Chapter 482 - 432: Shocking Xuan Yang

Chapter 482: Chapter 432: Shocking Xuan Yang

To withstand a palm strike from a Divinity Grandmaster while only at the Mingxin Pass stage, and still manage to kill someone—what kind of monstrous being was this?

"You court death!"

This scene was clearly beyond the Celestial Profound Sect’s ancestor’s expectations. Enraged, he moved to annihilate Bai Yuan.

But just as he was about to act, a majestic voice rang out from the horizon. "Old scoundrel, if you dare make a move, I’ll send you to the grave to keep him company!"

The Celestial Profound Sect’s ancestor abruptly looked up toward the horizon.

There, he saw a middle-aged man clad in golden armor slowly approaching Lingzhou City.

"Xu Dingchun!"

The Celestial Profound Sect’s ancestor gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with utter shock.

He couldn’t fathom how Xu Dingchun, who was supposed to be with the Zhenxi Army, had suddenly appeared in Lingzhou.

In the end, however, he did not act.

He was afraid.

It wasn’t that he was truly no match for Xu Dingchun. Rather, Xu Dingchun was far too young and had an abundance of lifespan to waste. If the man was willing, he could very well sacrifice a century of his life to trade for the ancestor’s.

Xu Dingchun had only lived for 120 years and had plenty of time to spare, but the same could not be said for him.

Bai Yuan seized the opportunity to retreat, appearing by Xu Dingchun’s side in the span of a single breath.

"Let’s go."

Xu Dingchun spoke calmly. And just like that, the two of them, master and grand-disciple, brazenly departed from Lingzhou.

The Celestial Profound Sect ancestor’s expression turned incredibly grim.

He had never suffered such humiliation in his entire life, especially not now that he was a Divine Communication Grandmaster.

’Xu Dingchun, I will have my revenge for this.’

Just then, a Vice Sect Leader of the Celestial Profound Sect flew up into the sky. "Ancestor, what should be done with the Sect Leader’s body?"

The Celestial Profound Sect’s ancestor glanced at Linghu Yang’s corpse, which had fallen into the city. "Handle it according to sect regulations. For now, you will act as the Deputy Sect Leader. By the way, what’s your name?"

The Vice Sect Leader’s eyes went wide. "Ancestor, my name is Qian Hui."

...

「In a mountain range in Fangzhou.」

Bai Yuan followed his Master, Xu Dingchun, into a grove of elegant pines.

Xu Dingchun looked at Bai Yuan with a wry smile. "You’re a bold one, kid. Weren’t you afraid I’d be late?"

If he hadn’t happened to arrive today, he likely would have found only Bai Yuan’s corpse.

Bai Yuan chuckled. "Master, I had another card to play."

Hearing his grand-disciple say this, Xu Dingchun was somewhat surprised.

Although the Celestial Profound Sect’s ancestor had only just broken through to the Divinity stage, his power was not to be underestimated. He hadn’t expected Bai Yuan to actually have a way to deal with a Divinity Grandmaster.

However, Xu Dingchun didn’t press the matter.

Everyone who reached the Mingxin Pass had their secrets. He himself had plenty of methods that couldn’t be spoken of to outsiders. As long as his grand-disciple was strong enough, nothing else was important, and he had no interest in meddling.

Three days prior, he had received a secret message from his grand-disciple.

He had used a feint to secretly travel to Lingzhou.

But what happened today was pure coincidence.

’This grand-disciple of mine really is unbelievably audacious, killing a sect leader right in front of a Divine Communication Ancestor. I couldn’t have pulled off a move like that back when I was at the Mingxin stage.’

Xu Dingchun asked, "What are your plans now?"

Bai Yuan replied, "Master, Linghu Yang is dead. With the Northern Garrison Army led by my own master, and with you here as a deterrent, the war should be secure. I plan to return to Ling Province and focus on building my foundation."

Xu Dingchun nodded. "Pulling an opportunistic stunt like this once is enough. The proper path is to build a solid foundation and advance steadily."

"You are right, Master."

Back when Xu Dingchun was the Grand General of the North, wasn’t his strategy to build high walls and fight a war of attrition against the Demon Sect?

At the time, the Profound People only thought the Grand General of the North was too weak. Looking back now, that decision was incredibly wise.

In fact, anyone who has been to war knows.

Massive armies clashing on a single field is an exceedingly rare event; many generals go their entire lives without ever witnessing such a thing.

The most advanced military strategy is actually to overwhelm the few with the many; the most important principle is stability.

Xu Dingchun was a very steady general.

I’ve heard that under his command, the Zhenxi Army has once again started its tactic of building fortifications, and the results have been quite good.

Many of the smaller Ximo kingdoms would lose more than half their men in a single siege and, forgetting all about their alliances, would decisively withdraw their forces.

Now, the number of soldiers in the Ximo grand army dwindles day by day, and fewer and fewer kingdoms remain in the war.

Perhaps Xu Dingchun had anticipated this outcome when he acted.

Xu Dingchun grew increasingly satisfied with his grand-disciple.

The great war between the Celestial Profound Sect and the Northern Garrison Army was bound to be brutal. However, because Bai Yuan interfered and killed the critically important Linghu Yang, it would not be an easy task for the new sect leader to establish his authority, especially with Linghu Yang no longer there to keep the enemy in check.

Furthermore, the people from the Zhengyang Sect weren’t necessarily offering their help in good faith; there were bound to be constant complications.

Changing commanders mid-campaign is a cardinal sin in warfare. The Northern Garrison Army’s situation had been completely stabilized.

Now that the Celestial Profound Sect was being held at the Lingxiang line by the Northern Garrison Army, the vast lands east of Xiangzhou had all fallen into Bai Yuan’s hands.

Before long, most of the Northern Territory would return to a state of peace.

For the currently precarious Xuan Yang, this was undoubtedly a huge boon.

...

News of the events in Lingzhou quickly spread throughout Xuan Yang.

The deathmatch between the Celestial Profound Sect’s Leader, Linghu Yang, and Bai Yuan had been known to all. Although it had been gradually forgotten amid the chaos, Linghu Yang’s death at Bai Yuan’s hands now made it the biggest topic of idle gossip once more.

Some storytellers even fabricated tales of Bai Yuan single-handedly fighting both the Celestial Profound Sect’s ancestor and its leader.

Bai Yuan, holding off two great masters on his own, had forcefully slain Linghu Yang.

Such a feat filled the hearts of the young heroes just entering the Jianghu with longing and admiration.

Of course, any old veteran of the Jianghu would never believe it.

A Mingxin Pass practitioner fighting a Divinity Grandmaster?

Impossible.

「At this moment, in a pavilion on Dragon Tiger Mountain in Jiangzhou.」

Shi Yan stood obediently to one side.

A cool mountain breeze blew past, making the leaves RUSTLE.

CLICK!

The crisp sound of a stone being placed on the board rang out.

The Dragon Tiger Sect’s Leader, Celestial Master Li, stroked his beard and smiled. "Junior Brother, my eye for talent may not be as good as yours, but when it comes to the game of Go, I am still a cut above."

On the other side, Elder Pei tossed the handful of black stones he was holding into the air.

"This is pointless."

The black stones, scattered in mid-air, suddenly froze. Then, they all flew back into Elder Pei’s hand on their own.

Elder Pei said helplessly, "Can’t I even concede?"

Sect Leader Li insisted, "I haven’t finished a complete game in ten years. This one must have an ending today."

Elder Pei pursed his lips.

Without even looking, he casually dropped a black stone from his hand onto the board. Sect Leader Li didn’t mind and continued playing as he normally would.

Soon, not a single black stone could be seen on the board.

Only then did Sect Leader Li clap his hands in satisfaction. "I win."

Elder Pei rolled his eyes. "Yes, you win."

Shi Yan was long accustomed to the sight of the two Celestial Masters from the Dragon Tiger Sect bickering like children.

Sect Leader Li felt his victory was unfulfilling. Yet, he also felt there was no point in playing against a terrible player like Elder Pei again. His thoughts turned, and he looked over at Shi Yan.

Shi Yan felt his master’s gaze and had a bad feeling.

His intuition was very accurate.

"Little Stone, why don’t you also take a trip to Lingzhou? Linghu Yang is already dead. You just need to beat a Vice Sect Leader to death in front of that old geezer."

Hearing his master’s hellish joke, Shi Yan’s scalp went numb.

"No, no, no."

He waved his hands repeatedly, so fast they nearly became a blur.

Knowing his master, he might actually make him go.

He didn’t think he could survive even two moves against a Divinity Grandmaster. If he went, the Deputy Sect Leader of Dragon Tiger Mountain would become the *late* Sect Leader.

Elder Pei smiled smugly. "Senior Brother, I may not be your match in Go, but when it comes to judging people’s character, I think I’m just a teensy bit better."

As he spoke, he pressed his right thumb and forefinger together, leaving only a tiny sliver of a gap.

Sect Leader Li was about to speak.

But on second thought, it seemed his own disciple really couldn’t compare to the Bai Yuan that Elder Pei favored, and he couldn’t help but feel dejected.

"Little Stone, you need to work harder. Strive to break through to Divine Communication within three years. Your master will figure out a way to make you a Martial Saint."

Shi Yan was speechless.

’Never mind whether I can break through in three years, just this whole Martial Saint business...’

’My master is still at the Divine Communication stage himself. How is he going to make me a Martial Saint?’

Shi Yan felt that his master was just bragging again.

Elder Pei said, "Senior Brother, that Elder Demon sacrificed himself to the heavens. With a commotion that big, he might really manage to produce a Martial Saint."

Sect Leader Li narrowed his eyes slightly. "Who knows."