The Master Is In

Chu Xingchen lowered his gaze slightly. The intense spiritual power before him was controlled, nearly fully condensed, targeting only the Old Monk directly ahead.

Yun Chuan, merely facing the faint aura of the Dao, felt his hair stand on end.

He hadn't even processed what was happening.

The next moment.

A bloody crimson light surged forward.

Li Xingtian did not hesitate, as if acting on instinct. The spiritual treasure longsword in his hand erupted with rampant blood energy, pressing down towards the Old Monk.

Without a word exchanged, his timing was only slightly behind his master's.

The Old Monk expanded his Ten Thousand Buddhas Golden Radiance shield, yet the myriad-like attack passed through, unreasonably slicing his barrier apart.

Li Xingtian could naturally sense the terrifying cultivation level of this Old Monk, but he did not retreat.

If his master drew his sword, he would follow.

Whoever the opponent was, it was not for him to ponder or hesitate over.

Whether for his master or his Third Junior Sister, he would not step back, nor would he cling to life and fear death.

The blood energy solidified, its aura shaking like that of the infernal realms.

Seizing the gap created when his master shattered the barrier, Li Xingtian unleashed a slash from his blade, imbued with the ultimate power of blood energy.

The Old Monk's eyes widened, sensing this most pure blood energy. With his Buddha-level cultivation, he could handle it. Golden light coiled around his right arm, transforming it into a slightly translucent golden Buddha's hand, with which he caught the blade bare-handed.

The force behind Li Xingtian's slash was considerable. Though somewhat hastily executed, it held the shadow of a divine ability.

Buddha's light naturally countered blood energy, and coupled with the gap in cultivation realms,

the Old Monk thought his hand would suffice.

The golden Buddha's hand met the blood-energy longsword in Li Xingtian's grip, but the instant they made contact, he immediately sensed something was wrong.

This blood energy... was not suppressed by the Buddha's light; instead, it could even corrode the power of the Buddha's light.

The blood energy contained none of the scattered, vile impurities typical of lowly demonic cultivators. It was extremely pure, so pure it was... as if righteous and aboveboard.

Li Xingtian's aura surged, the great sword in his hand pressing the golden Buddha's hand back slightly.

The Old Monk was about to speak when his gaze shifted sideways.

A longsword carrying a majestic, righteous aura arrived in the blink of an eye.

Lin Luoyu, at the Golden Core realm, had also moved forward the moment Li Xingtian acted.

The majestic, righteous energy clashed directly with the Buddha's light, seemingly intent on scattering it.

Lin Luoyu's eyes were cool and clear. Gripping her spiritual treasure longsword, she aimed a slash directly at the Old Monk.

Sword intent surged, the divine ability was penetrating, filled with majestic righteousness.

The Old Monk blocked this strike with his other hand, his gaze sweeping left and right.

A blood-energy cultivator... and a majestic-righteousness cultivator attacking him together.

Two who should be as incompatible as fire and water were now fighting side by side.

The ways of the world had truly moved in a direction he no longer recognized.

"Move!"

Chu Xingchen suddenly let out a cold shout.

Both Lin Luoyu and Li Xingtian instantly withdrew.

Azure-blue light flashed once more.

Against a Golden Core and a Nascent Soul cultivator, the Old Monk, relying on his realm, could naturally withstand them easily.

Although Chu Xingchen was currently at the late-stage Body Unity realm, not yet having reached Mahayana, the force behind his strikes even surpassed what many ordinary Mahayana cultivators could achieve.

Moreover, Chu Xingchen held the weapon Myriad Changes in his hand.

The Old Monk's gaze met it again, his golden Buddha's hand moving to block once more, but it could no longer withstand this azure-blue light.

The longsword formed by Myriad Changes pierced through the golden Buddha's hand, shattered the Old Monk's right shoulder blade, and sent droplets of pale golden blood flying.

Li Xingtian and Lin Luoyu were about to press the attack again but were stopped by a sidelong glance from Chu Xingchen.

The two halted their movements and retreated closer to Chen Baiqing.

Chu Xingchen tightened his grip on Myriad Changes, the sword still pressed against the Old Monk's shoulder, and asked coldly:

"Old monk, you should know who I am, right?"

The smile did not leave the Old Monk's face:

"Naturally. Who in the Central Continent now does not know Chu Xingchen?"

The coldness on Chu Xingchen's face did not diminish:

"Since you know, are you convinced by this sword you've taken?"

The Old Monk slowly nodded in response: "I am convinced."

If he weren't convinced, the next one to deliver a sword might well be Bai Xuanling, who would not hold back.

Chu Xingchen's reputation in the Central Continent was actually quite good. After all, being able to engage with the core disciples of various major factions spoke to his character and intellect being beyond doubt.

He just hadn't expected... that with Chen Baiqing merely smiling and calling him 'Master', Chu Xingchen could perceive that Chen Baiqing seemed to have been wronged.

What was even more bizarre was that a blood-energy cultivator and a majestic-righteousness cultivator—two extremes—could follow Chu Xingchen's lead without the slightest hesitation.

Their coordination was smooth, clearly having fought together numerous times.

Adding in Chen Baiqing, who walked the line between righteous and demonic, and Chu Xingchen, a sect master fiercely protective of his own to an extreme,

this sect really had gathered a complete set.

The Old Monk spoke in a conciliatory tone:

"This old monk merely observed that the sect master's disciple seemed to have some insight and exchanged a few words with her."

Chu Xingchen sneered: "My disciple, and you had 'insight' about her?"

The Old Monk offered an ingratiating smile: "I merely observed with my Buddha's Heart..."

"What could your grubby Buddha's Heart possibly perceive?"

"... she seemed like a demoness."

"Is that all?"

"A demoness whom heaven and earth can no longer bind." The Old Monk's tone grew somewhat more solemn.

Chu Xingchen's tone remained unchanged:

"Is that all?!"

The Old Monk paused before asking:

"Benefactor, you may feel at ease now, but what if you are no longer here?"

Chu Xingchen slowly withdrew Myriad Changes:

"She is my disciple, a disciple I have cared for with all my heart and soul. If I am gone, she should be unbound by heaven and earth, free and unrestrained. As for whether she is righteous or demonic..."

Chu Xingchen grinned with a cold smile: "That is my responsibility to manage now, and the blame should fall on me. Otherwise, wouldn't all those calls of 'Master' from them be in vain?"

The Old Monk seemed slightly enlightened. He glanced sideways at Chen Baiqing, who stood in place, her lips lightly pressed together, her eyes seeming to glisten with redness.

He then looked at Li Xingtian and Lin Luoyu, whose expressions were equally cold as they stared at him.

Chen Baiqing might be able to enchant the world; that was her divine ability, her skill.

But this Chu Xingchen... his charm was innate.

That this world-charming demoness Chen Baiqing would also succumb to Chu Xingchen seemed rather fitting, after all.

This was a personal charisma that no one could imitate.

Irrelevant to righteousness or demonicness, it was solely about genuine feeling.

The Old Monk endured the pain and slowly rose, bowing once more:

"This old monk has learned a lesson. My deepest apologies."

Chu Xingchen retracted Myriad Changes. A disciple had been wronged; naturally, the master had to seek redress.

Apart from liking to grill fish behind his back, Chen Baiqing hardly concealed anything else.

The fact that this thoughtful little padded jacket had thorns on the outside was known to everyone in the sect.

Chen Baiqing actually understood that her temperament was different from her original self. She might even hold little so-called compassion for the outside world in her heart, and perhaps she harbored worries.

Would her master disapprove of this changed version of her?

After all, there weren't many things that could anger Chen Baiqing anymore.

Chu Xingchen naturally had to answer, and also give an answer to outsiders.

Whether one could see through Chen Baiqing or not, whether she was a calamitous demoness or not, Chen Baiqing was his disciple.

And Chu Xingchen loved one thing most—being fiercely protective of his own.

Chu Xingchen returned to stand before Chen Baiqing first, ruffling her hair again, messing up the neatly arranged locks.

"Master..." Chen Baiqing spoke softly.

Chu Xingchen gently pinched Chen Baiqing's cheek, just as he had when she was only a little girl:

"Master is here."