"Nonsense! Sheer nonsense!"
Qin Leng frowned, lost in thought for a moment before a wave of anger suddenly washed over his face.
These damned righteous sects! They might lack real skill, but they were certainly dedicated to their act.
They could call black white and talk a dead man back to life!
The cultivation world had no inherent immortals or demons; it was only after countless deaths that distinctions of righteous and evil were drawn!
"Oh? If Qin Leng was so ruthless and vicious, how did you manage to survive?" Ling Xiao, standing within the crowd, asked with a feigned look of confusion.
"Huh? That's right! If I was as vicious as you claim, how did you survive? If I wanted to silence all witnesses, why would I have spared you?" Qin Leng was momentarily stunned. He glanced back at Ling Xiao, then suddenly roared in agreement.
A true gentleman! To think the one standing by his side now would be this heir of the Ling Clan!
Although the Ling and Qin Clans had long been at odds, and this Young Master Ling Xiao was notoriously arrogant...
His character was truly admirable!
At the very least, he was far better than these sanctimonious disciples of the righteous sects!
"I... I..." Ma Liang's face flushed red. Even the surrounding Immortal Sect elders looked at him with doubtful eyes.
"I... I fainted from fear!"
Dammit!
A true disciple of an Immortal Sect, witnessing his fellow disciples being slaughtered, and you fainted?!
Disgraceful!
Utterly disgraceful!!
The faces of the sect elders turned green as they stared at Ma Liang as if he were already a dead man.
It's over.
Ma Liang's legs trembled, a flash of despair in his eyes. Even if he returned to the sect now, he was surely a dead man walking.
In the eyes of these elders, the sect's reputation was far more important than a mere true disciple like him.
Damn that Ling Xiao!
If you want to watch the show, just watch! Why did you have to stick your nose in?
Weren't the Ling and Qin Clans mortal enemies?
Why was he speaking up for Qin Leng now?
"Pfft!"
On the summit of Sunset Mountain, the gathered young talents from various sects instantly broke into sneers and mocking laughter.
This Ma Liang... was quite the character.
Fainted from fear.
Pfft!
"So that's how it was... Brother Ma really is... easily frightened," Ling Xiao mused, as if deep in thought. Then, as if remembering something, he looked at Qin Leng and said, "But now that I think about it, it seems Young Master Qin was indeed roaring madly in the underground palace earlier, demanding someone hand something over."
"Yes, yes! I heard that too!"
"It was Qin Leng!I heard him saying he was going to kill someone... I just didn't dare go closer to see the commotion."
Hearing Ling Xiao's words, many disciples from the surrounding sects immediately nodded in agreement.
They hadn't dared speak up earlier, fearing they might offend the Qin Clan.
But now that Young Master Ling Xiao had mentioned it, as righteous cultivators, it was their duty to speak forthrightly and reveal the truth to the world!
"You have some nerve, Qin Leng! What more do you have to say for yourself?!" the Immortal Sect elders roared in unison. If this weren't the Ling Clan's territory, they wouldn't bother wasting words with this Qin brat; they'd just take him back to the sect.
Of course, before things were fully clear, they didn't dare actually kill a member of the Qin Clan.
But now...
Since Ma Liang,that useless idiot, had disgraced them so thoroughly, he had outlived his usefulness.
They could just search his soul back at the sect, put him in a small coffin, and the whole truth would come out.
Sometimes, when your own people lose their value, you have fewer reservations about killing them than you do an enemy.
"It wasn't like that!! It wasn't like that at all! It was Xu Youwei who attacked and killed my Qin clansmen first, stole our fortune, and then I killed him in retaliation!" The grief and indignation on Qin Leng's face seemed genuine. He looked at Ling Xiao with anticipation, as if this explanation was meant for him alone.
In truth, Qin Leng's current approach wasn't bad.
This was,after all, Ling Clan territory, so the Cloud Millet Immortal Sect people would naturally hesitate.
And Young Master Ling Xiao was reasonable and just.As long as he could make him understand the truth, even if their clans were hostile, Ling Xiao would probably ensure his survival, right?
"Oh? So that's what happened..." Sure enough, upon hearing this, Ling Xiao nodded with a grave expression, his brow furrowed as if wrestling with a dilemma.
"Young Master Ling Xiao, you must believe me! These Immortal Sect people are spouting lies! You must uphold justice for me!" Qin Leng seemed to have completely forgotten how he had previously loathed Ling Xiao and sworn to kill him inside the ruins.
"This..." Ling Xiao's face showed a trace of difficulty, but he ultimately let out a soft sigh.
"Hah, so you admit you killed Senior Brother Xu! Ling... Young Master, don't listen to his nonsense! I was with Senior Brother Xu the whole time; we never even saw any Qin clansmen!!" Ma Liang gritted his teeth fiercely. Even if he died today, he would drag Qin Leng down with him. Otherwise, his death would be in vain!
"You're full of shit!!"
"Enough! Qin Leng, whatever you have to say, you can say it when you come back with us to the Cloud Millet Immortal Sect," the Immortal Sect elders coldly declared. Since you've admitted it, things are much simpler now.
"No... Young Master Ling Xiao..." Qin Leng's face paled. Facing several Divine Marquis powerers, he had no chance of resisting.
But the Qin Clan was tens of thousands of miles away. By the time the clan's experts learned the full story, he would have already been tortured to death by these Immortal Sect bastards.
No! I absolutely cannot go back with them to the Cloud Millet Immortal Sect!!
"You little beast! No one can save you today! Come here!" One of the Cloud Millet experts sneered, his hand sweeping out abruptly. A shimmering cyan palm print instantly materialized, reaching out to seize Qin Leng.
"Oh? Is that so?" Ling Xiao shook his head with a light laugh. Then, he took a gentle step forward, placing himself directly in front of Qin Leng. Surging lightning energy erupted from his body, shooting straight into the heavens, tearing through the vast sky.
"Young Master!!"
"Bastard!!"
In the distant forest, Ling Ping, the City Lord of Sunset City, and a graceful figure in white robes were both startled and immediately rushed towards Ling Xiao.
"Young Master Ling Xiao!!!" Qin Leng was nearly moved to tears. This was... the Beacon of the Righteous Path!!
Young Master Ling Xiao!
I was wrong about you before! As long as I survive this, I will return to the clan and persuade the Clan Leader to seek friendship with the Ling Clan!
A true good man!!
But no matter how fast Ling Ping and Nian Qingyun were, how could they possibly be faster than the Immortal Sect elder's attack?
"A mere Divine General, and you dare act so arrogantly before me?" Ling Xiao's laugh was contemptuous. The one who had attacked wasn't the Divine Marquis elder, but a third-grade Divine General.
Although Ling Xiao's current realm was only at the mid Breakthrough Realm...
The gathering lightning suddenly converged, directly taking the form of a miniature sun of thunder that smashed fiercely into the cyan palm print.
Simultaneously, the aura of the mid Breakthrough Realm radiated unmistakably from Ling Xiao's body.
"Mid Breakthrough Realm!"
"Thunder Dao Principle!"
"Dammit!Peerless immortal demeanor! A seventeen-year-old monster who has comprehended a Dao Principle! Who in the entire Sacred Dynasty can possibly rival Young Master Ling Xiao?!"
The surrounding sect disciples' jaws dropped as they exclaimed in astonishment.
Although many had guessed that Ling Xiao's comprehension of a Dao Principle meant he must have reached the Breakthrough Realm, seeing it with their own eyes was still utterly shocking.
An elegant young master, standing alone and aloof.
And especially now, with Ling Xiao disregarding the feud between the Ling and Qin Clans to righteously intervene, his figure seemed as majestic and radiant as a deity.
The young master of a demon sect, yet possessing a heart of benevolence.
Dammit!
If anyone ever calls the Young Master sinister and malicious again, I'll be the first to beat them to a pulp!