Chapter 51 - How to Stay Rational
It was clear that Yun Zhanyi genuinely cared for him.
Xiao Lingchen said:
“This is a matter of blood vengeance. No matter how powerful the Tianyan Sect is, I’ll make them pay the price.”
“There’s no need for Senior Sister to worry about this. I’m not foolish—should I find myself outmatched, I’ll certainly find a way to escape.”
Then, Xiao Lingchen asked:
“By the way, Senior Sister, why don’t I see Ning Huanhuan?”
When they’d parted earlier, Ning Huanhuan had been with them.
Yet now, she was nowhere to be seen.
Xiao Lingchen suspected something had gone wrong.
Seeing Xiao Lingchen’s determination to seek revenge on the Tianyan Sect, Yun Zhanyi sighed helplessly.
She desperately didn’t want to see him throw his life away in vain.
But upon hearing Ning Huanhuan’s name, she exclaimed: “Oh no!”
The recent turmoil had distracted Yun Zhanyi, causing her to overlook many things.
Now, remembering Ning Huanhuan, her face immediately showed worry:
“We were attacked by the Demon Clan earlier and got separated in the chaos.”
“I don’t even know how Junior Sister is doing now!”
Against those Demon Clan members, even she, at Dao Palace Realm ninth level, couldn’t gain the upper hand.
Let alone Ning Huanhuan!
At this moment, Ning Huanhuan was likely in grave danger.
This made Yun Zhanyi extremely anxious. She quickly turned to Xiao Lingchen and pleaded:
“Junior Sister Ning is probably still entangled with the Demon Clan, or perhaps she’s already been captured.”
“Xiao… Junior Brother Xiao, your strength is formidable. Could you help us search for Junior Sister Ning?”
“If you can save her, I’ll agree to any one condition you name!”
Xiao Lingchen replied:
“My bond with Ning Huanhuan is deep. Naturally, I can’t stand by and do nothing.”
“Let’s not delay—we should set out now!”
Yun Zhanyi nodded.
Then she turned to her fellow sisters and said:
“This journey is perilous. You shouldn’t come along.”
“Leave this place and carry out the tasks I just assigned you.”
“And if you encounter other sect disciples, remember to warn them to stay cautious!”
The junior sisters nodded in agreement.
Then they turned and departed.
Xiao Lingchen and Yun Zhanyi exchanged a glance before heading together toward the direction Yun Zhanyi recalled!
…
Meanwhile—
In the grand hall of Taixuan Sect’s main peak—
Bang!
Elder Xinghe slammed his palm onto the table beside him.
The table shattered instantly under the blow.
His eyes bulged with rage, overwhelmed by grief!
“Wuhen!!!”
“My Wuhen!!!”
“Who was it!”
“Who killed my Wuhen!!!”
Just moments ago—
On the star chart representing the sects’ disciples, hundreds more stars belonging to Tianyan Sect disciples had gone dark.
Of the over sixty thousand Tianyan Sect disciples who’d entered the grand competition, nearly all were now dead or wounded!
The speed of their deaths was so rapid that even if Elder Xinghe wanted to withdraw from the competition now, it was too late!
There was no time to reach the Dark Forest and bring those disciples back!
And what he found hardest to accept—
The star representing their sect’s holy son, Wei Wuhen, had also just extinguished!
At first, Elder Xinghe couldn’t believe it.
Not until he retrieved Wei Wuhen’s soul lamp—
And saw it go out alongside the star—did he finally accept the reality of Wei Wuhen’s fall.
In that moment, he lost his mind!
Wei Wuhen was a heaven-gifted genius—barely a hundred years old, yet he’d already broken through to Delusion Breaking Realm.
His future achievements could have surpassed all the prodigies in Tianyan Sect’s history, potentially becoming the greatest figure in their sect’s legacy!
The Tianyan Sect’s ancestor had personally named him holy son, pouring the sect’s resources into his cultivation.
And Elder Xinghe had treated him like his own son, imparting all his knowledge without reservation.
Who could have imagined—
That merely participating in a sect’s grand competition—
Would lead to the death of Wei Wuhen, the hope of the entire Tianyan Sect!
“Elder Xinghe, calm down for a moment,” the elders from other sects said, trying to console him.
“Calm down?”
Elder Xinghe let out a bitter laugh:
“My sect’s disciples are nearly wiped out—how am I supposed to stay rational?”
If those disciples had died due to their own lack of strength, killed by the demon beasts of the Dark Forest, he wouldn’t be this unhinged.
But the Tianyan Sect disciples had been dying in droves, one after another—
In just a few days, they’d been almost completely annihilated.
This was clearly the work of someone targeting and deliberately sabotaging their sect!!!
At this moment, Elder Xinghe’s heart felt like it was being torn apart, consumed by unbearable pain.
His eyes turned blood-red, his Delusion Breaking Realm cultivation erupting uncontrollably!
“No matter who it is, whoever dares kill my Tianyan Sect disciples, this old man will make them pay!!!”
With those words, Elder Xinghe shot into the air, transforming into a streak of light and racing toward Taixuan Sect’s teleportation array!
…
Unbeknownst to Xiao Lingchen of the events unfolding at Taixuan Sect—
He and Yun Zhanyi were currently racing to find traces of Ning Huanhuan.
Their speed was incredible.
In mere moments, they’d covered dozens of li.
Along the way, they hadn’t seen Ning Huanhuan, but they did find signs of battles and the corpses of many sect disciples.
These disciples didn’t seem to have died at the claws of demon beasts—
Nor in competitive clashes with other sect disciples.
Their deaths were gruesome, their faces frozen in expressions of terror—clearly, they’d fallen to the hands of the Demon Clan!
“It seems the Demon Clan lurking in the Dark Forest has begun a large-scale offensive, indiscriminately slaughtering the disciples of the thirteen great sects,” Yun Zhanyi said, her brow furrowed.
Her words carried deep worry.
“Help! Help me!!!”
“Is there anyone who can save me!!”
Suddenly—
A cry for help echoed from ahead.
Xiao Lingchen and Yun Zhanyi instinctively looked toward the source of the shouts.
They immediately spotted several disciples in Tianhe Sect robes sprinting toward them in a panic.
Behind them was a group of black-armored Demon Clan members, all above Dao Palace Realm, relentlessly pursuing them.
As the cries rang out, two Tianhe Sect disciples fell to the Demon Clan’s hands.
Without hesitation—
Xiao Lingchen and Yun Zhanyi flashed forward, positioning themselves behind the Tianhe Sect disciples and facing the Demon Clan.
Yun Zhanyi swept her longsword horizontally, instantly beheading the two leading Demon Clan members!
At the same time, Xiao Lingchen drew his Phoenix Sovereign Sword and slashed fiercely—moments later, a surge of sword qi wiped out the remaining Demon Clan pursuers!
After realizing the Demon Clan members behind them had all been slain—
The Tianhe Sect disciples collapsed to the ground, exhausted.
When they saw Xiao Lingchen and Yun Zhanyi approach, they didn’t forget to express their gratitude:
“Thank you.”
“Thank you both, Fellow Daoists, for your aid!”
“We’re endlessly grateful for your life-saving grace!”
Yun Zhanyi spoke:
“As fellow disciples of the righteous path, there’s no need for formalities.”
“Let me ask you—what happened up ahead?”
A Tianhe Sect disciple, his face pale, replied:
“The Demon Clan—so many Demon Clan!”
“We were working with our sect’s senior brothers to hunt demon beasts when, out of nowhere, a large group of Demon Clan members appeared.”
“Once they showed up, they began slaughtering us without mercy.”
“In an instant, so many sect disciples died. Our senior brother—he died at the hands of those Demon Clan members to cover our escape.”
“We barely managed to get away ourselves, sob sob sob…”