"Yang Qing is dead!"
Regret, pain, and loss welled in a thousand pairs of eyes.
The gloom deepened.
"Yang Qing...." Zhao Changtian and Yi Qingfeng exchanged looks. There was a hint of surprise in their eyes.
Clearly, this name rang a bell for them as well.
"Night Wishes for Snow and Lan Boli are at the Stone Gate of a Thousand Swords. The Sect Leader, Sect-Protector, and other elders have already gone over!" the middle-aged disciple said, heartbroken.
"Let's go see." Zhao Changtian and Yi Qingfeng hurried to leave.
It was not just them. Many mounted their own Immortal Cranes, flying towards the direction indicated.
"Let's go."
This was clearly something big.
Wu Yu had never met Yang Qing, but he was his second senior brother after all.
Su Yanli and the others must be heartbroken.
Hundreds of Immortal Cranes and Heavenly Cloud Rocs broke through the clouds, headed for the Stone Gate of a Thousand Swords. It was a rousing scene.
"Zhao Changtian!"
Wu Yu chased from behind. It was Zhao Changtian and Yi Qingfeng in front of him.
With such a grave matter on hand, they had already forgotten their dissatisfaction with Wu Yu.
"Wu Yu, when it comes to it, Yang Qing back in the day was exactly like how you are now. The resemblance is strong. Both of you came from servant backgrounds, and then were favored by the Sect Leader, and your rise was exceptional."
"And coincidence or otherwise, your personalities are very similar as well. You have this untamable streak in you. But Yang Qing was even more violent; he would kill anyone. If not for the fact that he slaughtered a few core disciples and incited mass anger against him, the Sect Leader would not have exiled him."
From their description, Wu Yu had a rough measure of the man.
Like him, he had come from a servant background, and then his exceptional talent had shone through. Their unruly nature wrought havoc with the sword sect's rules, and then he had been exiled. He must still have held the highest respect for Feng Xueya in his heart, or he would not have laid down so many good deeds in all these years.
More and more Immortal Cranes flew towards the Stone Gate of a Thousand Swords.
From afar, one could see that many were gathered at the Stone Gate of a Thousand Swords. People alighted at the peripheries, then closed in.
"Our first senior sister has returned. Make way."
Zhao Changtian and Yi Qingfeng cleared a path, headed for the middle.
"You stay outside. I'm going in." Wu Yu and Qing Mang temporarily parted, squeezing in after Zhao Changtian.
"Alright."
The normal disciples quickly gave way, seeing that it was the Sect Leader and Sect-Protector's disciples, allowing them to proceed.
"Master, Senior Sister!"
Zhao Changtian and Yi Qingfeng rushed over to their sides after paying hurried respects.
Feng Xueya and Lan Huayi were there, and Su Yanli and Mo Shishu were present as well.
Wu Yu was also in a central position. His gaze first went to the ground in the middle. There lay a person covered in white cloth, his visage obscured.
When Wu Yu arrived, Feng Xueya was lifting a corner of the white cloth. Wu Yu could see a man underneath, his body wrinkled. It was a dry corpse, and it was hard to tell what he actually looked like.
Whoosh......
The white cloth covered him anew.
"Master." Wu Yu could clearly see that Feng Xueya's shoulders were shaking.
His back was turned to Wu Yu, who could not see his expression. But from his trembling hands and hunched back, it was obvious that this was a tremendous blow to him!
"Yang Qing...." Feng Xueya's voice was low, and he spoke the words with great difficulty.
"Master." Su Yanli had moved up to hold his arm. From Wu Yu's position, he could see that her eyes were red as well, the tears trickling past her lids.
"Who did it!? Who killed him!?" Mo Shishu had a demented look as he looked at the other two present.
All of them had been initiated before Wu Yu and naturally knew the deceased Yang Qing.
Seeing their pain, Wu Yu bit his lip, an unspeakable anger rising within.
Of the other two, one had black pupils, although his hair was grey. Without looking at his face, one would think he was an elder.
His features were extremely beautiful, and his manner similar to Feng Xueya's, almost like an imitation of him. His actions had the same feel to them as Feng Xueya's. No wonder Wu Yu heard that the one who resembled Feng Xueya was not Su Yanli but his first disciple, Night Wishes For Snow.
The other woman looked like Lan Shuiyue, although her features were more mature and fuller. Her beauty was not something that a simple wench like Lan Shuiyue could compete with. Her charisma and bearing were worlds above Lan Shuiyue's. This was Lan Huayi's first disciple, Lan Shuiyue's sister, Lan Boli.
"The fox demon, Ninth Spirit," Night Wishes For Snow said, pursing his lips.
"It's really her!" Hearing the name, everyone was taken aback!
It was extremely unsettling to hear the name of this 1,000-year fox demon within their territory! It was the nightmare of many martial cultivators, especially the males.
Or perhaps Feng Xueya already understood before Night Wishes for Snow spoke.
"He was sucked dry as a corpse, clearly the handiwork of a fox demon."
Wu Yu had encountered a fox demon in the Valley of Immortal Fate and knew how terrifying they could be. This was a 1,000-year fox demon with a Yaodan. She was probably many times more terrifying than Qian Er.
"This is an opening call to war for our Heavenly Sword Sect!" Lan Huayi's gaze was flinty, and she shook with anger.
Back then, Yang Qing had a violent temper and had killed quite a few core disciples. And it was Lan Huayi who had started the movement to banish him. And Yang Qing had repented and changed over the years. He had been on the cusp of his return to the Bipo Mountain Range, but no one had expected he would return this way.
Wu Yu was a little worried about Feng Xueya.
To him, each disciple held an important place in his heart. He had chased him out, only to return as a corpse. A teacher for a day was a father for life. How could he bear this?
He saw Feng Xueya gently push Su Yanli aside and fall to his knees, cradling the corpse of Yang Qing.
"You're home. You can rest in peace."
He sighed once, and the sword qi beneath his feet rolled, forming a huge sword. Feng Xueya stepped on, and addressed the crowd, "Nothing to see here. Disperse."
Saying thus, he took Yang Qing and flew away.
In the direction of Heavenly Palace.
"Master must be going to bury him at Heavenly Peak."
Su Yanli was still trapped by her pain.
In truth, while Wu Yu had languished in the Valley of Immortal Fate, Feng Xueya had also erected a tomb for him. But with his return, Feng Xueya had smashed that tombstone. He had been filled with joy, only to receive the news of Yang Qing's death soon after.
"The four of you, look after your master well. Don't let his temper get the better of him and challenge the fox demon directly. The fox demon might be in cahoots with Jiang Xie and the Scarlet Sea's Seven Ghosts, laying a trap to snare your master," Lan Huayi suddenly said. She turned back to Lan Boli. "Since you are back, come with me."
Lan Boli gave Night Wishes for Snow a look, then said, "Yes, Master."
She looked like a much more amiable person.
"Disperse now."
Lan Huayi commanded, and the crowd hurried to open a path. They mounted their Immortal Cranes and left. But seeing the dead Yang Qing had burdened their hearts. Before, so many core disciples had died in the Valley of Immortal Fate, and they had been anxious. And now, seeing the work of a demon was also terrifying.
The crowd rapidly dispersed. Lan Huayi brought Lan Boli, Zhao Changtian, and the rest away. Only Wu Yu and the other three remained at the Stone Gate of a Thousand Swords. Wu Yu bade Qing Mang leave first as well.
Wu Yu was not familiar with Yang Qing, so he could not empathize with their pain. But his hatred remained in his heart.
After a moment of silence, the elegant Night Wishes for Snow regarded Wu Yu. "Wu Yu, I have heard of you while I was out. Before I came back, I had thought you dead in the Valley of Immortal Fate, but you still live. If Yang Qing knew that you were alive, he would be relieved."
Ever since Feng Xueya had taken Wu Yu under his wing, they had all heard of his existence.
"First Senior Brother."
News of the foremost disciple in the Heavenly Sword Sect had gotten around, and they were all admirable deeds.
"I see that you are already at the fourth tier of the Qi Condensation Realm. You're almost catching up to Yanli and laying your immortal roots." Night Wishes For Snow's gaze was piercing. He could feel Wu Yu's four spiritual sources very clearly.
"Fourth tier already?" Su Yanli and the other two only now sensed the change in Wu Yu.
"Senior Brother, when Wu Yu was at the third tier, he had already defeated Jiang Junlin, who was at the fifth tier," Mo Shishu said.
"Oh?" He was a little surprised.
While they spoke, Night Wishes for Snow had reached into his Sumeru Pouch, retrieving a pure white bottle of jade. He pressed it into Wu Yu's hands, saying, "This is the first time we meet, but Senior Brother did not prepare anything. This Restoration Origin Pill is for you. A greeting gift."
Hearing the words "Restoration Origin Pill," Wu Yu searched his memory. He recalled from The Chronicles of the Dong Sheng Divine Continent that this immortal medicine was a godly curative. Even serious wounds could be treated, both internal and external. Myriad Treasures Valley had one Restoration Origin Pill for sale, but it was priced at 13 Spirit Concentration Pills. It was definitely a valuable object.
And the first time they met, Night Wishes for Snow had already given him such a gift.
Wu Yu was a little hesitant, but Su Yanli said, "Accept it. When we were initiated, Senior Brother also gave us gifts."
When Wu Yu had gone down the mountain to Dong Yue Wu, Su Yanli and Mo Shishu had also given him gifts.
"Many thanks."
Since this was the case, Wu Yu accepted it. After all, this Restoration Origin Pill was very useful. Of course, he would remember his act of brotherly love.
"Little Junior Brother, from today onwards, only the four of us are left. But we must take up arms together, and fight demons to the death for our master." Night Wishes For Snow hated demons even more than Wu Yu did.
"Siblings united!"
They were all very open. To be able to get such sibling camaraderie in the Heavenly Sword Sect was a blessing to Wu Yu, and he treasured it very much.
"Let's go. The Sect-Protector was right. We have to console Master and get him out of this rut. He doted on Yang Qing the most, and also worried about him the most." Night Wishes For Snow sighed.
They headed for Heavenly Palace.
The three senior Brothers and sister were in front, with Wu Yu following behind.
Seeing them, he turned to the Bipo Mountain Range again. Wu Yu saw nothing but affection.
The relationship between master and disciple, between the hands and legs of the same body.
The will of justice! The will of passion!
