Chapter 283 - 169: The Youth of the Past, Wielding Life and Death

Chapter 283: Chapter 169: The Youth of the Past, Wielding Life and Death

When she saw that figure slowly walking over, the expression on Li Qingyi’s face could no longer be described with words. She almost couldn’t believe her eyes. That figure was so familiar—so familiar that she would never forget it for as long as she lived; it was etched into her very bones.

At this moment, all sorts of past events surfaced in Li Qingyi’s mind, as if the gates of memory had been quietly pushed open. Opening eleven spirit vortices in fifty days and stepping into the Unity Realm; the older generation’s siege; his return ten years later; slaying the seven great sequences of Celestial Sword with his blade; escaping with his life; the Nanling army descending upon Xingyue City, sweeping through Celestial Sword, and shaking the Eastern Domain... Countless past scenes flashed by, finally converging on the extremely familiar face before her.

Their first chance encounter at Wuyang Mountain, the locking of eyes at the Ye Family. Over the past decade, the entire Xingyue City had witnessed the youth’s growth, watching with their own eyes as he climbed step by step to a peak that left everyone in the dust. The day the Nanling army departed with the entire Ye Clan, the various news that drifted back on the wind had shocked all of Xingyue City. That youth had personally led the saints of Nanling and countless powerhouses to attack the Celestial Sword Divine Sect. He had suppressed his peers, crippled the Celestial Sword Seven Sons, and plunged Celestial Sword into chaos.

At this moment, Li Qingyi was completely dumbfounded. She stood frozen in place, her mind entirely blank.

That was, until—

"Greetings, Eldest Senior Brother."

Everyone bowed respectfully to the figure in white, leaving Li Qingyi as the only one still standing frozen and motionless.

"Junior Sister Qingyi? Junior Sister Qingyi?" A senior brother beside her tugged hard at her sleeve, finally snapping the young woman out of her shock.

The youth in white had, at some unknown point, brushed past her. He now stood on the high platform in the side hall—a symbol of status and position—accepting the bows of all the Beardless Sect disciples.

"Disciple Qin Fan pays his respects to the three Elders."

"The Eldest Senior Brother returns the courtesy."

The three major Elders successively returned a bow of equal standing, while the rest of the disciples bowed their heads respectfully, their breathing rapid. The one currently sitting in the Eldest Senior Brother’s seat was an existence who had suppressed ten peerless geniuses with a single thought—the Eldest Senior Brother himself.

"Junior Sister Qingyi, what’s wrong with you? Hurry up and greet the Eldest Senior Brother." The young man beside Li Qingyi was full of anxiety. This was the Holy Sect, where the rules were strictly enforced. Ascending Great Ming Peak and not bowing to the Eldest Senior Brother was a massive sign of disrespect.

However, Li Qingyi, who had snapped back to reality and turned to look at the figure in white, still had eyes filled with disbelief and shock. She continued to stare blankly at Jiang Hao.

This scene terrified everyone present.

"Qingyi, why aren’t you greeting the Eldest Senior Brother?" As an outer sect elder of the Beardless Sect, Qingyan’s expression changed drastically when he saw this. Strictly speaking, the status of the Eldest Senior Brother was even higher than that of an outer sect elder like him.

Jiang Hao, of course, had long since noticed Li Qingyi. From the moment he entered the door, he had sensed her presence, but up until now, he had not interacted with her. It wasn’t until Qingyan spoke that Jiang Hao slowly looked toward her.

"Let it be, Elder Qingyan. It’s fine." After Jiang Hao finished speaking, he smiled faintly at the dumbstruck Li Qingyi and said calmly, "Junior Sisters, Junior Brothers, and Elders, if there’s nothing else, let’s end things here for today. Having run into an old acquaintance, perhaps it’s time for us to catch up. What do you say, Junior Sister Qingyi?"

BOOM!

The moment Jiang Hao said this, everyone abruptly raised their eyes, filled with astonishment. It was obvious that the Beardless Sect’s Eldest Senior Brother seemed to know the little junior sister beside them. Not only did he know her, but they also seemed unusually familiar with each other.

Hearing this, Li Qingyi’s slender body trembled. His taking the initiative to speak further confirmed the youth’s identity. The phrase "run into an old acquaintance" was like a bolt of heavenly lightning exploding in her heart.

Amidst their surprise, the crowd quickly snapped out of it, immediately bowing and taking their leave. Even Jiang Huaiyu tactfully departed, though waves of surprise rippled in his eyes.

Outside the side hall.

"Junior Sister Qingyi actually knows the Eldest Senior Brother?"

"Heavens, to think our little junior sister has such a heaven-defying connection!"

"Listening to the Eldest Senior Brother’s tone, the two of them seem to have a pretty good relationship."

"Being an old acquaintance of the Beardless Sect’s Eldest Senior Brother... she’s definitely going to have top-tier backing from now on."

For a time, everyone was endlessly envious.

Meanwhile, inside the side hall.

Within the grand hall, only Li Qingyi and over ten Maid Disciples remained.

"Qing’Er, Ling’Er, you two may step down as well."

"Yes, sir."

After dismissing the Maid Disciples on both sides, Jiang Hao rose from the Spirit Chair that symbolized the throne of the Eldest Senior Brother and walked step by step down toward Li Qingyi.

As the youth drew nearer, the young woman’s breathing grew rapid. At this moment, Li Qingyi’s mind was like a blank sheet of paper, completely empty.

"Miss Li, we meet again."

The light voice, carrying a trace of gentleness, echoed in the grand hall. It lingered for a long time, striking directly at Li Qingyi’s heart.

"Jiang... Jiang Hao? You... you...?"

Thousands of words and boundless shock ultimately dissolved into a single "you."

"Are you wondering how I became the Eldest Senior Brother of the Beardless Sect? Or... how I managed to reach this point today?"

Looking at the figure in white before her, unprecedented ripples surfaced in Li Qingyi’s beautiful eyes. It was incredibly hard for her to imagine that the youth who had once suffered endless ridicule in Xingyue City—whose dignity had been trampled underfoot—could grow to reach such a stage today.

The Eldest Senior Brother of the Holy Sect, a peerless genius at the absolute pinnacle, one who had shaken the Eastern Domain and conquered the Wan Gu Saint Sect.

The youth from back then was now truly out of reach.

"How could you be the Eldest Senior Brother of the Beardless Sect? How could this be? Impossible, this is impossible."

Faced with the familiar person standing before her, Li Qingyi shook her head frantically, as if she simply couldn’t accept this reality.