Chapter 37: Ci Guang Sect A Jinchan staff forcefully jabbed into the ground, the crisp sounds of bra.s.s rings knocking together accompanied by a rising and falling woman"s voice sounded out behind Qing Yu.
[T/N: 金蝉 (jin1 chan2), meaning "golden cicada".]
The force of rolling thunder blew out with this sound, shooting straight at the two.
Feeling this terrifying killing intent, Di Jiufeng subconsciously released Ning Guang, calling out her flying sword.
The charming scene was broken, the malicious energy around Ning Guang"s body immediately arising. She finally got this chance and wanted to hold her longer, a bit longer, but someone did not have enough tact.
Ning Guang"s face darkened. Seeing her Shifu holding her sword, about to block, she grabbed her arm, bringing her behind herself. "Shifu, I am stronger than you now. In the future, it"s my turn to protect you." She stepped through a Kun Xu pattern, icy palms waving in a mesmerizing pattern. She didn"t make any gaudy feints, instead pushing a palm directly towards that thunder.
Ice and frost crashed into thunder and lightning, mist dispersing in all directions, but the furious thunder could not continue on its path.
It was blocked in midair, thin patterns of frost spreading up the bolt of lightning. Right after, it broke into smoke like icy frost.
As a Middle-Stage Deity Transformation cultivator, Kong Chen would not use the whole of her power when dealing with a junior, forty percent at most, but for this to have been so easily blocked was out of her expectations.
Were all the youth these days so ferocious? Impossible, she was clearly only fifteen!
Kong Chen was a bit shocked, but Ning Guang was gazing at her coldly. That strike just then was malicious indeed. On the surface, it was a plain and ordinary bolt of lightning, but inside it contained brutal explosive energy. If this lightning had struck true, one would be seriously injured at a minimum. With her Shifu"s cultivation, her meridians would be immediately wrecked, destroying her cultivation.
What a good Chan cultivator, she wouldn"t kill someone but would make them become trash forever! So compa.s.sionate, she could laugh!
[T/N: 禅修 (chan2 xiu1), also known as Zen cultivation.]
Ning Guang was never the type to repress her anger and swallow her tongue. Especially seeing someone plotting against her Shifu, she even more could not suppress the fire in her heart. Her two hands brushing past each other, she created a long dragon of ice and frost, tossing it out towards Kong Chen. The showy ice dragon of immense power was in fact just a cover. Inside it hid some demonic energy she had condensed.
To try and curb other people"s cultivation, and even control other people"s bodies, this old thing dared to plot against her Shifu. Just wait, one day she would be unable to move an inch, tormented by inner demons every day!
Because she had gone mad that day, Ning Guang"s demonic cultivation was already undetectable to even Middle-Stage Deity Transformation cultivators.
But, she was still worried there were stronger people present. If she was discovered, it would implicate her Shifu, so she used the ice dragon as a cover.
Seeing this surging, howling wrathful dragon, Kong Chen"s face darkened, the creases on her face folding together, looking just like an air-dried walnut. "The youth these days really do not know to respect their elders! You did that sort of shameless thing yourself, yet you won"t hear others" reprimands! I did not want to prolong this altercation, but now, I"ll have to teach you two a good lesson!"
Both hands holding her Jinchan staff across her chest, she flew up from the ground, violently smashing down towards the ice dragon"s head.
In the end, her cultivation was high, and a single blow made Ning Guang"s ice dragon instantly shatter into snow. The following thunderous rumble made the whole ground shake! As the giant dragon shattered, a wisp of water vapor crashed into her hand. But, her skin was rough and she did not notice at all. Her face twisting into a malicious scowl, she howled, "Little viper, eat my staff!"
The force of thousands of pounds of lightning came crashing down, the surrounding air howling with this swift movement.
Because she had flown into a rage, Kong Chen used the entirety of her strength. If this strike hit true, Ning Guang might not even die with a whole corpse to bury. Seeing this scene, Di Jiufeng"s entire world slowed to a stop. There was only the thunderous heartbeat by her ear, crash after crash making her head dizzy and her gaze unfocused, her whole body growing cold as ice.
Ning Guang had demonic cultivation. Using the whole of her strength to resist, she could dodge this disaster, but her ident.i.ty would be exposed when she did, and it would invite the immediate attack of the righteous cultivation crowd. But if she did not use her demonic cultivation, how could she escape alive with her Nascent Soul Grand Completion cultivation?
The main plotline could not let Ning Guang die, but Di Jiufeng could see no hope in sight…
No, there was hope.
An epiphany flashing through her mind, Di Jiufeng called up the System as fast as she could. Hearing its host"s panicked call, the System did not dare delay, starting up with a beep. "Honorable host… sss…" The System stretched out its nonexistent hands, planning to play cute, only to see that Jinchan staff crashing down like a crazed beast, carrying the force of waves sweeping into the sky.
The System drew in a cold breath, shaking in terror. "My heavens, my heavens, my heavens, the ancient witch cannot die, if she dies, this world will collapse!"
It brought out its database at top speed, intending to use its newly-learned hacker techniques to see if there were any loopholes it could get into.
Di Jiufeng looked down her nose at it and said in distaste, "What are you panicking for, can"t you control electric shocks? I refuse to believe she could still kill after being numbed by electricity."
"Oh that"s right, how did I not think of that?" The System thought it had definitely been bullied too much by these two birds of a feather to turn so stupid. But, it didn"t dare complain, and even raced against time to collect a bolt of lightning to press into her hand. "System produced, quality guaranteed, host can relax and be bold."
While playing cute, it worked with Di Jiufeng to send out the lightning.
Just when the lightning was about to hit Kong Chen, a yellow-robed girl blocked in front of Ning Guang. "Old woman, who are you calling shameless? What does it matter if she likes women, I like them like them like them too, if you have the guts then hit me! If you dare hurt a hair on my head, my daddy will take your d.a.m.n life."
The one who came was Ji Liuran. Seeing her appear, Di Jiufeng"s heart suddenly twisted in her chest.
So annoying, super annoying, especially since she stole her life debt towards Ning Guang. Though there was nothing wrong with what she did, the opposite in fact, she had done it out of good intentions, clearly she herself was enough, why did Ning Guang have to be indebted to an outsider!
"System, the main plotline clearly doesn"t have this sort of event! Ji Liuran didn"t even partic.i.p.ate in the demonstration compet.i.tion!"
Seeing her annoyed look, the System inwardly pounded the ground and laughed, but showed none of it on its face. Instead, it said obsequiously, "That"s correct honorable host, but because of your interference, even if the general sequence of events remains intact, many events on the main plotline will change direction. Before, Ci Guang Temple"s Kong Chen would not have bothered the ancient witch, this is all because of your interference oh."
The System maliciously played cute again, Di Jiufeng really did not like to look at it. But, she didn"t have the time to deal with it now. She could only coldly say, "It seems like you"re very idle, if you have so much time, why not think of some ways to get an experience pill."
The System had learned hacker techniques, this was nothing.
Laughing "en-heng-heng-heng" a few times, it said c.o.c.kily, "To avoid errors in the program, there are backup copies of all rewards. Usually, honorable host has already earned one, so the backup would be automatically returned to storage, but this System has already learned hacker techniques. All future rewards can be given double~"
Shooting out a stream of code at top speed, the System had just s.n.a.t.c.hed out the experience pill, not even having given it to Di Jiufeng, when the imposing voice of a middle-aged man burst out. He roared, "Ran-er!"
The spiritual energy in his hand gathered into a fierce tiger, biting onto Kong Chen"s body.
Ji Xian"s cultivation was slightly higher than Kong Chen"s, but the difference between the two was not very large. Though this was a furious attack, it would not leave her unable to defend.
But for some reason, when the fierce tiger descended from up high, Kong Chen didn"t even try to defend, allowing herself to suffer this bite.
In an instant, her waist and back tore, blood pouring out like rain in a thunderstorm.
"Shifu!"
"Shishu!"
Seeing that Kong Chen was injured, Ci Guang Sect"s people could not take this lightly. They called out their spiritual devices with a clang, moving into a demon-slaughtering formation. They wanted to put the culprit to death, but when they saw who the attacker was, their offense halted in silent agreement. They exchanged glances, then turned their spearheads towards Ning Guang.
"Little viper, what did you do to my Shifu! She is a master, an elder with Middle-Stage Deity Transformation cultivation, how could she so easily get hit by an attack!"
Ning Guang took a look at this overbearing woman, saying in a cold voice, "Grievances have a target and debts have an owner, but the attacker was not me. Or could it be that you think that I, with my trifling Nascent Soul cultivation, could do anything to a Deity Transformation cultivator? If so, you are really looking down on your Shifu.
And, why won"t you say that from beginning to end, it was always her picking a quarrel with us, insulting and lecturing, and just then, she even tried to take my and my Shifu"s life! Though I am not a disciple from some large sect, I cannot allow someone to take advantage of their position to bully others!"
Everyone saw the truth in Ning Guang"s words.
But in the end, Ci Guang Sect was the top sect, second only to Han Hai Pavilion. Though everyone felt that Ning Guang had been wronged, they didn"t dare speak up on her behalf.
When this woman first heard Ning Guang"s words, her face paled, showing some hints of awkwardness. But afterwards, she withdrew this fear. Stepping forwards, she said in an arrogant tone, "Ah, then do you think my Shifu spoke out of turn? Would you swear on it, that there isn"t half a bit of an impure relationship between you and that shameless thing?"
Di Jiufeng had thought that Buddhist cultivators, by and large, were some merciful and benevolent people. They had to cultivate the body and nurture the soul, had to guide people to benevolence, had to deliver all living creatures from suffering, had to hold mercy to their hearts. However, seeing these mundane crafty faces full of anger and envy, she suddenly realized that it was her own expectations that were too high. Cultivation had always depended only on the individual, it had nothing to do with the sect.
As long as you had a benevolent heart, you would be so even if you were born a demon.
In this world, people with hearts more evil than ghouls, with l.u.s.ts more numerous than demons, were never few to be found.
Di Jiufeng took a look at that girl, then turned to look at Ning Guang. Like they had read each others" minds, they just happened to meet eyes.
In this kind of situation, if Ning Guang did not swear an oath, there could be no good outcomes. At minimum, they would be spit on and cursed by the ma.s.ses, maybe even taken back by Ci Guang Temple under the name of corrective discipline, secretly thinking of all ways to retaliate.
But if she agreed to swear that oath, didn"t that mean that all those emotions she had taken as tacit understanding were in fact her own misconceptions?
Di Jiufeng did not want this sort of conclusion, but they clearly did not have a third road to take.
She was at a loss, chest full of her panic-stricken heartbeat, making her breath slow, afraid to take another glance at Ning Guang.
Notes:
This chapter was translated by Lily. *Waves hands* drama