CHAPTER 41: CHAPTER 41 YUE PENG

"So it turns out killing is this simple... But that Qilin is so slow, why is it not here yet?"

Xiao Liu looked at the long sword in his hand, found it quite satisfactory, and casually used it as a cane, hopping to the door to take a peek outside.

"Uh, Dan..."

"What’s wrong now?"

"The Qilin seemed to have run away..."

Run away? What’s going on?

Tie Dan also crawled to the door to take a look outside.

At such times, Xiao Liu had no reason to lie. Not only did the Qilin run away, but Huahuai also died.

The giant demon, as massive as a mountain, had been decapitated, severed into two, its skin and bones split in half like a great mountain cleaved into two, forming a huge gorge and cliff, with green demon blood and bile gushing out, flowing down the chasm open across the forest floor, converging into a green river.

Well, that gorge was not naturally formed but a sword scar.

With just one sword stroke, such a scar could be made. Could it be...

Then the clouds above suddenly glowed with dazzling golden light, like the sun leaping out at the horizon. Amidst the roaring thunder, a dazzling sphere of light stirred countless clouds and landed before the Demon Suppression Tower.

Then Chen Huzi walked out of the light and dust with a gloomy face, holding a large bundle of heads tied together with braids in his hand, human heads, tiger heads, leopard heads, horse heads, Qilin... Uh, not the Qilin’s head, only its foot.

Yes, a foot, a large chunk like a cow’s leg, glistening meat, colorful blood, with an odd floral fragrance. However, from the break, it looked not like a sword cut but as if bitten and torn off...

Xiao Liu cheered, "Master! You finally came! Hurry, save Senior Brother!"

Seeing the two disciples before him, almost in pieces, Chen Huzi just slowly nodded,

"It’s okay now."

He motioned with his hand, and the golden storm around him instantly calmed, the light coalescing into a marble-sized golden bean falling into his palm. Then Chen Huzi blew a breath onto the golden bean, pinched it between his middle and index fingers, glared with eyes that shone with yellow light, swept it toward the ground, and flicked the golden bean out.

With a clash like a bolt from the blue sky, even Tie Dan couldn’t see the blinding golden light shattering, that nine-tier, eight-cornered Demon Suppression Iron Tower split open with a twist, creating a passageway directly to the underground prison where Senior Brother Zhou was held.

Chen Huzi got up and descended to the underground, pointing at the Qilin’s leg,

"You three, divide it fresh."

The Qilin meat indeed seemed extraordinary, just thrown to the ground for a moment, the ground unexpectedly bloomed and grew grass, and on the exposed flesh, Lingzhi mushrooms blossomed...

Tie Dan lay on the ground, exhaling in relief, but suddenly a sharp pang hit his heart, as if something was wrong.

Master could enter the Spirit Communication Secret Realm, probably because of breaking the seal, but how had he known in advance that the disciples were in trouble?

Even if sword escape could fly through the air, as fast as light and shadow, it would still be impossible to make such a quick return from Heng Mountain. Unless he set out a few days in advance.

Could it be...

But Xiao Liu had already opened his mouth to ask,

"Okay, but Master, shouldn’t it be divided among four of us, where is Senior Brother?"

Chen Huzi was about to descend the prison, his body stiffened,

"Peng’er fought a sword duel and has disintegrated and perished."

Then he didn’t turn back, descending into the underground, coldly saying,

"Eat, heal your wounds, then go seek justice."

Senior Brother Yue Peng of Yanzi Cave was dead.

During the days Tie Dan was unconscious, the other brothers failed to break through the encirclement of the Demon Palace’s eagle dogs, Zhou Feng and Xiao Liu were captured.

In the end, only Yue Peng carved a bloody path out of the Spirit Communication Secret Realm to seek help.

Unfortunately, it’s unknown whether he was ambushed by enemies at the cave entrance or was caught by the minions of the Demon Palace in the end.

All in all, he was killed and perished in battle.

He still managed to find Chen Huzi.

Using his own life.

Chen Huzi, far away at Heng Mountain, sensed his eldest disciple’s Life Sword had been destroyed, couldn’t care about Jian Jia, who was still in seclusion, and rushed back day and night at lightning speed.

Unfortunately, by the time he arrived, the perpetrator had already killed, burned the corpse, broke the sword, and vanished without a trace.

Yue Peng’s body was gone, no trace left, nobody knew where he fell.

But there was not much to say.

In sword training outside the mountain, the Lifespan Tribulation was the fate of most Sword Sect disciples.

Such events are commonplace on Nine Yin Mountain.

Chen Huzi could only temporarily remember this cause and effect, so once the seal broke, he stormed in, slaughtering every eagle dog and demon deity from the Demon Palace found in the cave.

But the Qilin was let go by Chen Huzi.

The price was that leg?

Qilin Fat, Qilin Bone, Qilin Blood.

Essence of the Divine Beast, Heaven and Earth’s essence, Qiankun’s Supreme Treasure, able to revive the dead, heal bones, remove illness and resurrect, rebirth and extend life.

However, you must eat it fresh, since it is favored by Heaven and Earth, deepening luck, favored is the Divine Beast Qilin, not a lump of dead meat.

If you killed this beast with a sword, the heavenly materials and treasures would lose much of their miraculous uses, the life numbers bonus, and even the Daoist Breath Spirit Qi would dissipate into the world in an instant.

So to vent for the deceased disciple or save the remaining disciples’ lives, Chen Huzi did not hesitate much and let the Qilin go.

But at least, Tie Dan, Zhou Feng, and Xiao Liu survived.

Owing Senior Brother Yue another life.

Unfortunately, it couldn’t be repaid completely.

Could only remember this vendetta together, counting it against the Demon Palace.

Time flies, months passed in the blink of an eye.

This month, there were no major events, and Chen Huzi just sought out recipes and herbs everywhere to heal and cure the three disciples.

Tie Dan, in fact, was doing relatively fine, his life being as tough as nails almost didn’t need further mention, near-death tribulations were practically a regular occurrence.

Moreover, Tie Dan didn’t just eat the Qilin leg; he also got Qiu Niu Blood, Golden Eagle Pill, Hua Huai Juice, and Catfish Saliva successively, and coupled with his Blood Jade Technique, within just a month, his leg was reattached, skin grew back, Qi was replenished. He could already move freely, helping his brothers with feeding soup and changing medicine.

He even took on mountain patrolling duties, every few days going into the forest to kill a few weasels to shed some blood and stretch his muscles.

Otherwise, his swordsmanship felt pent up.

Xiao Liu, on the other hand, was thoroughly bedridden, like a cripple.

Yes, despite his spirited performance, jumping and chanting, even hacking down the Princely Heir with a chaotic sword in the final fight, it was all drug-induced.

In fact, when locked up in the cell, tormented by the Demoness, Xiao Liu had no strength left for resistance; later bitten by the Iron Lion, he was nearly done for.

Thus he took some medication, presumably from Jian Jia’s stash, immediately gaining a final burst of energy, forcing all potential out, momentarily achieving Divine Skill greatness, knowing neither fatigue nor pain, able to fight to the death.

Of course, the price was if one didn’t die in battle and the energy subsided, one would end up like now, worse than death.

As a result, this whole month, Xiao Liu had the most trouble, bedridden, unable to move, even eating Qilin meat, taking the Life Extending Pill, his whole body was sore and powerless, neither fully asleep nor awake, dreaming and waking, groaning incessantly, relying entirely on Tie Dan to tend to his needs.

Brother Zhou, however, recovered faster than Xiao Liu.

"So, Yue Peng is dead, huh..."

Though almost disabled by the Demon Palace, his martial arts crippled, with Immortal Chen’s treatment, under Tie Dan’s care, a month later, Zhou Feng was able to walk, albeit unsteadily, to the cliff’s edge of Yanzi Peak to practice Qi Observation.

"Brother."

Tie Dan looked at Zhou Feng, sitting beside him, gazing at the setting sun, then at the cliff abyss before him, an unfathomably deep cleft,

"Senior Brother’s vengeance is still unavenged; you’re not thinking of ending it all, are you?"

Zhou Feng scoffed,

"Do I seem like that kind of person? Besides, how long have you known him? Is it your place to talk about revenge!"

Tie Dan, "Oh."

Zhou Feng was silent for a while, then suddenly spoke,

"The Sword Sect’s True Man selects disciples every sixty years, nine in a batch.

In our batch, only the two of us are left, he’s ten years older, he’s the eldest, I’m the youngest, he’s always looked out for me.

Actually, with Senior Brother’s talent, he is no worse than those from Honzan, his sword heart is firm.

But our lineage indeed lacks any profound heritage.

Master initially offended the Gate Valve, was left alone, resorted to martial arts to attain Dao.

We were all picked off the roadside by Master, so we had to strive for everything ourselves.

And in the mountain... the mountain is the mountain, anything, trivial bits and pieces, has to be fought for with one’s life, snatched with swords.

We weren’t skilled enough to outcompete those true inheritors, so we never managed to form our core.

Seeing us truly incapable of competing, as he aged, only becoming the laughingstock victim, Master moved us out."

Zhou Feng took out a piece of Storage Jade from his bosom, throwing it to Tie Dan,

"These things, we saved up together. Planned for whoever gets the chance to form a core to use first; now it seems no one can use it... You keep it, form your core in the future, forge a sword, then show everyone on Nine Yin Mountain our Yanzi Cave’s abilities."

Tie Dan nodded, tucking the Storage Jade full of Core Formation Spiritual Treasures into his bosom,

"Okay."