Chapter 148: Slaying The Demonic Cultivators, A Reason For Tardiness
Chapter 148: Slaying The Demonic Cultivators, A Reason For Tardiness
“Fellow disciples, you are all here already. Perfect timing, quickly enter the Main Hall for the meeting!”
Ye Rong caught his breath. When he arrived in front of the Sect’s Main Hall and saw the other Tianshu Hall disciples waiting outside, he suddenly had an idea.
“Hmph! Yijian Kurong, we agreed to gather at the Hour of the Monkey, yet you were half an hour late! Making so many of us wait here in vain for your grand arrival, such arrogance!”
Houdao Xiaosheng was the first to attack. In the time just passed, he had been busily running around and colluding, reaching a basic agreement with several people. He planned to use this incident as an excuse to attack Yijian Kurong. Even if he couldn’t force him from the position of Tianshu Hall Chief Disciple, he still wanted to have him heavily penalized, preventing him from continuing his tenure over two months later.
“Exactly! We will definitely report this to the Sect’s Elders, so they can see if someone with such poor moral character is still fit to hold the position of Chief Disciple!”
Long Wushuang also stepped forward, almost pointing at Ye Rong’s nose as he berated him.
Ye Rong frowned. On this matter, he really was somewhat at fault. Just as he was about to speak, the Main Hall doors creaked open.
“All Tianshu Hall disciples, since everyone is now present, please enter the Main Hall for the meeting promptly.”
The two young Daoist boys spoke in unison. This somewhat helped him out of a tight spot. Those several guys snorted coldly with satisfaction, glared at him, and hurried into the Main Hall ahead of him.
“Yijian…”
“It’s a minor issue, it won’t trouble me.”
Manzhu Lver was worried, but Ye Rong waved his hand, his tone relaxed.
Inside the Main Hall, sitting in the position of honor was Senior Brother Chen Taizhen. He had his eyes closed, concentrating, his fingers forming a hand seal.
Seeing that no other Elders were present, Ye Rong’s anxious heart settled considerably, and he breathed a big sigh of relief.
“Not to worry, not to worry. At most, I’ll get a small reprimand. It’s good that it’s one of our own presiding over the meeting!”
Everyone took their seats one by one. On either side of a large rosewood table were two rows of pearwood chairs. These items weren’t present last time; they were likely temporarily brought in for this meeting. The two young Daoist boys scurried over and stood respectfully and motionlessly behind Chen Taizhen.
“Ridiculous! Hierarchy and order must be observed, seniors and juniors are distinct! Junior Brother Yijian is the Martial Uncle to most of you and is also the Chief of Tianshu Hall. If he hasn’t sat down yet, how dare you rush ahead of him!”
Senior Brother Chen Taizhen suddenly opened his eyes. Deep within his pupils, five flying swords were actually spinning and contemplating, his anger palpable.
Everyone was stunned, not expecting this turn of events. They could only watch as Ye Rong walked over with a smile and sat down.
“Senior Brother Chen Taizhen, Yijian Kurong shows no respect for the Sect! For the first gathering of Tianshu Hall disciples, he was late and failed to arrive on time. We ask Senior Brother to investigate this clearly!”
Long Wushuang certainly wouldn’t let Ye Rong slip away so easily. He quickly recited his pre-prepared lines.
“We ask Martial Uncle Chen Taizhen to investigate clearly!”
Houdao Xiaosheng, Red Dust White Hair, Jianggong Wangyue, and others immediately followed Long Wushuang’s lead, denouncing him in unison.
These people had secretly plotted and united outside the Main Hall, all targeting Yijian Kurong.
“Yijian, is it true that you were late and failed to arrive on time? If you cannot provide a valid reason, even though you hold the position of Tianshu Hall Chief, I, this humble Daoist, will not tolerate such behavior. You must be punished!”
A flicker of anger passed through Chen Taizhen’s brow and eyes. He turned his head and spoke sternly to Ye Rong.
“One, two, three… a total of five people. I’ve remembered all of you. Just wait and see what ‘good fruit’ I give you to eat in the future!”
Ye Rong thought to himself, his mind racing frantically, countless thoughts spinning through his head in that instant.
“Senior Brother, I was delayed returning because I was slaying Demonic Path evildoers!”
Racking his brains, once these words were spoken, Ye Rong felt a sudden flash of inspiration and began to speak fluently and confidently.
“I just discovered a group of Baiman Mountain evildoers who had sneaked near our Qingcheng. They were acting suspiciously, and I feared they were planning actions harmful to the Sect, so I quickly followed them. Later, they discovered me. We fought a fierce battle, and I barely managed to annihilate them all, including the Eldest Senior Brother of Baiman Mountain!”
“Nonsense! Yijian Kurong, your ability to fabricate stories is quite good. Coincidentally, just as the Sect has business, you happened to encounter Baiman evildoers, and even killed them? Such a coincidence?”
Houdao Xiaosheng sneered twice, looking at him sideways. He clearly did not believe a word Ye Rong said, thinking it was merely a lie concocted in a moment of desperation.
Baiman and Qingcheng were thousands of miles apart. Players from the two Sects didn’t have much animosity. Why would they travel all that way to Qingcheng?
“A fabricated story? Look, what are these!”
Ye Rong smiled faintly, already confident. He reached into his Qiankun Belt and produced over ten magic treasures and flying swords enveloped in Demonic Qi. They were all trophies he obtained from slaying Baiman disciples earlier, even including the Fifth Tier Hundred Poison Cold Light Barrier among them.
A strange green light flashed in Chen Taizhen’s eyes as he swept his gaze over all these flying swords and magic treasures.
“Correct. These are indeed the flying swords and magic treasures of Demonic Path evildoers. This Hundred Poison Cold Light Barrier is even one of Green Robe Ancestor’s signature magic treasures. Only core Baiman disciples could refine it!”
Senior Brother Chen Taizhen’s face showed a pleased expression. He then looked at Ye Rong, seeming to see right through him without any obstruction.
“Indeed, a large portion of the Karma Points contained within Junior Brother Yijian Kurong were obtained from slaying Demonic Path evildoers!”
“How is that possible!”
Long Wushuang suddenly yelled out, his eyes wide open, roaring in disbelief.
“I will report to my Master! You must be shielding him!”
“You dare doubt me, this humble Daoist! In the Main Hall, before the statue of the Patriarch, you still dare to make loud noises!”
Chen Taizhen raised his hand and gently flicked it. With a whoosh, Long Wushuang flew out, rolling directly out of the Sect’s Main Hall.
Everyone was dumbfounded, clearly realizing the pitiful consequences of offending a Sect NPC Elder.
“Junior Brother Yijian, since it was for slaying Demonic Path evildoers, we will not hold you responsible for being late this time. Next time, remember to be punctual!”
“Yes, thank you for the reminder, Senior Brother Chen.”
Ye Rong secretly wiped his forehead, frightened into a cold sweat. He had managed to bluff his way through after all.
He really had gone out and killed a group of Demonic Path players this time. He just slightly altered the location where the events occurred. This small change made it seem like his motivation was to protect the Sect’s safety, giving him a justifiable standing.
Moreover, Senior Brother Chen Taizhen could actually see how the Karma Points on a player were obtained. Fortunately, he hadn’t lied about that part. Otherwise, if he had exaggerated too much and hadn’t actually killed any Demonic Path players, he would definitely have been exposed.
After Long Wushuang was struck and thrown out of the Main Hall by Chen Taizhen, there was no further sound from him, and he did not return. Presumably, he had lost all face and had no dignity to come back. With this character, who held the second-highest authority among players within the Sect, gone, people like Houdao Xiaosheng alone wouldn’t dare to clamor anymore. They all obediently shut their mouths, recognizing the shift in the wind.
“I have gathered you all here today to announce important matters. From a long-term perspective, this concerns the very survival of our Qingcheng!”
Senior Brother Chen Taizhen’s gaze was sharp. The five flying swords in his pupils spun even faster, forming a swirling vortex like a starry sky.
“Demonic Path evildoers have been frequently appearing recently, and their disciples have suddenly increased in number. Even the Red Body Sect, founded by Jiupan Po, has reappeared in the world. According to the speculations of the two Supreme Elders, this very likely signals that those several Elders of the Demonic Sect are unwilling to stay idle and are coming to disrupt the world’s situation.”
The two Supreme Elders he referred to were Tiandu and Minghe. They were enlightened figures who should have long ago ascended to the Immortal Realm. However, due to insufficient external merit, they remained in the mortal world, staying in secluded cultivation somewhere in the Qingcheng back mountains.
However, in the previous game, Shushan Sword Heroes, these two Supreme Elders should have ascended long ago and never appeared. But such minor changes were everywhere in Far Shore, not surprising at all.
Ye Rong had also speculated whether this was an ultimate plot device pre-arranged by the game designers for Qingcheng, adding two super bosses to Qingcheng. Otherwise, by the late game, competing with Emei would be practically impossible without opening numerous advantages.
Other large Sects, those with long histories and deep roots, should probably have similar hidden characters to varying degrees.
Of course, players couldn’t access them in the early stages of the game. It would only be in the very late stages that these characters would gradually become available and interact with player disciples. If they appeared too early, it would easily disrupt the game’s balance.
As for that Jiupan Po, she was a top-tier figure in the Demonic Path, her strength even surpassing that of Green Robe Ancestor.
The Sect attire of the Red Body Sect she founded consisted of strange costumes, extremely revealing, using very little fabric. This style of clothing frightened away a large number of players but also attracted some rebellious youths, including a significant number of people engaged in special professions in real life, to join their ranks.
“To combat these evildoers, after discussion among the Sect’s Elders, it was specially decided to grant you sixteen individuals the privilege of studying in the Ancestral Hall for one day, and to open two advanced Sword Art Forms ahead of schedule: Wuzhen Sword Art and Pine Wind Sword Art.”
As soon as Senior Brother Chen Taizhen’s words fell, everyone’s spirits were lifted, and they became extremely excited.
Qingcheng finally would have its own advanced Sword Art Forms. No longer would they have to practice that damned Basic Sword Art all day. Moreover, the privilege of entering the Ancestral Hall for one day further distinguished them from ordinary Formal Disciples, making them feel the special treatment of being Tianshu Hall disciples.
Chen Taizhen pointed a single index finger into the empty air. Two Sword Art Dao Scrolls materialized, formed by condensed light.
One was the Wuzhen Sword Art, the other the Pine Wind Sword Art. Exchanging to learn either required 1000 Sect Contribution Points, and the prerequisite for learning was being a Qingcheng Inner Hall Disciple. This meant that even if someone exchanged for it, wanting to let players other than Qingcheng Inner Hall Disciples learn it, would be impossible.
“One thousand Sect Contribution Points? Not too much, just do a few more daily quests and I’ll have it.”
Although Ye Rong had recently obtained the Immovable Wisdom King Sword Art and didn’t need to worry about running out of Sword Arts to practice after mastering the Qingcheng Sword Art, he still held great expectations for the Sect’s advanced Sword Art Forms.
No one ever had too many advanced Sword Art Forms, especially the Sect’s own advanced Sword Art Forms that shared the same lineage as the Qingcheng Heart Method.