Chapter 122: Attack of the Jiao Dragon Clan, The Ink Saint Is Forced to Leave!
Qinglian Immortal Island was in complete disarray.
The ground was damaged, trees were broken, and buildings were in ruins. It was evident that a battle had taken place. The disciples were cleaning up the aftermath with heavy hearts.
Suddenly, several carriages flew in from the distant sky.
“It’s the Saintess! The Saintess has returned!” someone shouted in excitement.
Hearing the shout, everyone looked up. Sure enough, they saw the familiar carriages and were immediately overjoyed.
“It’s really the Saintess! She has finally returned…”
“I wonder, did she bring back the Calligraphy Saint?”
“If not, I’m afraid it won’t make much difference.”
“Wait a moment, whose carriage is that? Why does it look so imposing?”
Behind the Saintess’s carriage appeared a golden one. Pulling the carriage was a nine-headed fierce beast! Each head was vicious and menacing, their snake-like necks twisting, and the beast’s massive body was almost the size of a small mountain. Just seeing it from afar was terrifying.
However, the sword-wielding white-robed cultivators flying alongside the carriage quickly made them realize who it was.
“Beiyang Sword Guards, a fierce beast pulling the carriage! Could it be the young Prince has come?”
“What! The prince? You mean the famous son of the Sword Emperor?”
“Yes, the champion of Beiyang’s Great Hunt, his reputation is widely known!”
“Wait, why would he travel all the way to our remote Qinglian Immortal Island?”
“Don’t you know the young master also participated in the literary gathering? He must have been invited back by the Saintess!”
“That’s great news, we’re saved…”
As the carriage landed, Lin Qi’an stepped out, and the disciples immediately bowed.
“Greetings, Your Highness!”
“At ease.”
Upon seeing the devastated state of Qinglian Immortal Island, even the maids couldn’t help but shake their heads. What was once a serene paradise had been ravaged so severely.
Lin Qi’an, however, wasn’t too surprised. Battles like this were happening all over the world; it was all too common. If you couldn’t win, it was normal for sects to be wiped out!
Take Tianjian City, for example. If not for its immense strength, it would have been destroyed hundreds of times over.
As soon as Lu Miaoyin stepped out, someone immediately came forward to report.
“Saintess, the Jiao Dragon Clan caught us off guard, and they abducted nearly ten young girls from the sect!”
“What!” Upon hearing this, the Saintess, who usually maintained her composure, furrowed her brows in anger.
Even children? Those girls were the future hope of the sect!
“This is vile! They even targeted children!” Zi Lianyou gritted her silver teeth in anger.
“If it were a normal battle, it would be understandable, but why kidnap young girls?” Ran Yuwei was puzzled.
“Perhaps… for some twisted pleasure, or to eat them?” Su Xueni suggested.
Lin Qi’an knew Su Xueni’s guess was likely close to the truth. Targeting young girls was beyond intolerable; it seemed the Jiao Dragon Clan would deserve their fate if they fell by his hand!
Lu Miaoyin ordered the disciples to escort Lin Qi’an and his group inside the sect to settle down, while she went to discuss with the island master on how to rescue the abducted girls.
Qinglian Immortal Island was a peaceful sect. They avoided conflict, which was why they had developed on such a remote island in the sea.
In terms of size, it was even smaller than Yunmo Dao Palace, which at least had the Calligraphy Saint as a protector. Qinglian Immortal Island’s master was only at the Sovereign Realm.
The sect had gained fame because of Lu Miaoyin, an exceptionally beautiful immortal, who was later fortunate enough to become a disciple of the Calligraphy Saint.
“Miaoyin, I heard… you brought the prince to the island?” The island master, Yuan Fei, was full of excitement, even spitting in his eagerness.
To Qinglian Immortal Island, Tianjian City was a towering, unreachable giant!
A mere Sovereign Realm cultivator might dominate small and medium sects, but in the face of the elite cultivators of Tianjian City, they were nothing more than ants ready to be crushed at any moment.
For the noble prince of Beiyang to lower himself and come to this remote island… it was an immense honor!
“Yes…” Lu Miaoyin nodded.
“So, does the young master intend to help us?” Yuan Fei quickly asked.
“I don’t know. The young master has not mentioned helping us, only that he wanted to come to Qinglian Immortal Island. I am not sure of his intentions.”
Lu Miaoyin knew well that she had no relationship with Lin Qi’an. The maids around him were all incredibly talented and beautiful, so there was no reason for him to help her.
“But, with my master here, perhaps the Jiao Dragon Clan will be deterred.”
“Good, as long as the Ink Saint is here, the problem shouldn’t be too great.”
Suddenly, a disciple rushed into the hall: “Report! They’re back! Several disciples have already been injured!”
“I’ll go get my master!” Lu Miaoyin said coldly.
…
To the north of Qinglian Immortal Island was where the Jiao Dragon Clan often invaded.
At that moment, several disciples stationed there were already injured, lying on the ground with blood flowing from their mouths and noses.
In front of them, a massive water stream rose from the ocean, spreading out in the sky, and standing upon it were dozens of Jiao Dragon Clan members!
They were shirtless, with blue skin covered in scales as hard as steel, and two strong horns atop their heads.
“Didn’t you hear what I said? Hand over another ten girls! Otherwise, I’ll wipe out your Qinglian Immortal Island!” The speaker was Jin Xu, a powerful Jiao Dragon Clan member at the peak of the Transcendent Realm.
He had been harassing Qinglian Immortal Island for years and was a thorn in their side. Of course, he was only a vanguard and far from representative of the full strength of the Jiao Dragon Clan.
“Dream on!” a courageous male disciple shouted.
Before his voice had even faded, Jin Xu hurled his steel trident, piercing the disciple’s chest and killing him instantly.
“Foolish trash, courting death.” Jin Xu retrieved his trident with a sneer.
At that moment, Lu Miaoyin and her group finally arrived. Seeing her disciples killed, her anger flared. “Jiao Dragon Clan, you’ve gone too far!”
“Haha, it’s just a normal battle. The winner is king, the loser a bandit. How could it be too much?” Jin Xu laughed. “I didn’t know the famous Saintess of Qinglian had returned. Such beauty… you’ve truly captured my heart.”
“Where are the girls you kidnapped earlier?” Lu Miaoyin demanded.
“Oh, those? Our elders have praised them greatly, saying they were… absolutely delicious.”
They had eaten them?!
The disciples of Qinglian Immortal Island were filled with shock and rage!
At that moment, an elderly man with white hair rose into the sky. His voice, though old, was strong and thunderous, reverberating across the heavens.
“You’ve gone too far.” His voice was calm, yet it carried an irresistible authority.
It was the Ink Saint, Wang Yi! The savior of Qinglian Immortal Island. The disciples had been counting on the Saintess to bring him back for this very reason.
“So, the famous Ink Saint has appeared!” Jin Xu sneered. “But you’re from the Baiji Academy in the north. Why would you come all the way to meddle in the affairs of the west?”
Clearly, they had anticipated the arrival of the Ink Saint.
“If I remember correctly, the academy does not involve itself in worldly matters. To intervene, you would have to completely sever ties with the academy.”
“The Ink Saint is a highly respected scholar of the academy! If you interfere, does that mean the Baiji Academy is ready to step into the world?”
Wang Yi fell silent. He understood the implications of his actions.
“If you say yes, then in the future, no sect within the Dao Domain will respect the academy anymore.”
The Baiji Academy remained uninvolved in worldly affairs, and thus, no one provoked them. But if that rule were broken, the academy would be dragged into conflicts like any other sect.
Wang Yi knew he couldn’t take action. He had hoped to intimidate the enemy, but it was clear that they had no intention of backing down.
“Besides, the Xiling Spirit Temple is aware of our conflict. Even they have not interfered, so why would you, Calligraphy Saint, involve yourself in this mess?” Jin Xu’s words were carefully prepared.
A mere scholar, burdened with responsibilities, was not to be feared.
Wang Yi sighed. “You harm innocent children and act no different from the demonic sects.”
“You don’t need to worry about us, old man. Just stay out of it.” Jin Xu’s words were followed by laughter from the other Jiao Dragon Clan members.
Wang Yi hesitated. He couldn’t forsake the academy, so he had no choice but to retreat.
“Hahaha, the Ink Saint is nothing special after all.”
“Shh! Don’t be so loud. We must show some respect, even if he’s still here.”
“Just talking. We wouldn’t actually attack anyone from the academy or break the rules.”
“Exactly. If they don’t provoke us, we won’t provoke them. The Ink Saint is showing great restraint!”
Tears welled up in Lu Miaoyin’s eyes. “Master…”
“My hands are tied in this matter,” Wang Yi sighed, his face filled with guilt as he left. He had already gone to great lengths by coming here, and his final decision was for the sake of the academy.
As the Ink Saint departed, despair filled the hearts of the Qinglian Immortal Island disciples.
“What are we going to do? We can’t rely on the Xiling Spirit Temple, and the Calligraphy Saint can’t help us either…”
“Do we really have to hand over ten more girls?”
“Those vile dragons, they deserve to die horribly…”
Lu Miaoyin stood tall, holding her jade sword, her figure graceful yet resolute, “If that’s the case, then we, Qinglian Immortal Island, will fight to the death. We will never compromise!”
“Alright, if the Saintess wants to fight, then we will stand by her to the end!”
The sea breeze carried the tension in the air. The battle was about to erupt at any moment.