Chapter 447: Slavery
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Primordial Sword Sect, several figures flickered and appeared on the steps. It was Qu Qingsheng, Zhou Zixuan, and Ji Ruiqing from the Sunken Water Pavilion. At this moment, the three of them looked at the two approaching individuals, their expressions full of caution.
“Here they come. Come with me,” Qiu Changtai looked up at Qu Qingsheng and the others, a faint smile on his face.
“I wonder, for what reason has Your Excellency come to our Primordial Water Island?” Qu Qingsheng clasped his hands and spoke with a deep voice.
The pinnacle of the Aperture Tempering realm, it was much stronger compared to the advanced Aperture Tempering realm.
Although Qu Qingsheng’s strength had increased significantly compared to the past, thanks to the recovery of the Primordial Sword Scripture, it still couldn’t compare to the pinnacle Aperture Tempering realm. At most, being in the Primordial Sword Sect, Qu Qingsheng and his companions could benefit from the sect’s formation and display even greater strength. However, whether it had any effect on the pinnacle Aperture Tempering realm, Qu Qingsheng was uncertain.
“This island is now called Primordial Water Island? The name is quite fitting,” Qiu Changtai nodded slightly, the smile on his face fading. “So, does that mean I can’t leave now that this island belongs to you?”
“Primordial Sword Sect? Is this how you treat your guests?” Qiu Changtai’s wife, Lou Sanfeng, chuckled softly, but her laughter was extremely cold, devoid of any warmth and filled with sharpness.
“Your words are too serious. If you wish to see Primordial Water Island, you are welcome to do so. Please, this way,” Qu Qingsheng pondered for a moment and then slightly gestured with his right hand, leading Qiu Changtai and Lou Sanfeng up the steps.
Qiu Changtai and Lou Sanfeng casually walked among Qu Qingsheng and his companions, showing no concern that they might suddenly launch an attack.
Qiu Changtai was at the pinnacle Aperture Tempering realm, while Lou Sanfeng was in the advanced Aperture Tempering realm, having opened a hundred meridians. In the face of Qu Qingsheng and his two companions, who were all in the advanced Aperture Tempering realm, there was indeed no pressure on their part.
The five of them ascended the steps and reached the halfway point. Qiu Changtai paused, approached a stone pavilion by the side of the road, and looked at the distant bay, a slight smile on his face.
“This view is quite nice. What do you think, my lady?” Qiu Changtai turned to Lou Sanfeng.
Lou Sanfeng had a slight smile on her face, took a few steps forward, and nodded slightly. She was satisfied with the scenery before her.
Watching Qiu Changtai and Lou Sanfeng act as if they had come to the Primordial Water Pavilion just for a leisurely outing, it seemed as if they were truly here to enjoy the scenery. However, this was the Primordial Sword Sect, and the two sides had never met before. Coming to another sect like this was certainly not just for sightseeing and leisure.
Qiu Changtai stood in place, gazing into the distance, then turned to Lou Sanfeng and said, “My lady, if you like this place, I can accompany you here more often during our leisure time.”
“No need for that. While the scenery is indeed nice, it’s just that, nice. After seeing it once, there’s no need to see it again. The next time won’t be the same as the first time,” Lou Sanfeng said with a smile.
“You’re right, my lady. Indeed, after a few more looks, it won’t have the same feeling as before. This place is still missing something,” Qiu Changtai shook his head, took Lou Sanfeng’s hand, and continued walking up the steps. Qiu Changtai’s demeanor made it seem as if they were the hosts here, not the Primordial Sword Sect.
Zhou Zixuan took a deep breath, suppressing the anger in his heart. The enemy was too strong, and solving this matter peacefully might be a small sacrifice if it could be achieved.
Qu Qingsheng’s expression became solemn as he watched the backs of Qiu Changtai and Lou Sanfeng. The newcomers didn’t seem friendly, and it was unlikely that things would be so simple to resolve.
Qu Qingsheng turned to glance at Ji Ruiqing, who also had a slight frown on her face.
On Primordial Water Island, the Primordial Sword Sect and the Sunken Water Pavilion were known to a.s.sist and support each other. Whenever one side faced trouble, the other would provide strong a.s.sistance.
The principle was simple: when the lips are gone, the teeth are cold. Ji Ruiqing understood this well.
Unfortunately, at this moment, another senior elder from the Sunken Water Pavilion who was also in the advanced Aperture Tempering realm was not within the sect. He had been away on an internal mission for several days. As a result, the strength of both sects at this moment was relatively weak. Although they had three advanced Aperture Tempering realm cultivators, they still seemed somewhat inadequate in the face of the peak Aperture Tempering realm strength of the newcomers.
A thousand miles away, Chen Fei’s figure flickered as he had already left Haiyan City and was sprinting towards Primordial Water Island at extreme speed.
However, Primordial Water Island was located in a remote area, over a thousand miles away from Haiyan City. Even with Chen Fei’s current speed, he couldn’t return to the sect in an instant.
Chen Fei could only use his full speed, hoping to get back to the sect in the shortest time possible.
“At the pinnacle Aperture Tempering realm!” Chen Fei furrowed his brows, and with his right foot stepping on the sea’s surface, creating ripples, he disappeared from his original position, already a hundred paces away.
When both sects initially chose Primordial Water Island, they believed that the island was surrounded by minimal resources, making it highly unlikely for anyone to spy on them. Otherwise, if the resources were slightly richer, the presence of both the Primordial Sword Sect and the Sunken Water Pavilion would have established a stronghold on the island much earlier.
In the previous six months, the island had indeed been calm and peaceful. Occasionally, other forces from neighboring islands would visit, but both sides had similar strengths and maintained a peaceful att.i.tude.
Chen Fei hadn’t antic.i.p.ated that, in just a few days of his absence in Haiyan City, a cultivator at the pinnacle Aperture Tempering realm would arrive at Primordial Water Island.
Primordial Water Island.
Qiu Changtai, holding Lou Sanfeng’s hand, strolled around as if they were taking a leisurely walk on the steps, occasionally stopping to admire the beautiful scenery.
As for Qu Qingsheng and his two companions, after the initial conversation, Qiu Changtai and Lou Sanfeng completely ignored them. Qu Qingsheng and his companions seemed to have turned into mere followers of Qiu Changtai and Lou Sanfeng.
Qiu Changtai and Lou Sanfeng walked and paused at their leisure until they finally reached the summit of the Primordial Sword Sect’s main peak. At this moment, all the Aperture Tempering realm elders from both the Primordial Sword Sect and the Sunken Water Pavilion stood on the main peak, observing Qiu Changtai and Lou Sanfeng.
Qiu Changtai’s gaze bypa.s.sed the elders of both sects and focused on the grand hall in the distance, nodding slightly.
“This hall has quite a unique style. Our buildings on the island appear rather outdated in comparison,” Qiu Changtai turned to Lou Sanfeng and remarked.
“Later, we can have it demolished and rebuilt,” Lou Sanfeng looked at the grand hall of the Primordial Sword Sect and then gestured with her eyes towards the elders of both sects, wearing a meaningful smile on her face.
“Let’s go inside and take a look.”
Qiu Changtai walked towards the main hall, and the elders of the two sects in front of the main hall involuntarily moved aside as they felt the slight pressure from Qiu Changtai’s aura. Faced with the overwhelming aura of a peak Aperture Tempering realm cultivator, even though they were only in the mid or early stages of the Aperture Tempering realm, they had no strength to resist.
“We’ve never heard of your two sects before. Where do you come from?” Standing in the main hall, Qiu Changtai looked around and then turned to Qu Qingsheng. His tone was composed but carried an underlying command.
“We are from small sects in other sea regions,” Qu Qingsheng replied, his voice grave.
“Small sects, indeed, small sects have a tough time surviving.”
Qiu Changtai looked at the elders of both sects, who were all vigilant and watching him closely, and he chuckled softly.
“If you look at people with such eyes, you might find trouble.”
Qiu Changtai’s smile suddenly vanished, and his tone turned icy. Although he hadn’t fully displayed his peak Aperture Tempering realm aura, a chilling atmosphere permeated the hall.
Some of the elders with lower cultivation levels felt a shiver in their hearts, as if a tremendous danger had suddenly enveloped them, making even their breathing a bit difficult.
“We simply don’t know the purpose of Your Excellency’s visit today!” Qu Qingsheng took a step forward, and the Primordial Sword Scripture continued to circulate, resisting the mental intimidation from Qiu Changtai.
“Seeing a sect arrive at this deserted island naturally piqued my curiosity,” Qiu Changtai glanced at Qu Qingsheng and then looked at the center of the main hall, continuing, “I had originally planned to come today to witness your great skills, but it seems unnecessary now.”
His words were laced with sarcasm, but none of the elders from both sects spoke up. With a cultivation level at the pinnacle Aperture Tempering realm, he indeed had the qualifications to say such things.
“You’ll have to forgive me for disappointing you!” Qu Qingsheng said, his heart slightly relieved, as he gestured with a polite hand.
“I have a habit, wherever I go, I like to take something as a memento.”
Qiu Changtai, with his back turned to Qu Qingsheng, pointed towards a statue in front of the main hall and said, “That sword will do. I’ll take it.”
The entire hall suddenly fell silent, and then the aura of the Primordial Sword Sect members fluctuated.
This statue was of the founder of the Primordial Sword Sect, although it wasn’t the same one that was originally at the mountain gate of Immortal Cloud City. After the sect relocated to the Boundless Sea, it was impractical to carry such a heavy statue around. Therefore, this statue had been carved anew by skilled craftsmen after they arrived on Primordial Water Island.
The statue might have been new, but the sword wasn’t. That sword was the very spiritual sword used by the founder of the Primordial Sword Sect in his youth. Over the years, however, the sword’s power had greatly diminished.
Yet, this sword was the spiritual pillar of the entire Primordial Sword Sect. Even during the sect’s greatest calamity in the past, this sword had been preserved by sheer determination.
For a sect, there were certain things that were absolutely irreplaceable, and one of them was their spiritual faith. Just like a martial artist who needed a certain resolve and pursuit in their heart, a sect needed its own spiritual foundation to thrive.
What Qiu Changtai wanted to do by taking away this sword was nothing short of severing the Primordial Sword Sect’s spiritual backbone.
Qu Qingsheng had considered various demands that Qiu Changtai might make, such as offering resources, and he could have agreed to those. After all, as long as the people were intact, the future held possibilities, just as they had moved to the Boundless Sea from afar.
However, Qu Qingsheng had never imagined that Qiu Changtai would attempt to castrate their sect’s spirit.
If this sword were to be taken from here today, the Primordial Sword Sect would seem to suffer no loss on the surface, but its entire spiritual essence would be destroyed.
To subjugate someone, one began by mentally subduing, mutilating, and annihilating them, making them forget how to resist. Afterward, everything they did would seem perfectly reasonable.
“Sorry, we cannot agree to this request!” Qu Qingsheng looked at Qiu Changtai and said firmly.
“It’s just a sword,” Lou Sanfeng glanced at Qu Qingsheng and casually remarked, “Don’t deceive yourself.”
“Yes, it’s just a sword,” Qiu Changtai turned to face Qu Qingsheng, his hands behind his back, and said, “Then please make another request.”
“Please, come up with another request,” Qu Qingsheng said in a deep voice..