Netherworld Painted Skin Scroll

Chapter 324 Power
Li Yin stared blankly, looking left and right, stammering as if asking for help, or perhaps hesitating.

When Tong Xu saw him like this, he immediately thought of Zheng Jingxi's first comment about him—that what Sect Leader Li valued most was his own authority on Dapan Mountain.

Then I thought of the second sentence—but in the end, he was still doing it for himself!
The Sword Sect is indeed domineering... They went to someone else's mountain gate and forced their sect leader to abdicate! It's a pity that Zheng Jingxi and Li Yin, those two idiots, were so slow and indecisive. If they had brought the Corpse Demon over earlier or killed it, Li Wuxiang wouldn't have been able to do anything even if he had arrived here.

Because she knew that only she could see clearly from this mountain—things were not as they used to be.

In the past, the Sword Sect and Taiyi Swordsmen acted recklessly because they bore no responsibility and had no desire to rule the world. Like a wandering knight-errant, they could kill and rob as they pleased, without any constraints.

But the Taiyi Sect now truly wants to become the Taiyi Sect of the past. No matter how skilled a swordsman is, how many people can he kill? Moreover, many things cannot be solved by killing. It's like a wandering knight who kills and robs suddenly becoming a city lord; can he still continue to rob and plunder in his own town? When he acts again, many of his methods become unusable.

The Taiyi Sect is now just a group of wandering knights. If it weren't for that corpse demon, dead and unable to testify, what would it mean if Li Wuxiang went to their sect and forced the sect leader to abdicate? Everyone in the martial world would be in danger, and even if they all turned to the Blood God Sect, the Taiyi Sect would be in serious trouble!
But this logic is beyond the comprehension of Yin, a short-sighted fool. Zheng Jingxi is slightly smarter than him, but his downside is that he is easily swayed and only knows how to protect himself.

These past few days, when the three of them were discussing matters, he always said, "Since we are in Dapan Mountain, we will naturally listen to Sect Leader Li"—he wasn't really being humble and sensible, but simply didn't want to make decisions or take responsibility!

Seeing that Li Yin was about to speak, she immediately interrupted, "Li Yin! Shut up!"

She steeled her resolve, disregarding life and death, and stood between Li Yin and Li Wuxiang: "Li Wuxiang, what if Sect Leader Li doesn't want to step down from this position today?"

Li Wuxiang's gaze turned cold, but he ignored her and killed the last head that had protruded with blood vessels.

Li Yin stood behind her, stunned, seemingly not understanding why she was suddenly being so kind to him. Tong Xu then said, "Our three families have formed an alliance to protect ourselves in this chaotic world, and we are one. I don't want him to abdicate, and neither will Senior Brother Zheng—Divine Lord, none of us are your match. If you insist on forcing him, you might as well step over my dead body first!"

Li Yin let out a burp, as if she was so surprised that she choked on the words she wanted to say.

Tong Xu breathed a slight sigh of relief—at least Li Yin, that idiot, held on and didn't actually agree!

She turned her head and gave Li Yin a look—even if he was stupid, he should understand by now that if Li Wuxiang really killed Qingpu and the Divine Blade Sect Master on Dapan Mountain, the reputation of Taiyi Sect would be ruined!

When Li Yin saw the look in her eyes, he paused for a moment, then whispered behind her, "I understand, Junior Sister Tong."

Just as Tong Xu was about to feel a huge weight lifted from her heart, she heard Li Yin say again, "No wonder you used to always mock me. I thought you were just a mean person... It turns out you were so deeply in love with me! Sigh, why didn't you say so sooner?"

Tong Xu prided herself on her excellent self-control, but after hearing this fool's words, before she could even process what he had said, she felt her hands and feet go numb with anger, so angry that she didn't know what to say for a moment.

But then Li Yin said, "Alright, I understand your feelings. Don't worry, as long as he doesn't lay a hand on you, I will never agree!"

Li Wuxiang, standing atop the wall, listened to their conversation and couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Tong Xu, though a troublemaker, was truly a clever man. Intelligent and courageous, he showed no fear in the face of Li Wuxiang, a Nascent Soul cultivator from the Sword Sect, and immediately grasped the situation perfectly. His mind was perhaps even sharper than Lou He's.

At this moment, Xue Baoping also said, "This Sect Leader Tong has a truly discerning eye."

His true form stood atop the wall, while his spirit was beside Xue Baoping. However, when Xue Baoping spoke to his spirit, it was no different from speaking to his true form.

Li Wuxiang nodded in his Yin spirit: "Yes. If you were to do it, what do you think would be the best way to do it?"

Xue Baoping seemed tired of standing, so she sat down on the roof ridge and said with a smile, "Are you testing me again?"

"So you're saying you already have the answer in your heart?"

Xue Baoping nodded: "We said that Li Yin was raising corpses on Dapan Mountain to force him to abdicate. Although it was a bit like interfering in the internal affairs of another sect, it was still acceptable. Because corpses are the mortal enemies of Taiyi Sect and Sword Sect. But if the Qingpu Sect Master was actually injured or killed, then things would not be acceptable."

"However, if we don't take action, they won't blame us. Xie Qi is no good; even if he does something, it will be attributed to us because he's on our side. Li Yin is timid, and after listening to Tong Xu's words, he probably won't do it either. We can only try Zheng Jingxi."

Li Wuxiang had just sighed inwardly, but now he felt there was no need to. Bao Ping's insight was also sharp—she didn't have as much experience as Tong Xu at the moment.

"Then do as you say."

Li Wuxiang jumped down from the wall, his footsteps splashing through the blood. He looked at Li Yin and Tong Xu, then at Zheng Jingxi: "I'm here to deal with the corpse demons, not to kill anyone, so of course I won't lay a hand on Sect Leader Tong. But pretending to be ignorant isn't a good idea—Sect Leader Li won't speak, and Sect Leader Tong is difficult to talk to. Sect Leader Zheng, what do you think?"

Zheng Jingxi smiled slightly and stroked his beautiful beard: "Since you, Sect Leader Li, are not willing to take action, what does it matter what I think? Now that we are at Dapan Mountain, it is natural for Sect Leader Li to make the decision."

Li Wuxiang looked at him and said, "There are other ways to get things done besides taking action."

Zheng Jingxi laughed again: "What, are you going to abandon your flying sword and try your hand at magic? As far as I know, this is not something that swordsmen are good at—and you, as a swordsman, probably can't do it either."

Zheng Jingxi was definitely more sensible than that fool Li Yin. Tong Xu breathed a complete sigh of relief, and her sneer turned into a smile: "Sect Leader Li, swordsmen aren't only bad at combat. If you ask me, there's another thing—"

"You've all grown accustomed to fighting and killing, and perhaps you've forgotten that the word 'power' needs to be considered in two parts. First, strength—you Taiyi Sect members are unparalleled in this regard, a fact universally acknowledged. But second, influence—in this aspect, you fall short compared to others." As she said this, she noticed Li Wuxiang still staring intently at Zheng Jingxi, as if trying to scrutinize his face, while ignoring her directly. This made her feel a little relieved—he was genuinely angry, his anger boiling over but he was powerless to retaliate, and therefore didn't want to see her "repulsive" face any longer.

But anyone who is confident of victory would never show such a defiant demeanor. Li Wuxiang and the little girl beside him appeared like immortals, but now, in this predicament, all their divine airs have vanished, and they are even less capable than Zheng Jingxi.

Tong Xu smiled slightly: "Regarding the situation, I need to say a few more words to you, Li Jianxian. This situation refers not only to the current situation in the academy, but also to the situation surrounding our three sects."

"Before I entered the Daoist path, I was a wandering knight-errant, doing things like robbing the rich to help the poor. Once, I obtained a valuable treasure in Lizuo. After word got out, two groups of people came to ask me for the treasure."

"One of them is a rogue sect in Lizuo City, and the other is a reclusive family two hundred miles outside the city. The rogue sect has only sixty-odd people, with only three or four Qi Refining cultivators. The reclusive family, on the other hand, has a Golden Core ancestor in charge, and more than thirty Qi Refining disciples in the clan. They are extremely famous in the vicinity of Lizuo City."

"Li Jianxian, guess who I gave that treasure to afterward?"

Li Yin was stunned for a moment, then whispered behind her, "Weren't you born on Qingpu Mountain? When did you become a wandering knight? Oh dear, Junior Sister, I had no idea you had such a past. It really breaks my heart. What were the names of that sect and family again? You wait here, after this matter is settled, I—"

Tong Xu's expression remained unchanged as he whispered, "Get out of here, shut up."

Then he continued, "I handed it over to that weaker rogue sect in Lizuo City. Although one of them is stronger than the other, I couldn't afford to offend even the weaker one. At that time, I needed to make a living in Lizuo City, and that sect was located in the city. The other reclusive family, although strong, was two hundred miles away from Lizuo. Comparing the two, I naturally chose the one that could currently control me."

"Sword Immortal, you should know that among our three families, there is actually a Juque Sect above us. The Juque Sect is now greatly weakened, but there is still more than one Yang God cultivator. The mortal enmity between you and Mu Zhenyuan is similar to that of the rogue sect in Lizuo City back then."

“We cannot afford to offend the Taiyi Sect, nor can we afford to offend the Juque Sect. However, after you pass by here today, you will be heading elsewhere, while the three of us will remain here—this is what I mean by power dynamics. Sword Immortal Li, since you dare not kill me, your strength is useless in the face of such power dynamics.”

Zheng Jingxi smiled slightly upon hearing this: "Junior Sister Tong's words make sense. Sect Leader Li, you don't need to stare at me like that. The reason why the Thirty-Six Sects have been able to survive for three thousand years without facing the constant threat of destruction like the Sword Sect is due to this balance of power. For example, my Divine Blade Sect—"

“I’m staring at you because I feel you might be about to face a calamity,” Li Wuxiang said.

Zheng Jingxi smiled and shook his head: "Tribulations are something all cultivators encounter. If you're referring to your own calamity of death, I'm afraid I—"

"I'm not talking about the tribulation of killing and the tribulation of human beings." Li Wuxiang also smiled and shook his head, "but rather, I see that you, Sect Leader Zheng, do not compete for anything, only knowing how to protect yourself and not exert any effort. With such a mindset, you may be entering the Void Tribulation—once you enter the Void, your mind and spirit will be empty, and all your magical power will disappear without a trace. You must overcome this tribulation to advance to the next level. Zheng Jingxi, don't you feel it yourself?"

Zheng Jingxi raised an eyebrow, paused his conversation, and began to examine himself internally.

The Void Tribulation is something that cultivators from the Thirty-Six Sects are not meant to undergo, at least not their Yang God level. However, Li Wuxiang's tone was very strange, and he was always cautious, so he decided to give it a try.

Then I realized something was wrong.

Some people are forgetful. A name that's often mentioned, just a moment ago on their lips, can suddenly be forgotten. They rack their brains, but the name seems to drift further and further away.

In that instant, Zheng Jingxi experienced this feeling—though it was only for a fleeting moment, he had almost lost his ability to see inward, as if he had returned to the time when he first began cultivating and was still inexperienced. For a cultivator, this is an instinct, like breathing and heartbeat, yet he had completely forgotten it for even a fleeting moment…

He immediately circulated his true energy, letting it flow through his body.

He sensed more abnormalities. It was like being on the verge of going mad—not quite there yet, but with a feeling of impending doom. His energy flowed sluggishly, his meridians seemed blocked, as if he were trying to pry something with a long stick, but the stick was broken in the middle, bending when it touched the target, and he could never get any leverage!

Zheng Jingxi raised his head and looked at Li Wuxiang seriously: "How did you know?"

"Haven't the three of you heard? The Taiyi Sect worships the Eastern Emperor Taiyi, but now they've also included a Great Calamity True Lord in their offerings. I used that Great Calamity True Lord's supernatural powers, so naturally I was able to see it. Not only did I see it, but I even have a way to save them. Do you believe me, Sect Master Zheng?"

Zheng Jingxi narrowed his eyes slightly, and Li Wuxiang sensed that he had used his Yin spirit.

The Six Departments of the Mysterious Sect invoke supernatural powers, which originate from Mount Ling. Since his great calamity star is not on Mount Ling, Zheng Jingxi, using his Yin spirit to observe Mount Ling, naturally could not discover it.

But he slightly drew upon the starlight of the Great Calamity Star, and a ray of crimson light established a momentary connection with him from the extremely high void. He believed that Zheng Jingxi had seen it.

"Sect Master Zheng, what did you just say about your Divine Blade Sect?"

Zheng Jingxi shook his head and smiled, his expression still extremely calm, as if he did not take the calamity he mentioned to heart at all: "What I just said, for example, the reason why our Divine Blade Sect has been able to pass down for three thousand years without interruption and has been able to protect Snowflake Valley is because we do things by considering both momentum and strength."

He spoke these words calmly and composedly, and Tong Xu nodded in agreement: "So, Li Jianxian, if you can't use your strength, what's the use of threats? You should know that coercion is even more about leveraging power. Senior Brother Zheng—"

“Junior Sister is right.” Zheng Jingxi smiled at Li Wuxiang, lightly dusted off her clothes, flicked the hem, and gracefully stepped forward, kneeling on one knee and bowing with her hands clasped in a Daoist salute. “The current trend in the world is for the Taiyi Divine Sect to eradicate the demonic forces and unify the universe. The reason I came up the mountain these past few days was to hear what kind of wolfish ambitions that scoundrel Tong Xu truly harbors. Now that the Divine Lord has arrived at Dapan Mountain, the Divine Blade Sect will naturally follow his lead without question—”

He knelt on one knee, turned to Tong Xu, and shouted, "Witch! You are still stubborn! Rebellious! Why don't you abdicate? Do you want the Divine Lord to take action and cleanse the Taiyi Sect?"

(End of this chapter)