Experts watched closely when exchanging blows. Qin Du’s little trick had not escaped the middle-aged man’s notice.
He simply hadn’t considered it a threat.
What harm could a Foundation Establishment cultivator’s spiritual strike do, even if he took it head-on?
They struck almost simultaneously. The man drove his sword into Qin Du’s lower abdomen, but the blade had barely penetrated an inch when Qin Du’s palm landed on his right shoulder.
He had been prepared for it and had never intended to dodge. Yet in the next instant, his sword flew from his hand.
His entire right shoulder felt as though it had been struck by a boulder. A deep, crushing pain sent him collapsing to the ground.
Qin Du’s condition was no better. Though the sword had not pierced all the way through his dantian, it had struck it nonetheless.
Damage to his spiritual roots was inevitable. He could only hope they could still be saved.
He tried to cover the wound with his hand to stop the bleeding, but it was useless. Blood stained the ground red. Unable to hold on any longer, he lost consciousness.
“Elder! Elder, are you all right?!”
Zhang Ting hurried over to support the middle-aged man.
His complexion was terrible. Clutching his shoulder, he tried to speak, only to cough up a mouthful of blood.
His cultivation had fallen.
From late Golden Core, he had dropped to mid-Golden Core.
It had taken him ninety full years to advance from the middle stage to the late stage.
Had a single palm strike from this Foundation Establishment junior really scattered ninety years of his cultivation?!
“No! This isn’t right… How could he possibly be that powerful?”
“Elder, your cultivation has fallen?!”
Now even Zhang Ting could see it.
“Impossible! It was him! He must have used some sinister technique to rob me of ninety years of cultivation!”
The middle-aged man began to lose control in front of his disciples.
Under the Baqi Sect’s rules, only late Golden Core cultivators could serve as elders.
He had spent decades cultivating in seclusion, enduring untold hardships. Yet he had barely become an elder before his cultivation fell.
What did all those years of effort amount to now?!
“I…”
Speechless with fury, he drew his spirit sword and moved to plunge it into Qin Du’s heart.
Unconscious from blood loss, Qin Du was utterly defenseless.
Just as the blade was about to enter his chest, a dazzling white light flashed overhead.
A metallic clang rang out. The middle-aged man’s sword was knocked away, spun through the air, and plunged into the ground right at his feet.
Startled, he hastily drew back.
By the time everyone recovered, Qin Du’s motionless body had vanished from the ground.
Lin Huaiqing had finally arrived. He lifted Qin Du into his arms and let him rest against him.
Dark red blood smeared his immaculate white robes, running down the hem and dripping onto the ground—a painfully stark sight.
The middle-aged man was bitterly displeased that he hadn’t finished Qin Du with that last thrust.
Now that Lin Huaiqing was here, killing him would be far more difficult.
“Immortal Venerable Huaiqing. It’s been a while. Have you been well?”
His voice was sinister.
Lin Huaiqing could hear him but could not see his face. Though spiritual energy allowed him to sense his surroundings, identifying people was another matter entirely.
“Who are you? Why have you injured my disciple?”
Had he not happened to find the side hall empty and come down the mountain to look, Qin Du would have died at their hands.
“Are you certain this man is your disciple, Immortal Venerable Huaiqing?! Then was it you, his master, who taught him to follow the demonic path?!”
The middle-aged man deliberately raised his voice so that everyone watching would hear.
Lin Huaiqing’s disciple practiced demonic cultivation. A disciple of the Xuantian Sect was a demonic cultivator!
Experts watched closely when exchanging blows. Qin Du’s little trick had not escaped the middle-aged man’s notice.
He simply hadn’t considered it a threat.
What harm could a Foundation Establishment cultivator’s spiritual strike do, even if he took it head-on?
They struck almost simultaneously. The man drove his sword into Qin Du’s lower abdomen, but the blade had barely penetrated an inch when Qin Du’s palm landed on his right shoulder.
He had been prepared for it and had never intended to dodge. Yet in the next instant, his sword flew from his hand.
His entire right shoulder felt as though it had been struck by a boulder. A deep, crushing pain sent him collapsing to the ground.
Qin Du’s condition was no better. Though the sword had not pierced all the way through his dantian, it had struck it nonetheless.
Damage to his spiritual roots was inevitable. He could only hope they could still be saved.
He tried to cover the wound with his hand to stop the bleeding, but it was useless. Blood stained the ground red. Unable to hold on any longer, he lost consciousness.
“Elder! Elder, are you all right?!”
Zhang Ting hurried over to support the middle-aged man.
His complexion was terrible. Clutching his shoulder, he tried to speak, only to cough up a mouthful of blood.
His cultivation had fallen.
From late Golden Core, he had dropped to mid-Golden Core.
It had taken him ninety full years to advance from the middle stage to the late stage.
Had a single palm strike from this Foundation Establishment junior really scattered ninety years of his cultivation?!
“No! This isn’t right… How could he possibly be that powerful?”
“Elder, your cultivation has fallen?!”
Now even Zhang Ting could see it.
“Impossible! It was him! He must have used some sinister technique to rob me of ninety years of cultivation!”
The middle-aged man began to lose control in front of his disciples.
Under the Baqi Sect’s rules, only late Golden Core cultivators could serve as elders.
He had spent decades cultivating in seclusion, enduring untold hardships. Yet he had barely become an elder before his cultivation fell.
What did all those years of effort amount to now?!
“I…”
Speechless with fury, he drew his spirit sword and moved to plunge it into Qin Du’s heart.
Unconscious from blood loss, Qin Du was utterly defenseless.
Just as the blade was about to enter his chest, a dazzling white light flashed overhead.
A metallic clang rang out. The middle-aged man’s sword was knocked away, spun through the air, and plunged into the ground right at his feet.
Startled, he hastily drew back.
By the time everyone recovered, Qin Du’s motionless body had vanished from the ground.
Lin Huaiqing had finally arrived. He lifted Qin Du into his arms and let him rest against him.
Dark red blood smeared his immaculate white robes, running down the hem and dripping onto the ground—a painfully stark sight.
The middle-aged man was bitterly displeased that he hadn’t finished Qin Du with that last thrust.
Now that Lin Huaiqing was here, killing him would be far more difficult.
“Immortal Venerable Huaiqing. It’s been a while. Have you been well?”
His voice was sinister.
Lin Huaiqing could hear him but could not see his face. Though spiritual energy allowed him to sense his surroundings, identifying people was another matter entirely.
“Who are you? Why have you injured my disciple?”
Had he not happened to find the side hall empty and come down the mountain to look, Qin Du would have died at their hands.
“Are you certain this man is your disciple, Immortal Venerable Huaiqing?! Then was it you, his master, who taught him to follow the demonic path?!”
The middle-aged man deliberately raised his voice so that everyone watching would hear.
Lin Huaiqing’s disciple practiced demonic cultivation. A disciple of the Xuantian Sect was a demonic cultivator!
At the mention of the word “demonic,” Lin Huaiqing’s heart began pounding.
Qin Du’s identity had always been carefully concealed. Apart from him and the system, no one knew.
“You must be joking, fellow Daoist. Demonic cultivation is not something you can accuse someone of lightly. Do you have conclusive evidence?”
Exactly. In a situation like this, he must deny it to the end. The burden of proof lay with the accuser.
“Of course we do! Your disciple is only at Foundation Establishment, yet one palm strike made our elder’s cultivation fall. That’s utterly unreasonable. Unless he practices demonic cultivation, I can think of no other explanation!”
Zhang Ting saw nothing wrong with his words as he spoke them. To everyone listening, however, they carried a rather different implication.
“Something’s wrong here. Very wrong. Are you saying that my disciple knocked a Golden Core cultivator like you down a stage with a single palm strike?”
Lin Huaiqing deliberately adopted a look of disbelief.
The claim had already been made. Even if it sounded wrong now, they had no choice but to press on.
“Exactly! A mere Foundation Establishment disciple used sinister demonic techniques to injure our elder. What do you have to say for yourself?!”
“By your reasoning, every exceptionally gifted prodigy in the cultivation world must be a demonic cultivator. Has this vast cultivation world never seen anyone defeat—or kill—an opponent of a higher cultivation level?!”
Lin Huaiqing spoke clearly and precisely, his rebuttal entirely overwhelming the opposition.
Quite a few disciples from other sects among the onlookers also stepped forward to support him.
After all, he had always enjoyed a good reputation in the cultivation world.
“Immortal Venerable Huaiqing is right! We all saw what happened. Your Baqi Sect elder was bullying a Xuantian Sect disciple. Now that he’s been knocked down a stage, you claim the boy practices demonic cultivation. If you’re weak, admit it. Go train harder!”
“I’ve never seen an adult bully a youngster like this! How old are you, and how old is he? Look at you—you beat that handsome young man unconscious!”
“The Baqi Sect bullies the weak! Lose a fight and call for backup? Shameless!”
Humiliated, Zhang Ting snapped, “Shut up, all of you! Who gave you the right to speak? If that Xuantian Sect disciple wasn’t practicing demonic cultivation, how could he have injured our elder?!”
Lin Huaiqing hadn’t expected so many people to defend him. For a moment, he felt rather overwhelmed by their support.
“Defeating or killing opponents of a higher cultivation level isn’t particularly rare. Besides, my disciple Qin Du is gravely injured, while you’ve merely dropped a stage. In the end, you still won.”
Hearing Lin Huaiqing casually declare that he had won, the middle-aged man was so furious that he spat another mouthful of blood.
He had lost ninety years of cultivation. Qin Du had merely passed out from excessive blood loss.
His sword hadn’t pierced deeply enough to damage the boy’s cultivation foundations.
Six months to a year of recuperation, and he would be fine.
In what possible sense had he won?!
“Lin, don’t think you can smooth this over with clever words! Whether your disciple practices demonic cultivation will be judged fairly!
“The assembly isn’t over yet. We’re going up the mountain now. Before all the assembled cultivators, I will demand justice!”
“Very well… I’ll await you on the main peak.”
With that, Lin Huaiqing vanished with Qin Du before everyone’s eyes.
Qin Du had already lost too much blood. Any further delay could be dangerous.
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