Chapter 56
Translator: Hiohbye
Editor: PlayerProphet
When Zhao Qinger appeared, Bai Yang knew that the situation was resolved. He smiled. “Miss Zhao, here I was thinking you weren’t coming.”
Zhao Qinger was willing to even steal the Jade Cloud Pearl for the Male Lead. Her infatuation and love were obvious to all in the heavens and earth.
Bai Yang thought the male and female leads were a match made in heaven.
Zhao Qinger bit her lip. “I brought the Jade Cloud Pearl. Where’s the antidote?”
“Don’t worry. Once you give me the pearl, I will let Zhou Ying leave in one piece,” Zhou Ying said, smiling. He held out his hand for the pearl.
Zhao Qinger hesitated, determining if his words could be trusted or not. “What if I give you the Jade Cloud Pearl and you don’t let Zhou Ying go?”
Bai Yang chuckled. Hearing it, Zhao Qinger nearly trembled, and her face turned red.
“Miss Zhao, my words hold weight. Anyway, you have no choice but to trust me. If you dare trick me, I’ll kill you both,” Bai Yang warned. Then, he sharply said, “Hand it over!”
Zhao Qinger was struck dumb with fear. She knew she couldn’t stand a chance against Bai Yang. If Bai Yang were to take the pearl by force, there would be nothing she could do.
She ground her teeth before taking out a small box and handing it over to Bai Yang.
Bai Yang opened the box and found a small, glossy pearl laying inside. Within the pearl was a tiny green plant that was completely translucent, as if it were alive.
Bai Yang used his cultivation to investigate. He found that the spiritual power of the pearl was extremely rich. It was the real thing.
He closed the box and, turning to Zhao Qinger, said, “Alright. Since you’ve brought me the Jade Cloud Pearl, I’ll return my hostage to you.”
He gestured to the house. “Zhou Ying is inside. You can take him with you.”
Zhao Qinger frowned. “Where’s the antidote?”
Bai Yang smiled. “Miss Qinger, the pill I gave Zhou Ying was not actually poison. In fact, its properties are beneficial to its user. He won’t need any kind of antidote to recover.”
He paused, then added, “Actually, that’s not right. He won’t only recover, but his cultivation will actually advance a level.”
Zhao Qinger was unable to trust his words. “You’re lying! You want to cheat me and keep the antidote!”
She was so furious she began to tremble. “Give me back the Jade Cloud Pearl!”
She pulled out her sword, moving to s.n.a.t.c.h the box out of Bai Yang’s hands.
Bai Yang dodged the attack easily. If he were to compare his cultivation to someone like Zhao Qinger, it would be like the difference between an elephant and an ant. He didn’t need to exert any energy at all.
“I cannot return your gift, Miss Qinger. I said that Zhou Ying wasn’t poisoned, and now you won’t believe me. Go on inside and take a look for yourself.”
Zhao Qinger chased after him for a long time without touching a thread on Bai Yang’s clothes. As she panted for breath, she continued to point her sword at Bai Yang with an expression of ultimate hatred.
“You lied to me! You lied to me!” she screamed in rage.
Bai Yang felt some helplessness. Knowing that she didn’t trust him, he waved his hand and removed the formation in the room. He raised his voice. “Zhou Ying, come out quickly! Zhao Qinger doesn’t believe that you aren’t poisoned.”
Zhou Ying had awoken on the second day. Bai Yang told him his plan, so Zhou Ying knew long ago that what Bai Yang had given him was not poison, but a pill that would advance his cultivation.
He’d wanted to warn Zhao Qinger not to steal the pearl, but found himself helpless after being imprisoned by Bai Yang. He’d heard everything Bai Yang and Zhao Qinger had said to each other, clear as day.
When Bai Yang removed the formation, Zhou Ying scurried through the door. “Zhao-shijie, I haven’t been poisoned!”
After being purified by the pill, Zhou Ying’s cultivation had advanced from Base Building to Early Core Formation. His entire character seemed to have changed. His temperament was graceful and his face rosy, a far cry from the rolling-on-the-bed-in-pain sight he’d been on the first day after taking the pill.
Zhao Qinger ran over and grabbed his hands, giving a thorough sweep of his body. “You’re alright, you’re really alright?”
Zhou Ying held her hands, a.s.suring her. “I’m not poisoned, don’t worry. Mr. Xie lied to you.”
He turned to glare at Bai Yang.
Bai Yang rubbed his nose and didn’t say anything. He was clearly in the wrong.
Zhao Qinger inspected him one more time and found that Zhou Ying really was unharmed. She embraced him. “Thank the heavens, thank the heavens! You’re fine, this is great news!”
Zhou Ying was caught off guard by her sudden embrace. He opened his arms, helplessly saying, “Shijie…”
Zhao Qinger realized that their positions were somewhat inappropriate. She quickly released him, two red clouds emerging on her pale face.
The atmosphere became awkward instantly.
As a bachelor, Bai Yang felt unwelcome in that atmosphere. He’d taken the Jade Cloud Pearl and delivered the pill to the Male Lead. Now that his mission was complete, he prepared to go. Before he did, he ruined the mood. “I’ve returned him to you. Miss Zhao. I didn’t lie to you, did I?”
Zhao Qinger bit her lip. “Why did you lie to us?”
“Mr. Xie went through so much just to get the Jade Cloud Pearl,” Zhou Ying said. “Why? Has Mr. Xie experienced a qi deviation?”
Bai Yang turned his face away. “Don’t ask inappropriate questions. Just because I didn’t poison you this time doesn’t mean I won’t do it again. Anyway, since I’ve gotten what I wanted, I’ll get out of your hair. Farewell, and may we meet again.”
He didn’t care about the two people anymore and prepared to return to the Demonic Realm at once.
If you’re going to take something, you should leave before anything went wrong.
Just as he was about to go, there came a cry from all around him. “Evil Spirit, don’t try to flee!”
Several figures appeared all around him, traveling at much faster speeds than Zhao Qinger was capable of. They must have been powerful cultivators.
Zhao Qinger brought people with her?
Bai Yang was somewhat stunned before realizing it was unlikely for her to do such a thing.
Regardless of whether she had or not, he was prepared. He had pre-arranged formations in all four directions.
Bai Yang estimated that everyone who arrived was around the Mahayana Stage of cultivation.
Other than the boundary separating the mortal and Demonic Realm, there was another barrier. As long as a high-ranking demonic cultivator entered the mortal realm, their cultivation would be suppressed. After Bai Yang entered the mortal world, only around half of his cultivation was present. If the Demon King were to cross to the mortal realm, it was possible the Demon King’s power would be even more suppressed than Bai Yang’s.
This kind of boundary enchantment helped protect the human realm. If a demonic cultivator stumbled into the human realm, they would not be able to cause complete chaos there. It was also why, even if the Demon King found a route to the human realm, he would first look around for the boundary stones to destroy them.
If he was in the Demonic Realm, Bai Yang wouldn’t even blink at a few Mahayana Stage cultivators, but now…
A wise man adapts according to the circ.u.mstances. If you tell me not to run, do you really think I’ll listen to you and stop running??
In the blink of an eye, the cultivators surrounded Bai Yang and the thatched cottage.
“Father, how did you get here?” Zhao Qinger asked, astonished.
“If I didn’t follow you, would you have given the Soaring Cloud Sect’s treasure to an outsider? It’s good I left my imprint on the pearl, or else I would have never known it was stolen!” The man leading the cultivators was the Sect Head of the Soaring Cloud Sect. He had a very profound and immortal-like air to him. His expression was extremely serious; at one glance, it was obvious that he was someone who would be hard to get along with. He gave a low snort, glaring at his daughter, then turned to glare at Bai Yang.
“This is the man who forced you to steal the Jade Cloud Pearl?” The Sect Head said. His voice was low and oppressive.
Bai Yang knew that this Sect Head was talking about him.
Zhao Qinger normally followed the rules and never overstepped the bounds of propriety. Now, she had committed the crime of stealing the Sect’s most precious treasure. If any ordinary person had done such a thing, their tendons would have been snapped and skin peeled off. It was fortunate that Zhao Qinger was his daughter.
It was also why Bai Yang used Zhao Qinger to steal the pearl.
“Father, I…” Zhao Qinger said weakly, not knowing how to justify her actions.
“Did you think that if you wanted the pearl, you could just take it?” The Sect Head’s expression was grave.
Zhao Qinger knelt on the floor. “Qinger knows her wrongs. Please, Father, punish me!”
Zhou Ying hurried to kneel next to her. “Qinger stole the pearl in order to rescue me. Sect Head, please don’t punish her! If you must punish her, punish me, too!”
“Of course I will punish you,” the Sect Leader said from between clenched teeth. “However, before that, I need to first retrieve the Jade Cloud Pearl.”
He turned to look at Bai Yang, cold light glinting his eyes. “Attack!”
Tsk, tsk, he would order others to attack without even trying to negotiate first. It looked like he hated Bai Yang a great deal, and didn’t intend to spare his life.
Bai Yang thought about this for a moment, then smiled. “Sect Head Zhang, I heard Soaring Cloud Sect was a righteous sect. When they see someone in need of help, they will come to rescue them. Now, if I have a friend who is suffering a great injury and requires the pearl to treat them, I believe the sect should stick to their principles?”
As he spoke, he studied his surroundings, looking for an opportunity to escape.
“You kidnapped my disciple, forced my daughter to steal the pearl, and now attempt to explain justice to me? How can you say such ridiculous things? There is no goodwill in me for evildoers like you! Attack!”
The Sect Head’s words were intense and furious. At his command, the cultivators with him flew up and launched a fierce attack on Bai Yang.
Bai Yang intended to disguise the source of his cultivation at first, in order to hide his demonic ident.i.ty. Unfortunately, as he continued to fight, he found that his cultivation was unable to endure any longer.
He could not continue.
He had stayed by the Demon King’s side for so many years, and he was so close to finishing his task and returning home. How could he die in a place like this?
Bai Yang’s heart hardened, and he released his demonic energy.
“It’s a demonic cultivator!” The cultivators he was fighting with were stunned. They fell back, their expressions shocked and guarded.
At first, the Sect Head had been standing to the side, his hands clasped behind him. However, after hearing this new development, he, too, was surprised.
A demonic cultivator had openly invaded their Soaring Cloud Sect once before. Today, they encountered another. Furthermore, both of these demonic cultivators had extremely high cultivation. The Sect Head was shocked and anxious at the thought. Could it be that the boundary formation had weakened? Otherwise, how could such a powerful Demonic Cultivator appear in the mortal world? If more and more powerful demonic cultivators arrived, the human world would be turned upside down!
They needed to capture this demonic cultivator and interrogate him!
He made up his mind and entered the battle. “Don’t be afraid. We’ll strike as one!”
The cultivators had lost much of their poise and elegance, so the Sect Head had not joined in earlier. However, now that their opponent was revealed to be a Demonic Cultivator, he could no longer afford to care about trivial things like that.
Bai Yang suppressed the blood and qi roiling in his body. He laughed. “So it seems the Soaring Cloud Sect thinks highly of me. Five against one! Aren’t you afraid I’ll destroy all of Soaring Cloud Sect’s talent in one go?”
The Sect Head said, “You are a demonic cultivator. There’s no need to talk about morals with a demonic cultivator!”
“Master, Mr. Xie didn’t hurt us at all,” Zhou Ying interjected. “Could it be a misunderstanding?”
He and Zhao Qinger had been thrown into a daze after witnessing the events, and finally returned to reality.
Bai Yang couldn’t help but look at him. What an obedient child! My love wasn’t for nothing.
“Shameful!” He shouldn’t have said anything. Once he did, the Sect Head flew into a rage. “To think you would plead leniency for a demonic cultivator!”
When Zhou Ying was reprimanded, Zhao Qinger came to his rescue. “Father, we didn’t know he was a demonic cultivator before!”
She didn’t have any good feelings toward Bai Yang. Though he hadn’t poisoned Zhou Ying, he’d forced her to steal the pearl. When she spoke, it was not for his sake, but for Zhou Ying.
“You two wait here, I’ll deal with you after I capture this demon!”
The Sect Head no longer bothered to engage in small talk with Bai Yang. He called for the others to surround and attack Bai Yang with all their strength.
As Bai Yang fought, he attacked and retreated at the same time. Then, when everyone’s attention was focused on him, he produced an illusion formation. This illusion had an obvious flaw to it. The cultivators had been attacking him with great difficulty and couldn’t help but begin to feel anxious. Spotting his weak spot, all of them rushed over to take advantage of it. Bai Yang found that this in turn was a good opportunity for him. He rushed to Zhao Qinger’s side.
“Qinger!” Zhao Qinger had already been kidnapped once. Seeing Bai Yang rush down to Zhao Qinger’s side, the Sect Head knew what he was planning. He was both alarmed and furious as he flew after.
The other cultivators panicked, then flew to surround Bai Yang.
Zhao Qinger was so scared, her face lost all color. Zhou Ying, who was next to her, had a faster reaction; in a second, he threw himself in front of Zhao Qinger.
However, this was all part of Bai Yang’s trick. His plan was to break up the entrapment and throw them all into disorder. Once their positions changed, the formation broke.
Rushing towards Zhao Qinger was also another trick. His plan was, when everyone was confused, to speed away into a nearby mountain road.