Chapter 393 - 388: Majesty? Paid for with My Life

Wen Wuxin had already determined that his Tier Four Defensive Treasure couldn’t block this sword strike. He threw it out purely to buy himself a sliver of time, as he had already started to move.

Seeing his Treasure destroyed, he couldn’t spare a moment for heartache. His only thought was to flee immediately.

But just as he broke free from the Array, its entangling and binding power coiled around him again, preventing him from escaping far.

"AHHH!!!!"

Wen Wuxin clearly hadn’t opened his mouth, but the onlookers could seemingly hear a bloodcurdling wail.

A pinprick of blood appeared between Wen Wuxin’s brows.

The mark extended upwards and downwards, rapidly becoming a line of blood.

Then the line widened in an instant. His body split in two, falling to either side as blood and viscera spilled out.

A translucent Nascent Soul, free from all restraints, was about to flee at high speed.

"Where do you think you’re going!" Du Youqian sneered, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. The Jinhuan sword shot after it, and with a single strike, the Nascent Soul deflated like a punctured ball.

Terror and venomous hatred appeared on the Nascent Soul’s tiny face. The onlookers could clearly hear the intent it broadcasted: "Zong Li, you will die a dog’s death! The Four Principles Sect will be reduced to ashes!"

"Perhaps, but you certainly won’t be around to see it."

After Du Youqian spoke, the Jinhuan sword twisted, and Wen Wuxin’s Nascent Soul shattered into a thousand pieces.

An Observation Envoy from the Demon Sect Camp inwardly lamented the waste.

’Such a fine Nascent Soul, perfect for use in pills or Artifact Refining, just shredded to pieces like that. What an absolute waste of a heavenly treasure!’

Inside a container on Du Youqian’s person, Wen Wuxin’s Nascent Soul was screaming madly: "Let me out! How dare you capture my Nascent Soul! The Profound Sects Orthodox Sect will not let you off! Using a Nascent Soul for Artifact Refining or pills is an utterly monstrous act!"

It turned out that the scene of the Nascent Soul being shredded was just an illusion created by Du Youqian.

Aside from him, there were no other Nascent Soul cultivators present. Deceiving the Divine Sense and eyes of those Core Formation Masters was as easy as flipping his hand.

He wiped the blood from his mouth again. To make the act convincing, he had truly refrained from using any Defensive Divine Abilities and took the hit head-on. The injuries were real.

"Elder Wen, rest assured, I won’t do anything to you. Just rest now!" With that, he used a Divine Sense Secret Technique to seal the perceptions of Wen Wuxin’s Nascent Soul and imprison it.

’It’s a pity I didn’t have the money to get the Pill Formula for the Nascent Soul Pill before. Otherwise, I could have used this Nascent Soul to substitute the main ingredient and refine a batch of them.’

The most important primary ingredient for the Nascent Soul Pill was no secret.

It was the other ingredients, and the ratios of the various medicinal materials, that were strictly kept secret.

Du Youqian had to settle for the next best thing: refining this Nascent Soul into his Hundred Ghosts Banner to see if he could elevate the Demon Artifact to Tier Four quality.

Unfortunately, his Artifact Refining skill was only at Tier Three, so the chances of success weren’t very high.

But he had no time to wait, nor could he possibly preserve Wen Wuxin’s Nascent Soul until after his own reincarnation.

Du Youqian landed on the ground, and Sha Jiang leaped into his arms like a lightning bolt, whining piteously.

The Split-Ear Sand Fox clan was extremely Spiritual. It could sense that more than half of Du Youqian’s Life Force had drained away, and that he did not have long to live.

It didn’t want its person to die just like that, but it didn’t know what it could do.

For the first time, the little Sand Fox felt so utterly helpless.

Li Fei ran over, her eyes blurred with tears. She reached out a trembling hand, wanting to touch Du Youqian’s snow-white hair.

"Brother Zong! Are you alright?!" she cried out, her voice choked with sobs.

Du Youqian gently pushed her hand away, coughed, and declared majestically, "The provocateur has been executed. Disciples of the Four Principles Sect, listen well: Those who offend our Sect shall be annihilated, no matter how strong!"

From every corner, the frenzied voices of the surviving disciples merged into one: "Those who offend our Sect shall be annihilated, no matter how strong!"

Du Youqian then looked down and instructed Li Fei, "I am going into seclusion to recuperate. See the Observation Envoys off, then lead the disciples in clearing the rubble and repairing the damaged buildings. After I emerge, I will set up the Grand Array again."

Li Fei said through her tears, "Yes! Brother Zong, how are your injuries?"

Du Youqian gave a faint smile. "It’s nothing serious."

But to any observer, it was clear he didn’t have long to live and was just putting on a brave face to comfort Li Fei.

Du Youqian’s acting skills had truly reached perfection!

~~~~~~~

「Several days later」

Du Youqian emerged from seclusion. A disciple came to report, "Sect Leader, Master Yao Tao of the Qingxu Commerce Association has been waiting for you for a long time."

Du Youqian said, "Please ask him to come in."

Soon, Master Yao Tao, guided by the disciple, strode in. With sword-like brows and star-like eyes, he carried himself with a magnificent air.

When Du Youqian saw him, one phrase came to mind: a dragon among men.

He truly had the bearing of a dragon or a phoenix; his charisma was outstanding.

After taking a couple of steps closer, Yao Tao took the initiative to greet him with a smile, "Fellow Daoist Zong, felling a Nascent Soul Late Stage cultivator with a single sword strike. That was a truly magnificent battle!"

Du Youqian gestured for the disciple to leave and invited Yao Tao to sit. He smiled bitterly. "Fellow Daoist Yao, you think it was magnificent? I traded my life for it."

Yao Tao laughed heartily. "Fellow Daoist Zong is already a Nascent Soul. Surely you’ve made some arrangements for what comes next? I don’t believe you haven’t. I heard you sought out the Ghost Belly Cat clan? A good choice, they’re professionals in this area. When you return from your reincarnation, you must come find me and Junior Ge for a drink. Don’t you dare hide from us."

Du Youqian was slightly startled.

’The Qingxu Commerce Association’s information network is truly impressive...’

Du Youqian had thought that only Sha Jiang, Sha You, and the Tier Three Ghost Belly Cat King who was present that day knew about this.

He had no idea where Yao Tao had dug up this information.

He said in a light tone, "If fate allows, we will naturally meet again. Before I return, I’ll have to entrust the Four Principles Sect to Fellow Daoist Yao."

"Of course. Senior Sister Tao Yao has also repeatedly reminded me to keep my promise. Don’t worry, Fellow Daoist Zong. We are people of commerce. If we go back on our word, how can we continue to do business in the future?"

Du Youqian didn’t know if he could be trusted.

But now, he had no choice but to believe.

"Right, Fellow Daoist Zong, here are the two Nascent Soul Spiritual Objects I promised you. With no experts watching over the Four Principles Sect right now, it’s not safe to leave them in the Sect. I suggest you find another way to store them. If you need to deposit them with the Qingxu Commerce Association, I can make the decision to give you a 20% discount."

Du Youqian shook his head. "No, thank you. I have my own way."

He planned to store these Nascent Soul Spiritual Objects with Xi Mengran.

"Fellow Daoist Zong, I wonder, how much time do you have left?" Master Yao Tao asked.

Du Youqian chuckled. "Fellow Daoist, aren’t you skilled in Divination? Why don’t you divine it for me?"

Yao Tao’s expression immediately changed, and he shook his head. "I’d rather not vomit blood again."

’Oh? Divining my fate once will make you vomit blood?’

Du Youqian secretly made a mental note of this.

"I can still hold on for ten days to half a month."

"Is that so," Master Yao Tao said. "Then you should hurry and arrange your affairs. I won’t disturb you any longer. By the way, is there anything else you need us to do? Junior Ge has been feeling indebted to you and wants to do something to help."

Du Youqian thought for a moment. "My Sect’s Vice Sect Leader, Li Fei..."

Yao Tao interrupted him. "You mean the Kun Cultivator who is so deeply in love with you?"

Du Youqian sighed. "Please look after her a little. I’m afraid she might do something rash."

Yao Tao said with a smile, "Rest assured, leave it to me."

After Master Yao Tao left, Du Youqian hugged Sha Jiang and gave it a good long petting session before calling Li Fei in to give her some private instructions.

Then, Li Fei walked out with tears in her eyes and summoned the Sect’s several True Disciples—all except for the two who were currently undergoing Core Formation—to come to Du Youqian and listen to his final arrangements.

Several days later, the Sect Leader of the Four Principles Sect, Zong Li, died from a relapse of his injuries. His short, legendary life came to an end that was not perfect, but was stunning enough.

After the funeral rites for Zong Li were complete, one day, Li Fei left a letter designating the next Sect Leader. She was about to leave to find an Evil Pool that could allow a Foundation Establishment Cultivator to ascend to Core Formation in a single step through Body Refining, to try her luck.

Just as she left the Sect, a figure landed in front of her. Li Fei was startled, but upon taking a closer look, she quickly bowed in salute. "Greetings, Master Yao Tao."

"There’s no need for formalities," Master Yao Tao said in a calm tone. "What are you setting out to do?"

Li Fei lowered her head and said in a somber voice, "Just wandering around."

Master Yao Tao shook his head. "Such a foolish child. Come with me. There is something you should know now."

"What is it?"

"It’s about Zong Li Master’s reincarnation..."

（End of Volume）