Chapter 78 The Return Strike

Throwing living people into the alchemical furnace to be refined—the cruelty of such an act hardly needs elaboration.

Yet from beginning to end, behind Qin Yue’s mask, his expression remained unchanged.

He tossed the young disciples in one after another.

There was a pause between each.

Once inside, the alchemy chamber—already well insulated against sound—echoed with shrill, agonizing screams, further muffled by the barrier Qin Yue had laid. Anyone hearing those cries would shiver in terror.

Those still alive, including the old alchemist, lost all control out of sheer fright.

It was not the first time they had heard such screams—indeed, they heard them often, and had grown used to it. For this reason, the alchemy room was fitted with a soundproof array; no matter what happened within, nothing reached outside.

Among them, some disliked the noise and would seal their senses through cultivation; others, more twisted, enjoyed the sounds, even finding pleasure in them.

Never had they imagined that someday, the ones thrown inside would be themselves.

"Liu Tong, have you lost your mind? Why are you opposing the sect? This is where you grew up! Your master’s house!" The old alchemist sobbed, trying to awaken the conscience of this traitorous elder.

The young disciples pleaded bitterly: "Elder Liu, please spare me, I know I was wrong."

"I just arrived, I’m only a junior following orders, I know nothing—it’s pointless to kill me!"

"Elder Liu, spare my life, I’ll never dare again."

"Elder Liu, don’t worry, we can swear upon the Dao, we will never speak of seeing you here today..."

Qin Yue stoked the furnace, his violet flame fierce but short-lived—just as well, for it required little time.

Soon, the screams from the "Human Refining Furnace" ceased. Qin Yue, silent, lifted the next one.

Then the third... the fourth!

Before an incense stick could burn through, all five—including the old alchemist—were thrown into the furnace and roasted alive.

With a deft gesture, he cast several bolts of violet lightning, dispersing the spiritual force trapped within the furnace.

Life extinguished, Dao destroyed, soul scattered!

When all grew quiet, Qin Yue kicked over the alchemical furnace, scattering embers across the floor, which quickly set the vast room ablaze.

As the flames roared, the compound was soon alerted, and countless people rushed to extinguish the fire.

By then, Qin Yue had already used the earth-evading technique, circumvented the myriad arrays, and entered Xue Song’s sanctuary.

Yet as he ascended, a warning rose in his heart—a sense that the entire cave was ensnared in a vast net.

He did not act recklessly, but moved silently, searching for an opportunity beneath the sanctuary.

If the task proved impossible, he would rather abandon it.

Suddenly!

A fierce sense of dread struck him. A chilling sword intent pierced the earth and instantly locked onto him.

It was the power found only in the final two forms of the Falling Leaf Sword Scripture—Shadow Follows Form, Sword Intent Lock!

Qin Yue unleashed the Nether Escape, fleeing in an instant!

Yet the opponent’s sword intent clung to him like a shadow, always overhead.

Qin Yue remained unperturbed, racing through the earth at high speed, delving even deeper.

Only when the sword intent vanished did he realize he’d traveled sixty or seventy miles beneath the earth!

He did not emerge recklessly, but rested briefly, then continued deeper.

High above.

Xue Song, appearing as a young man with black hair draped over his shoulders, eyes like lightning, scanned carefully in all directions, squinting.

At last, he could only sigh helplessly.

Even with the most meticulous preparations, that cunning foe had slipped away.

He pondered, activating the communication stone.

...

"That was certainly not Liu Tong!"

Half an hour later, within his sanctuary, Xue Song spoke to Ling Jin Song, who had arrived quietly.

Ling Jin Song frowned deeply, silent.

He had little affection for the sect’s generations of evil cultivators, nor for the Xue family. The existence of evil cultivators in the sect was something he learned only after becoming sect leader; before that, though he’d heard rumors, he never believed them.

The world’s greatest sect, a paragon of righteousness—how could it permit evil cultivators? To deliberately nurture them seemed even less likely!

Later he discovered not only were there practitioners of forbidden arts, but the earliest batch of evil cultivators had been personally fostered by the founding ancestor!

Now, the ancestor had ascended to the Immortal Realm—become immortal!

From that moment, Ling Jin Song’s worldview changed utterly.

Heaven and earth are indifferent, treating all things as straw dogs.

There is no true division between good and evil—cultivation itself defies the heavens. If one were strict, do plants and trees lack spiritual nature?

Especially those supreme-grade medicinal treasures on the verge of transformation—they possessed not insignificant intelligence, knew how to seek benefit and avoid harm, experienced joy and fear.

All things are equal; if one cares so much, best leave cultivation and join a monastery.

Thus, he accepted the presence of evil cultivators, though that did not mean he liked them.

Fortunately, the sect’s evil cultivators mostly had boundaries; they did not intentionally lead disciples down that path, all was voluntary, nor did they use their own people for forbidden arts.

In the history of the Sect of Radiant Sun, few traitors like Liu Tong had appeared, and none had ever returned to kill their own after defecting.

"Though I’ve never met this person, I am certain Liu Tong could not possess such skill!"

"Even if evil cultivation advances quickly, it’s impossible to gain the means to escape under my very eyes in just a few years."

"Sect Master, is it possible Liu Tong died long ago in the northern lands of Jin, and someone is impersonating him?"

Ling Jin Song fell into thought. The Sect of Radiant Sun had seen traitors among its disciples—there are all kinds in a large forest—but none had dared return after betrayal to kill and steal from their own.

Xue Feng continued coldly: "Sect Master, think again—when did Qiao Cheng die?"

Ling Jin Song looked up, confused.

Xue Song said, "Not long after your highly trusted guest elder Qin arrived, Elder Qiao died!"

Ling Jin Song reacted: "You mean young Qin? Impossible, absolutely impossible!"

Xue Song: "Listen to my analysis, then judge if it makes sense."

Ling Jin Song’s gaze grew discontent. The Xue family had been domineering for years. Earlier, Xue Feng clashed with young Qin over two people from the Ice Abyss, now Xue Song was smearing him—clearly unwilling to see Ling Jin Song ascend.

Xue Song pressed on: "Elder Qin arrived, Qiao Cheng soon died violently, body destroyed; this young man sympathizes with the Ice Abyss people, gathering those criminals to protect them; suppose Liu Tong met his fate in the north—was Qin not present? He was a member of Jin’s Department of Bandit Suppression, correct?"

Ling Jin Song frowned: "So what? Young Qin’s cultivation is modest, courage not great—everyone knows this; not only him, I too sympathized with the Ice Abyss people—who hasn’t been young and naive? He was indeed a member of the Department, but probably never even served a full day!"

Xue Song said, "Sect Master, don’t forget, Elder Qin is friends with Hu Yan of Jin’s Department—do I need to elaborate?"

At this, Ling Jin Song’s expression shifted, suspicion showing.

Xue Song continued: "I’m not saying the one impersonating Liu Tong to murder Qiao Cheng and attempt to assassinate me tonight must be him; theoretically, he lacks the skill, but I believe Elder Qin is involved!"

He looked at Ling Jin Song: "Tomorrow, let us probe him—if he harbors guilt, in the eyes of us elders, he’ll surely betray himself..."

"Wait..." Ling Jin Song rubbed his brow, speaking gravely: "This is unwise!"

"Sect Master, the facts are clear—do you still refuse to believe? Or will you always protect a youth of unknown origin?" Xue Song’s voice dropped, eyes cold.

By age, he was Ling Jin Song’s elder; by cultivation, far superior; by family, Ling’s was not weak—Ling Jin Song had once been a prodigy—but the Xue family was no less formidable.

In choosing Ling Jin Song rather than Yue Ming Xi as sect leader, it was partly a compromise among factions, partly because Ling Jin Song was more pragmatic—easier to control than Yue Ming Xi.

The Yue family had deep roots, and another forceful leader would disturb the balance among the clans.

Ling Jin Song was no fool; his gaze calm as he faced Xue Song. "What do you mean, Elder Xue? Is it amusing for a centenarian to slander a simple youth of seventeen or eighteen?"

"I slander him?"

"What else? You say all this, based purely on conjecture—do you have any evidence?"

"I..."

Xue Song was momentarily at a loss; truthfully, his suspicions were based entirely on experience and deduction.

He had no concrete proof.

Since Qin Yue’s arrival, he had behaved with utmost propriety—aside from some friction with Xue Feng over the Ice Abyss people, there was nothing to fault him for.

But tonight’s events were so bizarre, he could not believe that Liu Tong, an outer sect elder, could, in a few short years, acquire such terrifying abilities.

His sanctuary’s arrays extended forty yards beneath the ground—ordinary cultivators could not penetrate, nor escape under his sword intent from the Falling Leaf Sword Scripture.

The adversary was likely his equal, at the peak of the Ninth Realm of the Rift!

Such cultivators were few in the entire world, and those with reason and motive—the Sect of Heavenly Net was foremost!

Qin Yue was close to Hu Yan, who belonged to the Sect of Heavenly Net.

Following this thread, if Qin Yue too was a disciple of that sect, first obtaining information from Liu Tong, then entering the Sect of Radiant Sun as a guest elder, gaining access to advanced maps, opening doors for his own people—was there any flaw in this reasoning?

Frankly, none at all—but the problem was, he had no evidence.

He wanted to test Qin Yue, but Ling Jin Song refused. Xue Song, stifling his anger, said, "If the sect master won’t believe me, I’ll find my own chance to confirm it!"

Ling Jin Song looked at him, his expression grave. "If you think you can bypass me as sect leader and do as you wish, suit yourself."

He stood up. "I am no saint, nor filled with notions of justice. I know your secrets only because I took the sect leader’s seat—but I have no interest in you or your kind. You cultivate your way, I cultivate mine. But if you interfere with me, try it—I may not be as strong as before, but Elder Xue, don’t forget, the second-generation founder bore the surname Ling!"

With words nearly at the breaking point, Ling Jin Song’s stance was clear: no one may touch Qin Yue; anyone who hinders his ascension will face his wrath.

Ling Jin Song left with a sweep of his sleeve; the two men parted in discord.

Xue Song’s face was iron-grey, his breath uneven.

His loss of composure tonight was not due to the near assassination.

After Qiao Cheng’s death, he had prepared, with confidence and means to handle such matters.

What truly broke him was the destruction, in a single fire, of three "Human Pills" painstakingly cultivated from rare medicines, along with his trusted alchemist—turned to ash!

The chance to ascend to immortal was ruined; anyone would be devastated.

Why target Qin Yue?

Suspicion was one thing; what he truly wanted was, after removing Qin Yue... the Ice Abyss people in Qin Yue’s sanctuary!

But Ling Jin Song was utterly intractable, granting no favor.

"It seems I must speak to Feng, have him hand over those two Ice Abyss people," Xue Song murmured.

Even as uncle and nephew, nothing would come for free; a significant price must be paid.

Suddenly!

A figure appeared before him, seemingly holding something, moving with unbelievable speed, striking down toward him.

Buzz!

The sanctuary emitted a terrifying vibration.

Caught off guard, Xue Song reacted instantly, striking out with his palm.

Crack!