Vice Principal Xia’s eyes carried wisdom and far-sightedness, as well as regret.

The stooped elder’s brows furrowed deeply.

A massive academy like this, regardless of whether it was before Principal Zhang or after, it would have many opinions and disputes, all of them having many secrets.

There were some secrets even Vice Principal Xia didn’t know about.

For example, in last year’s Great Desolate Swamp battle, a Shentu Clan Purgatory Mountain Sacred Expert died, his armor having been brought back to Green Luan Academy. Then, some of the runes on that armor finally gave some people in Natural Arts Department enough enlightenment to secretly create something like the Divine Wood Flying Crane that possessed great strategic significance. It was before, even though there were things like hot air balloons, the speed wasn’t that fast, and it couldn’t freely change its direction in the air either. On a battlefield filled with the arrows of cultivators and powerful military equipment, they didn’t serve much use. However, by relying on this Divine Wood Flying Crane that relied on soul force, able to carry heavy objects, this was definitely something that could deeply influence military strength.

…

Similarly, the secrets Vice Principal Xia and the few people in Ailao Rear Peak knew were things others in Green Luan Academy didn’t know about either.

Principal Zhang had already left for too long. Moreover, with this battle between Great Mang and Yunqin erupting, so many people dead, moreover so many Yunqin common people perishing under the flames of war, Principal Zhang still didn’t appear. That was why this stooped elder who understood Principal Zhang extremely well was just like Purgatory Mountain’s patriarch, he had enough reason to believe that Principal Zhang was already no longer in this world.

However, since Principal Zhang was too powerful and because Vice Principal Xia’s group was similarly not easy to deal with, that was why the opposite faction could only obey Vice Principal Xia, this type of person who inherited Principal Zhang’s will.

This continued until Nangong Mo entered this place, confirming that this small courtyard didn’t actually hide Principal Zhang, that it didn’t have any soul weapons that could slaughter Sacred Masters here. Only when Gu Xinyin returned, but was severely injured, unable to immediately recover, after Lin Xi and Xu Qiubai’s battle details returned… only then did the academy’s opposing faction make their move.

After enduring and making moves in the dark for so many years, even if it was an open battle, even if Vice Principal Xia called back Tong Wei and Madman Qin, the academy’s most powerful experts back to the academy, in the eyes of this stooped elder, this battle was already going to be an inevitable victory.

The following Green Luan Academy would no longer be Principal Zhang’s dynasty, but rather a Yunqin dynasty.

However, now, the other party instead told him that there was something inside this spacious small courtyard?

…

Right when the wrinkles on this stooped elder’s brows furrowed deeply, Gu Xinyin instead laughed, his smile full of expectation.

“Brother Ming.”

Vice Principal Xia quietly called out, as if he was waking up an old friend who was asleep from drinking too much.

The instant his voice sounded, an ebony cross beam on the small courtyard’s main house suddenly split apart.

A sparkling ice pillar fell inside.

𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Inside the sparkling and translucent ice pillar was a frozen duck.

However, there wasn’t a single duck in Yunqin that had leopard patterns on its body, but also had many peacock-like green, purple and black rings.

That was why this wasn’t a duck.

This was the creature a middle-aged uncle discovered sixty years ago before he first walked into Central Continent City, a creature he found while roaming and exploring the world outside. Since there was no such thing in Yunqin, no one knew its gender either, that was why that middle-aged uncle who was actually quite lazy randomly gave it a name that didn’t distinguish its gender, calling it, ‘mandarin duck’.

Later on, there was a female priest from Priest Hall who could tell that it was male, thus giving it a name, calling it ‘Mingming’.

However, because its seniority was great, moreover always seemingly strutting about with its head high and chest out, as if it considered itself unequalled in the world, that was why all those who followed Principal Zhang, this middle-aged uncle, all made fun of it, calling it ‘Brother Ming’.

That was why the instant Vice Principal Xia spoke, the stooped elder immediately understood what was inside this small courtyard.

Meanwhile, Gu Xinyin’s mouth was opened into an ‘o’ shape, only now realizing that what Vice Principal Xia was talking about wasn’t him, but rather this duck.

Everyone thought those creatures called ‘qilin’ and ‘mandarin duck’ by Principal Zhang definitely left together with him sixteen years ago. However, who would have thought that the one Principal Zhang left behind in Green Luan Academy was precisely this ‘Brother Ming’.

Right now, the eyes of the ‘Brother Ming’ in the ice pillar already opened.

Brother Ming’s eyes were still as dignified as before.

Its imposing eyes only landed on this stooped elder’s body, and then the ice pillar around its body already turned into countless thin flakes, rushing at this stooped elder

Every single ice flake’s surface burned with a layer of white-colored flames, just like Purgatory Mountain Shentu Clan’s netherworld flames, tangible and possessed terrifying heat, flames that could burn through metal.

In an instant most cultivators in this world couldn’t perceive or see clearly, the cicada wing like sheets of black ice began to burn.

In that instant, the stooped elder’s body seemed to shrivel up some more.

All of his body’s wrinkles also began to release light, releasing white radiance.

These burning sheets of black ice floated precisely in the white light barrier in front of him.

The white hair behind this stooped elder’s head also flew about in the air, as if they drew out streaks of runes in the sky, also releasing light. The white colored barrier of light became even more dense, time seemingly completely freezing.

“Kill them.”

The stooped elder slowly spoke, every single sound extremely difficult and hollow, as if it came from the heavens beyond.

Even before he spoke, a streak of sword radiance already shot out like a sneer, cutting through the neck of a black robed lecturer, instantly ending his consciousness.

Another streak of sword radiance that looked like a gorgeous red sleeve flew out, instantly clashing with that sinister sword radiance several dozen times within a few feet of distance. Under scalp numbing metal striking sounds, a wounded vicious roar sounded. “Xu Shengmo! You!”

Xu Shengmo whose expression looked like everyone in the world owed him five thousand silvers withdrew with his hands behind him, coldly controlling that sinister sword radiance while saying, “Tong Wei doesn’t understand me, there is even less of a chance of you all understanding me… I have objections towards the academy’s teaching methods, but that doesn’t mean I have any objections towards the academy, nor do I have any objections towards Principal Zhang. Moreover… If I am not mistaken, you’ve also mocked me for my bottom being hit by an arrow.”

“You were actually narrow-minded to this degree, bearing a grudge over this type of thing all the way until now? Moreover, are you an idiot? You are still bringing up the events of back then! Gu Xinyin and these students originally don’t know about it, but don’t they know now?” The black robed professor who controlled the red sleeve-like sword radiance, forced to carry out the most alarming flying sword battle against Xu Shengmo was completely filled with these types of thoughts right now. However, the sword winds roaring several feet in front of his face and the metal energy cutting against his skin made it so that he momentarily couldn’t even utter a single cry.

Pa ta

Brother Ming landed on the ground.

Its two soybean-sized eyes were just like before, watching everything before him with an imposing bearing. It was just like a monarch, striding forward with its head held high.

Gu

As if it was declaring a verdict in a court, it looked at that stooped elder behind the barrier of light, releasing this cry.

The stooped elder’s body shrunk a bit more, but his body strangely stopped. His figure became like that of a twelve or thirteen year old child, his eyeballs becoming white colored, releasing white light.

Brother Ming gave him a fierce look, and then like a strolling emperor, took two steps forward.

This was a scene normal cultivators couldn’t imagine at all.

It was as if countless fine granules appeared in the air, crushing down on this stooped elder’s light barrier like countless diamonds.

The stooped elder’s hands were placed before his chest, his ten fingers also starting to shine. They continued to sketch before him, producing streaks after streaks of light. However, his two shining white eyeballs seemed to be the first part that couldn’t endure this type of clash of power. Like two shining diamonds, cracks appeared streak after streak.

Then, the countless cracks covering his body also became deeper and deeper. The streaks of light wisps, while putting out power, were also pressured to the point where the opposing power infiltrated inside.

These wisps of light began to turn into cracks on his body.

“I’ve never doubted his strength. Even a random animal that follows him can have this type of powerful strength.”

The stooped elder spoke, a white stream of light starting to flow out from his mouth.

“However, even the most powerful people will still die.”

“I can also sense that you have already truly grown weak with age. The things Principal Zhang left in this place will also soon disappear, his traces in this world will be erased as well, in the end, every trace of him will fade away.”

“Meanwhile, this world has countless experts, your enemies aren’t just us and some Yunqin people. Purgatory Mountain exists as well.”

“That is why those who vainly try to change the world will fail in the end.”

The stooped elder’s voice slowly rang through this small courtyard. Inside the small courtyard, the flying swords of Xu Shengmo and the other black robed professor slowed, while inside that room, Bian Linghan and the others’ gaze completely changed from shock to becoming a bit bewildered.

“You are wrong. This world has already changed somewhat. Moreover, this world has always been changing.”

Right at this time, Vice Principal Xia’s voice sounded again. “It is just like what he said, this world is a great river that will forever rush forward, always changing paths. Those who wish to make the world remain the same are the ones who will always be the losers instead.”

The instant Vice Principal Xia’s voice sounded, Xu Shengmo and that black robed professor’s flying swords returned to normal. Bian Linghan and the others’ gaze also returned to normal.

The stooped elder’s body trembled lightly. The wrinkles that released light completely rushed into his body.

Then, his body flew out like a shattered sheet of paper.

The red sleeve-like sword radiance lost its fighting spirit, falling in the sky, passing through the heart of its owner.

“We’ve all already become so old already… is he still alive?” Amidst the swirling bloodiness, Vice Principal Xia turned his head around wearily to look at the dignified Brother Ming, asking this.

Unknown whether it didn’t want to reply or if it didn’t know, Brother Ming only gave him a look. It didn’t release any sounds.