Chapter 91: Bad Tempered Elder Xuanchong

Inside the grand hall.

Lord Withered Tree sat at the head seat. Tendrils of incense smoke drifted past his face, obscuring his expression.

Across from him, Lord Mad Sword, narrowed his eyes. “Dead? The Soul Thought Flowers were taken by Qi Yuan?”

Below them, Li Xiao and Kang Fulu nodded.

Kang Fulu then said, “Most likely, Junior Brother Qi Yuan slew them and took their Soul Thought Flowers. There should be around three hundred of them.”

After returning from the Celestial Dragon Realm, Li Xiao and Kang Fulu had hurried to report everything that had happened inside to the sect master.

“Three hundred Death Warriors... there must be at least over a hundred Red Demon Cores among them...” Lord Mad Sword stopped speaking halfway.

The news was simply too shocking. Even a late-stage Core Formation cultivator could not accomplish such a feat. Meanwhile, Qi Yuan was clearly only at Foundation Establishment.

The Great Shang queen, with skin like carved jade, wore a pale violet phoenix robe.

She showed a trace of doubt on her face. “Could it be that the Red Sword Sect didn’t implant Red

Demon Cores in those Death Warriors?”

Lord Mad Sword voiced the question on everyone’s mind, “If that were the case, that could explain it... but without the Red Demon Cores, how could the late king’s grand plan have succeeded?”

Lord Withered Tree sat silently for a long while, seemingly deep in thought. Finally, he murmured, “The method to enter the Land of the Sunken Coffin... has it still not been found? If we can find it, everything will be clear.”

Li Xiao shook his head. “That method is likely known only to the Red Sword Sect and the late king.”

At the mention of the Red Sword Sect, the atmosphere grew heavy. The Red Sword Sect was a colossal power, harboring a terrifying Violet Palace cultivator.

The Violet Palace and Nascent Soul realms were worlds apart. Violet Palace cultivators could partially comprehend the essence of spiritual energy and wield Origin power, something Nascent Soul cultivators wouldn’t be able to contend against.

If a Violet Palace cultivator came to Divine Radiance Sect, even if all the Nascent Soul cultivators joined forces, they would still be defeated.

Lord Withered Tree finally said, “The Red Sword Sect lies far from Great Shang, and they have enemies of their own. Their Violet Palace cultivators dare not leave the sect easily. There is no need to worry.”

His calm words alleviated some of the weight from everyone’s hearts.

Then, Kang Fulu said, “The Bright Palace’s Po Lang also perished in the Celestial Dragon realm, though it’s unclear by whose hand.”

He paused.

Lord Withered Tree looked at his son-in-law and said, “Speak freely if you have thoughts.”

Kang Fulu explained, “Lu Fei and Liu Xing of the Demonic Desire Sect both died by Po Lang’s hand. The late king and his Death Warriors died at Junior Brother Qi Yuan’s hands. Months ago, Zhu Lianhua of the Bright Palace sent a visiting card to the Seven-Colored Peak and was rejected. The next day, his corpse was found near our sect. Now Po Lang is dead in the Celestial Dragon Realm. I believe that it has something to do with Qi Yuan.”

Though Kang Fulu spoke calmly, his heart was far from settled. He had personally witnessed Po Lang’s power. It was comparable to an early-stage Core Formation cultivator.

“Early-Foundation Establishment? Interesting." A sharp glint flashed through Lord Mad Sword’s eyes. "That one from the Seven-Colored Peak... could he truly be a Violet Palace cultivator hiding from enemies as rumored?”

While the common folk of Great Shang believed Ruan Yixi was a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, both Lord Mad Sword and Lord Withered Tree suspected she was something even more, possibly a wounded Violet Palace cultivator.

If that were true, and she granted Qi Yuan some of her Origin power, everything would make sense.

Lord Withered Tree said, closing the matter. “There's no need to discuss this further.”

The others understood and left the hall. Now, only Lord Withered Tree and the dignified yet alluring Great Shang queen remained.

He rose and wrapped an arm around her waist, feeling her warmth and fullness. “You’ve worked hard.” [1]

She smiled with gentle allure. “If not for you back then, I would have perished long ago. How is this hard?”

Lord Withered Tree’s tone softened, but his eyes gleamed with a dark light. “You said Qi Yuan slew Po Lang and those Death Warriors. Was it by Ruan Yixi’s gift of treasures, or by his own strength?”

The queen fell silent, her graceful eyes dimming with pain, lost in memories. “You still haven’t let go?”

A violent aura surged from Lord Withered Tree’s eyes. “How could I forget? My entire clan was slaughtered by them. I must raise an unmatched genius, at least one ranked within the top hundred of the Eastern Lands’ Prodigy Ranking. Only then can I reclaim what my clan left behind! Fulu works hard, but his talent is limited. Even reaching the Junior Prodigy Ranking is difficult, let alone the top hundred.”

The queen sighed but did not attempt to dissuade him. "This matter requires caution. Do not act rashly.”

“That’s why,” he said, eyes burning, “I’ll send someone into the Celestial Dragon Realm to see what truly happened in the Land of the Sunken Coffin. If Qi Yuan really did all that, then he’s worth my investment.”

In a backwater like Great Shang, the chance of encountering a peerless prodigy was almost nil, yet he seemed full of anticipation.

***

A crisp wood dropping sound broke the silence, sounding like spring water striking stone.

Qi Yuan jolted awake. “Little Bride?”

He turned and saw that Little Bride now showed faint signs of consciousness. She didn’t move much, only gripped his sleeve tightly, timidly.

Warmth filled Qi Yuan’s gaze. “You’re awake?”

He hadn’t expected her to awaken so soon. Was this a natural recovery? Or was it because she stayed near him? Or was there some other cause?

[She is Little Bride. The Wedding Garment Empress. Your wife. She is semi-awake and will likely fully awake in about six days.]

The words filled Qi Yuan’s heart with excitement. No matter the reason, it was good news. He held Little Bride close.

However, soon she grew weak again. The simple act of taking out the "Stick Close" plaque has drained her, and she fell back into slumber. After a while, she faded, leaving only the faint mark of a wedding garment on his chest.

Qi Yuan stepped out of his wooden hut. He had the modified recipe for Soul-Split Pill, and the main ingredient, the Soul Thought Flowers. The other herbs were common enough.

He decided to go to the Divine Medicine Peak to ask an alchemist to refine it. In Great Shang, Healers were both masters of medicine and pill refining alike. For that reason, Divine Medicine Peak was the wealthiest of all peaks, and also one with the most servants and labor disciples.

As soon as Qi Yuan stepped onto the peak, a pretty young female disciple approached him. “Senior Brother Qi Yuan, what brings you to our peak? Are you injured? I am skilled in many healing arts, I can treat you privately for free.”

On this peak, labor disciples were also ranked. The prettier ones got easier duties such as greeting guests or offering special assistance when necessary.

They were trained to recognize faces and status, as offending an important cultivator could be disastrous.

Qi Yuan smiled politely. “Thank you, Junior Sister, but I came to have a pill refined by a senior elder. Do you know which elders are currently available?”

Disappointment flickered in her eyes, but she quickly answered, “Four elders are free currently. Elder Baihe, Elder Xuanchong...”

“Elder Xuanchong,” Qi Yuan decided. “Please lead the way.”

He was always courteous with his sect mates in a gentlemanly manner.

𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

As they walked, the young woman explained softly, “Elder Xuanchong isn’t originally from Great Shang. The Sect Master brought him here years ago. He’s the second-best healer on the peak, right below the peak master. But...”

She glanced around, then whispered near Qi Yuan’s ear, "Elder Xuanchong’s temper isn’t great. They say once, a core disciple complained his medicine smelled bad and Elder Xuanchong broke his leg on the spot.”

“

Hmm

.”

Qi Yuan wasn’t bothered. Strong people often had their quirks. Among the Four Divine Flower kings—other than him,

of course

—wasn’t everyone a little insane? He alone was still village-level, while the others were all provincial prodigies.

Soon, they reached the mouth of Elder Xuanchong’s cave residence, and waited quietly.

Qi Yuan glanced at the young woman and said softly, “You’re Water Spirit Root, right? You’ve handled too many fire crystals recently, your spiritual flow is unstable. Eat some cooling foods, that’ll fix it.”

She blinked, startled. Then, her eyes lit with gratitude. “Thank you, Senior Brother Qi Yuan!”

She had indeed been struggling lately and hadn’t known why.

Just then, someone said in a sharp, thin voice from inside the cave, “And how did you know that?”

It was Elder Xuanchong. The cave door opened. The young woman bowed and left, while Qi Yuan stepped in.

A rich wood aura filled the air. Before him stood a blackened, ash-covered man beside a shattered cauldron. An alchemy explosion had obviously occurred.

“I saw it with my eyes,” Qi Yuan said calmly.

Having cultivated the Five Elements Essence, he was especially sensitive to such things.

Elder Xuanchong’s eyes gleamed with interest. He asked casually, “I heard you killed Po Lang in the Celestial Dragon Realm?”

“It was not me,” Qi Yuan quickly denied. “How could I dare offend the Bright Palace?”

Elder Xuanchong seemed a bit disappointed, then asked, “Yet the old king and his Death Warriors were killed by you?”

“Yes,” Qi Yuan admitted.

There was no point hiding it, everyone already suspected as much.

Elder Xuanchong asked curiously, “Can you tell me how you killed them?”

“One slash at a time.”

Elder Xuanchong stared for a moment, then suddenly burst out laughing. “I believe you! What pill do you need refined?”

Qi Yuan said, handing over the recipe and the Soul Thought Flowers. "Soul-Split Pill."

Elder Xuanchong’s brows rose. “This differs from the version I’ve seen before.”

Qi Yuan was surprised that Elder Xuanchong had seen a similar version before and said casually, “I modified it.”

Now this surprised Elder Xuanchong, but he didn’t pry. “All other materials are available here, except Profound-grade Chicken Feathers. You’ll have to buy those from the market.”

“Understood. How much for the materials and labor?”

“It's free,” said Elder Xuanchong in his high, sharp tone. He even forced a friendly smile, albeit it seemed more eerie than kind.

“Why?”

“Because you’re one of the Sect Master’s key disciples.”

Qi Yuan found that odd, but before he could question it, the elder pulled out a gourd from his storage. “I already have a few Soul-Split Pills prepared. Since you need them, take them.”

Qi Yuan peeked inside. The pills were real. He thought back to what the girl had said about Xuanchong’s bad temper.

Who said that? He is clearly a saint!

“Elder Xuanchong, thank you. I’ll... make sure to send you off properly when your time comes!”

Even if Elder Xuanchong had some other motive, he did not care. He really needed the Soul-Split Pills. If he was offered something for free and he didn't take it, he would be a fool!

Elder Xuanchong blinked, then laughed. “You’re a funny one. Go buy the feathers. I’ll refine the rest.”

“Alright!” Qi Yuan left, turning into a streak of light.

Inside the cave, Elder Xuanchong stared at the Soul Thought Flowers, his expression shifting uncertainly.

A ripple in space formed behind him, from which Lord Withered Tree emerged.

1. An affair! So this was what Qi Yuan was referring to back in Chapter 86.2 ☜