head to look at the warm, handsome man across the hall whose lips were curved in a faint smile. The darkness within his deep eyes was inscrutable and shifting.

He Ting raised an eyebrow slightly, returning him a meaningful smile. The Mountain-Guarding Grand Formation had been opened, and communication was no longer obstructed. On his way to the main hall, he had already transmitted a message to Gate of Heavenly Mechanisms disciples, instructing them to investigate the leads Xu Ziyang had mentioned.

Gate of Heavenly Mechanisms disciples were spread throughout the cultivation world — investigations moved quickly. He estimated that within less than a day, news would come back.

The fist Xu Ziyang had been clenching slowly released. The burning resentment churning in his heart finally eased somewhat.

He believed — before long, Chu Rong would be driven to a dead end and fall into his hands once more. When that time came, he would no longer spare Chu Rong a shred of mercy. He would absolutely recover everything he had missed this time, one by one…

Before Xu Ziyang could continue that line of thought, an extraordinarily fearsome oppressive force clamped down over the main hall. A dense, savage killing aura pressed in until hearts lurched with dread.

Cultivators' five senses were sharp. Those in the hall felt something wrong. Unable to channel their spiritual energy to defend themselves, their bodies still went rigid under the oppressive force, unable to move.

In all three realms, who else could bring this kind of pressure?

Lian Ci and He Ming had drained much of their spiritual energy helping to break the Mountain-Guarding Grand Formation, and their reserves hadn't recovered. Under the oppression, they were forced back step by step, spitting mouthfuls of blood.

He Ming, ever pragmatic, called out loudly: "Immortal Venerate, please stay your fury! The matter of the baleful energy is pressing — all the immortal sects are waiting for the Immortal Venerate to take charge!"

Ning Yuan's tall figure appeared at the entrance of the main hall in a flash — yet even without stepping inside, those in the hall could feel the overpowering pressure bearing down on them, chills running relentlessly down their backs.

"Hand over Xu Ziyang." Ning Yuan glanced sideways at those in the hall.

His expression was utterly cold. His eyes carried a bone-piercing chill. That single glance alone made the surrounding air seem to solidify — suffocating. The chill that spread through the hearts of those around him made the very air turn cold and congealed: "I will not take no for an answer."

Everyone froze in a cold shudder and turned their heads to look at the Qingyang sect members.

"Ziyang?" Lian Ci coughed out blood and looked at Xu Ziyang with confused incomprehension. How would the Immortal Venerate know of Ziyang? Surely Ziyang hadn't somehow been disrespectful to the Immortal Venerate? The Immortal Venerate was the sect's honored guest — Ziyang had always been steady and measured in his conduct. How could he have been so blind to the gravity of the situation?

Xu Ziyang's complexion was dark and terrible. Aware of Lian Ci's gaze, he quickly rearranged his expression and forced the corner of his lips up into a semblance of warm pleasantness: "This junior is Xu Ziyang. I have long admired the Immortal Venerate's great name. I wonder what matter the Immortal Venerate wishes to discuss with me?"

His words were warm and courteous, the puzzlement in his voice appearing entirely genuine — as though he were truly meeting Ning Yuan for the very first time.

Lian Ci's anxious heart settled somewhat. He was just about to ask Ning Yuan to clarify the reason, when Xu Ziyang's handsome face suddenly twisted horribly. His body was struck by a massive force of spiritual energy and slammed into the wall with tremendous force.

Boom —

A large crater was smashed into the wall, producing a thunderous sound. Xu Ziyang dropped to the floor, spewing a great mouthful of blood.

"Ziyang——!!" Lian Ci and He Ming jolted, then snapped back to themselves and, bracing against the oppressive force in the hall, retreated to Xu Ziyang's side.

"Senior Brother——!!" The expression on Cen Yan's refined face also changed drastically. He raised his head in fury toward the man at the hall entrance whose aura was devastatingly powerful: "May this one ask the Immortal Venerate — what act has Senior Brother committed, that the Immortal Venerate would strike and injure someone in full view of everyone, without apparent cause?"

But in the next moment, he met the man's downward glance — and immediately went mute and rigid.

"I am not asking for your opinions. I am informing you." Ning Yuan's voice held not a single fluctuation, yet the words he spoke struck dread into the heart.

He raised one hand. Before Lian Ci's group had time to react, Xu Ziyang was seized around the neck by an invisible pair of large hands and lifted high into the air.

"Ziyang——!" Lian Ci's group instinctively surged forward to rescue him. Ning Yuan's spiritual energy coiled around his person — a sharp surge of oppressive force drove them back.

The immortal sect members in the hall were each and every one of them frightened and terrified. Not one dared step forward and say a word in Xu Ziyang's defense.

It was well known that below the Nascent Soul stage, cultivators were as ants. Between the Great Vehicle stage and the Golden Core stage, the gulf was as vast as the sky — a turn of the hand could extinguish them. Anyone who dared to help Qingyang against the Immortal Venerate simply did not value their own life.

Xu Ziyang hung with his feet off the ground, his breathing labored, his complexion darkening to purple, blood running steadily from his mouth. For the first time in his life, he knew what it was to feel fear.

Xu Ziyang's blood-soaked lips moved faintly, as though he wanted to say something. The invisible large hand around his neck tightened — in that instant, his eyes split wide in agony, his features contorted horribly. Pain that reached the very soul drove a scream from him.

"AHHH——!!" The man's agonized shriek rang through all of the main hall.

Everyone in the hall heard clearly the sound of every tendon and bone in Xu Ziyang's body snapping apart inch by inch. Every heart in the room lurched. Their scalps prickled, and deep, genuine terror flooded their eyes.

If the Immortal Venerate wished to kill someone, it would be the simplest thing in the world — why go to such lengths to torture Xu Ziyang?

It was as though it were deliberate.

The moment that thought flitted through everyone's minds, a second shriek tore through the hall — and from within Xu Ziyang's body, a glowing, round golden core burst out!

Everyone's eyes trembled. Their breath stopped entirely. The Immortal Venerate had… ripped Xu Ziyang's golden core out of his body alive?!

A cultivator had only one golden core in their entire life. If the golden core was removed, the path of cultivation was completely severed — would Xu Ziyang not be reduced forever to a cripple?

"No——!!" Lian Ci cried out in shock and horror, the blow triggering a surge to his heart — he spat out another massive mouthful of blood.

Among Qingyang Heavenly Sect's disciples, only Cen Yan, Pei Zhan, and Xu Ziyang had sufficient natural gifts to uphold the sect's standing. If Xu Ziyang became a cripple, the sect's strength would decline drastically — the loss would be immeasurable.

Ning Yuan didn't even spare Lian Ci a glance. He flipped his wrist, hurling the unconscious Xu Ziyang aside. His long, powerful fingers spread open — just about to crush the golden core with a single palm strike — when a faint ripple reached him from the divine sense in his consciousness.

Ning Yuan's tall frame paused, almost imperceptibly. The terrifying oppressive force around his whole person receded like a tide, dissolving into nothing: "If any of you have complaints, you are welcome to come and find me."

With that, he pocketed the golden core in his hand and left through the air.

The oppressive force blanketing the hall dispersed entirely. Everyone in the immortal sects simultaneously exhaled, and looked toward Lian Ci's group who had swarmed around Xu Ziyang — their eyes carrying some degree of sympathy.

Outside Wusong Residence.

Yun Zhi carried a tray of steaming food toward the main gate. He had just reached the entrance when Ning Yuan's tall figure appeared in the doorway.

Yun Zhi startled, nearly upending the food in his hands: "Honored — honored Immortal?"

Ning Yuan lifted the food tray with spiritual energy, transferring it to his own hands, and carried the food inside without a backward glance.

A white shadow that matched his own frame was sitting at the bedside, pressing the edge of the bed down into a slight curve.

Ning Yuan set the food on the table and maintained its temperature with spiritual energy, then walked to the bedside and sat down. He was the real thing — no comparison to a white shadow — and the moment he sat, the bedside visibly bent and bowed beneath him.

The person on the bed had his long lashes cast down, the flush having already faded from his cheeks. His skin was luminously pale as jade, his breathing soft and steady, saturated with the mesmerizing fragrance of orchids.

Ning Yuan lowered his eyes and gazed at Chu Rong. The cold ice in his eyes melted away bit by bit. He and the white shadow kept watch on either side of the bed.

From the time the drug had taken hold, Chu Rong's nerves had been strung to a constant high tension. He had barely rested for a full day and night, and with the ordeal of having the drug's effects relieved on top of that, he was utterly exhausted in body and mind — and now slept very deeply.

All the way until deep in the night, Chu Rong's dense lashes trembled faintly, and his eyes slowly opened. His pupils were unfocused — like someone waking from a long and chaotic dream — his gaze full of bewilderment.

"Are you still feeling any discomfort anywhere?" The low, cold, jade-resonant voice reached his ears. Chu Rong instinctively turned his head slightly, and his field of vision filled with a face of sharply-defined angles.

The man's features were extraordinarily handsome — eyes fierce in their shape, brow bone deeply defined, his high straight nose adding further depth to his profile.

His frame was extremely tall and upright, his bearing imposing and majestic. Even simply sitting at the bedside, the invisible, airtight pressure he exuded was enough to make it hard to breathe.