CHAPTER 144: HOUSE ARREST

The aftermath of Shen Ziyan’s single strike was extremely tragic, leading to the severe injury and possible death of two fourth realm elders while one was still in possession of all her limbs, but somehow looked even more pitiful than her compatriots.

Well, there was the gap in institutional power from a higher point of collective strength, but the gap was actually also present in the collation of individual strength.

Or simply put, the average Six Paths Demon Sect disciple of any realm was significantly stronger than the average Boundless Joy Sect disciple at the same realm.

This was due to a gap in the quality of arts both sides practiced and had access to.

While many might think that just giving low rank or mid rank sects access to the same resources that top ranked sects had would make these weaker sects eventually rise to the same level if power.... No, that was not the case.

There was more to institutional strength than just your strongest ancestor and the resources of your sect. This was why sects were very stingy with how their arts were taught, pricing the sometimes higher than resources.

One could be given an unlimited amount of petroleum to put into their car, but if the engine was not good enough to match one’s opponent, then a loss was still on the books.

As for the situation down below, it was quite clear that even Shen Ziyan could massacre the entire group with a casual attack had she not held back in consideration of inter-sect relations and possible penalties.

"This is only a light warning. Go back and treat your wounds and never try to assault a disciple of my Six Paths Sect again, otherwise your next attempt will see you perish." Shen Ziyan warned coldly before turning to leave, taking Li Ling with her.

Wen Caiyi’s expression was extremely bitter, bowing to Shen Ziyan as they left. When she raised her head, she sighed deeply and moved to collect the bodies of Elder Yan and the other combat elder, both of whom needed immediate emergency treatment.

She wondered, if they had directly enslaved or killed Li Ling from the start, would everything have turned out better?

Meanwhile, Li Ling was chatting with Shen Ziyan casually as the platform of light rushed towards the north.

"Well, I didn’t expect you of all people to become my knight in shining armor. What the heck are you even doing here?" Li Ling asked curiously.

"The Shen Clan originated from within the region of the Boundless Joy Sect, so I often come to partake in this war during its peak periods to acquire merits." Shen Ziyan explained neutrally, turning to regard Li Ling up and down.

"You don’t seem hurt, which is good. Also, what exactly are you doing here? Shouldn’t you have returned to the Holy City to digest your gains from that war?" Shen Ziyan asked with obvious puzzlement, not having pegged Li Ling as one who liked to jump around.

Li Ling folded his arms with a chuckle. "Indeed, I should have gone back, but I decided to do a bit more farming before going back. Even though the previous war gave me a full course meal, I still need to add some extras and drinks on the side, right?"

His words were casual and even somewhat playful, but Shen Ziyan had a feeling that the actions behind them were linked to immense bloodshed, as was typical of the Asura Blood Path fellows.

Meanwhile, those behind them had slowly become speechless, beginning to think the same as the initial two third realm fellows who led Li Ling around. Just who exactly was this guy to have such clout with an actual Core Disciple, able to chat with her as if they were peers?

"Huh? This isn’t the way to the admin center, right?" Li Ling pointed out with a raised eyebrow.

Shen Ziyan remained calm, but the speed of the platform of light increased significantly. "Despite them being the first to attack, they were still fourth realm elders of the Boundless Joy Sect and need a proper explanation to prevent this matter from blowing up. As you are the main victim, you have to be around to testify against them when the situation is being resolved."

She spoke extremely slowly, reminding Li Ling of those taxi drivers who charged by the time taken to reach the destination who purposefully entered heavy traffic so as to generate higher bills for the passengers.

Li Ling turned to glance at those behind them, especially the two fellows who led him over, and saw them hurriedly lowering their heads to avoid eye contact. This made his lips twitch as he understood that Shen Ziyan wanted to abduct him using pseudo-official reasons, for what purpose he wasn’t entirely sure of.

"Fine then, lead the way."

Yet despite this, Li Ling did not try to resist or flee, not out of fear, but because this also benefited him. He had finished harvesting his new batch of Slaughter Points and wanted to settle down to raise his realm across the board, so whether it was his abode in the Asura Blood Hall or Shen Ziyan’s place didn’t matter to him.

As for when he wanted to leave, who could stop him?

Shen Ziyan thought so too, which was why she placed Li Ling beside her like this. It was not because she respected him or saw him as a peer, but she wanted proximity to him in case he utilized the same method to avoid her that he used on Shen Taixu during their fight.

Not to mention that Li Ling had not been intimidated by the presence of the other Nascent Soul women, nor herself back then, meaning he had a method to escape that he was certain was foolproof, so she was watching out for that very carefully.

Despite this all going on, not one even asked or checked on the five Boundless Joy Sect disciples who were at the second realm, all of them having been reduced to ash by Shen Ziyan then forgotten the next second...

This was the nature of the cultivation world, and even moreso, the nature of demonic sects.

Soon, their group arrived above a sprawling estate that had carved pillars of light at the four corners, looking like a mixture of western baroque and eastern daoist style, with a very unique and distinctive flair, even among the many flashy courtyards and estates spread out over the entire residential area.

When they descended into the central courtyard, a bunch of servants in extremely clean white robes came over to lead them in. It was now that Li Ling noticed that the few fellows Shen Ziyan brought over were actually younger members of her clan, which made his eyes narrow further.

How the devil did this woman know he was there and how could she have been fast enough to intercept him with her own clan members in tow?

Was everything that occurred just now really a coincidence? Because if it was a purposeful setup, Li Ling would have to admit that he didn’t like the idea of three different groups easily reading his actions and plotting ahead of him.

The others were soon dispersed, including the two from Li Ling’s own hall who looked like they wanted to say something the entire time, but didn’t dare to. In the end, they simply glanced at Li Ling with wonder and a bit of sympathy, for while they might not know the full situation, they could certainly understand this current one.

"Here, you may rest here while I handle all the remnant matter from the situation earlier." Shen Ziyan said simply, leading Li Ling to one of the best and most spacious cultivation chambers, which was more equipped than anything he had seen so far.

"Mmm, thank you. Just send a voice transmission or something when you’re done because I am going to enter a heavy seclusion next." Li Ling responded gracefully, before walking into the room without hesitation, making the cold features of Shen Ziyan become slightly more solemn.

This guy... why did it feel like everything in the world was following his tempo?

Shen Ziyan did not loiter around the door, swiftly leaving after informing two family clan disciples at the Third Realm to watch over Li Ling while five of the cultivationless maids were assigned to manage his needs.

As for Li Ling, he simply gave the entire place a once over, easily noting the Third Grade Monitoring Formation meant to sneakily record his actions while in the room. However, just like at the Hunting Encampment of the former Number 9 marketplace and the one in his home placed by the elders of the Halls, Li Ling was not averse to its presence, rather smiling widely.

Anyone who dared to peek would witness a sight that would likely shatter their dao hearts and leave them on the verge of qi deviation!

Done checking, Li Ling sat down in a comfortable meditation pose, immediately opening the Infinite Slaughter System’s Interface, witnessing the huge balance of points he had accumulated through his recent slaughters, all ready to be spent!