Chapter 81: Kneel If You Don’t Want to Stand
The Mist Spirit Sect was located atop a grand mountain peak.
The peak was shrouded in an ethereal mist, covered in lush green pines and cypresses. At the end of a long, white marble staircase, a massive gate stood tall, the characters “Mist Spirit Sect” inscribed on it in a bold and elegant calligraphy.
In the past, even on rest days, the Mist Spirit Sect would be bustling with activity, cultivators coming and going, some flying on their swords.
But today, only two figures stood before the gate.
“This place hasn’t changed at all.” Chen Yin looked around, a hint of nostalgia in his voice.
“Have you been to the main sect before, Senior Brother?”
“…You could say that.”
Chen Yin casually brushed it off, his gaze fixed on the scenery before him.
Once upon a time, he was just a lowly disciple of the Mist Spirit Sect’s main branch.
The endless stream of meaningless tasks had drained his passion for cultivation, and he had eventually become just another face in the crowd.
To even return home, he had to desperately take on missions, spending five years of his life with no time for himself.
Now, standing before this gate once again, Chen Yin felt a strange mix of emotions.
Xiang’er tilted her head and looked at him. “What are you thinking about, Senior Brother?”
“Nothing.”
Chen Yin smiled and shook his head. “I wonder if that disciple has gone to inform them of our arrival.”
“Hopefully, they won’t make us wait too long.”
“Let’s go.” With that, Chen Yin led Yu Xiang up the stairs towards the sect’s main hall.
Behind them…
…Lay a trail of unconscious Mist Spirit Sect disciples.
***
A long staircase led to the Mist Spirit Sect’s main hall.
Chen Yin and Yu Xiang ascended the stairs, step by step.
Xiang’er seemed nervous, her palms sweating slightly.
Chen Yin turned and gave her a reassuring smile.
“Don’t worry.” He whispered.
“We’re here to seek justice. Our conscience is clear.”
Xiang’er nodded obediently.
As they neared the halfway point, two figures appeared before them, blocking their path.
One was a middle-aged man with a kind face. The other was an old man with a scarred and disfigured face.
“Greetings,”
The middle-aged man said with a gentle smile, cupping his hands. “I am Elder Changwen of the main sect, and this is Elder Xu Li from the Law Enforcement Hall.”
“Are you two the disciples of Immortal Yu Ling from Mount Yu, Chen Yin and Yu Xiang?”
Chen Yin didn’t answer immediately. He stared at Elder Xu Li for a while, then said slowly:
“If I remember correctly, the disciple I sent to report our arrival was supposed to summon Sect Master Wu Xun.”
“Why are only the two of you here?”
Changwen’s face stiffened, and Elder Xu Li said with a menacing glare, “Insolent!”
“You, a mere Cloud Ascending Realm disciple from a branch sect, dare speak to an elder of the main sect like that?”
Chen Yin’s expression remained unchanged. He said softly, “Do you have a problem with that?”
“You!”
Xu Li was about to lash out when Changwen stopped him with a hand on his arm. He said with a forced smile, “We’re all family here, let’s not be so hostile.”
“You two are the esteemed disciples of Immortal Yu Ling. We’re all part of the same sect. Seeing your aggressive approach, I assume there’s been a misunderstanding?”
“Whether it’s a misunderstanding or not, we’ll know once the Sect Master arrives.”
Chen Yin ignored their attempts to play good cop, bad cop and turned to Xiang’er. “Are either of these two among your enemies from that day?”
Yu Xiang stared at their faces intently for a long time.
A hint of bloodlust flickered in her eyes.
“…I couldn’t recognize the masked cultivators from that day. But the elder leading them… wasn’t the one on the left.”
“However…” She slowly raised her head, her gaze fixed on Xu Li, her voice laced with hatred. “I remember this man’s face.”
Changwen frowned, and Xu Li narrowed his eyes menacingly.
“Is that so?”
Chen Yin said calmly, “What a coincidence. I remember him too.”
…Although he hadn’t seen his face before.
But that aura, that voice…
It was definitely the same person he had encountered after emerging from the Heavenly Path Perilous Domain, the one who had massacred the disciples from various sects.
“It seems you have quite a few debts to settle.”
“Perfect.” A hint of amusement appeared in Chen Yin’s eyes. “That’s why I’m here.”
Changwen was about to try and mediate when Xu Li spat on the ground angrily. “Damn it, even a little brat like you dares to disrespect me?”
“If it weren’t for your powerful Master, you’d be nothing!”
“Well, you’re right.”
Chen Yin said with a smile, “Aren’t you angry that I have such a powerful Master?”
A murderous glint flashed in Xu Li’s eyes. Changwen was about to intervene, “Xu Li! Don’t kill him! We still need to reconcile with Immortal Yu Ling—”
But it was too late.
Xu Li couldn’t tolerate being humiliated by a mere Cloud Ascending Realm cultivator again and again.
Last time, your Master protected you. This time, let’s see who can save your life!
A vicious grin appeared on his scarred face as he drew a small ring-shaped blade from his sleeve. The blade expanded rapidly, transforming into a large, menacing weapon, its movements accompanied by the sound of wind and thunder.
“You little bastard! Die!”
His cruel smile still lingered on his face.
Changwen had just started to intervene…
When Chen Yin, with a swift and effortless motion, sheathed his sword, his hand resting on the scabbard, his gaze cold and sharp.
He even had the leisure to ruffle Xiang’er’s hair and say softly:
“One down. I’ll leave his life to you. Make him pay however you want.”
Xu Li looked down at his blade, shattered in two, then at his right arm, now missing.
His expression shifted from shock to disbelief…
…to sheer terror.
“N-no… impossible!”
His voice was distorted with fear. “H-how could you, a mere Cloud Ascending Realm cultivator, cut off my arm?!”
“That’s right, it must be like last time with Mo Jie. Yu Ling must have given you some kind of protective treasure!”
Chen Yin didn’t even bother looking at him.
In his eyes, Xu Li was nothing but a whimpering dog.
He turned to Changwen and said, “I’m just here to collect a debt.”
“I don’t know if you were involved in the Changli Palace incident or in injuring my Master.”
“If you were, cut off your own arm, and I’ll give you a chance to explain before I kill you. If not, go and summon your Sect Master.”
“My patience is wearing thin.” He said slowly.
Changwen fell silent.
He looked at the man before him with renewed scrutiny.
He had never paid much attention to this Chen Yin before. He only knew him as Immortal Yu Ling’s cherished disciple, a notorious playboy entangled with both Shen Shuanglian, the chief disciple of their sect, and Luo Qiaoqiao, the daughter of the Heavenly Net Sect’s leaders.
Just another pretty boy who relied on women.
But he had witnessed that sword strike from beginning to end. Xu Li might have missed it, but Changwen hadn’t.
It was a swift, effortless, and elegant strike.
Draw the sword. Sheathe the sword.
Even if he had seen it coming, he wouldn’t have been able to react in time.
Only now did he realize that he had overlooked this massive threat in all his plans.
…This man was as dangerous as Immortal Yu Ling.
As his expression flickered with uncertainty, Chen Yin’s voice rang out again:
“You can take your time to think.”
“I might have lost my patience, but this elder beside you still has some time.”
Changwen’s eyes widened in horror. Before he could even utter a word of protest,
Chen Yin’s Eternal Light sword flashed again. And Xu Li’s other arm was gone, leaving only an empty sleeve.
“Ugh!”
Xu Li’s eyes bulged, but before he could scream in pain, a surge of sword energy sealed his throat.
He choked on his own scream, his face turning red, as if his head was about to explode.
“Fine!”
Changwen’s eyes hardened, and he said through gritted teeth, “I’ll go summon the Sect Master.”
Chen Yin turned to Xu Li and said seriously:
“You should thank him. This will buy you a little more time.”
Xu Li glared at him with bloodshot eyes, his mouth moving wordlessly.
Changwen glanced at them with a dark expression, then disappeared in a flash of light.
Only Chen Yin, Xiang’er, and the now armless and contorted Xu Li remained on the vast staircase.
Yu Xiang stared at Xu Li, her eyes wide with a mixture of shock and disbelief.
“What are you thinking?” Chen Yin asked softly.
“…It feels like a dream.”
Yu Xiang closed her eyes and sighed after a long silence. “I’ve imagined countless times, charging into the Mist Spirit Sect alone to seek revenge.”
“I always thought that even if I sliced those bastards into a thousand pieces, it wouldn’t be enough to quench my hatred.”
“But now, watching Senior Brother effortlessly sever this man’s arms, I feel much calmer than I expected.”
“It seems that instead of taking revenge myself, I would rather have Senior Brother kill all these beasts for me.”
“Senior Brother… are these thoughts… truly those of a demonic cultivator?” She looked at Chen Yin timidly.
Chen Yin was silent for a moment, then gently covered her head with his sleeve.
“Revenge isn’t always a happy thing.”
“But if you don’t seek revenge, you’ll never be happy.”
“That’s why we’re here today.”
Yu Xiang stared at Chen Yin’s profile, her heart filled with a newfound sense of security.
She couldn’t help but squeeze his hand tightly.
“Thank you, Senior Brother.”
“What are you saying?” Chen Yin chuckled. “A Senior Brother exists to be relied upon by his Junior Sister.”
“Don’t be so polite. Lean on me all you want.”
A faint blush appeared on Xiang’er’s cheeks, and she smiled sweetly.
“Ugh… ugh…”
A faint whimper escaped Xu Li’s throat.
But the next moment, his body felt lighter as he was forced to his knees.
“You’re being too noisy.”
Chen Yin glanced at him nonchalantly. “If you don’t want to stand…”
“Then kneel.”
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