Chapter 118: Who Is the Senior?

How could the Master of the Ruofu Palace be willing to accept such a fate? If the Ruofu Palace were to be destroyed because of him, how could he ever face his ancestors again? At this thought, the expression in his eyes shifted, and a murderous aura overflowed from his body. Before anyone could react, he had reached Leng Qianxue in an instant, his large palm outstretched to seize her.

Cao Renjian of the Ten Thousand Sword Sect immediately grasped the intention of the Ruofu Palace Master and followed closely behind. This young girl, Leng Qianxue, held the power to decide their fate; as long as they captured her, they would have a chance to survive, and their sects would have hope. They could use her as a hostage to negotiate terms at the right moment.

These two were quasi-immortal experts; their sudden strike was so swift that no one could react. No one had even anticipated they would dare to act! Leng Qianxue was startled, but she felt no panic, nor any shred of fear. She reached up and pulled a wooden hairpin from her hair, swiping it gently in front of her.

A thunderous boom erupted. The two figures—the Master of the Ruofu Palace and Cao Renjian of the Ten Thousand Sword Sect—who had been charging at her, froze in mid-air. Two crimson gashes appeared across their bodies, and blood sprayed outward as if it were worthless water. Their eyes were filled with disbelief; they did not even understand how they had been wounded. How could their quasi-immortal cultivation be inferior to that of a girl at the Venerable stage?

With two heavy thuds, the bodies of the two quasi-immortals collapsed onto the ground. They landed in a prone position, as if prostrating themselves before Leng Qianxue in a final act of obeisance. But this kneel would be for eternity; they would never rise again, for they were dead.

Before everyone could recover from the shock of the two quasi-immortals attacking, they were plunged into yet another wave of astonishment. Those were two quasi-immortals! They had not even been able to withstand a gentle swipe from a young girl! Their worldview had been completely shattered; they had truly seen something extraordinary today.

"Is the hairpin in that girl's hand also an immortal artifact?" someone in the crowd muttered weakly. Everyone turned their gazes back to the hairpin in Leng Qianxue’s hand. What was happening today? In the past, even quasi-immortal artifacts were kept strictly hidden in the Heavenly Martial Realm, and seeing one was a rare event. Yet today, immortal artifacts had appeared one after another. There were so many that it felt as if they were common cabbages on the roadside—had immortal artifacts lost all their value? Everyone was utterly overwhelmed.

The Masters of the Lingji and Ziyang Sacred Grounds finally snapped out of their stupor. They flew forward to stand before Leng Qianxue, shielding her firmly behind them. Although Her Holiness had come to no harm, the mere fact that such an incident occurred was a failure of their protection.

"Goddess Qianxue, are you unharmed? It is all our fault for failing to protect you," the Master of Lingji said. Looking at the lifeless bodies of the Ruofu Palace Master and Cao Renjian on the ground, both of their faces were grim.

"Two seniors, please do not worry. Qianxue is perfectly fine. It is fortunate that I had the hairpin bestowed upon me by Senior Zhu, which saved my life; otherwise, I fear I would have perished on the spot today," Leng Qianxue said with a smile. Seeing the panic of the two Sacred Masters, she took the initiative to comfort them. However, after this event, her reverence for Zhu Xiaoyuan reached a new level. The Senior must have anticipated this scene long ago, which was why he had carved the wooden hairpin for her. As expected, everything was within the Senior’s grand design.

"If there is anyone else who is unconvinced, you may step forward. The Jixing Sacred Ground and Ziyan Sacred Ground will certainly give you an answer. But if anyone tries to pull such petty tricks again, do not blame me for being ruthless!" the Master of Ziyang said, his voice cold and sharp. The crowd lowered their heads; no one dared to oppose the Ziyang and Ziyan Sacred Grounds at such a precarious moment.

Seeing that no one dared to speak, the Master of Lingji scanned the crowd, his gaze finally settling on the remaining members of the Ten Thousand Sword Sect and the Ruofu Palace. "Remnants of the Ten Thousand Sword Sect and the Ruofu Palace! If you have any more tricks up your sleeve, feel free to use them!" If not for the treasure the Senior had given the Goddess, and had she died in their Jixing Sacred Ground today, even the entire Heavenly Martial Realm could not have endured the wrath of Senior Zhu!

With their masters and the young prodigies of their sects dead, the remaining elders looked at one another in despair. Under the stern reprimands of Ziyang and Lingji, they dropped to their knees with a thud.

"We truly had no knowledge of what our masters were planning. Please, everyone, rest assured. Since our people in the Ruofu Palace and the Ten Thousand Sword Sect have committed such wrongs, we will take responsibility. The punishment is for you to decide! But the disciples were truly unaware; we hope the two Sacred Masters can show mercy!"

The situation was settled. Even if they had grievances, they could only hide them in their hearts. If they refused to yield now, death was their only prospect. Moreover, they themselves did not even know why their masters had acted as they did. Now, their very lives were on the line.

"Hmph!" the Master of Ziyang snorted coldly. "Abolish their cultivation and take them away. We shall deliberate on the specific punishments later." As for the elders' claims of ignorance, they could be investigated thoroughly.

A chorus of wailing, like that of slaughtered pigs, filled the air. The elders of the Ten Thousand Sword Sect and the Ruofu Palace stood obediently, waiting for the people from the Ziyang and Jixing Sacred Grounds to cripple their cultivation. They were not doing so willingly, but the sight of their own sect masters lying dead before them—having met their end for refusing to submit—was enough to strike terror into everyone present. With such a display of power, they could only remain compliant.

"Does anyone else have questions? You may speak," Ziyang said. The crowd was silent for a moment before someone dared to ask, "Master of Ziyang, what exactly is the identity of the Senior you speak of? How could he possess such terrifying power?" They had all realized that the immortal artifacts held by Lu Ran, Long Ruxuan, and Leng Qianxue must have been bestowed by this so-called Senior. Yet, they remained completely ignorant of who this person truly was.

Observing the reverent gazes of the crowd, the Master of Lingji turned to seek Leng Qianxue's opinion. "Goddess Qianxue, the situation is critical. Should we reveal the identity of the Senior to everyone?"

Leng Qianxue frowned. She realized that it was precisely because these people were unaware of Senior Zhu's power that they dared to collude with the dark forces. Perhaps it would be better to reveal it directly and use it to deter them once and for all.